Lap times

  • Thread starter razzzpkr
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razzzpkr

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Romania
Romania
Hello
This is not a rant I just some tips how to improve. I got into sim racing a few weeks ago. I am dr d with sr s...i was dr c at one point. I can only do 2-3 seconds off top 10 times. Yesterday i suzuka i dat 2.16...so more than 3 seconds of their time. I follow their line...it seems that I do everything like they do (watched some.youtube vids) but I can't go close to their time.

Any tips are apreciiated. I USE t150 and t3pa pro
 
You can't expect to be on the same level in a few weeks as to people that have probably been actively playing sim racers for years.

I'm pretty new to racing games too. But I do notice big improvements the more I play. So just keep playing and you will continue to improve
but these things take time.
 
I'm not the fastest guy in the world, but one thing that I learned which is always associated with fast times is smooth driving. It looks slow, but believe me it's almost always faster. Try to be as smooth as possible and don't disrupt the grip of your car too much. After you work on that you can then set visual cues for braking. If you check youtube videos, try to look at exit speed and figure out why the fast guys are already at 100MPH and you're at 90MPH at the same point.

You don't have to copy the best times, different drivers have different styles of driving. Learn more about yourself and then figure out what works for you the best.
 
The key to running fast laps is exit speed… the faster you get out of a corner, the more speed you carry along the next straight.

The key to getting a fast exit is minimising the amount of steering angle you are carrying at the apex… less steering angle allows you to use more throttle. When you push the front too hard you create understeer, which makes you slower and means you have to apply more lock to get round the corner… so you need to think about how much steering angle you’re using.

Try and ‘feel’ for the grip through the wheel, and by listening to how loud your tyre noise is.
 
Well I'm no expert but personally I always improve a lot by doing time trial and driving vs my own ghost.
And like Stotty says key is exit speed. Tryout different driving lines sometimes braking earlier or taking the apex later means you have a better exit speed.
 
Yes...I try to do this. I think on smoothness i have to work. I uoset thecar sometimes by brakaking late and trying to go faster. I try to go mkre slowly into the corner maybe it will improve my times

Thx Pete...I love racing..did not know i had this thing in me.I was just worried that this thing is not for me
 
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Buy the book “Going Faster”. Read and understand that and it might help.

Some people are naturally fast, some learn it over time, some (most) will never get close to the top times.
 
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Yeah...I want to think that I will get there sometime. Quiting is not a thing for.me and being average in something also is not. I think for 2 months of racing being 2-3 seconda of.top could be a great thing..maybe I am wrong
 
razzzpkr
Yeah...I want to think that I will get there sometime. Quiting is not a thing for.me and being average in something also is not. I think for 2 months of racing being 2-3 seconda of.top could be a great thing..maybe I am wrong
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If you're 2-3s off the top qualifying times regionally in the daily races you're doing pretty good. The fastest guys (aliens) are in a completely different league.

That sort of pace will allow you to compete pretty well on line - maybe not with DR A's and the top end of DR , but as people run more races and the driving rating settle down, you'll be fine.
 
i am on pretty the same stage as you are, looking at the top times .... and squeeeezing my laps as much as i can ... sometimes is frustrating but i'm confident that with practice i could get closer to the best lap times ...

something that i'm working on is .. to always look as far as i can ... i read it in a book some time ago ... so when i'm at a straight lane i'm looking at the braking point, but when i'm reaching braking point, i'm looking at the apex, when i'm on the apex i'm looking at the exit point and so on ...

it might sound stupid, but believe me, when you use it,you feel faster and more comfy with the car ..

I try to always have that in mind, because when I forget it, I realize that I'm looking just 2 meters ahead of the car, and that is wrong.

i do not know what the fast guys think about it .. but that's my novice advice ... hope to be helpful
 
razzzpkr
Other question. How do you become an alien? Years of practice or it is something that you have naturally?
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Both... or either!

You won't get fast without the talent, but most people don't jump in and are immediately alien fast.
 
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General observation, the last couple of seconds are the toughest to find, you will be doing everything well, understand the racing line etc. It is then about being a tenth or two faster in every corner in the lap.

