Mazda MX-5 Cup Spec Event Tuning

Forza Motorsport Forza Motorsport (2023) Discussion
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I’m enjoying the current featured multiplayer spec event for the 2017 Mazda MX-5 Cup car (PI:C-477).

The event does not allow any parts upgrades, but the car can be tuned (except it has no aero), and it comes with race tires.

The races are medium-length (~18 minutes) with 4x tire wear, and I’m finding that some can be completed on medium tires without pitting, but some tracks need hard tires to last without pitting.

The car’s default tune is serviceable, but I’ve been continually refining my tune after each race as I encounter the different challenges each track offers.

Here’s where I’m at so far with my tune (for controller/gamepad), but I’ve come across a few faster opponents, and I’d welcome ideas from others on how to make the tune more competitive:

30|30 tire PSI F|R
FD=6.10 | 1=2.33 | 2=1.60 | 3=1.21 | 4=0.96 | 5=0.78 | 6=0.65
-2.3|-1.9 camber° F|R
0|0 toe° F|R
7 caster°
12|22 anti-roll bars F|R
410|400 springs lb./in. F|R
4.6|4.6 ride height in. F|R
3.4|3.2 bump damping F|R
10|10.4 rebound damping F|R
9.8|9.8 roll center in. F|R
5|0 anti-dive%|anti-squat% F|R
47R|130 brake balance%|pressure%
80|20 diff. accel.%|decel.% R

Some of the lap times I’ve hit so far in these races:

1:28.790 - Grand Oak National Reverse (on hards - minor wear)
1:42.938 - Hockenheimring National (on mediums - moderate wear)
1:39.816 - Indianapolis GP (on mediums - minor wear)
1:40.481 - Laguna Seca (on mediums - minor wear)
1:01.129 - Lime Rock South Chicane (on hards - minor wear)
1:46.619 - Maple Valley (on mediums - severe wear on last lap!)
1:43.761 - Nurburgring Sprint (on mediums - minor wear)
1:06.720 - Road Atlanta Short (on mediums - moderate wear)
2:29.169 - Sebring (on mediums - minor wear)
1:10.714 - Sunset Peninsula Club Reverse (on mediums - minor wear)
1:25.097 - Watkins Glen Short (on hards, but mediums might last?)
1:15.572 - Yas Marina North (on hards, but mediums might last?)

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Mediums do last at The Glen but you’ll suffer at the end. They will not last at Hakone though, the constant high speed + hard braking put too much temperature into them.

It’s an amazing series and it’s usually very close unless someone gets away avoiding all the fighting. I’d be happy if it stayed in the rotation with a different selection of tracks and some wet races.

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It really is.
My gearing gives me a strong launch to shoot out in front of the pack off the starting line (against those using the car’s default gearing), but a couple of them have still managed to catch me & pass me, so I’m wondering what else I can do to my tune to maintain my lead.

I came very close to losing my big 1st place lead at Maple Valley on the last lap when wear on my medium tires got so severe that I had a couple of off-track excursions set me back.
Next time, I’ll run hards.

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It’s a momentum car and doesn’t like too much downshifting, I rarely go below 3rd. Just like you I have a very short first gear for launch and the first 2 ratios are never used again, maybe at Nurburgring turn 1 though…