Hotshoe Garage: Solar Flare

Based on: Ferrari California '08
Acquired: New Car Dealership

SPECS
Drivetrain: FR
Power: 672HP @ 8400
Torque: 469 ft-lbs @ 6400
Weight: 1830kg
PP: 578

PARTS
GT Auto
-Oil Change
-Front Aero Type A
-Rear Wing Type A
-Paint: Solar Yellow
-Wheels: Rays VR.G2 in Black

Tuning Shop
-ECU Tuning
-Engine Tuning Stage 3
-Sports Intake Manifold
-Racing Air Filter
-Sports Exhaust Manifold
-Catalytic Converter: Sports
-Titanium Racing Exhaust
-Fully Customizable Transmission
-Twin Plate Clutch
-Semi-Racing Flywheel
-Carbon Driveshaft
-Adjustable LSD
-Fully Customizable Suspension
-Sports Soft Tires

SETTINGS
Ballast
-Amount: 200kg
-Position: -20

Aerodynamics
-Front: 15 (not adjustable)
-Rear: 40

Engine
-Power Limiter: 100%

Transmission
-Top Speed: 186mph (?)
-1st: 3.381
-2nd: 2.495
-3rd: 1.930
-4th: 1.575
-5th: 1.310
-6th: 1.120
-7th: 0.982
-Final: 4.070

Drivetrain
-LSD: 5 / 12 / 5

Suspension
-Ride Height: -5 / -5
-Spring Rate: 11.4 / 12.3
-Extension: 7 / 7
-Compression: 7 / 7
-Anti-Roll Bar: 4 / 4
-Camber: 1.5 / 2.0
-Toe: -0.10 / 0.15

Brakes
Brake Balance: 7 / 9

DRIVING OPTIONS
Tire Wear: On
Grip Reduction: Real
Transmission: Optional
Steering Sensitivity: 0
ABS: 1
Other Aids: OFF

You want a Grand Tourer? Have at it. Meet the Solar Flare. Want style? Ferrari. Convertible. 'Nuff said. Want performance too? Put the top up and go as fast as you want. Forward or sideways it will keep up. Hell, try backwards too if you want. Just keep your right foot smooth. You'll get burned if you don't.

Tuned for the Tons of Fun shootout @ GTPlanet.

RKM Motorsport: Enzo GT

RKM Motorsport: Enzo GT

Based on: 2002 Enzo Ferrari
Obtained: New Car Dealer

Drivetrain: MR
Horsepower: 922 BHP (@ 262.8 miles)
Torque:---- 609 ft-lb
Weight:---- 1044 kg

PARTS
GT Auto
Oil Change
Choice of Wheels
Rear Wing Type B

Tuning Shop
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Lightweight Windows
Engine Tuning Stage 3
ECU Tuning
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Sports Header
Sports Catalytic Converter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
FC Gearbox
FC LSD
FC Suspension
Racing Soft tires

SETUP

Body/Chassis
Aerodynamics
Downforce: 2/20

Transmission
Transmission
Set Final 1, then Max Speed, then gear ratios and Final 2.
1st:-- 3.705
2nd:-- 2.616
3rd:-- 1.969
4th:-- 1.571
5th:-- 1.320
6th:-- 1.125
Final: 4.100/2.500
Max Speed: 168

Drivetrain
Differential
Initial: xx/6
Accel:-- xx/22
Braking: xx/9

Suspension
Suspension
Ride Height: -20/-25
Spring Rate: 9.0/13.0
Extension:-- 7/8
Compression: 5/7
Anti-Roll:-- 7/5
Camber:----- 2.3/2.7
Toe:-------- -0.25/-0.10

Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 9/10

Intended Driving Options
Transmission: Manual (MT)
ABS: 1
Everything else: OFF

Tuner Comments:
We figured our 50th car should be something a bit special...

So here's our joint venture Enzo.

RJ's Thoughts: Well, most cars start gobbling corners the instant you add race softs... But when I got my “Dubai Enzo” from MiniMarco and first tried it at the Ring... Well... Despite it being fairly light with some front downforce, it REFUSED to turn despite the insanely sticky tires. Knowing I had my work cut out for me, I left the car alone and set it on the backburner. Well, a bit later, Roj got his hands on another Enzo which wound up fully tuned as well. He messed with it for a while and got it drivable; I then tossed the settings on my car, tweaked for a while, sent him the settings and had him check them. This is the result.

