Hi all!

I have been driving for sometime now in LFS and being a newbie, the car I have put more miles in it is the XFG. I have raced also with XRG, FXO and FZ50, but although I have had much fun with them, I am returning to the XFG, and specially, to the XFG - 5 laps Blackwood combo.

I was wondering why is so popular this particular combination. XFG is not a fast car, and Blackwood, with its long back straight can be a little boring.

Why people set up more servers with the XFG instead of the more powerful XF GTR?

I have my own answers: XFG is not a fast car, is easy to drive, but because of this, driving a XFG to the limit (ie: racing under 1:34 in Blackwood) is very challenging! Specially if you drive in a tight pack (this rarely has happened to me...), you can only race fast if you race clean.

So what do you think?

Why the XF GTR is not being used more in Blackwood?
Why the XFG is so popular?

I think it's so popular because it's in de demo for a long time.
I'm still loving XFG/BL1 after several years of racing but I have to admit I also like the FBM on BL1.
But my absolute favorit is FXR/AS2. If you want some tight racing with XFG on BL1 join our team (http://www.r-racing.nl/forum) and take part in our League13 competition.

It has always been one of my favourite cars to drive and race. I do wish it had about ten extra horses and some decent tyres though, but all the same it's an honest little car that makes for some close racing.

Quote from Gunn :

It has always been one of my favourite cars to drive and race. I do wish it had about ten extra horses and some decent tyres though, but all the same it's an honest little car that makes for some close racing.

I feel the same for the XRG... 100 less kilos and supers... and it would be a heck of a fight between this and the bodybuilded XFG version you speak in your earlier post.

A XFS(Gunn's idea)/XRS(my idea) Class anyone ?

I so much love this combination... im just racing and racing non stop with the XFG in BL... though i never tried the reversed track

Quote from spenceris :

I so much love this combination... im just racing and racing non stop with the XFG in BL... though i never tried the reversed track

you can't try a reverse track

Quote from Shadowww :

you can't try a reverse track

Can't the demo users try it, can they ?

I think that's because Everybody knows how to drive the XFG @ normal BLP...
damn, thats the only combo where i can have any high level competition...
(apart from FBM wich i don't know why, but i do very well in almost all tracks but specially AutoX)

Quote from Zen321 :

Can't the demo users try it, can they ?

Not anymore.

I'm somewhat of a self proclaimed XFG master. (By that I mean 95% of my PB's are within 0.5 of a second of the WR on any of the road combos used on the CTRA Race1 server, and my normal racing pace within 0.3 of a second of any of those), and the only track I struggle at is Blackwood.

It's a nice track to drive round, but the rhythm seems impossible to get (for me, at least), often losing time at the chicane after the long straight. (when going forward, the one after the 90 degree right hander).

I guess it's easier for people who race(d) alot on demo servers in their past.

Blackwood reversed is much nicer, it's more flowing and seems faster

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

I'm somewhat of a self proclaimed XFG master. (By that I mean 95% of my PB's are within 0.5 of a second of the WR on any of the road combos used on the CTRA Race1 server, and my normal racing pace within 0.3 of a second of any of those), and the only track I struggle at is Blackwood.

It's a nice track to drive round, but the rhythm seems impossible to get (for me, at least), often losing time at the chicane after the long straight. (when going forward, the one after the 90 degree right hander).

I guess it's easier for people who race(d) alot on demo servers in their past.

Blackwood reversed is much nicer, it's more flowing and seems faster

That is exactly what I feel. I just can't get BL1 right, while I have much less problems with BL1R. My main problem in this track is the right hander after the long-straight. Usually my car get a snap oversteer, and understeer badly there. However, I am quite happy with my times on BL1R ^^

That's my fave corner on the BL1 track, strong but smooth braking, keep left, but stay off of the curb, brake down to around 65 and use a trailing throttle to pull you round the bend, but alot depends on brake balance and small precise imputs.

Quote from Zen321 :

That is exactly what I feel. I just can't get BL1 right, while I have much less problems with BL1R. My main problem in this track is the right hander after the long-straight. Usually my car get a snap oversteer, and understeer badly there. However, I am quite happy with my times on BL1R ^^

If you don't do this already...Try blipping the throttle with down shifts when braking for the corner. Try and match the revs of the engine when the clutch engages. Don't be in a hurry to down shift the car. In a timely manner, but smooth. This will keep you front wheel from locking when braking or/and trail braking. If the front wheels don't lock or skip as much you will have less understeer. As for the oversteer try rocking the wheel to maintain grip and be on the throttle as much as possible without running the front end out to the sand. Keep the chassis loaded with torque from the engine as often as possible, but with out grinding them. If this is something you do already you might try tuning the dampers a bit with VHPA. Don't go to far with tuning sets though.

GOOD LUCK!\\
Jay

i really like blackwood, and the xfg is real forgiving and you can do lots with it. i prefer the xfg over the xrg.

