DRM test feedback page

That's all of them at Brands, thoughts are as follows in order of speed.
All cars require you to drive them very hard in order to get enough heat into the tires to drive fast (catch 22), this applies to both the tire types equally.
Times were set using Endurance tires and 90% (safe) boost unless stated otherwise. The setup always had 50ltrs of fuel although fastest laps were of course recorded at different points through each run.

Capri: Easy to control, lots of power and pretty good brakes. Only really let down by the live axle limiting your setup options. As a result you have to drive the car to suit what you have instead of adjusting it to do what you want.

Porsche 935 K3: lots of power, great traction. Brakes are awful when cold but good once warmed up. Very awkward in tight turns as only limited options available for the diff. Good range of torque/power negates any disadvantage from the 4 speed gearbox.

Ferrari 308: loads of power and grip with good balance. 5 speed gearbox is let down on tight tracks by limited adjustment, feels heavy and cumbersome despite its speed. Neutral tending towards understeer. Probably better suited to high speed circuits.

Celica: Faster than expected, brakes not so good. Handling is very responsive although it tends to lock rear wheels when turning into tight turns under braking . Loads of fun to throw about, and loves to get its back end out.

Porsche 935 K2: handling slight less sharp than the K3, brakes are better when cold. Still has good power/torque range but is 100+Bhp down on the K3. Same awkwardness in tight turns.

BMW M1: insane power like the K3. Also has similar awkwardness due to the tight diff. Mid engine + stiff springs make for very snappy handling under power if you hit a bump. Kerbs are deadly as a result!

Lancia Montecarlo: Slightly underpowered and probably the worst detailed dashboard. But fantastic brakes and handling. Turns better on coast/lift than under power - kind of like a Mk1 MR2, only with actual power!

Escort: like the Capri but with much worse grip and power. Same live axle setup problems as the Capri, only with less weight and a shorter wheelbase so far more unstable under power. Great fun none the less.

BMW 320i: Great setup variety available, only really let down by the lack of power. Fantastic brakes and handling, enough options in setup to give exactly the grip level and handling tenancies you want. Probably the most fun car to really push hard in on a twisty circuit.

BMW 2002: Underpowered (I have a vague memory that some Grp.5 2002's ran a 1.3/1.5l turbo to raise the Rev limit and flow enough air for bigger turbos, I've no idea what's modelled here). Gearbox could do with more setup options to help the lack of power. Very light so excellent grip, brakes and handling. Lots of fun but over 4 seconds a lap slower even here at Brands.
Seems to be able to run 100% boost all the time, not sure if this is due to the half damage on the server or intentional.

 

Good feedback Tim.
I just tried two more cars out, the M1 and the Lancia, both nice to drive. The Lancia is definitely more user friendly and i quite like the rustic dash. The M1 is a bit of a pig around Druids with the high diff settings as is the K3/K2 Porsche, the Lancia feels like a nimble sportscar in the same turn!

 

Completed my testing at Brands and data is in live timing. Used default setups on endurance tyres with a few minor tweaks for tyre pressures and gear ratios and just did a few laps in each car until I ran a clean consistent time.

Only observation I'd make is that Brands doesn't really allow some of the more powerful cars (M1, Fezza, K3 Porsche) to fully stretch their legs.

 

Hi guys, maybe I solved my disconnection problems, so I hope to come racing with you again.
I tested a bit some cars; Lancia Montecarlo, BMW M1 and 935 K2. They seem even in this track. Obviously it must be considered that Brands Hatch is a track for high aerodynamic load and with few straights, therefore the Lancia manages to give its best. On faster track, the Beta Montecarlo would be in difficulty in lap-times.
I had some problems with the M1, but I think I messed up the setup a bit.
The 935 has a lot of traction, i like that.

In the next few days I will try the other cars and make a small report. But I think Tim has already exposed the matter very well.

PS: it seems to me that the server has random temperatures. It would be more useful to have fixed values to maximize the tests.

 

My goodness...M1 onboard

And real footage from back in the day

Enjoy

 

Can we have Nurburgring GP as another test venue?

 

Another test track would be good but perhaps something with a bit more legz to it such as Ostereichring or Salzburgring?

 

Yeah, as much as I love Nurby GP, it's just another Brands speed/corner wise.
A power circuit would make far more sense - both of Tudor's suggestions are good ^

 

Spa wasn’t leggy enough? But yeah would be happy to try these at Ostereichring, great track

 

Ostereichring is good also for me, so we can test the cars on a fast track.

 

What version of the track are you using John? I get kicked with checksum errors every time.

 

Just started testing and noticed the track grip setting is not set constant. Might it not be better set to optimum for the purposes of testing?

 

I couldn't see it when I searched - now I've gone back through manually I see it's under the wrong name so that'll be why!

Edit - A bit more digging shows it didn't work because yours is an older version. The latest version can be found here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/66eb1igvet7x1rb/oesterreichring1979.zip/file

Looking through the files quite a number could do with updating to the latest versions - most notably Bridgehampton. You're still hosting V1.1 (or earlier) despite a massively improved V2 having been out for a few years now.

 

Completed my testing at Oestereichring so laptimes should be there in the data. Again I used stock setups but with appropriate aero and gear adjustments for all cars on endurance tyres. Incidently I noticed the track isn't well optimised, the crowd and the tree files being the culprit here.

Tyre wear seems to be equal for all cars and should last an hour (if my pro tyres app predictions are to be believed) and all cars have adequate fuel capacity for a one hour race without a stop.

I produced a quick spreadsheet of data from both Ostereichring and Brands and from this I'd recommend the following...

One class of 4 cars: Ferrari, M1, 935 K2, Capri.
Tracks need to be power tracks or the Capri will be too dominant.
The Toyota and Lancia could possibly make up another class.

or

One class of 5 cars: Ferrari, M1, 935 K2, Lancia, Toyota.
Tracks need to be handling tracks otherwise Lancia and Toyota will struggle.
The 935 K3 and Capri would be a good pairing on tighter tracks but the K3 leaves everything else in the dust where it can use its power.
The BMW 320 and Escort could battle it out in another class or fight for places as part of main class, but Escort is the underdog here.

Sadly the little BMW 2002 while being a great drive is only suitable for masochists or extreme alien types.

Of course all of this assumes everyone drives in the same way and at the same pace (which we don't ) but I believe it gives a fair starting point for the strengths/weaknesses of the cars.