Very detailed driving techniques questions in ACPS4

[FSportIS]

Hi, a bit background of myself. I have done autocross and time trial in real life. I have played GT6, Project Cars (PC) and recently bought Assetto Corsa (AC) because of my friend ALB123 high recommendation and because of many good answers from you guys from another thread.

In AC, I drive with T300, T3PA, Ferrari Alcantara wheel with no assist. My driving style is braking with left foot with a lot of trail braking especially on slow corners. ABS on or off in AC pretty much feels the same to me. After driving for couple days particularly with GT3 cars around SPA and Nurburgring, I have the following very detailed questions.

I would appreciate your time helping me out and look forward very detailed and technical answers as well.

1. Brake. I can't brake 100% pressure because that will 100% lock up my wheel. What works for me is that I have to brake around 80% initially and as speed reduces, I have to also reduce the pressure from 80% to 70%, 60% etc to 0% and get back on throttle. What I mean is the braking modulation is dependent on speed which is very similar to my actual autocross/racing in real life. However, because of this realism, I no longer can brake on the limit easily like I do in PC and hence, I need longer braking distance which affects my time. How do you brake at the limit in AC??

2. Shifting. I don't know why AC would not allow me do engine braking. In PC, I can downshift very quickly and that gives me additional braking power from the engine. In AC, if I downshift too fast, the shift will not register. Therefore, I lose this benefit and hence I need longer braking distance. In this regard, I would say PC is more accurate because in real life in my Lexus IS350, I can downshift as quickly as I want even though doing too quickly could hurt the engine. How do you do engine brake in AC??

3. Tire temperature. In AC, my tire always start out at optimum temp because of the tire blanket? However, when I start driving, the tires turn blue and well I immediately can feel less grip. The grip I feel through my wheel is a lot than even the cold tires in PC. No matter how many laps I run, the tires seem to remain blue and not green. How do you keep the tires green at the optimum temperature??

4. Spin recovery. I feel like the spinning happens way too quick. There is so little time for reaction. Particularly on Nurburgring, I notice I can easily spin out if I downshift with just a little bit of turning, the rear get loose and even with counter steering and a bit of throttle, I can't recover the car. Another spinning is that if i go over the kerbs, even on 70% throttle, I will spin out instantly. Another instance will be the carosol in Nurburgring (the very slow, long and circular corner), I spin out in this one the most. The only way to drive through this is running at 2nd gear at super slow speed 35 MPH and even so I have to brake and throttle at the same time to keep the car balance and on the exit, I have to slowly put in the gas. Would you give me some tips on how to deal with all 3 situations above?

5. 1st and 2nd gear. In first gear, it starts out super slow even if I put the throttle at 100% but suddenly it goes red quickly and if I don't shift fast enough, I can spin out even on straight. It is very similar in 2nd gear but happens slower. How do you manage these 2 gears properly??

6. Race start. In real life and in PC, I usually put in 1st gear, step on 20% throttle for 2000 RPM or so while 100% on brake, when light goes green, i release the brake and go full throttle. This technique will give me the best launch because the RPM will be high and there is no delay between switching from brake to throttle which is the benefit of left foot braking. However, in AC, it is always start at neutral. How do you make a good launch??

7. Is there a timing bug in AC?? How can I be so much slower in AC than in PC using same car, same track. I know that my braking distance is a bit longer but that doesn't contribute to 7 seconds in SPA and 24 seconds slower in Nurburgring. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[Cote Dazur]

@FSportIS if you were to drive the Lexus IS350 in AC, you would be able to downshift the same way the real car does, as from your report the car does not have a protection for your engine to downshift at very high revs.
If AC has that feature on the car you are driving in AC it is because it is also there on the real model.

To your questions, I have a very simple answer, since you find PCars more accurate in relation to your own experience than AC, and since you have PCars, just drive PCars!
Alb123 recommended AC, the same as I would have, over PCars for a closer to real life driving experience. You find PCARS braking, handling ( spin Recovery), shifting more like the real thing than in AC, good for you, you are blessed.
Their is nothing I can or any one else can say that will make your findings untrue to you. just enjoy your favorite SIM.
Bonus, you are faster in PCars, isn"t life great or what?

 

[FSportIS]

Hi Cote, thank you for jumping in first. I want to make it crystal clear that this thread is not about saying PC or AC is better. This thread is about driving techniques and I would look forward learning how you drive at the limit.

Also, from my honest opinion, to avoid confusion or unnecessary argument, I want to emphasize that AC feels more natural and physics feel more realistic to me than any other game so far.

