g25 counter-steering tips

1,852
GTP_karlos
i know there are similar topics but none of them really help me. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience. Basically i'm new to the g25 wheel and i can not repeat can not counter steer or hold a slide. I'M around 3 seconds to 9 seconds slower than lap records at the moment and i'm sure as people say i'll get faster but whenever i try to push that little extra bit i crash:tdown: I'm only in a 414bhp r8 at the moment...if there's anyone out there willing to help then thanks:)...
 
I wouldn't mind some info on this as well... I know practice makes perfect, but I've been using the G27 since the TT demo, and although I don't even try drifting, whenever the rear end comes out, it's damn near impossible to prevent the car from spinning. I manage to do it once or twice out of every 10... Seemed a bit easier with less FFB, but it was still really tricky, and more luck than ability. Any advice?
 
yeah, i'll be in the middle of a race and bam! the back comes out and i just counter it what so ever. I am practicing and i'm almost sure i'll get faster at some stage (i gotta right?!) but at the moment mate we're in the same boat by the looks of it :P
 
Setting up your car can also help with your car either gripping during a turn or you losing control. When I autocross with my 350z, throttle control is highly important. This also applies in GT5 even though it's a racing simulation.
 
ok thanks:tup: this is how bad i am...at the moment my best time with the wheel is 1'17.901!!!!!!!

1'17.385 now...:(...1'16.821...1'16.524...:lol: help!
 
Last edited:
Yeah definitely play with the tuning settings; camber, toe; suspension will help 'stick' the car to road.

I sucked at first too with my G25, but practice and tuning (lots here offer their tunes) will improve your abilities; and then I bought a playseat:)
 
haha nice, thanks...but i have another question...these lap times suck? i think so :lol:
i'd like to be able to drive the stock car properly too though if you know what i mean:tup:

how do you guys control it? it's really hard for me
 
Last edited:
haha nice, thanks...but i have another question...these lap times suck? i think so :lol:
i'd like to be able to drive the stock car properly too though if you know what i mean:tup:

how do you guys control it? it's really hard for me

Depends what track those times are on really. I've just changed from pad to G25.
I still cant control a slide some times but I've been using it for 3weeks & I'm starting to get used to it.
I just put the FFB rather high so I can feel the back starting to slide & correct it before it fully goes away from me.
 
maybe i'll put the ffb on higher then...it's the high speed ring with stock r8...1.8s from top 100...got to start catching these slides though...i have no choice...i'll be raped by zondas and ferraris in the final game if not. I seem to be a lot slower on real world tracks than gt ones...:(...this is taking some time man :P best i can get on suzuka at the moment is 2'23.908 with the f430...it's all about the fun though 👍
 
Last edited:
For what it is worth, I have driven RR cars my entire life and Auto-X and Ice-X classic RR Beetles and classic RR Porches. I drive an old RR Porsche as my "winter beater" specifically because I like the handling characteristics in icy and snowy conditions. So I know a fair amount about counter-steering (IRL I can honestly say that I'm extremely good at it. I'm not as good at it in virtual racing because IRL I drive so much based on the G-forces I feel in my body, not just my wheel.) For virtual racing I use the DFP, G25 and Fanatec GT3RS V2.

Anyway, my advice:

1) Grip the wheel firmly but don't death-grip it. This will help tremendously.

2) Learn to use the "centering" of the wheel allow it to spin back just the right amount and then stop it there. This means you need to know your car very very well so that you know exactly when to stop the wheel's progress. (I've read some books that tell you not to do this, but IMHO it works very well.)

3) This goes back to knowing your car well: Learn to do this in just a few cars. It will help if they are similar in balance (for example, all MR cars or all RR cars).

4) Tune the driver, not the car. Assuming you are starting with a reasonably decent sports car in the first place, you won't need to tune the suspension. Learn to drive the car first, then when you know you are getting 99% out of it you can start fiddling with the suspension settings. Otherwise you're likely to make it worse.

5) Counter-steer smoothly and don't be afraid to spin the car repeatedly while learning. If you screw up and let the back get very loose then don't be afraid to counter-steer a LOT to catch it (I'll stick a video link at the bottom of me counter-steering in an event where I very nearly spun my beetle. But because I know the car so well, I was never even really worried about it. It did totally hose my time that lap though).

6) Fight the wheel. This is true in both real racing and virtual racing with a FFB wheel. You have to control the wheel. You want the wheel to do exactly what you want, no matter how many forces it is applying to you. Sometimes this is letting the wheel do what it wants (such as when allowing it to spin back towards center), but even then it has to be YOUR decision. The wheel is only doing what it wants because that happens to coincide with what you want. Get it? Keep the wheel in control at all times. It can be tiring even in virtual racing.

Hope that helps.

Video link of nearly spinning a beetle followed by doing the same turn properly (note: Your steering inputs should be smoother than observed in this video. These older Beetles didn't have responsive steering and in order the get the car around an autocross course quickly I have to really manhandle her.)

http://thatmacguy.com/autocross/oops.mov
 
Last edited:
should help with drifting too...hopefully :D

Exactly, but the other way around. I learned to drift before I ever gripped seriously, and so I never had to deal with your problem. My advice is to get a low power FR car and go try to drift with it. You don't have to get good at it, but any skill you get there will help tremendously in a grip race when the back slides out.
 
