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CONTENTS
Spacing and Length
Permissions
Introduction
Initial Car Selection
Going Racing: The First Car
Going Racing: The Second Car
Going Racing: Major Money, Fast Cars
Tuning Basics
Contact
SPACING AND LENGTH
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INTRODUCTION
There are A LOT of people new to the Gran Turismo series and
wondering just where to start in this massive game -
especially now that Gran Turismo 3 is a Greatest Hits title
in North America and a Platinum title in Europe. I routinely
read and post on the Gran Turismo 3 message board on GameFAQs
(http://www.GameFAQs.com/), and there are A LOT of repeated
questions by newcomers to the series. The main questions I
have been seeing lately are variations of 'What car should I
use to start the game?'
This guide presents the cars which can be used to start the
game with the 18,000Cr granted to the player, as well as how
to get beyond the initial car and into the higher-paying
races in the game. Basic information on car tuning is also
included, for those players who are not accustomed to playing
simulation-style racing/driving games.
Please note that this guide is based upon the North American
version of Gran Turismo 3. Therefore, those in other areas
of the world may have differing price values and car names in
their versions of the game.
INITIAL CAR SELECTION
When first starting in Gran Turismo 3, players have 18,000Cr
with which to buy an initial car; any money remaining could
immediately be used to buy parts, or saved for later use.
There are many opinions from GT3 veterans as to which cars
should be considered for a first purchase, but it all really
comes down to player preference in drivetrain (based upon
experiences in Arcade Mode, in previous Gran Turismo games,
and in other driving/racing games) and - to a lesser extent -
what is aesthetically pleasing.
Here is a list - alphabetical by manufacturer, then by model
- of the cars players can purchase with their initial
18,000Cr (note that - except the Chrysler PT Cruise - ALL of
these 'affordable' cars are from Japanese manufacturers):
Chrysler PT Cruiser FF 17,980Cr
Daihatsu Mira TR-X Avanzato R FF 11,140Cr
Daihatsu Storia X4 4WD 13,900Cr
Mazda Demio GL-X FF 14,660Cr
Mazda Miata MX-5 FR 16,900Cr
Mazda Miata MX-5 FR 17,000Cr
Suzuki Alto Works Suzuki Sports Ltd. 4WD 12,220Cr
Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex FR 13,550Cr
Toyota Vitz Euro Edition FF 12,880Cr
Toyota Vitz RS 1.5 FF 14,530Cr
Volkswagon New Beetle 2.0 FF 15,930Cr
For strategy purposes, players may wish to buy a relatively
cheap car, such as the Suzuki Alto Works Suzuki Sports
Limited (12,220Cr) or Toyota Vitz Euro Edition (12,880Cr), as
this would leave a good amount of money to immediately buy
parts or services to improve initial race performance. In
this case, a good place to begin tuning would be
Lightweight/Stage 1 (Tune Shop -> Stability Control &
Others), which costs about 5000Cr, depending on the car.
Just a little reduction in weight can make a noticeable
difference, especially when cornering. Changing the oil
immediately can also help by giving an initial boost in
horsepower, generally ten percent of the car's rated
horsepower; changing the oil costs 250Cr.
Another strategy is to begin with the Toyota Vitz RS 1.5; the
advantage of selecting this car is that it can be upgraded to
eventually participate in the Vitz Races in both Beginners
League and Professional League, thus providing extra venues
to gain more money without requiring the purchase of
additional cars later in the game (saving money in the long
run). Similarly, the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex may be a
good starting car, as it can be upgraded to race in the 80's
Sports Car Cup in Beginners and Amateur Leagues. Likewise,
the Chrysler PT Cruiser can be upgraded to race in the Stars
and Stripes Grand Championship in Beginners and Amateur
Leagues.
Another strategy - one which is likely to create extreme
frustration for many players - is to first attain Gold Medals
in ALL the tests for any one License. Achieving this
difficult feat results in a bonus car which should have an
inherent advantage over any of the CPU cars in the initial
races of Beginners League; should this happen, all of the
initial 18,000Cr can then be used to buy parts and/or
services, thus creating a significant advantage over the
competition from the very beginning of a driver's Simulation
Mode racing career. Alternatively, upon winning a bonus car,
the initial 18,000Cr can be set aside and combined with the
initial race earnings to purchase a new car sooner.
