Driving technique - advice needed

[Balázs Gerencsér]

Hi Guys,

I could finally beat the Stig's time at Imola but I'm still not satisfied with my driving style. I think I really tortured the car and probably used up my front tyres completely. Would you please take a look at the video and give me some advise? I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

(Sorry for no audio and low res)

 

[Chris]

Look at those tires grip..amaizing...talking about cars on rails...Great example of grip level


EDIT*

Recorded a lap too...it seems that no matter what,if your pushing,the car slides and kills the tires..i see no safe run for the tires if you want to aim for the hotlap....

It's because you're braking slightly too late, thus carrying too much speed on corner entry. The standard 458 tends to lose a lot of rear end grip if you enter a corner too quickly.

Especially at Imola as it's got several non-linear braking zones, so it's tough to get the car slowed down in a straight line, and early enough without losing too much time. But if you can manage to sacrifice a bit of time on corner entry, then you'll get a much better exit and gain bucket loads of time on the ensuing straight.

Imola is all about corner exit speed.

 

[Pedro Cunha]

I've been tweaking car setup and no longer need to slide that much. I also use 30% wheel damper, it really helps maintaining stability. Anyway I think you need practice more being heavier on the brakes without locking the tyres like you did in the first curve of Imola. One thing i'm enjoying in this game is the great amount of practice and setup skills required to obtain hot laps

 

[Mapu]

don't be hard on the brakes, you'll lock them - try either threshold braking or trail braking (latter is a bit more difficult)

 

[Stereo]

How much time would you say is lost if you brake early. Like say, at Monza's first chicane in the FAbarth, at the 150 mark instead of however much later it's possible. Assuming you enter the corner at the same speed and exit the same.

I know I'm not taking the corners the fastest they can, just curious how much I should worry about finding the latest braking point, vs getting on the power earlier or carrying more speed through corners.

My laptimes right now are way back, I could maybe do a 1:57 on Monza/FA, whereas top times are 1:51ish. So I'm just wondering which areas the most time is out the window.

 

[Mapu]

finding correct/optimal brake, turn-in, apex, exit and acceleration markers as well as a clean racing line is very important to gain crucial tenths; even seconds for the beginning

keep in mind that markers can be nearly anything, from signs to trees and buildings, all kind of props that appear off and on track, even flaws in the tarmac or changing pavement, really anything that helps you to improve your lap times, be creative

keeping the torque up in the correct gear is also very important when pulling out of the corner

 

[Requiem84]

The above is true of course, but I'd like to think there is relatively little time to be found by braking 3-5 metres later, compared to accelerating 3-5 metres earlier.

By braking 3-5 metres later, you will gain time during the braking zone. Once you start accelerating, the advantage stays identical.

By accelerating 3-5 metres earlier, you gain time untill the next braking zone. As you keep carrying more speed on to the straight. Especially on Monza, you gain big chunks of time by accelerating earlier, as the straights are SO long.

My advice would be to 1) optimise your lines and accelerating points. Once those are perfect, you can focus on braking a bit later (without neglecting the acceleration points). A common mistake from rookies is to brake way too late, overdrive the car into the corner, and only accelerate well past the apex. This feels very fast, as you are on a knives edge with your car all the time, but in fact it is deadslow.

Take a look at Gregor's latest Fabarth worldrecord on Mugello, it seems so controlled and 'easy'. If you take the above with you when driving, I'm quite sure you'll get closer to the top guys!

 

[Balázs Gerencsér]

So it's about - among other things - to find the balance between braking as late and as much as possible (but not too late - losing stability), and be on the throttle as early as possible (but not too early - understeering).

 

[Balázs Gerencsér]

... optimise your lines and accelerating points. Once those are perfect, you can focus on braking a bit later (without neglecting the acceleration points)...

That!

 

[Requiem84]

Yes, all in perspective of course.

If you brake 30 metres too early for every corner, you will be slow .
But once you get close to the optimum braking points, first focus on the exit of the corner. Braking is of later concern (that is how I work at least). Sometimes when I cannot go faster, I have to say to myself: start braking earlier, instead of later! .

 

[Mapu]

that's true... another hint might be working on every corner and/or corner sequences (e.g. chicanes) separately

start with a corner of a track that is or seems to be most crucial to you and refine your driving technique from there until you think you have "mastered" that corner, from there and only from there you can move on and improve the next important corner and so on... a side effect might well be that while doing this (mastering each corner in the way you understand it) you will automatically improve these previous corners on the go while moving from corner to corner but always concentrating on one particular corner

use telemetry data if available to check your progress and see the possibilities for improvements

two or three important corner/chicanes at monza are for example: rettifilo, roggia, parabolica

 

[Dinca Andrei]

How much time would you say is lost if you brake early. Like say, at Monza's first chicane in the FAbarth, at the 150 mark instead of however much later it's possible. Assuming you enter the corner at the same speed and exit the same.

I know I'm not taking the corners the fastest they can, just curious how much I should worry about finding the latest braking point, vs getting on the power earlier or carrying more speed through corners.

My laptimes right now are way back, I could maybe do a 1:57 on Monza/FA, whereas top times are 1:51ish. So I'm just wondering which areas the most time is out the window.

Since we dont know how top laps looks like,and the fact that we can turn Off the cut warning,i am sceptical about top times...

It's because you're braking slightly too late, thus carrying too much speed on corner entry. The standard 458 tends to lose a lot of rear end grip if you enter a corner too quickly.

Especially at Imola as it's got several non-linear braking zones, so it's tough to get the car slowed down in a straight line, and early enough without losing too much time. But if you can manage to sacrifice a bit of time on corner entry, then you'll get a much better exit and gain bucket loads of time on the ensuing straight.

Imola is all about corner exit speed.

With that in mind i just shaved 1 sec.

 

[Mapu]

not sure if you're coasting in some corners (at least to me it looks and sounds like it in few occasions), but try to avoid it

 

[Dinca Andrei]

not sure if you're coasting in some corners (at least it looks and sounds like it to me on occasions), but try to avoid it

I dont understand what you mean...i dont use H shifter on this car.

 

[Mapu]

either be on the gas pedal or brake pedal or both for smooth transitions, don't let the car just "roll", combine acceleration, braking, and steering

like this,but the gap between acceleration and braking and vice versa should be minimized or completely overcome

 

[Dinca Andrei]

Ah,i see,thanks...

 

[Mapu]

maybe you can get your hand on this book, I highly recommend it

Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques

 

[Pedro Cunha]

Since we dont know how top laps looks like,and the fact that we can turn Off the cut warning,i am sceptical about top times...


With that in mind i just shaved 1 sec.

Increase that FOV significantly, and much will be solved.

 

[Pedro Cunha]

don't be hard on the brakes, you'll lock them - try either threshold braking or trail braking (latter is a bit more difficult)

He can be hard on the brakes...he just needs to practice not to lock....

 

[Mapu]

He can be hard on the brakes...he just needs to practice not to lock....

sneaky sneaky ... you edited your post clever Mr. Cunha

won't make a good picture of you, but if thats what you want, be my guest!

teaches me to quote everything

besides you're still wrong... braking has to be done progressively and not "hard" without locking them

 

[Ben Lee]

Two things I find help in a number of sims and situations are;

1, When braking, leave your foot slightly on the throttle, only maybe 10-20%, but it really helps with avoiding locking the rear wheels (assuming its a RWD car).

2, When applying the throttle out of a corner, try to get on the throttle a little before the apex, and be progressive. You need to load up the rear axle before you nail the throttle to get out of the corner.