Need For Speed: SHIFT & SHIFT 2 Unleashed

[Matthew Booth]

are you staying on the intended line boothy? or are you cutting over the kerbs?

Im staying inside the red & white kerbs. It unsettles the car to go over them.

 

[Rob]

I might try something different tonight, but i was using the chevy last night.
I really do hate jumping in and out of different cars that all have different default settings and different feelings when driving so i may just stick with the chevy and work on that setup.

I have the Alpina feeling very good at the moment, but your time was just a bit too good for me to beat. . And I know Peter's time is just him playing around. I'd have to say 1:42 isn't impossible but maybe more toward 1:45 in race conditions. Even a 1:50 isn't bad, but I still feel like I'm leaving a bunch of time on the table. I think I adjusted some things from the base tune, but I'll post it here later. It's hard to translate due to the game's treatment of different wheels, but I have largely eliminated my linearity on the wheel, at least. I sent Chris a screen shot of the wheel settings from an M/S user, but I'm not sure if they helped. Peter and you are running very good times on this game in general.

If this were real racing, the kerbs would be ignored many times in GT cars. However, jumping the larger ones repeatedly would get a hairy eyeball from the stewards for sure, so I'd have to say jump them all you want, but remember that they can be very deadly to play with sometimes. Road Course drivers (not Monaco) generally cut them in cars like this, but not the very wide ones. And there are a couple that have a 50-50 shot at ending your race. I tried it both ways myself, and got the same result either way, but when I tried jumping all of them, I lost my car (or a good portion of it) a couple of times. And this course is so painted up, it's sometimes very hard to tell where the boundaries are. So, it's sort of series dependent. In Europe, jumping them might be looked upon differently than say in Australia or America. Personally, I'm going to try and avoid them, unless I know it's safe to cut them. Even then, most of them you can't simply can't drive over due to walls being near, even the left handers (except for that one, which would get the steward's attention, but apparently not the game's, and I think that's fair, since this course is laid out the way it is).

 

[Rob]

When Railer and I first tried to practice after the GRID series, there was one curb (on the left sort of banked up against wall) right before a right turn that, when you hit it at speed, will 90% of the time result in a huge crash into the barrier straight ahead. And it's not as if you can even get four wheels off...it's just so banked that your car can't brake.

 

[Karl Fuss]

When Railer and I first tried to practice after the GRID series, there was one curb (on the left sort of banked up against wall) right before a right turn that, when you hit it at speed, will 90% of the time result in a huge crash into the barrier straight ahead. And it's not as if you can even get four wheels off...it's just so banked that your car can't brake.

if it's the same one i'm thinking of there is a pothole there as well, right of where the kerb starts. That pothole also unsettles the car.

 

[Matthew Booth]

Ive noticed that on the chicanes there is a black kerb inside it unsettling the car. Kept wondering why it jumped up

 

[Rob]

if it's the same one i'm thinking of there is a pothole there as well, right of where the kerb starts. That pothole also unsettles the car.

Exactly! It's like the Beefeaters of 1789 designed that section.

 

[Rob]

Yea, this track is so much fun because it's so different. It's not really a passing track, but it can be in sections. And they must have taken your average rumble strip and simply doubled or tripled the size just for fun. I think only GT cars could run this track, which is why I would not worry about cutting at all, except where it's across the concrete, like 6 feet inside the white line. Still, I'm not sure that would be faster. Some parts of the track are easy it seems and others are very deceptive and curiously difficult, like that triple apex left right before you go under the bridge. That's just cruel! You can go so fast through a section like that on a Tilke track, but here it can be pinball time.

 

[Peter Hooper]

Had my first run out here this morning since the initial test to determine which London track to go for. I must have been on something when I selected this track lol Actually it’s a lot of fun but I’ll check out where the local auto parts traders are as I think there are going to be some cars missing a lot of bits during this one!! I have yet to work out where some of it is in regard to the London I know… it’s not an ideal track for looking around is it.. one glance and you are in the wall :/

Did want to go with a different car but after a couple of laps in the Aston I reverted to the trusty ol’ Ford that I know so well as learning this track properly and a new car is a recipe for disaster with just a few days to go.

Anyway, just had time for a quick 12 minute time attack this morning but enough to get the track back into my head. I’ve joined Karl and Robert in the 1:50’s but still pulling up the rear with a 1:50.759 so 2/tenths off Robert and 7/tenths off Karl with Boothy 3.5 seconds in the distance. My best lap I binned it at the underpass.. just overdid it and lost the backend as I turned in but was up by over a second so should be able to break into the sub 50’s next time hopefully.

Although I have the track fairly well set in my mind I agree with you @Robert Waddell that the painting on the floor confuses the mind sometimes.. that tight right-hander with the red paint on the floor keeps making me lose sight of where I need to be and thinking I need to go around it somehow lol

Went with the default setup for the short time I was on rather than using up time tinkering and to be honest it’s tough to know where to start on a setup here lol. I’ll probably work on the brakes and tyre pressures initially and take it from there. Don’t think there’s much to be gained here in the downforce myself but happy to hear any viewpoints on the way others are going

 

[Matthew Booth]

Had a go with Peter's trusty Ford it's the best car for here by miles did a 1:44.564

 

[Peter Hooper]

Had a go with Peter's trusty Ford it's the best car for here by miles did a 1:44.564

Well, I think we can safely say that this one is yours to lose... I reckon I could get around your previous best time but to find another three seconds on top of that is a stretch to say the least...

