Welcome to the Porsche Cayman GT4 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 Porsche Cayman GT4 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.
Brands Hatch
- Testing was done with higher front splitter values, however in order to accomodate this aero balance change in a narrow track such as Brands, the suspension and dampers need to be adjusted quite heavily, which tends to push the mechanical balance out of the appropriate window.
- In order to correct this mechanical balance a softer setup would have to be run which would in turn affect the high speed rotation.
- Therefore a low front splitter value works well for the given setup configuration. There is very little difference in straigth line performance/general downforce levels between different clicks of splitter and has therefore been used as a balancing device.
Misano
- Rear locking into slower corners and issue in this car, try not to turn and brake too heavily into slow turns, fine for most of the track.
- Medium-soft spring settings along with a stiffer front than rear roll bar is used to help with mid-corner rotation whilst still having traction on exit.
- Lower brake pressure used to help with braking intervention from ABS giving a more predictable braking experience.
- High rake used to help with corner rotation and sharpness of handling.
- Safe setup uses higher wing and softer rear springs for more stability under brakes and on power.
Nurburgring
- Nurburgring uses the Donington setup as a baseline as the kerbs and low traction corners are not as extreme as those at Hungaroring, but still have an impact on the lap.
- The major change in the setup is in the spring stiffness values. The car is run a lot softer as Nurburgring has more profound elevation changes.
- The ride heights however have been brought much closer to the ground in order to increase overall downforce through the higher speed corners. The approach used for this setup is to use a softer spring value for compliance with a relatively stiffer ARB combination to regain response through the faster corner entries.
Paul Ricard
- The current preload equipped in the faster variant appears to be a good compromise across multiple tracks with the given brake bias that works best for the car, to prevent lockups but still provide enough rotation through the corners.
- The setup runs an average spring and ARB combination as this gave it the best compromise between agility and grip. The front wing on the safe setup has been removed in order to bias the aerodynamic load rearwards. The rear bumpstop rates have also been softened to get the car more stability through the bumpier corners in the final sector.
- For the first corner it is worth braking slightly earlier and avoiding mounting the second kerb too much as it helps in getting a much better exit. Basically compromise the entry by a bit for a much better exit and to avoid risking an off track after turn 2.
Silverstone
- Silverstone uses a much softer spring configuration with a relatively stiffer ARB configuraiton. This has been done in order to get as much traction as possible on exits and get optimal front grip eearly on into the corner.
- Most of the high speed corners here have very narrow exits so it is important to get the tyre settled as quickly as possible. The stiffer ARBs help with response and the stiffer dampers help in stabilising the car earlier on into the corenr.
- The safe setup uses a softer ARB configuration which makes the car more forgiving through the corners. However this will also tend to understeer the car through the corner in high speed, so consider increasing the preload and softening the front bumpstop rate for more pitch into the corners.
Spa Francorchamps
- In order to maximise front end grip through high speed corners for the rear engined car, the setup runs a much softer front spring value than other tracks. The setup uses a low ride height combination with slightly negative rake to ensure the car does not bottom out at Eau Rouge.
- Additionally the front dampers are run extremely stiff to prevent excessive compression speed through Eau Rouge and this further prevents bottoming out.
- The safer variant uses a low front splitter value to make the car more forgiving through the downhill braking zones. It also helps in reducing bump speed on the front suspension quicker through Eau Rouge.
Suzuka
- Suzuka has multiple off throttle zones with most of these being uphill, hence a very low preload value has been used to maximise rotation mid corner without risking snapping the rear when the throttle isn’t engaged.
- This is also one of the few tracks where quite a high front splitter has been equipped. This is done since the rear ride height has been set relatively low to maximise traction, with the splitter biasing the aero back forwards.
- The slow bump damping values on both ends of the car have been reduced to enhance compliance over bumpier sections of the surface of the track and also to enhance the fast damping stabilisation effect through chicanes/kerbs.
Zandvoort
- Alignment metas used.
- Medium Stiffness on roll bars for compromise between ride handling and grip.
- Front ride height raised slightly to avoid bottoming out on the bumps.
- Rear brakes have a tendency to lock up if braking whilst the outside tyre is loaded. Try to use more forward bias than maybe expected here.
