Users of Mozilla Firefox and other other RSS readers can now take advantage of GTVault RSS Setup feeds. The new feeds mirror the content in the "New Setups" sidebar, and are linked at the bottom of the "New Setups" sidebar. Here are the direct URLs:

GT4 New Setups
GT3 New Setups

If you aren't familiar with RSS or what it does, I highly recommend you look here or here for more info. RSS can make your web experience a whole lot simpler.

I had to delay development on a lot of useful features during the release of GTVault for GT4. One of those features was a Prize Car List. The permanent link to the list is located in the Navigation section at the left. A couple notes:

• Each list column can be sorted by clicking the column header.
  
• Each list column can be filtered by typing a search string and then clicking the "Filter" button at the top right corner. Filters can be reset by clicking the "View All" button, also at the top right.
  
• League name links redirect to a list of Events for each league.
  
• Event name links redirect to the detail page for each event.
  
• Make links filter the Prize Car List for each make.
  
• Car name links redirect to the detail page for each car.
  
• Just like all other GTVault features, the list is backward compatible for GT3.
  

I hope you guys can get some use out of it. The filters should help out quite a bit.

Kerr

I went to the Chicago Auto Show in early February. I've been meaning to post some shots I took, but it's obviously been low priority. For anyone who's never been and plans to attend, go early in the day. The throngs of people get much worse as the day wears on. I had a great time though and would like to do it again someday.

Lotus Elise (purple) - The paint on this one looked beat up
Lotus Elise (red)
Ferrari F430
Morgan Aero 8 - This car's in PGR2 on XBox. Sort of pretty or ugly depending on how you look at it.
Corvette C6R - This car should be in GT4.
Porsche Carrera GT - So should this one.
Bentley Continental GT
Cadillac STS-V - I couldn't get a good pic of the engine compartment cutaway, but it was impressive.
Aston Martin DB9
Ford Shelby GR1 Concept - This was the hit of the show. The skin is made of polished aluminum. The car is not at all blue, that's just the lighting.
Ferrari 360 Challenge
Jeep Hurricane Concept - This thing has two Hemi motors in it. It was the coolest thing I've seen out of Jeep in years.
Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe Concept - Aston envy.
Lexus LF-A Concept
Lexus LF-C Concept
Noble M12 GTO-3R - I would trade 20 of the Skylines in GT4 for this car.
BMW M5 - Ugly but a damn impressive piece of technology.
Maserati Spyder
Lamborghini Mucielago
Audi R8
Jaguar S-Type R
Lexus SC430 - Totally blacked out with BBS rims.
The floor - I tried to get a picture that captured the scale of the show. You're looking at about 5% of the show here.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren - I hate the rear end of these.
Pontiac Solstice
Subaru Impeza WRX - with lots of SPT parts.
Toyota #10 IndyCar - I saw Darren Manning finish 7th in this car @ Kansas Speedway. It seemed everyone was cheering for Danica Patrick as she took the pole. She ended up in 9th.
Chrysler test track - The size of some auto shows I've attended.
Aston Martin Vanquish
Corvette C2 Convertible - a 1966 if I recall. Corvette aficionados please keep me honest.
Dodge Viper Coupe

I was hoping I'd not have to write a post about this, but apparently there are a lot more assholes playing GT4 than there was GT3. Quite simply, if you are caught stealing setups from another tuner, all of your setups will be deleted and you will be banned. This goes for setups posted anywhere on the web.

My apologies go out to the tuners whose setups were stolen. All known instances of plagiarism have been removed. Let me know immediately if you see any in the future.

For clarification, it is not prohibited to use one's setup as the basis for your own. Give credit where it's due.

I've seen this asked a few times in various areas, and both the racers and tuners seem to be in favor of a dedicated area for setup requests. In lieu of a more organized approach, feel free to post your setup requests to this thread. I have an idea for setup requests that ties in with the car lists, but I don't know how easily I can make it happen.

