Bad set-ups can lead to good lessons…

Last updated on November 21st, 2020 at 02:16 pm

I’ve slowly been working my way through the single-player event list in Forza Motorsport 3, and having had good results with the racing spec Cadillac CTS-V, I figured a B Class version would be a good choice for 31 laps of Mugello.
Unfortunately I was either drunk or not paying attention when I tuned the B Class version. To put it mildly, it was slow, handled like a tank, and had no rear grip whatsoever. But instead of quitting out and sorting the problem, I persevered, and it turned out to be a useful experiment.

So what can you learn from sticking with a crappy set-up for a few laps:

Better insight into your driving style:

Good set-ups hide some of your bad habits, and emphasis your good ones. Driving something with terrible handling highlights I’d gotten lazy with my throttle control, and a few laps later, I’d started driving far more smoothly.

Better insight into your typical set-up:

Quite often I’ve been focusing on increasing power at the expense of better handling. And yet, driving the CTS-V, I realised the biggest problem with it was actually the cornering speed and the traction out of corners. Power is definitely useful, but only in the right circumstances.

Driving round problems:

After a crash or a mechanical problem, it’s more important to adjust your driving style. Driving something which handles like a wheelbarrow gives you some practice just in case it happens.

You appreciate the good cars a lot more:

Suddenly you’ll have far greater appreciation for a well-sorted car! You might have thought you had major problems with your best set-ups, but once you’ve raced a heap, you’ll realise that actually they’re nothing to worry about…

So…

Anyone want to buy a slightly-used, raced once, ORD-stickered CTS-V? Sometimes there’s too much of a good thing!