Good cars to learn a track in

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Sureboss

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What cars do you think are good for learning a track in? I want to know Suzuka and Daytona better, got any hints as to what cars will work best at a general improvement of knowledge of the circuit?

I know that cars differ a lot from each other, but if there are some which are better than others, I'm all ears.
 
Nissan GTR is a no brainer to drive so you can learn the track in that car without having to concentrate to much about oversteer etc.
 
Low powered cars. Go slower. Easier to find the line at a slower pace. I tell students, once you find the line, the speed will come.
 
Try a untuned Evo X in arcade mode to learn the line. The car isn't super fast, nor is it that slow, but it is easy to drive and sticks like glue, a total no brainer. It will help you figure out where the apexes are and what the fast line around the track is (disregard the driving line PD allows you to turn on as there is usually a more natural and faster one). As I said the car is so easy to drive and has such a large margin for error you can really play with different entry points, apexes and exits from the corners.

Once you know how to manipulate the line on the track line pick a low powered RWD car, like the Cappuccino, with N3s or S1 tires. Again, don't worry about tuning, just focus on driving at this point. That will force you to learn how to brake and drive smoothly to maximize your time on the line you learned with the no brainer Evo.
 
Whichever car you want to use online eventually.
Whats the point in learning the track in a car you probably won't use again just because its easier? May as well skip a step and just use the car you want.

But, my recommendations would be either:
For FR cars - Jaguar XK beacuse its very easy to drive but is tail happy, it helps learning where to put the throttle down for certain corners because when it starts sliding it doesn't bite your head off.
For 4WD cars - any will do.
For FF cars - Integra Type R because if you have a brain you will use this a lot ;)
For MR cars - Honda NSX because if you learn a track with this car you will be fast indeed.

I think a very key thing about choice of car is: if you don't learn the track's little details, you may find some cars uncontrollable, for example, if you learnt Fuji in a 4WD car, you wouldn't encounter the problems the off camber corners can cause in FR and MR cars. Same goes for hairpins, you need much smoother throttle application and sometimes a different line to help put the power down in a, for example, Dodge Viper than you do for a Subaru Impreza.
 
Try any car you like but go slowly on the track to learn it. In real life they sometimes go on a moped/bike on the track and sometimes even walk on it to get the feel and bumps and corners and...
 
Since you asked about better track knowledge, I'll assume you've been round a few times and know the track layout and general line, and are to the point where trimming off more time means finding all the little details.

I'd start with a MR car around 300hp on S2s (i.e. Lotus Evora) -- something with enough power that you have to be careful with the throttle and use reasonable braking distances and cornering speeds -- which gives you a bit more time to think about what you're doing than a faster car. As a general rule, MR cars tend toward oversteer, which will help you to find where you're pushing too hard, carrying too much speed into a corner, trail braking too much, etc. Run laps until you know where the rear wants to break loose (entry and exit), then adjust your line, throttle and brake inputs, etc until you can keep the rear from stepping out.

Next, switch to a FF car around 300hp on S2 tires (i.e. Honda Integra), and repeat. This time, find the places where the car wants to understeer wide (entry and exit) and adjust until you can keep the car from running wide.

Now you know where all the oversteer and understeer problems spots are, and you'll know how to adjust your driving to suit any car :)
 
Any car you're familiar with. The more you know the car, the more you learn about the track as apposed to the car.
 
Well, what works for me is downloading the top time and chasing that ghost... i think it might work for you... I would recommend the Focus, the WRX 07 and the Clio V6... as for FR cars i think the 350Z is a good choice.
 
Since you asked about better track knowledge, I'll assume you've been round a few times and know the track layout and general line, and are to the point where trimming off more time means finding all the little details.

Yes, been struggling with the change of physics from GT4 to GT5:P, it's not really suited my style. A lot quicker on the game now than I was at the start. Particularly Suzuka is where I struggle, though again, just by driving it in the WRS with the NSX, I improved, yet didn't feel I was anywhere near my potential.

Thanks, guys. Much appreciated feedback.
 
I find the Evo IX/Tuned to be a great overall car to learn braking points and apexes on. It's fast enough that it can represent some of the higher end cars, but it's stable enough to glide around tracks.
 
I find the Evo IX/Tuned to be a great overall car to learn braking points and apexes on. It's fast enough that it can represent some of the higher end cars, but it's stable enough to glide around tracks.

Thats the problem though, if you use a car thats that easy to drive, are you really learning the track's character? You could be easily caught out if you changed to something much more wild.
 
