The MP4-12C

Austin Ogonoski · Dec 6, 2013

The most anticipated car in build 0.3 gained a bit of a mixed reaction over at the official AC forums.

Here are some "quick" times to shoot for:
1:53.9xx at Imola with Semislicks & the default setup, third lap ever in that combo.
1:18.888 at Magione with Semislicks & the default setup, fifth lap ever in that combo.

McLaren stuffed it with a bunch of fancy electronic aids that default to "On." Don't turn them off and then complain the car is too hard to drive or slides too much.

My biggest complaint is that the car seems 10x better than the 458 Italia in all aspects, giving me almost no reason to drive the 458 if online were to become available today. Is the MP4-12c truly leaps and bounds ahead of the 458 in real life, or are the 458's physics still heavily WIP?

ENDR · Dec 6, 2013

Is it? I did some laps around Silverstone today and it surprised me just how bad the car felt. I kept sliding and spinning while braking and on turn-ins I felt like I was driving a minivan.
After that I switched to the Ferrari, turned all aids off (kept them on in the McLaren) and instantly I was doing laptimes a couple of seconds quicker. The Italia felt much more light and agile.
I don't know if it's only me and my driving style, my car files got somehow screwed up or it's the same for other people (apparently not), but I seriously felt disappointed...

Juris · Dec 6, 2013

I can't really speak for the 458 but just doing a few laps in the MP4-12c around Mugello with all assists off (I have everything set to pro for all cars just as a matter of course) and coming out of turns it felt like there was a half filled fishtank in the back. Almost impossible to control.

Also turning in had me wondering if my T500rs needed custom settings just for the MP4. With some assist on there is definitely an improvement as Austin says but to me it still feels lethargic somehow. Maybe thats the way it is in real life. Never driven one. Anyone who has care to chime in with their thoughts?

Luke Russell · Dec 6, 2013

Austin Ogonoski said:
My biggest complaint is that the car seems 10x better than the 458 Italia in all aspects, giving me almost no reason to drive the 458 if online were to become available today. Is the MP4-12c truly leaps and bounds ahead of the 458 in real life, or are the 458's physics still heavily WIP?

Wut?

Aristotelis · Dec 6, 2013

The MP4 is a particular car. It demands to be driven as intended by its engineers. You can't really try to do "tricks" with the Macca. You either drive it smooth and fast with gradual inputs, or it will turn around and bite you hard. If you drive it correctly, it will give you very fast laptimes. If not, you will overheat the rear tyres, you will have lot's of slaps from badly controlled drifts and at some point you'll either spin around or crash. If you try to drive it like you've stole it, the car is not sincere.

The 458 on the other hand, is almost a muscle car. You can do with it whatever you like and it will be happy to make you feel like a superhero. The ultra short gearbox and superfast gearchanges make it "feel" like it goes 2 times faster than the mp4... but that's not the case.
So similar, and yet so different cars.

Also remember, the 458 starts on street tyres. High performance street, but still street tyres.
The macca starts from the factory on semislick tyres. So be careful what you're comparing.

Stelios · Dec 6, 2013

I only had time for 5 laps in the MP4 12C in Silverstone.
On 4th lap i was able to best my personal best with 458.
By the way, i like this car.

Antonio Crinò · Dec 6, 2013

Austin Ogonoski said:
My biggest complaint is that the car seems 10x better than the 458 Italia in all aspects, giving me almost no reason to drive the 458 if online were to become available today. Is the MP4-12c truly leaps and bounds ahead of the 458 in real life, or are the 458's physics still heavily WIP?

I agree with you. I did easly 1:53.36x at Imola in 10 lap, that is 0.3 seconds faster than my best lap with the 458.

Also I found the Mclaren very stable and enjoyable, a lot more than the Ferrari that IMO some times feels a boat.

Btw atm no interest for me to drive the 458 online, the mp4 12c is better.

Tomaz Selcan · Dec 6, 2013

Aristotelis how many deegres of rotation does mp4-12c has? 1050?

Marcel vd Aa · Dec 6, 2013

Well, as Jeremy Clarkson put it: The Ferrari is a pair of stockings. The McLaren is a pair of tights. Scientifically and mathematically and practically, the McLaren is better. And yet somehow, it isn't. Says it all I reckon

Austin Ogonoski · Dec 6, 2013

Aristotelis said:
Also remember, the 458 starts on street tyres. High performance street, but still street tyres.
The macca starts from the factory on semislick tyres. So be careful what you're comparing.

I'm always on semi-slicks with the 458 and the MP4-12c.

Good to hear that the differences between the two cars have been modeled accurately, even if it upsets the balance of competition. Antonio's comments & Jeremy Clarkson's statement confirm what I'd suspected: the Mclaren is a far superior car to the 458.

Kristóf Kerekes · Dec 6, 2013

I'm probably the only one whose mind never got to comparing those two cars in an actual competition? I mean, they aren't really the same class to begin with.

Ben Lee · Dec 6, 2013

The 12C is quicker I think, but its more of a handful. The 458 (for me) understeers a little too much, however it is more agile and stable.

Arkadiusz Wawrzyniak · Dec 6, 2013

Mclaren is actually exactly how I expected it to be. First I was spining like crazy and couldn't catch any slide. But after 4-5 laps I've learned how to drive it. You have to be smooth, it does not like sliding, but it is faster then italia when driven as it should be. In Italia I can catch almost every slide, but it has happy tail and is a bit slower then mp4. Everything is how it should be.

Turk · Dec 6, 2013

I was much faster in the MaLaren around Imola than I was in the Ferrari. I found the car strange at first, it takes some getting used to. It drives completely different to the Ferrari.