[REL] Swift 014.a and 016.a - Formula Atlantic - Released

Chris Lesperance

Chris Lesperance

Registered
After approximately 2.5 year, this project finally sees its public release. Coutie and I present the Swift 0.14a and 0.16a Formula Atlantic cars. This was a long time of information gathering and learning. This is my first foray into physics building. We also got several real driver/owners to test it out to make sure we weren't too far off. This is about as close as one can get to actually driving these machines.

The Swift 014.a is an open-wheel formula racing car, designed, developed and built by American company Swift Engineering, for the Formula Atlantic spec-series, between 2002 and 2005. It was powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6 L Toyota 4A-GE.

In recent years the chassis has been modified to run a 2.0 L Mazda MZR and 2.0 L Honda K20Z3.

This mod includes 5 different versions

TAC - Toyota Atlantic Championship - The car as raced between 2002-2005. Reduced weight and RPM limit
Swift .008 - Replication of Rob Radmann's Swift 008 with 014.a body work and unrestricted Toyota 4A-GE
Swift 014.a Honda - Swift 0.14a powered by a Honda K20Z3
Swift 014.a Mazda - Swift 0.14a powered by a Mazda MZR
Swift 014.a Toyota - Swift 0.14a powered by a current unrestricted Toyota 4A-GE

The Swift 016.a is an open-wheel formula racing car, designed, developed and manufactured by American company Swift Engineering, for the Formula Atlantic spec-series, and has been the sole car used in the series since 2006. They are powered by naturally aspirated 2.3 L Mazda four-cylinder MZR engines, which has been specially tuned by Cosworth.

This mod includes 2 different versions

Restricted - As it races in SCCA with a 32mm restrictor. Would be comparable on pace to the Swift 0.14a. Approx. 280 HP
Unrestricted - As it races in Formula Race Promotions (FRP) and historic racing. Approx 315 HP


Coutie - 3d model, textures, icons
Crivitz Chris - Physics, skins, sounds

Special thanks to Dave Zalveson and Greg Labadie. With out their assistance this would not be possible!

Additional thanks to redapg, Rob Radmann, John Colbert, Mirl Swan, and Tony Opheim.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3557915621
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3557924685

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Well, since I'd just finished trying out mantasisg's Vanwall, I was still at my simrig and had to try this out as well. Felt instantly at home with the restricted engine car on a qualifying run (no practice) and thought I was doing well, but was 5 seconds slower than the AI, LOL!

Jumped into the race and managed to hold my own for about 3 laps despite a couple poor shift choices, but then I spun. Wow, very nice experience!
 
I want some REAL cigarettes. I don't even smoke.

Looks great, only by looking at fine textured tires I already feel their grip.
 
That's awesome!
I've driven a Swift DB4 at Roebling Road for a day about 30 years ago helping a new owner (of used equipment) get ready for SCCA National Racing so this will be a treat to try out!
Thanks Chris.
 
Exceptional job by all!
Tire physics work like they were designed to work with rFactor's latest overheating algorithm, are they a standard or were they built from the tire physics worksheet?
Anyway about it, excellent mod one the best new ones I've seen in some time now.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. It took a very long time to get here.

John R Denman said:
Exceptional job by all!
Tire physics work like they were designed to work with rFactor's latest overheating algorithm, are they a standard or were they built from the tire physics worksheet?
Anyway about it, excellent mod one the best new ones I've seen in some time now.
Click to expand...

To answer this. It was resized tires using redapg's tire resizer tool. Then it was editing the RealTime section, line by line, using information provided here (http://lammasandska.blog57.fc2.com/blog-entry-242.html). This was a massive rF2 tire resource. Then it was a lot of testing by Dave and Greg to point me in the right direction, as they are the owner/drivers of the real thing :)

I honestly was not able to get the tire spreadsheets to work. When I put in some info and export it, the game would CTD. One comment that Dave brought up towards the end is that he thinks the base tires I used may have been bias-ply instead of radials. He's able to run more camber in his real car than what he is able to do in game. But the feelings of the car in game matches to what both Greg and Dave feel IRL.
 
