Best Video Game for Track Practice?

[R A W L S]

Anyone have advise on the best video game AND wheel/stick/pedal setup? I'm looking to improve my driving skills and have heard there are some quite realistic programs. And I just hate the long waits between track days. Thanks

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by R A W L S

Anyone have advise on the best video game AND wheel/stick/pedal setup? I'm looking to improve my driving skills and have heard there are some quite realistic programs. And I just hate the long waits between track days. Thanks

iRacing is pretty popular amongst people who actually race, but I don't know about the interface stuff.

[rzm3]

Or just watch some youtube and visualize... (I am sure you've done it at other occasions )

[zsapphire7]

go karting?

[1MORELAP]

The free BMW M3 PC game is pretty good. I have been practicing The Ring before my ED trip in 4 weeks.

[BimmerRob08]

Originally Posted by 1MORELAP

The free BMW M3 PC game is pretty good. I have been practicing The Ring before my ED trip in 4 weeks.

Me and a buddie used to connect our PS2 and play GT4 every night for almost a year in boaring keflavik, Icleand when I was stationed there. We would run the Nurburgring mainly. After about 3 years, I say it was. I finally got to run the ring this August while in Germany and although not fresh in my head, I pretty much new the turns or at least was a bit more prepared for them. Of course, GT4 will never replace the actual experiance but it was a good training device, if you will, for familiarizing yourself with the track. Nothing can replace the experiance after a few laps and you get your flow down.

Think of these games more like a microsoft flight simulator. For me, FSX flight sim and the real simulators I fly are purley procedural trainers for certain missions or emergancy procedures. But can't replace the real thing.

Although the aircraft simulators for the heavies, 767, 777, 787, etc are so damn real, that some airlines will upgrade a pilot in the next larger aircraft (Airbus especially) and then their cleared to fly the next bigger aircraft as a co-pilot.

Anyway, yes. I think they can be helpfull to some extent. Good luck.

[drburton]

For realistic car dynamics you have to go with one of the products on the SimBin engine. Highly adjustable cars, good driving dynamics, not easy. It takes some effort to get good at these games and promotes the basic techniques needed to drive on a real track.

The games are usually based on European race series, STCC, GTR so there a limited U.S. tracks. But several sites have downloads for a number of U.S. tracks, and custom cars etc...

Here is a link to their main site:

http://www.simbin.se/

For the steering wheel, I wanted it to be reasonably realistic with the ability to shift with a clutch. Also, force feedback is important to give you better feel for the car, speeds etc..

Here is what I went with:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-941-0...d_i=B000GP8448

[hhlou520]

GT3 and GT4 for Playstation and Forza Motorsport for XBOX w/ a Logitech steering wheel/pedal arrangement are quite the experience in my opinion. Partly because these games cover most of the major tracks in North America (NA as well). Once you've had the opportunity to drive these tracks for real you'll realize how good these games are indeed - no matter how childish they may seem...

[Shuttlegoose]

they make a porsche racing wheel with clutch and shifter that looks pretty legit.

[Cmassey3]

I use iRacing and Assetto Corsa Competizione. iRacing is expensive and can feel like a 2nd job at times with the upkeep, but it's definitely the center of the sim world. If you're using a sim to train for US based tracks besides Leguna Seca, iRacing is your only option.

ACC has AI races so you can go at your own pace whereas iRacing has a schedule queue for each event. It also centers around GT3 and GT4 classes.

There's a giant deep end you can dive off for setup rigs, but I started with a borrowed Logitech G29 and then upgraded to my own Fanatec setup.

[tsk94]

I don't know if I'd call the GT4 'overlooked' given they are probably more common at track days than GT3's these days - at least up here.

iRacing or standard Assetto Corsa would be my suggestion. iRacing is a pain as you need to buy the tracks and most cars to drive, but the tracks are the most realistic. AC has better force feedback and physics imo.

[omgzirra_exe]

bros talking about GranTurismo 4... not the car...

[roastbeef]

sim games are great for learning track layouts and they can teach some lessons in car control, but its just that.
when i went to my first days at willow springs and laguna seca, i knew the tracks well. i had put in thousands of laps over the years, but it doesn't tell you where the line is or how to place your car. cornering speeds are different, brake zones are different... you just don't have to learn the corner layouts.

[Theruleslawyer]

Assetto Corsa is hands down the best right now. The reason is track mods exist. Its reasonbably likely you can find your local track for it unlike most sim where you might get a handful of tracks per country. Its model is one of the better ones out there. You can also probably find your car out there as a mod as well in case yours wasn't popular.

[Richbot]

What it teaches you if you're doing it at a high level is sustained intensity of concentration. There aren't many other activities we do as humans where you need to maintain max brain clockspeed for an half an hour let alone an hour (enduro stint) at a time.

I noticed a huge improvement in my focus and ability to make fewer mistakes and mitigate mistakes when they did happen when I started doing 30-60 minutes of Gran Turismo Sport during the weeks prior to a race weekend. I had been on a downtrend in the 2019 season - still winning but was worried I should get out of the game because I was making enough oopsies that my figure it out at the apex driving style was going to get me in trouble. But a little focus training even on fictional tracks really helps. Especially in this modern scattered-attention world. Doesn't really matter how good the game is so long as it throws all the same situational-awareness cues at you (other cars, track limits, vehicle dynamics). I don't even have a wheel and pedal setup.

Obviously it's great for learning a track too. Visiting the 'Ring in real life was no big deal after doing 1000 laps in my living room. The nuances are easy to get on your first trip if you're not being surprised by which way the track goes.

[gmx]

I think some in this thread I raced OG AC 1 or 2 against a while ago during COVID on AC setup by dogbone . Such an underrated tool that people don't use enough. If you build the audio/visual cues, and combine it with real forces, you will gain a stronger 6th sense of grip.
One of the guys there and myself started with sims almost 15yrs ago. The fundamentals of driving do not change and shows in our IRL results.

To actually learn and hone skills, stick to iracing or OG AC without aids. Any other game is pretty simcade especially when it comes to braking. Focus on the outcomes and not the flawed way iracing [and even AC/ACC] may "simulate" things. The outcomes to go fast remain the same.

[JobanM]

I run iRacing and it is competitive especially in the top split. Yeah, it is expensive especially once you start out, but you don't have to spend anything just run the rookie series which run on free tracks included in the base subscription.

You could run Assetto Corsa and it's extremely cheap especially with all the mods available. I prefer iRacing simply due to the fact you have to run the entire race not just a single hot lap. Being able to stay within few tenths of your best time is a skill learned over time and managing tires.

Simracing is a great way to learn not just tracks, but skills that you can apply to actual driving. Different cars require different inputs and some even require different lines.