teach me about packers

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samsepi0l
GP2 Racer
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Joined: 01.03.2019, 01:39

teach me about packers

Post by samsepi0l »

I am trying to use packers successfully.

I am racing at the original Germany track in GP2. The straights are long and fast. I am reaching 206mph, and of course the rear wing is set to 1.

I started off by looking at the place where the car is the lowest (right before the entrance to the first chicane) I looked at the ride height here, and the suspension travel. My rear suspension travel was showing about 42mm, and the front was about 24mm. I then added slightly more packers, say about 45mm in the rear, and 25 in the front. This way the car will run on the packers on the straightaway, but not in the fast corners like turn 1 and the turn entering the stadium section.

Am I doing it right?
ismael
GP2 Racer
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Joined: 02.05.2016, 14:58

Re: teach me about packers

Post by ismael »

Hello,

I don't have an answer. I'm replying because I'm also passionate about the set-up, especially for races (50% Race Distance) and eventually I'll get to packers too.

When I played as a teenager I did not explore correctly all the potential of the Advanced Setup, especially dampers, anti-roll bars, and springs. I can do it now because I understand English better, there is the internet and this forum.

I'm following http://grandprix2.de/setups/setupguide/ ... llace.html which you probably know. I can tell you that packers is the last thing I'll try to work with (I'm just doing what Wallace says about setting between 3 and 1mm less than the ride height according to spring stiffness). I've been training with different spring set-ups than I used to, tried to use the fast and slow dumping to correct understeer in tracks where I always suffered of it, like Imola, and I even developed an asymmetric set-up for the first time.

I'm currently doing a regular original 1994 50% Race Distance to see what I can do (with car number 2). I have 16 points after 2 races - I had never won the Pacific Grand Prix before, the car never felt so good in those very slow hairpins.

As soon as I work with packers, I'll get back to you and this topic. Good luck!
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rremedio
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Joined: 14.01.2007, 15:05

Re: teach me about packers

Post by rremedio »

samsepi0l wrote:
28.05.2019, 06:56
I am trying to use packers successfully.

I am racing at the original Germany track in GP2. The straights are long and fast. I am reaching 206mph, and of course the rear wing is set to 1.

I started off by looking at the place where the car is the lowest (right before the entrance to the first chicane) I looked at the ride height here, and the suspension travel. My rear suspension travel was showing about 42mm, and the front was about 24mm. I then added slightly more packers, say about 45mm in the rear, and 25 in the front. This way the car will run on the packers on the straightaway, but not in the fast corners like turn 1 and the turn entering the stadium section.

Am I doing it right?
I think you should check if your plank is hitting the track during the fast corners (probably using the right-hand corner entering the stadium after the last chicane to check it) and raise your car until it doesn't. Then set up your packers after that, like the tutorial linked by Ismael says.

I can't help you very much because I've always used keyboards with GP2 (recently tried using my wheel but both steering and acceleration were all bugged out) and GP2 car setups for keyboard are totally messed up. All I can say is that when driving with keyboard, packers are "always on" when it comes to car balance (meaning they will affect handling even when you are not "running on packers"), but they work properly when it comes to the ride height. So GP2 is probably making some simplifications because of the steering help, but I don't know if it does the same when steering help is off (probably not, if we can trust the tutorial).

One thing to keep in mind is that you don't want your plank to hit 1mm wear but you really don't care how many times it hits the ground if it won't hit 1mm by the end of the race (or the end of your fast lap in case of qualifying). That means you can use a lower car in shorter races (for 100% races it will be harder to correctly calculate how much it will wear in the long run, so maybe you should avoid it hitting the track at all).

Another thing to keep in mind is that heavier cars hit the track more often, so set it up with the maximum amount of fuel you will be using during the race (and as you drive, the car becomes lighter and will not be hitting the track as often by the end of a stint).
"The Fox provides for himself. but God provides for the Lion"
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samsepi0l
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Re: teach me about packers

Post by samsepi0l »

When it comes to Germany, I was actually a little faster in the first right hander that comes before the first chicane, but I see what you mean. I had just a tiny bit of suspension travel left when I checked the graph. I must have done OK, because it was a 100% race and the plank didn't wear through =D>
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samsepi0l
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Re: teach me about packers

Post by samsepi0l »

I think I am getting much better at using packers. I have been practising.

One tricky circuit I have been setting up for is Portugal Estoril 1994 layout.

The first 2 corners, and the very last are incredibly fast. I take turn 1 and 2 in 5th gear with only a very little lift of the throttle. In order to not be running with car riding on the packers you need to remove so many of them, or run it very stiff, or have a very high ride height.

I found that if either the front OR the rear was riding on the packers through these corners, it would either push or go loose really bad.
Now- if BOTH the front and rear go onto the packers at about the same time, and if the car remains riding on the packers through the majority of the corner I have no real issues here. This allowed me to drastically reduce my ride height to benefit on the rest of the track.

When I discovered this, I dropped my lap times about a full second.
ismael
GP2 Racer
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Joined: 02.05.2016, 14:58

Re: teach me about packers

Post by ismael »

Thank you!
I've been having trouble with Estoril. I needed lower ride height but it was being problematic.
I'll follow your suggestion and hopefully have more success than Gasly checking Verstappen's data.
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samsepi0l
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Re: teach me about packers

Post by samsepi0l »

my next step will be to investigate how helpful it is to add additional packers to the right side of the car (the 2 fastest corners at estoril are right handers) so that it prevents the car from rubbing on the main straight- while still allowing me to run low.

The right side of the car does not compress as much in right hand corners- but it should still help keep the car from rubbing on the straights.

this may be an advantage of an "non-symetrical" setup?
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samsepi0l
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Re: teach me about packers

Post by samsepi0l »

FYI- I tried using assymetrical packers in my setup and it works great. This allows you to have on side of the car prevent it from rubbing on the straightaways when you can set up the car lower with more packers in only the side of the car that needs it.

I tried this at Mexico city, where the last turn is very fast and long. I run more packers on the right side here because the last turn is a right hander. On the straight- these help keep the car off the ground but the right side isn't so important in a fast right hand corner.
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