Optimizing a Type 6?

[Nyito]

I recently bought a Type 6, currently fitted with all class D sans the FSD, which is class A, like I think most people do. However, I was thinking about ways to push it a bit further. I saw in another thread, the idea of using a lower class of power plant, just enough to meet your power needs, which is one way. Before I do that though, I was wondering about higher rating thrusters. Considering how much of a trip is putting about the station to dock, compared to the rest of the trip, it's still a fairly sizable portion, and I was wondering if any of my more experienced peers had tried this already, and whether or not they found it to be a good or bad idea, or just plain not worth the money/loss in jump range, etc.

I'm also wondering just how foolhardy it might be to drop my shields for more cargo, or if maybe I should really be beefing up my defenses with Chaff or higher grade shields, though I've yet to encounter a single pirate.

Lastly, this is my first ship able to fit class 2 life support and sensors, but I'd happily drop them down to class 1 for lower mass/power consumption, but it doesn't appear I'm able to. Is this correct, or have I just been looking in all the wrong places?

 

[ElleShaped]

The only thing I can comment on are the life support and sensors. Unlike the other modules you cannot downgrade them to lower classes because they're essentially identical, unlike all of the other modules - which have aspects like power generation totals, ideal masses, and the like, which change with class - and so if you could downgrade them everyone would simply use class 1 on every ship.

 

[Stressfest]

FSD and cargo... ditch the discovery scanner, get more cargo... grind away and get something better

 

[M4rt1n]

If you want to push your T6 a bit further, you should consider upgrading the power distributor. It will benefit you in many ways, with better recharge of systems and engines (A3 distributor: almost permanent boost capacity with 4pips in eng). This will make you "faster" than upgrading the engines, also this is cheaper, and A3 distributor doesn't weight as much.
Also, if you use a good fuel scoop, you can downgrade the fuel tank to save some weight.
Hope this helps.

 

[fergal]

You get 112 T of cargo room if you get rid of your shields. You may also incur some landing damage if you aren't a gentle lander.
If you can avoid NPC interdictions this is the way to go if you are just trading between 2 systems.

A4 thrusters are good, the type 6 is really fast with them and an A3 power distributor will allow you to boost all the time. This will allow you to out run any NPC and most players. T

 

[ElleShaped]

You get 112 T of cargo room if you get rid of your shields. You may also incur some landing damage if you aren't a gentle lander.
If you can avoid NPC interdictions this is the way to go if you are just trading between 2 systems.

A4 thrusters are good, the type 6 is really fast with them and an A3 power distributor will allow you to boost all the time. This will allow you to out run any NPC and most players. T

Beware that having no shields means that your ship - which is made of paper and lightbulbs - will explode for sure when you slam into someone while docking or undocking.

 

[changtau2005]

It's about finding a balance between cost (insurance, repairs), fuel, jump range, and cargo space.

Be careful with your power plant. A lower-grade power plant means you overheat faster between jumps. Depending on your route, you might want to pack a higher class than D.

The power distributor helps, but not by too much since most of the time you will only be boosting, and usually twice is enough. If you don't use shields then this is even less important, and you probably don't want to fight in a Type-6 anyway. If you don't want to fight, sell your weapons. I read that if you don't change your power distribution much, you can turn the component off and save on heat, but it will still regenerate your bars. Likewise, for thrusters, you get higher max speed/boost, but again, time saved is marginal at best. Go class D if you need the extra jump range.

For fuel scoop, say you are thinking about using an A2 scoop, if that 4 cargo you can put in covers the fuel cost when sold, grab the cargo bay and just buy the fuel. Saves you a lot of time. For A3 scoop count 8 cargo, and so on. Always get the best-in-class scoop (also to save time). Personally, I bought fuel up to Type-7, then I started trading on the Python where it's over 100k for full tank, so scoop becomes a must. For Type-9, I heard from a friend it's several hundred k per tank.

Personally I run with the smallest sized shields I can get away with (always grab class A), but as some people said, if you are really confident, drop that for a bit of extra space. Calculate repair costs ahead of time (for example, for python, 1% hull damage is 11k to repair, so if I drop class 3 shields to get 8 extra cargo, the cargo just about covers 1% of damage each run. If you can keep damage below that threshold, feel free to run without shields. Otherwise keep shields)

Grab the best FSD you can get. A lot of people emphasize on class A, but this really depends on your route. If going from B to A saves you one jump, then definitely try to get class A. Otherwise feel free to stick with class B or lower until you have the cash to go class A. Saving weight by using D components might get you an extra ly range, which may or may not be useful (again, depends on route. Optimize for your route.)

Definitely don't buy bulkheads/armor, but that's obvious.

 

[-SOVEREIGN-]

My Type-6 had A-Class FSD like yours and I bought A-Class Thruster and Power Distributor. Why? Because the thrusters affect the acceleration and deceleration (and a bit top speed) and the PD allows you to (almost) perma-boost. It may save only 30 seconds each trade, but at 500 trades you already saved you more than 4 hours. As you have some spare money if you save for a Type-7 anyway, it happily invested the credits.

 

[DocMoriarty]

I use an A2 power plant in my T6. It doesn't overheat as fast as the D3, has 0.6 MW more power and weighs 0.7t less. My T6 has 20.51LY jump range fully laden with 96t cargo.

 

[Aerodark]

My Type-6 have all module to A beside sensors and life support. I also have Shield Cell Bank + Chaff + Heat Sink Launcher.
Armed with Gimbal Laser + 1 Torpedo case it's a player interdicting.

In the end I got 96 and 18LY FSD range. (With fuel scoop)

This setup make me feel VERY safe, which I prefer to 16 more cargo but no shield, no weapons, no protection..
When NPC interdict me (if not Elite Rank) I just boost away and leave, but it saved my life when that player controlled cobra interdicted me when I was carrying 96 tons of imperial slaves.. (torpedo are awesome, even if it was a python or similar you just take their shield down and target their powerplant subsystem and the torpedo will do the rest)

 

[Jim Panse]

My T6 had 64 tons of cargo. Was a perfect Fitting for rare runs "FOR ME" Had Class 5-B shields, chaff and flare launcher and point defense turret a board. Military armor and A ratet stuff except the thrusters, wich were c ratet. With Class 5 shields the powerlevel is around 103 % so you have to disengage the cargo hatch to operate. Was fun for me. She could take a lot of punichment and was quick enough to escape. Jumprange was about 19 Ly laden.

 

[Jesters09]

For me, the ships get worse as you move up the chain.
They get more expensive to run, fuel/repair.
The T6 is a really good ship for the money too.
It isn't much cop in a fight though, any combat/multi-purpose won't have any trouble destroying it.

I upgraded the power supply and the grid to grade A and kept the shields.
I didn't consider the trade off for the extra cargo to be worth it.
Having the shields for protection (those valuable 100 units of cargo) might just give you those few extra seconds to get away.
And the upgrades I listed help you to out afterburn even the cobra.

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Even though I have a T7, I have kept my T6 exactly as she is, she's a damn good boat IMO.

 

[harag]

Also, if you use a good fuel scoop, you can downgrade the fuel tank to save some weight.

No need to downgrade the fuel tank - it doesn't have any weight. Just fly around with 1/2 a tank of fuel and when scooping break off when it's 1/2 full, that way you're only carrying 8 tonnes of fuel and not 16.

Pity you can't jettison 1 ton of fuel though in case you forget and fill the tank

 

[J.R.Ehman]

I'm around Wolf 1301 (collecting rares and heading to the Lave cluster) and they don't have Class 4 modules for my new Lakon 6. No luck in other High Tech systems either. Where do you get the good Class 4 stuff?