- Front splitter reduced to minimise pitch sensitivity.
- Lower preload to help with rotation on corners.
- Safe setup uses a more understeer-biased spring setup and less rake.
- Quali setup uses more aggressive wing angles and roll bars, along with lower brake power to prevent ABS intervention in the lighter car (Due to fuel load)
Zolder
- The setup at Zolder uses an approach similar to Nurburgring despite both tracks being quite different at first glance.
- In order to adapt to the variations on the track surface through fast corners the springs have to be run quite soft.
- The ARBs on the other hand have been stiffened a bit in order to balance the car through faster corners and provide high speed response through the first few corners.
- A unique damping and bumpstop rate combination had to be used to get the car as stable as possible through the first chicane without significantly affecting the rest of the lap.
Barcelona
- Barcelona and Nurburgring have very similar corner types with camber and elevation changes of a similar nature. Therefore both setups generally work both ways.
- However for Barcelona specifically the ARBs have been run a bit softer with a higher preload and rear spring value. The necessity for high speed rotation over entry agility seems to be a bit higher at Barcelona.
- The differential has been adjusted to prevent locking up the tyres on entry. It also helps in running a slightly lower brake bias without snapping the car. This is important for Barcelona and other tracks where the front tyres tend to get quite hot.
Donington Park
- Soft springs and high rake used for the best grip/rotation balance in corners whilst still being compliant over the kerbs and bumps in this track.
- Front ride height is set to as low as safely possible, there will be bottoming out in the old hairpin on cold/underinflated tyres, so be careful on your first lap out of the pits.
- Dampers based off the settings for Laguna Seca, with some minor changes for pitch behaviour.
- Preload setting a compromise between entry stability and over-rotation on exit.
- Safe setup uses a slightly softer rear spring along with a little adjustment to toe angles and dampers to give a car that is less prone to oversteer.
Laguna Seca
- The ARBs were set at a medium level around Laguna in order to maximise response through the narrow exits and high speed corners. The spring and rates however have been reduced a bit to regain grip.
- The front ride height has had to be increased compared to the other tracks in order to safely go over the kerbs without bottoming out. In order to regain front aero, the splitter has been increased a bit.
- The safe setup is quite forgiving in its response and agility through the corners, but it is advised not to soften it any more than it is currently as it will have a negative impact through the rest of the lap.
Kyalami
- Soft Springs to enhance mechanical grip.
- High wing, high rake to help with rotation whilst keeping stability.
- Dampers tuned for faster response to compensate for softer suspension overall.
- Wheel alignment metas used.
- Stiff front bumpstop used to help prevent excess roll on corner entry causing inside rear locking along with higher ABS settings.
- Safe setup uses less aggressive roll bars and preload to help stability and reduce rear locking effects.
- Qualifying setup uses much more extreme settings to maximise 1 lap potential, probably not best for a longer stint.
Hungaroring
- The Hungaroring setup runs a relatively stiff rear ARB configuration for high speed rotation but in turn also uses a lower preload for the differential and a lower rear ride height to maintain traction in the slow speed sections.
- The dampers have had to be changed quite a bit compared to the other tracks in order to accomodate the high speed directions changes for the current suspension configuration.
- The front bump and rear rebound are particularly high in order to reduce brake lock ups and excessive pitch as much as possible. However the track is quite demanding on tyres with temps hitting around 100 and the downhill braking zones, off cambered trailing zorners and bumpy track surface increase the tendancy to lock up. A solution is run slightly higher front brake bias and open up the brake ducts at the cost of braking distances.
- Fixing these issues with suspension changes causes an imbalance in mechanical stability/grip and hence the current compromise has been used.
Monza
- The car tends to be a bit bouncy on the entry through Ascarri with the setup, however it is also quite easy to control once it lands due to changes done on the dampers and ARBs.
- The tendency to launch off of the kerb initially is due to the reduced downforce package that has been equipped on the car. Is it this compromise that makes the car much faster on the straights, but the car is still quite easy to control.
- This effect has been improved a little with the safe setup by running slightly more downforce and a lower front ride height.
Imola
- Higher wing & rake to help rotation whilst keeping stability.
- Ride heights were raised to help with the large amount of high kerbs at Imola.
