We at KW Studios are excited to introduce a special new vehicle to the RaceRoom platform!
The RR Truck
- 1100 HP
- 5000nm @ 1250rpm
- 12.4 litre 6 Cylinder engine
- 5300 kg
- 16-speed gearbox
- Water cooled Brakes
We are bringing you a fully authentic Truck Racing Experience, thanks to our close contact with real Truck driver Sascha Lenz during the development.
Sascha has provided us with deep insights into the world of Truck racing and its intricacies, such as the brake cooling system, the unique transmission properties and the required driving style, which varies substantially from a GT3 car.
But don't worry, we've included some accessibility options for ease of use.
Gearbox
A real Racing Truck has a total of 16 forward ratios operated by an H-Shift gear stick.
Gear Range
The gears are divided in 2 Ranges:
- 1st Range (LO): Gear 1 - 4
- 2nd Range (HI): Gear 5 - 8
The driver changes the Gear Range by pressing a button, depending on which gears he needs access to.
Gear Splits
Each of these 8 gears is Split in to two ratios:
- Low Split (L): Better acceleration
- High Split (H): Higher Top Speed
The Gear Split is operated by another button pressed by the driver. For the H split to engage you have to lift the throttle.
This results in 16 gears (2x8)
A low and high Split for 8 gears that are accessed in 2 different Ranges.
These settings are being displayed on your data display in the cockpit and the HUD.
You can bind buttons for both gear Range & Split in the controller options.
In real life drivers do not constantly change gears during a race however.
In fact, on most tracks drivers are only using a couple of the top gears, as the engine produces an incredible amount of torque at relatively low RPM.
In the real trucks, drivers use specially designed gear sticks, that allow them to easily operate all these gears. In the Sim world however this can be quite tricky, which is why we gave you options for accessibility.
Accessibility Options
[EASY] Automatic gear shifts
If you choose automatic gear shifts in the gameplay options, the sim will shift through the 8 gears and remain in H split.
[NORMAL] Sequential gear shifts
If you disabled the H Pattern Shift option in advanced controller settings, the sim will let you manually shift through the 8 gears using your paddles or sequential stick, but you can still manually choose between L and H split if you bound a key for it.
If you didn't bind a key for "Toggle Gear Split" you will remain in H split.
[ADVANCED] H Pattern shifts
If you enabled the H Pattern Shift option in advanced controller settings, you need to bind a key for "Toggle Gear Range" in order to access the Low and High Range of gears.
If you didn't bind a key for "Toggle Gear Split" you will remain in H split.
If you did bind a key for "Toggle Gear Split" you can change between L and H split yourself.
Brakes
The truck brakes have a hard task in slowing down a 5300kg vehicle.
Temperature management is critical to maintaining a consistent braking performance.
Therefore the vehicle is fitted with a water cooling system on the front brakes which when activated sprays cold water onto the brake discs, which rapidly cools them.
However the water tank capacity is limited to 200L so it must be managed carefully. Keep an eye on the HUD to see how much water remains in your tank during the race.
Bind a key for "Brakes Water Spray" to manually operate this system, or leave it unbound for the sim to automatically activate the brake cooling once the brakes exceed their optimal temperature, which is 350 DegC.
Speed Limit
In Real life as well as in the Sim, the top speed is limited to 160kph at all tracks for safety reasons.
Once you reach this speed, an engine limiter is preventing the vehicle from exceeding it.
Driving techniques
In the real world it is normal for the truck to be raced mainly in 8th gear, simply toggling between Low and High split on different parts of the track as there is more than enough torque at low revs.
The other gears are used once, to get up to speed leaving the pit lane or at race starts.
All truck races are started rolling in real life.
As the truck has a much higher center of gravity than anything else racing, high apex curbs tend to be avoided as they can easily tip a truck on to two wheels.
Summary
If you want the most realistic experience you should:
- Use an H-Shifter and enable the "H Pattern Shift" option in advanced controller settings
- Bind a key for "Toggle Gear Range"
- Bind a key for "Toggle Gear Split"
- Bind a key for "Brake Water Spray"
If you want a more accessible experience disable the H-Shift option to shift either manually or automatically between the 8 gears, and choose yourself if you want to bind keys for the Gear Split and Water Spray.