Why use a simulator?

Motorsport

Reducing track time, increasing performance...

Track testing is expensive. Hire costs, consumable parts and testing time devour budgets. There is further pressure as organisers seek ways to minimise costs through mileage limits or by restricting testing at designated tracks. Circuit testing can be inconsistent at the best of times with changeable weather and track conditions as well as general availability. Restricted track time also prevents less experienced drivers from gaining circuit knowledge, consequently driving the demand for accurate race simulation.

Currently driver-in-the-loop simulators offer the best solution, using a virtual model of the vehicle and its environment interfaced to a real driver. Simulator set-up is essential to ensure accurate and reliable information, the key to genuine performance. Off-the-shelf simulators deliver a base line but their refinement and tuning is vital for making their use worthwhile. Inaccuracies can lead to an incorrect set-up, ultimately damaging a valuable qualifying session or test day.

For new drivers, learning tracks or set-up techniques on a poorly calibrated simulator is counter-productive. Much has been said of the value of spending hours in a simulator but this is only the case if it provides an accurate reflection of realistic conditions of the car, set-up, track and vehicle behaviour.

Road Vehicles

Avoiding costly mistakes, improving value...

Engineers developing the next generation of cars, trucks and buses are increasingly reliant upon 'virtual' builds rather than prototypes. In an effort to lower costs, the use of pre-production prototypes has been dramatically reduced, leading to increased use of simulators for refining human machine interface, ride and handling. However, if these simulators are incorrectly calibrated they do not reflect realistic conditions. Companies can subsequently forfeit any valuable data which the simulator can provide and waste precious time and money completing crash tests and prove out before uncovering the real issues.

Base Performance uses a unique approach coupled with unrivalled experience to develop simulators into valuable tools which can ultimately save both time and money.