- Alignment metas added.
- Fast dampers tuned to be predictable over kerbs, Bumpstops and springs also tweaked to make the car useable in Variante Alta.
- Stiff front bumpstops to assist in reduction of bottom out after using kerbs.
- Safe setup uses slightly higher ride heights with less rake to make kerbs even safer.
- Qualifying setup uses more aggressive settings to optimise single lap performance.
Mount Panorama
- Donnington setup used as base for Bathurst due to similarities of fast undulating corners and tight bends.
- Wing lowered to optimise top speed in race situations.
- Softer rear roll bar used to help with rear end grip to counteract lost downforce through the lower rear wing.
- Minor damper changes to give better stability under braking and turn in.
- Avoid the inside kerb at T9 (Sulman Park), as this will roll the car and cause a major accident/damage.
- Safe setup uses a higher wing for better entry stability at the sacrifice of top speed.
- Quali setup reverts to a higher wing to maximise cornering performance, as there is no worry of being overtaken on straights.
Snetterton
- The Snetterton setup uses the Oulton Park setup as a base due to it’s bumpy nature. However due to the long braking zones and multiple off throttle sections the car needs to have a lower differential preload but also enough damping in order to prevent excessive lockups on the tyres.
- Along with these changes, the ride height has also been dropped and the rear ARB instead has been increased in order to regain any lost rotation in the high speed corners.
- For the safer variant the bumpstop rates have been reduced to improve general compliance in the car, but this also causes loss in mid corner rotation. The differential has been tuned up for this purpose. It also helps in stability into corners as the lower bumpstop rates could potentially add more pitch and roll depending on corner speed.
Oulton Park
- The setup uses a similar approach to that used at Brands Hatch. The front splitter is once again run quite low in order to prevent excessive rotation off throttle into high speed corners.
- It uses a softer ARB configuration with a stiffer spring combination. This has been done firstly to optimise vehicle compliance while cutting across camber changes on track and secondly to regain the response with a stiffer compression value.
- The safe setup sues a slightly softer wheel rate and lower differential preload in order to improve traction on exits. It also uses slightly stiffer dampers to regain response and optimise vehicle balance into corners.
Watkins Glen
- The setup runs a very soft spring combination to maximise compliance over the undulations on the track surface. The differential has also been dropped significantly in order to optimise off throttle rotation.
- To aid in high speed cornering the rear ARB is run higher than the front. The damper and ride height configuration is similar to other tracks with Nurburgring being the starting point for this setup.
- This is a stark difference to the slightly more stiff configuration present in the 01 version of this setup. Despite being stiffer it can still take the chicane reasonably well however it is important to note that the grip will be quite different to the updated version.
COTA
- Higher rake, less wing and splitter used over previous setup for a better corner to straight line compromise. But also to lower pitch sensitivity.
- Softer springs to help increase grip and stabilise the twitchy nature of the car.
- Slightly lower preload to help with low-speed rotation.
- Safe setup uses higher rear wing and softer rear spring to help aid stability on entry and exit of turns.
Indianapolis
- Due to the high speed corners and generally low traction surface, the tyres get quite hot at Indianapolis. Controlling weight transfer is quite important through the second sector and maintaining enough grip on the rear end is needed for the first sector.
- Hence the ARBs have been run relatively stiff in both the fast and safe setups with very soft rear spring to maximise the grip.
- To regain rotation on slow speed the rear ride height has been increased and then in order to get stability into braking zones the preload has been increased as well.
Team List
Driver/Engineer Combination | Tracks |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Barcelona |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Hungaroring |
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin | Imola |
Amadeo Dekeyser/Rob Taplin | Kyalami |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Laguna Seca |
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin | Misano |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Monza |
Amadeo Dekeyser/Rob Taplin | Mount Panorama |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Nurburgring |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Paul Ricard |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Spa Francorchamps |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Suzuka |
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin | Zandvoort |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Zolder |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Brands Hatch |
Hubert Szymanski/Rob Taplin | Donington |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Oulton Park |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Snetterton |
Luka Berk/Saiduth Ramesh | Silverstone |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Watkins Glen |
Hubert Szymanski/Saiduth Ramesh | Indianapolis |
Luka Berk/Rob Taplin | COTA |