Colin
McRae Rally & Championship Mode Hints & Set-ups
SETTING UP THE CAR - WHAT DO THE BITS DO?
TIRES - Most important item. Good grip is vital.
SLICKS are for dry tarmac such as Corsica or Stage 5 at Monte Carlo.
DRY GROOVES are for most loose surfaces.
WET GROOVES for any wet conditions including snow at Monte Carlo.
SPIKES are for Sweden only, being useless anywhere else - use wet grooves for all other snow conditions in other countries.
SUSPENSION - Affects handling precision.
SOFT for very bumpy surfaces, but it gives less responsive handling. Not used that often.
STIFF is good for tarmac, high speed stages that aren't bumpy or anytime that precise handling response is required. Good for Sweden, Corsica, and the tarmac sections at Monte Carlo.
MEDIUM is used most for general purposes, especially stages that change from one surface type to another.BRAKES - Bias alters over/understeer when braking.
EVEN setting is best for most conditions, or if you are unsure.
REAR BIAS makes the car oversteer under braking which can be unsettling on wet stages, but it can also help bring the back of the car around for slide cornering so it is good for tight, twisty stages.
FRONT BIAS makes the car understeer, ie: inclined NOT to turn into corners, which you normally dont want unless you find it too responsive under brakes, but in that case I would be more inclined to adjust steering sensitivity than have front bias brakes.
STEERING SENSITIVITY - Best left alone unless you are sure.
MEDIUM setting is good almost all of the time.
HIGH sensitivity can be useful for Stages 2 & 6 at Corsica and 1 & 2 in the United Kingdom, and stage 5 in Sweden, but personal driving style plays a BIG part in the decision. Analog controllers seem less bothered by sensitivity settings.
LOW sensitive steering is something you DON'T want.
GEAR-RATIOS - Affects acceleration and top speed.
MAX ACCELERATION is for very tight twisty stages and good for some super special stages, but top speed is limited so use with care, and go for another setting if the car "revs out" and can't accelerate further at anytime.
GOOD ACCELERATION is a better choice for stages that arent all tight sections and have some open sections.
BALANCED SPEED is most commonly used. It's a better option when you arent sure, or the stage is a clear mix of twisty and open parts.
HIGH SPEED is for those fast open stages; but these are really only Stage 3 in Australia and the Corsica Super Special stage.
MAX SPEED is NEVER used - this is a rally game NOT the INDY 500 !Order of priority is 1-TIRES, 2-GEAR RATIOS, 3-SUSPENSION, 4-BRAKES, 5-STEERING
DRIVING IN RALLY MODE - AS OPPOSED TO TIME TRIAL
Driving in RALLY mode means you have to think (and hopefully start driving) like a real rally driver - giving careful consideration to car set-up and overall performance. Here are a few important tips for :
1) STAGES ARE GROUPED! In RALLY mode stages are driven consecutively in groups of 2 or 3; this means your set-up choices must cover more than one stage. You will have to compromise on set-up to "average out" choices; which can lead to some soul searching where one stage is wet and another one dry. Aim to get the best set-up on the stage you are weakest on, that way you can hopefully do well on the stages you are strong at despite the less than perfect settings and balance out the results.
2) DON'T FORGET TO FIX THE CAR! Between groups of stages you can alter your car's set-up, but dont forget to make repairs! On the lower half of the screen you can affect repairs to engine, gearbox, handling, electrics etc. You only have 60 mins in which to make repairs AND change set-up, so you may not have time to do it all. Therefore it is best not to bash and trash the car around so that you dont have to rebuild it between stages. If pressed for time give priority repairs to gearbox and handling, then engine and brakes, but be sure and fix electrics if there's a night stage coming up. Be sure to change tires for the next stage(s) if needed and get your gear-ratios set too. If you have time left, then worry about suspension and brake set-ups.
3) DRIVE THE SUBARU IMPREZZA! Love it or hate it the Subaru is the Big Kahuna of the intermediate level 4WD cars. Some accelerate a little faster and some have a slightly higher top speed, but for all round ability the Imprezza is the one. After all it's what Colin McRae drove and since this is HIS game, then of course he has the best of the "real" rally cars. What did you expect?