Honda NSX GT3 EVO 2 Release Notes

Welcome to the Honda NSX GT3 EVO “2” release notes blog. In this page you will find the detailed notes compiled by the team after each session when creating the fast and safe variants of the new CDA3 Honda NSX setups. In addition, a complete list of the driver and engineer combinations for each track is present so customers can see which driver and engineer worked on that circuit when looking for setup trends.

Note, some tracks required more notes and instruction than others. This is determined by how the car behaved in the session or how much scope for change in the setup there was.

Missing tracks and team list combinations will be updated in next weeks release

To view the notes and team list, see below:

Brands Hatch

• A more rearward brake bias is beneficial to the balance of the car at this track. 
• Low TC1 and high TC2 best combination.
• Softer roll bars set in a more ‘traditional’ front engine style (stiffer front than rear) seems to work well. Spring rates make a large difference to car balance.
• Low preload helps with rotation and can tune for extra stability if needed.
• The car is very sensitive to changes in mechanical grip. Be careful to make individual small changes when needed rather than large multiple changes.

Misano 

• The Honda appears to also work well with quite low spring stiffnesses similar to the Mercedes and Audi however it doesn’t run quite as stiff with a few clicks of wheel rate being prevalent. 
• The car tends to snap quite violently while changing directions and the setup has been tuned to work around this issue particularly at this track. 
• Higher preload for the differential helps in providing stability for the car mainly in the first sector however it will also cost the car in traction on the slow speed exits. The car likes to run a relatively high damper setup but the slow speed damping here has been run slightly softer to accomodate more vehicle roll and stability through the slower corners.
• The rear bumpstop is run very low and the rate has been adjusted to work in accordance with the other changes to provide progressive grip on throttle whilst maintaining good high speed rotation. 

Nurburgring

• The Honda is setup to stay as agile as possible with larger steering arcs into corners throughout the track. The Nurburgring layout requires agility with enough throttle stability to maintain enough traction out of slow speed corners. 
• This means that the front end needs to be made extremely reactive with the damper configuration which means it requires a very aggressive input to make it stabilise through the corners. As a driving tip, the more aggressive you are with the steering, the more stable the rear end will be. 
• The preload has been set at quite a high value despite the track requiring multiple off throttle points in the slower sections. This has been done to ensure that the car has enough high speed rotation in the fast corners. The preload is run slightly higher in the safe setup for additional stability, which makes it slightly slower in sector 1. 
• However the safe setup is arguably faster in the third sector due to its extra stability into the chicane.

Paul Ricard

• The challenge posed by Paul Ricard is that it requires enough stability under braking at the end of the back straight (using the differential and low front bump stop range) but still needs good rotation, front compliance and agility in slow speed, which would require higher front range and lower differential.
• This is where wheel rate, damper and ride heights have been adjusted quite a bit to accommodate the front bump stop and differential requirements. 
• The dampers have been adjusted to do a variety of things on this track. The front fast damping has been increased to aid in kerb absorption; the rear slow damping has been optimised to stabilise the car into high speed corners and also provide enough rotation on the high speed corners; the rear fast damping has been reduced to further enhance the damping effect in general. 
• The antiroll bars need to be soft in order to be compliant over the camber changes on track in sector one and still have enough stiffness to sustain aero loads through the high speed corners.
• If you require more stability through the fast right hander consider increasing the rear wing 1 click and also increasing the differential preload. The stability gained from extra downforce outweighs straight line speed gain from low wing, especially for the Honda. It works in a very small window for a given aero range so changes to the suspension will have a big impact on how the car behaves generally.
• It is important to note that completely lifting the throttle into the fast right hander will cause the car to snap irrespective of the differential added. Making a setup that can be completely sent into the right hander off throttle will make the car less competitive everywhere else. This instability is a characteristic of the car, but the safe setup definitely makes it more forgiving into the right hander. 
• Higher brake bias for qualifying also goes a long way in stability.

