Car Won't Budge on Test Track

[PaleOne]

Not exactly a test track crash, so I posted it here...

1946 3.2L V8, produces 194 hp @ 5400 rpm, 202 lbs torque @ 3900 rpm; Car weighs 2,840 lbs.

On the test track it will not leave the start line (<sigh> yes, I pushed the button). Just sits there idling. I set the gear ratios so that top speed is 185 km/hr, which is somewhat less than the theoretical limit. I try with various gear spacing, no luck. I tried setting the top speed to the minimum (81 km/h) - no luck. I did get the car to move once when I set the top speed to 98 km/h, but have not been able to reproduce that since.

Another funny thing about this car, In the initial configuration I detailed above, the 0-100 km/h time is 34.2 seconds! I know real-world comparisons aren't always going to equate, and comparing modern cars to antiques will further skew things in various ways, but power is power... Technology of the day, only 3 gears, etc. Still, that sounds awfully long to me.

By comparison, I also modelled a 1940 2.0L i4 that produces 84 hp @ 4200 rpm, 110 lbs torque @ 3400 rpm, weighs 1,700 lbs, moves around the test track just fine, and has a listed 0-100 km/h time of 16.5 seconds. That a lower hp / weight ratio and a somewhat more realistic time I think.

Is there still more fine-tuning of the car designer in the works? (If so, fine). What about the car not leaving the start line issue? (bug? or did I break some time-period design rule?)

Car will not leave the start line... MMG is off to an embarrassing start - the directors are not amused! Save my job!

Tks

Here is the car:

[strop]

Can you attach the model .lua file to your post so we can see if the problem is replicated on our copies?

[PaleOne]

Now attached to my 1st post above. (Sorry, had to find where those were stored).

Edit: forgot to mention - this was on the standard automation test track - haven't tried any others.

[strop]

Okay, I do get the same problem. And I know why. It's your tyres. In their current dimensions, they can't handle the loads being placed on them and simply won't move.

This is technically a bug, since if the simulation won't work out like that, really, it should be giving you a warning message (like the tyres blowing). Check the 0-100 time, it's something like 34 seconds. But if you widen the tyres and give it a more suitable profile for a car that, for 1946, is actually bloody powerful, you'll soon find that it actually has a rather brisk 0-100 time of about 11 seconds. Basically your car tyres are so close to the threshold of blowing that it's bugging the game's calculations out and while it will return you a value that implies it will go, in reality it won't on any track you test.

Simply widen the tyres any degree, and you'll see what I mean. You could also alter the profile by changing the wheel diameter, but running 105s, it'll still be horribly problematic. A car that heavy simply shouldn't be on tyres that narrow.

[PaleOne]

So, my rookie design staff DID bungle something... they're going to hear about it!

Thanks very much for the quick reply.

[strop]

No problem, good luck! And yes, you'll find tyre configurations matter quite a lot, and not necessarily in simple ways, either.