Track grip levels viewable?

[BillGuy]

Every now and then I’ll feel like I’m chasing my tail with a setup when it occurs to me “Maybe this is just a low grip track?” Is there a numeric value for the grip level a track’s surface offers which can be viewed somewhere? I’m guessing it’s probably packaged away within the .mas file but I thought I’d ask just be sure I wasn’t overlooking something.

Part of me felt that it might sort of be “cheating” to pursue this. Then I recalled seeing that drag race teams routinely measure this and I believe NASCAR has a tool for it as well. I’m guessing that maybe these sorts of measurements go on in road racing but we just don’t see it on TV or hear about it. Maybe the tire companies are the ones taking the measurements.

 

[CMGARAGE]

I'm not sure if this works exactly the same in singleplayer, but clicking the 'i' icon while in the garage will tell you the progressive level of grip the track is currently in i.e medium, heavy, max. That's all you need, imho.

If you're hammering out the perfect set-up you'll want as little changing variables as possible so either turn track progression off for that session or set it to Max, as thats most likely what you'll end up racing on come race time.

 

[Marc Collins]

I'm not sure if this works exactly the same in singleplayer, but clicking the 'i' icon while in the garage will tell you the progressive level of grip the track is currently in i.e medium, heavy, max. That's all you need, imho.

If you're hammering out the perfect set-up you'll want as little changing variables as possible so either turn track progression off for that session or set it to Max, as thats most likely what you'll end up racing on come race time.

Agree.

But, if @BillGuy is using modded tracks, beware that the grip can often be wacky (due to ignorance or sometimes purposeful adjustments to suit leagues or the modder's personal preferences) and the vast majority will not grip-up with wear like the stock Reiza tracks.

 

[BillGuy]

Thanks for the tip. However, isn't the 'i' icon just going to tell me what the relative grip level is for the current conditions of the circuit I'm at? I was actually wondering if I could compare the surface grip level between different tracks.

 

[Marc Collins]

Thanks for the tip. However, isn't the 'i' icon just going to tell me what the relative grip level is for the current conditions of the circuit I'm at? I was actually wondering if I could compare the surface grip level between different tracks.

The values for grip are in the .TDF file for each track. Reiza has chosen to only share that file for one track (so people can see how everything works)--Caruaru. All mod tracks will have the file, though. All surfaces have grip values, but you will be able to see the main track surface section without too much effort.

 

[Gringo]

In the "grip" equation there are several factors that are used to my understanding. The track temps, the number of laps, the number of cars, tire wear, tire temps... (at least). With all of these variable in play the "grip" number is constantly changing.

The change in track grip from lap to lap is not very much from what I have found with the dev tools. The difference in track "grip value" from "None" to "Maximum" is about 5% (.96 - 1.01) for the main track groove in Reiza tracks and the addon tracks. Keep in mind that this factor is only one part of the total grip equation.

The largest factor affecting the grip is the tire wear imo. I think Reiza did some good work here as I notice that your lap times (assuming you can drive in a consistent manner) improve up to a point then start to fall off with the gaps in each lap noticeably similar.

It would be interesting to see the total grip data some how, but then that is part of the fun. Find the limit.