What’s the best way to practice to become faster?

[ZeroSV]

I’ve been simracing about 5 months now and I was wondering what’s the best way to get faster overall? I ask because I want to go from being 2-3 seconds off the best times to making that gap smaller and smaller. I’ve seen some aliens say they weren’t good from the start but they spent the time to practice everyday and got faster by doing that. What I wanna know is what exactly is it that I’m supposed to do as practice because I feel that it’s a bit different than other things you’d practice for which is why I’m confused and feel like I may not be practicing right. What are the procedures/things that I should be doing everyday to improve on becoming an overall faster driver. I’m willing to put the time and effort but just don’t know how to practice. Thanks

(Just to clarify, I’m talking specifically about getting faster and not getting more consistent as that’s not a problem for me.)

 

[Ghoults]

Corner exits make 90% of your lap time as those decide how fast you are on the straight after the corners. Poor corner exit -> slow on the straight. Everybody knows how to push the throttle pedal to the floor on straights so the sooner you get the throttle pedal the higher your speeds.

But at least for me corner exits are equally important because they really set up your corner trajectory. If I have poor corner entry my mid corner is going to suffer and my corner exit is going to be worse as well. Even if on the lap time the corner entry is maybe 1%, mid corner is 9% and corner exit is 90% the entry is important in the sense that it sets up the rest of rhe corner. If you turn in too early or too late you have instantly ruined your mid corner and if you are lucky the corner entry mistake was small enough not to kill your corner exit.

So while going from average to really amazing corner entry maybe nets me like couple of tenths going from average to amazing corner exit easily gives me many seconds. But it is difficult to get that good corner exit if your entry is bad.

 

[Rogerbee]

I have Dyspraxia, and could never drive a car in real life, and yet, stick a Dualshock in my hands and I'm a demon. It's taken years of practice and I have massive muscles between my thumb and index finger, very handy for opening jars!

 

[ZeroSV]

Assetto Corsa, also idk when i'll post the video of my lap as i am waiting on my new wheel.

 

[Andy-R]

I have zero experience in these cars but I was bored so tried to set a time with the Nissan GT3 at Brands. Not sure what an on pace time is outside of a glance at RSR but if it is of any use OP & you upload a lap from single screen let me know what FOV you are using and I will rerecord with the same and make a side by side video.

(sorry about the sparks, I can't roll back the patch without breaking the sky)

 

[ZeroSV]

I have zero experience in these cars but I was bored so tried to set a time with the Nissan GT3 at Brands. Not sure what an on pace time is outside of a glance at RSR but if it is of any use OP & you upload a lap from single screen let me know what FOV you are using and I will rerecord with the same and make a side by side video.

(sorry about the sparks, I can't roll back the patch without breaking the sky)

says my field of view is a 55. Does field of view effect anything? cause i usually dont change anything.

 

[RasmusP]

says my field of view is a 55. Does field of view effect anything? cause i usually dont change anything.

55 is totally normal and okay. Most single monitor users end up with something around 50.
It's good to have the same fov when doing the videos for comparison so you see the same area and also perceive the speed and distance in the same way.
A very low fov will make things look a lot slower while a very high fov will make things look like fast forwarded.

Personal opinion now: when you look up fov and simracing, please don't believe in the "realistic fov or nothing" thing. Use whatever feels good for you. Your brain will adapt to it to judge speeds etc.
It's not realistic to only see a very tiny area of the track and cockpit with a very low and "realistic" fov nor is it great to see everything distorted while seeing a lot more area (very high fov).
You can ask for advice though if you're unable to decide what actually feels good for you.
I'm extremely sensitive for motion sickness. My monitor is 27" and I'm about 80cm away with my head. I'm using 49° vertical fov (assetto is vertical). 40° feel like the monitor would devour my eyes and 60° feel like I'm flying through a wormhole.
My monitor is actually 34" ultra wide but that's the same height as a standard 27" monitor

 

[Andy-R]

says my field of view is a 55. Does field of view effect anything? cause i usually dont change anything.

