How to turn (noob help)

[standinside]

Hi, im completely new to GT and ive never played prev GT ever before. I know in GT4 there is license and practice modes but I dont want to go out and buy a GT4, unless u really recommend it.

My problem is that im stuck in A class, unable to dominate or even get close to getting top 3. Only A1 and A3 so far. I think my problem is turning i think its the slowest part in my drive. Now i dont need to drift, i just want to know simple tips or where i can read up on how to turn properly.

Im using controllers if that even matters and Im using proper settings, no aids and pro driving.

The problems im facing is
1) Sharp turns I often just slow down to almost to a stand still to turn cus if not ill just start skitting off but i find that i lose too much speed here and the AI seem to be at a much faster pace in the whole turn (also vids i watched the speed is much faster than mine) Eg First right turn at Fuji and a couple of sharp turns later on.
2) The london track is an absolute killer for me. Its just too hard... too many turns.

Thanks for reading.

 

[J-PaP]

what would actually be a great help would be if you could post up a video of a lap around something like suzuka. then can give you pointers on where you are stuffing up.

my best advice is take it easy around a lap following another car and watch the lines and when they brake. then try and do the same yourself going around the track. basically the AI gives agood indication of where to start to get some good laptimes.

also it does depend on what your settings are at the drive menu. do you use any driving aids? what mode do you set the game on?

also what car are you using for the a class races?

 

[standinside]

Ok, thanx. Ill try following the AI cars and see how i go.

I guess a big problem of mine is actually deciding how to turn as i dont have a standard technique when approaching each/different turns therefore waste time thinking about it.

My settings are all off and pro racing.

Im driving R8 for I think A4 and R34 for A2 and getting killed on NSX with its time trial, damn car dont have grip!!!
thanx again

 

[crimson_menace]

Get GT4 and gold the licences. It's the best advice I can give you.

 

[J-PaP]

well yeah following the AI would at least give you an idea how to approach the corner. obviously though you may brake a tad earlier or later depending how you find it easier. the AI is just a general idea but its not the fastest way.

not sure if you have video libraries where you are but maybe rather than buying gt4 see if you can rent it from there? the licences are a help but again nothing you cant learn from watching the ai

 

[David Brooks]

It's hard to know what to advise without seeing what you are doing. However, if you say the cars are skidding in the corners and not turning then I would assume you are entering too fast.

Remember to use brake markers i.e. pick an object at the side of the track (a sign, a barrier, a grandstand, etc) which is at the point you think you need to hit the brakes. As you pass it brake and see if it gives you enough time to get the speed down to take the corner. If not (you overshoot the corner) use a different brake marker that will have you brake sooner. If you pull up easily use a brake marker that has you brake later. This is a really important technique for ensuring you arrive at the corner at the right speed, which is key for getting a good time.

Another thing that springs to mind is that some cars will understeer quite badly if you are still trying to brake as you turn through the corner. Try setting a brake marker such that you complete almost all the braking on the straight, then try to drive through the corner with power. The key is to get on the power early and you might be surprised at just how early that is, and how well the car tracks through the corner under power (assuming you have already slowed enough to enter it properly). As you get better you may find it is possible to still be braking after turn in (I believe this is called trail braking) and ultimately be faster, but I believe the "brake on the straight" is a better starting point.

Finally, and at the risk of sounding condradictory to the last paragraph, you sometimes get a better turn in to a corner if you dab the brakes as this throws the weight of the car onto the front wheels which increases the grip at the front, hence the better turn in. Bear in mind this is only a shot of brakes at the moment of initial turn in and then you should be back on the gas. Quite useful on high speed turns.

Hope this helps. BTW I have not played GT5P, only the previous verions.

 

[G.T]

Following the AI is a good suggestion - preferably starting in slower cars at first if the game allows it. The AI aren't overally aggressive, so just stick with a high-grip tyre and race slow for a while without overtaking if possible (since there's many cars now), and slowly build your pace up when you grow more confident.

