I am new to LFS (S2 license). I love it. However, I have a BIG problem calibrating my throttle.

I am using a flight-controller joystick that I have used successfully with MS Flight Simulator. I have checked it out in the MS Windows XP Control Panel/Game Controllers and it checks out OK.

In LFS Options I used the Options-Controls display to select "wheel/joystick" and "separate" Throttle/brake axes. I'm using axes 0/3/1 for Steer/Throttle/Brake. Moving these controls moves the appropriate bar through its entire range OK.

Everything works OK except the throttle. I don't get more than approximately half throttle when I advance the throttle control fully. I don't seem to get any throttle response at all in the car until I advance the throttle about 80%, even though the bars in the Controls setup display move proportionally to the movements of the controls.

I've tried to calibrate things. I clicked on "recalibrate axes" and "lock" turns white. I clicked on "unlock" and that turns white. For each of the axes I click on "c" and move the respective control through its entire range of motion. After doing this for all the axes I click on "lock" and "lock" turns white. Then I click on OK in the lower left corner which takes me back to the main screen.

I'm running the BMW Sauber F1.06 on the Koyoto Oval. The engine revs up OK to its shift point in gears 1 through 5. In 6'th gear I can't get the car to go faster than 180 MPH; the engine is nowhere near its shift point. In 7'th gear the car dies, probably because there is too little throttle. I go back to the Garage in case there is some damage, but that does not change things.

Can anybody help me sort this out?

Thank you.

Ted

What value is your 'Thr/brk centre reduction' ?
It should be zero.

Thank you Beano. I set the thr/brk centre reduction to 0 and put the car in 1'st. I slowly advanced the throttle and the car started moving. It got up to about 10 MPH and all of a sudden the car rolled to a stop as the engine red lined. Thereafter it behaved like the transmission was broken.

I'm shifting manually usually. I have no clutch. I just tried auto and the car ran better but the performance was terrible; the car shifts back and forth from 6'th to 7'th whereas it should be kept in 7'th at full throttle.

What does the thr/brk centre reduction do?

Thank you.

Ted

Quote from tedkurtz :

Thank you Beano. I set the thr/brk centre reduction to 0 and put the car in 1'st. I slowly advanced the throttle and the car started moving. It got up to about 10 MPH and all of a sudden the car rolled to a stop as the engine red lined. Thereafter it behaved like the transmission was broken.

Sounds like you burnt out the clutch. Press F9 and you will see a coloured bar...red is bad (tyre temps also shown).

Quote :

I'm shifting manually usually. I have no clutch. I just tried auto and the car ran better but the performance was terrible; the car shifts back and forth from 6'th to 7'th whereas it should be kept in 7'th at full throttle.

You're better off changing manually but having automatic clutch, I tried auto gears when I had an arm in plaster and it was really bad.

Quote :

What does the thr/brk centre reduction do?

Pretty sure it adds a deadzone to the throttle and break axis, might be an option for joypad users really.

Weird.

Even if Thr/brk centre reduction is on, you should get the same range.

Post some screenshots of the menus here. That may help.

if you're using a flight stick, try assigning the throttle to the up axis. this way you would be pushing forward to accelerate, and by default you would also be feathering the throttle while turning. that's how i used my joystick when i started using LFS.
EDIT: i'll give it a day or two before you start thinking of buying a wheel. i came from flight sims to racing sims. i lasted about 4 weeks with the joystick. then bought my first wheel (Saitek R440 MK1).

Thank you for your responses.

I selected "combined" for the throttle/brake on the slider, axis 3, and I get 100% throttle OK! I can also get 100% throttle on the stick's elevator axis if I select "combined". However, if I select "separate" I can only get about half throttle. I prefer not to use the elevator axis for the throttle since I run at 100% throttle all the time once I get the car moving and find it inconvenient to have to press the stick forward to maintain full throttle . I've played with "Thr / brk centre reduction" and am still confused about what it does.

Regards,

Ted