Make the most of the engine

[Predator-78]

I've been flying the Spitfire for a while and in combat it's not at all second to other modules. I'm also trying to figure out how to make the most of speed especially during combat. I read that you can't keep the RPM at 3000 for more than 5 minutes, otherwise you risk permanent damage to the engine. In your experience, how can you best balance the RMP/Boost ratio?

[Skewgear]

The engine limitations in the manual were for the real thing, to promote longer times between overhaul for the engine. In DCS you can thrash it, it's only got to last an hour or two.

That aside, your Spitfire will be much happier being flown at book settings. Max continuous is a good combat cruise setting. Transit cruise, you can pull the revs back to around 2,350rpm and leave the boost somewhere around 0-2lbs. It'll positively sip fuel at that sort of power setting.

In combat I keep max power use to a minimum, sitting around 14lbs unless I need the speed or acceleration. Watch the rad temp, 115C is tlwhere you need to consider throttling back. However, you can hit up to 125C without destroying anything.

Key to engine life is oil pressure. Anything above 100psi, throttle back.

[Predator-78]

The engine limitations in the manual were for the real thing, to promote longer times between overhaul for the engine. In DCS you can thrash it, it's only got to last an hour or two.
That aside, your Spitfire will be much happier being flown at book settings. Max continuous is a good combat cruise setting. Transit cruise, you can pull the revs back to around 2,350rpm and leave the boost somewhere around 0-2lbs. It'll positively sip fuel at that sort of power setting.
In combat I keep max power use to a minimum, sitting around 14lbs unless I need the speed or acceleration. Watch the rad temp, 115C is tlwhere you need to consider throttling back. However, you can hit up to 125C without destroying anything.
Key to engine life is oil pressure. Anything above 100psi, throttle back.

so in combat you set the RPM to 30?

Inviato dal mio SM-G998B utilizzando Tapatalk

[grafspee]

6 hours ago, Predator-78 said:

so in combat you set the RPM to 30?

Inviato dal mio SM-G998B utilizzando Tapatalk
 

If you want use full boost +18lbs you have to use 3000rpm, at 2850rpm you are limited to about +12lbs at 2650rpm you are limited to +7lbs. So in combat patrol i would use 2850 rpm and boost up to 12 and going in to combat i would increase rpm to 3000rpm and work throttle then, you don't have to fire wall throttle 100% of time in combat but make sure that you use max rpm so engine can take full boost.

[Gunfreak]

8 hours ago, Predator-78 said:

so in combat you set the RPM to 30?

Inviato dal mio SM-G998B utilizzando Tapatalk
 

No you will break it as War emergency power 3000rpm and 18 boost. You can make it last a little over 5 minutes if you cool the engine a lot. But you'll break it much faster than you'd probably do in real life(War warbirds engines in all games seems to be snowflakes

I usually fight at "climb" settings 2800rpm and boost 12.  With short burst of max if I need a little more to overtake an enemy or get around that corner.

Even on climb you can break the engine if it gets too slow(like doing a turn fight at 115mph.)

[=475FG= Dawger]

1 hour ago, Gunfreak said:

War warbirds engines in all games seems to be snowflakes

 

Amen, brother

[Grundar]

Much like already mentioned by the gents above,  I generally sit at 2800 RPM and approximately +12lb of boost in combat. Now if it gets wild quick and I need energy, I will push RPM to 3000 and boost up to +16lb.  I find that all i need to do is trade some altitude for speed initially at those combat power settings (3000 and 16lb) and I very quickly the energy I need to quickly create separation and then re-engage on better terms.  I made the mistake of when I was first flying the Spit to push to combat power and dive then wonder why I couldn't pull it up easy.

Generally I will only need to sit at those settings for a short period of time - perhaps a minute or two and I always find myself pulling the throttle back to +12lbs in combat, but keeping the RPM advanced at 3000 until I am sure I am clear and I wind it back to the 2800 range and boost of +8 to +12lbs.

Watching the oil and radiator temp gauges give you a great idea of where you are sitting in your use of power and how hard you are pushing it and when you need to wind it back.  It can be easy to forget about or not have time to look at in combat

For me, playing the various campaigns like The Big Show where you have lots of channel crossing I conserve the engine/fuel wherever you can - 2000 RPM at +2lb boost is great for conserving fuel and will keep you at roughly 210 - 220 mph or so - but you can't climb with that power.  I Climb at 2800 RPM and 12lbs of boost, particularly in that campaign where you go to some of the higher altitudes.  I Combat Cruise at 2650 and +4 to +6lbs of boost, which works well for keeping energy up in enemy areas.  Combat: 3000 RPM and +8 - 16lbs depending on what I need at that moment.

[Predator-78]

You were all very kind to give your advice, thank you. On the various servers I noticed that the axis planes have a higher speed, but compared to the Spitfire they suffer a little when turning during combat. At this point I ask a new question... at what optimal altitude should I go to engage or defend myself from an enemy?

[Grundar]

On the Spitfires performance charts you will see that engine power and aircraft drag meet each other at around 21000 ft, it's the sweet spot for both.  The supercharger is less effective over this altitude due to oxygenation and you will not be able to achieve max boost.   Conversely there is less drag though and you can achieve higher top speeds.  Under 21000ft you will have more power but less top speed (more engine power, but more drag).  One thing to consider is that you will also be needing increasingly higher RPM the higher you go in altitude to help maintain speed.  If you are worried about fuel, it's a consideration to make.