I only ask so I can match my video to yours if you do upload one. It makes comparison easier On that note I'd take my video as a very rough guide as I can count on two hands and a foot tops the amount of times I've driven a GT3 car in AC. Based on RSR it is about 1 second off pace.

Also here is the setup in case that helps, again take with a silo of salt, I don't claim to know how to set a car up properly. The gears I was using definitely worked better than the stock ratios adjusted down for the right top speed I can say that much for sure.

Spoiler: Setup

[ABS]
VALUE=7

[ARB_FRONT]
VALUE=6

[ARB_REAR]
VALUE=2

[BRAKE_POWER_MULT]
VALUE=100

[CAMBER_LF]
VALUE=-31

[CAMBER_LR]
VALUE=-13

[CAMBER_RF]
VALUE=-31

[CAMBER_RR]
VALUE=-13

[CAR]
MODEL=ks_nissan_gtr_gt3

[DAMP_BUMP_LF]
VALUE=0

[DAMP_BUMP_LR]
VALUE=1

[DAMP_BUMP_RF]
VALUE=0

[DAMP_BUMP_RR]
VALUE=1

[DAMP_FAST_BUMP_LF]
VALUE=0

[DAMP_FAST_BUMP_LR]
VALUE=1

[DAMP_FAST_BUMP_RF]
VALUE=0

[DAMP_FAST_BUMP_RR]
VALUE=1

[DAMP_FAST_REBOUND_LF]
VALUE=7

[DAMP_FAST_REBOUND_LR]
VALUE=10

[DAMP_FAST_REBOUND_RF]
VALUE=7

[DAMP_FAST_REBOUND_RR]
VALUE=10

[DAMP_REBOUND_LF]
VALUE=7

[DAMP_REBOUND_LR]
VALUE=10

[DAMP_REBOUND_RF]
VALUE=7

[DAMP_REBOUND_RR]
VALUE=10

[DIFF_COAST]
VALUE=60

[DIFF_POWER]
VALUE=40

[ENGINE_LIMITER]
VALUE=100

[FINAL_RATIO]
VALUE=9

[FRONT_BIAS]
VALUE=68

[FUEL]
VALUE=11

[INTERNAL_GEAR_2]
VALUE=1

[INTERNAL_GEAR_3]
VALUE=4

[INTERNAL_GEAR_4]
VALUE=4

[INTERNAL_GEAR_5]
VALUE=3

[INTERNAL_GEAR_6]
VALUE=0

[INTERNAL_GEAR_7]
VALUE=2

[PACKER_RANGE_LF]
VALUE=75

[PACKER_RANGE_LR]
VALUE=85

[PACKER_RANGE_RF]
VALUE=75

[PACKER_RANGE_RR]
VALUE=85

[PRESSURE_LF]
VALUE=15

[PRESSURE_LR]
VALUE=15

[PRESSURE_RF]
VALUE=18

[PRESSURE_RR]
VALUE=17

[ROD_LENGTH_LF]
VALUE=70

[ROD_LENGTH_LR]
VALUE=20

[ROD_LENGTH_RF]
VALUE=70

[ROD_LENGTH_RR]
VALUE=20

[SPRING_RATE_LF]
VALUE=153

[SPRING_RATE_LR]
VALUE=125

[SPRING_RATE_RF]
VALUE=153

[SPRING_RATE_RR]
VALUE=125

[TOE_OUT_LF]
VALUE=-40

[TOE_OUT_LR]
VALUE=110

[TOE_OUT_RF]
VALUE=-40

[TOE_OUT_RR]
VALUE=110

[TRACTION_CONTROL]
VALUE=7

[TYRES]
VALUE=0

[WING_2]
VALUE=4

 

[ZeroSV]

I only ask so I can match my video to yours if you do upload one. It makes comparison easier On that note I'd take my video as a very rough guide as I can count on two hands and a foot tops the amount of times I've driven a GT3 car in AC. Based on RSR it is about 1 second off pace.

