So basically the title of this thread has already asked my question. Is this even possible? I aim towards accel a lot more than speed but I don’t want to lose a crap load of speed, I want to keep it almost the same. How do I set up the gears to do this?
You’ve just got to stay on max power more of the time, that’s all you can really do.
Its a compromise, that is why I like tuning, better yet go stock gear box and don’t worry about it.
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It might be more of a demand for driving skills then actual tuning tweaks…meaning, staying in the proper power band.
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Set your diff, suspension and tire pressures up properly to make the most of the motor and grip available… You can also run less aero which will boost top speed and aceleration to top speed… Increase the rake on a FWD to place more weight over the fronts, decrease it on RWD to effectively aid weight transfer towards the rear… Too much in either direction and it’ll become skittish.
If you know how to work out your final drive ratio properly you can set the gears up to keep you in the middle of the power band but other than that set the car up properly in all other areas… You might only gain a tenth or so but work that out over 46 turns at the ring for example plus the straights the potential gains are huge.
If speed is what you’re are looking for then power, more power, and then even more power on top of that power. If its acceleration you’re looking for then go on a diet and keep dieting until you can’t diet anymore and then add a whole lot of power on top of your diet.
In layman’s terms power equals speed and cutting weight equals acceleration.
Have fun!
If your car needs an adjustable transmission and that’s a big if, tune the final drive first.
If I’m in a 4 banger, V6, or rotary I start with trying using all available gears since sometimes these cars lose too much power on the low end. For V8 it’s trial and error. Sometimes I use all available gears and other times I only use 4 or 5 gears. These motors create a lot of torque and they usually accelerate better when you tap into the torque.
I use the telemetry to tell me the 0-60, 0-100, and top speed figures. You’ll notice with some final drive settings that the stats get worse and that there are also 2 or 3 spots where the stats are fairly indentical. Example: I have one car with 2.73 gears and another with 3.94 gears. One uses 4 gears and the other 6. Both run exact same lap times but the 4 gear tune was a little bit more stable since I was usually at a low point in the power band on corner exit so I stuck with 4 gears. Top end was identical but braking was a little better with 6 gears due to more chances to use engine braking.
From there it’s trial and error.
You can also use adjustable forza aero as a tool to increase acceleration. You will lose some top speed, but if you’re accelerating sooner out of every corner, usually you’ll have a faster lap despite having slightly slower top end. Therefore play with the idea of adding a little more grip to facilitate in achieving faster laps. Something as simple as adding one tire width can equate to substantially faster laps due to better corner off stability/acceleration.
The simulation data is usually no good because the computer short shifts.
You can be in the redline at 100mph in 3rd in 6.5 seconds and simulation will tell you its 7 seconds because its short shifting. I don’t pay the 0-100 times any attention.
I will put the final drive of a race trans in the 5.00 - 6.10 range though :). Then tune the gears from there. Usually 5 gears. 6 is too much shifting. Maybe a 6th for speed on Nurburgring.
The type of engine matters. The engines that don’t suffer top end torque drop off are always best.