The key is to be smooth. It's quite hard to be smooth with a controller at first, but the more practice the better. Jerky movements or sudden change of movement through corners can cause the car to lose grip easily. One common example is when you know you've taken a corner wrong you panic and try and correct it. Try still be smooth and you won't lose as much time.

As mentioned above, braking points will be helped by markers on the side of the track, and try (it's very hard, I sometimes do it myself) not to brake heavily while entering a corner. Of course, it differs from car to car, but practice makes perfects and the markers tell you when the crorner is coming along.

You don't learn these techniques overnight, so practice makes perfect. Good luck!

 

[tyzone_gt1]

sorry if this has been already mentioned, i just went straight to the reply page.

ok perhaps just after you brake (u said u nearly had to go to a stop) u put your foot to much down on the acceleration pedal , just take it easy if u use the x button tap it a few times as u go around the corner rather then just holding the button down . or if your using the joystick like i do , your able to control your speed alot easier then the x button and therefore just slightly tilt the right stick up to go at a slower pace around the corner then just as u leave put your foot right down to the floor.

one more thing try to look at the map as much as you can (when possible) , as this will get u prep'd for the corner ahead

 

[highlifeGT]

The problems im facing is
1) Sharp turns I often just slow down to almost to a stand still to turn cus if not ill just start skitting off but i find that i lose too much speed here and the AI seem to be at a much faster pace in the whole turn (also vids i watched the speed is much faster than mine) Eg First right turn at Fuji and a couple of sharp turns later on.
2) The london track is an absolute killer for me. Its just too hard... too many turns.

Thanks for reading.

If you dont want to buy gt4, then buy gt3, its 5$ at gamestop, and its just as fun. I like the interface alot more too, very straight forward and not as deep for the noobs.

-OH, and if you are having problems with OVER-braking, try glancing over at the hud when you are approaching a corner. If I'm not mistaken, the gear number will actually FLASH when it's time for you to start braking. If you are doing manual shifting, it will also tell you what gear you need to enter the corner in.


And honestly, if you want to get really good at cornering, go buy any book about racing and how-to. Knowledge if power my friend. I read a little from my dad's book, "how to go faster" and afterwards, my skills in gt3 increased tremesdously. Plus if you own a sports car, it'll apply to real life as well.

-Just a suggestion

 

[Rykon Zero]

Skip Barber always helps.

 

[standinside]

Thanks Dave,
all the advise that I was looking for. Just a quick question. When after reachin the brake object, should it be a full on slam on the brakes then let go of the brake when i feel im at the right speed? or do i slow down slowly (picking an earlier mark) first then have a harder brake later on.

Thanks again

Thanks Highlife, Ill have a look at it next time. I guess I jus didnt think the game would be this "real".

 

[J-PaP]

basically always slam the brake down as hard as you can except for if there is a corner with a turn in it (the daytona road course first turn is your best example of one as well as turn 4) where you would probably not press on the brake fully but 1/2 to 3/4 as braking fully will spin you out. all the cars have abs so its safe to slam the rbakes. some other games where you dont have abs you need to feather the brake.

 

[highlifeGT]

Thanks Dave,
all the advise that I was looking for. Just a quick question. When after reachin the brake object, should it be a full on slam on the brakes then let go of the brake when i feel im at the right speed? or do i slow down slowly (picking an earlier mark) first then have a harder brake later on.

Thanks again

Thanks Highlife, Ill have a look at it next time. I guess I jus didnt think the game would be this "real".

Mario Adretti said something that really helped me. He said something like; Who says the brakes are only for making the car slow down?

What he meant by that is that sometimes a tap on the brakes can become the prime factor in getting around a corner better, because the weight shift can make a huge difference. Trailbraking also helps. When entering a corner, the brakes can either be on or off. If they're on in the entry, its called trailbraking, the car will likely begin to lose a little traction, but it will turn in the direction you want a bit quiker. try it. you might do it by accident from not braking enough. just keep up the practice. And it will reward you.

