Dyno Tips for 'Need for Speed: Underground 2'

"Need for Speed: Underground 2" is a free-roam racing game that allows the player to carve out a career on the street-racing circuit while using the money he wins to modify and tune his car. These modifications can be measured when the car is put on the dyno machine, which gives the player information and statistics on the car's performance. Here the player can alter ride height, suspension, braking and all other aspects of the car's performance.

Tune for Drift Racing

The drift races in "NFS: U2" require the player to slide continually around corners to earn the most points. The longer the drift, the more points the player accrues. For better drifting, adjust your vehicle's ride height to its maximum level and stiffen the suspension to increase responsiveness to your steering commands. Tune your ECU and turbo toward the lower-middle engine revolution range. This will maintain a steady supply of power through the bends. Finally, tune the gearbox toward the maximum level of acceleration. This will give your car the quick blast of power that will keep the back end of the car kicked out for drifting.

Tune for Drag Racing

The drag race is a straight point-to-point race that concentrates on the user's gear-changing skills. A sequence of perfectly timed changes and the correct tuning can ensure a win on the drag strip. Tune your ECU and turbo toward the high engine revolution range. This will supply a quick blast of acceleration to get you off the line. Set your rear suspension to soft and drop the ride height as low as possible on the front axle. Finally, set up your gearbox for acceleration, and you should have the strongest setup for a drag race.

Tune for Circuit Races

The settings for the circuit races need to be carefully tuned to your car and adjusted according to the specific circuit you are racing. A good general setup for this would be set your NOS to duration as you will need to ration your boosts throughout the race. Loosen the suspension slightly below the middle level, and set your ECU and turbo levels to a maximum of 6500 rpm. You can adjust these levels depending on the vehicle you are driving.

Street X Races

The Street X races are tightly compact races with sharp bends that will keep the player surrounded by his opponents throughout. These races require acute handling and control to achieve the best results. To achieve this, soften the suspension two notches from the default midpoint. Next, tune the gear box toward acceleration. This will counter the amount of braking that you will have to do from the constant sharp corners.