Cupra Leon Competición 2024 preview build 0.8.5

OK, guys, forget the Cupra Leon VZ TCR for now. I have to admit, I was to fast with my Cupra VZ plans. I wanted to bring the most actual Leon model to 2024 AC TCR roster but when I saw first pictures and videos of this "upgrade", I was not very happy. I knew the car will get new bodykit, but I thought the changes will be small, I expected some tweaks here and there but in the end, the bodykit is completely different and in my honest opinion, not very visually pleasing. So once again, I reconsidered my plans and made the decision to stop "VZ" project for now and finish the Cupra Leon Competición 2024 update instead.

One of the first Cupra Leon VZ TCR 2024 racing in Brazil....

 I had been working on that update over the whole 2023 and quarter of the 2024, in close cooperation with my fellow race engineers which gave me a lot of valuable data and feedback which I missed in the previous versions of the mod.

Here is brief changelog, compared to 2022 Competición version:

• Physics changes and updates

  • reworked aero according to new more accurate data (overal drag, downforce, aero balance has changed)

  • fixed suspension pickup points to proper design position (2022 version had laser scanned suspension but pickup points were input into the simulation in droop position)

  • improved tires with new data and CSP features (added DY, DX LUT curves for grip, slight changes to temp profiles, some data based values were recalculated, added CSP extended physics features)

  • added custom rain tires (WIP, needs more testing)

  • tuned overal FFB gain to get more details and reduce spiking (old version was spiking a lot, now the FFB is not as strong, but nicely detailed)

  • reviewed setup options and ranges to accommodate physics changes

  • new more accurate engine torque map

  • reworked dampers to 2024 OHLINS specs (recalculated data, added some extra values for dampers into setup screen)

• Interior rework

  • remodeled interior metal chassis (finally the interior looks closer to what I wanted since the beginning, maybe it will receive some more tweaks, especially texture when I get better pictures from real car)

  • added openable front doors on both sides

  • remodeled TILTON pedals (found 3D CAD drawing so I remodeled them to make them more detailed and better looking)

  • added some details to front window

  • added a lot of cables and details into the cockpit (needs some cleanup)

  • added model of RACELOGIC camera system (wanted to add some more details to the cockpit, this one was perfect for it, used by real TCR drivers...)

What needs to be done:

• proper B,C,D LODs

• optimization of interior meshes and textures

• some more recent skins need to be created :)

• interior textures could have more details

Overaly, the car is now a little slower. It was slowed by approximately 2 seconds as a result of tinkering with the new data. The goal was to get more realistic lap times when compared to real life. Some tracks are pretty accurate now, some not, but I can live with that, the conditions in virtual world are usually different than IRL. The important thing is that the aero drag, engine performance and tire model is mostly data based so I can now blame the tracks for not being accurate enough :D By the way, the car eats the curbs and sausages for breakfast now as it should, so don't be afraid attacking them.

The car's base setup was changed a little according to Cupra baseline setup sheet. I think that 2022 setups can still be compatible but it was not tested. Some setup ranges have changed and some new stuff was added so I would probably avoid them. But the idea of setup should be the same.

Please test the car, throw it around the corners and give me some feedback, whether it is any good. If you will find some bugs or you will have some questions or suggestions, feel free to use the comment section. I will be happy for any feedback.

This build is available only to my paying Patreon supporters. As an appreciation of your support, you will get the preview builds of all my mods or updates to try and test before the final release. Final releases will be available for everybody for free, so please do not share or reupload the preview builds and keep it private until the final version will be released. If you want to make some cool preview video though, feel free to do it, just don't share any links to download the mod, share link to this Patreon page instead :)