 

[standinside]

Thanks so much guys, ive followed the guideline when the red gear number start flashing to immediately start braking to that number and it has helped me a lot. I have somewhat gotten faster now. I will start trying out the 1/2 and 1/4 breaks and see if this will let me catch up to the AIs a bit more.

Ive always been using trailbraking but i find im not good with it as Im often too fast and lose traction and speed therefore a lot of ground. I guess ill have to push on and see which turns require what type of technique.

I saw a video of A-4 from some1 on this site. I can see the difference between his and mine is that some how entering, during and exiting any turn, hes a bit faster than the AI. Where is I am usually faster on approach and rest of the turn im slower than the AI. In the first london turn, i always have to slam the brakes down and it somtimes will get to first gear... where as that video always stayed at gear 2 at min. I guess ill keep practising. Should i try manual(stick) then?

 

[Jay]

basically always slam the brake down as hard as you can except for if there is a corner with a turn in it (the daytona road course first turn is your best example of one as well as turn 4) where you would probably not press on the brake fully but 1/2 to 3/4 as braking fully will spin you out. all the cars have abs so its safe to slam the rbakes. some other games where you dont have abs you need to feather the brake.

Haha that first Daytona road course corner is a deadly one, with proffesional mode and no aids coming into it at 250+ kph gets a little................. interesting

When I approch that corner at speed I do it in stages, first I ease on the brakes a little earlier to knock of some speed and stabilise the car, then mid way I give 100% braking in a fairly straight line (heading towards the Daytona sign), then ease off but not right off and head for the tight end corner then hard back on the brakes again. Then a sigh of relief when I made it.

 

[J-PaP]

Haha that first Daytona road course corner is a deadly one, with proffesional mode and no aids coming into it at 250+ kph gets a little................. interesting

When I approch that corner at speed I do it in stages, first I ease on the brakes a little earlier to knock of some speed and stabilise the car, then mid way I give 100% braking in a fairly straight line (heading towards the Daytona sign), then ease off but not right off and head for the tight end corner then hard back on the brakes again. Then a sigh of relief when I made it.

yep that daytona corner is a killer. countless times i restart a race just trying to get the first corner right. i tend to do it in stages too because i find halfway through braking you need to turn the wheel a tad to make it. otherwise you end up on the grass on the outside or you clip the grass on the inside of the corner and spin out. then if there are other cars aswell that just makes it all the harder.

even corner #4 i find can be difficult if there is ai there. they seem to take that corner much more agressively as either i find they slam into the back of me or force me to come to almost a complete stop as they have so little speed exiting the corner.


standinside - you'll notice this as you get more practice but particurarly at the first corner after a long straight the red flashing indicator will always be a tad early. for a start just start braking when the light flashes but you'll find at times you can wait a second or so after it flashes to start braking its something you learn though as you learn each track.

also it sounds as if the problem you are having prior to the advice given on here is you are braking too late in the corner and understeering through it so have to brake even more to wipe off more speed to the point you end up at a complete stop. is that right? if so yeah just brake about when the red indicator starts flashing that will definitely improve your approach through corners.

 

[seizure_]

Haha that first Daytona road course corner is a deadly one, with proffesional mode and no aids coming into it at 250+ kph gets a little................. interesting

When I approch that corner at speed I do it in stages, first I ease on the brakes a little earlier to knock of some speed and stabilise the car, then mid way I give 100% braking in a fairly straight line (heading towards the Daytona sign), then ease off but not right off and head for the tight end corner then hard back on the brakes again. Then a sigh of relief when I made it.

i share the exact sentiments as you ...everytime before i turn into that corner =

 

[Rocket Punch]

My fortune cookie saids: "Driving is all about resource management."

If a few posts can turn you instantly into a driving pro then people don't have write books about driving anymore. My only suggestion is buy a book and read it if you like driving and want to understand the concept of driving.

