Will GT5 teach me anything about real world driving

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GT'S BiG FaN

GT'S BiG FaN

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Engine Block
I've been using a wheel for over a year now, & i've become really good with it.
So i was just wondering, will the experience i have in GT5 translate to the real world, like managing oversteer, managing understeer, high speed driving or anything.
Thanks in advance.
 
"Real world" as in track "high speed driving" or on the road.

Nothing will help you if you drive too fast on the road. There is no compensation for stupidity. As for on the track the answer is : a little, but not as much as you want. GT5 is not iRacing and definitely not the real thing. Nothing is as good as the real thing.

Learn to know your driving lines, know your corners, know how to control the balance of your vehicle, know the different drivetrains. GT5 can help you with these things and others.

Know GT5s limits, and your own. Then push them in the game.
 
Ronald6
"Real world" as in track "high speed driving" or on the road.

Nothing will help you if you drive too fast on the road. There is no compensation for stupidity. As for on the track the answer is : a little, but not as much as you want. GT5 is not iRacing and definitely not the real thing. Nothing is as good as the real thing.

Learn to know your driving lines, know your corners, know how to control the balance of your vehicle, know the different drivetrains. GT5 can help you with these things and others.

Know GT5s limits, and your own. Then push them in the game.
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Have you tried iRacing? It is comparatively more realistic then GT5?
 
Ronald6
"Real world" as in track "high speed driving" or on the road.

Nothing will help you if you drive too fast on the road. There is no compensation for stupidity. As for on the track the answer is : a little, but not as much as you want. GT5 is not iRacing and definitely not the real thing. Nothing is as good as the real thing.

Learn to know your driving lines, know your corners, know how to control the balance of your vehicle, know the different drivetrains. GT5 can help you with these things and others.

Know GT5s limits, and your own. Then push them in the game.
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Nicely said! Your post deserves a +1.
 
@jack: no, unfortunately I haven't tried iRacing. Maybe after the kids move out.

@Mac: much appreciated.
 
iRacing is a much more high end simulator than GT5. GT5 may look better but the two don't really compare. GT5 isn't "the real driving simulator" it claims to be. Infact its far from that.
 
Schwartz38
iRacing is a much more high end simulator than GT5. GT5 may look better but the two don't really compare. GT5 isn't "the real driving simulator" it claims to be. Infact its far from that.
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I assumed you have experience in both games? Is there a creditable source in your opinion, that I can refer to? An article or videos will be great.

Since I only have experience in GT5, I'll be trap in fanboish universe one way or another...
 
Will GT5 teach me anything about real world driving
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I really hope you don't mean on the real world roads in traffic. :nervous: :scared: :eek:

If you do, please tell the people who are handing out driver's licenses at the DMV, as well as your insurance agent, that you intend to use on the real roads what you learned from racing video games.
And please please please, never live in Pennsylvania. !!
 
Short answer: Yes, a bit.

If you do the licences and practice with regular road cars on stock settings, it will help you with some things, like improving response times, wheel and movement control and adquiring the correct mechanical reactions to unexpected behaviour of a car in real life, like understeer or oversteer.

That being said, this is still no reason to go out on the road to try out your "skillz", because unlike GT5, there are too many uncontrollable variables in real life driving.

So, to sum it up:

-Does it teach you how to drive a real car? No.

-Does it add knowledge about car behaviour and improve your motor skills? Yes.

-Did it help me avoid a car crash in real life? Yes, but the situation could have been avoided altogether if I wasn't careless in the first place.

-Does it allow you to go out on the road to push the car's limits and your own? Definitely not.

Bottom Line: Be content with the fact that you might have learnt something, but pray you never have to use it.

Cheers
 
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I have been playing the GT series from the beginning and it has helped me find better lines and hit the apexes spot on on our NZ windy country roads, more for improving tyre wear, fuel consumption and reducing the children's car sickness.

As for correcting oversteer and understeer I don't push it hard enough in the real world to find out .... except for the ONE time I went racing on a track day and spun out on the 2nd hairpin and stalled it. (but that was before GT existed, I probably would have won that race if Kaz had made the game earlier :) )
 
Chico acsc
Short answer: Yes, a bit.

If you do the licences and practice with regular road cars on stock settings, it will help you with some things, like improving response times, wheel and movement control and adquiring the correct mechanical reactions to unexpected behaviour of a car in real life, like understeer or oversteer.

That being said, this is still no reason to go out on the road to try out your "skillz", because unlike GT5, there are too many uncontrollable variables in real life driving.

So, to sum it up:

-Does it teach you how to drive a real car? No.

-Does it add knowledge about car behaviour and improve your motor skills? Yes.

-Did it help me avoid a car crash in real life? Yes, but the situation could have been avoided altogether if I wasn't careless in the first place.

-Does it allow you to go out on the road to push the car's limits and your own? Definitely not.

Bottom Line: Be content with the fact that you might have learnt something, but pray you never have to use it.

Cheers
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I agree 100%.
 
