Have Race sims influenced the way you drive?

I live in NYC so there is no need for me to own a car.
I have done lots of driving however when I was living in Chicago.
At some point I was doing deliveries with a track for a living and I have traveled half of north america back and forth.
I have lots of miles under my belt in all kinds of roads and weather.

At any rate, after almost a year of not driving at all, I rented a car yesterday to move to my new appartment.

I was never a turtle behind the wheel but I dont drive like an idiot as well.
Zero accidents too.

Well I was observing the way I was driving last night and it looks like I have a sense of awareness that I did not have before.

The way I turn or avoid little bad situations, everything.
I cannot explain it. It is like I feel I am 10 times of a better driver.

I cant pinpoint it though. Its just weird.
 
  • Andrew Evans

interesting question, dude....

i absolutely agree though - i think these sorts of game definitely make you a better driver because you learn instincts about they way a car handles that map directly to real life...

unless you're a public server fiend... those sorta guys drive the wrong way down the motorway looking to spoil somebodys afternoon :D
 
  • Jacek Kozlowski

George actually i notice some changes in my driving style too.I just started with simracing 6months ago-and think that did some improvment thru that time(first i couldnt qualify even for g4 now im almost every race in g2).
After some time when driving a regular car on streets of my city ive notice changes,its hard to explain(specially in english for me:D) but i think its mostly about judgement the situation on the road and decisions that i make are far better now.One more thing is reflex wich with simracing You can improve for sure.
 
I passed my test ~8 months before I started sim racing, I'm not a slow driver but I'm not an idiot either.
I can say that in RL I'm always very aware of what is around me, even more so since I started sim racing. If someone can't give the colour of the car behind without looking they're not paying enough attention is what my driving instructor told me.
 
I've always been of the mind that racing is for the track. I don't think my real driving is not really any different from when i passed my test (eek! more than 1/2 my life ago now!!!), just maybe look that little bit further ahead when driving on the back roads. I'm deffo more relaxed driving on the roads, this may be because agression is taken out on virtual circuits.
 
  • winger

I noticed that trying to heel and toe with the G25 screwed up my heel & toe technique in the real car, so I don't do that any more (on the G25 that is).

Perhaps with the nixim mod it might be better.
 
  • Matt Alpeter

I find myself using the whole lane while on a curve...ie I start wide then head towars the apex lol. but my reflexes are a lot better and I seem to be able to predict other cars' movements better.
 
I find myself using the whole lane while on a curve...ie I start wide then head towars the apex lol. but my reflexes are a lot better and I seem to be able to predict other cars' movements better.

exacly that i wanted to write too , i also m driving lines in rl , hitting apexxes and all hehe.

But overall i don't think driving race sims will improve driving style. As there is never suddenly a child of 4 years of age crossing the road in GTR or whatever racegame. You have to keep alert on those kind of sudden situations.
And i just tend to drive faster in rl when i am in kinda of a race mood, and thats a bad thing.
 
I find myself using the whole lane while on a curve...ie I start wide then head towars the apex lol. but my reflexes are a lot better and I seem to be able to predict other cars' movements better.

yeah, i'm starting to do so too, in some turns, always checking my mirrors :D especially on the highway when there's nobody around. sim races sure influence a little bit our daily driving style!

I noticed that trying to heel and toe with the G25 screwed up my heel & toe technique in the real car, so I don't do that any more (on the G25 that is).

Perhaps with the nixim mod it might be better.

did it? i drive my mum's automatic, so i haven't tried heel toe in real cars. maybe it's because in a race you're pushing harder, and on the streets you tend to be a bit more smooth, don't you think?

what's the nixim mod, btw?
 
  • winger

The nixim mod is a piece of rubber that sits inside the spring of the brake pedal, designed to give a more progressive feel to the brake. I was thinking it might give a better pivot to move the foot on.
 
the only problem i find right now with real driving is that i can't find the red button to look behind :) (happens once i swear :))

other than that maybe some here and there experience on distance and braking (especially when i need to suddenly brake to avoid hitting a car jumping in front of me or people and/or animals crossing the road without looking)
 
  • Matt Alpeter

yeah, i'm starting to do so too, in some turns, always checking my mirrors :D especially on the highway when there's nobody around. sim races sure influence a little bit our daily driving style!

lol i know what you mean. since i'm not particularily fast, i am always looking behind to make sure no speed demon is closing in on me. and it helps to avoid the "what the?? where did that guy come from??"
 
  • Andrew Dawes

He He agree with everyone here.

I hadn't thought about it till this weekend. I was driving the national park road just south of Sydney (30km of winding forest) and it ocurred to me how my driving had changed in the 12 months since i'd driven it (and how much the road had deteoriated - but that's another story).

In summary:
- I'm able to react to pot holes effectively and more confident to move the car around
- i naturally try to hit the edges of lines on the inside of corners
- much smoother in corners - i used to correct a few times and no longer the occaisional massive understeer when over judged the corner (lets face it i'm not pushing compared to online so i shouldn't)
- car positioning overall improved and much more relaxed.
 
  • Matt Gray

Got to agree with the above... always looking ahead for the best line through a corner!!

Strangely enough its not my driving that's changed much, but more how I push the trolley around a supermarket - as if it's some challenging circuit that I must navigate at top speed!!

:pound:
 
I think these simulator saved my life.
And I'm not kidding.

I used to be WAY faster in curbs.
I'm now way more conscious of transfer weight than I ever was.
While I see peeps driving, I oftentimes say to myself : if he brakes hard, he spins, therefore I better (do this, do that) in order to avoid him. Simulators make me think a lot more nowadays. I make sure always to have a second plan (failsafe) in case something occurs.

Really, it made me a better driver.
 

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