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Under the hood: Tips and Tricks to Driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO can be set up in a variety of ways to suit lots of different needs, so let’s explore how you can get the most out of the German machine.

Mercedes-AMG is a well-known brand amongst any fan of racing and in sim racing, this is no different. The latest and greatest GT offering is brought about in the form of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO

As with all other cars in ACC, understanding the key features is paramount to getting the most from the car. This overview will give you all the background, tips and tricks needed to extract everything from the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO

Introduction To The Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO

Within the GT World, Mercedes-AMG has always built cars that are incredibly competitive in both the hands of amateur and pro drivers alike. This helps bring a formula that is destined for success. Many GT series require both pro and amateur drivers to share their cars and having something predictable allows everyone to get the most performance out of the car without going over the limit. 

From the real world to ACC this is no different. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO is a car that can be driven by all types of drivers.

The generally predictable nature of the car allows any driver to find the limit without any unexpected trips to the gravel. This makes the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO a great car for a driver looking to dive straight into ACC for the first time. However, when set up aggressively and suited to a pro-level driver, it can become quite a handful.

Make sure to check out the Coach Dave Hotlaps YouTube Channel if you’re looking to start learning tracks in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.

The Basic Car characteristics 

When first driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO as with each car in ACC, this brings a few key areas as a driver you must focus on. Many of these centre around the front-mid engine layout of the car. 

So what does this mean for you? Well as the weight is predominantly front-loaded you will find the car has a tendency to dive forward and consequently you load the front tyres much more than the rear.

  • This front engine characteristic often leads to an inherent bias towards understeer, leading to the front tyres becoming overwhelmed and washing out the front end of the car. 

A general technique to focus on when driving the Mercedes-AMG is the focus on progressive braking and throttle to keep the car as flat as possible and distribute the weight evenly across the tyres.

Another good habit to introduce into your driving is to turn in early and induce more oversteer into the car to add a little more rear-end rotation, whilst shifting your brake bias rearwards can also help you with rotation.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo also has a good ability to ride kerbs – this compliance allows you as a driver to push track limits to the very edge reducing the corner angles and increasing corner average speed. This will allow you to take advantage of tricky circuits such as Imola whereas other cars such as the Ferrari or Lamborghini will have to play particularly cautiously.

Suspension and Handling

One of the most important areas to get right is the suspension, this can be a tricky area to understand if you’re new to setting up a GT car but here are a few areas to focus on with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.

First off on almost every track in ACC, you will want to run the rear bump stops very low, almost hitting zero. This will help induce more rotation in the slow and medium-speed corners tuning out some of that inherent understeer. 

Another key tool to make the most of is the Anti Roll Bar (ARB) and in combination with the bump stop range, you can tweak the car much more dramatically. Running a soft ARB will make the car more compliant with the kerbs, but if paired with a low rear bump stop range, you will start to introduce more instability.

  • If you start to feel too much instability with the car then slightly stiffen the ARBs – this is a common fix for solving instability at Spa-Francorchamps

If you are still feeling some issues on the kerbs, where attacking the kerbs is key, the rear damping is where to look. Adding an additional 3-4 clicks to the rear damping will start to stabilise the car over the kerbs. Additionally, this will also aid in rear-end stability and really let you maximise that low-end torque. 


Need Some Setups? 

You can own the Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo bundle, plus every other setup Coach Dave Academy provides by having a Coach Dave Delta Subscription.

Our Delta subscription allows you to focus purely on your on-track performance. With our automatic setup installation, using Delta for setups couldn’t be any easier. 

The Delta app will automatically adjust your tyre pressures based on track temperature, so that’s one less thing to worry about too.


Aerodynamics and Bodywork

As with the suspension setup of the new and improved Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, it has seen a much-improved aero setup. One key addition has been the enlarged diffuser and alteration to the front-end splitter and air intakes. 

High levels of downforce are what suit the Mercedes best, with heaps of low-end torque this helps exaggerate the advantages of the car. The rear wing should be kept at relatively high values to stick the rear end of the car to the road.

  • This will help improve rear-end traction both improving grip on corner exit but also reducing tyre slip and improving tyre life if managed well. 

The key tool for tweaking the aero balance of the Mercedes is the front splitter. This should be altered and tweaked to shift the balance of the car to your liking. A general rule is more front splitter will encourage oversteer and lower values will induce more understeer.

With high downforce being the way to go with the Mercedes-AMG, it will not be setting any records in the top speed category. The car has a big advantage in slow-speed areas of the track and on stability so play to the advantages with aggressive moves and pushing track limits hard.

  • Many other cars on the grid will not be able to match the Mercedes in these areas so use this as a tool. 

Electronics

The electronic aids are a feature that will add lap time when used appropriately. 

The Mercedes-AMG has one of the best traction control systems on the grid and is extremely good at reducing tyre slip without killing your lap time. It is recommended to use the TC setting around the range of 1-3, this setting can be personal if you have a heavier right foot try a higher value but if you feel this is hindering your corner exits reduce this down.

Anti-locking brakes (ABS) should also be utilized and adjusted to your preference. Start with this set to 2, a lower value will shorten the braking zone but unsettle the car more and a higher value will allow you to brake deeper into the corner but lengthen the braking zone. 

Furthermore, when using the Mercedes in longer endurance events, it is best to use in-car adjustments to apply a higher engine mode to reduce overall fuel consumption. This will keep on the same stint lengths as others as the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo often struggles at high-speed circuits to reach longer stint times.

Summary 

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO is a car that is an improvement rather than a reinvention of the AMG GT platform. Where the car excels is in slow-speed situations, the strong front end keeps the car in check while the engine provides heaps of torque to get you out the turns. The key weaknesses to be on the lookout for are the low top speed and high fuel consumption, making the car a tricky choice in endurance racing, but if managed correctly, the advantages can outweigh these issues. 

If you are still struggling to understand how to set up your car, Coach Dave Academy has got you covered with The Ultimate ACC Car Setup Guide that runs through each and every step needed to set up your car. 

If you buy something from a Coach Dave link, we may earn a commission.

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Under the hood: Tips and Tricks to Driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO