SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED Tuning Tips: Tires & Brakes

Note: This blog is intended to be helpful to those that want to get into tuning in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED but aren't sure where to start. It will get more advanced as it progresses. If you would like to see certain features in the blog, or have questions you'd like answered, please add them in the comments.

Everyone knows a car doesn’t perform well when it’s got a flat tire, let alone four flat tires. Using that as an extreme example, one can understand that by slightly adjusting tire pressure, you can improve the handling of a car. 

I wouldn’t recommend solely increasing or decreasing tire pressure. It should be used in conjunction with the other tuning aspects offered, some of which I’ve already described. I want to reiterate that going overboard with one area can affect the rest of your tuning in a negative way. Making small tweaks to different parts will almost always garner better results than maxing out the settings on just one.  

I’ve tuned a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG fairly well, but I still feel some minor push in the corners. After manipulating the springs to my taste, I began fine-tuning my front and rear tire pressures. 

I decreased the front to 40.00, and increased the rear to 55.00, promoting oversteer. This immediately helped  bring the rear-end around in the middle of the corner, getting the car pointed quicker, essentially allowing me to get back on the accelerator sooner. Anything larger than 10-15 in either direction is generally too much. 

Whereas the tire pressure seemed to help in the middle of the corner, I still felt I was having to over-slow for the entry. By increasing the rear brake balance to 55.00, my entry improved enough to where I felt the car was helping me turn, instead of working against me. That being said, I wouldn’t advise going any higher than that. Couple your brake balance with a brake pressure between 10.00-15.00, and you should find the car acting more like it should. 

Again, I can't stress enough that while changing tire pressure may seem minor, small changes to multiple areas result in a better tuned car than giant changes in the more important areas. Make enough small changes and you’ll find yourself rising higher and higher on the Speedwall. 

General Rules:

Tire Pressure:

-Increased Front: Promotes Understeer

-Decreased Front: Promotes Oversteer

-Increased Rear: Promotes Oversteer

-Decreased Rear: Promotes Understeer

Brake Balance: Higher will lead to more movement in the rear, making it easier to turn, but more unsettled

Brake Pressure: Adds or removes "bite" when braking