Feeling Off?

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vipahcheese

vipahcheese

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vipahcheese3178
I'm so frustrated right now! Every time I enter a time trial, I get consistent, clean laps (I don't use assists), but I never hit any good times, no matter what I'm driving (always averages a silver time). I dunno what I'm doing wrong, I'm making the same time every time I go out, but I can't go any faster, it's like I'm hitting up against a wall.

What should I do?
 
Is it just an off day, or are you experiencing this consistently? Sometimes I feel that I may be a sec and a bit slower, without knowing what was wrong with my performance. I'd do the same challenge the next day and would be able to improve a lot.

But if it's consistent, I'd suggest keeping the replays and watch the fastest guys to see where you need to improve. You could also look at the telemetery and literally see where you're losing time.

You could also resort to braking that bit earlier; getting on the throttle a bit earlier; trying a different line; make sure you're not compromising one corner by using a wide exit on the previous one. I tend to favour doing the TTs with no tuning, as I dislike having to buy a car, tune it to my liking, etc. And I also wouldn't know if I was the problem or the car.
 
BrandonW77
Slow in, fast out. Exit speed is everything, improve your exit speed and your times will drop.

If you have a spare hour and a half, watch this, it will help.

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^

There are many ways to take a corner and even more in a series of them. The standard line provided by the game is a good bases to learn the track, but it isn't the fastest. Try to experiment also with your shifting points certain cars will benefit from early shifts or later.

Oh also don't forget to take a break here and there. It helps lol
 
Hi mate. I noticed you said you don't use assists. If you're interested check out the No SRF friends group in the seasonal section. Lots of blue lines for you to chase, all without driving aids (unless forced on) ABS 1 is ok.

I think it helps to see how other people take corners, racing line etc. It would help you improve 👍
 
Thanks guys, maybe trying a different line would help, and I might just be overdriving the corners a wee bit too much, so I'll try and relax with that, focus on exit speed. Here's hoping at least.
 
This video of Scott Speed running at Laguna Seca this past week helped me dramatically. I learned so much from listening as much as I did from watching his lines. The way he manipulates the pedals for speed and braking (listening to the engine whine) taught so much I gained 8 seconds in the Nurburgring TT in two laps. Something that would've taken me days to figure out on my own.

http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-scott-sharp-visor-cam-at-mazda-raceway-laguna-seca/
 
Darragh
You could also resort to braking that bit earlier; getting on the throttle a bit earlier; trying a different line; make sure you're not compromising one corner by using a wide exit on the previous one.
Click to expand...

This man preaches the truth. 👍 Do the things he mentioned and you will (eventually) be faster. You lose less time using a slow entry than having a slow exit. Sacrifice a tenth on entry to gain three tenths on exit. Trail-braking can gain you time too.

It takes practice to learn and understand, you have to turn that knowledge into technique and then make the technique a habit. But when you get it down, it's immensely gratifying. 👍[/quote]
 
vipahcheese
I'm so frustrated right now! Every time I enter a time trial, I get consistent, clean laps (I don't use assists), but I never hit any good times, no matter what I'm driving (always averages a silver time). I dunno what I'm doing wrong, I'm making the same time every time I go out, but I can't go any faster, it's like I'm hitting up against a wall.

What should I do?
Click to expand...
You should post a video on Youtube of you doing a hotlap from the chase cam. Then we can look at your driving style and suggest improvements. A standard setup like the new BMW Seasonal without SRF or anything other than ABS (or no ABS if you prefer).
 
I would advise to download the replays of any of the top 10 drivers in the TTs, watch them to see how they tackle the circuit and then load the ghost....while you won't keep up with the ghost, it is a good incentive. For example, I was really struggling with the GT Academy TT at Apricot Hill.....I know the lines etc but just couldn't get the time for gold..was over a second off....downloaded the Number 1 ghost and, within 3 laps, I had improved my time by 1.5 seconds!. Sometimes it can help to have a faster ghost to attack (though sometimes it can be counter-productive).

Experiment with different lines into different corners.

Deliberately set a very slow lap at the beginning of the TT....then aim to slightly improve it each lap so you are trying to get tenths rather than seconds each lap. Focus on one corner per lap until you nail it.....brake late going into the corner and, if you go off, brake slightly earlier next time then experiment with applying the throttle etc.

Finally, you didn't mention if you use a DS3 or wheel.....if you use a DS3, try experimenting with different button set-ups.

One final suggestion is: Have a look at the WRS in the Online Racing section (this is the Qualifier: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/gtp_registry-qualifier-gt6.294799/); this is their current TT: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/gtp_wrs-week-17-edk-goes-to-daytona.308630/) I haven't done the WRS for a while but I improved massively by doing their TT's every week....most weeks they use untuned cars, sometimes tunable, a wide variety of cars. There are a lot of fast drivers in it who are happy to offer advice etc. I would say, over about 3 months, I probably improved by about 2 seconds on any lap compared to where I was before.
 
As Albert Einstein might have said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". I'm not suggesting you're insane, I've been there too, but it sounds like you are getting very consistent results that are just not as good as you would like. That suggests to me that your car control is very good but your lines aren't. Are you using the driving line? You can use it as a guide but don't follow it religiously. It is almost never the fastest line. Exit speed is everything. Going fast round corners is desirable but going fast on the straights is where you gain the most time. Mix it up a bit. Try going wider and slower into corners in order to get the power on earlier. In a sequence of bends, look ahead and concentrate on getting the best exit from the last bend.
I would recommend watching some of Tidgney's instructional videos. He has a Youtube channel and posts some of his videos here on GTP. He is a great driver (GT Academy finalist) and great teacher. He has done detailed, corner by corner, tutorials for the Academy laps which have helped me a huge amount.
 
vipahcheese
I'm so frustrated right now! Every time I enter a time trial, I get consistent, clean laps (I don't use assists), but I never hit any good times, no matter what I'm driving (always averages a silver time). I dunno what I'm doing wrong, I'm making the same time every time I go out, but I can't go any faster, it's like I'm hitting up against a wall.

What should I do?
Click to expand...

Is it possible you might be one of this drivers who really "feels" the entire chassis, and NEEDS to feel it? I got into sim racing at the same time I got into amateur Motorsports (many years ago now) and while I'm an decent sim racer, I'll never be top of the pack because no matter how good the FFB is I still can't really "feel" the car. It's like driving blind! It doesn't really matter how much I practice, because what I need to drive truly fast doesn't exist in sims, period. On the other hand, when I get into a car IRL it's as if the entire car becomes part of my body - it's an extension of my senses in a way that the sim cars can't be, and it turns out I'm very good at RL Motorsports (exceptionally good car control - I'm the guy who hopes for rain at the enduro karting events because I'm suddenly seconds per lap faster than most of the other drivers). It's an ability I sure wish I had known as a youth when I could have gotten into RL racing beyond the purely amateur stuff I do now (sigh). At any rate, I'm just pointing out that if, like me, you a lucky enough have an excellent "connection" to the car IRL, so that's part of what you need to drive fast, you may never be able to become one of the top sim racers. Doesn't stop me from loving racing sims, so don't let it get you down!

Also, read the "going faster" series of racing books. Great stuff there about racing lines, smoothness, etc. it will help!
 
Lots of great advice here, and there's always something new to learn, especially about racing. Sometimes though, like yourself, I had hit a wall in the GTA Rd2 event, and just couldn't better my time at all. So I walked away from it for a couple of days and played other portions of the game and online. When I came back to it yesterday, I suddenly improved by 0.568 seconds, and gained a huge number of spots and the confidence to go with it.

Never be afraid to try new things and think along different lines, but don't be afraid to walk away from it for awhile either. Giving yourself a break from analysing and sometimes over-analysing the situation is just another trick I learned to use. Think of something else, and then the answer just comes to you. Just my 2 cents worth, best of luck to ya!

Cheers
 

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