Roj’s Thoughts: The Enzo is a difficult one to tune. It has so many flaws. Bad brakes, poor turning circle and a light front end simply can’t be helped. So it comes to no surprise that it gave RJ a hard time at the beginning. However, eager to see us conquer the Enzo, Kyaw very kindly donated an Enzo to us, raising our Enzo count to 2. Now we could both work on the Enzo at the same time, turning this into a true joint tune. We applied both our tuning styles into this Enzo and merged them together, to transform this Enzo into something you can truly enjoy. Thus making it perfect for our 50th release.

Everywhere I read I find more and more people disappointed by the Enzo in GT5. The poor handling is most of the complaints I've seen as well as tuning it being on the difficult side to get right. To get it out of the way, I don't like this car much at all. I've seen better looking things made by Dodge or Pontiac and for the price tag there are cars I like much more, even some half the price. But, let's test it out and see what the RKM boys can do for it's performance if not it's looks.

Running right out of the dealership it does have a nice sound, so I suppose it does have one thing going for it aesthetically. Performance-wise, somewhat understeery in low speed corners. Mash the throttle and you'll find plenty of power oversteer to be had and you may find it surprisingly easy to catch and handle. I definitely did not expect it that's for sure. The big ugly made it around stock in 2'09.318".

Dropping on the parts just magnifies all the points, good and bad. It brakes better, it understeers more but strangely the oversteer aspects aren't many times worse. Definitely more sensitive but still not terrible to cope with. Time around GVS drops to 1'50.816".

With RKM's tune things settle into place and it becomes much easier to control. The brakes are nice and hard but won't send you to a squirmy end in the wall. There is still some understeer to be found and the oversteer has quieted pretty significantly. It is actually quite nice to drive considering the starting point. This GT version ends with a best lap of 1'49.155".

While not a car I use too often because of my dislike, it is quite well suited to grinding La Sarthe in the Ferrari seasonal events and I do use it often in that respect. Before getting into the long straights the traffic is pretty easy to pass just on sheer acceleration out of the corners. By the time I hit the first chicane I am normally up to 3rd position with second fairly well in sight. By the second I've passed him in the braking zone and am trying to setup a draft on the lead Enzo after exiting. By the next corner I'm in front and not looking back. The best time I have come by so far has been in the 3'42.xxx" range, normally up at 3'47.xxx" or so without attacking very hard. An easy 504K in the bank and back to do it again.

Though the car itself is not high on my list I think this is a great job making it driveable enough to be an easy car to grab for the credit grind. And very interesting to see what a tune looks like that both RJ and Roj have had a hand in considering their different styles.

Lap Times
Grand Valley Speedway: 1'49.155"
Circuit De La Sarthe 2009: 3'42.xxx"

RKM Motorsport: F430 Stradista [Follow Up]

Initial Review: F430 Stradista

I have finally taken a run on GVS with this stallion and I must admit that I am quite impressed. There was something about SSR5 that wasn't quite right, most likely that I have far less experience there than at GVS. A fun track but as they say, knowledge is power. So I brought it to what could be a home course for me and had a go.

On the same asphalt it could be likened to...a less tame NSX-R. The speed is fantastic, sliding easily controlled but it lacks the otherworldly grip of the NSX. I'm sure the extra ~250HP might have a thing or two to do with that. Still, it is fast. Much more so than it seemed during my run. This and the NSX are still the only two tuned cars I've run under the 2' mark on this track. The NSX edges out by just a few tenths but kudos to the Stradista for posting up a time a good couple seconds faster than I thought it pulled, officially marked at 1'59.465".

As I've no doubt said before, or at least alluded to, the drift character of the RKM tunes is incredible. Both RJ and Roj claim to make powerful cars more accessible and there is truth in that claim.

To echo my initial review, another job well done!

