I need a few pointers, this sim is making me feel bad.

  • Thread starter Coxis
  • 35 comments
  • 18,777 views
3,446
Mexico
GTP_Coxis
Coxis
Hey people,

I subscribed to iRacing yesterday and ran for about two hours. Now, I'm not a particularly bad GT5 player and I do pretty OK in LFS and rFactor but in iRacing, I can't even keep the car on track... :ouch:

Any tips? paramount differences between physics in GT5/LFS and iRacing?

Also, what are the differences between regular cars and " - Rookie" cars?

Overall iRacing is making me feel like a piece of crap. I used to think I could at least drive in a sim...
6482519169_d256745ba7_t.jpg
 
With iRacing, you need to first understand how your wheel transfer the game physics to you. iRacing is all about weight transfer in breaking and acceleration.
iRacing also includes bump into race tracks, where gt5 and rFactor doesn't really have. To be good on any race track, you need to learn every single of those bumps, else if you go too wide a bit, or too short, you will crash as you werent expecting that bump.

Everytime I try a new car, or track, I usually go 20% slower then I could, stay in the same gear for 5-10 laps, just to learn the track, and how the specific car react to that track. Finding roughly the racing line. Then, start to switch gear, but while keeping at 20% 2-3 more laps, then slowly going faster and faster.

This teach you 2 important lessons. How to hit the Apex and how the car react to every Apex, (Hence how fast you will be able to hit them and how much you can use them) and the bumps that are on the racing line.


Also, you can join pratice session, and try to follow a few people, and watch their replay. It helps alot. Just yesterday I shaved .2 of a second by watching a guy in the skippy.


As you just started I will assume you probably drive the mx5? The mx5 reacts very good to bumps, and is very forgivable, but as it is a low powered car, you shouldnt brake too late, but instead brake early to keep the most amount of speed through the turn.

Finally, if you want later today we can go on a pratice together and I can show you the racing line for the rookie tracks.

Have fun and remember to drive like you would if YOU were actually IN the car.

(dont feel bad at crashing, it took me almost 2-3 days to feel comfortable in the mx5. But when you learn the car, and the tracks, it is a very fun car that you can push very hard)
 
Thanks much for your response.

I'm happy to report that I feel a lot more comfortable in the sim now... Just like you said, I noticed the following things:

  • Bumps and elevation changes are deadly. You do have to know the bumps and changes so you can ease on the throttle through them, else you and the barriers will end up as one. :dopey:
  • Cars do NOT like you downshifting earlier than you should, especially when turning.
  • It's all about the smoothness of your inputs. Brake too hard, you'll lock your tires and overshoot the corner.
  • Weight transfer is a big deal.
Things I still need to get good at:
  • Pointing my car towards the apex.
  • Maintaining smooth cornering lines through turns, especially increasing/decreasing radius and esses.
  • Being fast non-slow.
  • And many more.
I joined a practice session at Okawa (or something) and like you said, it helped immensely. I tried keeping up for a bit and looking at people's braking points, lines, etc. Good stuff.
6482519075_8a9d92d31d_t.jpg


Also I'd like to take on your offer if you don't mind, I do need someone showing me the ropes, this feels like a much more advanced simulation than the other few I've tried.
 
As the MX5 is forgivable, breaking in a turn is not a giant no-no, even though you should NOT break in a middle of a turn. If you do, the back get too light and it wants to spin. As you said, changing gear in a turn won't work, you will spin 9 times out of 10. If you have to, wait for your wheel to be straight. You better off loose .2 of a second then 10 seconds because you spun.

I am studying for my finals, but I will probably take a break around 3, 4 (Eastern time). Otherwise we can go for a drive another day.

Good luck. And as it is your first day(s), time is not important, but you need to understand the car, and the track, then the time will shave very easily. 1:05 - 1:04 might be a goal for you. It is a time roughly 3-4 seconds slower than a fast time.
 
Is all in the amount of time you dedicate to practice. All cars in the service handle very different from each other, so you will need to at least dedicate 20-30 minutes of practice in every track before you get yourself registered for any race. Just practice practice and practice. Always keep in mind, there is no place in iRacing for the first turn heroes. Races here are won with consistency over speed rather than the other way arround.
 
Jav
Always keep in mind, there is no place in iRacing for the first turn heroes. Races here are won with consistency over speed rather than the other way arround.

Couldn't agree more. I'm really surprised at the racing etiquette of most people. If someone spins out they'll wait until it's safe to come back onto the track and stuff.

Also I won't be available right now Vardd, but maybe we can race tomorrow or later today.

Whoever's interested in running with a newbie or teaching me a few things, you can add me at Jose Solis.
 
Don't Give Up !

it took me about 2 months just to learn to heel toe properly and another month to do it well enough to never spin the back wheels anymore

don't worry about lap times just focus on doing full races with no incidents - let faster cars pass you and play for consistency - since you are playing in rookie allot of other cars will be going off the road, don't be one of those guys and you'll do fairly well just finishing clean.... that is the first accomplishment to aim for.

once you are driving your car clean most of the time, only then take note of your lap times and work on getting them consistent with your best lap - and then eventually start making the point of beating your best lap

as you get faster only pass the slower cars

never rush a pass - study the driver in front of you first and get a sense of his skill level first (for a lap or two then decide if its worth the risk) determine if you can trust his driving or look for an obvious mistake

I agree with practicing a bit before your race - In some cases no amount of practice will help (right before a race) if your brand new to the track but one-off jumping in random races doesn't really work well for me so regardless its generally better to have a warmup of some kind - sometimes you might be the only one who bothered and it shows when your racing ppl who didn't qualify or practice at all.

Don't get discouraged, it takes time - I've played almost daily for a year by now and I'm still struggling daily to get faster.... but if I look back to where I was its like night and day - I couldn't finish a race at ALL much less string a few laps together with the skip or mustang when I started and now they are both my favorite cars.
 
Your biggest friend in iRacing (and your biggest enemy) is TIME.

You have to spend the time to get smoother.

Start slow, I mean SLOW. Use the split timer to show you where you are improving and to help you identify the best lines for. You will constantly surprise yourself with fast laps that "feel" slow because as you get smoother, it feels slower, but you are going faster. This is where the split/delta timer really helps (or a program like iSpeed as you feel it's becoming difficult to find your weak spots).

For example, with the MX5, start at Lime Rock doing 1:15 laps, concentrating on being very very smooth and exploring the limits of the car and how it feels at different speeds in different corners. Pay attention to your speed, your braking points, and your entry points, watch your split times and see what works best for you. Do the same think at Okayama, alternate back and forth each week. Practice all week long as much as you can, then qualify, then race near the end of the week. In the mean time if you want, do time trials, ghost races, etc, etc.

Oh, and turn off all the aids, there is a built in speed penalty for using things like auto-clutch/blip/etc.

Watch the iRacing School videos on the members website, it will give you an introduction to what a real sim is supposed to feel like.

Funny thing is, now when you go back to GT5/Forza, they will truly feel like a racing game not a simulation at all.
 
Couldn't agree more. I'm really surprised at the racing etiquette of most people. If someone spins out they'll wait until it's safe to come back onto the track and stuff.

Also I won't be available right now Vardd, but maybe we can race tomorrow or later today.

Whoever's interested in running with a newbie or teaching me a few things, you can add me at Jose Solis.

welcome to iRAcing!!
👍
 
Some sound advice here. Thanks.

Superbike, what penalties are there? Also, how can I not have auto-clutch on if I don't have a three pedal set?

What is "Blip"? I saw it in the option but truthfully I had no idea what it was so I left it alone.
 
There is a minor speed penalty with auto-clutch. Without a third pedal your options are to use a button or auto-clutch.

Blip is just an automatic way of doing a rev/toe heel match. In other words, it taps the throttle for you when your downshift.
 
Some sound advice here. Thanks.

Superbike, what penalties are there? Also, how can I not have auto-clutch on if I don't have a three pedal set?

What is "Blip"? I saw it in the option but truthfully I had no idea what it was so I left it alone.

I think just leaving the auto-clutch/blip stuff on for now is a good option till you become more accustomed to iRacing. At least thats what I did for the first month or so. Then I started turning off the few assists that iRacing offers. Now about 6 months in, I do everything manually.