There is, however, one caveat to all this. Obtaining ALL
Gold Medals in ALL the tests for any one license will reward
the player with a bonus car which should be able to take the
player fairly deep into Beginners League with only minor
parts upgrades. The beauty of this approach is that the
initial 18,000Cr can then be used exclusively to upgrade the
bonus car's parts, which makes winning races MUCH easier at
the beginning of the game. However, whereas it was fairly
easy to obtain Gold Medals on the license tests in Gran
Turismo 2, it is rather difficult in Gran Turismo 3.
====================================
GOING RACING: THE FIRST CAR
Once a car has been chosen and any upgrades and/or oil
changes performed, it is time to hit the pavement!!! Many of
the events in Beginners League have no license requirements,
but ALL events in Beginners League will be available to those
who have attained at least the A License. Here is a list of
the Beginners League events, along with their license
requirements:
Sunday Cup None
Clubman Cup None
FF Challenge None
FR Challenge None
MR Challenge None
4WD Challenge None
Lightweight K-Cup None
Stars and Stripes Grand Championship None
Spider and Roadster None
80's Sports Car Cup B
Race of NA Sports B
Race of Turbo Sports B
Tourist Trophy B
Legend of Silver Arrow B
New Generation Sports Altezza Race B
Vitz Race None
Honda Type-R Meeting None
Mitsubishi Evolution Meeting None
New Beetle Cup B
Gran Turismo World Championship A
Of the Beginners League races, A LOT of time is likely to be
spent in Sunday Cup and Clubman Cup, racing the same venues
over and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over and
over and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over and
over and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over again. This is the most
frustrating part about starting in Gran Turismo 3, as the
initial races do not pay very well for the winner due to the
extremely low entry requirements. However, winning all races
in Sunday Cup and Clubman Cup results in one bonus car per
series, which can then be sold to gain additional money (or
held in the Garage for use later in the game).
As money accumulates, there are two strategies which come
into play. One strategy is to keep upgrading the current car
(especially if it is a Vitz, Trueno, or PT Cruiser, as these
cars can enter car-specific events in the latter half of
Beginners League) to increase the likelihood of winning, thus
gaining more money for more upgrades, and moving on to other
races which provide a higher payout; when the chosen car can
go no further in upgrades and cannot be viable in new races,
save money to buy a second car, or upgrade a car won in
earlier series. The second strategy is to NEVER perform
upgrades, and buy a second car as soon as possible; this is
really only a viable option for those who won a car by
attaining all Gold Medals in the tests for any one License -
otherwise, drivers can expect to spend A LOT of time reracing
the same low-paying events.
====================================
GOING RACING: THE SECOND CAR
Eventually, the initial car cannot enter new races and be a
viable contender to win, and cannot handle any more upgrades.
Fortunately, by the time this occurs, a driver should have
received multiple bonus cars for winning various series. One
of these cars can be selected and upgraded, then taken to new
events; or, if a driver has enough money, a brand-new car can
be purchased from the dealerships (again, Gran Turismo 3 does
NOT include used cars).
If possible, the second car should be able to handle Dirt
Tires. With possession of a Rally License (one of the easier
licenses to acquire), the second car can then be taken to
Rally Events. If upgraded enough, the second car can sweep
through Rally Events, thus amassing 350,000Cr and a total of
eleven bonus rally cars - which can either be kept in the
Garage or sold to gain more money. For this purpose, I
almost always use the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR(J)
as my second car; this 4WD car costs 29,980Cr from the
dealership and is available in seven colors. Please see my
Gran Turismo 3: Rally Guide for more information and for car
set-up for the Lancer Evo VII GSR(J).
Even if the chosen second car cannot handle Dirt Tires, Rally
Events can still be a good place to race. The final two
events in Rally Events are wet-based events: Super Special
Route 5 Wet (run counterclockwise) and Super Special Route 5
Wet II (run clockwise). While a Rally License is still
required to participate in these events, Dirt Tires are not
used, so ANY car in the game can compete here - even the F1
cars. Winning all three races in each of these two events
results in two bonus rally cars - which automatically come
with Dirt Tires, so they can be upgraded to compete in any of
the other events in Rally Events (rally cars also come with
Medium Tires as standard equipment, so they can also compete
in the many pavement-based events in the game).
