Best setup for a CONTROLLER

[katpeeler]

Hey guys..new to the forum/team and have noticed there are some extremly fast guys in here. Looking at the leaderboards I see alot of yall are running with certian items off (ABS, TC. Etc...). Knowing in the back of my head alot of people are using wheels/pedals. Hopefuly soon Ill have some money saved up to buy but right now Im using Im only using a controler.

I want to get faster so what is the best setup for a controller??..When I take my TC off Im all over the place...even with the lower class cars. Im using ForzaTune for Forza4 for my tuning setups and it has worked pretty well online...Any help will be greatly appreciated...

 

[ImaRobot]

Ive always ran with everything off. I just started no ABS probably about a month ago. All i can say is practice makes perfect. When i first took it off i would always lock up my brakes, but now i have it down pretty well.. I would practice by taking one assist off at a time and getting used to that, and then move to the next. That way its not all rushed and you can gradually progress. Or if you if you feel like going balls out, take everything off and just keep doing that till you get used to it. The only thing i havnt changed is steering, i left it at normal because i absolutely hate it with a pad. And a good tune will go a long way.

 

[toyotasupraman]

Normal steering (simulation makes counter-steering too difficult).
TCS on for high-powered cars (if you are smooth with the trigger/joystick you should be able to control lower classed cars without losing traction).
ABS and STM off.

And practice, practice, practice. Be smooth and you'll go fast.

 

[BryCivicSi]

As they said- practice. I am not sure what you call a lower powered car. Is that F class or A class? Cause I don't know of any C or D class cars that are all over the place unless the tune is bad. There isn't a lot of power there to have a lot of wheel slip if you turn TC off.

It just takes lots of practice. I started when the game was released with auto trans, ABS, and normal steering. And I'd turn TC on with S and above class cars. I now run manual with sim steering in all classes except R2 and R1. I need TC for those. In time I was able to control a good S or R3 car without TC. It's a lot more fun too. And ABS is a lot more fun when you use it with a manual trans.

 

[katpeeler]

Thanx guys...I forgot to mention that I run Manual when I race. Do you see a big difference when tuning to go for more traction/handling on tunes when taking the TC off or there is no difference??.....I just get frustrated trying to keep a car on the track. And to clear it up about lower class cars I was refering to B/C class cars...Maybe its just me trying to get used to it and blaming my controler for the mistakes. I do have my steering on normal BTW

 

[Talon Lardner]

One big thing I would work on practicing is being smooth with your breaking and accelerating. Try practicing by yourself on a track with a car you want to master, and focus ONLY on getting through the track without sliding the car, or spinning the tires. Don't worry about going fast, just focus on getting in a smooth lap with no loss of grip. From there, you can work on going faster and faster while keeping your driving style smooth and controlled.

 

[ImaRobot]

Thanx guys...I forgot to mention that I run Manual when I race. Do you see a big difference when tuning to go for more traction/handling on tunes when taking the TC off or there is no difference??.....I just get frustrated trying to keep a car on the track. And to clear it up about lower class cars I was refering to B/C class cars...Maybe its just me trying to get used to it and blaming my controler for the mistakes. I do have my steering on normal BTW

I don't know if its my state of mind right now but i dont understand your question. Me having TCS off makes a difference. In my opinion running with it on would slow you down to much when it activates and kind of forces the car to understeer.

 

[katpeeler]

^^^I realize I might not make sense...But here it goes....
I have a tune that works well on a B class car WITHOUT any thing turned off
Would you suggest making the tune different when putting it on the same car WITH everything turned off

Also it just came to mind that FM3 had sensitivity controls (turning the dead spot off)...Does FM4 have the same??...If so how do yall run it??.....Dont know why I didnt think of this sooner..And I do realize this is probably in another thread somewhere

 

[ImaRobot]

^^^I realize I might not make sense...But here it goes....
I have a tune that works well on a B class car WITHOUT any thing turned off
Would you suggest making the tune different when putting it on the same car WITH everything turned off

Yes, i would suggest changing the tune when you take off assists. The car would probably feel like a completely different car. I would say test drive a car that you have tuned, but take off the an assist and get a few laps in with it so you can get a feel for it. Then tune accordingly.

 

[Wolfe]

Tune a car, and you can drive that car. Tune your driving, and you can drive any car.

I agree with earlier suggestions about practicing. Tuning settings are usually meant to fix understeer/oversteer on a particular car, not all cars. If you keep tweaking the settings, you won't really learn much IMO; you're essentially aiming for a moving target. And once you hit it, you've only learned to shoot crooked.

