Have Race sims influenced the way you drive?

[George Mastrokostas]

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.

 

[Kevin Ascher]

My father always says that sim's don't have anything in common with real racing..
He doesn't know how wrong he is..

 

[Tim Ling]

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!!

ound:

The trolley will be a real pain to set up though Matt

 

[vmagics]

I don't think my driving has really changed at all. With the exception of my clutch/throttle balance after a long session on race07. For the first 20 minutes or so in a real car I'm buggered if I can find that smooth transition. Often revving the bollocks off it at traffic lights with an ever expanding queue of beep-beep-happy ice cream vans and milk floats on my tail. Oh the humiliation!

 

[Andrew Dawes]

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!!

ound:

Oh no sim racing hasn't affected my trolley driving - thats always been rally driving style around the corners - Scandinavian flick - Sim racing doesn't affect that for me

 

[Chad711]

Well I have always known how to drive on a track since i can remember. My issue is I can restart if I wreck in the game, to bad I just can't "restart" my corvette in real life if I hit a wall! LOL

 

[Lee Downham]

I think one has an influence on the other, but I would guess you are also analysing and paying a lot more attention to your own driving now, which in itself is going to make you a better driver.

Most people on the roads are not thinking about driving, they are half asleep, thinking about what to have to eat when they get in, or what is on telly that night, or what to do about that problem at work ... etc ... so only 5% of their brain is actually concentrating on controlling that potentially lethal weapon on four wheels - scary really :eek:

I personally find that I am safer when I drive twisties or have something to keep me focussed (... like avoiding all the pot-holes on the roads down here in Portugal :lol ... otherwise I tend to start to drift off into 5% concentration land too.

 

[Michael Lam]

I've always had a good sense of awareness but since taking up Sim Racing I do look around and ahead a lot more than I used to on the road I've found. Has helped on a number of occasions

 

[Johan Bergqvist]

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 think you are right, maybe one will be a better driver, handeling of the car and stuff. In the sim one probably will be better to look around where everyone is, but that is more or less predictible, you probably won't be able to predict suddenly upcoming danger like children, animals and other drivers whom are not paying to much attention to what they are doing any better than earlier. In Sweden we can still use our cellphone whilst driving which is not allowed in other contries.

 

[Daniel Monteiro]

lol, yesterday i went for a ride in my mom's car, and i hadn't for like a week or so, and i found myself pressing the horn buttons on the wheel so i could look back !!!

 

[Gonzalo Diez]

I have a clutch wheel, and i think that if you drive pure simulation, it must help to imporve your driving. You calculate better the speeds, gears and braking times.
The bad thing its that sim clutch are not very well simulated in my opinion, and you probably dont drive a car with more than 200 horsepower.

 

[Steven Palmer]

I don't think there is any relation to real life driving and simulators such as GTRe. Nothing compares to real life situations, nor can any sim recreate some of the idiotic and random driving we all frequently find on our roads. AI is just that, it's been created to perform within certain set of parameters. Sadly people are not so predictable.

 

[Bob Miley]

I think the way I drive in real life has more influence on my sim driving as I tend to be more careful in game than I probably should be, I tend not to go for passes that I think may cause an accident, instead I spend lap after lap waiting for the driver in front to make a mistake before I pass or until a clear passing opportunity arises.

It`s probably an age thing, but I would rather drive well and finish down the field than force others off the track to finish top 3.

 

[Daniel Monteiro]

I think the way I drive in real life has more influence on my sim driving as I tend to be more careful in game than I probably should be, I tend not to go for passes that I think may cause an accident, instead I spend lap after lap waiting for the driver in front to make a mistake before I pass or until a clear passing opportunity arises.

It`s probably an age thing, but I would rather drive well and finish down the field than force others off the track to finish top 3.

that's just the attitude to have! i tend to break through, i understand that you have a lot of years in real driving, so you tend to be more careful.

i wish i could be so coolheaded, i stress quickly and make mistakes, either i have someone just behind me or just ahead

 

[Bob Miley]

that's just the attitude to have! i tend to break through, i understand that you have a lot of years in real driving, so you tend to be more careful.

Yes, I do enjoy my races whether I win or not. The more competative amongst us think winning is all, but I promise you it is much more satisfying knowing you have driven the best you can safely than winning by crashing someone out.

I never get riled or worked up by being behind a slower car, the real challenge is to get past that car safely. Although, I do tend to swear a bit when after catching someone and waiting for the right time to pass, they ram you off the track at the very next corner, which happens all to often really