I think I'm outa time

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chuyler1

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chuyler1
Last night I had a goal of dropping 2 seconds off my time. I'm at 5:24.169 and need about 5:18.xxx to make it to round 2. I figured 2 seconds a night for the next few nights...but that didn't happen. I shaved .5 off my Tsukuba and got it down to 1:06.439 but that was pretty much a fluke because I kept running 1:06.8s the rest of the night. I'll keep trying but I think even if I did manage to make it there is no way I can compete with you guys in the next round.:indiff:

I guess I should be proud that I even managed to rank #341 in my region after only getting serious about the game a few weeks ago. I don't have the background of playing other GT games either. The last racing game I played regularly was NFS:Porsche about 6-7 years ago.

But what gets me is that people can put out better times with a game pad...really? I tried the pad for about a week before purchasing a DFGT. I was able to pass license tests (silvers) with the pad but I could never get into a rhythm with it.
 
I took 5 seconds off that a few nights ago...needed a break. I'm at 2:52.xxx on cape ring right now so if I could lay down a near-perfect lap in theory that would nudge me in...but if I can't pull off Tsukuba quickly I doubt I can punch out a top-30 cape ring.
 
Forget Tsukuba. Your 1:06 is respectable. The reason why the ranking at Tsukuba is more "competitive" is because it's a short track that's easy enough to learn.

From your total time, it looks like you have some room at Rome too. Just focus on the kink, and carrying maximum speed on the back stretch - the rest of the lap almost doesn't matter. At Cape Ring, run as many laps as you can handle every night. Try to cut as much distance off the hairpin corners, and maximize your exit speed. Through the sweeping corners, maintaining speed by staying smooth is the key.
 
I have a very similar time as you on tsukuba because I stopped trying to get any faster on that track almost 2 weeks ago. It's a huge waste of time to work on that track if you are not in at least the low to mid 2:47s at the Cape (but keep that on the DL lol :sly:). Since focusing only on the Cape for the past two weeks (taking about 5 or 6 days off) I've gone from a 2:52.1xx to a 2:48.807 and am currently sitting at 110 in the NE. I think if I take about 1-1.5 more seconds off my total time of 5:18 I should be able to clinch my spot in Round 2. (Knock on wood).

The biggest key to the Cape is knowing the track like the back of your hand. Know the speeds, braking points, turning points, throttle points, and stay focused. The more you know exactly what to do at each turn and straight the faster you'll be.

(Atm I'm taking note of my speeds at about 8-10 different parts of the track, get used to spotting the speeds through your peripheral and taking quick glances at specific points on the straights.)
 
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Well I have about 2 hours tonight and 2 hours tomorrow night to dedicate. I'll see if I can shave off 4 seconds on my cape ring. I know I can find at least 2 seconds since I was leaving time in the first sector that I couldn't capitalize on by running a clean lap through the other sectors. Getting 4 seconds will be tough but there are more opportunities. If I spend an hour on Rome I know I could get 1 second off, but getting 2 seconds is going to be tough unless a magic trip through the kink grants me boat loads of time.

If I don't make it...well there is still the rest of the game LOL. I've got most of my licenses but I've only just begun the A-spec events.
 
The best piece of advice I can think of is keep your tires cool. If you just run a clean lap while keeping the tires cool you'll be right around the 52 mark. Then you can slowly try to push the envelope and see how long you can keep traction.

Easier said than done I know, but wish you the best of luck.
 
Just when you think you can't go any faster, BAM, you pull out an amazing lap. I have been sitting at 2:47.782 for about a week and a half. Watching my place dwindle further out of the top 32 for the midwest. Tonight, loaded the tenth place ghost and then decided that he was too distracting. Laid out a 2:47.184. Putting me 14th for that track, and 25th for the region. Don't give up. That lap came about on the second restart.
 
^^^ Agreed with all. Just keep pushing man. It's all about seat time. Watch the top 10 ghosts and take in as much data as you can. Then piece by piece you will chip away time. Crossing over the barrier in to the 2:47's then 2:46's and 2'45's is each it's own stratosphere of performance. Practice practice practice.
 
Last night I had a goal of dropping 2 seconds off my time. I'm at 5:24.169 and need about 5:18.xxx to make it to round 2. I figured 2 seconds a night for the next few nights...but that didn't happen. I shaved .5 off my Tsukuba and got it down to 1:06.439 but that was pretty much a fluke because I kept running 1:06.8s the rest of the night. I'll keep trying but I think even if I did manage to make it there is no way I can compete with you guys in the next round.:indiff:

I guess I should be proud that I even managed to rank #341 in my region after only getting serious about the game a few weeks ago. I don't have the background of playing other GT games either. The last racing game I played regularly was NFS:Porsche about 6-7 years ago.

But what gets me is that people can put out better times with a game pad...really? I tried the pad for about a week before purchasing a DFGT. I was able to pass license tests (silvers) with the pad but I could never get into a rhythm with it.


well ive been using a pad for all gt games and ive managed to get 16th overall in my region. But im about to switch to g27 for round 2. Im somewhat faster with the pad still but i know ill be faster with a wheel
 
So far I stink on GT5 and making my transition from being a fairly fast controller user on Forza to a wheel on GT is not going anywhere near as easily as I'd imagined. But like others have said, it is really all about determination and practice. I just hope that I get the feel for using the wheel before the end of the first round. No delusions of winning the whole thing, but I'd like to atleast be able to say I advanced.
 
I took almost 2 seconds off Rome after 2 hours of practice last night. I was shooting for a 1:23 flat but had to settle with 1:23:387. That leaves with with 4 seconds to go. I'm going to tackle the Cape Ring tonight and hope I can piece together some good laps.

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Yeah, 4 seconds ain't gonna happen. I just spent an hour before work and I can barely match my best time. I've been watching some of the replays but the off-track stuff just looks so reckless on this track. Just a note, the traction control is a huge buzz kill. I forgot to turn it off at first. It severely limits your top speed through the sweeping right hander and the ring.
 
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I think I'm out of time also. Can't seem to be able to improve my Tsukuba and Rome times, and can't better a 48.6 on Cape Ring. 141 in the West right now. Only disappointed because with my 5.17.472 time, it would qualify in the other three regions as of now, but not in the west.
 
Well you're closer than me. I can only manage a 2:51.688 on Cape. I need a 2:48 flat to qualify. I've got 2-3 hours left tonight to figure it out...because I'm busy all tomorrow.
 
Closer or not, those who do not qualify for round 2 are just those who did not qualify for round 2. So we're in the same boat. Goodluck!
 
Well you're closer than me. I can only manage a 2:51.688 on Cape. I need a 2:48 flat to qualify. I've got 2-3 hours left tonight to figure it out...because I'm busy all tomorrow.

Try switching up your approach. Don't worry about trying to go off track to save time - besides the pit lane which could save you 1/2 second, the rest of the excursions are a couple tenths at most.

Try turning off the HUD entirely and run 10 consecutive laps. Do not restart for any reason whatsoever. Try to get in a rhythm. Focus on hitting your marks, not going fast - just try to brake at the same point each lap, get on the gas at the same point, and try to do it while getting smoother.

Run 1 hour straight at Cape. Then 30 minutes at Rome, 30 minutes at Tsukuba. Finish with laps at Cape.

...make sure TC is off BEFORE the laps :sly:

Good luck to you. :cheers:
 
You don't need to do any lawn mowing to get in the 47's. I agree with the other masshole that you need to change up the approach. You might be trying too hard and going into the corners a little too hard. In this game you can botch the entries and still get great exits and still end up with a reasonable time.

Don't ever get on the gas until you know you can keep on the gas through the rest of the corner. Getting on then off the throttle will kill your times.
 
I was about to make the same post. I haven't had enough seat time with the game to really cut down my Cape time. I'm still at 2:51.xx. I've got so much work going on and a trip. Damn :(. Oh well I can pony up get my playseat and enjoy the rest of the game now.
 
I got it down to 2:51.325 this afternoon but yeah, I don't think I'll shave off enough to make the cut. It's been a learning experience though and I'm excited to play the rest of the game and race with people online.
 
Ok, so last night I pulled off a 2:50. Aside from two turns, it's pretty much my best effort. I was nailing turn one all night but my fastest time turned out to be a botched turn 1, go figure, I know there's at least a few 10ths to be had there but I'm not sure how to speed up the rest of the run.

Can you guys watch and give me a few pointers. I know I'm not as fast through some sections but I just can't seem to get the tires to stick sometimes. Any help with my technique/approach would be helpful. I need to shave 2 seconds off to qualify for round 2. I know I'm pretty much out of time but I'd still like to learn.

 
Ok, so last night I pulled off a 2:50. Aside from two turns, it's pretty much my best effort. I was nailing turn one all night but my fastest time turned out to be a botched turn 1, go figure, I know there's at least a few 10ths to be had there but I'm not sure how to speed up the rest of the run.

Can you guys watch and give me a few pointers. I know I'm not as fast through some sections but I just can't seem to get the tires to stick sometimes. Any help with my technique/approach would be helpful. I need to shave 2 seconds off to qualify for round 2. I know I'm pretty much out of time but I'd still like to learn.



That sounded like Dave Spoon in the background.
 
As mentioned, getting solid exits is super key for lap time. Another thing, late braking yields faster times only to a point. If you start braking so late that you sacrifice your mid corner speed and therefore exit speed, then you're only losing time by braking that late. It's much better to brake a quarter of a second earlier, then use less brake pressure, nail your apex/throttle application and get a solid exit, than to brake a tenth of a second later, tires smoking, coming in sideways to miss the apex and not be able to get back to the throttle. With that in mind, here's some things that I would encourage taking a look at.

-Braking for turn one should be a little earlier so you don't blow the apex.
-Anticipate the rear of the car stepping out at T6, you could have saved a little time there
- Slower more progressive throttle application out of T8 driving all the way out to the exit curbing
- Stay to the right longer in T9, bring the car down to a later apex in T10, and then another late apex for T11. Once you get the line there worked out, it's just a matter of taking small steps in ramping up the speed.
- Using the same line, you could probably get on the throttle slightly earlier coming out of T14
- Be more patient with your throttle application in T17. Let the car take a set and really rotate through the slowest part of the corner. The more throttle you add, the more weight transfer you're causing to the rear tires, unloading the front, and the car will push all the way around. Be patient, let the car rotate, back to progressive throttle application.

Overall man, you've got a good foundation to work from, it's just practice, being smooth, and putting all the pieces together. I remember the first time I just barely broke into the 49's and thought, damn, I'm not sure if I'll be able to go any faster. Yesterday, I ran a 47.8 with only dipping two wheels off. If you keep focusing, trying, and believing, you will improve. hope this helped!

The Cheef
 
^^ brake earlier at T1, right before the yellow sign, a slight delay messes up the exit speed as you go wide, try to stick to the burm. Watch TRC_hunks instructional replay, its quite helpful, thanks to him taking his time to present it to us. If you nail T1, and at least repeat the rest of the lap, you should see yourself doing a high 2:48 !
 
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Thanks Cheef.
-Braking for turn one should be a little earlier so you don't blow the apex.
Absolutely. I was going faster than usual on the straight after nailing T25 on the previous lap so my typical braking point didn't leave enough time to slow down.
-Anticipate the rear of the car stepping out at T6, you could have saved a little time there
I have tons of trouble with this turn. I lose boat loads of time trying to take it slow but when I take it fast I can't seem to nail the apex and I burn up my tires if I miss it. I think I need something different to aim for.
- Slower more progressive throttle application out of T8 driving all the way out to the exit curbing
Yup, another mistake I made on this lap because the rear came loose on exit.
- Stay to the right longer in T9, bring the car down to a later apex in T10, and then another late apex for T11. Once you get the line there worked out, it's just a matter of taking small steps in ramping up the speed.
Hmm, I'll have to try this. This sequence scares the crap out of me and I usually over brake just before T11. In this lap I didn't and i went wide...but i still didn't clock a fast speed. I've seen others go much faster and I'm not sure how they keep the grip. Should I trail brake through T11?

- Using the same line, you could probably get on the throttle slightly earlier coming out of T14
At this point in the lap I am afraid of setting the tail loose (like I did on T8). Something to definitely work on though.
- Be more patient with your throttle application in T17. Let the car take a set and really rotate through the slowest part of the corner. The more throttle you add, the more weight transfer you're causing to the rear tires, unloading the front, and the car will push all the way around. Be patient, let the car rotate, back to progressive throttle application.
So on T8 I was overzealous, T14 I was conservative, and then T17 I was again a little overzealous. Something to work on.

It took me a while to put together this lap. There are so many places on the track that I simply hold my breath. Am I pushing the tires too far? If I enter turns slower, will I gain more on the exit? On the tight turns I am using quite a bit of steering input and I'm wondering if I need to improve trail braking to get the rear end to rotate.

One other thing I noticed after watching some replays. Guys who drive manual (I am driving automatic) upshift early in a few places...the places I typically lose traction during track-out. Will I be able to lay down a Sub-48 time with automatic? I could switch to paddle but I'd be starting at ground zero again.
 
If you nail T1, and at least repeat the rest of the lap, you should see yourself doing a high 2:48 !
You really think I lost a whole second? I was hitting this turn correctly almost all evening and was putting down 2:52s. I ran 5 or 6 more laps after this one because I knew I had to correct that turn before sharing...but I couldn't match my times around the rest of the course. Since this was my fastest lap, its the one that was saved. Quite sloppy I know...but for every turn I got wrong, I got something else right.

Typically when I start the evening I do about a 2:55 lap...then it takes 15 minutes to get down to 2:52. After that I start bouncing all over the place trying to find more speed. I hit this lap after about 2 hours.
 
Chuyler some things Ive noticed from watching that:

- Apexing way too early on turn 8
- Scrubing off too much speed at T11 (you want to barely hear your tires squealing)
- Might be slowing down too early at T13 but not sure.
- Braked only once in T15, but not sure how much that matters
- Braked way too early and way too hard at T16, brake at or before the apex and you should only be using the brakes to rotate the car a little, not to slow down.
- Your turn in at T20 ring is way too early, move out toward the curbing on the outside and turn in/brake at the end of the curbing.
- Your T21/T22 is pretty fast but you slow down way too much at T23, try to hold your speed in the high 90s between T23-24.
- Youre going in too hot into T25

Hope that helps at least a little, try doing the data logger too to see where you are lacking the most speed and work on those areas first
 
You really think I lost a whole second? I was hitting this turn correctly almost all evening and was putting down 2:52s. I ran 5 or 6 more laps after this one because I knew I had to correct that turn before sharing...but I couldn't match my times around the rest of the course. Since this was my fastest lap, its the one that was saved. Quite sloppy I know...but for every turn I got wrong, I got something else right.

Typically when I start the evening I do about a 2:55 lap...then it takes 15 minutes to get down to 2:52. After that I start bouncing all over the place trying to find more speed. I hit this lap after about 2 hours.

T1 exit speed is what you carry to the kink, so a full second gain is possible imo. Also the hairpin after the kink is very critical. I feel you will be running 2:49s and drop to 2:48s if you can concentrate for 2 days (3-4 20 min sessions per day).

Try it and you will see 👍
 
Make sure you're running more than 1 lap as well. Tires may not wear in the academy, but your tires aren't "warm" until turn 3 on your first lap.
Easiest way to tell is that by the end of your first lap your tire indicators will be pretty much white, whereas on lap one the backs are white but the fronts are blue ice which makes grip in turn 1 a little iffy.
 
Chuyler some things Ive noticed from watching that:

- Apexing way too early on turn 8
- Scrubing off too much speed at T11 (you want to barely hear your tires squealing)
- Might be slowing down too early at T13 but not sure.
- Braked only once in T15, but not sure how much that matters
- Braked way too early and way too hard at T16, brake at or before the apex and you should only be using the brakes to rotate the car a little, not to slow down.
- Your turn in at T20 ring is way too early, move out toward the curbing on the outside and turn in/brake at the end of the curbing.
- Your T21/T22 is pretty fast but you slow down way too much at T23, try to hold your speed in the high 90s between T23-24.
- Youre going in too hot into T25

Hope that helps at least a little, try doing the data logger too to see where you are lacking the most speed and work on those areas first
Thanks sean. These are great pointers. I'm not sure how to take T11 at high speed. I always seem to overshoot it, but I think the problem lies in my entry to T10. As for T23, I have trouble getting the car to turn in. When I run a good lap the last thing I want to do is botch one of the last turns so I over brake.
 
First of all, you aren't going to get better at car control by just having someone tell you what to do so I'm going to focus on changes to your line only.

Sector 1 - you are adding too much distance. You literally cannot see the proper apex on your screen for T1 when you are passing it. Same is true for T8. You begin tracking out way too early and totally miss the apex. The car starts to drift out in the blue, but you shouldn't even begin tracking out until the entire car is in the red paint, pointing up the track. Try to apex both of these turns at least 2/3 of the way around the curbing. You must be disciplined and patient with these turns.

Sector 2 - not bad, don't lift through the super long right. Just back up your braking before you enter the hairpin onto the inside straight.

Sector 3 - get down to those apexes on the triple right. Be disciplined enough to wait until the car gets down there. After the pit exit - same issue with distance. On that hairpin, you shouldn't be tracking out of that turn until the END of the blue paint.

Sector 4 - you turn in too early on the turn after the ring. Begin your turn-in at the "40" in the right lane, not before it. Get down to the inner curb on the next downhill left. On the last left hander be super disciplined and do NOT let the car drift out to the middle of the track - stay tight all the way around. This is incredibly important to properly line up the last turn.

Overall, 2 things - stay tighter around most of the turns and be more disciplined in waiting for a late apex before tracking out. You are too aggressive on the throttle, and the car drifts out adding distance and scrubbing speed as you fight the steering. Don't bother loading a top ghost, but download one and watch the replay. Don't look at speed or anything like that, just notice the line and how tight the car is around certain turns.
 

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