 

[Cote Dazur]

@FSportIS, fair enough, then those are my experience in AC

1. when I brake at 100% with ABS my wheels do not lock, without ABS, at high speed same, but need to release pressure ( I have load cell) to avoid locking when speed drops, on some older car vintage tire, I can lock the tire while braking to hard, if road grip is less then braking becomes harder to modulate. controlling braking without g forces will always be tricky on a SIM.
2. shifting down will apply engine brake force, try the lotus 49 or the Ford escort, pretty nasty if you don't match rev.
3. I do not drive aggressively, so very often my tires do not get to green, using a softer compound on a hotter track surface and playing with pressure can make tires easier to heat up, but also to over heat, I never drove a car that would tell me the heat of the tires in real life, so I am not using any heat indicator when I drive. Tyre pressure yes.
4. Spin recovery is very easy if you pay attention to weigth transfer, which is very nice to feel in AC FFB if said FFB is not saturating and you are paying attention, but like IRL, if you start to react too late and/or too violently, you are done.
5. In some cars even in a straight you can spin when accelerating too hard, try it in the snow if like me you do not have driven monsters IRL
6. press accelerator all the way and either engage first on paddles or release clutch on H gate.
7. My bet is that time in AC are more representative, but that is just my opinion, matching circumstances to have Real live vs any game as so much variable that I would not loose sleep over it and drive the one that makes me feel the better immersion.

 

[RacingManiac]

1)Tire locking up always been an issue for me in racing games in general, from EA's F1 games to rFactor to pCars. Most games though have ability to dial back brake pressure which can effectively curb locking. AC didn't have it until probably a few updates ago. As far as if that limits your ability to brake, I can't say, but the lack of real good feedback in video game to gauge locking always forces me to do that. For cars that I run without ABS I usually have pressure down to 88-90%. Some cars seems fine vs others without dialing it down, probably has to do with the hardware sizing vs tire grip modeled in the game. GT3 cars IRL have ABS, so I generally use that when I drive GT3 cars.

2)Definitely kinda annoying on this. AC models cars downshift protection and it seems to vary by cars also. Production road car with paddle shifters seems to be way more intrusive than racing cars. There are definitely times where if it did downshift the car will over-rev. But I've definitely had times where the revs a low enough it still does not register a shift.

3) Tire blanket will start the car with warm tire. I think even then the first lap is still not really optimum in my experience. The cold tire drop-off is not as drastic as pCars though.

4) I can't say this is what I've found. I think its much easier to catch a loose car in this game than anything I've played in the last few years.

5) Can't say I relate to this. But in most cases I've rarely used 1st.

6) Neutral drop is the only way to start a car with paddle shifter in this game...kinda dumb especially with race cars with actual use of foot clutch. Also lack of rolling start does not help...

7) Tire grip level is probably pretty different in different games. I am definitely slower in GT3 cars in AC than I am in pCars.

 

[FSportIS]

Thank you Cote and RacingManiac for your insightful information. I have additional questions.

@Cote Dazur , I can feel understeer very obviously and I can fix that easily with a bit of lift on throttle or tap on the brake. However, I don't feel much on the oversteer. The only clue I see is visual but by then, it will be too late. Could you describe the FFB for oversteering? Also, how would you react to oversteer? I would assume counter steer? Usually by how much rotation and how quick do you do you counter steer? Do you also tap the throttle a bit while releasing the brake?

@RacingManiac Your experience regarding braking seems very similar to mine. For long a hard braking, if you keep your pressure at 90%, I also notice the "tire" making some sound, do you release the brake to like 50% at that time to avoid locking?

It also seems to me that ABS does help but doesn't help a lot if we keep the brake pressure at 90% all the way. Do you have to ease out the brake as speed reduces?

When you mentioned "rarely used 1st [gear]", you meant you jump into 2nd gear immediately.

I agree with you on 6. They should make an option to let people start at 1st gear with full brake on so the car doesn't get false start. 1st gear start seems more natural to me.

How much slower are you in GT3 cars in AC than PC on tracks such as Spa and Nurburgring? Do you happen to have similar gap like my case?

 

[Orayani]

@FSportIS, fair enough, then those are my experience in AC

1. when I brake at 100% with ABS my wheels do not lock, without ABS, at high speed same, but need to release pressure ( I have load cell) to avoid locking when speed drops, on some older car vintage tire, I can lock the tire while braking to hard, if road grip is less then braking becomes harder to modulate. controlling braking without g forces will always be tricky on a SIM.
2. shifting down will apply engine brake force, try the lotus 49 or the Ford escort, pretty nasty if you don't match rev.
3. I do not drive aggressively, so very often my tires do not get to green, using a softer compound on a hotter track surface and playing with pressure can make tires easier to heat up, but also to over heat, I never drove a car that would tell me the heat of the tires in real life, so I am not using any heat indicator when I drive. Tyre pressure yes.
4. Spin recovery is very easy if you pay attention to weigth transfer, which is very nice to feel in AC FFB if said FFB is not saturating and you are paying attention, but like IRL, if you start to react too late and/or too violently, you are done.
5. In some cars even in a straight you can spin when accelerating too hard, try it in the snow if like me you do not have driven monsters IRL
6. press accelerator all the way and either engage first on paddles or release clutch on H gate.
7. My bet is that time in AC are more representative, but that is just my opinion, matching circumstances to have Real live vs any game as so much variable that I would not loose sleep over it and drive the one that makes me feel the better immersion.

Ugly cars but what a blast they are to drive!

I too suffer the cold tyre problems. Cannot get them to go green unless in super fast chicanes but drop back to blue before the corner. Even with ABS factory or 1 - whatever the setting is for the car. Couldn't even get the Escort tyres to stay green for long.

Real shame Vallelunga isn't in PCARS.

 

[FPV MIC]

@FSportIS, fair enough, then those are my experience in AC

1. when I brake at 100% with ABS my wheels do not lock, without ABS, at high speed same, but need to release pressure ( I have load cell) to avoid locking when speed drops, on some older car vintage tire, I can lock the tire while braking to hard, if road grip is less then braking becomes harder to modulate. controlling braking without g forces will always be tricky on a SIM.
2. shifting down will apply engine brake force, try the lotus 49 or the Ford escort, pretty nasty if you don't match rev.
3. I do not drive aggressively, so very often my tires do not get to green, using a softer compound on a hotter track surface and playing with pressure can make tires easier to heat up, but also to over heat, I never drove a car that would tell me the heat of the tires in real life, so I am not using any heat indicator when I drive. Tyre pressure yes.
4. Spin recovery is very easy if you pay attention to weigth transfer, which is very nice to feel in AC FFB if said FFB is not saturating and you are paying attention, but like IRL, if you start to react too late and/or too violently, you are done.
5. In some cars even in a straight you can spin when accelerating too hard, try it in the snow if like me you do not have driven monsters IRL
6. press accelerator all the way and either engage first on paddles or release clutch on H gate.
7. My bet is that time in AC are more representative, but that is just my opinion, matching circumstances to have Real live vs any game as so much variable that I would not loose sleep over it and drive the one that makes me feel the better immersion.

Quick question, are you on PC or PS4? Just asking because they really are two completely different games, what works on PC doesn't necessarily work on console.

 

[TT92]

I too am on PS4 and come from GT5/6 and PCARS and pretty well know exactly what you are on about so here goes. BTW it would make things easier if you mentioned exactly what cars you were discussing.

1) On old cars with cold tyres you need to be *very* careful. Escort and Porsche 911 RSR spring to mind immediately. Get the tyres to operating temp ASAP and try changing the F-R brake balance. I have won a lot of online races with these cars because the whole field can't get through the first corner. In the rear vision mirror it's like watching 10 pin bowling :-))

2) Yep. Downshifting on some cars is a bug introduced with Patch 1.09 (from memory). It is a PITA >:-(

3) To keep the tyres at optimum temps you either 1) drive more aggressively or 2) lower tyre pressures Note: they do not have to be even all the way round. Of course a combination of both is what will actually happen ;-)

4) Again, look at brake balance F-R. Use more front bias to stop this happening, have tyres at optimum temp and don't trail brake so hard into the corner. Also *STAY OFF THE KERBS!!!* Some you can run a lot you can't. The Karousel is tricky, my suggestion is keep practising ;-) It will be better once you have looked at these suggestions and and adapt your driving style.

5) Turn *ON* automatic clutch in settings or ride the clutch in Real Life. I prefer to ride the clutch.

6) This is one of my gripes with this game too. I also would like to be able to start in a higher gear as well. The only way to start (using paddles only) is to rev it up and when the lights go out dump it into gear and control wheel spin with the throttle. This needs fixing!

7) No timing bug but different tyre models and grip levels. To me it seems more real. Also as you get more used to how this game behaves you will get quicker ;-)

Any more questions just fire away.

 

[FSportIS]

Hi @TT92 , wow look like you can read my mind haha. You are spot on a lot of points. Thank you!

I generally drive super cars and GT3 cars and my favorite are McClaren 12C GT3 and Nissan GTR GT3 on Spa and Nurburgring.

I currently drive all cars on default settings. What brake bias should I change to? Too much front bias induces locking up front wheel while too much rear bias creates oversteer under braking .

I have tried turning on/off automatic clutch and automatic blip. With both on, it does help a bit but not a whole lot. 1st gear still starts out super slow and then suddenly jumps to red zone so quickly and if I don't shift fast enough, I spin out instantly even on straight. This usually ruins my race: Either I spin out on 1st gear starting out or I start out very carefully (50% throttle), shift to 2nd carefully and falls all the way back. This 1st gear issue is the most frustrating part to me. Do you go full throttle at 1st gear and early shift to 2nd?? How do you launch properly?

 

[Cote Dazur]

Thank you Cote and RacingManiac for your insightful information. I have additional questions.

@Cote Dazur , I can feel understeer very obviously and I can fix that easily with a bit of lift on throttle or tap on the brake. However, I don't feel much on the oversteer. The only clue I see is visual but by then, it will be too late. Could you describe the FFB for oversteering? Also, how would you react to oversteer? I would assume counter steer? Usually by how much rotation and how quick do you do you counter steer? Do you also tap the throttle a bit while releasing the brake?