Silverstone

• Take advantage of the kerbs as much as possible, while avoiding grass or the bigger sausage kerbs. The car seems barely influenced by them, allowing you to maximise the width of the track.
•  While trail braking is crucial around Silverstone, the NSX seems easily upset with too much wheel lock as you ease off the brake. Advise keeping inputs to a minimum, trust the stiffer rear of the car to do the turning for you when off the brake pedal.
• Smooth steering inputs are crucial on entry to ensure the weight transfer is not too severe with the stiff car, this is very important in sections like sector 1 and Abbey.

Spa Francorchamps 

• Low rake compared to other tracks due to the undulating fast flowing nature of the track. Lower rake gives stability in the higher speed corners. You can try adjusting the rake and wing keeping the same aero % balance to see how this works.
• Bump stops tuned to try and control car movement whilst at the same time not being too harsh through eau rouge/raidillon causing bottoming out.
• As per most new NSX setups, soft roll bars are being used.
• Safe Setup uses a slightly stiffer front end for stability.
• Entry kerb to the bus stop chicane is surprisingly compliant when driven over with this car.

Suzuka 

• Softer roll bars to help with progressive feel of grip loss
• Shorter than ‘usual’ bumpstops to help with pitching oversteer into T1 and balance through the esses.
• Safe setup probably better suited to longer race stints as its slightly understeery nature will even out with rear tyre wear over 60-65mins
• Preload tuned for best stability on entry without sacrificing mid corner

Zandvoort

• Higher rake than average used to help rotation in the bends, counteracted with softer rear roll bar bias to help traction and control.
• Softer front rebound dampers to help with lift-off understeer at the end of the braking cycle into turns.
• Running front springs too soft can cause balance issues, current setting found as best compromise.
• Preload can be tuned here to adjust entry/exit balance.
• Safe setup uses slightly less rake and softer rear bumpstops for a more forgiving nature to the car.

Zolder

• The Honda is a car which certainly does quite well in high downforce tracks and pace-wise Zolder is certainly no exception. changes to dampers, bump stops and ride heights were done to accommodate stability on the kerbs at the chicanes on track. 
• The ARBs particularly need to be run quite soft around here for the car in order to maximise stability over the chicane. It is not possible to entirely smoothen out the chicane without sacrificing lap time elsewhere. Therefore given how tight the corners exits are for the track it made more sense to optimise rotation on the first sectors and to prevent the car from bottoming out on the second chicane.
• With the current compromise present in the fast setup, the first chicane is still relatively stable but it is not very forgiving in the line taken. We recommend viewing the on board lap for the exact line that works through that chicane. 
• Running more front range on the bumpstop helps in making the chicane a little safer however this causes more pitch into the first corner causing instability. The car will also tend to bottom out more easily in the second chicane if this is done. 
• An optimal change would be to also increase the front ride height while increasing the front range. To regain additional rotation through the fast corners consider increasing the rear spring stiffness 1 click and stiffening the rear fast dampers (fast bump and fast rebound) by 2-3 clicks.

Barcelona 

• Softer roll bars to help with long sweeping turns
• Stiffer rear bumpstop range to help reduce power-on understeer, this can be reduced if the rear is too ‘snappy’ under power, though this will cause more push on exit.
• Softer dampers on the rear seem to be helping with composure on entry and exit, especially slow rebound front and rear
• High wing/rake works best for aero stability and rotation, not worth sacrificing for extra top speed
• Bumpstops are very sensitive in this car, so if you need to change them do it 1 click at a time as they can greatly change the feel of the car
• Safe Setup has stiffer front spring and slightly softer rear bumpstop to aid entry predictability and exit traction with a slightly more understeer bias
• Quali setup designed to be more ‘on the nose’ than RF or RS setups. Gives better front grip, but at the sacrifice of ride quality over bumps and kerbs. Might also work as a sprint setup for a smoother driver.

Donington Park 

• Overall trait is mid to exit understeer. This is more prevalent on the safer set to make the car more predictable.
• The car is very sensitive to setup changes so only change one thing at a time and only do small changes.
• Recommended changes would be to the front and rear bumpstop rates, front bumpstop range, diff and ARB’s.
• Grip level is quite low so you need to drive the car correctly, particularly for the chicane where the direction change and kerbs can unsettle the car. Brake early to get the car turned in over the first kerb and to get on the power early for the exit. The entry is key to avoid track limits.

