7 Techniques EVERY Simracer Should Know! 

One thing my dad told me when i was motocross racing was that when the main lines off the track became difficult then find a way on the outside because you paid to drive on the entirety of the track

To add to the weight balance techniques, when you lift-off the throttle or break during a corner it can often give you a little extra oversteer as the weight transfers and shifts either forwards or backwards. Front engine cars can use lift-off breaking oversteer better, but rear/mid engine can utilize lift-off throttle oversteer better. That's how I see it. Also you need to lift-off fast. If you lift-off slowly you don't get the same weight transfer from the springs bouncing back.

Great video with plenty of useful information. I just want to add a little to the "Use the whole track" tip. Make sure that the reason you end up driving to the edge of the track on exit is because of your speed, not because you just unwind the steering to take you to the outside. At the right speed from the apex, your vehicle will naturally pull to the outside of the exit. So if you find you are having to unwinding the steering just to get to the outside, examine your entry and mid-corner closely; it is very likely that you simply are not carrying the speed into and through the corner that you could.

The analogy of paying for the entire laser scanned track is actually brilliant. I never even considered it in that way - I like it!

Not a technique itself but really important. Make sure you have your button mapping setup. I was leading a race in our league in gtr2 many moons ago. Was having a great race until the pitstop. I had reinstalled and forgot to remap all my buttons. No ignition or starter. Couldn't fix it mid race either. Yay. Leaned a huge lesson that day.

Just came across your channel for the first time. Played GT since the first one, but never seriously. Recently I've been trying to get better and although I was getting better, I was still making stupid mistakes, your section on trail braking is what was the issue got me. I've always been very cautious with the brakes, but I've just started racing in manual, so I've realised how much more control I have in basically all aspects of driving, but after a few laps right now going straight to my braking pressure then engine braking and easing off, not only am I carrying more speed, but I'm keeping the racing line. I've tried watching the fastest laps in races, but there's sometimes so much going on I can't pinpoint what makes them fast. Thank you so much, you've really helped me out!

If you’re not on the limit of the track, you aren’t on the limit

I still consider myself a new driver. I been practicing spa with Formula Hybrid 2022 for AC for about a month. I have a decent hot lap but when I race a full grid with AI, I am lucky to make it half a lap without crashing. I been practicing at the back of the grid and been doing ok. My launch suuuuucks! I cant wait until I have a consistent launch off the line and better break control. Must be the hardware ^.^

That was great Emily, learnt heaps, even after studying driving for 40yrs. Made me feel better about getting taken out the other day and accepting that crashes happen as well as understanding how it can happen.🍻

Braking is not for stopping the car, it's for managing the cars weight to your advantage. Understanding that changed my entire perspective on cornering. You brake to get maximum grip in the front, which is why trailing is so important. Trailing is making sure you're giving maximum grip to the front tires by transferring the weight forward and allows you to go even deeper into the apex than otherwise and like wise allows you to exit faster since the car is well grounded because of this as you leave the apex as well. She touched on those points but didn't connect the two.

I'm always sceptical about videos with titles such as "x amount of tips about something that EVERYONE must know!" but these were actually some really good tips and tricks. Thumbs up from me!

You paid money buying the entire laserscanned track, its a waste of money not using the whole track. That was some deep phyloshophy.👌

Great video Emily and GG, reminds me when my Mum told me something similar when learning to drive, "imagine all the other people on the road are idiots", served me very well too.

I would really like a video on the weight transfer of the cars

The trail braking explanation was one of the clearest I've seen/heared so far actually. So kudos.

I’m up for a nerdy weight transfer video. Sick MS paint skills Em. 😂

You are a good coach. Thanks for the tips. Especially the breaking part.

This video will help me to improve my lap times. Great tips, great video! Thank you so much Ems (and what a lovely smile you have...)

Thanks Emily, always presented in your way that always wants me to watch more 😊☕

Great tips! Love the Toro Rosso clip, btw XD A couple of other tips: - Make use of each sim's available HUD elements (such as Relative Timings Box; Track Map; Radar; Timing), especially if new to sim racing... they're generally there to assist the driver, so it's a good idea to make use of them... unless you want to go full HARDCORE MODE and turn everything off for a more immersive experience :) - Throttle Steering is your friend when it comes to decent laptimes. This is the technique of using the throttle pedal to invoke some rotation into the car on corner exit, perhaps more useful through medium- and low-speed corners... such as at the exit of Bruxelles at Spa and the following Corner With No Name. It's essentially the technique of deliberately breaking traction in order to turn the car that little bit more, making the back end step out just enough to 'glide' through the corner, but not so much that the car does a pirouette.

With the braking i can better understand when you need to be hard braking and trail braking with this. Hard braking is to get you down the gears to the gear you need for the corner. First chicane at monza for example you would hard brake from 6th gear down to 1st. The trail braking starts once you're in the gear you need for the corner as from that point you are looking to start turning in to the apex. To know which gear you need for the corner, and when your hard braking ends, you need to look at the exit of the corner and make sure when you are accelerating out of the corner you are in the engines power band and can control the power so you don't spin up the rear tyres. Some cars, like F1 cars or cars without traction control, might require you to choose a gear higher than the optimum to avoid wheels pin especially if you don't have great throttle control. This means when you are learning the track after learning the racing line the next key thing to learn is what gear you need on the exit of each corner.

A hard reality everyone needs to understand on point #7. If you've done 100 races and you "were crashed into" 95 times... Well I hate to break it to you but the only common denominator in that equation is you! Your own behaviour on track, your car placement, your spacial awareness and the respect you show other drivers on the track need to change first, before you see any improvement on those figures. And as always, the only way to get better is practice, practice, practice.

I’m always on the grass… I always get a bang for my buck

That Mazda concept is so god damn sexy! I'd love to hear more about the weight distribution, as someone who started racing sims at the start of the covid lockdowns I am unfamiliar with the quirks of different engines and to be honest, alot of the minutiae of setups and car characteristics that people driving in real life are aware of. Thanks alot for your video, very informative. ps nice picasso impression lol

When talking about crashing I want to give you a quote from my best friend; "It takes two idiots to cause a crash"

I had this vid as a add for ages and Im here now .

Excellent. This was explained in a manner which was extremely accessible and not overly complicated. I am just at the stage of learning to trail brake and it's strange I can do it in some corners and not others. Seems I have more trouble with right handers than left ones ?

Good point with letting off the mid-engine throttle to make turns tighter. I'm now thinking how many times that's been the case, but I never really thought to put it more into practice regularly. Thanks for the tip!

I used to think that people should start online racing as soon as possible, because it teaches you a lot. And I still think it's quite beneficial. That said, now I also think most people overly disregard racing against AI, including the devs, unfortunately. At some point sticking to chaotic online races will create an impression that it's ok to be a chaotic driver, pushing over your limit in search of high rewards hidden behind high risks, like in a racing roulette, as that's how far too many drivers online behave. Any transgressions stop being relevant once the race ends, and you can proceed to another one with clean slate. Safety ratings can be farmed easily enough for it not to be a sufficient discouragement. That's where AI races can be very beneficial, as the unified, semi-robotic nature of AI field basically enforces developing a discipline that's not required online until you get to a certain level. Add some kind of championship mode or - hopefully in some sim at some point - a proper career mode, and they will put additional long-term consequences to mistakes, overdriving yourself and careless maneuvers, encouraging focusing on consistency over hectic pace, as a mistake can cost you an entire season, not just a single race. Maybe you guys at Overtake could do a vid on benefits of racing against AI? I'm sure there are a few more.

I've always thought of the traction circle as being like controlling the car with a single joystick (forward & backward accel/brake, side to side steering) - i.e. if you want to add braking/accel you have to reduce steering angle and vice versa, proportionally. As I approach a corner, I have an image in my head of all 4 wheels and nothing else, all my focus is on my weight/grip distribution and which tyres are under most/least load. I reckon mapping accel & brake to the y axis on a steering stick would be a good way to teach newbies

Honestly speaking trail braking depends on the car you're driving there are some cars that just don't need trail braking

For the best weight transfer uses and examples check out some rally stuff as its very easy to spot when weight is being transferred and how its being used as an advantage! great vid!

Thank you, I enjoyed the video a lot. Technique #7 was such great advice, it should be definitely talked about more. When you start learning to predict other drivers actions, you can have the upper hand in many-many scenarios, rather than just hopping aboard the complaint-train.

I've just started with the Logitech pro DD wheel and load cell pedals and I know with these tips and tricks I'll get to grips with it much quicker. thanks!

Useful tips. Works (up to some limitations) even for "strange people" who keeps racing with keyboard (GTR2 in my case) =))

One tip I always relied on in relation to braking... I would adjust my brake so that its 100% point is as close as I can get WITHOUT locking up the brakes; brakes are useless when they lock up, so you're not losing anything by setting them up this way. You can then mash the brakes to that initial max braking target without worrying that you will lose control or lock up - you can then focus on practicing your ease-back to that ideal trail braking technique. Getting your braking just right consistently is hard enough; you shouldn't have to worry about locking up on top of that. 🙂

Lovely to see a sister make racing vids❤ i will follow you Emily

Id like to add to that one about low power cars and 100%, but rather the reverse: high power cars and the required feel for lower/smoother throttle inputs Some (not all but some) like to short shift (i.e shift up the gear box sooner than the ideal shift). This aids in traction with higher power cars with harsher torque ranges in the mid to top rpm range. This allows the driver to put the pedal down faster., but you are at the mercy of the car's lower rpm pickup speed (i.e. acceleration might be lower than expected) You'll have to play with this per track and obviously per car; but i find it helps me a lot in street circuits in formula/openwheelers, heres a brief list of what i've tried (note. im no pro just another novice trying his best to describe what hes feeling). - Fronties like the praga t1 evo feel worse doing this, as you're not optimizing the grip a FWD provides at speed. -WEC high perf cars (LMH, old LMP1, group C) this helps me wrangle these beasts a lot. Especially the older cars (you do give up a bit of time doing this though, good for the race, not great for qualy runs) - Tin tops (Ginetta Fibre Glass cars). Really really track dependant, smoother the surface, the less i find myself needing to short shift, most likely the weight of the things, or lack there of. have covered open wheelers above, but i must say the tatus on AC absolutely loves it after smashing the brakes hard at les combes (sorry if i misspelt that my Belgian frens) going to down the hill to rivage, again absolutely tap tap tap from 2-5 through that, and my throttle part of the brain barely feels engaged. With all that being said short shifting is a mini art in its own, not all cars have the same ranges/ gearbox ratios, You've really got to play with the technique in practice. I learned this technique from watching Jimmy Broadbent play a 90s f1 mod (cant remember if it was GT Legends or rFactor ). The amount he needed to do in melbourne in the Lola of the era, was staggering. But watching him miss the short shifts, i could see the importance of getting them right, as the car looked smooth (was a slow bag of bolts, but it was smooth) . The car looked hairier when he got it wrong.

good compilation of topics, now I wish an hour long discussion on each of those ;)

Best video for a beginner! Merci beaucoup!

I suggest turning ideal line off as soon as possible. It messed with my braking.

Traction circle is a good idea to cover

Spa has a few corners where it is faster to not use the full with of the road. It is more about sequencing corners the optimal way, not just to use the road more.

Great vid, thanks.

This is indeed very helpful. Thank you

Thank you!

When I started doing the gt7 time trials at the beginning I was getting in the top 3% with the pad. Today I am getting 5 to 6%. Either everyone is getting better or I am getting worse. I have been trying to improve but I have found my reaction time is getting slower and slower.

Awesome vid , great job. I hope you make more vids

Ok, the Torro Rosso joke made me LOL.

All of this is useful info. Thanks 🙏

You deserve a sub … thanks a lot for this insightful video

Awesome video. Make a video on weight transfer

I struggle with this for ages, be it in sim racing or go carting etc. you mention in a straight to step on the brakes fully as hard and as fast as possible, but in that case, do you not lock up and in the end brake inefficiently?

what a lovely tutorial :) thank you

Loved the drawing!

great tips! but you could use more visual cues to help you make your point.

Great advise thanks!

I'm new to sim racing. Having a hard time getting the fiat 500 around a track in a career mode lol.

