Originally Posted by: PJTierney 
Quote:(in game front suspension represents 1 wheel as does the rear).
Can you explain a little more how you came to this conclusion? I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the other guides.
The F&R spring rates represent a per wheel value, not the rate for the both suspensions (front OR rear), combined.
Take for example a car that weighs 2500pcs, and 43% of its weight is at the front:
FRONT WEIGHT:
2500lbs X .43 = 1075lbs, divided by 2 (suspensions) = 537.5lbs
REAR WEIGHT:
2500lbs X .57 = 1425lbs, divided by 2 = 712.5
You would set your front to 537.5 and the rear to 712.5, not 1075 and 1425.
So...(537.5 X 2) + (712.5 X 2) = 2500lbs
This is
not how I set my spring rates (I prefer softer so I decrease both front and rear by a rate of 'X' depending on the vehicle), but just some math to illustrate what the value in the game represents.
Another easy way to set spring rates, is to look at the weight of the car pre/post weight reduction, and adjust spring values by the same percentage.
Example:
Initial weight - 2500lbs
Weight reduction - 300lbs
New weight - 2200lbs
This is a 12% reduction (300lbs/2500lbs)
Adjust (decrease) your spring, rebound, and bump stiffness's by the same percentage.
This will give you a good suspension base tune to start from.
Of course, if you are adding down force, you take a little less percentage off the value(s)...and this is where it becomes tricky because down force is relative to speed...the quicker the speed, the more LBS of down force are exerted on the car.
So in the above example if I were running front and rear wings, that
added a total of 300lbs of total down force, I would only subtract about 8% from starting values.
Tuning is a not a hard and fast rule...track, driving style, and car type all play a role.
I run my test drives in Rio...smooth roads, bumpy roads, elevation changes, short turns, sweeping turns...watching the car, feeling how it drives, and looking at the telemetry - these all combine to help you dial in or make finer adjustments.
I will say that finding a perfect tune is impossible...because of the track and environmental variance (racing line is one main example in MP). And so - above all else - assuming you have a
good tune...the rest falls on the shoulders of the driver and to a much lesser degree - reliance on the tune of the mechanical parts beneath him (or her). :)
Edited by user Tuesday, November 17, 2015 11:46:05 AM(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified