How to get good at Nurburgring?

[sir heavy foot]

The one track that I can't seem to get good at is Nurburgring.

This is a huge track and it is very hard to memorize. For those of you who are good at this track, is the key to great times memorizing it, or, can you get good times with just good driving skills?

I have been practicing it, but I still get destroyed by the AI at this track. I just can't keep on the road if I push it and if I drive more carefull my times are worse.

Any tips on getting good times at this track would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I can only speak for myself on this but I took the time to use low powered but good handling cars around this track for a little while to try ane memorize all the corners. Thats the only way to get a decent time. I am consisteny running in the under 7 minute bracket now with one time under 6 min with the Bently Speed 8.

 

[Razo]

My way of learning the Nurburgring was to drive some laps in a car that I considered to have a decent amount of power, but wasn't too slow. In my case, I got a Levin AE86 on normal tyres. Hardly any understeer to worry about, and it'll never slide uncontrollably, and 127BHP in a 940kg body gets me around at a good enough pace.

I drove my first lap fairly quickly, braking a fair bit for corners, but when i was confident enough to floor it, I did. My first lap took over 10 minutes, but it was a surprisingly clean lap. By the second lap, i was quicker by around 20 seconds.

Now, after many laps in many cars, my times in the same car now on normal tyres are usually less than 9 and a half minutes.

It's just a case of practicing until you can start to memorise it. Get an easy to drive car that isn't stupidly slow, take it easy until you feel you can push harder.

 

[Trimen]

I drove the Crystler Crossfire on the ring and it did wonderful, low relative horspower but it huged the road very well.

I hill before the 1st high speed braking areas is a major killer, I somtimes take it at 190+, if you land just right you can brake just enough to make the nasty right hand turns. If you roll severly on launch, pray your insurance is paid up.

 

[villeneuve9250]

BMW M3 and lap after lap after lap after lap after lap after lap. It is 95% mental concentration is key. I love the ring...it has such a great flow to it, only a couple corners seem out of place.

 

[98cobra]

Mission 34.

 

[Speedbird223]

Mission 34.

👍

 

[CrackHoor]

Mission 34.

👎

I'd rather not wait two minutes between laps, especially if I was just learning the track and had zero chance of actually passing. I think trying to learn the track on Mission 34 (and seeing terrible split times) would be really discouraging.

I'm no 'Ring expert, but I'm comfortable driving fairly quick cars around there mostly because I've driven it enough to know what's over the next crest or around the next corner. Most of my laps were done in Arcade Free Run, typically with 300 => 600HP cars.

 

[TurboJ]

How to get good at Nurburgring?

Welll...

Huge amount of practice. That's the only way to go.

Use the ghost car - you can see where it goes faster and where not. This is the easy way to learn. Once you have mastered the 'ring, it all becomes very, very addictice

I've done like 200-250 laps on the 'ring in GT4 (with a dozen different cars )
And now I can say I'm quite OK 'ring-driver'
My goal for near future is to become a true 'ringmeister'

 

[ampsarus]

For me, driving fast on the ring & hanging on isn't too hard, I watched about 80% of the B-spec thugs "bumper cam" durring his 24 hr. race. That payed off huge just learning the braking zones. Slowing down too much is my big problem on the 'ring. As someone said above, I tend to react to the course rather than setting up for it, that is a few more hours of practice away. Addictice indeed!

 

[ZeratulSG]

Easy!

1) Become fascinated by it
2) Watch movies of real racers going around the track
3) Watch other GT4 nuts speeding around the old course

You could skip point one but that would make point two a lot less interesting

I'll provide you with a video of me racing around the ring in an unmodified Sauber C9 (Oh, cliché!)

Here's your link: 5:19 on the 'Ring

WTF?!? Okay, let me start by saying I'm only about 30% into the game, so I'm not racing LMP cars yet, but again, WTF? I had to keep checking the lap clock to make sure this wasn't sped up! That's not driving, that's like hanging on for dear life. I would be extremely surprised if any RL racing driver with any amount of sense would ever take one of these cars on the 'Ring. I guess I can now see why they stopped racing F1 there...

 

[maineiac]

Practice makes perfect. I remember when I was driving the ring for the first time I couldn't keep the car on the track at all, I think my time was over 9 minutes in an M3. But after a lot of free runs and 4h endurance in a-spec I think I know the track pretty well and I have no problems beating the AI cars.

 

[bossman88]

play the test lesson the were ou follow the pace car and try this link http://www4.tripnet.se/~niclas/bmwsc/tracks/nurburgr.htm

 

[Automotive]

The ring can be difficult only if it's your first time on it. After a while it become eaiser. My advice for you is to learn the curves and where to slow down at. There is a lot of high speed areas on this track. Be aware of your tyres too. There's a lot dips and bumps in the road that would make your car drive unevenly, but if you have the control over the car it shouldn't be a big problem. I advise you to go to "World Courses" and practice. Don't practice in a championship race. Learning the curves is the most important thing. I know this track from back to front and in a fully tunned "350z concept" I can do a lap in 6 mins. 6:15 the most. Remember that this a 10 min per lap track.

 

[hispeed]

To summarize:

#1: Dont expect to master this track on your first run -> Practice again and again

#2: Start with a normal car in Free run (I'd choose a BMW M3 CSL stock) S or N tires.

#3: Think ahead: "can I do this turn full throttle?", if not, at what speed?

#4: Use landmarks as breaking/turning points.

#5: Hit the apex in each turn, inside wheel on the shichane.

#6: Learn when to release the throttle, but not brake.

#7: Switch to faster cars as you get better

When you've done all this (ad nauseum), take your fastest, best handling car for record breaking times!
I prefer the Sauber Mercedes and the Pescarolo PlayStation C60/Judd Race Car ('04).

Have fun

 

[GTR-LT]

Yeah, the 'green hell' is a beautiful track. For the novice driver is it a worst track on earth, for the veteran driver is is a track that has it all.

The advice given here is gold, use a low powered car, learn the corse and then move your way up to the big boys, low time will come.

I love driving the ring in my BMW M3 GTR RC and now trying to master it with the Japanese GT cars (yeah I know Im crazy, but this is what it is all about!) Im not a fan of concept cars but I have driven the ring with the Skyline concept and it went well.

Driving with the LM cars is fun but you really need to start small and bild up.

Good luck!

 

[Div is back]

There is one thing I noticed with the Nurb, you can't memorize the WHOLE track.

One effective way to memorize the track is kind off simple.

Give yourself some reference points, when I see a certain object I know a X curve is coming, etc. You get my point?

I've ran over 200 laps at the Nurb if I don't count those endurance races and I still can't imagine the track with my eyes closed.

I can imagine it up to the first Karoussel, after that, it's just reference points.

 

[98cobra]

👎

I'd rather not wait two minutes between laps, especially if I was just learning the track and had zero chance of actually passing. I think trying to learn the track on Mission 34 (and seeing terrible split times) would be really discouraging.

I'm no 'Ring expert, but I'm comfortable driving fairly quick cars around there mostly because I've driven it enough to know what's over the next crest or around the next corner. Most of my laps were done in Arcade Free Run, typically with 300 => 600HP cars.

Well, I know the wait is harsh, but after doing 34 so many times, I memorized Nurburgring pretty well.

 

[CapeRex]

I've read about and heard so many stories on the 'Ring,and seen a few videos,but until I tried driving it in GT4 for the first time,I had no idea of the amazing track everyone spoke of! The sheer size and speed of it,and the intricate technical nature,was so intimidating.

I have been avoiding until recently,and am starting to practice it with my Alfa Romeo Sprint GTV 1600 w/175hp n/a.That is a beautifully balanced car that isn't super-powerful,but quick enough to enjoy while learning this beast.

Does anyone know of anywhere that actually sells a map of it with corners named,much like that one on the UK site? I checked the official site,but found nothing.

 

[CapeRex]

Check out these videos,plus the rest of this guy's site...great stuff on The Nurburgring.

http://www.johnfelstead.co.uk/videos/videos.htm

 

[webber555]

My advice is to practice in free run in a neutral race car such as the M3GTR or Merc Evo II. Eventually you will learn the track but it won't come overnight - break the track up into sections. Eventually you will start to link sections together and hey presto! Think about it, you probably know all of the other GT4 tracks off by heart and I bet if you join them together it's a lot longer than 20 odd kays! Also, start off slow, edging towards the limit. You will know how far you can push by instinct and feel after a while. Once you know the track, tackle the 24hrs on a-spec. You will be a master after a while. i can consistently lap under 7 minutes now in a Merc evo II 92 unmodded with Superhard tyres. I can also do consistent laps in all cars without running off the road at all - only came from lapping hundreds of times.

 

[onedarkhorsee]

The one track that I can't seem to get good at is Nurburgring.

This is a huge track and it is very hard to memorize. For those of you who are good at this track, is the key to great times memorizing it, or, can you get good times with just good driving skills?