Also here is the setup in case that helps, again take with a silo of salt, I don't claim to know how to set a car up properly. The gears I was using definitely worked better than the stock ratios adjusted down for the right top speed I can say that much for sure.

If a 1:23.9 is 1 second off the pace then that makes me 3.7 off the pace from when i last tried, well **** lol.

The wheel wasn't shipped yet so i won't have the video for comparision until a few days

 

[Andy-R]

If a 1:23.9 is 1 second off the pace then that makes me 3.7 off the pace from when i last tried, well **** lol.

The wheel wasn't shipped yet so i won't have the video for comparision until a few days

Don't feel like you have to upload a vid at all if you don't want to. It could prove useful to you if you do though It might be worth trying the gears or whole setup I posted also. I gained a few tenths with those gears.

 

[RasmusP]

Don't feel like you have to upload a vid at all if you don't want to. It could prove useful to you if you do though It might be worth trying the gears or whole setup I posted also. I gained a few tenths with those gears.

You also have some very oversteery corner entries! Nice car control man!
Is this due to setup changes or just your driving style?

 

[Andy-R]

You also have some very oversteery corner entries! Nice car control man!
Is this due to setup changes or just your driving style?

Thanks! The setup is fairly stock I think other than gears, wing and electronics. I did click some other stuff but for no real reason

Some of my steering input was likely surplus to requirements because I was quite nervous in the car. It drives quite different and corners much faster than I'm used to! My guess it didn't help my brake input either ...I mostly drive 60's race cars in AC.

 

[AlleyViper]

(sorry about the sparks, I can't roll back the patch without breaking the sky)

OT: If they bother you, you can just disable them in Particles FX\Sparks (at the bottom). Else, to reduce them a lot, you can just add the following to \Documents\Assetto Corsa\cfg\extension\particles_fx.ini to change a few hidden options:
[SPARKS_DEV]
LIMIT=1000
SPAWN_RATE=1000

 

[Andy-R]

OT: If they bother you, you can just disable them in Particles FX\Sparks (at the bottom). Else, to reduce them a lot, you can just add the following to \Documents\Assetto Corsa\cfg\extension\particles_fx.ini to change a few hidden options:
[SPARKS_DEV]
LIMIT=1000
SPAWN_RATE=1000

Nice one! Didn't know that was possible

 

[rpmmod]

" What’s the best way to practice to become faster? "
The thinking slowed action.

 

[Kek700]

“mmmm”, simple question, impossible to give a simple answer.

simple answer :-
Use the AC “delta app” to help you find the best “time” saved on corner entry “combined” with corner
exit speed, most important ,maximum corner exit speed for the next straight.
Store that answer in your memory, and then repeat, over and over again to covering all probable
corners.
i raced quite “happily” for 12 months in rfactor2 and only thought about trying to be faster when
trying online racing. Just turned down AI competitiveness.

 

[Tony Bew]

Child prodigies? Genius? Talent or hard work ? It is self evident that "genius" has nothing to do with hard work. I'm sorry to say that practice does not make perfect. Hard work and good practice merely makes you the best that you can be.

 

[Pawel Ziolkowski]

“mmmm”, simple question, impossible to give a simple answer.

simple answer :-
Use the AC “delta app” to help you find the best “time” saved on corner entry “combined” with corner
exit speed, most important ,maximum corner exit speed for the next straight.
Store that answer in your memory, and then repeat, over and over again to covering all probable
corners.
i raced quite “happily” for 12 months in rfactor2 and only thought about trying to be faster when
trying online racing. Just turned down AI competitiveness.

Actually i'd disagree somewhat with the speed part.
I was for the longest time focusing on exit speed, and was stuck not being able to improve because of that.

This of course will depend on given driver skill level, but exit speed is only an indicator of how well we can do the exit part - from apex to exit kerbs, nothing more. As soon as we are good at exits, optimizing for exit speed will worsen our entry lines. The worst is, that this won't bite us until we get "ok" at entry, at which point we have formed a suboptimal mindset that guides our lines, and will need to be unlearned to improve.