Offensively, I think it's less altitude and much more positioning, get into the sun, or/get in their blind spots and you will get a "free" first pass at them.  If I had to pick an altitude it's under 21000 ft and to be honest I find myself frequently sitting around  12 - 16000ft offensively and getting people into turn fights, getting down towards the ground most times.  It removes their boom and zoom opportunities and drags them into the fight I want, I'm happy to ride near stall speeds and out-turn them.  Diving from a higher altitude out of the sun works well, but in the spit you have to be careful you don't do a negative G dive and kill your engine in the process, also you have to be aware of the control surfaces stiffening as your speed builds.  Descending on them like a lightning bolt is great fun, not so fun when you do the full lightning bolt and ground yourself lol.  You can also be a quite a low altitude and sit under an aircraft undetected and score a kill that way as well - much more methodical and a more patient approach.

Defensively, I like a higher altitude 18000 + to allow the altitude to energy conversion for quick escapes If i can't drag them into a turn fight.  Often when up higher you can also deceptively scissor, defend them and generally evade without trying to get behind them too much - you don't want them to break and disengage to regain altitude, you want them fixated so either someone else can get behind them or they suddenly realise they have no altitude and have to get into a turn fight, or engage their MW-50 and stress their engine trying to disengage from you.

For what it's worth, i'm not some multiplayer ace or champion, it's just what works for me in the Spit.

[Predator-78]

Il 16/2/2024 at 02:44, Grundar ha scritto:

Nelle tabelle delle prestazioni dello Spitfire vedrai che la potenza del motore e la resistenza dell'aereo si incontrano a circa 21.000 piedi, è il punto ideale per entrambi. Il compressore è meno efficace a questa altitudine a causa dell'ossigenazione e non sarai in grado di raggiungere la massima spinta. Al contrario, la resistenza aerodinamica è inferiore e si possono raggiungere velocità massime più elevate. Sotto i 21.000 piedi avrai più potenza ma meno velocità massima (più potenza del motore, ma più resistenza). Una cosa da considerare è che avrai bisogno di un numero di giri sempre più alto man mano che sali di altitudine per mantenere la velocità. Se sei preoccupato per il carburante, è una considerazione da fare.

In attacco, penso che sia meno altitudine e molto più posizionamento, entrare nel sole o/entrare nei loro punti ciechi e otterrai un primo passaggio "gratuito" contro di loro. Se dovessi scegliere un'altitudine sarebbe inferiore a 21.000 piedi e, a dire il vero, mi ritrovo spesso seduto a circa 12-16.000 piedi in modo offensivo e coinvolgo le persone in combattimenti a turno, scendendo a terra la maggior parte delle volte. Rimuove le loro opportunità di boom e zoom e li trascina nella lotta che voglio, sono felice di guidare vicino a velocità di stallo e di superarli. Immergersi da un'altitudine maggiore al riparo dal sole funziona bene, ma nello spit devi stare attento a non fare un'immersione con G negativi e spegnere il motore nel processo, inoltre devi essere consapevole che le superfici di controllo si irrigidiscono come la tua velocità aumenta. Scendere su di loro come un fulmine è molto divertente, non così divertente quando fai il fulmine completo e ti metti a terra lol. Puoi anche trovarti a una quota piuttosto bassa e sederti sotto un aereo senza essere scoperto e ottenere un'uccisione anche in questo modo: un approccio molto più metodico e più paziente.

In difesa, mi piace un'altitudine maggiore di 18000 + per consentire la conversione dell'altitudine in energia per fughe rapide se non riesco a trascinarli in un combattimento a turno. Spesso quando sei più in alto puoi anche sforbiciare ingannevolmente, difenderli e generalmente schivare senza cercare di stargli troppo alle spalle: non vuoi che si rompano e si disimpegnino per riprendere quota, vuoi che siano fissati in modo che qualcun altro possa mettersi dietro di loro oppure si rendono conto all'improvviso di non avere quota e devono impegnarsi in un combattimento di turno, oppure ingaggiare il loro MW-50 e stressare il motore cercando di sganciarsi da te.

Per quello che vale, non sono un asso o un campione del multiplayer, è semplicemente ciò che funziona per me nello Spit.

So the right altitude would be around 12/16,000 feet while in defense around 18,000 feet... I'll keep that in mind!

[Grundar]

11 hours ago, Predator-78 said:

So the right altitude would be around 12/16,000 feet while in defense around 18,000 feet... I'll keep that in mind!

I'm by no means an expert, but it is what works for me. It's by no means the only way or even the "right" way to do it.  The Merlin engine performs really well at high altitudes in comparison to most other engines in other fighters, but I personally find it more beneficial to fight down lower to reduce FW190 and Bf-109k boom and zoom tactics upon me and to be at an altitude where that if i apply emergency power I get a better response to it.  It also prevents me from nosing straight over in reaction and pulling negative G and damaging/destroying the Spits merlin.   Scissor maneuvers are very effective in the spit and I tend to scissor, slow them down and just simply out turn them pretty rapidly. If I can get them to overfly in the scissors and then i'm suddenly above them, if they try to dive - usually there isn't a great deal of altitude left for them to gain much energy and I can just sit above them and wait for them to inevitably ascend up and directly into my sights - or they try and break and I can just turn inside them.

[grafspee]

15 hours ago, Predator-78 said:

So the right altitude would be around 12/16,000 feet while in defense around 18,000 feet... I'll keep that in mind!

Spitfire has 2 speed supercharger this mean that it has 2 peaks in performance, first and second are low and high gear full throttle height, this is alt at which you will notice boost drop while having throttle wide open at this alts spitfire performs the best. Avoid flying in the middle of this 2 peaks performance gap best is to stay at full throttle alt or slight below. 

Edited February 20 by grafspee