Bmw z4 gt3@spa 2:27.668

Obviously, that time is nowhere fast despite chipping at it for two days, so I wonder if one of you fast gentlemen can take a look at my lap and tell me where I am losing most of the time or what is wrong with my driving style in general.
FYI, I am using PS3 gamepad and I know I will never be able to match the wheelers speed, so please do not suggest to get decent wheel, it is not an option for me right now.


Thanks everyone.

 

1st off turn your racing line off, when I briefly had it on I found myself too concerned with getting back on that line rather than do what's best according to where my car is and how it is moving

 

Don't drop to 1st gear at La Source.

 

Youre missing a lot of apexes, your setup seems far from optimal, having to lift in corners like blanchimont is pretty uncommon on 100% grip, but you also seem to lack topspeed, Z4 can reach 264 on a hotlap on Kemmel straight easily. Also your Pouhon entry speed (line was good) was too low, try going in around 180-185 when you use soft tyres. And also try applying power later, you seem to go on the power really early, which gives you understeer and either makes you run really wide on corner exit or forces you to lift off.

This is my old RSR world record lap, it has already been beaten by Anssi, but it should be a decent reference:


Hope this helps ^^

 

I'm not THE expert on fast laps (I do 2:19s at best, with a wheel), so I am going out on a limb here, but anyway, here goes:

- As Mr. Low said, you can save the mid-turn upshift from 1-2 at La Source by simply staying in 2nd. It actually saves you time

- I'm not sure about the last chicane, but I don't think you ever need 1st gear with that ratio on this track

- Your cornering can be improved: you turn in too early in some corners, which causes your car to miss the apex and run wide on the exit. try to enter corners from a wider approach and turn in a tiny bit later and sharper. you won't miss the apex and you can accelerate earlier without correcting last-minute-widerunning by braking or lifting off. On 100% grip and warm tyres you can take eau rouge and blanchimont flat out.

- If excercised correctly, a "slow in, fast out" is the overall quicker way to go for slow corners. Also, if you need to upshift mid-way through a corner, it's probably better to take it in the higher gear in the first place, unless you absolutely underrev and miss the power curve.

Edit: Also, try to keep "coasting" to a minimum before entering a corner, as in: brake as late as possible, and as hard as possible, but don't lift off the brake from 100% to 0, but rather "ease" off the brakes as you don't want to spin. Braking during turn-in should be done with caution.

 

Okay, thanks guys, will try to put this advice to practice.

 

Not to be rude, but you're not even slow yet.

There's not much point asking fast people for advice until you can beat slow people.

The best slow reference you have in the game is the AI. Unless you have some faster buddies who will
drive around the track with you following.

From what I can see you're at least 4 or 5 seconds slower than the AI on 100%
Do some quick races with you at the back and AI on 100% - Don't try to overtake or race them, just follow them around using them as a reference. That should get you to the point where you either conclude a controller is not going to work for you, or you're now 4 or 5 seconds quicker than you were.

The process of trying to keep up with someone that's faster than you should tell you what's wrong with your driving. If it were a different game I'd say, "stick the AI slider down low at first" but, unless the 1.1 update changed things, the AI are completely fruity loops in AC if you do that so it needs to be fairly high so they drive sanely.

If you're similarly off the pace on all car/track combinations compared with the AI, I would suggest starting on shorter tracks with less powerful cars (the caveat here is that the AI don't really work well on all track/car combinations - if you see the AI mowing the lawn every lap try picking a different car)

Once you can keep up, then race them. When you can comfortably beat them perhaps then fret about setups and whether fast people can look at your lap.

 

You also appear to have tyre wear turned off so you're stuck at 90% grip with soft tyres. For some reason the gt3 softs are out of step compared to other tyres concerning starting grip.

 

He wasn't that bad at all, not really "fast" level, but i've seen worse online. Frankly go ahead and try beating his time in his conditions, something tells me it won't be a breeze hint: soft tyres + no tyre wear + probably default setup. From the tyres alone he's down on pace like 5+s

@The Law Don't be discouraged about using pad, some of the fastest hotlappers use them, for example 9th place on rsr boards in this combo belongs to a pad user (2:18.8).

As for hints im not a pad driver, but i would try setting up the car more toward oversteer (less rear wing, less front ARB, less forward brake balance etc.) and try to carry more speed into the turns (trailbraking), and then have more cornering ability on exit.