You haven't found one of those old time London city shortcuts have you

 

[Matthew Booth]

Well, I think we can safely say that this one is yours to lose... I reckon I could get around your previous best time but to find another three seconds on top of that is a stretch to say the least...

You haven't found one of those old time London city shortcuts have you

Yeah should be good fun lots of places to crash out anyway Well if makes you feel better just found another half a second 1:44.024 It's just as well im not shortcutting kerbs id be in the 1:40's

 

[Rob]

I'm cutting the sh*t out of them....
No, seriously, I'm don't know where to go half the time, so if it's a cut it's really "getting lost" but a few more runs this afternoon with Railer (Should be on 5-6:30 your time) and hope to have it better in my head.
Peter, I see you found that section I was talking about. You go around that left had triple apex and get dizzy like you came off a roller coaster, then it's a very bumpy right and not much time to line up for the bridge. That's a bitch. You must have been on Crystal Meth when you picked this one, but I like it all the same. I'd kind of rather see the "guts" of London. For instance, who are those two statues? Some of those alleyways are bound to have some pubs. May stop in in lieu of a pit stop just to refresh! lol.

Are the streets really painted like that? What a contrast to Chicago. There, it's "bikers, get the hell out of the way of your will be run over" and in London it seems like "Please Mr. Cyclist, go ahead, I can't drive on most of this road."

I recognize some major landmarks I think Big Ben is obvious. Parlament. Not too far away is Westminster Abbey, no? Can you see it? Of course, there is the eye. and wow the Thames...someone needs to clean that river up. Looks like 1000 cows took a dump in it. Didn't look like that when I was there, which was when this game was made abouts. If you look left and right across the bridges it's quite a nice view. I may do that while contemplating where to brake.

 

[Peter Hooper]

Just back from a quick lunchtime session of about 8 laps.. nudged myself into the sub 1:50 bracket to nab second place on the board... 1:47.143. Feels like theres more to come but Boothy's 44's looks a long way off. That last section holds so much time, get that right and you can undo so many wrongs from earlier in the lap. I find that right-hander after Big Ben to be really difficult to get right and I know I am losing heaps through there. Just can't get the braking right and the car slides away rather than being able to get the power down for to drive towards that chicane where the first split comes.

Tough circuit to setup for...

 

[Karl Fuss]

Just back from a quick lunchtime session of about 8 laps.. nudged myself into the sub 1:50 bracket to nab second place on the board... 1:47.143. Feels like theres more to come but Boothy's 44's looks a long way off. That last section holds so much time, get that right and you can undo so many wrongs from earlier in the lap. I find that right-hander after Big Ben to be really difficult to get right and I know I am losing heaps through there. Just can't get the braking right and the car slides away rather than being able to get the power down for to drive towards that chicane where the first split comes.

Tough circuit to setup for...

Nice one Peter... Is that still on the default setup?
I didn't get any running here last night, and likely won't get any tonight either... but i can't see where i'm gonna find 3 seconds to catch up to you. I had that 1:50, but the rest of my laps were 1:52s.
I'm still lost with these cars and the only thing getting me a good lap time is staying on the line and not screwing up.

 

[Peter Hooper]

Nice one Peter... Is that still on the default setup?
I didn't get any running here last night, and likely won't get any tonight either... but i can't see where i'm gonna find 3 seconds to catch up to you. I had that 1:50, but the rest of my laps were 1:52s.
I'm still lost with these cars and the only thing getting me a good lap time is staying on the line and not screwing up.

I used a slightly tweaked setup from the Ford GT3 one from the renowned tuning site. Lower ride height (one click front and rear), increased steering lock (one or two clicks), brake balance forward one click and maybe the toe as well... i'll have to check though. I might go back to the default though just to check whether it was the changes that made the difference or just a better understanding of the track.

I had several in the 1:47's / 8's but kept making a little errors here and there to prevent me beating my time.

 

[Karl Fuss]

If i get a chance i'll try the Ford out and see what i can do with it in default. If it's 3 seconds quicker i'll be more annoyed.
I hate that the performance of these cars seems to be such a big difference even though they are in the same class. With my little experience with the game so far this has been the case, maybe it's not always the case... i don't know.

 

[Peter Hooper]

I have so far found the Ford to be the most stable in both the GT1 and GT3 class. I really want to drive the Aston but it feels so much more tricky to drive (even in a straight line!!) and needs more time than I have to tame it.

 

[Rob]

I used a slightly tweaked setup from the Ford GT3 one from the renowned tuning site. Lower ride height (one click front and rear), increased steering lock (one or two clicks), brake balance forward one click and maybe the toe as well... i'll have to check though. I might go back to the default though just to check whether it was the changes that made the difference or just a better understanding of the track.

I had several in the 1:47's / 8's but kept making a little errors here and there to prevent me beating my time.

Make sure those tire pressures around 29-30 and be sure to have lots of camber, in addition to Petes comments. I also run high downforce. This is much more SIM setup wise, so the rear and front camber are vastly different.

 

[Rob]

I have so far found the Ford to be the most stable in both the GT1 and GT3 class. I really want to drive the Aston but it feels so much more tricky to drive (even in a straight line!!) and needs more time than I have to tame it.

I think it's personal preference, especially with the wheel issues. I love the Beemer. Never have before.

 

[TheHemps]

I've just come off a 2 hour session. Got in the 1:45's in the R8. Had a go with the Ford and the Porsche but the Audi is definitely the car for me.

I think with a bit of extra setup I can beat boothys time but he's only done 6 laps so he's probably got something extra in the tank as well.