@RacingManiac Your experience regarding braking seems very similar to mine. For long a hard braking, if you keep your pressure at 90%, I also notice the "tire" making some sound, do you release the brake to like 50% at that time to avoid locking?

It also seems to me that ABS does help but doesn't help a lot if we keep the brake pressure at 90% all the way. Do you have to ease out the brake as speed reduces?

When you mentioned "rarely used 1st [gear]", you meant you jump into 2nd gear immediately.

I agree with you on 6. They should make an option to let people start at 1st gear with full brake on so the car doesn't get false start. 1st gear start seems more natural to me.

How much slower are you in GT3 cars in AC than PC on tracks such as Spa and Nurburgring? Do you happen to have similar gap like my case?

Yes counter steer with either lifting or slight acceleration depending on the car and/or situation.

Quick question, are you on PC or PS4? Just asking because they really are two completely different games, what works on PC doesn't necessarily work on console.

PC

 

[RacingManiac]

Thank you Cote and RacingManiac for your insightful information. I have additional questions.

@Cote Dazur , I can feel understeer very obviously and I can fix that easily with a bit of lift on throttle or tap on the brake. However, I don't feel much on the oversteer. The only clue I see is visual but by then, it will be too late. Could you describe the FFB for oversteering? Also, how would you react to oversteer? I would assume counter steer? Usually by how much rotation and how quick do you do you counter steer? Do you also tap the throttle a bit while releasing the brake?

@RacingManiac Your experience regarding braking seems very similar to mine. For long a hard braking, if you keep your pressure at 90%, I also notice the "tire" making some sound, do you release the brake to like 50% at that time to avoid locking?

It also seems to me that ABS does help but doesn't help a lot if we keep the brake pressure at 90% all the way. Do you have to ease out the brake as speed reduces?

When you mentioned "rarely used 1st [gear]", you meant you jump into 2nd gear immediately.

I agree with you on 6. They should make an option to let people start at 1st gear with full brake on so the car doesn't get false start. 1st gear start seems more natural to me.

How much slower are you in GT3 cars in AC than PC on tracks such as Spa and Nurburgring? Do you happen to have similar gap like my case?

You can feel the tires locking in the wheel, usually the feedback goes to null or drops off significantly when the front locks up. When I drive without ABS thats the most obvious sign, along with the noise. But on warm tires with slicks that doesn't happen very often, especially if you have the brake pressure dialed down. I usually tune the pressure so that at my max effort braking I am just locking up the tires at the hardest braking zone on the track. If I am not doing that I increase the pressure and if I am locking up too early I dial it back. Maz brake pressure /= max brake capability, since the latter is a function of your grip level. Most car should be able to over power their grip. I just make it so that its not over it too much.

If I am using ABS I keep it 100% pressure and let the ABS do the work. Also in racing cars with ABS setting form like 1-11, 1 is most ABS and 11 being the least. You can play with that setting as the tire wears, warms up or fuel burns.

1st gear for me is usually only used from setting off, unless its the tightest hairpin I usually don't use it at all.

At Silverstone GP I think I am like 2-3 sec slower in AC vs pCars in GT3 cars. Haven't really run a detailed comparison but low 2:0x is pretty common and most GT3s I'm in mid-2:0x in AC.

 

[FPV MIC]

PC

You can feel the tires locking in the wheel, usually the feedback goes to null or drops off significantly when the front locks up. When I drive without ABS thats the most obvious sign, along with the noise. But on warm tires with slicks that doesn't happen very often, especially if you have the brake pressure dialed down. I usually tune the pressure so that at my max effort braking I am just locking up the tires at the hardest braking zone on the track. If I am not doing that I increase the pressure and if I am locking up too early I dial it back. Maz brake pressure /= max brake capability, since the latter is a function of your grip level. Most car should be able to over power their grip. I just make it so that its not over it too much.

If I am using ABS I keep it 100% pressure and let the ABS do the work. Also in racing cars with ABS setting form like 1-11, 1 is most ABS and 11 being the least. You can play with that setting as the tire wears, warms up or fuel burns.

1st gear for me is usually only used from setting off, unless its the tightest hairpin I usually don't use it at all.

At Silverstone GP I think I am like 2-3 sec slower in AC vs pCars in GT3 cars. Haven't really run a detailed comparison but low 2:0x is pretty common and most GT3s I'm in mid-2:0x in AC.

I appreciate that you guys are trying to help but a lot of PC things just don't translate at all to the console versions, eg. we cannot adjust ABS brake pressure, it's On/Off/Factory only and also we have no pedal calibration, we also have different bugs for deceleration. Hopefully we will be at or about the same amount of features that you have one day.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Hi, a bit background of myself. I have done autocross and time trial in real life. I have played GT6, Project Cars (PC) and recently bought Assetto Corsa (AC) because of my friend ALB123 high recommendation and because of many good answers from you guys from another thread.

