Let's Drop a Corvette LT1 V8 into a Virtual Mazda Miata in Assetto Corsa!
Let's check out a new third-party utility that allows you to tune different cars in Assetto Corsa, including doing engine swaps!
Assetto Corsa is one of the more enjoyable PC racing simulations on the market, with a wide variety of cars available at your disposal. Now, there is a whole new level of versatility injected into the title, with a utility allowing you to make "Custom Tunes" of different cars! The first thing I decided to do? Plop a V8 engine into a Generation 1 Mazda Miata!
Image from the RaceDepartment page, showing off the different "Basic Adjustments"
This new utility is called the Assetto Corsa Car Tuner, and is available to download from RaceDepartment. You can use this tool to modify the files that make up the specs of different cars, and can make different configurations of the cars available for Assetto Corsa. The engine swap feature is a nice touch, allowing you to take the stats and sounds from one car's engine, and transfer it into another car.
For my first experiment, I grabbed the 2014 Chevrolet LT1 engine from the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and transferred it into the 1994 Mazda Miata NA. There are a couple things to note from this utility though:
A. The weight of the car will not adjust automatically to compensate for the new engine. You will need to adjust that manually via the tool. I made an estimation, and put the car at around 1,400kg, or approximately 3,100 pounds. I used that figure to make the assumption for the new engine, 7-speed transmission, and other components that are associated with engine/drivetrain swaps.
B. The drivetrain is not automatically swapped along with the engine. So, that meant I had the Chevy LT1 engine mated to the Miata's 5-speed transmission. The Miata's 5-speed has a fairly high final gear, with close ratios, to try to maximize acceleration. That doesn't exactly work with the 500+ Horsepower LT1 engine, as it would shred the tires in just about every gear! I manually transferred the data from the Corvette's "drivetrain" file, and that essentially transferred the Corvette Stingray's 7-Speed transmission and gear ratio into the Miata. That worked a lot better!
As a final touch, I beefed up the brakes a little more via the utility. That's as simple as raising the "Maximum Brake Torque" figure. I didn't raise it too much, but I just found a figure that would have been reasonably comparable to a brake upgrade on a Miata.
Then, I hit the track... As you could see from the above video, this car is still a BEAST!!! On the "90's era street tires", this monster would still just eat up those tires like it was Homer Simpson at an all-you-could-eat Donut Buffet! You needed a VERY delicate right foot to keep the car tamed, but it is a real blast to drive!
The best part is, this car did not feel necessarily unrealistic. If you make the right adjustments in the AC Car Tuner, then you could get a decently realistic feeling car. It's not anywhere as close to the simplicity of tuning options in Forza Motorsport titles, where you just pick the options and go. You need to actually think out your adjustments, or you could find yourself creating an undrivable abomination of a virtual car. However, If you spend time and thought into this tool, it can be a very rewarding experience, and can likely provide hours of fun.
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