When you do turn off the shifting aids a button will have to be your clutch unless you run different pedals. In case you didn't know, you can do clutchless downshifts with a bit of practice. I do the clutchless downshifts just because the "stock" set-up of the G25 pedals while heel/toeing digs into my foot. I play barefoot or with socks on so not much there to cushion the foot(I really need to do a custom set-up with my pedals, everything else is custom). Clutchless downshifting is just as good as heel/toeing and is fairly easy to learn, but hard to master like anything else in iRacing. Just left foot brake, blip/downshift at same time. Sounds easy, huh?:) Then just use your clutch button for upshifts. Not trying to confuse you or anything just another option at your disposal.

Somewhere a few posts above is about going slow around track for first time. Thats great advice. Trying to do flying laps right out the gate will get you nowhere. Work yourself up slowly and don't be in a hurry. Definitely watch what other people are doing as far as braking, race line, and the attitude of the car to give you cues to what inputs the driver is doing. Just try to become a sponge in practice sessions and take it all in.

Just don't get too discouraged here in the first few weeks. It'll come with practice. No reason you can't be competitive here just like in GT5. I came from GT5 and haven't gone back.:dopey:

Feel free to add me on iRacing. Just look me up in the GTP/iRacing directory.👍
 
if u enter an event as spectator u can race with other guys, but without the worry of crashing into them, they cant see you, its like ghost racing but you can learn the lines the other guys take. also if you "test car on track" you can use the racing line feature (aid) to get a better idea of braking points on new tracks.
 
if u enter an event as spectator u can race with other guys, but without the worry of crashing into them, they cant see you, its like ghost racing but you can learn the lines the other guys take. also if you "test car on track" you can use the racing line feature (aid) to get a better idea of braking points on new tracks.

the ghost thing sounds awesome!
 
also, make sure your wheel is set up properly. no centering spring or damper. take it easy and watch how others set up passes.
 
Gabkicks
also, make sure your wheel is set up properly. no centering spring or damper. take it easy and watch how others set up passes.

Oh yea, forgot about steering wheel settings. This is a big one. I believe the iracing forums has some steering settings for all different kinds of wheels. This made a big difference for me when getting my G25 set-up. I initially had the damping set to 75 in game, which I believe was default. Basically the damping makes the steering feel heavy and actually masks the ffb of what the car is doing. Slowly decreased it over time to 0 because I was used to it and was having a hard time adjusting. With it at 0 you feel all the great ffb that iracing wants you to.
 
My steering wheel is thankfully well configured. No damper, no return spring and linearity for steering. Thanks for the tip.
6482519075_8a9d92d31d_t.jpg


Speaking of wheels, I'm loving the FF! Makes my DFGT feel like a completely differnent wheel.

Seeing that shifting correctly is a huge deal in iRacing, would it be a good idea to purchase a set of pedals with clutch even if I use the paddles and don't have an H shifter?

Oh, and I couldn't help it, I competed in my first race this morning. It was a grid of 17 I think, I finished 14th and was lapped by the first 3 places. :P

It was a great learning experience and I had no contact with anybody. My safety rating went up .17 points. Race was 25 laps, standing start in Okayama short, driving the Miata cup. :dopey:
 
Yeah, don't get discouraged with finishing in the back of the grid for now. With time you will move up in position. For right now, I would say start from the pits. So when pre-race warmup is over, let the "GRID" timer go to zero, it will say missed start, click it then. This will allow you to avoid the inevitable T1 pileup. Just concentrate on being smooth, you will be surprised how many people you can still pass since they push too hard and crash out.
 
When I first started in road racing I used to finish in the back too. Then went the time trial route to get out of rookie and focused on being clean. After I hit Class D Road I jumped to Rookie Ovals and took my time with the Legends car. Just by driving cleanly I'd hit Top 5 consistently and earned a fairly decent iRating. Never messed with time trials on Oval side. SR is earned faster during real races

So I brought that experience back to Road and every so often I'll get a favorable placing (Normally 6th place or better). MY speed varies track-to-track with road-ovals being my strongest due to their short track length (less to learn, etc). good news is the only times I'll end up in the back of the field if something bad happened like getting taken out and knocked into a wall.

