Saving fuel is a necessary evil in motorsport and sim racing - even if it goes against the instinct of going as fast as possible. There are different techniques to squeeze that one more important lap out of a full tank, and not all of them sacrifice a lot of pace: Lifting and coasting is a rather effective way to extend your stints.
Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
Whether it is an endurance race, a Grand Prix or a sprint where you miscalculated the amount of fuel to take during your last pit stop (let's face it, most of us have been there), fuel saving is a technique any sim racer should have in their arsenal. It can give crucial advantages by extending a stint for an extra lap, or it could simply mean the difference between finishing a race on fumes and running out of fuel with the checkered flag in sight.
Whatever your reason to save fuel may be, the most obvious option would be to adjust either the fuel mix or engine mapping of your car: Turn them down a notch or two, use less fuel per lap, sacrifice some engine power - sounds like a decent tradeoff, right? Well, yes, but it is usally not as efficient as lifting and coasting.
Turning down the engine mapping does not necessarily have to be the best way to save fuel - but it can help in the rain or emergency situations. Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
On a circuit like Spa-Francorchamps, where the iRacing Spa 24 Hours are taking place this weekend, areas like La Source, Les Combes, Les Fagnes, or the (formerly Bus Stop) Chicane at the very and of the lap can be used to save fuel using lift and coast. Due to the extraordinary length of the combined endurance pits, staying out for one more lap and potentially saving a pit stop in the end could mean enormous gains on the timing sheets.
While it takes a bit of practice, especially regarding nailing your braking points, lift and coast can be a life saver that should be in every sim racer's toolbox. And if all else fails, turning down the engine map or fuel mix additionally should get prevent you from doing as Jean Alesi did in Melbourne in 1997 (though, to be fair, that was due to a miscommunication).
Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
Whether it is an endurance race, a Grand Prix or a sprint where you miscalculated the amount of fuel to take during your last pit stop (let's face it, most of us have been there), fuel saving is a technique any sim racer should have in their arsenal. It can give crucial advantages by extending a stint for an extra lap, or it could simply mean the difference between finishing a race on fumes and running out of fuel with the checkered flag in sight.
Whatever your reason to save fuel may be, the most obvious option would be to adjust either the fuel mix or engine mapping of your car: Turn them down a notch or two, use less fuel per lap, sacrifice some engine power - sounds like a decent tradeoff, right? Well, yes, but it is usally not as efficient as lifting and coasting.
Coast Before You Brake
On the surface, this technique is rather simple: Instead of going full throttle until reaching the braking point before a corner, drivers lift off the throttle earlier than they usually would, coast into the braking zone and then hit the brakes. This sacrifices less top speed, especially in the draft of other cars, but saves a decent amount of fuel. Not all corners of a circuit are good spots to do so, but it generally works well on long straights with mid- to slow-speed corners at the end of them.Turning down the engine mapping does not necessarily have to be the best way to save fuel - but it can help in the rain or emergency situations. Image credit: Kunos Simulazioni
On a circuit like Spa-Francorchamps, where the iRacing Spa 24 Hours are taking place this weekend, areas like La Source, Les Combes, Les Fagnes, or the (formerly Bus Stop) Chicane at the very and of the lap can be used to save fuel using lift and coast. Due to the extraordinary length of the combined endurance pits, staying out for one more lap and potentially saving a pit stop in the end could mean enormous gains on the timing sheets.
Slow In, Fast Out
For drivers with a tendency to overdrive their cars and brake very late for corners, this could also prove beneficial for lap times - think of the good old "slow in, fast out" mantra. By using the technique, they are all but forced to attack a corner less aggressively, which can help with getting on the throttle much earlier. This can also reduce tire wear a bit.While it takes a bit of practice, especially regarding nailing your braking points, lift and coast can be a life saver that should be in every sim racer's toolbox. And if all else fails, turning down the engine map or fuel mix additionally should get prevent you from doing as Jean Alesi did in Melbourne in 1997 (though, to be fair, that was due to a miscommunication).