RKM Motorsport: F430 Stradista

RKM Motorsport: F430 Stradista

Based on: Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Obtained: New Car Dealer

Drivetrain: MR
Horsepower: 584 BHP (@ 87.6 miles)
Torque:---- 372 ft-lb
Weight:---- 1119 kg
PP:-------- 612

PARTS
GT Auto
PDI P525 wheels
Front Aero Type A
Rear Wing Type A

Tuning Shop
Stage 3 Weight Reduction
Rigidity Improvement
Lightweight Windows
Carbon Fiber Hood (Body Color)
Engine Tuning Stage 1
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Exhaust Manifold
Catalytic Converter: Sports
FC Gearbox
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
FC LSD
FC Suspension 
Sports Soft Tyres


SETUP

Body/Chassis
Aerodynamics
Downforce: 15/37

Ballast
Amount:-- 0
Position: 0

Engine
Power Limiter
Power Level: 100.0%

Transmission
Transmission
Set Final 1, then Max Speed, then Final 2 + individual ratios.
1st:-- 4.139
2nd:-- 3.037
3rd:-- 2.367
4th:-- 1.931
5th:-- 1.603
6th:-- 1.390
Final: 4.300/2.500
Max Speed: 124 MPH

Drivetrain
Differential
Initial: x/7
Accel:-- x/23
Braking: x/5

Suspension
Suspension
Ride Height: -5/-15
Spring Rate: 6.2/7.0
Extension:-- 8/8
Compression: 5/5
Anti-Roll:-- 4/6
Camber:----- 2.5/2.2
Toe:-------- 0.00/-0.15

Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 5/10

Intended Driving Options
Transmission: Manual (MT)
ABS: 1
Everything else: OFF

Tuner Comments:
This is the F430 Stradista. You'd think Ferrari would've given up on the 430 now that the 458 is out, and you'd be right; this car has no actual input from the original manufacturer. Why? They like to build fat cars, we don't. Everything has been either heavily lightened or removed, including the electronic garbage which previously polluted the car. The result is a car that, while only slightly more powerful than the 458, wipes the floor with anything and everything Ferrari's ever made.

I originally purchased a Scuderia for the first of the Ferrari events in the A-Spec ladder. I thought about the 512BB but figured I would get better longevity and use from the Scuderia further through the ladder. It did end up serving me quite well for the Ferrari and Italian events, even a few of the early championships with just a few parts modifications.

When I went in to tune to RJ's Stradista specs I already had the exact parts and needed only to change the tires. Since I am no good at dialing in settings I end up as more of a parts tuner piecing together aftermarket parts to get a car to suit my driving style.

My Scuderia was built to keep up with a pair of Enzos at Monza for one of the seasonal races I believe. The track is fast, sure, but not much in the way of difficult cornering comparatively. That being the case I took my parts tuned stallion to SSR5 for a better mix of corners and room to use the power it possesses.

It handled most of the course well, fast on the straights and quick through medium to high speed bends but a bit unstable. Braking was hairy entering the tunnel and coming into the hairpin. Exiting corners could also be a crapshoot with the tendency to snap out the rear under hard acceleration. On an MR with my Sixaxis I considered that a fact of life.

After tuning the difference was not night and day but noticeable for sure. The car definitely seemed to have tightened up in the corners and felt much more stable on the brakes. It is still easy to step out the back end coming out of a corner but it seems to do so slower, with more predictability and thus it is easier to control. The biggest difference I found was in the acceleration. Coming out of the final turn on my first go 'round I put down too much power and started to slide. My ghost, already slightly ahead, got a good jump on the straight. I was able to close and pass it in short order after regaining my grip.

After a few laps I was able to get a couple more seconds down off the lap time though it is still loose in my hands. The learning curve for this one is not as easy as Juliet, but with the higher power I expected that to be the case. Speaking of power, I found that with the parts and tune exact I was still coming up about 40hp higher and around 20 extra ft-lbs of torque than what was cited. I don't think I'm that far off on mileage to account for the difference but maybe I'm wrong. In the grand scheme I don't believe it would make a big impact on the tune, even at a 5-10% difference, but it will make it just that much more difficult to get used to using.

While I am not as high on this one as I was with Juliet, since the difference seems less significant comparatively, I definitely would give it a thumbs up. I think going back and forth between the two cars will help me as a driver to refine my skills in general and certainly with the MRs that like to try to kill me in every corner! Another job well done!

Lap Times
Grand Valley Speedway: 1'59.465"
Special Stage Route 5: 1'31.784"