I learn my lession,alway driving with gauges and rear mirror on,se when I see somebody is about to dive bomb into me,push start to ghost myself,it worked 98% and usualy diver quit race 😅😅😅

Treat the brake like a gas pedal. Nice an smooth, let off nice an smooth, let off smooth turning str8 chillin G

Great help thanks

Braking puts pressure on the front wheels which helps with rotation.

7:05 took me out. toto and lewis probably still hear that in their nightmares 😂

Very good!

Just recently started and my first day was full of pain in my left leg lol.

to point 7: yesterday I've got 12 points because ppl crashed into me (iRacing, MX5, Charlotte). at the end got a - rating. it was really frustrating. i know, i'm a rookie, but haven't done any offtrack stuff...

I mean front wheel drive cars can fe floored when comming out of a corner without spinning. Good video tho it is pretty well made 👏 👏 👏

This is the kinda lady that you let drive your car on Sunday after lunch, lol.

Fantastic video 💯

Great vid!!!

in regards to avoiding crashing into slower drivers. backing off and giving them a small lead can let you pass them and save lap time. when you're right on their bumper going into the corner any mistake they make becomes your mistake. meaning you may be faster but they force you down to their pace assuming you didn't hit them. since you're both in similar cars you wont be able to accel past them out of the corner. the answer to this is to back off enough so that when you go into the braking zone you have all the room you need to go at your pace and then be on their bumper coming out carrying more speed. in most cases dogfighting is terribly inefficient. classic example is the long straight at the nordschleife. why waste time and tires fighting for position in the slalom when you can let them keep the lead until you come out onto the straight using the slipstream to take position uncontested. you can even do this to save gas if a driver has a similar enough pace to you just stay in their slipstream and over the course of the race they will pit more often than you and in general have worse tire degradation. it also wreaks havoc on the psyche of less experienced drivers. just having someone on your tail the entire race, knowing that every lap they could have just chosen to pass you on the straight, but chose not to. realizing that the move is going to happen on that last lap. being forced into the pits on the last couple of laps for fuel. being passed in the pit and frantically chasing to regain position only to see them ignore the pit lane for the rest of the race and finishing with a several second lead on you.

Which TR Seat are you using? Great video! Edit: and is it comfortable or do you wish you went for a different one?

There should be a graphic in game purely for tyre % usage, it would be much easier to reach the potential of the tyres.

excellent video

Love it

There's your first problem right there: plugging in your wheel and pedals and immediately joining an online race. Who does this? I'd recommend sticking to small private sessions with a few friends while you learn your chosen sim and focus in on a particular car and getting your hardware dialed in. That process alone can take weeks.

good video but if its for beginners and how tf are they supposed to know what trail braking is

how do you know whether you want 100 or 80 for that initial brake pressure...?

Wow! Being taught in the principles of sim racing by a (beautiful) girl is really nice experience for me! :-) Thank you miss! 🥰

No one in LFM races need this video.

You blink your eyes unevenly. Your left eyelid seems to droop and is slower than your right eyelid. It is worth going to the doctor, it may be a pre-stroke condition.

Thx...

Whats the name of the speedometer that has track map in the center?

Consistency is my weakness in racing

we need more women in sim racing

When overtaking avoid the "vortex of danger"

ngl this might be silly but when it comes to the thing with taking the full size of the track i mostly got this sentence in my head talking "if you dont hit the curbs, you do it wrong"

Most days I finish top 5 on iracing.. rookie and D class 😂

Great insight Would someone tell me which track it is at 7:17 please.

Was any of this footage played on a controller?

My advice is not really simracing related, but a pop filter would be nice :)

How does that only have 870likes?

Hey i raced you in gt sport I few times had some good battle's

Porsche lift of oversteer

What's the track in the first 7 seconds?

Interesting, this video started as an autoplay. The last video was also OverTake_gg (diff. person) saying to always ease on the brakes very slowly.

What is song name at the end?

i would drive backwards on a live iracing server if you told me to.. omg

20m of trail braking equals 20m of straight line full braking? Yeah right ...

One thing is that in very old F1 cars, applying lots of pressure quickly will often result in a spin.