Okay! Guide time! I hope that someone finds it useful. At the minimum, it should get you into 26s.
Before we begin, a few things to point out:
1. I’ll continually update this guide up through the end of the round.
2. I would experiment with wheel settings to find something that works:
a. Controller Steering Sensitivity – On my Driving Force Pro, I turn more quickly with -2 than 7 but lose accuracy. Baffling because it should be a setting that only affects analog users. Could just be I have ancient hardware but at least test this out.
b. Force Feedback Max Torque – Historically, I’ve gone low on this setting, making the wheel quite slack. I went to 8, the highest I’ve ever used and I may go all the way to 10. The car bounces around so much, keeping it in line is difficult, especially when you approach corners. Therefore, stiffening the wheel alleviates some of that.
c. Force Feedback Sensitivity – If it’s not at 1 already, put it there now. Believe me, you already know what the track feels like.
3. Keep your stints on the brief side. This challenge will wear on your hands, wrists and patience. Personally, I start wearing out after two hours.
4. The ideal gear to use at certain corners is something each one should experiment. I’ve seen many drivers use different gears/upshift points with similar lap times. I can note this much:
a. 1st gear gives more rotation than 2nd. However, 2nd lessens the chance to hit a cone if you use wider arcs through certain corners.
b. Be mindful of the boost. It kicks in somewhere over 110 mph. In most cases, you want to upshift around that speed. It also activates at 170+ mph but it's more of a curiosity than anything meaningful.
5. You must account for understeer when angling the wheel. I factor that in on my exits by picking a spot away from the limit and let the car drift out there. With time, you can start taking more chances.
6. How you accelerate from corners is crucial. If you’re billowing like a chimney on exits, you’re burning away straightaway speed. Be a little less aggressive from the onset to spool up the turbo and add more as you clear the corner. Around 70-75 mph, that’s a rough range where you can upshift to 2nd without bogging down the engine.
Now onto the corners:
Ford Chicane
I will make the assumption you won’t be running a personal best on anything other than the first lap. Therefore, position your car in a way to get the best exit toward start/finish, whatever works best for you. There’s no point practicing both chicanes at speed anyways; the game doesn’t allow you to back up.
Dunlop Curve
Stay left and run straight ahead until reaching the line that runs across the track. If you can’t see that line, there’s a much shorter line that comes before it on the left that serves as an indicator. You want to arc it toward the cone without touching it. Perfection is actually not required as you can see on my first example lap. If you understeer, bleed off the gas to hold a nice line. The key is to keep the fronts relatively happy for the upcoming corner.
First Chicane
The temptation is to line up the car all the way to the right and use a wide arc. It works but only when you nail Dunlop. That doesn’t happen often enough for me to recommend that.
Instead, aim about a lane away from the right edge of the track. When you reach the cone at the apex of Dunlop, go to minimal throttle or completely off if you’re losing front grip. Let the car coast for a moment and then hit the brakes. Be easy on the downshifts or you’ll light up the fronts too much and you'll end up plowing right off the track. As for whether to use 1st or 2nd, I have better luck reaching the first apex with 1st. If you keep going too far wide from the apex, check your speeds. Personally, my mind keeps wanting to go 65+ mph but it's too bumpy.
The subsequent right you’ll want to turn for the moment you hit the first apex; that second cone’s much harder to reach. I tend to upshift and be deliberate with the gas because it forces me to be patient and get reward with a stronger launch. If 1st works better, go for it. Wolf actually uses 3rd with an approach I attempted a few times without any success.
Esses
For the right-hander, you can either turn in early and have a smooth arc or wait a little longer and take a sharper approach. The former lessens the chance of hitting an obstacle but the latter lines you up better for the approaching corner. I like going to 5th early for stability and an extra bit of speed at the bottom of the hill.
The left one’s a little tricky. One, it’s very line sensitive and two, the boost plays a factor. The more you brake, the more boost you get but you can’t slow too much either. Also, the boost can throw you off if it kicks in at the wrong spot. There's two viable options to tackle this:
Using 2nd: Brake after the road straightens out. When you reach the point where the access road and the track meet, downshift and turn left but not hard. If you didn’t scrub off too much speed, you can coast it in. Otherwise, touch the throttle to keep up momentum. Once you reach the first cone, dab the wheel in the other direction. If you have an excellent line, you can go to 3rd early. Otherwise, wait until the last moment so that it doesn’t push you off the line. You can steer harder to counteract if that happens but you’ll lose time doing so.
Staying in 3rd: You'll need to be more accurate with the turn-in point. Conversely, there's less chance of going too deep into the corner and dip the wheel onto the grass. From what I can tell, there's no real advantage with this option over the other. I simply go with 2nd because I'm a little more consistent doing it that way.
Tertre Rouge
I found something that works, sometimes. First off, upshift early to 4th. It helps stabilize the car, you won’t lose any time doing so and you get a little better rotation with the downshift (without having to do 3-2 which doesn't work). After going under the overhead sign, there’s a small dip in the road that you’ll feel. Right after that is your braking point and subsequent turn in point. Now, here’s the kicker. If you can brake just enough, you’ll add a bit of boost. That’s good for the straight but it’s bad because it will induce understeer when you don’t want it. If you don’t go full throttle, however, the boost doesn’t engage. The first example lap is the prime example of that.
Notice that on the second example lap, I got no boost. That and the imperfect turn cost me about .15 seconds per the analyzer. It’s not essential enough to go crazy with the brakes just to get it – consistency matters a lot more. Fair warning: I have a habit of clipping the grass at the entry point. If this is happening to you, give yourself a little space away from the edge before reaching the corner.
Playstation Chicane
Past the 200m board, there is a distinct object on the left (it’s actually two people standing!). At that point, brake straight and hard. After the 100m board, turn in. Do it in a way to avoid overstressing the tires. When you reach the first apex, start turning the other direction and downshift to 1st. You’ll need to turn more than what you think is needed because there’s a nasty bump by the cone that can throw you off if you hit it (and I did on my first example lap and I had to delay my acceleration). At the apex, start adding gas and when you feel comfortable, floor it.
You can keep 2nd all the way through and in fact, that’s what I had done before. It’s a little faster but more difficult to execute. You’ll need good arcs to make it work.
Michelin Chicane
Similar concept to Playstation except in reverse. Brake point is at or just before the 100m board. Turn in is around the post you see on the right side. The bumps on this corner are tougher to navigate but you can exploit more of the track on the exit as I did on the first example lap. Having said that, the analyzer says I hit both chicanes better on my second example lap.
Mulsanne
A corner that, in some cars, is one of the most frightening. Not so much with the Nissan.
There’s an overhanging object on the left at the bend. Right before it whizzes off screen, angle the car slightly right, stomp the brake and downshift. How you want to downshift comes down to your comfort level. You can gain a little more time with slower downshifts but there may be a chance you’ll go a little too wide on exit. If you go to 1st ASAP, you’ll stop sooner. If you line up all the way left on entry, you’ll want to turn in a little sooner but smoother. Conversely, you’ll have to be more aggressive attacking the apex if you’re further right. Whatever you do, avoid upshifting to 2nd until you’re certain the car is clear of the corner. Also, try to keep the car at or above 50 mph. I slowed to 47 mph on my second example lap, which cost me time.
Indianapolis
At the 100m board, brake lightly and make a moderate left off throttle. Avoid touching the throttle. You may think you need it but it throws the car too far outside. Instead, start braking and downshift deliberately while aiming the car toward the right the best you can. Watch your speed when it goes below 100 mph. Your aim is to make the left with minimal steering at or above 70 mph, so you may have to coast it in the rest of the way. 2nd works fine if you can get the car all the way right before the entry although I have gone beyond the track limits more often.
Arnage
The latest you want to brake is where the dirt transitions to grass on the right. It’s safer to move that point up a few feet, though. Brake straight. Do not be tempted and turn in early or you’ll plow right into the wall. Wait until the centerline ends before aiming for the apex. When you reach it, you want enough throttle to get the turbo spooled up. Compare where it’s at between the two vids – I got a better launch off the second flier despite not getting onto the rumbles.
If you keep going too wide off the exit and getting onto the grass, pretend that extra asphalt isn't there.
Porsche Curves/Maison Blanche
I can say this much. There’s different ways to attack this whole complex. You can go smooth or you can really attack it. The difference is your comfort level tossing this bizarre car around at high velocity.
Does the entry need to be tight to the inside. Nope. I’ve seen a fair share of drivers go really wide but hold the line. They do lose speed on the subsequent left, though. When I tried it, I sometimes made it through fine but I also binned the car because I mistimed my turns. If you want consistency, brake lightly at the 100m board, downshift to 4th and heave that car hard right. Be ready to blip the throttle in case you turn in too well but if you can hold 142-145 mph, the Nissan will stay planted on the line. I have determined that it’s better not to use 3rd since it only scrubs off more speed than needed. Once you made it through, the next left is easy. Just a small jab left and let it drift outside.
The following left-right-left is where you can either be tidy (Example Lap 1) or aggressive (Example Lap 2).
Tidy: Bleed off some gas and make the left with small wheel input. Downshift, back off more throttle and start going right. Keep the line tight right while holding around 131-134 mph or you’ll push wide (like I did). You can start accelerate more coming toward the final corner but you’ll have to back it off again once the road straightens.
Aggressive: At the break in the curbing on the right, toss the car moderate left. Back off the gas a little if needed. Downshift and throw the car heavy right. Don’t worry. The car will stick but you’ll need to carry sufficient speed to avoid over-rotation. For the final turn, throw the card hard again but to the left. Unfortunately, I apparently clipped the grass at the final turn-in point and in any other car, I would’ve binned it. Still gave away just about all the advantage I had gained through the Curves.
About getting on the rumbles at the apex for the final turn, I would not try to use them. Sometimes, they don't do anything but they have bounced my car all the way right and off the track. Use at your own risk.
Ford Chicane
If you made it this far, congratulations! Now you get to enter the chicanes of broken dreams.
Long story short, the Example Lap 2 run is the best I’ve ever done the chicanes. Basically, since the pit entry cones limits the space available on the right, I aim for a straight-line approach. Angle the car slightly toward the first apex. Brake as you approach the line of cones. Keep the downshifts on the conservative side. Turn but not hard. You don’t need as much arc as you think. The moment you touch the curb, flick it the other direction. Don’t try to position the car all the way right on the exit. Just apply medium throttle and get it right on the middle.
When the road becomes straight, go to 1st, dab the brake and attack the third cone the best you can. The better you can hit this bend, the better your launch and lesser chance of touching the last cone. The other key takeaway is maintaining whatever throttle you can through the last two corners. The turbo must stay spooled up and the speed cannot drop too far down. I believe the highest I've seen the speed held was at around 65 mph but that was with a wider angle. Around 62 mph would be a nice spot. Anything 59 mph and under I'd consider poor.