====================================
GOING RACING: MAJOR MONEY, FAST CARS
One of the keys to success in Gran Turismo 3 is earning a lot
of money. Money can be used to buy cars, certainly, but most
of the cars a driver is likely to use in the many races can
be won from various events; therefore, money may be best
spent on upgrading the cars in the garage.
As alluded to previously, Rally Events is a great place to
gain money. Sweeping through Rally Events results in
350,000Cr total and eleven rally cars, including the
insanely-fast Suzuki Escudo. Here are the rally cars which
can be won (listed alphabetically by manufacturer), along
with their resale values should more money be needed later in
the game:
Citroen Xsara Rally Car 87,500Cr
Ford Escort Rally Car 87,500Cr
Ford Focus Rally Car 87,000Cr
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Rally Car 75,000Cr
Peugeot 206 Rally Car 87,500Cr
Subaru Imprezza Rally Car 75,000Cr
Subaru Imprezza Rally Car Prototype 87,500Cr
Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Version 250,000Cr
Toyota Celica Rally car 75,000Cr
Toyota Corolla Rally Car 75,000Cf
Another tip for fast money as well as fast cars is to tune a
car in the garage to complete laps at Super Speedway with a
maximum time of forty seconds. Then, add Super-slick Tires
(approximately 10,000Cr) and go to the Super Speedway 150
Miles Endurance Race. This 100-lap event requires an IA
License, and results in 200,000Cr for winning, plus one of
four good bonus race cars: F090/S, Chevrolet Corvette C5R,
Renault Clio Sports Race Car, or Tickford Falcon XR8 Race Car
(remember that the bonus car is assigned at random). Of
these four, the F090/S is the best, as are ALL the F1 cars in
the game (see my Gran Turismo 3: F1 Guide for further
information). The reason this race is suggested is because
it is one of the shortest Endurance Races in the game,
requiring approximately fifty minutes to complete with a
REALLY fast car (any F1 car, Toyota GT-One Race Car, Mazda
787B, etc.) or only up to eighty minutes with a slower car.
Using Super-slick Tires allows a car to stay on the racetrack
much longer between Pit Stops to change tires, but at the
sacrifice of pavement grip; please refer to my Gran Turismo
3: Tires Guide for details on tire selection and tips on tire
maintenance. [The Seattle 100 Miles Endurance Race is also a
fairly short race; its forty laps can be completed in
approximately fifty minutes to complete with a REALLY fast
car (any F1 car, Toyota GT-One Race Car, etc.) or up to
eighty minutes with a slower car, but the Seattle venue is
FAR more complex than Super Speedway (and beware the right-
angle turn at the top of the steep three-tiered uphill
climb).]
====================================
TUNING BASICS
Logic dictates that higher levels of parts or services
provide better performance; this certainly holds true in Gran
Turismo 3. However, extreme care is required in tuning a car
to ensure it performs admirably at each venue. Therefore, it
is important to remember that THERE IS NO 'GLOBAL' TUNING
SETTING FOR ALL CARS AT ALL VENUES. (The closest 'global'
setting that exists is not a setting at all; except for Like
the Wind and Formula GT - the final events in Professional
League - the F1 cars are unbelievably quick and agile due in
large part to their low center of gravity, and can easily
outclass the competition at virtually any event for which F1
cars are legal entries, thus they are virtually a 'guarantee'
for winning.)
Set-ups for each car can be saved for use later in the game.
Especially for those cars which may be entered into non-tuned
events (such as the Trial Mountain 2 Hours Endurance Race),
saving the default set-up of the car immediately following
purchase or receipt can be very helpful later in the game,
thus eliminating the need to manually reset all parts and
their settings to default status before entering a non-tuned
event.