Nothing beats real-world experience. Learn the principles from the game, then get to a kart track as much as possible. Doesn't matter how much they suck, the more seat time you have, the better you'll get.
 
jacksonlim
I assumed you have experience in both games? Is there a creditable source in your opinion, that I can refer to? An article or videos will be great.

Since I only have experience in GT5, I'll be trap in fanboish universe one way or another...
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http://www.insidesimracing.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=2784

http://m.gamefaqs.com/boards/941103-/57390089

http://tunegt.com/2010/09/gran-turismo-5-vs-iracing-side-by-side-comparison/

I couldn't find any concrete evidence that states that iRacing is more realistic, but almost everyone who has played both agrees that iRacing's physics are much more realistic than GT5's.
 
It will help you with certain aspects of real life driving. No question. With others, it could cause over-confidence & bite you in the a$$. :)
 
GT5 helps you understand what a racing line is (if you didnt already know) and if you use a wheel it will help you with left foot braking and thats about it IMO.
 
I've posted this response on similar threads....

I learned to drive in a race prepared Ginetta, the night before this I played GT4 (this was a while ago) and when driving the Ginetta in the real world, I really couldn't believe some of the similarities and of course I already had a good idea about the racing line, how to keep the car flat, how to respond to tail movements, e.t.c which I think surprised the guy teaching me lol. Then I got home, went on GT4 again and using the experience from the Ginetta and managed to cut most of my GT4 laptimes by at least a few seconds.

So, yes, but be careful obviously, although I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.
 
GT5 helped me understand the mechanics of cars and I almost feel like I would be able to adjust my own cars suspention if I had the opportunity.
My throttle control also improved thanks to the countless hours of GT5ing with LMPs.
As someone higher up said, it can help to somewhat increase motor skills.

But you would not be driving in real life (track or not) the same way you do in GT5, as you actually have something to lose in the real world.
 
Schwartz38
http://www.insidesimracing.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=101&t=2784

http://m.gamefaqs.com/boards/941103-/57390089

http://tunegt.com/2010/09/gran-turismo-5-vs-iracing-side-by-side-comparison/

I couldn't find any concrete evidence that states that iRacing is more realistic, but almost everyone who has played both agrees that iRacing's physics are much more realistic than GT5's.
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Having played both, I was surprised at how similar they felt, sure Iracing felt more realistic, but GT5 wasn't exactly a slouch in comparison, GT5 also happens to be much more fun (and less expensive..) compared to Iracing, at least in my opinion, and that's why I play and race, to have fun, and GT5 is realistic enough to satisfy my need for realism, but it's also great fun and isn't to overly realistic to satisfy my fun side :lol:. But let's not turn this into a GT5 vs Iracing debate... :p
 
I used to work in flight training and a fair few years ago a similar discussion came up. Young chap of about 17 or 18 wandered in wanting to know about a license etc etc. Anyway to the point... He states, full of confidence, that because he has spent on a lot of time on Flight Simulator that he could "take one of those planes up and easily land again". [He was pointing at a Cessna 152].

So I gave him the keys and he couldn't even start the engine. And it's a piston engine so it's not overly complicated, a couple of switches to be turned on, a few primes and turn the key. The sim taught him the principles, but cannot teach you everything.

Rather than continue dithering I'll finish wading in: A computer 'simulation' can never replace the physical experience and the seat of the pants feelings you get by doing the real thing. I've not used a wheel on GT5, but I'm curious beyond the visual clues do you get any warning signs of oversteer through the force feedback?

Great for procedural training, such as lines, apexes, braking points, and much cheaper, but can never replicate the world around you. For instance, in GT5 you never have to take into account the wind, there aren't cold days or hot days.

I'm a Brit living in Canada, so consequently I spent the first 8 or so years of my life driving RHD cars. Then came across the pond and swapped seats. Do you know how often I tried to open the window instead of change gear when I first moved here? Enough times that it ought to be embarrassing.

So of course, GT5 could get you accustomed to driving on the other side, but it doesn't really help with how you are used to more car on one side of you.

Anyhoo, I'll wander back to my hole now.
 
I have both GT5 and iRacing. Advantages and disadvantes to both. No simulator compares to real life. I haven't seen any reports of death, fire or injury from a simulator. The real world is, well... so much more real. Do you have the guts to try a corner at just 5mph faster than you've ever taken it before not knowing for sure if the car will stick. In a video game, there's no risk, so just throw it in there.

Another huge difference between simulators and real world is the inputs that your brain has to work with to tell you about the car's behavior. In these games, we only have our eyes, a little bit of tire sound and maybe some force feedback from a wheel. All of these visual or sound cues hit your brain after something bad has started to happen. In real life, there is much more feel. The G forces give you clues that indicate to your brain that you are getting close to being on the edge. You feel the car through your hips and back. On a cool day when tire grip is high, you can be really aggressive and a bit more daring. Your confidence goes way up as the car feels like it's digging into the racing surface. Vs. a hot day where the car feels like someone put grease on the track an your tires are sliding around a bit. The G forces are much less. Your brain can process G forces much more quickly than visually seeing that you are now sideways. You can feel the grip going away well before you see the trajectory.

Also, racing games don't do crashes very well. Cars do really unpredictable things when you get them going in the wrong direction. And the strange noises that you hear during a crash are crazy. Plus, I have always been amazed at how many stones come flying through the cockpit during a spin, even just sliding through the grass. Where does all of that debree come from all of a sudden.
 
berty1979
if you use a wheel it will help you with left foot braking and thats about it IMO.
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Yes, be sure to left-foot brake during your driver's license test. 👍
In fact, point out to your driving test proctor that you're doing left-foot braking that you learned from a racing video game. :)
 
i see alot of iracing referances here,just wondering how does rfactor stack up in sims,under iracing above?
 
Chico acsc
Short answer: Yes, a bit.

If you do the licences and practice with regular road cars on stock settings, it will help you with some things, like improving response times, wheel and movement control and adquiring the correct mechanical reactions to unexpected behaviour of a car in real life, like understeer or oversteer.

That being said, this is still no reason to go out on the road to try out your "skillz", because unlike GT5, there are too many uncontrollable variables in real life driving.

So, to sum it up:

-Does it teach you how to drive a real car? No.

-Does it add knowledge about car behaviour and improve your motor skills? Yes.

-Did it help me avoid a car crash in real life? Yes, but the situation could have been avoided altogether if I wasn't careless in the first place.

-Does it allow you to go out on the road to push the car's limits and your own? Definitely not.

Bottom Line: Be content with the fact that you might have learnt something, but pray you never have to use it.

Cheers
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👍

TP1
GT5 helped me understand the mechanics of cars and I almost feel like I would be able to adjust my own cars suspention if I had the opportunity.
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Funny you'd say that considering GT5's suspension setups work almost reversed compared to real live. Stiffer suspension gives gives more grip and higher ride height gives more grip also. Neither of those things happen in real life in general.
 
OK8
👍



Funny you'd say that considering GT5's suspension setups work almost reversed compared to real live. Stiffer suspension gives gives more grip and higher ride height gives more grip also. Neither of those things happen in real life in general.
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I have not found this blanket statement to be true for all cars in GT5. Well, not even true for most cars in GT5, especially after the last couple of rounds of patch updates.
 
GT'S BiG FaN
I've been using a wheel for over a year now, & i've become really good with it.
So i was just wondering, will the experience i have in GT5 translate to the real world, like managing oversteer, managing understeer, high speed driving or anything.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Maybe if all you do in real life is track days. Other than that...no.
 
For me, NO. Because videogame is videogame no matter how real it looks. In real life if you mess it up you dont have the option - start new game - yes, no. So for me videogame will always be videogame - cant teach you anything. Videogames are made so that we can be or do the things we cant do in real life. U know what i mean...
 
Zorrin
I used to work in flight training and a fair few years ago a similar discussion came up. Young chap of about 17 or 18 wandered in wanting to know about a license etc etc. Anyway to the point... He states, full of confidence, that because he has spent on a lot of time on Flight Simulator that he could "take one of those planes up and easily land again". [He was pointing at a Cessna 152].

So I gave him the keys and he couldn't even start the engine. And it's a piston engine so it's not overly complicated, a couple of switches to be turned on, a few primes and turn the key. The sim taught him the principles, but cannot teach you everything.
Click to expand...

I don't know how good of an example that is considering that there are sims out there that will teach you how to start up a plane. A sim can teach you almost everything, but it's not necessarily going to be completely correct.

As far as GT goes, yes there are things to learn about driving, and since driving on the road and track use the same principles, it applies in both cases. The physics don't change, but procedure certainly does.

Either way, I would treat GT like a driving book. It provides you some information, but if you ever try to apply it, be extremely careful and do so only in controlled conditions. It might not match up with what you read/played, and you need to be ready for that.

alex1369
For me, NO. Because videogame is videogame no matter how real it looks. In real life if you mess it up you dont have the option - start new game - yes, no. So for me videogame will always be videogame - cant teach you anything. Videogames are made so that we can be or do the things we cant do in real life. U know what i mean...
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The use of professional simulators everywhere kind of stands against that. Though I guess you could have meant that GT is not realistic enough to be a simulator? I think GT is very good for someone who has never driven a car before. But it's a terrible simulator for someone who has driven and/or is familiar with the concept.
 
Like others have said, it can definately help in certain ways. In a racing sense, it teaches you about lines, apexes, momentum, and weight transfer. It also can also teach patience and race craft that nothing but seat time can provide.

One of the things I noticed the most though, is how it helps with making quick reactions. When trying to avoid an accident or regain control of a car, you can't think about what you are doing; it needs to be an instinctive reaction that you just do. With enough seat time in GT5, your mind trains itself to make evasive and corrective actions without thinking which will definately make you a better and safer driver on public roads.
 

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