In AC, I drive with T300, T3PA, Ferrari Alcantara wheel with no assist. My driving style is braking with left foot with a lot of trail braking especially on slow corners. ABS on or off in AC pretty much feels the same to me. After driving for couple days particularly with GT3 cars around SPA and Nurburgring, I have the following very detailed questions.

I would appreciate your time helping me out and look forward very detailed and technical answers as well.

1. Brake. I can't brake 100% pressure because that will 100% lock up my wheel. What works for me is that I have to brake around 80% initially and as speed reduces, I have to also reduce the pressure from 80% to 70%, 60% etc to 0% and get back on throttle. What I mean is the braking modulation is dependent on speed which is very similar to my actual autocross/racing in real life. However, because of this realism, I no longer can brake on the limit easily like I do in PC and hence, I need longer braking distance which affects my time. How do you brake at the limit in AC??

2. Shifting. I don't know why AC would not allow me do engine braking. In PC, I can downshift very quickly and that gives me additional braking power from the engine. In AC, if I downshift too fast, the shift will not register. Therefore, I lose this benefit and hence I need longer braking distance. In this regard, I would say PC is more accurate because in real life in my Lexus IS350, I can downshift as quickly as I want even though doing too quickly could hurt the engine. How do you do engine brake in AC??

3. Tire temperature. In AC, my tire always start out at optimum temp because of the tire blanket? However, when I start driving, the tires turn blue and well I immediately can feel less grip. The grip I feel through my wheel is a lot than even the cold tires in PC. No matter how many laps I run, the tires seem to remain blue and not green. How do you keep the tires green at the optimum temperature??

4. Spin recovery. I feel like the spinning happens way too quick. There is so little time for reaction. Particularly on Nurburgring, I notice I can easily spin out if I downshift with just a little bit of turning, the rear get loose and even with counter steering and a bit of throttle, I can't recover the car. Another spinning is that if i go over the kerbs, even on 70% throttle, I will spin out instantly. Another instance will be the carosol in Nurburgring (the very slow, long and circular corner), I spin out in this one the most. The only way to drive through this is running at 2nd gear at super slow speed 35 MPH and even so I have to brake and throttle at the same time to keep the car balance and on the exit, I have to slowly put in the gas. Would you give me some tips on how to deal with all 3 situations above?

5. 1st and 2nd gear. In first gear, it starts out super slow even if I put the throttle at 100% but suddenly it goes red quickly and if I don't shift fast enough, I can spin out even on straight. It is very similar in 2nd gear but happens slower. How do you manage these 2 gears properly??

6. Race start. In real life and in PC, I usually put in 1st gear, step on 20% throttle for 2000 RPM or so while 100% on brake, when light goes green, i release the brake and go full throttle. This technique will give me the best launch because the RPM will be high and there is no delay between switching from brake to throttle which is the benefit of left foot braking. However, in AC, it is always start at neutral. How do you make a good launch??

7. Is there a timing bug in AC?? How can I be so much slower in AC than in PC using same car, same track. I know that my braking distance is a bit longer but that doesn't contribute to 7 seconds in SPA and 24 seconds slower in Nurburgring. It just doesn't make sense.

Don't compare lap times between games, compare your lap times to people running the same combination in Assetto Corsa. RSR Live Timing is the most comprehensive lap time database I'm aware of and there are many world class aliens to compare to. Doesn't matter what the laptimes are in another game, only this one, if you are trying to measure your skill/knowledge deficit.

 

[Orayani]

I too am on PS4 and come from GT5/6 and PCARS and pretty well know exactly what you are on about so here goes. BTW it would make things easier if you mentioned exactly what cars you were discussing.

1) On old cars with cold tyres you need to be *very* careful. Escort and Porsche 911 RSR spring to mind immediately. Get the tyres to operating temp ASAP and try changing the F-R brake balance. I have won a lot of online races with these cars because the whole field can't get through the first corner. In the rear vision mirror it's like watching 10 pin bowling :-))

2) Yep. Downshifting on some cars is a bug introduced with Patch 1.09 (from memory). It is a PITA >:-(

3) To keep the tyres at optimum temps you either 1) drive more aggressively or 2) lower tyre pressures Note: they do not have to be even all the way round. Of course a combination of both is what will actually happen ;-)

4) Again, look at brake balance F-R. Use more front bias to stop this happening, have tyres at optimum temp and don't trail brake so hard into the corner. Also *STAY OFF THE KERBS!!!* Some you can run a lot you can't. The Karousel is tricky, my suggestion is keep practising ;-) It will be better once you have looked at these suggestions and and adapt your driving style.

5) Turn *ON* automatic clutch in settings or ride the clutch in Real Life. I prefer to ride the clutch.

6) This is one of my gripes with this game too. I also would like to be able to start in a higher gear as well. The only way to start (using paddles only) is to rev it up and when the lights go out dump it into gear and control wheel spin with the throttle. This needs fixing!

7) No timing bug but different tyre models and grip levels. To me it seems more real. Also as you get more used to how this game behaves you will get quicker ;-)

Any more questions just fire away.