So my advice would be to just look at the delta at the end of following straight. And if we really don't want to use telemetry, look at both minimum and exit speed. Summing them up should be close enough. (Best done while watching replays, which is another good way to spend practice time.)

 

[RasmusP]

Actually i'd disagree somewhat with the speed part.
I was for the longest time focusing on exit speed, and was stuck not being able to improve because of that.

This of course will depend on given driver skill level, but exit speed is only an indicator of how well we can do the exit part - from apex to exit kerbs, nothing more. As soon as we are good at exits, optimizing for exit speed will worsen our entry lines. The worst is, that this won't bite us until we get "ok" at entry, at which point we have formed a suboptimal mindset that guides our lines, and will need to be unlearned to improve.

So my advice would be to just look at the delta at the end of following straight. And if we really don't want to use telemetry, look at both minimum and exit speed. Summing them up should be close enough. (Best done while watching replays, which is another good way to spend practice time.)

Reminds me of my line around the last corner at Mugello. I take a late-apex-line while drivers faster than me actually take a tighter line, which is faster.
Out of 30 laps I could only nail the tighter line 1-2x while I could nail the late-apex line lap after lap.
Resulted in 28 laps losing 0.2s from back straight to start/finish line and 2 laps gaining 0.1s.

Like you said it depends also on the skill. For me it was better to stick to the slower, yet consistent line but it was not the absolute fastest!

 

[Pawel Ziolkowski]

Reminds me of my line around the last corner at Mugello. I take a late-apex-line while drivers faster than me actually take a tighter line, which is faster.
Out of 30 laps I could only nail the tighter line 1-2x while I could nail the late-apex line lap after lap.
Resulted in 28 laps losing 0.2s from back straight to start/finish line and 2 laps gaining 0.1s.

Like you said it depends also on the skill. For me it was better to stick to the slower, yet consistent line but it was not the absolute fastest!

Yeah exactly.

I think late apex is something that will occur naturally as a driver that does not have enough consistency tries to keep the car on the limit through whole corner.
Now this would be ok if he practiced to get the car closer and closer to the inside earlier, but focusing too much on exit speed will tend to make late apex feel correct. Leading to more practice perfecting it, and then we are stuck with a choice of doing great late apex, or just "ok" correct spiral entry barely gaining any advantage.

Setup plays into it too. Safe (understeery) setup really likes to take set into this wide, late apex lines,
while keeping it close to inside often requires the car to be pretty loose.
A correct entry and exit spiral usually requires pretty slow inputs, so loose setup is not even hard if used correctly. But coming from hamfisted inputs of late apexes it's gets tricky trying to switch to it.

If i could time travel 5 years back and tell myself that, i'd probably shave many hundreds of hours of practice time haha.

 

[RasmusP]

Yeah exactly.

I think late apex is something that will occur naturally as a driver that does not have enough consistency tries to keep the car on the limit through whole corner.
Now this would be ok if he practiced to get the car closer and closer to the inside earlier, but focusing too much on exit speed will tend to make late apex feel correct. Leading to more practice perfecting it, and then we are stuck with a choice of doing great late apex, or just "ok" correct spiral entry barely gaining any advantage.

Setup plays into it too. Safe (understeery) setup really likes to take set into this wide, late apex lines,
while keeping it close to inside often requires the car to be pretty loose.
A correct entry and exit spiral usually requires pretty slow inputs, so loose setup is not even hard if used correctly. But coming from hamfisted inputs of late apexes it's gets tricky trying to switch to it.

If i could time travel 5 years back and tell myself that, i'd probably shave many hundreds of hours of practice time haha.

Very very true!
I have to say when I practiced for the club race on here, it was the BMW 235i racing which is really sensitive to weight shifting! Not smooth enough or a wrong input and it goes into full understeer mode, scrubbing the fronts or starts to slide and oversteer.
That's why the late apex approach was a lot easier as you said: brake in a pretty straight line until you turn in a lot and go back on the throttle.

After the race I went back to Mugello but this time with the Tatuus F4 and it was a lot easier to do the correct line as the car is on rails in comparison!