What I used , maybe not to all's liking but here it is :

rwd - Vette ( tuned )
fwd - Integra
mr - Lotus Elise 111R ( tuned )
 
Hi,

Some basic sports car should do the trick, e.g.:

- RX-7
- NSX
- Evora

It could be useful to get a feel for braking into both Suzuka's and Daytona Road's first corners with a 4WD car as well.
 
I just got the Spec III update done and the Evora is great. Just like the NSX, it's quite nimble, but the NSX will punish you more for mistakes... the Evora allows you to do your learning without having to deal with going off.

The Integra is likely the only FF car you'll ever need for online. And best of all, it's very sharp. Be warned, though... if you change to other FF cars, the characteristics will be different... some have less understeer than the Integra... most have less precise steering.

In fact, that's the problem with using a "learning" car... move from an NSX to, say, a Ford GT, and the extra torque and twitch will present you with problems in corners where the NSX lays flat. A BMW M3 or Jaguar XK will in no way prepare you for the twitchy monster that is the Fiorano... and nothing drives quite like the F40 (love that turbo-lag!).

Also, tuned cars tend to have higher entry and mid-corner speeds due to the downforce... if you move back to a "normal" car, you'll have to readjust to the track.

Ardius has it right. Learn the track int he car you're going to use on it. If you have trouble, just slap on some TCS and then take it off once you know the lines you want to take to see if there'll be extra issues from power-oversteer and lack of traction on corner exit.
 
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Try any car you like but go slowly on the track to learn it. In real life they sometimes go on a moped/bike on the track and sometimes even walk on it to get the feel and bumps and corners and...

Any car you're familiar with. The more you know the car, the more you learn about the track as apposed to the car.

Well, what works for me is downloading the top time and chasing that ghost... i think it might work for you...

All of them Spot on with this issue.
 
Any car you're familiar with. The more you know the car, the more you learn about the track as apposed to the car.

Thats what I do. The car i'm most familiar with is the F2007, so that's what I use.
 
Thats the problem though, if you use a car thats that easy to drive, are you really learning the track's character? You could be easily caught out if you changed to something much more wild.

Well, he didn't say he needed to learn how to control monsters on the tracks, but rather learn the track layouts and what to hit and where to hit. The Evo IX/Tuned is a solid car for doing that, but if he wants to learn how to control cars, I'd say go with the Z06 Vette (Tuned or not) as that can be a beast to handle on lower grip levels.
 
In General depending on how good/comfortable you are with the game and track you can use any car and pace yourself.

Usually when i have friends come over and they want to play (G25 wheel) they go into the garage and pick the coolest looking cars. D1 Blitz, Amuse S2000, Ferrari's etc. But i tell them you should start off with the Integra Type-R. Its very easy to handle and doens't get out of line on you. It takes a LOT to really go flying off the track or spin etc.

Noone ever listens, they pick the car they think is fun/cool looking and on the first turn/straight they are off the track, spinning etc. Eventually they get frustrated, listen to my suggestion and have a blast running the Integra Type-R.

If you are looking for FR, an easy car to drive is the Tunned Cappuccino, the Rx-7, 350z. I wouldnt go with a Vette/Viper as the throttle inputs are super sensitive.

Any of the 4wd cars will usually keep you in line if you don't push it past YOUR limits. :)👍
 
I would say mid range HP RWD cars especially FR layout. My favourite is 350Z and RX7, very easy to drive. Why these cars? You will get steep learning curve out of it. A lot can be learned out of RWD cars, especially on weight shifting. Once you have that concept in mind, consistency will comes automatically.

But in order to get that concept, you will need to imagine the force acting upon the car constantly. There is no real force goes to your body except on your controller/ steering wheel so that is the most difficult part for me.. need definitely more imagination as the game becomes more accurate..even small track undulation gives different effect.

Suzuka will be a good track to learn. I would definitely study more on the technical aspect of going downhill 1st/2nd corner and uphill on the S'es...
👍
 
Evo, RX7, NSX, and M3 are good starting points. I think the Lotus Elise 111R tuned and the Clio tuned are the most responsive and direct cars. Sure they are not the easiest but if you can go fast in those you can go fast in about anything. Eiger + 111R tuned = heaven for me. Then as you go up in power the F430 is pretty good finally I like the Corvette tuned.
 
Personally I learn with a STI the layout. I learn the bumps and lines with more powerfull RWD cars with huge oversteer tendency. They show me were the bumps that unsettle the cars are located by trial and error.
 
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