Laguna Seca

• RF is more tailored to ultimate pace. It is harder to drive because to extract all the pace from the honda you need to be early on the power. 
  • As the car doesn’t rotate well on exit this forces you to do all the rotation on the entry which results in a loose setup, especially on entry.
  • If you struggle with that you can try the RS setup.
• Raw pace potential difference between RF and RS is 3-4 tenths
  • It is bigger compared to the other cars as this car relies heavily on corner entry rotation.
• T1-2: Use first gear as the second gear doesn’t give you enough power
• T3: Maximise the track on the left side and don’t wait too long before turning in otherwise you won’t make the corner.
• T3/4/6: If you struggle with snap oversteer on corner entry you can reduce the rear spring to make it more planted. You could also try to reduce the rear rh. Bear in mind this will compromise every other corner and you might suffer from critical understeer on exit.
• T5: Use the banking of the corner to go early on the power.
• T7/8: Use your throttle modulation to help the car go over the track bumps.
  • Short Shift into second gear to not hit the limiter in first gear.
• T9: Make sure you use the camber of the road and don’t hesitate with the turn in. 
• T10: Don´t brake too hard. Try to introduce the car smoothly into the corner.
• T11: Make sure you finish the rotation early enough, as it´is important to floor the car as soon as you hit the apex.
• Generally you shouldn´t have traction issues with this car
  • However you can always try to reduce the rear arb or wheel rate.
• Give the tyre at least 2 laps until you start to push. As it´s a short track the tyre pressures won´t be already in the first lap in their window. You don’t want to risk a pressure loss that early in your stint.
• max caster 
  • As the max value is not as high as on the other cars you can keep the FFB or decrease it by 5%
• If you can try to use lower gears as the car doesn’t have enough power at lower rpm´s.
• To reduce understeer one exit you can try running less bs range on the rear / stiffening the rear wheel rate or even try more negative toe on the rear.

Kyalami

• Kyalami has quite a few tricky braking zones with enough compliance required to deal with the cambered and off-cambered sections of the track. This means that the wheel rates and bumpstops have had to be tweaked with respect to the baseline. Barcelona was used as the starting point for this track. 
• The car is very sensitive to the suspension range that it works in, so it is recommended not to change the wheel rates too much from the fast setup. The dampers have been adjusted for kerb impacts through sectors 2 and 3 but so much that it underdamps the car in the faster corners. 
• The setup is slightly stiffer on the rear end to ensure enough rotation on high speed corners. As seen in other tracks, repeated actuation of the rear bumpstop range tends to snap the car, especially in slow speed corners. A stiffer rear arb is run to prevent excessive roll and also aid in high speed rotation. 
• Similar to other high downforce tracks which have elevation changes, reducing the front bumpstop range by 1 click and increasing the preload will help in maintaining better stability through the lap, at the cost of entry agility. 

Hungaroring

• Wheel rates have a big effect on car balance and running a softer rear compared to other tracks is key to get traction, especially if you have an aggressive throttle map and/or a heavy right foot.
• As the car is softer at the rear, a lower rear bump stop range is needed to help with throttle rotation.
• The car handles the chicane really well, particularly the first kerb but you still need to find the right line over the second kerb to prevent instability.
• The front bump stop range can solve over pitching, making the car more stable and predictable.
• The caster has been increased in qualy as per driver preference so you might feel a difference in steering strength, however the original caster values from the fast and safe race setups will also work. 

Monza

• The car follows a setup approach from both Zolder and Paul Ricard to work through the bumpy cambered nature of the corners and the low downforce requirements of the long straight respectively. 
• The ARBs are run quite soft to accommodate the stability needed on Ascari and the Lesmo corners. The ride height has also been adjusted to run high enough to provide rotation through the narrower corners while not causing too much oversteer for the low wing. The front ride height and bumpstop ranges have been set up to easily attack the kerbs on Ascari without too much trouble so it is recommended to avoid making further changes to these particular parameters. 
• For general stability into corners a lower front bumpstop range will definitely help, along with extra preload. Try 1 or maximum too clicks down on the front bumpstop range. Any more and you risk understeer in sector 2. 
• If you are going significantly higher on the preload also try a higher rear wheel rate with 2-3 clicks added on the rear bumpstop range. 

