Hey everyone,
technically, this is about the leaderboards. But, it’s about tuning to achieve the leaderboards. It’s what I go through basically every time I’m in a car, regardless of if it’s at a dealership, on the track, or even in this video game.
Basically, in real world terms, it’s way, WAY cheaper to take say a Soobie and drive her at her limits in a video game than in real life. FACT.
I live in an apartment, all my gear and tools are in a shed, or the back of my truck.
I have no car right now :'O
so yep, Forza is my “escape” from the druggeries of reality.
A little about my background:
I started racing both sliding and grip go-karts at the age of 12. 20 years ago. I’m 32 now.
Since then, I have:
driven a replica Ford GT Mk III
with a bored 302 to about 347 with a super hot cam (kicked in at 5500 rpm ish, lots for a V8, ran race fuel at 10.5 static compression - long LSA, lots of lift - about 400FWHP, it was dyno’d at 345RWHP through a pantera ZF gearbox.)
at Mazda Laguna SECA at under 1:30something. I just remember the party we had when I broke the 1:30 mark.
basically, high up on the ramp, I kept her in 4th, powering up at about 6,000rpm. I brake there at 6,000, HARD spin her back out a bit (brake bias) and shoot through the cork, staying in 3rd the whole time (gotta love torque in a V8). One time I pushed her, double-clutching down into 2nd, and power slid out into the tulips lol. So from then on, including the 1:30 run, I just kept her a bit bogged to begin with in 3rd.
then… couple months later
totalled her. Looking back, I think it was my brake bias that did her in. That, and grassroots budget and late 90s technology when it came to the brakes. We know it’s the brakes that killed her.
This time? I didn’t even have a chance to switch gears. I hit the breaks, next thing I knew I was quickly heading nose first into the bottom of a deep down-sweeping turn. I don’t remember after that. Woke up in the back of the bus.
basically, her caliper welded to her rotor. The shafts broke and the whole thing rotated in a tight space within the 15" wheel. Exploding it. It was the knock-off/multi-piece replica of the original in magnesium. That caused the car to torque-steer/flip… like an RC truck taking a turn too hot.
We sold the cage (still certified a week later after investigation) and the engine surprisingly made it out “ok” lol. But the rest of the car was scrap.
While I served in the USCG, I was heavily into muscle cars. I daily drove an eventual low 11 second 1969 El Camino. She had a “healthy smallblock.”
but that isn’t the fun part. My room-mate in A-school had a Honda (still can’t believe we went cross-country in that little thing. He’s 6’2" 225 and I at the time was 5’9" and 195) and loved Rally. He showed me just how much fun 200hp and FWD could be. We “toured” the battlefields in and around Virginia. We also did some club events, and one of our buddies in school… had a brand new Impreza. At first, he didn’t like getting her dirty, but when that first crack in her front bumper happened, it was OVER. And he’s never looked back. I believe he still semi-runs stage rally to this day. Maybe even in the same car.
After I got to my unit. I created, which at the time was all the rage, a “g-machine” at least, on my budget. I upgraded the El Camino to tubular fronts from Global West, big ol sway bar in the front, coil-overs and tubed 4-link in the rear, and 245/45ZR17s in the front, and 295ZR17s in the back. The autocross judges at first thought it was cool I would “try.” Then they freaked out as most the time I was seeing the race from either my driver side window, or the passenger’s. Autocross was a blast. We also (I think still to this day they do it) had a 1/8 mile track set up in the parking lot of the local sports arena. They even had a “race against the police” perk. Basically you bring yours, and they bring their five different cars they set up. It was a blast and I still love that old fox-body they had.
After I got out, I went to college, here in Arizona. I lost the El Camino, and traded in my old truck for a 2009 Pontiac G3 with a manual. Basically my first brand new car, about 5 times the mpg of my elky or truck. Of course, it didn’t take long until I was ripping around with friends in the USFS trails around my college. It was then I learned not everyone was a car enthusiast… and that not all car enthusiasts are either A) drivers capable of pushing a car or B) tuners.
I got them HOOKED, HARD!
and, instead of proper responsible college students, I showed them Forza. We started in 2. Loved the ability to rewind after we got 100% completion in 2 and then went on to Forza 3 (still wish I had that profile, I’d be like Teir 9… 20/20 I guess), and played some in Forza 4. Then college was over.
But I showed them what they could do.
Again, I surrounded myself with car enthusiasts and my “bat-shoot blueberry” was the tame one. She was stock. I just know how to drive. One had what is now a fully specc’d and qual’d Ford Ranger 2wd baja truck, another had an older Porsche 911 of some kind, I know she was aircooled. Another had a gorgeous brand new WRX STI. Another, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and another a Jeep Cherokee.
So yeah, we had FUN.
why am I sharing this? Honestly, the VA said it’d be good to write some of this down. To remember the good times, not just always the bad. And unlike Watson, they recommended a forum. So here I am. And the fact is, I know I’m not the only one here. And I’m putting this out there. If you are, and you want to hang out. Friend add me, message me on X1 or here, phone numbers you name it. I’m HERE. Someone else did that for me. His name is John. And our little “connections” we’ve got going on, not associated with anything but each other, has done some good. So hence why I’m doing this. Also, it’s a proof-ish that yes, I’ve been around. I’ve driven cars to their limits from crazy replica Ford GTs and Porsche 997s and Corvette Zo6s down to a 2009 Pontiac G3 that I required at least have a manual and be LeMans blue 
and what inspired this?
chasing down PPiDrive in Rivals.
and my new in-game Soobie BRZ.
Basically, I “upgraded” her to max C class. And racing her, chasing PPiDrive… AGAIN! it dawned on me how much people may learn from me just going through my normal check-list.
So here goes.
as always, drive deep. Brake late. Turn smooth but hard. And have fun.
Fairwinds and following seas,
'Cuda