Quote from jbirdaspec :

If you don't do this already...Try blipping the throttle with down shifts when braking for the corner. Try and match the revs of the engine when the clutch engages. Don't be in a hurry to down shift the car. In a timely manner, but smooth. This will keep you front wheel from locking when braking or/and trail braking. If the front wheels don't lock or skip as much you will have less understeer. As for the oversteer try rocking the wheel to maintain grip and be on the throttle as much as possible without running the front end out to the sand. Keep the chassis loaded with torque from the engine as often as possible, but with out grinding them. If this is something you do already you might try tuning the dampers a bit with VHPA. Don't go to far with tuning sets though.

GOOD LUCK!\\
Jay

What works best, I find, is playing with the brake force, so that when you're braking, on a flat road (I actually use the corner in question on blackwood, the harpin on FE forward, and the harpin on SO forward to test this), is making the brake force so that under braking, having a manual pedal clutch, I use engine braking alot, so I can apply maximum pedal pressure and be at the very limit of locking the wheels, so I can really concentrate on braking without having to worry about the wheels locking up.

I find that almost any car at Blackwood is an instant love story. FBM is my favorite.

IMO, Aston is like having a one night stand which unfortunatly results in a pregnancy and gaining an STD.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

What works best, I find, is playing with the brake force, so that when you're braking, on a flat road (I actually use the corner in question on blackwood, the harpin on FE forward, and the harpin on SO forward to test this), is making the brake force so that under braking, having a manual pedal clutch, I use engine braking alot, so I can apply maximum pedal pressure and be at the very limit of locking the wheels, so I can really concentrate on braking without having to worry about the wheels locking up.

I agree that optimizing your force will help with wheel lock and over/understeer . At the same time though with changing tire temps and wear the tires are never the same from one corning to another. I prefer to have brakes that will lock, not to the extreme of course, but still lock so you always adjust to situation and still have maximum braking ability. If you can't lock the brakes very much, you can stop to the full potential of the tires at the moment it counts. Since I clutch with my left, i blip with my right side of my right foot or towards the heal of my right foot depending on what flows well for that corner. I like blipping to help prevent wheel lock because the jar of the transmission engaging is lessened. Plus correctly done helps the cars attitude to remain true and driver initiated. I found i could make a RWD car looser in the backend resulting in better flow into corners because I didn't have to fight as much on turn in while blipping the throttle. Just my 2 cents and this is part of my driving style that might not fit another driver.

Quote :

That is exactly what I feel. I just can't get BL1 right,

This is what brings me back to BL1/XFG time after time. Before patch Y(?), my PB was about a sec off the WR which is something of a major achievement for me- I couldn't get it together after the patch though. Now I'm struggling to keep it under 1.40 as I've just bought a wheel and trying to get used to that. Hotlapping with a G25 now instead of mouse is a totally new experience, it's absolutely a blast and I'm delighted that LFS has become so extraordinarily fresh again. I'm back to BL1/XFG of course...

*hitting that last curb before the starting straight is really fun with FF

how can we get out license revoked and go back to demo?

Quote from chavm481 :

how can we get out license revoked and go back to demo?

I know a few guys that would take it off your hands if you don't need it.

After some races in CTRA (hoping for the BLGP XFG combo) i started to notice that while slightly slower, with the XRG i get more stable times, sometimes even faster times. I think thats because i slip too much with XFG... and i got the skills to drive a RWD car with mouse.

TBH i do, most of my racing on demo and i have on and off days and on the corner at the endo of the straight u should get a little slide/ oversteer its the same with all the corners really not to much or u will lose about 5 to 10mph over the other racers and try to brake at the 100 marker on the corner " the end of the straight keep the fron tyre on the right curb going threw it and power down about half way threw the corner and u should slingshot up 2 70/75 mph by the time u reach the left hand side curb hope i help some of u a little bit

Quote from Gunn :

It has always been one of my favourite cars to drive and race. I do wish it had about ten extra horses and some decent tyres though, but all the same it's an honest little car that makes for some close racing.

To be honest it's got way more power then most 1.3 engines out there..115BHP for 1.3. That's more like what a 1.6/1.8 car has.

Quote from orange_boy_uk :

To be honest it's got way more power then most 1.3 engines out there..115BHP for 1.3. That's more like what a 1.6/1.8 car has.

Very true but if i remember correctly its a 1.3 twincam i think not sure tho
And yes a normal 1.3 would only have about 80/90 HP 1.6 should be along the 100s and 1.8 should be 110 upwords towards the 125

With modern technology. variable valve timing, twin cams, modern materials etc, a 1.3 can easily push out 100bhp+ in a road going application.

There was one a couple of years ago, a korean car (forgot the name, it had 115ish BHP from its 1.3l engine), but the only one off the top of my head I can remember is the Daihatsu Charade 1.3 GTI :o)

97bhp, well... near enough

But this was nearly 10 years ago now, so as you see, we progress