How do you drive aggressive? The whole point of fast driving is being smooth? In Zero Cup we can't touch car setups.

 

[kembro]

Great tips guys, This may be of some help.

 

[FSportIS]

Don't compare lap times between games, compare your lap times to people running the same combination in Assetto Corsa. RSR Live Timing is the most comprehensive lap time database I'm aware of and there are many world class aliens to compare to. Doesn't matter what the laptimes are in another game, only this one, if you are trying to measure your skill/knowledge deficit.

I'm aware of that of the RSR timing. Project Cars also has a similar board http://pcars.13ms.de/#/times/904625875?vehicle=3128055308 . If we use Spa on McClaren 12C GT3 as an example, the times are very close with PC being 2 seconds faster or so for the aliens. However, my times are 2:23:xxx on PC but 2:30:xxx on AC which is a massive 7 seconds gap. It is kind of shocking seeing that my line is very similar except the braking points are a bit longer on AC. I run default set up on both games. I would expect 2-3 seconds gap but not 7 seconds. Because of this, I am putting my time in improving my driving in AC .

 

[TT92]

Hi @TT92 , wow look like you can read my mind haha. You are spot on a lot of points. Thank you!

This is one big advantage of consoles - they are all the same and behave the same. It makes helping each other a lot easier.

I generally drive super cars and GT3 cars and my favorite are McClaren 12C GT3 and Nissan GTR GT3 on Spa and Nurburgring.

My fave is the MacLaren 650s on Spa so we are close and I have tuned a GTR GT3 for the Nordschleife special events.

I currently drive all cars on default settings. What brake bias should I change to? Too much front bias induces locking up front wheel while too much rear bias creates oversteer under braking .

The standard tunes IMHO are OK but I generally never run them as I prefer to "tweak" the cars to my style to usually overcome under/over steer scenarios ;-)

I have tried turning on/off automatic clutch and automatic blip. With both on, it does help a bit but not a whole lot. 1st gear still starts out super slow and then suddenly jumps to red zone so quickly and if I don't shift fast enough, I spin out instantly even on straight. This usually ruins my race: Either I spin out on 1st gear starting out or I start out very carefully (50% throttle), shift to 2nd carefully and falls all the way back. This 1st gear issue is the most frustrating part to me. Do you go full throttle at 1st gear and early shift to 2nd?? How do you launch properly?

Mmmmm... sounds like you do not traction control turned on. Set TCS to "Factory" (other choices are OFF/ON) so TCS will only work on cars that have it e.g the both you have mentioned

I will give you the settings I use for my T300 while we are at it.

FFB = 43
Kerbs = 40
Road = 50
Slip = 20
Understeer =OFF
H Shifter = OFF

Assists as I said TCS and ABS to FACTORY, AUTO clutch and Clutch Blip ON, Fuel, Tyre wear ON Stability control OFF.
Now this last one is very useful. I would suggest you turn it to "100" as it will make driving so much more fun for you until you get to know how this game drives. It doesn't do much *EXCEPT* stops the car actually spinning and lets you catch it. It is very subtle and just makes driving fun and by the sounds of it you need it about now ;-)

Now you can change TCS, ABS and brake Bias on the track. I would suggest with the two cars you mentioned run ABS =1 TCS = 1 and try the brake bias at 60% for the mid engine cars and 65% for the Front engine car. Then on the track (when tyres are at optimal (90DegC and green) start to reduce them by 0.5% at a time until you are where you like it.

Even if you think this all sound like rubbish just turn Stability Control to 100 and TCS/ABS on to 1 and you will instantly start to have some fun ;-)

Let me know how you go.

PS the reason for the driving aids to be set this way is because this is what the online regs are.

 

[RacingManiac]

I appreciate that you guys are trying to help but a lot of PC things just don't translate at all to the console versions, eg. we cannot adjust ABS brake pressure, it's On/Off/Factory only and also we have no pedal calibration, we also have different bugs for deceleration. Hopefully we will be at or about the same amount of features that you have one day.

Brake pressure IIRC is added around the same time as Porsche pack 1, it is not under the driver's aid but in the setup of the car, under "General" tab. By default it is 100%

Also ABS setting with multiple levels only exists for race car, normal cars are just on or off.

 

[TT92]

Brake pressure IIRC is added around the same time as Porsche pack 1, it is not under the driver's aid but in the setup of the car, under "General" tab. By default it is 100%

Not on PS4 :-(

 

[FPV MIC]

Brake pressure IIRC is added around the same time as Porsche pack 1, it is not under the driver's aid but in the setup of the car, under "General" tab. By default it is 100%

Also ABS setting with multiple levels only exists for race car, normal cars are just on or off.

Interesting... I haven't driven too many different cars of late but I can't recall seeing brake pressure in any of them (only Bias) and I always check the "General" tab in case I can up the ''Engine Limiter'' a bit and sometimes lower the Fuel for hot lapping. Can you recall any of the cars you have seen it on?

Edit: Thanks @TT92, that would be why.