If turning off TCS is the main issue, I suggest hitting Benchmark Layout E or the Top Gear runway for some drifting practice. Nothing fancy, just kick the tail out and try bringing it back. Doing it on purpose will give you more valuable practice than simply racing and trying to manage oversteer when it pops up. Once you start feeling comfortable bringing the car back under control, try using throttle control and steering to keep the car sideways, maybe in a big circle (swapping directions now and then). You'll have all the space you need to experiment.

Learning to drift like this will help you to predict and modify your racing line when you encounter oversteer during a race. You'll also get a better feel for the limit of traction, because you'll be crossing it all the time. 👍

 

[Melting Brains]

^^^^ This I second completely! It's how I "learned" how to drive with all assists off too. Just practice like Wolfe said, or try Rivals mode drifting challenges to get a general better feel for the cars and learn how to control your car when you've lost grip. It has helped me a lot when in a circuit race and someone bumps me from behind, causing my tail to kick out or when I experience exit turn oversteer in a RWD car.

 

[katpeeler]

Thanx Wolfe....didnt even think about trying to drift to get used to the TC...That is the main problem when Im racing with TC off and a guy bumps me from behind then I start fishtailing and never can get it back under control. Good tip guys...

It just gets frustrating to watch people zip by me when i know I can go faster so Ill always turn the TC back on

On ABS off.....What kind of brake pressure are yall using??...Im runing with 100% with it on so Im assuming Ill need to keep it around the 70% range with it off??

 

[Melting Brains]

Thanx Wolfe....didnt even think about trying to drift to get used to the TC...That is the main problem when Im racing with TC off and a guy bumps me from behind then I start fishtailing and never can get it back under control. Good tip guys...

It just gets frustrating to watch people zip by me when i know I can go faster so Ill always turn the TC back on

On ABS off.....What kind of brake pressure are yall using??...Im runing with 100% with it on so Im assuming Ill need to keep it around the 70% range with it off??

About the brake pressure... I personally use around 130-160%, but I know that's extreme to most other drivers. It's really a matter of personal preference though and how well you can ease on the brakes like you should ease on the throttle. I use high pressure so I can brake later, but also easily lock all 4 wheels to use it to my advantage (sporadically though).

 

[BryCivicSi]

I set the brake pressure to the minimum braking distance when I use that in-game calculator. I just keep messing with the brake pressure till I get it down. Sounds like a better approach than just guessing IMO.

 

[katpeeler]

I set the brake pressure to the minimum braking distance when I use that in-game calculator. I just keep messing with the brake pressure till I get it down. Sounds like a better approach than just guessing IMO.

In-game calculator??...Am I missing something??

 

[BryCivicSi]

In-game calculator??...Am I missing something??

It is in the tuning section. I think it is called "Benchmark". You can see calculated 0-60 times, 0-100 times, 60-0 times, 100-0 times and g-force readings. So what I do is adjust the trans a bit then benchmark it and see if that dropped my times or not. And I keep going until I feel like I've gotten it to the lowest I can. I then do the same with the brake pressure. Mess with the brake pressure until the numbers are at their lowest.

 

[katpeeler]

You have just reminded me that I dont have nearly as much time to mess with that as some people.....Wish I could get excited about racing against myself...Not knocking you by no means....but I get more out of my game actualy racing than tinkering...BUT I might change my mind if I can get better times..Ill check it out..never messed with it..even in FM3

 

[BryCivicSi]

You have just reminded me that I dont have nearly as much time to mess with that as some people.....Wish I could get excited about racing against myself...Not knocking you by no means....but I get more out of my game actualy racing than tinkering...BUT I might change my mind if I can get better times..Ill check it out..never messed with it..even in FM3

I only spend 10 mins messing with it. I've tuned a half dozen cars, only one seriously. But it does take some patience in the beginning.
My thought is this: I blew through GT5. I that game beat fairly quickly. Then then got bored rather quickly so I took up collecting then tuning. The game lasted me 8-9 months of playing. I'd like Forza to last longer. I do spend way too much time in Rivals and photo mode. Now tuning. I doubt I am 10% done with the events. And I've played since the game came out. Going this route will make the game last a lot longer IMO. And just tuning alone has helped me become a much better driver. I started figuring out how a car should drive and how to control it better. I put maybe 100 laps on Laguna Seca with my 442 tune. I've become a lot better at that track now because of the tuning.

