Handling is a lot of fun. I raced this car against the RS1 kenji and had very similar laptimes. However, the suspension durability only lasted about 3 laps on Blackwood Rally with maximum attack.
Fixing the suspension would be a big help as it is my only complaint.
Thanks! The visuals are definitely lacking right now - mainly because I don't really like working with the LFS editor. Ideally the quality would be that of the rear wing which I made in Blender, but I can't do that with everything. Texturing is also another area that I'll have to work on, but I have very little experience with that so it'll take some time. All in due time, however!
As I've stated in the description, the aero is way too powerful right now anyways, mainly due to the tire limitations. However, I did overlook testing the car over jumps, so I'll get on that and adjust it so it's more stable in the air.
The tarmac spec I've offered isn't really made for bigger jumps like the ones on that track, at least not with the base setup I've offered. It should be able to handle some smaller jumps on stages but you'll have to create a new setup for other purposes. I do agree though that the suspension does need some work, and I'll be diving into that in the near future. I appreciate the feedback!
I've updated the mod, and the car is considerably better now! I tweaked the aero and suspension in accordance with the feedback, which has made the car better to drive. The aero balance is nicer now, and it can actually handle a bit of rough terrain now too. It's still not perfect over jumps, but it's more tolerable and the suspension doesn't break on landings anymore.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but typically with rally a lighter wheel is preferred, isn't it? A caster angle nearing 8 is a bit rough then, as wheel torque often reaches 50% higher than typical cars with 5-6deg caster.
The sound is great, but it took me a bit to realise that the pit limiter was on since there's no dash indicator for it.
Other than those my main complaint is that I can't race AI with it on rallycross tracks since the default tyres are for road. It stomps all of the stock LFS cars which have AI for Blackwood's rally at least (especially since they're bugged and run out of fuel on lap 3 of 3) so maybe it would be best for me to wait for AI to be able to decide which tyres to use.
You are right, the caster is on the higher side. However, I've consulted with an engineer in the know who confirmed that this isn't very far off from what was run in the real cars of the 'era'. I might do adjustments at some point in the future but it won't be a massive change.
I've corrected this and will update the mod soon.
AI has not passed my mind yet with development, since I've not been aware of there being any level of support for AI with mods. I can offer a default setup with hybrid tires though to deal with this issue for now.
Suspension is pretty fragile on hard bumps, brakes are very good, looks awesome (maybe bonnet pins and exhaust tip should be bigger). I think you should definitely change gearbox for paddle shift- like real "WRC+" cars. It changing direction really quick- bigger steering angle makes difference- maybe its good direction- not like hardcore real but feels good. Caster is so big like hardcore RWD cars, driveshafts has hard time in this 😀
In our "Rally2" car tires are shit top, but what do you think for using narrower slick tires?
I'm not sure about using paddle shift - I had it initially, but the shifts felt almost too fast so I went with the sequential. I'll revisit this though now that you brought it up.
As for the tires, I initially did some testing with slicks, but I couldn't find a good width for them where the characteristics would've felt nice and correct. However, that was quite early on in development, so I'll do some testing with slicks now that the car has progressed. I'm biased towards keeping the 235 road supers since they're closer to the real thing, but on the other hand it does take away from the realism in terms of aero. If I find a good balance with skinnier slicks I might switch over to them.
I love rally details in the interior!
Maybe consider use undertray and main body downforce instead of wings? As far as I know WRC aero aren't adjustable.