 

[RacingManiac]

Maybe its not on PS4 yet. Went back to look at the update log on PC it was added at version 1.10 which was Porsche Pack 2 time.

 

[ALB123]

Continuing to harp on the lap time comparison is not productive at all. How about this... I own AC right now. Let's say I run 7:10 laps on Nordschleife. 6 months later I buy Project Cars and I run 7:00 laps. Should I then suggest, "Hey guys....what's wrong with this game?! I play AC and I run 7:10 consistently. I've had this game for a week and I'm running 7:00 laps. How do you explain a 7 second improvement?!"

There is only 1 answer. The games are completely different and they operate with entirely different physics engines & tire models. Repeating this question is saying that you are assuming Assetto Corsa must have a problem because you can run laps 5-7 seconds faster on pCars! Maybe it's pCars that has the problem and allows people to run laps too fast? And maybe not...Maybe it is Assetto Corsa not doing things correctly. It doesn't really matter. The game does things the way it does things lap times only matter in relation to other players who are on the same game system and car/track combo. Remember, I even told you that people who own Console & PC versions of Assetto Corsa report a consistent 0.5s to 1.0s difference between the two versions. So, it's not even really accurate to compare console to PC times.

I'm not saying that some type of shifting bug wasn't introduced into the console version on a recent update, however, that still has nothing to do with the fact that Kunos coded in perfectly realistic down shift protection. Drive a Ferrari F40 and you can slam it into 2nd gear at 130 mph and blow the car up. An Alfa Romeo 4C will not let you do that because it has downshift protection in the real life car. Here is a post on an Alfa Romeo 4C enthusiast website: http://4c-forums.com/579425-post7.html

The computer takes care of all the rev-matching. Just tap the paddle.

There is an upper limit and a lower limit of RPM range. Obviously the upper limit is known as red-line. The computer will not allow an up shift or a down shift that would potentially harm the engine or the transmission. On that note, it will also force a shift to protect itself. In certain circumstances, it will evoke the rev-limiter by cutting fuel.

Tire heatiing: While I do believe that there are some issues related to thermodynamics & tires in Assetto Corsa, that's a different subject for a different time. Assetto Corsa should have never added colors to their Tire Temperature display/app. I also explained this one to FSportIS, but I'll say it again so the others can see this:

0|0.80
20|0.95
40|0.95
60|0.98
75|1.0
85|1.0
100|1.0
105|0.99
120|0.92
160|0.92
200|0.88
220|0.80
250|0.80

What you're looking at is the contents of a file for the Aventador SV Semi-Slick tires related to temperature. At 0 degrees the tires are providing 80% of their potential. At 20 degrees, 95% of their potential. At 60 degrees, 98% of their potential. And from 75 degrees to 100 degrees they are providing 100% of their potential. Get them a little too hot at 105 degrees and you drop down to 99%...

If you're driving around at 74 degrees you'll see the blueish color because you're not in that sweet spot 100% zone. But you're probably at 99.75%...OMG! These tires are freezing! Do you see where I'm going with this? The colors are leading you to believe something that's not necessarily true. 60 degrees 98% and 100 degrees 100% - a 40 degree difference with not all that much difference in grip.

I should make it clear that when I say "potential" there are also different factors involved like slip angle, track temperature, etc. that will affect your overall grip. Anyone feel better?

 

[dolande]

Brake pressure IIRC is added around the same time as Porsche pack 1, it is not under the driver's aid but in the setup of the car, under "General" tab. By default it is 100%

Also ABS setting with multiple levels only exists for race car, normal cars are just on or off.

Thanks , i missed this

 

[FSportIS]

I want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread and sharing with me some tips/knowledge on driving techniques. I'm happy to report back that I took all the advice seriously.

I spent couple hours yesterday running some hot laps with the Nissan GTR GT3 in Spa. I have improved more than 5 seconds, going from high 2:30:xxx to low 2:25:xxx and I know there is still room for improvement if i tune the car. Now that brings me so much closer to the time in PCars and so much to my own pace. I know what contribute so much to this improvement. Traction control and auto blip help me the most. With TC on, I no longer have that crazy spinning 1st gear issue. With auto blip on, I can downshift very naturally, it is very similar to the heel and toe effect. So yeah, the aggressive 1st and 2nd gear is what slows me down so much in AC! How do you guys handle 1st and 2nd gear with TC off?

In this discovery, I also feel that the throttle and brake are not linear by default in AC. I'm used to linear throttle and brake. To me, in real life, I use brake pads that give me linear feel. Also, I always set the sensitivity in throttle and brake in PCars to 50 which give me linear effect. Is there a way to make throttle and brake linear in AC?