At the final screen before entering an actual race, there are
a number of yellow boxes at the bottom of the screen
signifying menu selections; only Qualify and Settings are
important for tuning. Selecting Settings produces another
menu; selecting Change Parts allows the player to add or
remove parts to the chosen vehicle, while Settings allows for
customization of the various parts (the more important
settings will be discussed in a moment). Once any adjustment
to parts and/or settings have been completed, they can be
tested for that same venue by returning to the pre-race menu
and selecting Qualifying; after an out-lap, the stopwatch
begins to function, allowing the driver to test the most
recent modifications and compare lap times. If the changes
are not acceptable, they can be reworked in Settings; or, if
the changes produce agreeable results, they can be saved in
Save Settings. Should a previously-saved file of settings be
needed, they can be performed instantly by using Load
Settings.
Some important settings in tuning:
Brake Controller: This controls the power of the brakes
for both the front and the rear of the vehicle. Using
a high value (20+) for both front and rear brakes
allows the car to drive deeper into a corner or braking
zone before the brakes are actually needed to slow
properly for the corner. Conversely, a low value to
the front and rear brakes results in a much longer
braking zone, which allows competitors to easily pass
for position on corner entry.
Downforce: Not all cars can handle downforce; those that
do generally have wings (such as the F1 cars) or have
spoilers. Raising downforce slows the car by using
airflow to help push the vehicle onto the ground, a
very important consideration for lighter cars such as
the Toyota GT-One Race Car; cornering can be safely
done at higher speeds, but top-end straight-line speed
is sacrificed. Conversely, lowering downforce allows
for faster top-end straight-line speed, but at the
sacrifice of cornering ability. If managed properly,
oversteer and understeer can be induced and corrected
using downforce. For Test Course, only absolute
minimum downforce should be used, especially in the
Like the Wind event.
Gearbox: Only by purchasing a Full Racing Transmission
(included as standard equipment on race cars) can
gear customization be performed. The easiest way to
customize the gear selection is to use the auto-setting
slider at the bottom of the gearbox screen. Moving the
slider toward Wide results in faster top-end speed, but
at the sacrifice of acceleration; moving the slider
toward Sport results in great acceleration, but a lower
top-end speed. However, DO NOT position the slider at
full-Wide, as the engine may not be able to rev enough
to climb into the higher gear(s) and stay there; this
condition, however, can be remedied to some extent by
lowering downforce as much as possible. A general rule
for gear customization is for the rev limiter to take
effect (the car's speed suddenly drops from maximum by
5-10MPH/KPH) just at the very end of the longest
straightaway of a given circuit.
Ride Height: While downforce controls airflow over a car,
ride height handles airflow underneath a car by varying
the distance between the racing surface and the car's
undertray. Raising ride height allows for more air to
pass beneath the car, thus slowing the car due to
aerodynamic friction, and assisting with cornering.
Lowering ride height reduces the amount of air passing
underneath the car, thereby reducing aerodynamic
friction and assisting in attaining faster speeds.
Stabilizers: As the name suggests, stabilizers are meant
to keep the vehicle from spinning or flipping. By
raising the value of the stabilizers, spins and flips
are more difficult to perform, but cornering becomes
more difficult; reducing the value of the stabilizers
makes cornering much easier, but also increases the
likelihood of spinning or flipping the vehicle. (Note
that it is theoretically impossible to flip a car in
Gran Turismo 3.) Stabilizers are available for most
cars at both the front and the rear; playing with the
stabilizers can induce or correct oversteer and
understeer.
Tires are officially a part. Race cars come with Medium
Tires as standard equipment; rally cars come with both Dirt
Tires and Medium Tires as standard equipment; all other cars
use Normal Tires as standard equipment. In the beginning of
the game, upgrading from Normal Tires to Sports Tires
provides better grip, but Sports Tires are still far inferior
to the racing compounds. The racing compounds vary in
durability and the amount of grip they provide, with Super-
slick Tires providing maximum durability and minimum grip,
and Super-soft Tires providing maximum grip and minimum
durability; Medium Tires are the middle-ground option
concerning durability and grip. In races of five or more
laps, tire selection is key to Pit Stop Strategy, as the
tires are the only serviceable parts in a race. Please see
my Gran Turismo 3: Tires Guide for more details on tires,
including tips for reducing tire wear.
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