What are the tricks of driving a RWD?

[Stefan Mizzi]

This is more of a generic question across all sims, but since this issue has to do with my experience with AC, then I though of posting it here.

OK, so the reason I'm posting this that I am shocked at my lap times I am doing with the AC TP. I have noticed that I am quite slow with RWD as compared to a FWD.

For example, in iRacing, I am always around 1 to 1.5 seconds away from aliens in the Jetta...yet with the RWDs, always about 3 seconds away.

In rFactor 2, I think I kick ass with the Clio, maybe 0.5 to max 1s away from aliens...yet, with RDW I struggle, depending on the car.

Now with AC, the Elise, I feel is not that hard to drive compared to iRacing or rFactor 2 RWDs....and yet, I can only do high 1.24 and higher. That's 2 to 3 seconds slower. I used no aids except some stability.

I am gobsmacked that I am so slow with RDWs. Yes, I know, they have different styles of driving, but I still follow the rules...brake as late as possible and smoothly, enter the corner smoothly, exit the corner and hit the accelerator as fast as you can bla bla bla...

I can go very fast with FWDs, yet in general 3 seconds slow in RWDs. I do not use heal and toe. I expected to be at least in the mid 1.23s

Oh another thing...I've always been slow in 'slow' tracks and quite fast in fast flowing tracks, so mangione does not help...

But anyway....any tips would be helpful to improve my RWD...

Thanks!!!!

PS: This thing (being slow in RWDs) has been very frustrating as there are more RWDs in sims in general. Also, it could be that I am just a F%c^%n idiot and don't know how to drive and I have to accept that...

 

[Stefan Mizzi]

Thanks Aris!! I think you're right! I can't drive a freken RWD but fast ijn FWD...and what you said makes sense.

I need to try a new style with RWD and now you pointed it out!

Cheers mate

 

[Mr Whippy]

RWD is easy given time, just it's all about perfect smooth addition of power for the required line and desired yaw rate (probably neutral to slightly oversteery ideally)

FWD you can just let it push into understeer which is safe and 'easy'... rwd just needs you to be smooth and only put in as much throttle as you need.

I suppose the same is true for RWD but you can't 'push' into oversteer without losing control haha.


As Jackie Stewart says, don't put throttle on that you will have to take back off... I think that sums it up pretty well. If you can do that you will be very fast... eventually

Dave

 

[William Levesque]

Relatively to RWD's, I think this pretty much applies. As with FWD's you need to keep more momentum than RWD's on entry. With RWD's you can rotate the car more on the throttle, hence you have a better exit, but a slower entry.

Most FWD's are relatively underpowered, momentum is key and by doing your technique you're shooting yourself in the foot, good for overtaking, but then as soon as you get on the straight you get mugged. Of course, laptimes will be much slower aswell.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

We've raced Greger Huttu in 2008 here in the RD Touring Car Championship. Still remember that during pre-qualification even the fastest FWD aliens (like Attila Domjan) did hundreds of laps and sharpened the WTCC laprecords at Istanbul Park all the way to the high 2:02's which was exceptional really.

Then Huttu came online with everybody in spectator mode watching the man at work. Drove an out-, hot- and an inlap and clocked a 2:01 with his RWD BMW with the comment: Yeah some small mistakes but this should be good for now.

Trolololo. Thats the day I gave up

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Check this out...his warm-up lap is unreal, first time i thought that was the lap he was gonna showcase then he just stepped it up a notch.

Freak of nature.

 

[Hannes-Joshua Thor Barthel]

still slower then schumacher

yes yes I know differend seasons car .. and I think when I drive the iracing williams.. that car was never built in reallife.. always feels like downforce parts have broken off the car lol


btw has greger driven AC yet?

 

[William Levesque]

Check this out...his warm-up lap is unreal, first time i thought that was the lap he was gonna showcase then he just stepped it up a notch.

Freak of nature.

Well, if you forget about Greger for a moment, here we can all realise the iRacing Williams has too much grip

 

[Aristotelis]

btw has greger driven AC yet?

Yes

 

[baloche]

do you know his lap times ?

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Well, if you forget about Greger for a moment, here we can all realise the iRacing Williams has too much grip

Yes it has way to much grip, and those sudden movements i just can´t see how a tire can handle.
IRL driver´s are smooth with inputs but in iR you can just saw the wheel at any rate you like, the front will never get overpowered.

Think it does something like crazy like 6-7G in cornering alone. And that´s with the supposed hard compound from Bridgestone.

 

[Hannes-Joshua Thor Barthel]

don't know... everytime I switch from FVA into the iracing williams it feels like it has broken off the wings and is running on bluewheels
don't know how accurate the FVA f1 is.. but feels to me like a "car" where alot millions of $ went into the power to grip and downforce development... and Iracings F1 feels like it's build somewhere in a backyard garage

 

[Aristotelis]

One thing is absolute grip, and another thing is the experience you get from that grip and how you arrive or departure from that grip value.

If you think about it, our Lotus Elise a street car on street legal tyres, has less grip than the GPL F1 cars... and still I think we all agree it feels more planted.

 

[LazyBug]

RWD demands you to master the throttle as weird as it may should you steer the car a lot with the throttle.

You mean have to throttle even entering corner for RWD car ??

 

[LazyBug]

You need to take a bit earlier apexes, trying to trailbrake into them and then rotate the car with the gas. This being a street car, relatively underpowered, you need to keep speed inside the turn, using the power to rotate it. You can't afford to go so slow and straight in turn in just to have a late apex so you can keep the front wheel straight. You can't afford that and you don't have to, because the power is at the rear wheels and you have plenty of traction.

Very helpful. I believe i also drive RWD like FWD. Waste too much time to rotate the car by steer the wheel but the car just dont turn like i wish.

 

[Siddharth Mody]

Stefan nice lap, way better than I can manage, I'm a noob at this.

Can you tell me what your wheel and pedals you are using? Are you using ABS or any other aids?

I'm stuck at 1:29, after three days of an hour each, long way to go

 

[William Levesque]

You mean have to throttle even entering corner for RWD car ??

LOL

Use logic there my friend ! Mostly, as soon as you hit the apex (Be it a late apex, early apex, middle apex, whatever), you're back on the throttle, and then you control it to give you the best grip/speed combo possible, even having a small 4 wheel drift thing going on (I said SMALL, you are not drifting )

 

[Stefan Mizzi]

Stefan nice lap, way better than I can manage, I'm a noob at this.

Can you tell me what your wheel and pedals you are using? Are you using ABS or any other aids?

I'm stuck at 1:29, after three days of an hour each, long way to go

Thanks mody, though I am still 1.5 seconds behind the fast ones..assuming they are not cheating

Here's a better lap...still with mistakes, but better

As for wheel and pedals....I use an old G25 and have the GTEYE Brake Pedal Spring Upgrade Mod which I like much better.

Used no aids except some stability (25% i think) and pedal shifters