AC BTCC cars performance test

[HF2000]

This thread is for exchanging our experience with the three BTCC cars

• BMW 320 BTCC
• Nissan Primera BTCC
• Volvo S40 BTCC

The objective is to see if these cars have fairly equal performance in order to use them in events and/of championships.

On the RaceDepartment server is a practice server with these cars on the great Bremgarten track. Password 'dunlop'. If you like to help us, please try these cars and share you laptimes and impression here by posting in this thread. Also I'd like to know which car you would choose for a championship.

 

[Alfred Wayne]

Having driven all three in other S.GP races, my quick (midpack & stat free ) takeaways are;


The Volvo is a good all around FWD, but it eats tires (at least how I drove it). Always see at least a few of these at the top of the standings post race.


The Nissan looks the coolest imo, but is the hardest to drive and can't stop itself from kicking the rear out despite being fwd When you get it right though, it's a fun one to tame. You might see a couple up in the standings, but more than likely, they'll be lower down, and just in lower numbers than the other cars (proabably more because it's the hardest of the 3 vs the slowest).


The BMW is the RWD complement to the Volvo. You have to watch the back a little, but not so much so that you cant hang around the Volvo in the corners (I think it's also the best for managing tires?). These finish up with the volvo and solidly midpack in the races I did with them.

 

[HF2000]

First impression after minor setup changes and 3 laps each.

• BMW 320 BTCC 2.15
• Nissan Primera BTCC 2.16
• Volvo S40 BTCC 2.16

The Nissan has extreme fuel consumption.

 

[HF2000]

can't stop itself from kicking the rear out despite being fwd

Increasing Diff Coast and Preload helped a lot!

 

[Alfred Wayne]

Will have to give that a try!

The Nissan is one of those cars I wish I was faster in because I love everything about it but my pace

 

[stigs2cousin]

Han,

you are not good people

With this cars in Bremgarten is downright scary

Have only tried the Beemer before I pour myself a strengthening beverage
( and it isn´t crashfree) but 2.12,7

This is not the fastest time by a longshot but I´ve completely forgotten who was also on the server and handed me my backside


MFG Carsten

 

[HF2000]

Scary yes, but that's exactly why I like this combo. Gets your adrenaline flowing, driving the cars to the limit.

 

[HF2000]

I found this on the site of the modder.

Track: Nordschleife VLN layout (24.358 km comprised of the Nürburgring Sprint circuit + fast NGK chicane + Nordschleife)
Tires: Hard (adjusted pressures)
Weather: Ideal

BMW 320i STW v0.5.1

• 8:38,208 min
• 10.86 liters per lap (capacity: 85 liters)
• Vmax 266 km/h

Nissan Primera P11 BTCC v1.1

• 8:40,027 min
• 21.21 liters per lap (capacity: 60 liters)
• Vmax 265 km/h

Volvo S40 BTCC v0.7.2

• 8:35,598 min
• 9.33 liters per lap (capacity: 60 liters)
• Vmax 266 km/h

Could you get these cars closer together in terms of fuel use (and, if any evidence of higher tanks exists, capacity), please? It would greatly help to race them. Especially the Nissan seems to have a crazy high consumption, drinking nearly twice as much as the BMW which has the biggest tank of the lot. The Volvo seems to have an edge in performance a straight line, making it a bit surprising to see the Volvo as the most efficient of the three as of now.

 

[HF2000]

And also this from the modder himself:

Primera consumption was broken but I think it's fixed, we just haven't released the update of it, ideally - we would release all 3 cars at the same time, but yeah, more balancing incoming once we get the AWD Audi

 

[stigs2cousin]

Scary yes, but that's exactly why I like this combo. Gets your adrenaline flowing, driving the cars to the limit.

You´ve of course got a point on the entertainment perspective.

For a valid test this is not the best setup.

The influence of the very difficult track and the stress of the scared driver introduce much more variances than that of the cars alone.

As I don´t have enough racing suits to change after two laps I´ll forgo more testing in Bremgarten and do more of it on a small and soothing track where "Code browns" are seldom and not deadly.

Maybe Donnington National or something similar, a track that happens to be on the BTCC roster.
I just can't fathom why they didn´t drive this cars at Cadwell Park, at least not in the 1990 season .

I´ll be reporting

MFG Carsten

 

[Allan Ramsbottom]

2;09.300 in the BMW thus far...
More to follow...

 

[Roy Magnes]

You know that the mastermind is hanging around on RD, right? @Patrik Marek is the man to grab a hold of

 

[Kek700]

2-07-0.7 Nissan Primera
Staying on the track was so difficult, lifting is not an option.

 

[stigs2cousin]

With less "driver shitting himself factor":

Donnington National track optimal

Beemer 1:10.5

Volvo 1:09.7

Nissan 1:11.4

All cars had three iterations of suspension/diff tuning, especially the FWDs had some very extreme toe settings for lift off oversteer, the Nissan also suffers from extreme torque steer and extreme liftoff killsteer. Both cars can be tamed somewhat, which makes the Nissan more "surveable" but also slower. At least after setting the tyre pressures the ride height on the Nissan can be adjusted.
Before that the only legal setup was max height.

It will be interesting which car can make it over a 45min race on one set of tyres without killing its driver at least twice

MFG Carsten

 

[HF2000]

It will be interesting which car can make it over a 45min race on one set of tyres without killing its driver at least twice

Well I can adjust the fuel consumption rate (to compensate the Nissan) and the tyre wear if one of the cars have too much advantage/disadvantage for that. But only for all cars, not for one type.

 

[stigs2cousin]

I wouldn´t start right yet, lets collect more

MFG Carsten

 

[HF2000]

I wouldn´t start right yet, lets collect more

View attachment 555691

MFG Carsten

Totally agree, Carsten. I just mentioned it to make clear that fuel nor tyre wear have to be a showstopper.

 

[stigs2cousin]

But:

tyre wear for example would make for some exciting tactical possibilities

( and yes, I think the Beemer would look rather good in this case )

MFG Carsten

 

[Allan Ramsbottom]

The Beemer eats the front left rear left,even on hards,dont think they would last 45-60 mins,so pit stop would be a defo..Be trying the Nissan next.

 

[stigs2cousin]

The Beemer eats the front left rear left,even on hards,dont think they would last 45-60 mins,so pit stop would be a defo..Be trying the Nissan next.

I´m sorry but I have to contradict ( of course I´m not )

BUT:

the Beemers tyres ( hard) can be driven over a 45min race with only a slight degradation after about 35 min, this is after 36 laps of Donnington National:

The AI diots on the other hand completely ran out of rubber :

so I´d say 45min races are ok.

MFG Carsten