Imola

• Brakes appear to be the car’s weak point, however, it makes up for it with top speed.
• A soft approach to mechanical grip coupled with stiff dampers gives the car good balance and control over the kerbs. However, the setup only goes so far in the final chicane where you need to take the correct amount of kerb and be patient on the throttle after the car lands.
• Utilising a higher diff preload with more rake gives the car a better balance and this along with rear toe can be fine tuned for overall balance to make the car safer or more aggressive.
• If the car is too aggressive on throttle with snappiness due to traction issues, changing the engine map to 1 or 2 (instead of 4) is a quick and easy fix.

Mount Panorama 

• Safe setup uses lower rake and stiffer front anti roll bar to give a bit more predictability and feel. as knowing what the car is doing (especially the front end) is critical to not hitting walls round Bathurst.
• Soft ARBs used for better overall rear traction, an NSX trait.
• Rear spring set to 190KN/m which seems to be the sweet spot in this car.
• Be careful into Forrest Elbow.
• At McPhillamy park (corner before you start going downhill) Make sure you lift before the crest to get turn in, if you lift after the car will over-rotate)

Snetterton 

• Slightly lower rear ride height than other tracks to help aid stability in the high speed braking zones in corners here.
• More rear biased roll bars to help with rotation, though this can mean less traction on exits, so be careful with throttle application (Map 1 or 2 may help with safer throttle maps)
• Dampers reasonably unchanged, but springs softened compared to previous versions of the setup to help with bumps and general grip levels.
• T5 (Hamilton) Avoid the inside kerb
• T8 (Brundle) try to avoid the inside kerb under braking as it can unsettle the car before T9 (Nelson)
• Use as much kerb as is safe at T10 (Bombhole) to get a better corner speed
• For the final turn (Murrays) try to get a wide entry into the left hander for the straightest exit, but be careful not to hit the sausage kerb on apex as it will ruin speed down the straight. Brake as straight as possible.

Oulton Park

• Ride height raised to enable more aggressive kerb use.
• Damper Metas used on fast damping settings.
• Reasonably high rake helps with rotation (Along with equal stiffness rollbars), high wing enables higher rear ride height without sacrificing stability.
• Safe Setup uses slightly less rake to aid stability.
• Keeping car on the right line in bends can make a big difference to speed due to bumpy nature of the track
• TC2 lower for quali at the hairpin to aid acceleration
• Avoid kerbs in 2nd chicane as they unsettle the car, 1st chicane is fine to use though

COTA

• The rake plays a key role in the stability for this circuit, however, it is needed to keep the rotation in the last part of the circuit. That’s why we opted to reduce the antiroll bar and soften the rear spring to maximise the grip in the rear while keeping enough rotation in the third sector.
• The rear dampers have been softened a little bit to optimise the rear stability under brake and weight transition.
• The car may feel a bit unstable on sudden acceleration out of slower corners. If it is too loose, I recommend setting the throttle map down to 3 for less aggressive throttle application.
• The car rewards smooth inputs, especially throughout the second sector.

Team List 

Driver/Engineer Combination	Track
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Barcelona
Dennis Schoeniger/Nick Deeley	Hungaroring
Dennis Schoeniger/Nick Deeley	Imola
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Kyalami
Gregor Schill	Laguna Seca
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Misano
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Monza
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Mount Panorama
Dennis Schoeniger/Saiduth Ramesh	Nurburgring
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Paul Ricard
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin	Spa Francorchamps
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Suzuka
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Zandvoort
Taariq Adam/Saiduth Ramesh	Zolder
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Brands Hatch
Taariq Adam/Nick Deeley	Donington
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Oulton Park
Taariq Adam/Rob Taplin	Snetterton
Luka Berk/Miguel Jimenez	Silverstone
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Watkins Glen
Jakob Ostermann/Saiduth Ramesh	Indianapolis
Luka Berk/Miguel Jimenez	COTA