GTS has made me a better driver, how about you?

  • Thread starter CliveH
  • 38 comments
  • 3,089 views
One thing racing games do for you is make you hyper aware when you are on the road. You become better at judging distances somewhat, and more attuned to what people around you are doing. Its a good thing to have.

At this point in life because my gaming time is limited I am using GT:S to rehab my shoulder. I tore it last summer (slipped and fell in my yard, lame story) I had surgery at the end of August and I'm almost done with PT, now I need to build back up to be able to race my car in May. It has manual steering and is tough to drive. Racing in GT with the FFB turned up is a good work out for my shoulder getting my wheel movements back, fighting the wheel, countersteering etc, its interesting how those things affect your shoulder. After an hour play session I am sore, but its good. The other thing I like is that it helps keep my positional senses sharp, they have to be better than normal in the game because its not so easy to look left and right, or hear a car behind or to the side of you. As well my other needs like looking ahead, braking points, lines etc. Its great for the basics especially for a guy who is a weekend warrior like me, and a hell of a lot cheaper than track time.
 
It also helps you appreciate and understand weight transfer, most drivers irl don't experience that until something goes wrong and then don't know how to counteract it and then end up in the ditch. If I ever loose my back end at speed irl I hope I can use my online experience to safe it X=
 
Being on the track IRL even on a motorcycle in my case helps when playing any sim. I wouldn't say the sim helps me IRL though. Although people that are good at a racing sim are probably good on a track IRL too.
 
It happened prior to GTS. I was driving to work in the early '00s at CNN and heading downhill on Baker Street in downtown Atlanta towards Centennial Olympic park, to turn left. At the time I was still in my first car, a 1983 Mercedes 240D (65BHP, feel the rush!) and found myself doing all my braking in the straight, releasing brake to roll through the apex, downshifting and revving to drop the clutch at apex. I realized at exactly that moment that the way I cornered was a GT phenomenon.
 
I saved my car once when the back end stepped out in the rain. Dont think i would have managed that without years of sim racing experience.
 
GTWelsh
Being on the track IRL even on a motorcycle in my case helps when playing any sim.
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I will agree that RL track experience can help from aspects of understanding proper racing lines or the best way to string a set of corners together to maintain an overall faster time.

RL physics and what you can get away with is completely different than what virtual world physics amazing let you pull off without consequence.

On the other hand that same RL experience can be a hindrance in virtual racing pace as jumping curbings, placing the majority of the vehicle off course in the grass to cut corners without consequence and not pushing past certain reasonable limits of risk outweighing reward in regard to vehicle or suspension damage or even premature tire wear is wired differently when looking at a circuit from a rl racing point of view over a virtual only racing view.
 
GT Sport is a great addition to my driving toolbox. I race time attack, rallycross, HPDE, and nationally competitive SCCA autocross for the last few years.

GT Sport, while not perfect is a really great tool for on track mental gymnastics, line anaylsis in traffic, and brake/throttle point application in traffic. I race on GT Sport one night a week with a group of local guys who podiumed at eithet autocross or time attack national championships last year. They all love. We just started doing breakdowns of the best race on Wednesday nights to critique each other and get better.
 
VFOURMAX1
I will agree that RL track experience can help from aspects of understanding proper racing lines or the best way to string a set of corners together to maintain an overall faster time.

RL physics and what you can get away with is completely different than what virtual world physics amazing let you pull off without consequence.

On the other hand that same RL experience can be a hindrance in virtual racing pace as jumping curbings, placing the majority of the vehicle off course in the grass to cut corners without consequence and not pushing past certain reasonable limits of risk outweighing reward in regard to vehicle or suspension damage or even premature tire wear is wired differently when looking at a circuit from a rl racing point of view over a virtual only racing view.
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Yes, this is absolutely on point in my opinion.
 
GTS has definitely made me a WORSE driver in Dirt Rally VR, after not playing for 3 months, I had a try today, 1st I had to change my steering wheel settings to be more like GTS, then I couldn't get the 'just foor it' mentality of GTS out of my mind.
 

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