Your problem is that you are slowing too much at first, then accelerate too early in turn so on most corners you are too fast (!) at apex and thus get thrown out of the line at exit. In a single corner sections it's not that bad, but in the multiple corner chicanes etc, you are too wide through the first corner so you have to lift and loose a ton of time on the second.

Racing line in AC is not really helpful (the green-red is completely useless) but do try to follow the line in chicanes, preferably watch some real world onboard videos or maybe a hotlap in AC on youtube to get the idea of proper lines.

Also if you want to compare yourself to others, listen to MLP and turn on the tyre wear.

 

You're full locking a lot around corners... Not sure if you can do something with your gamepad settings, but that would help. I never see higher temps on the front, personally.

 

@The Law ,

I believe my 360 pad time with this car is around 2:20. I have some specific points of improvement:

- Eau Rouge:your exit speed is ~224 but it should be 230+. Your left turn on entry is spot on but the right one comes too late. Turn right sooner and you should be able to take more speed to Kemmel straight.
- End of Kemmel straight: you gotta hit the first apex, that right-left-right is very line-sensitive. On the last right here, the outside curb is very much rideable - use it!

That's it, have fun improving.

Cheers
Chris

 

This. You're creating huge understeer by turning the wheels too much. To go fast once the car has been thrown into a corner you should have the steering almost straight.

 

I am using a Xbox controller myself and my best is a 221.099 in a 458 GT2 on the ALOOG server . So what ever settings they use is what I set that time with . I am no expert and I know the controller is holding me back. But you seem very timid entering corners .You need to brake later and try to carry more speed . Do not be scared to let the car slide around a little . You need to know how far you can push it to get faster . Going slow and trying to be careful you will never be fast . Join a mp server and just sit in the pits and watch the fast guys run there laps . That is how I went from 228s to consistent 221-222s . Which does not seem fast but it is enough to run in the top 10 . That is all I am going to get running with a controller IMO. I am using Kubro's settings for the controller . I also bought theses two books http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Spee...28196060&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=speed+secertds and http://www.amazon.com/Going-Faster-...F8&qid=1428196089&sr=1-1&keywords=skip+barber . It might seem odd to read a book on going faster with a real car but they have made a difference for me in the game.

 

Would you mind sharing your set?

 

This is my old set, the one used in the video. Patch 1.1 brought some changes but the set should be a good starting point.

 

Thx a lot...will try it later

 

Ok, I'm no alien and I think my best with the Z4 is in the 2:22 - 2:23 range. But for the love of Pete don't go digging into the car setup until you have mastered the apexes, gear shifts and the default setups. About the only thing I change in my setups is the Aero, Fuel and Tires. If you change anything drop the rear wing a notch or two but otherwise with soft tires you should be able to hit my times pretty easily.

Too many people start fooling around with car settings before they've fully mastered the driving line and nuances of the car. Master those first and then you'll have a better understanding of what the various car setup options do to the car. If you aren't consistent lap to lap you won't be able to tell the difference between one setting from the next.

 

@The Law A few tips to get you closer to the 2.20 - 2.22 times of the real drivers:

1. Even with ABS cars, they are not completely free of brake issues. Releasing the brake by degrees upon entering some of the turns can create great front rotation which, if properly controlled can help you enter corners faster, and carry more speed on exit.
2. Lower aero grip. By a lot. I mean keeping the rear wing at 4 or under. Yes, it will feel like you have no grip at first, you will have to learn how to drive the car differently. But it will really open up each car's top speed on the long sweeping curves which are key to passing and maintaining speed on the course.
3. Related to 2, when removing rear wing, you need to adjust your driving style. Go watch Jorg Muller racing for MarcVDS on their YT channel...he's using very low aero, and as such adopts a very smooth steering style that relies on gradual movements, no sudden reactions. This helps him maintain optimum tyre temps to keep grip in the tricky turns so he doesn't slip and slide around.
4. Dial in a lot of camber. The real drivers use upwards of 4 degrees on the front wheels. This will help you keep grip in the long turns which punish tyre sidewalls.
5. Lower the car's ride height within reason. SPA is a relatively smooth track with few undulations and generally easy curbs. This means you can push the height of the car to a much lower ride than say Imola with high curbs. This will help with your grip, as the lower center of gravity keeps the car stable. Just watch out for going too aggressively over the curbs.
6. Add toe. This will help with turn-in grip, again a key issue at SPA with such long fast corners.

PS. Love the Jagermeister avatar

 

Only an American would use "love of Pete" on a European...

 

I don't understand that comment. I used "Pete" instead of "God" to try and be less offensive.