How to train consistency?

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zjn

zjn

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Italy
Italy
This is a question a try to answer everytime it happens that I cannot nail 5-10 laps staying within +-10% of my target time.
Actually my consistency fails most of the times because of walls/unrecoverable offroads...

So question for you is:
what are the focus points for a noob willing to improve consistency?

I'm not looking for "drive a lot" answers type, this is quite obvious and is actually not answering: driving a lot without paying attention to specific details, may probably improve lap times but not consistency

Thanks
 
KAlex122
Not knowing your level i would say: braking points! Exact breaking points.
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thanks,
my level if floating between upper D and lower C.
I played GT Sport here and there with pad, played Gt7 initially with pad, and moved since 2 months to wheel.
 
Make sure you're not driving at 100%. Drive within yourself to give some margin of error for small mistakes.

Focus on knowing exactly where all your braking points and turn in points are, making sure you get to every apex.

If you feel lap times are falling off, avoid the temptation to push harder and start over driving the car. The best way to find more pace is to slow yourself down a bit and find those apexes again.

And as much as you don't want to hear it, consistency only comes with time in the game.

https://www.gtplanet.net/top-gt-sport-players-hours-spent/
 
In this case, without watching i would still guess you should concentrate on learning and watching out for good braking points.

Edit: yeah, and: slow is smooth -> Smooth is fast! and: slow in fast out.
 
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watto79
And as much as you don't want to hear it, consistency only comes with time in the game.
Click to expand...
Yes, fully agree... the point is to get as mutch as I can given a limited driving time focusing on specific topics

Most of the time my cpu burns out, i thinks to too many details, and erraticly switch from one to another, which is not gonna help...
 
zjn
Yes, fully agree... the point is to get as mutch as I can given a limited driving time focusing on specific topics

Most of the time my cpu burns out, i thinks to too many details, and erraticly switch from one to another, which is not gonna help...
Click to expand...
Almost forgot, check out Tidgneys Driving School for excellent advice. He has an episode specifically on consistency.

 
ohhhhhhhh Tidgney, I like his weekly tutorials, but was not aware of this one. Thanks a lot!!!
 
Learn the car. Learn the track. Game is a sim-cade but the sim aspect means you can't just drive an F40 like you would a Porsche 911 or a GTR like you would a ZR1.

It relies less on pick up and play to be fast and more on practice and familiarity with a cars limits.

Many cars I hated not realising that they need time to work with.

Not saying I'm fast but I learnt how to get quicker by using inferior cars. Last week's TT at Maggiore using the boat that was the Z Performance, gave me a new appreciation and understanding of a stock F40, which I love as a car but felt was a bit of a handful to use, and Maggiore as a circuit in a way the CE didn't provide.

I've done similar exercises to teach myself to really appreciate the actual handling of a car around a specific circuit.
 
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I don’t know what assists you’re using, but if you have the racing line on, turn it off completely. It’s great as a beginners tool to keep you on the road at first, but it quickly becomes a crutch that builds bad habits. You can use apex/turn in markers if you’re still wary on track knowledge, but the line actually hampers you cognitively with noting/remembering where to brake. You’ll have to adjust to visible track details, and further figure out in time where to account for slipstream overspeed or wet conditions. Meter boards are usually the go-to but sometimes other signage or track details are better/more precise. It was a hard sell for me back in GT6 and took some getting used to but it’s a key first step.

I also have no clue how to diagnose your runoffs without visuals, regardless that sounds like taking too much speed into corners. The above will improve consistency in braking points and could probably already start remedying your overshoots. But, also, be sure you’re keeping the car in a straight line/using minimal steering input when braking, as it otherwise severely reduces stopping power. Likewise, initially limit how much braking you’re doing while turning in - your tires can only handle so much, and if you’re asking them to change speed and change direction you won’t get enough of either (TL;DR, understeer). Ultimately there is crossover between brake and steering (trail braking), but that’s a bit more advanced, so don’t worry about that as much till you’re more comfortable with consistent braking points.

This next bit may not be applicable to you, but personally, I use road cars far more than race cars, and I found the haptic feedback on PS5 actually makes ABS usable, and further improved my precision and braking habits. I remember the Subaru Gr. 3 in one of the CE’s locked up too easily so I had to turn ABS back on, not sure if that’s true for most/all race cars, so again, might not be applicable.
 
I'm on Tc:1 ABS:normal , no other helps

I do use breaking references, and I think I understand when I arrive in a non-wanted stance at the breaking point (car not exactly in the racing line, tires not straight). Therefore when it happens I guess I know where the error is coming from.

The feeling I have is that I don't break always in the same way:
may be overshooting the reference I "think" I'm using
or not going too fast to the max breaking having a break shape like this /¯\ instead of this |¯\
or starting too early the \ braking phase, resulting in too much speed and missing apex
or something else I cannot identify

One great hint I had by looking at Driver61 is to look more far ahead possible, instead of looking too close to the nose of the car.
I'm working on this and I see it is very beneficial, even though I still have to force myself to do it
 
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Interesting that you're watching Driver61 videos. Was going to recommend that channel, as it helped me a lot in improving my lap times and consistency. Also, when reading about your habit to look at the nose of the car, rather as to where you are heading reminded me of advice I took from motorcycle driving school lessons: your body follows your head, so always look as far into corners as possible. Following this improved my own judgement of possible speed and finding a fluid line from entry thru apex to exit.
 
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zjn
One great hint I had by looking at Driver61 is to look more far ahead possible, instead of looking too close to the nose of the car.
I'm working on this and I see it is very beneficial, even though I still have to force myself to do it
Click to expand...
Besides what others have already said about the importance of hitting your marks, what you discovered about vision IMO is the most important factor that will elevate your ability to hit those marks consistently.