 

[FPV MIC]

I'm not saying that some type of shifting bug wasn't introduced into the console version on a recent update, however, that still has nothing to do with the fact that Kunos coded in perfectly realistic down shift protection. Drive a Ferrari F40 and you can slam it into 2nd gear at 130 mph and blow the car up. An Alfa Romeo 4C will not let you do that because it has downshift protection in the real life car. Here is a post on an Alfa Romeo 4C enthusiast website: http://4c-forums.com/579425-post7.html

Regarding the Alfa, this is from the 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C user guide (not sure if this is the correct year for the game but 2015 is the same in this regard): If a requested gear shift is not allowed (typically, because it would cause engine overspeed or lugging), an acoustic signal will sound and the transmission will remain in the existing gear.


While the signal could and most probably would get very annoying, it would certainly let us know when we are shifting inappropriately and I'm sure it would be helpful in the long run. Not sure why this was omitted.

I also found this in a review: In DNA mode the 4C Spider allows downshifts much sooner than anticipated, assisting the cross-drilled brakes in fervent deceleration.
http://www.motoring.com.au/alfa-romeo-4c-spider-2016-review-101904/

Either a bug or maybe it hasn't been modeled on ''Race/DNA'' mode, although I can't understand why it wouldn't be.

 

[Orayani]

I want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread and sharing with me some tips/knowledge on driving techniques. I'm happy to report back that I took all the advice seriously.

I spent couple hours yesterday running some hot laps with the Nissan GTR GT3 in Spa. I have improved more than 5 seconds, going from high 2:30:xxx to low 2:25:xxx and I know there is still room for improvement if i tune the car. Now that brings me so much closer to the time in PCars and so much to my own pace. I know what contribute so much to this improvement. Traction control and auto blip help me the most. With TC on, I no longer have that crazy spinning 1st gear issue. With auto blip on, I can downshift very naturally, it is very similar to the heel and toe effect. So yeah, the aggressive 1st and 2nd gear is what slows me down so much in AC! How do you guys handle 1st and 2nd gear with TC off?

In this discovery, I also feel that the throttle and brake are not linear by default in AC. I'm used to linear throttle and brake. To me, in real life, I use brake pads that give me linear feel. Also, I always set the sensitivity in throttle and brake in PCars to 50 which give me linear effect. Is there a way to make throttle and brake linear in AC?

Lighter pedal touches and better control feeding the power. I find traction control holds me back and induces the understeer exit.

 

[TT92]

I want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread and sharing with me some tips/knowledge on driving techniques. I'm happy to report back that I took all the advice seriously.

I spent couple hours yesterday running some hot laps with the Nissan GTR GT3 in Spa. I have improved more than 5 seconds, going from high 2:30:xxx to low 2:25:xxx and I know there is still room for improvement if i tune the car. Now that brings me so much closer to the time in PCars and so much to my own pace. I know what contribute so much to this improvement. Traction control and auto blip help me the most. With TC on, I no longer have that crazy spinning 1st gear issue. With auto blip on, I can downshift very naturally, it is very similar to the heel and toe effect. So yeah, the aggressive 1st and 2nd gear is what slows me down so much in AC! How do you guys handle 1st and 2nd gear with TC off?

In this discovery, I also feel that the throttle and brake are not linear by default in AC. I'm used to linear throttle and brake. To me, in real life, I use brake pads that give me linear feel. Also, I always set the sensitivity in throttle and brake in PCars to 50 which give me linear effect. Is there a way to make throttle and brake linear in AC?

I am pleased you are making progress and you sound like you are starting to have fun :-)


Now to test the peddle linearity cycle through the HUD until you have the Tacho Gear indicator in the bottom RH corner. Next to this to the left are three bar graphs grey, red and green which show the calibration of the Clutch (grey) Brake (red) and the Throttle (green). Test your theory of non-linearity. I find mine is pretty right.

How do you guys handle 1st and 2nd gear with TC off?

With cars that have it as a factory option I do not bother. With race cars you can turn it right down, otherwise use very careful throttle control ;-)

 

[ALB123]

Keep in mind, with regards to Traction Control & ABS, the higher the number the less intrusive the system. Let's say a GT3 car has 8 levels of TC (and an off position)...if you set the number to 1 you're going to get a butt-load of computerized Traction Control and you will probably feel the car being sluggish. Turn the ABS all the way up to 8 and you barely have any Traction Control intervention...you can spin out easily.

Same with ABS. Set ABS to 1 and you're getting the most computer controlled anti-lock braking. Set it to 8 and the ABS system is no where near as engaging.

I don't know why Kunos chose to do it that way. Anyone spend much time in a real GT3 car? Is that how the TC & ABS levels are displayed on the dashboard display??

 

[Orayani]

Mmmmm... sounds like you do not traction control turned on. Set TCS to "Factory" (other choices are OFF/ON) so TCS will only work on cars that have it e.g the both you have mentioned

I will give you the settings I use for my T300 while we are at it.

FFB = 43
Kerbs = 40
Road = 50
Slip = 20
Understeer =OFF
H Shifter = OFF

You do know kerbs, road and slip are exaggerated effects? ending up making your wheel heat up more.

http://www.gamereactor.eu/news/375343/This+is+how+Force+Feedback+works+in+Assetto+Corsa+on+PS4/