The new GTVault is finally here. 18 months in the making, you're looking at the combined contribution of some of the most dedicated people I've had the pleasure of working with. I started this project alone, just as I had when developing the original GTVault. When I learned of GT4's much expanded scope, I knew that completing the site on my own would drive me insane. Even with the help, I think in some ways it still has.

Anyway, I'd l ike to personally thank (in alphabetical order) DTW, Fumes, hal2000 and tito_de_vito for their support in the development of the new GTVault. The site you see today would not be a reality otherwise. Thanks to all of you guys for hanging in there and seeing this through to the end. I'd also like to thank the many people who provided me tips and direction on the new site. There are too many to name, but you know who you are. And finally, thanks to everyone for being so patient during this time. Oh, and a big "no thanks" to Polyphony Digital for ignoring all my requests for information about GT4. You guys really know how to support a grassroots type community. Kudos.

The new GTVault has been totally redesigned from the ground up, so listing all the changes here would be futile. Explore the site and you'll hopefully find it to be much easier to navigate and find what you need. I strongly recommend checking out the FAQ. It's a work in progress, but it should have enough to get everyone moving along. I hope everyone enjoys the site and finds all the new functionality useful. There is much more I'd like to do, however I must take a long overdue break for the time being.

Please, don't hesitate to post your thoughts (good or bad) about the new site.

Two things everyone should be aware of:

• You will have to login one time due to GTVault using new servers. If you can't remember your password, click the Lost Password link.
  
• As of 6/21/2005, I have a new web host and have just pointed the gtvault.com domain to the new servers. This usually takes a couple days to update across the Internet. [Temporary address removed as it's been 5 days since the transition]
  

Cyberchump sent me a copy of a nice write-up he's done on comparing the LM cars at Circuit de la Sarthe II. See the first post in this thread for the full text.

Thanks, Cyberchump!

Hey guys, I just wanted to let everyone know that the new site is coming along well. I appreciate everyone's patience as we work through the numerous obstacles presented by GT4. We have a lot in place yet there is more work to be done. I have read some musings here and there about GTVault and it's place among the GT4 community. Some have chosen to question whether GTVault will be there for the GT4 tuners. Others have chosen to attack my character as a webmaster. To the former: GTVault will continue to be the definitive resource for Gran Turismo tuners and racers. Thanks for hanging in there. To the latter: I'd appreciate something being mentioned directly to me before false remarks are made about me or the manner I run GTVault.

Now on to the good stuff. The new GTVault will usher in many new features including:

• A totally new look and feel
• A tuning guide from none other than Fumes
• A fully redesigned setup form and viewing system
• In depth analysis of Race Events
• Complete information for every car in the game
• A fully customizable car search and analysis interface
• Post search functionality
• A new comment posting system on par with full fledged forums
• A Setup voting system

These are just some of the major highlights. My thanks go out to all the people that have contributed over the years. I'll keep you posted as we get closer to launch.

Kerr

Our resident newshound, GT2000, posted a link about how to set up GT4 for online play. I've not had a chance to check it out personally, but it sure seems interesting and could be a band-aid for the sorely missing online functionality.

Kerr

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their enduring support and patience. In particular, I'd like to thank those who have helped me over the years, fiscally and otherwise. You know who you are.

When is GTVault going to be updated for GT4? Well, guys, that is a good question. I've been working on it for a very long time, but have been held up due to time constraints and the fact that PD was not forthcoming with any technical data. Notice that sites like gttimes, which use data in a similar fashion, are not geared up for GT4 yet either. If anyone recalls, I did not release GTVault for GT3 until almost 5 months after the game was released. I doubt the wait will be that long this time around, but on the other hand don't expect anything tomorrow. What you can expect is a much improved navigation system, a new look, and tons of new features too numerous to list here.

Frankly, the hardest part is playing the game solely for research purposes. I've tried to divide my time as best as I can, but sometimes I just have to race! I hope everyone understands. Don't worry though, the upgrades for GT4 will be released. I'd give you a release date, but I don't want to be like PD and have to push it back!

Kerr