Here are some reference:
- Going Faster: Mastering the Art of Race Driving : The Skip Barber Racing School by Carl Lopez
- Race Car Vehicle Dynamics (RCVD) by Bill and Doug Milliken

 

[gt5driver]

I saw a video of A-4 from some1 on this site. I can see the difference between his and mine is that some how entering, during and exiting any turn, hes a bit faster than the AI. Where is I am usually faster on approach and rest of the turn im slower than the AI. In the first london turn, i always have to slam the brakes down and it somtimes will get to first gear... where as that video always stayed at gear 2 at min. I guess ill keep practising. Should i try manual(stick) then?

Yes, I strongly advise you to use manual stick for accelerating and braking as well as for steering! I used the X button for accelerating and the square button for braking before but then tried right manual stick and it made driving so much easier, especially braking. (At the beginning I even used directional buttons for steering but left analogue stick made it so much easier to turn that I gave up using those arrows right away.)

Of course it takes a bit time to get used to the analog stick but it definitely pays off (and really takes only a bit to get used to ).

Actually, I haven't played Gran Turismo 5 Prologue but I have played GT4 and it is probably realistic enough to make those suggestions. And I definitely recommend you to buy Gran Turismo 4 (or 3) because it is a fantastic game, has a lot more cars and tracks than GT5P and is huge everyway (e.g. it has 97 songs in its jukebox ). I personally have every GT except GTHD (it's some what excusable as it's only a demo) and GT5P because I don't have a PS3. (I also don't have 2 GT Concepts, which were released only in Japan and Korea.)

 

[David Brooks]

Ive always been using trailbraking but i find im not good with it as Im often too fast and lose traction and speed therefore a lot of ground. I guess ill have to push on and see which turns require what type of technique.

I saw a video of A-4 from some1 on this site. I can see the difference between his and mine is that some how entering, during and exiting any turn, hes a bit faster than the AI. Where is I am usually faster on approach and rest of the turn im slower than the AI.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here with your analysis of your performance. It suggests to me you are trying to enter too fast and running wide. As I said in one of my previous posts posts I would strongly recommend trying to complete the majority of braking on the straight and then getting on the power as quickly as possible to drive the corner under power. I would recommend leaving trail braking until later because trail braking and simply braking too late kind of merge into the same thing if you are not careful.

After replying to you the other day I got on GT4 to check exactly how I do take corners and I can confirm that I am usually on the power well before the apex of the corner.

One other point I think worth mentioning is that the limited view you get from your flat tv screen is a bit like driving with blinkers on. On tight corners this can sometimes make you turn earlier than you should because you are subconsiously trying to keep the apex in view. The result of taking the corner too early is the exit is tight and you have to slow down. In these cases you need to allow the apex to disappear from view. It's a little odd but you get use to it.

Finally practice makes perfect but make sure you are practising taking the corners well, even if it is a bit slow to start off with, and then you will speed up as the practice pays off. If you keep running wide or going off every lap, you are only practising running wide or going off, and will get very proficient at it.

 

[LandMotorsport]

I think if its the first time you play GT you should not learn on pro mode.

 

[Patrik]

Hi, im completely new to GT and ive never played prev GT ever before. I know in GT4 there is license and practice modes but I dont want to go out and buy a GT4, unless u really recommend it.

My problem is that im stuck in A class, unable to dominate or even get close to getting top 3. Only A1 and A3 so far. I think my problem is turning i think its the slowest part in my drive. Now i dont need to drift, i just want to know simple tips or where i can read up on how to turn properly.

Im using controllers if that even matters and Im using proper settings, no aids and pro driving.

The problems im facing is
1) Sharp turns I often just slow down to almost to a stand still to turn cus if not ill just start skitting off but i find that i lose too much speed here and the AI seem to be at a much faster pace in the whole turn (also vids i watched the speed is much faster than mine) Eg First right turn at Fuji and a couple of sharp turns later on.
2) The london track is an absolute killer for me. Its just too hard... too many turns.

Thanks for reading.

you're probably braking to hard and agressive when you come to sharp corners..

 

[lav01]

you are probably entering the corner too fast and trying to use the brakes too much while steering. if you dont want to spend the money on gt4, get gt3 and do the tests on it. here is a good link http://phors.locost7.info/phors05.htm

it is a little technical, but above responses are all pretty good too. good luck.

