BMWmods for the BMW 760Li with FSX                                   24 March 2007

==================================================================================

BMWmods.zip contains handling modifications for the original BMW 760Li car when 
used with Flight Simulator X. The car was created for Flight Simulator 2004 by 
Mitsuya Hamaguchi (hama), but the car also works in FSX. The modifications are 
specifically for FSX, not FS2004.

The BMWmods archive contains a replacement for the original BMW aircraft.cfg file, 
and it adds a new .air file designed to work with the modified .cfg. BMWmods.zip does 
not include the original BMW files. You must download and install the car separately.



Driving is fun, too
===================

With the modified files in place in FSX:

* The BMW accelerates from 0-60 mph in about 6 seconds.

* You can reach a top speed of about 115 mph on a level surface at sea level.

* The car no longer has a tendency to become airborne at high speeds (unless you crash, of course).

* The car has less rollover tendency during sharp turns and on steeply sloped surfaces.

* You can corner more sharply and steer more precisely. To benefit from this 
  modification, you need to assign the rudder control to a joystick or throttle axis.

* Applying brakes magnifies the steering effect. You can do a somewhat controlled 
  spinout at low speeds by applying full rudder and brakes while opening the 
  throttle.

Note that these modifications are for FSX. During brief testing in FS2004, the modifications 
did not produce the desired results.



BEFORE installing
=================

IMPORTANT: Installing the modified BMW files overwrites the original aircraft.cfg 
file. BEFORE OVERWRITING THE ORIGINAL AIRCRAFT.CFG FILE, make a copy of it in 
a safe place. Here's one way to do that:

1. Open your FSX Airplanes folder. The default location is:    
     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes

2. Open the BMW folder. This is the folder where you installed the original BMW files.

3. In your BMW folder, create a new subfolder called, for example, OriginalConfig.

4. Copy the BMW's original aircraft.cfg file to the new subfolder for safekeeping.

Note: The modified files do not overwrite the original .air file, so you don't have 
to make a backup of that file. The modified .cfg file works with its own air file, 
named BMWmods.air.



Installing the mods
===================

1. Make sure that Flight Simulator is not running and that you have copied your 
   original BMW aircraft.cfg file to a safe place, as described above.

2. Unzip all of the BMWmods.zip files into your BMW aircraft folder. When
   asked if you want to overwrite the existing aircraft.cfg file, click Yes.
   
   Your BMW folder now contains a modified aircraft.cfg, a new file named BMWmods.air,
   and the file you are reading, BMWmods.txt. The next time you start Flight Simulator, 
   your BMW will have new flight, er, ground dynamics.
   


If you have additional BMW textures
===================================

The modified aircraft.cfg file refers only to the original BMW car (represented 
as [fltsim.0] in the .cfg file). If you have installed cars that use additional 
BMW textures, you will need to manually copy the appropriate [fltsim.x] sections 
from your original aircraft.cfg file to the new one. 

After adding those sections, replace each occurrence of
      "sim=cessna172sp"
with
      "sim=BMWmods"

That will make all the BMW cars use the BMWmods.air file. The new .cfg contains
settings that work with the BMWmods.air file. Those settings probably will produce 
strange results if you pair them with the original cessna172sp.air file.



Uninstalling
============

1. Copy the original aircraft.cfg file from its safe location (you did save it, 
   right?) back into the BMW folder.
   
2. Delete the BMWmods.air and BMWmods.txt files.



Legal stuff and acknowledgements
================================

Copyright 2007 by Mike Keller. All rights reserved.

You are free to make and distribute copies of the enclosed files, provided you 
comply with the following.

* You must distribute all the files provided in the archive, and you must distribute 
  them as a complete package, not as separate files.

* You must not rename or alter the contents of any of the files you distribute.

* You must not charge a fee for the files or distribute them with a product for which 
  a fee is charged.

Disclaimer

I created these modifications to make the BMW more fun to drive. The performance and 
behavior don't match any real vehicle, so please don't send complaints that the car is 
too fast, too slow, turns too sharply, or has an incorrect value in the blahblah parameter. 
If you don't like the modifications, just restore the original aircraft.cfg file, or you
might try adjusting some of the parameters to your taste.

These files and instructions are provided without any warranty or support. 
I have no reason to believe that they will damage your computer equipment or the data 
stored on it, but I make no promises to that effect. Nor do I promise that the files 
will even work at all. This is free stuff; if you use it, you do so at your own risk.

My thanks to:

* Larry Nussbaumer, a close friend and experienced pilot, for testing the mods and 
  offering helpful advice. Larry and I have flown together for 30 years. Now we have
  driven together, too.
  
* Mitsuya Hamaguchi (hama), whose fertile imagination has given us the beautiful BMW, 
  two motor homes, several boats, and many other clever conveyances for Flight Simulator.


Have fun, and steer clear of those big rigs on the Interstate!

Mike Keller