4) Tune the driver, not the car. Assuming you are starting with a reasonably decent sports car in the first place, you won't need to tune the suspension. Learn to drive the car first, then when you know you are getting 99% out of it you can start fiddling with the suspension settings. Otherwise you're likely to make it worse.
This is key before you tune a car. Really know the car.

I find that when I used a pad I tuned a lot more to get the car to work how I wanted it. Now with a wheel I enjoy driving cars stock and putting them through their paces.
 
That said, one setting can help without changing the cars characteristics which is Max Turning Angle. Bump that up to 45-50 and the steering will in effect quicken up meaning you need less wheel movement for the same amount of countersteer when compared to MTA 40 which is default for most cars (you'll still need a fair amount though it won't get silly). It will essentially make it easier to catch a slide quicker, but it will feel different at first and it's not to everyones tastes.

It also means the maximum amount you can turn the wheels is higher so in an extreme situation you can apply more countersteer to either pull off a crazy drift or save a spin. It's also worth noting that the throttle plays a big part in the balance of the car, depending what kind of car your driving it may be useful to use the throttle to some extent to help regain traction for example the GTLM does not like to turn without any throttle and tends to snap lift off oversteer, if caught quick enough a steady throttle can help regain rear traction.
 
I agree that higher steering angle helps in the beginning. In the beginning I also often used 50deg, but as I learned more I've tried to keep it closer to 40deg. This helps when doing the official TT's as you can't change the steering angle there. But putting it higher at the beginning is a good way to get into it.

Here's some sloppy driving from me, but speaking of countersteering - you can see some of it! :P

 
that's some pretty impressive stuff timppaq! that video helps a lot in terms of knowing how to turn and when. I wish i was that fast that quickly :P

2'24.863 is my best on suzuk in 430 now 👎 sooo frustrating...2'20.934...any better?...:)yay me :P

ok so far my new best time is 2'20.381 with f430 on suzuka (stock s2/s2)...thoughts ?
 
Last edited:
sorry to double post but i have some more questions...1. is that lap time decent?:P

2. i find feathering the throttle helps to countersteer , is that right?
 
It really depends. Feathering the throttle can give your front wheels more authority, which is important for adjusting your angle. It's definitely important when drifting. However if you just let off the gas and counter you'll get snap oversteer which will just spin you in the opposite direction.

If you really wanna get a feel for how to countersteer effectively, I would suggest grabbing an S2000 and drifting it stock for a while, it'll teach you how to feel out and predict the car better as it slides and know how to bring it back. Don't worry about being the best drifter and making a bunch of crazy high speed links or anything, just focus on each drift and get a feel for holding the counter and regaining grip.

Obviously the S2000 is an FR, but you'll be able to apply what you learned directly to MR and RR drivetrains as well. There will be differences but it won't be a big deal once you get over that first bump.

It's difficult to give real specific advice on countersteering because it's all so reactionary, it's something you need to be able to do without thinking about it.
 
oh my word i'm so used to paddle shift now that i'm crap 'h shifting' again :( and my drifting isn't what i'd call drifting

i feel like i'm going backwards! i've got ffb on 7 to help but still nothing! oh man!

right, i'm going back to my pad now, i find it easier to drift with a pad. Ever so slowly i'm beginning to hold slow slides during races, not drifting but holding slides...it's a start i hope!!!
 
Last edited:
If you go back to the pad it would be a waste of a great wheel, and when you come back to the G25, it'll be all wierd all over again. Just stick with it. It's easier to drift with the pad IMO too, because you can counter steer a lot faster, full lock to lock takes no time/effort, but it's more rewarding with the steering wheel, not to mention more realistic.
 
Don't forget tiring, definitely more tiring :P

It's worth it though, you'll feel like a badass when you get it figured out and you're dialing links.
 
i think starting off with the pad is a good idea just so you can get the feel of the road and counter-steering.. hopefully you know how to translate that into the wheel! because thats what i did
 
It sounds like you guys starting out with the wheel are getting better. You guys keep calling out a series of best laps and they are always seconds faster by the next update. It sounds like the practice is paying off. Try not to get discouraged if you are still able to trim seconds off your laps, that is serious progress. Once you stop getting faster see where you are at and judge then.

It takes awhile to get used to a wheel, a new wheel, or incorporating the clutch and H-pattern. It is a long process that isn't going to be mastered quickly. You are already masters at a controller, and a wheel is different, I wouldn't suggest going back to a controller and give up on the wheel. Even Michael Schumacher took years to master driving with a wheel, so remember that if you get frustrated.

Remember, learning your wheel now will prepare you for when GT5 actually arrives. All the time spent driving with a wheel now will mean you are used to it later. You can start off enjoying GT5 with your new wheel, instead of learning your wheel when everybody else is off and running.

If all the good advice in this thread isn't enough, look at your controller setting in the options menu. I have had games that were so hard to control until you adjusted your wheel options to what you like, then its a completely different experience. The first thing I always do...(okay the second, after a test drive) is get my wheel configured properly to the game I'm playing.

Stick with it, once you can enjoy really pushing your car with a great wheel, there are few virtual simulation experiences more rewarding. No other game is as satisfying to me as controlling a simulated car. Its as close as it gets to actually doing what you are in the game.
 
On the other hand. If you really want to go quick in an R8 (or pretty much any car) you shouldn't slide at all. Try lowering your corner entry speeds. The R8 coasts better than probably any car in the game.
 
Practice. Wheel time gets you better. Understand what happens to the car when you lose traction, and where its limits are. Different cars react differently. Oh, and practice.
 
Back