General tips to improve lap times

Cheers! I've turned tyre blankets off during practice to be prepared for that when going online. Wasn't ready for such difference in performance though

I've improved my lap time on Brands some more in the Cobra (1:44.77). Managed to make it neutral in setup and get the tyres to bounce even less. The gearbox is long to minimise gear changes. Might have to revise that once I get better at handling the oversteer on power. Taking the track in 2nd and 3rd gear only at the moment.

Still trying to improve my cornering to follow the ideal line and to use all the track. Still missing a lot of apexes so need to improve turn in. Got all the gizmos to check tyre slip etc...

 

Aren't you locking the front wheels? Iirc I used 54 brake bias on Brands couple days ago on the streetfight server..

 

Yep they are easy to lock. I'll move the bias.

 

I found a good balance at 60% and could improve even more. Cheers! [1:44.14]

 

54 BB in the Cobra?
Stock is 66 and I drive it at 64-65 because otherwise the rears are locking.

 

Says the Alien...

Seriously, does that work? I haven't tried such a BB on the Cobra.

 

Seriously, I don't know, I haven't tried. I'm using 63, but I can already see how my rear spins in the first braking zone with 54.

 

That's what I think as well.

Looking at your lap times it's justified.

 

You should check lap times when I share the track with "them".
The other day at SF on RBR I still couldn't match baronesbc and Henri's lap times in the Cobra done on older and I believe slower version of AC.

I might try the 54 BB just for the laughs.

 

Join Multiplayer. Practice and qualify session.
Find guy that have lap time faster than you 0.5-1.5 sec.
Try to catch him.

You can see his all technique. Learning from faster guy is the shortcut.

 

That's an advice for already quick drivers IMO. Before going down that road I'd suggest to find one's own "natural" limit, first.
Forget alien laps, forget ghosts if you're new - learn by the textbook and show your laps here. Give it time.

 

Best tip would probably be just to race a lot, hotlaps are ok too, but it is better to race. Use more difficult cars too, try low and very low grip levels. Get into uncomfortable situations a lot, and try to stay steady in them. Just improve up the skill. Best simracers has quite some practice time. Obviously more talented ones may need less time to achieve good results. But I think, that one side of great talent is talent to learn in a best way, and other side is talent in the task itself.

Even if trajectories are known, apexes, braking points and so on.... it will still take a lot of talent to get it all together into one piece per lap, and then per ten laps, and then like for infinity laps It just takes a great talent... well and good setup

 

And as long as you are improving on your own then just keep going.
If you are stuck at a certain point then you can look for other tips.

 

Being consistent is very hard indeed at this stage. I'm able to do 2 or 3 then I try to push it and get a stupid spin in the braking zone for example. (BB is back to 64 now)
I have to wait for the new wheel before I can improve further in the Cobra. It gets too sketchy when pushed hard with my crap gear.

 

The default brake bias feels pretty good to me with the 1.12 version of the Cobra.

 

Thanks @Kade! This little app has literally changed the way I race! This has done wonders for me not only for my performance itself (that was expected), but also for my focus and motivation (that was unexpected). Because it provides immediate feedback regardless of the fact that your lap is valid or not and that it can be setup to display your performance by sector vs an "all time optimal lap", it means that even when my lap is invalid (around the Nordschleife for example), I don't feel that it's wasted because I can still improve my sector times that will be taken into account in the optimal lap.

As a result, I can focus a lot more and race for longer periods of time. I make fewer mistakes, my line is better, my inputs are smoother. I'm faster and I'm more consistent. I always feel like I can push harder thanks to this. I even finished 5th and got much closer to the aliens during the endurance race on Aloog 6 (5 laps of Norschleife endurance + qualifications) yesterday with a difficult classic Lotus car when I probably would not have finished the race a couple of months ago.

The delta app is good (Sidekick does the same too) but this little bar has everything I need. I recommend it to everyone. It's a game changer, literally.

 

I personally think that an app like this would result in me concentrating on the bar rather than the driving. This is similar to a ghost car, and therefore I would be reluctant to use it.

 

I understand the concern as I was skeptical too. It's even probably why it took me so long to try it. Your use of the conditional implies you have not given it a try. See for yourself and tell us if this has changed anything for you.

The bar is so well conceived that you don't need your view to focus on it to feel the positive effects (the on the fly color adjustments mean it does its thing even when it's not in the center of your FOV). The effect on your ability to focus, using the optimal lap mode is truly amazing, at least for me.

Also, @chksix, I reiterate the advice I already posted. I watched the replay of an alien (@V8), who outrageously dominated the Aloog 6 endurance race yesterday and it really helped. Doing it right after the race helps the most as your race is fresh in your mind and it is easier to see what the alien does differently.

 

The secret is have fun, and the best way imho is the competition (more fun than hotlapping for sure, and more incentives to improve your skills).
If I was you, i would start with a championship against the AI. Choose a car that you really like, set the AI to a slightly higher level than yours, and make 15-20 minute races at least.
Start the champ in a track like Monza, where it is easy to take points of reference for braking, and so have a more steady pace.
I can assure you that once finished the championship, when you come back on the same track with the same car, you will be a lot more competitive.

Other small tips (in addition to those already excellent in the previous pages):
- Driving your car in the most realistic way (real onboard videos on Youtube can help a lot), you're there, in race, drive your car in a natural way, be patient, respect your opponents, do not rush to overtake. Look at your own pace and do your best, no matter win, matter consistency and the best possible result for your current level.
- Have a short FOV helps to interpret the corners, to approach them in a natural and correct way.
- Brake with your right foot if you can. This may seem a nosense, but braking with your right foot helps to perfectly separate (and so understand) the three phases which concern the curve: braking, entry and exit. Are three distinct phases, no hesitation, when you pull out the foot off the brake, go on the accelerator and no going back.
- The best way to brake is exert maximum pressure at the start of the braking, the first meters are the most important to brake the car. Approaching to the curve instead you must progressively release the brake, otherwise the car goes into oversteer.
- Smooth with your inputs, especially on steering and throttle.
- Don't hurry to learn, and never stop to do so. It's a long way, the speed comes through experience, practice and knowledge gained during the time.
- Do not look at the other drivers, unless they are not really competitive and fast, because there is the risk to end up off the road taking bad habits.
- Always remember the basic rule: slow in, fast out. The most important thing is the exit of the corners, everything you do with brakes, steering and throttle, is in function of it.

Sorry for the bad english, I hope it is understandable enough and as I said earlier, have fun! this is the only thing that matters