(If the opinion of someone who displays 0km on the odometer does not belong here, you can delete the post
)
Fixed setups are a very good idea. Many people are waiting for it to come or come back online.
If the goal is to increase server traffic by attracting new pilots (it could be something else, like staying with friends on private servers), something simple and understandable by novices would be good, with a special filter in the server list, well reported and well documented. With name that defines this type of races. Maybe like:
https://www.iracing.com/series/rookie-legends-cup/
for example.
The question of the fixed setup arises today because the options of settings of LFS are too permissive for the cars of series. The dexterity of the elders in handling the setups discouraged those who did not have the time to devote themselves to it and/or to train enough. LFS has become professional and sharp (not a bad thing) but it has also produced a form of elitism (which unfortunately sometimes borders on sectarianism). A game that is too elitist ceases to be fun and popular and disappeared from the radar. [off topic: No need to look any further
]
The step is much too high between the demo and the licences. Many licencers prefer to have fun in demo. Races with fixed or limited setups could constitute a clearly identifiable intermediate category (and accessible only to licensees) between demo and professional racing, with dedicated categories from modding and Tweak Mods (easier than configuring all the combos). A place where everyone can connect, whatever their level and rediscover the magic and fun of the origins. To exaggerate a bit, any car with good tires is fun to drive and easy to handle in LFS.
The main pitfall of a fixed setup is to risk producing races that are too linear. Also keeping a strategic but "egalitarian" dimension can't hurt. Having multiple cars of the same category is one option (perhaps the easiest?). Having the choice between 2 or 3 setups for the same car is another, or even limiting the number and range of settings. But you have to keep a minimum of choice and flexibility for it to work "massively".