An exercise that helped immensely from an alien was, go out on a comfortable track/settings and focus on training how you eyes perform throughout entire corner.

The preferred is, when approaching braking, eyes should be locked on the brake marker of choice. As soon as you start applying your brakes, eyes have to look for the apex. On a long corner you have to be patient and this means that your eyes are looking down the road (not at your nose) and you have to trust/feel your car as you come progressively off the brakes. Easier said than done at first, but the mid phase of cornering is critical because this is where the chassis is loaded and you have little wiggle room to adjust your line for the optimal exit. Once you hit the apex of choice, then eyes are immediately looking down the track while you begin applying the right amount of throttle for a clean exit.

At first, training your eyes to move around instead of statically looking at a given length ahead will be challenging, but once you find your rhythm with your eyes, you will get a better sense as to where and how to place your car so there is not only consistently, but also speed and confidence to battle/defend/overtake.

Don't be deterred if you screw up, just keep pursuing that flowing rhythm with your vision -- brake, apex , exit.
 
As others have remarked: practice does make perfect. In addition:
  • first learn your braking points and markers
  • then learn to find the right line through a corner and through consequtive corners, always prioritising max exit speed
  • learn how and where to get on the throttle early
  • next learn subtle variants of the line through corners, so you can deal better with small errors and overtaking situations without losing too much time

Good luck!
 
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Try out slower road cars with stock set and tires. Work on car control/what does and does not break traction.
Using the brake and throttle at the same time helps balance the weight of the car. Also turn off all the driver assist (besides ABS) play with the steering sensitivity setting. 🍻
 
I have ADHD and that's always been an issue for me. I can do amazing things but can I do something mundane 20 times without messing up? No I can't. What I do to combat this is work on improving a bit on this corner or maybe try to brake a tiny bit later here to keep my mind busy and not get complacent or start thinking about that day in Grade 10 or something stupid and zone out.
 
I like to use the first lap or two as a shakedown, especially using TC-0. I think it's all in your brake point, and how you tackle corners. Speed will come naturally.

You might not get to take advantage of throttle control with TC-1 as much as using no TC at all, but that's a big help on tracks like watkins glen and willow springs.
 
zjn
I'm not looking for "drive a lot" answers type, this is quite obvious and is actually not answering: driving a lot without paying attention to specific details, may probably improve lap times but not consistency
Click to expand...
Even though you don't want to hear it and there's a high chance you've been using reference points already, there's really no substitute for plenty of practice. Even if you think it's bad with lots of off tracks and crashes, it's all logging on as muscle memory for the next time.

I read a quote on here a few years ago that said 'don't practice till you can get it right, practice till you can't get it wrong'. Says it all really.
 
Driving the same lines all the time will help you develop a rhythm which is essential for consistency.
 
Monkdapunk
I have ADHD and that's always been an issue for me. I can do amazing things but can I do something mundane 20 times without messing up? No I can't. What I do to combat this is work on improving a bit on this corner or maybe try to brake a tiny bit later here to keep my mind busy and not get complacent or start thinking about that day in Grade 10 or something stupid and zone out.
Click to expand...
I find this is where music/podcasts/youtube comes in. Something that's not so interesting or exciting that you're going to be enticed to look away from the screen, but something that's engaging enough that your brain isn't actively looking around for other more exciting things to do. Because honestly, when an online racing game starts getting boring you're probably doing pretty well, and you just wanna hold it together until the end.

NTs will tell you just to concentrate more, but that's the wrong answer because that's not an option with the way your brain works. You can probably drive fine with a fraction of your attention, but you need to make sure the rest of your attention isn't spending it's time trying to **** you up. I race significantly better with another screen nearby with something on it. Preferably something I've seen before, because then my brain can happily try and follow along remembering what lines are coming next while I get on with racing.
 
Also focus on acceleration points, they are just as important as your break points. Push to early and you're in the wall, too late and you lose a lot of speed on the straight.

Use the curbs to minimize your turning on corners.

If you do Daily Races, focus on one a week. If you get really good at that 1 race, stick with it.

Watch videos, from a few different guys. I prefer the british drivers but that's just me. I like Mista MCA, he's okay LOL

Last thing, even if you feel comfortable on a track, always take a few practice laps before the first (online) race of the day. I use this time to get in 5-8 quality (not necessarily fast) laps with few errors
 
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Imari
I find this is where music/podcasts/youtube comes in. Something that's not so interesting or exciting that you're going to be enticed to look away from the screen, but something that's engaging enough that your brain isn't actively looking around for other more exciting things to do. Because honestly, when an online racing game starts getting boring you're probably doing pretty well, and you just wanna hold it together until the end.

NTs will tell you just to concentrate more, but that's the wrong answer because that's not an option with the way your brain works. You can probably drive fine with a fraction of your attention, but you need to make sure the rest of your attention isn't spending it's time trying to **** you up. I race significantly better with another screen nearby with something on it. Preferably something I've seen before, because then my brain can happily try and follow along remembering what lines are coming next while I get on with racing.
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the long reply. I like racing with no music and just the sounds cranked up on my HiFi. You are correct that I mess up when I'm doing well just like in real life. Ha. I ended up blowing a 10 second lead in daily race A yesterday and placed 3rd...

I know what you are saying about having something else on to kinda watch because I used to race on a pc in the family room and have full conversations with people and watch Price is Right while racing. I wasn't thinking about holding it together then panicking at the end. I take Vyvanse now and sometimes it feels like cheat codes but my ADHD brain will find a way. It always does.
 
One thing to try is breaking bad habits. It’s easy to get into a habit of driving a particular line and not realising there is a faster one. Trying to gold circuit experiences can help with this, as you have to find the fastest lines. Watch what the ghost is doing and see where you are different. Turning off the driving line also allows you to find alternative options
 

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