Pit entry penalties

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Whitey093

Whitey093

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Whitey093
I race in a league that enforces a mandatory pit stop to add a new dimension of strategy and i've noticed something. The game seems to give pit length penalties if you enter too fast or bump the wall. This can lead to cars coming out of the pits in a different order than they entered.

Does anybody know any details about how to enter the pit lane properly to avoid penalties or what the pit speed limit is? This element has changed the outcomes of races and can be frustrating.
 
I think it depends on the track. Some, like Sarthe do not have penalties. Daytona does and I always enter in 1st gear under 75 MPH although I have friends who enter much faster and say they do not get a penalty.

The best suggestion is to go into your lounge and practice pit stops on the tracks you will race.
 
I think most tracks have a limiter line on the entry area, But from What I have read the La Sarthe Layout has a - laissez-faire - atitude to enforcing the pit lane entry speed.

Could be worth Testing out and posting back results as you find them at each track.

Tsukuba you need to be off the trac and in the pit lane before the start of the final corner - You can't just cut into the pits at the last minute.

I think GVS (Grand Valley Speedway) is pretty robust, you can charge in full tilt and then the Arrestor hook will slow you down and the pitcrew (Choc Jocks) will set up fresh tyres and fuel.

I'd advise your league to run a test race at the next event and give the pit lane a bit of a shake down before you run the actual race.
 
It seems that most tracks have a speed limiter line that you must be down to the right speed by, but it is not where the computer takes control of your car. So you need to only be slow enough to let it slow down the rest of the way for you.

Some of them also force you to be going slow enough at entry to not "cheat" but some do let you get away with it. You have to go quite slow to get around the hairpin at Nürburgring, for example, and if you go too fast it will send you back out onto the track. Tsukuba is rather famous for requiring a proper entry as well. You can indeed hit Grand Valley's pits at full speed, at least in a car that isn't super-fast.

I had to almost stop to get it to actually service my car at a Toscana created track last night. Not a good thing since the AI drove 140mph right past the pit lane entry right on that side of the road. Rather hilarious watching all of the damaged AI cars go in too fast and then drive right back out without getting repaired.

I know you can get held in the pits for speeding over that limiter line at Deep Forest as well as Daytona and Indy. I've read that the actual limit of what speed you can get away with at the ovals varies based on your pit position - if you have one of the first pits you need to slow down more.

You can also be held up if a car is coming behind you as you try to leave the pit stall. Not a penalty, just the autodrive waits to avoid an unsafe release.

That's about all I know for sure about it, there's probably more info in a thread somewhere around here.
 
Thanks for the insights. I will be testing this throughout the week, but it is an arduous thing to test and get solid information on. It can be hard to tell when you're being penalized and by how much.

This could be a serious edge, though, if someone can fully understand how to exactly enter the pits and at what speed. Any conclusions i come to will be posted in this thread.
 
Mid Tsukuba 4 hours - and puleld my only stop... well almost, I must have been too fast as tthe PS3 took over, then spat me out of th epit lane over the grass into the final corner. I made to rejoin the pits anyho, but just had a auto drive through.

I managed to get a proper pits stop, by really slowing down before the final corner before the Autopilot takes over.


Not really confirming anything here - no speed but better safe than sorry - and the autopilot will speed your car back up to the pit lane speed limit.

L 108 P01
BOX NOW...
I MEAN
RIGHT NOW
 
I've tested many tracks.

Most tracks:
All you have to do is have the brakes ON (no matter what speed) before you get into the pits, even if it at the absolute last second, you are fine.
If you are going 200 mph and you begin to brake at the absolute last moment down to 199 mph, you won't get a penalty because you had the brakes on. This is just to have the fastest pitstop, it is very risky though because if you miss the brakes before entering the pit, you will get a penalty so timing is important.
This works for most tracks, but not Daytona where you need to brake down to like 70mph.
And Sarthe where you don't need to brake at all, you can fly right in through the sand no problem.
 
Last edited:
Whitey093
I race in a league that enforces a mandatory pit stop to add a new dimension of strategy and i've noticed something. The game seems to give pit length penalties if you enter too fast or bump the wall. This can lead to cars coming out of the pits in a different order than they entered.

Does anybody know any details about how to enter the pit lane properly to avoid penalties or what the pit speed limit is? This element has changed the outcomes of races and can be frustrating.
Click to expand...

Just a thought, but what about hitting pause right as you hit pit lane?
Wouldn't that take care of the problem?
 
^maybe. I'm really just looking for information on how the pit stops work though so i can drive it in myself correctly, not using auto drive.

I wish there was a line in the pavement showing where the ai takes over and maybe a visible sign showing pit speed limit. That way you know what speed to be at and where.

It is very hard to learn all the intricacies of each track's pit lane and remember them. Wouldn't be asking too much to have some visual cues to help people.
 
Whitey093
^maybe. I'm really just looking for information on how the pit stops work though so i can drive it in myself correctly, not using auto drive.

I wish there was a line in the pavement showing where the ai takes over and maybe a visible sign showing pit speed limit. That way you know what speed to be at and where.

It is very hard to learn all the intricacies of each track's pit lane and remember them. Wouldn't be asking too much to have some visual cues to help people.
Click to expand...

I already answered that..
Test yourself where that imaginary line is when the A.I takes over.
There is no speed limit except at Daytona and a few other tracks (Like Laguna Seca and Spa)
as long as you are braking before that imaginary line, no matter what speed you are, you are fine and you will get the fastest pitstop. You don't have to put yourself at the right speed because once you get into the pit, the A.I will brake your car by itself to the speed limit.
All you have to worry about is making sure the square button is being pressed before you enter the pits. If you enter the pits without braking, it will reset you and will remain in the pits for five seconds longer. So thats the risk you run trying to brake at the precise moment.
 
After testing in an online lobby, i can rule out hitting pause while entering pits. It unsettled my car and veered it straight into the pit wall upon the cpu taking over.

You couldn't hit it sooner either cause we are all separated by tenths of a second after even ten laps. Every tenth of a second means something onto pit lane.

Tried testing pit entry techniques offline but it is a long a tedius process and hard to determine the difference between stops.

This is driving me nuts! Why do i lose time, and sometimes get passed, in the pits?
 
The speed limit for the pits is different for almost every car and for every track. If you are using a light car with high downforce and grippy tyres, you will be able to enter quickly, as the autodrive once you enter the pits is able to slow the car down quickly. If you are using a heavy car with no downforce and less grippy tyres, you will have to enter slower because the autodrive can't slow the car down as quickly. These examples are the two extremes, but help get the point across. Basically less weight, better tyres, and more downforce will all allow a faster pit entry speed.

To test this yourself I'd suggest using something like an F1 car, X2010/2011, or FGT (add full downforce to whatever you use of these), and comparing it with NASCAR (lower the aero all the way).

For the various online series I race in, I make sure I test to find the speed limit for that particular car at that particular track. I then lower the limit by 5-10mph in my head, because worn tyres don't slow you down as fast as fresh tyres that I test with.

I'm usually the guy that enters the pits the quickest (or one of the quickest) due to this, and can gain ground or positions in the pits.
 
Usually I will check the track ahead of time to see which gear the car will be in when entering and the AI takes over. Then, during the race I will brake and slow to that gear/speed. I might lose a little bit of time doing that, but it saves time over having the game reset you back to the entrance (happens a lot) or holding you in your stall.

I don't believe there is a set "pit lane speed".
 
ive seen mixed stories about the pit at daytona oval

i race there with nascars quite a bit

and i can hit that pit road full blast without penalty
but you have to stay within the white and yellow line to the right
 

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