 

[ImaRobot]

I only spend 10 mins messing with it. I've tuned a half dozen cars, only one seriously. But it does take some patience in the beginning.
My thought is this: I blew through GT5. I that game beat fairly quickly. Then then got bored rather quickly so I took up collecting then tuning. The game lasted me 8-9 months of playing. I'd like Forza to last longer. I do spend way too much time in Rivals and photo mode. Now tuning. I doubt I am 10% done with the events. And I've played since the game came out. Going this route will make the game last a lot longer IMO. And just tuning alone has helped me become a much better driver. I started figuring out how a car should drive and how to control it better. I put maybe 100 laps on Laguna Seca with my 442 tune. I've become a lot better at that track now because of the tuning.

I did the exact same thing on GT5. Got sick of collecting, finished the career mode, had my B.O.B at like level 38. I think the only thing i would do on there after a while was just take photos. Oh and the occasional race with my friends, whenever they got online(which was hardly ever!)

Forza seems to be going at a steady pace though. Im at like 12% in single player at level 89. I spend most of my time tuning, and in photomode haha. I wont usually touch online unless i have someone to race with.

Katpeeler, tuning will improve your time drastically. Especially if you have a certain driving style, then you can tune almost any car to accommodate that certain style.

 

[katpeeler]

I see where yall are coming from..Over the last year my "game time" has dropped dramaticly.....I only able to get to my Xbox once a week now...But Ill get on for 6 hours at a time....Its hard for me to sit there and spend that much time on tuning..But Im open minded...If yall think it will be better for me, the next time I get to turn it on Ill do some drifting like what was mentioned on a earlier post......
As far as my driving style......Is "drive it like you stole it" a style???

 

[ImaRobot]

As far as my driving style......Is "drive it like you stole it" a style???

I would say, as long as your consistent

 

[Spagetti69]

Did I read right that your tuning with assists on?
That's a big no matey I you are doing that.

TCS on will not help you tune a car at all.
The minute you turn that aid off it's a lottery as to how well your tune compensates for wheel spin.

I would suggest even if you run with all aids on. When tuning turn them off for awhile. You'll learn more too mate.

 

[katpeeler]

Yes.....yes I am...but now Im seeing the error of my ways

 

[mrluckypants]

Sim steering, no aids but ABS, and no rewind! (hmmm... maybe leave that on. *stealthily clicks rewind back on and walks away whistling*)

 

[ImaRobot]

Sim steering, no aids but ABS, and no rewind! (hmmm... maybe leave that on. *stealthily clicks rewind back on and walks away whistling*)

Im almost the complete opposite of you. Normal steering, no aids, and no abs. To be honest though, i havnt really gave sim steering a chance. Only time i tried it was when my friend first brought the game over to my house. I turned off all aids because im used to that, but i had sim steering on, On a Zonda R.. that sole reason made me not try to use sim steering again haha.

 

[Wolfe]

I always recommend controller users stick to Normal steering. Simulation does nothing but make your virtual driver erratic and unpredictable, and it's no less computer-assisted than Normal. Obviously the circumstances are different with a wheel.

katpeeler -- Glad I could help. I'm no professional driver but I swear some of the motorsports spinouts you see could have been averted if the driver had practiced some drift control instead of only focusing on fast laptimes. Granted, modern racing tires transition from grip to slip abruptly and racecars often have narrow steering ratios, but in the right hands, even Formula 1 cars can pull a little bit of sideways action without incident.

 

[katpeeler]

Had a few minutes today to try out the drifting deal. Didnt actualy try to drift the whole race but I borrowed a A class BMW in the garage and took it out for a spin. When I got into corners I tried to bring the ass end around by taping my hand brake and shifting down...and let me tell you..that was pretty fun with the TC off....AND was able to finaly beat a friend of mines lap time with my F class pinto......=)

 

[ImaRobot]

Had a few minutes today to try out the drifting deal. Didnt actualy try to drift the whole race but I borrowed a A class BMW in the garage and took it out for a spin. When I got into corners I tried to bring the ass end around by taping my hand brake and shifting down...and let me tell you..that was pretty fun with the TC off....AND was able to finaly beat a friend of mines lap time with my F class pinto......=)

if you really want to feel the effects of no assists, try making a rwd A class car with stock tires and see how wild that gets

 

[katpeeler]

Baby steps man.....baby steps

 

[ImaRobot]

Baby steps man.....baby steps

Haha i know, i was just messing.