Damon,
For a good nuts and bolts definition, go to Help | Technical Definitions
| Usage. There is also a decent discussion there about how it works
beyond just the definition.
But to answer your 10mph question: try it! You'll get a very low GEEZ
score. Here's why...
GEEZ sets the max left, right, brake and acceleration g's based on your
car's own results from that particular run. We assume that you will be
up against the friction limit somewhere on the run, so we'll have a good
look at what that is. So if you do an ultra slow run, you produce
nothing but low g-levels, and those become your maximums. So far so
good. But there's a problem. Let's say that you set your g level
maximums at 0.10 g's all the way around. Easy, to stay in there,
right? WRONG-O! It's very, very hard to stay right up against 0.10g's
all the time. If you miss that by only 0.05 g, you will score 50%
Usage, which is as low as wel let the computer go. (Politically Correct
of us, don't you agree?) By comparison, consider what would happen if
your peak g's were set at 1.20 g's and you miss that by 0.05. You are
then at 96% Usage.
However, there IS a great lesson to be learned in driving smoothly,
though not slowly. It is possible to score high scores by driving
extremely consistenly and smoothly at the vehicle's limit. I've even
seen some drivers who could teach themselves to produce 99% runs
(sustained peaks, adjusted ratings) relatively easily, but could go
faster when they gave up smoothness and dropped scores to 95% or so.
But this is rare and unusual, and learning to do it means that you've
learned the real magic of what GEEZ presents. Once you do that, I
suggest changing your settings back to absolute peaks and unadjusted
ratings, and refining your game some more.
Regarding your question about multi-lap runs... GEEZ views each lap of
a multi-lap run as a separate run, so Usage maximums are computer per
lap. If it rains on a particular lap, your g levels go down on that one
lap, but your score may not, if you are staying sufficiently at the
vehicle's new, diminished friction circle.
Now if it rains on one side of the track but not the other...
I've forwarded this along to the GEEZ list, in case folks want to chime
in with other observations.
--Byron
Bottorff25@aol.com wrote:
>I used Geez for the first time in competition and as with anything else have
>some questions even though I thought I already understood =)
>
>How exactly does Geez KNOW usage? My guess is that it looks for the point
>where the tires exceed the ideal slip angle and grip declines; thus geez knows
>the highest amount of grip available. If this is true then if I go putt-putt
>around the course at 10 mph Geez wouldn't be able to know how much grip is
>truly available since I wasn't pushing the tires?
>
>To go one step further what would happen on a multilap run if it began to
>rain? Does Geez somehow know the grip of the surface declined or does it just
>feel that the car was not being pushed as hard since it saw much higher values
>earlier in the same run?
>
>Everytime I think I know the answer I get confused =)
>
>Thanks.
>
>-Damon
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