 

[Rocket Punch]

you are probably entering the corner too fast and trying to use the brakes too much while steering. if you dont want to spend the money on gt4, get gt3 and do the tests on it. here is a good link http://phors.locost7.info/phors05.htm

it is a little technical, but above responses are all pretty good too. good luck.

Dr. Brian Beckman actually have a series of articles regarding physics in racing. While his articles talked about the "why" (which is very useful if you already know the "how"), his articles are not a good source for "how". He is not only a avid PC sim fan, but also helped develop FORZA. Also check out his interview here regarding physics in racing games.

Video Link (warning, very long interview but very interesting): mms://wm.microsoft.com/ms/evnet/Beckman_GamePhysics_s_ch9.wmv


Check out his whole series of articles here:
http://phors.locost7.info/contents.htm

My advice remains the same, buy a book and read it.

 

[Fluke]

I would suggest GT4 over GT3 its alot more realistic, and dont start on pro mode. But good luck, theres game guides everywhere on the 'net to help you with your car control, all i can say is the licenses are the best way to learn about the dynamics of the car.

 

[zodicus]

Always remeber Slow in fast out, fast in spin out. On most turns you also want to always start on the outside, turn in and move to the indise(apex), then exit the turn letting the car drift to the ouside again. ( i DONT mean tail sliding D1GP drift) If its a combination of turns with little or no straitaway inbetween, then on the exit hold the inside untill the last turn of the combnation. On the last turn accel harder and let the car drift to the outside to maximise youre speed for the following straitaway. If its a Turn that has a incresing radious aka a turn that becomes less sharp as you move through it. You will want to Apex the turn a little sooner than you would think, if its a turn that decresses in radious aka it gets sharper as you go, apex a little later and enter a tad faster. This is all general, if the turn has changes in elvation like a hill it will change how you have to take the turn, also any bumps could have a big impact on how you take a turn.

Also about trailbraking, if you want to trailbrake it is very important that the car not understeer while braking. Some cars you can't make do that (at least not easily), but others a small change in front suspension settings is all you need. ( dont just change the brake bias thats just a bandaid) usually lowering the springrate and or shock bound (compression) will help with brake induced understeer. some cars also respond well to lowering the rear rebound (extention) a little. Changing the diff settings can also have a huge impact on understeer while braking so dont over look that.

 

[Con_Andrade]

Well i see a lot of text going on.

One thing that helped me a lot in GTR was to do slow laps without getting out of the track. First select a track for training. Secondly, you go slow until you get used to the cars reaction (speed, friction, cornering, etc @ slow speed). When you start to become more confident with how your car reacts, try to flatout in straights and try to brake way before you actually think you can brake! You will start to see when and how you can go faster. Then... simply try to be "progressively" more agressive!

Hope it helps...
cheers

 

[matski]

Remember, braking hard and trying to turn doesn't result in much more than harsh understeer. I normally brake hard (Full-on) from high speed, then as I'm turning in, I'll come off the brakes slightly (I use six-axis controller stick for steering, buttons for acc/brake).

Under braking weight transfers to the front wheels giving more grip, to a point, once that point is reached, you'll just skid and your steering will be less effective, if you try turning at the same time you'll just make things worse... in short don't brake hard and turn hard at the same time.

Has anyone else noticed how much more effective the hand-brake is in GT5P?

 

[Kryz11]

why should he not learn in PRO mode? for me when i got my hands on GT4 ( my first gt game) i turn everyting off... and just under a day or 2 i got everything on braking and turning ( of course i was not setting up lap times) but to this day im learing the racing line and what not. so PRO mode is best to learn fast..

 

[AOS-]

making successful turns was one of the thing i loved about gt the most, because i would watch the AI drive during replay with their steering and gas/brake inputs and i'd try to copy them to make sweet cornering.

that's essentially why i love playing driving game is how i can tackle those corners, not driving straight, like Drag Racing..