That small chunk per corner soon builds over the whole lap.

Racing requires consistency over the distance, mistakes cost time and lots of it, not making mistakes is the first goal to achieve and will save you the most time over a race distance.
 
Yes I know this. Even though I qualify10th I finish much hugher by being consisntent and push only 90% in a race. I just want to improve my pace in general
 
the problem is that right now, if you qualify from mid to lower grid position, is hard to be consistent because of the destruction derby that is normally seen down there. sometimes even qualifying at top grid positions if you slip a little bit, the angry horde comes at you, and in a second you are 12th... lol

that's why is critical to have better lap times...
 
Agree but I tend to be defensive and so far I manage to avoid crasgers with few exceptions. After i got sr s things got better though
 
razzzpkr
Yeah but it us hard to undertstand what I do wrong...following the same line as they are
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It is not only the line that matters. Setup and driving assists make a difference too. Somewhere they maybe slide a bit or brake different or use more/less acceleration. I think the ghost helps a lot. When you keep lapping and analyze in every corner if you were faster or slower. You will notice, when you drive constant and the same line there will be sometimes a huge difference just because you hit the pedal 0,05 sec earlier or later. Some circuits have bumps and there you may be 0,2 sec faster in 1 corner when taking the line just a bit different than before.
Me also i dont get how people set the hilarious top times sometimes. But i manage to come 2 sec close mostly.
I also like to train the circuits in the campagne. Where you can go sector after sector and compare with friends and improve it.
 
I do circuit experience also...well I.will just keep on practicing. Hope they gibe some.weekly events.too. i like weekly events also. Maybe I will play Iracing more...on pc.you have tools to analyze your laps
 
Exit speed. It's all about the best line and early acceleration. And you have to try to shave off small amounts of time in each and every corner. Think about it: 0.1 times faster in a corner seems like a small deal, but if you make it in 10 corners then that's a whole second gained.
 
graveltrap
Racing requires consistency over the distance, mistakes cost time and lots of it, not making mistakes is the first goal to achieve and will save you the most time over a race distance.
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This. If you're within 2-3 seconds of the top times, that's honestly good enough, especially considering your level. If you can push harder, great. Go for it. But I would recommend first focusing on consistency. Can you drive like that every lap or are you on the edge of losing control?

I've been in a lot of races where the guy(s) that qualified much faster than I did sometimes appear to have no idea how they did so, as they are unable to drive competently during a race.

Again, that's not to say you shouldn't try to go faster- sometimes you'll find something that also makes you more consistent. For reference, I've been playing all sorts of sims for about 18 years and even I can only get to within 1-2 seconds of the top 10.
 
Carry more speed into the corners, try different lines, be smooth, try different break balances and points, try different setups, play without Traction control, up shift early when needed...in other words Practice, practice and practice would be my advise.
Every one of us has different driving styles...have been around since GT1 here.
 
If youre within 2-3 seconds of top10 with a few weeks of experience i'd say you have some natural speed, thats not a bad starting point. Try reading or watching some stuff about driving to give you a better understanding of what is actually happening. Things that look basic but are important to understand well like understeer/oversteer, the shifting of weight of the car and how that effects traction, how to apply brake and accelerator for max usage and speed, how to trailbrake into a corner, shortshifting, maximising exit speeds on to straights etc. Once you get to understand better and get some more practice you probably wil get even closer. But those last 1-2 seconds are hardest to gain. Then youre up against sheer dedication, great talent or loads of experience or a mix of these 3. I play sims for 8 years and i am about 1-1.5 of WR.
 
More...in meaning...for example now at interlagos gr 4 I have 1 45 with ease....probably in one hour i will have 1 44 then I will plateau and my race pace will be a 1 45
 
The first Gran Turismo had two booklets, one about the game, the other was a driving manual... one line I've never forgotten is "it is more important to go fast in the fast parts than it is to go fast in the slow parts." They really should include a PDF copy for everyone.

If you have become consistent in your lap times with a given car & track combo, turn off assists. For example, ASM is worth at least 0.2 seconds per lap on the shortest of ovals.
 

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