I was driving 50s F1 cars lately way too much. Chose to drive a 014 with Toyota engine, first one, to refresh myself. Similar engine to my 1.6 Toyota I guess :D Immediately when looking at the setup of a car it is suggesting what effort went into making the mod. Model looks great and everything is dialed and feels complete. At first I had no FFB, used reset FFB button, it helped, but after driving a lap I though that car still has no feel, and pressed reset FFB again, and that worked driving got colorful. I was doing many laps one after another slightly faster at Zolder, started with 10% wet on slicks. Had no problems with handling, although I was massively underdriving it at first maybe because I am used to 50s performance. Car felt like on rails obviously and like everything was nothing to it. Till I started getting something like 4s off pace from AI. Also AI at that point changed tires I assume. I decided it is time to start pushing harder and I was doing a faster lap, now cutting ~1.5s off laptime already by mid of the lap. Tires were still fresh at 99%. Car was also getting playful. I lost the car eventually. The speed at which I have had to react was no match to what I was expecting, or maybe even capable of. Will try again today, to see if I can handle it at the limits. Maybe you shouldn't take it over the limits.

I have watched this to get an idea what to expect, as I don't know the car at all

After running default setup, I will probably attempt to soften the car a bit, and soften rear more than front, maybe that would help to make it a little slower at transients, the way scenarios shift. Or perhaps with some more laps in I will adapt to the challenge. There is also a lot to do with the setup obviously.
 
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Drove it bit more, and with every lap I like it more and more. Plus I have started dabbling with setup. I like to set it a bit softer. Interesting that rear is a bit stiffer, I wonder if it is due to geometry, motion ratio, or it just is so. Haven't tried lowest pressures yet, that would probably help to catch AI. I am ~1.2s slower at Zolder with my 1'28 pace. Next will be Mid-Ohio like in video.

Disconnected rear anti-roll bar, is truly disconnected ?

I have a problem being unable to do proper launches from start, maybe it is just me.

The excitement to attack high speed turn is so awesome, takes a lot of bravery not to lift. But whe nI made car more understeery it has become a bit more safe, and forgiving, although I don't know maybe at expense of speed.

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Takes quite a while to heat up the tires, and wear is also I'd say economical, eco haha I like that I would asume it is hard compound. If it is hard compound I would probably expect a bit more wheelspins out of slow turns, through my modding I have learned so far that perhaps biggest decider for wheelspins is load sensitivity. Although perhaps I am wrong, I only barely wore down tires to 98, and then I have noticed some wheelspin appearing, and also at that time tires were up to temp, so then they probably could also begin to reach temps slightly towards out of the window, but still sheelspins were super modest and while still using some lateral grip.

It is exciting to drive and handles well. I also watched replay with slowmotions, and there are so many things happening with the car, very interesting.

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Thanks for the review. Just an FYI as I see you are driving the 008/014. That car is an 008 chassis. It has some different suspension geometry. The chassis is ~24% less stiff than the .014, if my math is correct. Just wanted to let you know that that one is slightly different compared to the rest. (http://dsr.racer.net/tech_info/aero/docs/AutoTechnology_Article_2003.pdf)

The rear ARB disconnected - Yes. That is completely accurate. All the drivers mentioned that they do not run them. All the reference pics I've taken at the track, I would say all but 1 car, did not have it installed.

These cars produce a lot of downforce with the aero tunnels. They do handle like they are on rails. Several drivers had Pro Formula Mazdas prior to getting their Swifts. They all mention the night and day difference between the two cars. But they are hard to get the most out of them. It takes a lot to get them to the limit. The 014 is certainly a lot more twitchy compared to the 016. That is a lot more of a challenge, but an absolute blast when you get it right.

The AI, I might look into. They did seem to get a little too fast in the latest versions I built. They also bottom out more compared to the player car. I was having this issue a lot in my previous builds. I haven't fully figured out why.

Time has just been very limited as of late. Keep the reviews and issues coming! I'm glad to see that everyone has been enjoying them.
 
Yes it is the one I have been taking so far. Of course rF2 almost suggests to do unique physics per entrant chassis, still it is so incredibly rare to see that happen. Nice to know that there is this depth to the mod.

And awesome to have setup that declares ARB to be disconnected when it really is. Because usually in rF2 by default it would still have it, just at 0 value. Car was giving a feeling that it could do alright with more rear roll softness.

Yes AI was bottoming out a bit, although I wasn't sure if more than me. As much as I have had work on AI, they almost always needs AI suspension stiffness multiplyers to be above 1.
 
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