I was doing some research on clean drive tuning for a stealth build, or to just compensate for running hot, but would only realize later that it is effectively useless do to the increased power draw negating the major upside by generating more heat as a hidden downside. So tell me again how this engineering is supposed to benefit me, because it does not help me at all any more than dirty drive tuning. It just seems counterproductive if you ask me.
Ships So what is the point to clean drive tuning?
- Thread starter Meteironic
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Clean drive tuning can work on extreme cold-running builds. I'm talking G5 low-emissions plant with thermal spread.
My T10 sits below 15% heat under full thrust, it's ridiculous.
Of course the only purpose of a boat like that is torpedoboat memes. And it is a meme.
My T10 sits below 15% heat under full thrust, it's ridiculous.
Of course the only purpose of a boat like that is torpedoboat memes. And it is a meme.
edit: nvm, was wrong about mechanics.
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I think your calculations are broken, because you aren't including the actual thermal load or power draw and that matters.
EDSY is almost perfect at showing the effects though, I believe, so it's all worth tinkering there.
Others will know this stuff far better than I do, but to address the OP's question: I've read that the only real use case for clean engines is in planetary flight where the thrusters are always on and the heat is then lower than dirty. I have probably mangled that a bit though (but in a position to search the forum right now).
Try in the Maelstrom.
Yep, clean drives are a trap. A ship will have nominally lower heat signature during normal flight, maybe a point or two, whilst trading away significant performance with the opportunity cost of choosing clean over dirty.
The only scenario where my testing showed clean drives with a marked advantage is chain-boosting, where the heat from dirty drives stacks. That's might situational to consider trading away so much performance. Cool-runners are. But speed is life.
Well, it is a very specialised use case and the only ship I don't do dirty driving tuning on, but I have one ship that works better on clean drive tuning instead of dirty.
It is an Imperial Clipper with a 7C universal limpet controller I use for salvaging materials and generally exploring Maelstroms. Keeping heat below 20% means caustic generators don't detect you and you are better able to evade any Interceptors that detect you. The power plant is grade 5 low emissions and thermal spread. Dirty tuning puts heat at 20% on thrusters so you're over 20% as soon as you fire any weapon to destroy a caustic generator. Clean drive tuning means 16% heat. The effect really means you can stay in silent running for a long time before the ship gets too hot.
The Clipper is a fast ship, so even with clean tuning plus drag it cruises at over 440ms and boosts to over 560m/s easily out running any Basilisk that chooses to chase you out if the Maelstrom - and that does happen if you get too close to one.
The 7C universal limpet controller is good at repairing caustic damage on the hull as well as deploying collectors, research and decontamination limpets.
Outside of this use case, I can't think of a reason why clean drive tuning is a better than dirty.
It is an Imperial Clipper with a 7C universal limpet controller I use for salvaging materials and generally exploring Maelstroms. Keeping heat below 20% means caustic generators don't detect you and you are better able to evade any Interceptors that detect you. The power plant is grade 5 low emissions and thermal spread. Dirty tuning puts heat at 20% on thrusters so you're over 20% as soon as you fire any weapon to destroy a caustic generator. Clean drive tuning means 16% heat. The effect really means you can stay in silent running for a long time before the ship gets too hot.
The Clipper is a fast ship, so even with clean tuning plus drag it cruises at over 440ms and boosts to over 560m/s easily out running any Basilisk that chooses to chase you out if the Maelstrom - and that does happen if you get too close to one.
The 7C universal limpet controller is good at repairing caustic damage on the hull as well as deploying collectors, research and decontamination limpets.
Outside of this use case, I can't think of a reason why clean drive tuning is a better than dirty.
You would imagine the engines had a greater thermal factor than the power plant. This is false. The thermal load of the power plant is the primary culprit. Clean drives reduce the thermal load for activating thrusters but since it's the minority of the whole picture that you can still retain low thermal resting points with dirty drives and get more top speed and boost benefits. You do not need clean drives even for cold-running ship builds.
I would rather have hoped that clean drives were tech that improved maneuverability, not by top speed, but reducing ship drift and %improvements on the ship's pitch, yaw and roll.
I would rather have hoped that clean drives were tech that improved maneuverability, not by top speed, but reducing ship drift and %improvements on the ship's pitch, yaw and roll.
I think this is more or less correct - I've read something similar, and from memory clean drives did work better for me in a ship that had heat issues around planets (maybe high G ones in particular).