Good tips above just focus on survival for now as you build up your speed. Road racing can be tough tho cause it can be very tricky to remain clean and focused. I actually havent had a 0 incident road race in 2 weeks now. But the one time I did I hit 2nd place and earned a lot of iRating. So being clean alone can help a ton.
 
My steering wheel is thankfully well configured. No damper, no return spring and linearity for steering. Thanks for the tip.
6482519075_8a9d92d31d_t.jpg


Speaking of wheels, I'm loving the FF! Makes my DFGT feel like a completely differnent wheel.

Seeing that shifting correctly is a huge deal in iRacing, would it be a good idea to purchase a set of pedals with clutch even if I use the paddles and don't have an H shifter?

Oh, and I couldn't help it, I competed in my first race this morning. It was a grid of 17 I think, I finished 14th and was lapped by the first 3 places. :P

It was a great learning experience and I had no contact with anybody. My safety rating went up .17 points. Race was 25 laps, standing start in Okayama short, driving the Miata cup. :dopey:

Good job on your first race!

As others have mentioned to improve your iRacing, just take it slow and learn how the car handles.

Did you add your name to the iracing directory thread? If so I will send you a friend request through iRacing and look for you on the track for Mazda Cup races/practice sessions.
 
Yeah, don't get discouraged with finishing in the back of the grid for now. With time you will move up in position. For right now, I would say start from the pits. So when pre-race warmup is over, let the "GRID" timer go to zero, it will say missed start, click it then. This will allow you to avoid the inevitable T1 pileup. Just concentrate on being smooth, you will be surprised how many people you can still pass since they push too hard and crash out.

Thanks. I thought that if I missed the grid start, I'd miss the entire race. Great advice.

Patrocles, I just added my name to the directory and I mentioned it once before in this topic. :)

How would I go on about joining a race as a ghost? Also, would getting a set of pedals with clutch really help regarding the seemingly strict penalties of iRacing regarding driving aids?
 
Also, would getting a set of pedals with clutch really help regarding the seemingly strict penalties of iRacing regarding driving aids?

I also have the dfgt wheel, and I just use one of the button on the wheel as a clutch pedal. It works fairly good, and allow you to left foot brake , which is a nice advantage in my opinion. I use the square button, which you can reach easily with your thumb while holding the wheel. For Starts, you simply build the rev, then dump the clutch, it is probably not as smooth as a real clutch pedal, but never had a problem with it. (Though I've only driven the rookies + D class cars.)

Only problem, of course, if you use the sequential shifter on the wheel, a clutch button won't work for you.
 
The penalties aren't that strict for using the aids. Not really a big deal until you are getting within a few tenths of the top drivers. I recommend the clutch pedal still though just for the immersion and fun factor.
 
How would I go on about joining a race as a ghost?
At the members page click on events, then spectate, then once in spectator mode u can start driving...
 
Just to recap, so there's a penalty for 'auto-blip' yeah? I have every aid turned off apart from that, using button for clutch on DFGT, tried 'blipping' myself but not up to it quite yet lol...

I take it the best way is to left foot brake, lift off throttle, change gear etc yeah? Use clutch for changing up only?
 
Just to recap, so there's a penalty for 'auto-blip' yeah? I have every aid turned off apart from that, using button for clutch on DFGT, tried 'blipping' myself but not up to it quite yet lol...

I take it the best way is to left foot brake, lift off throttle, change gear etc yeah? Use clutch for changing up only?

their is no "penalty" per say. but when you use auto-blip its a slower gear change.
 
I see..Is it best then to go with auto blip for the time being in the MX5 Cup car? Heard its one of the worst with no aids at all..Im not exactly smooth at the moment but im gettin there..
 
I see..Is it best then to go with auto blip for the time being in the MX5 Cup car? Heard its one of the worst with no aids at all..Im not exactly smooth at the moment but im gettin there..

i just cant do heel and toe. i have auto blip on and i am very competitive in the car. the mazda is more about smooth driving. slow in fast out driving.
 
Back