I grew up in the country with a road to town that was very similar to the ring in real life, except it wasnt a loop, so im lucky, i picked it up really quick, but yeah what everyone is saying, licence ia15 with the pace car is the way to go, definately not mission 34, that car *is* a pig damnit... (still havent mastered it yet)
pretty much like everyone is saying, take a car that you like and can drive well and take it for a free run, and race the next lap against your ghost.... and keep goin... i did this with my car of the moment yesterday, a Honda City Turbo and got a lap of 7.24.xxx !!! pretty crazy....

 

[smellysocks12]

Now I think of it, did anyone ever attempt to drive a lap of Nurburgring reverse? By simply making a 180 degree turn at the start and drive it backwards?

 

[hispeed]

Now I think of it, did anyone ever attempt to drive a lap of Nurburgring reverse? By simply making a 180 degree turn at the start and drive it backwards?

Since someone has driven the daimler oldie round the ring in about 2 days, I'm pretty sure somwhere in the world someone tried the ring reverse.
Damn! I'll try it myself! Have to time manually....

 

[Laorin]

To get good at Nurburgring I first had to fall in love with the track. Then I had to race it repeatedly, multiple laps at a time, in multiple cars during any given gaming session. My obsession with Nurb has gotten to the point where I will not play the actual game - my GT4 sessions involve me plunking my 1969 GT40 down on Nurb for a practice run with some hard or medium slicks and letting 'er rip. I have the entire course memorized and started learning it well probably after the first two weeks of doing that.

To start off I used the 295hp Razo West Sylvia, as it's a race model car and will give you great handling. Using anything above 300hp is suicide if you're trying to learn the track. You have to take it slow and learn the turns and very gradually take the speeds up and up and up. In real life you don't want to do this but this is just a game, so what the hey

 

[ampsarus]

Now I think of it, did anyone ever attempt to drive a lap of Nurburgring reverse? By simply making a 180 degree turn at the start and drive it backwards?

Anyone would spend the rest of their life in jail if they tried that. Call your country's consolate cause you are royally screwed for trying. I don't think Conie Rice will put in a call for me, I wouldn't try.

 

[///M3Driver]

Doing a 10 lap race in arcade mode has been the thing that helped me most so far. I used the M3GTR RC and it matches you up against a crop of touring cars. After 6-7 laps in I was catching and passing them and had cut 25 seconds off my lap time. There are some places where it doesn't seem you should be going flat out but if you follow the AI's you see that you can and should.

 

[Boris Lozac]

I got 8.58 on the IA15 licence in second try, the first i ran off the track and loose a lot of time...
But mainly becasuse before that i run a lot of Nurb laps with CSL, RUF RGT, even Zonda a little, so i got familiar with the track...
But yes it is a great way of learning the track.. that IA15...
That Mercedes is so great, not so fast, but sounds AMAZING!! i must win one from one of those shwarzwald races.. not sure which one...
Don't give up on the 'Ring, it is the best track in the game, i love it for its lenghtness.. and when i think... that there is 750 cars in the game.. 👍

 

[insane]

Ok, one solution, Drive the entire 24hr Nurburgring Race. Have fun, and I bet you will know the track after 200+ laps from the race!

 

[orpheusd0wn]

I'm Ring Newbie. Not a GT newb, mind you, just the ring. I've been avoiding it and B Spec-ing it, foolishly intimdated (fear of failure). After reading this thread, I decided to throw off the intimidation, buckle down, and learn the track.

I'm using the '62 Lotus Elan, which has 106hp. My first lap was 9'17", and I learned the transmission will have to be replaced, as it can't get to top speed on the straights.

Stock it's a four speed, the Fully Customizable is a five. I moved up the autoset from 4 to 8. This gave the feel of the stock four speed with a fifth gear added at the end, instead of squeezing five gears into the space of four.

With the new transmission in place, my first lap was 9'31, but I drove horribly even for a 'Ring newb. At several places the car was off track and a couple times I had to nearly stop to avoid a wall hit. The second lap, however, was much smoother, and came in at 9'02. Still not a clean lap, but much better.

My goal is to see how far below the 9 minute mark I can get with the Elan. If any 'Ring vets want to the take the car (as described above, completely stock but with a new tranny) and set a benchmark time, I'd appreciate it.

Regardless, I'd like to thank everyone for the tips and advice. Strange how one track could add so much depth to a driving game.

 

[SimRaceDriver]

Now I think of it, did anyone ever attempt to drive a lap of Nurburgring reverse? By simply making a 180 degree turn at the start and drive it backwards?

Yes....and if I can find a way to get rid of the red 'you're going backwards' sign...I'd be a happy camper as it is an entirely different track backwards!