Time Trial Discussion

[half_sourly]

Front page with a 1:13.672 (57th)
I'll be off there within the hour, but still, happy with the start and hopefully safe for gold.

 

[Nathan88]

Here are the statistics for all TTs up to Suzuka (manually done by me, so there may be minor variations to what you see elsewhere).

View attachment 1200004

And this analysis shows just how difficult this McLaren MP4/4 at Suzuka has been:
View attachment 1200008


And finally, here are the number of drivers below 1% of the top time:

View attachment 1200006

Great job. The MP4/4 Time Trial was popular. Even though many found it exceptionally difficult to get Gold.

Quite looking forward to a shorter lap! More chances to replay after you inevitably screw up!

 

[Nebuc72]

Ahh... this is more like it!

Currently sitting at 1:13.638, which is 114th. I'm sure I can push that down a couple of tenths though. I ended up over 5000th in the McLaren one!

Duality of man or something...

 

[MidnightRun85]

That's much more up my alley. I couldn't get the flow with the MP4/4 and only just register a mid-bronze time. I've been around gold or low silver for every other one I've entered, so this one was just super challenging. The ZR1 at Watkins Glen will be fun. I was driving mine there the other day!

And then I realised its the C7, not the C6 I had been driving... 🤦🤣

 

[Blayney]

Should be another gold for me (haven't missed one) been in the x00s for lots of these now, best have been road cars so I have high hopes. Sitting on a 14.9 now but I haven't managed to complete a lap without snot dribbling into my mustache, it appears I have a cold!

 

[Talon16]

After some laps, got a 14.2. There is a lot of time left for sure... but I feel the same way for the aliens.

 

[SteelPantha]

How do you guys go so fast? Any tips?
I use a controller and play on TCS 1.

 

[Nebuc72]

How do you guys go so fast? Any tips?
I use a controller and play on TCS 1.

Well, TCS 1 to 0 is your first tip. It's going to be slowing you down more than it's saving you.

It'll take some getting used to but it'll shave a lot of time off, especially in a road car that needs to be thrashed around.

 

[Dolph Drago]

This car is going to take some getting used to after the MP4/4. They are about as different as it gets. No brakes, plows like a dump truck off throttle, then tries to kill you as you get on the gas. I ran a 1:15 something or another after 12 laps. Maybe half of those were clean laps? At least 3 more were clean enough I thought, but PD felt otherwise which leads me to my gripe of this challenge...

The penalties! I can handle taking a penalty in turn 10, even when my left side tires are solidly on the curb. Annoying, yes, but I can get used to it. What is blatantly unfair is where you take the penalty if you jack up the bus stop. There penalty line is all the way past the carousel, so that's where you should be forced to slow down, right? Oh yeah, you have to slow down there, but the sadists at PD have decided it happens the NEXT lap, not the current. So not only do you have the serve the penalty the following lap, but the current one gets invalidated, too. Just why?? Why two ruined laps when there is a full corner between where you pick up the penalty and the penalty line itself? Stupid.

/rant

 

[SteelPantha]

Well, TCS 1 to 0 is your first tip. It's going to be slowing you down more than it's saving you.

It'll take some getting used to but it'll shave a lot of time off, especially in a road car that needs to be thrashed around.

How do you ensure the car doesn't spin out when you drop it to 0? I always struggle with cars when the TCS is dropped to 0....maybe I'm too aggressive with throttle idk.

 

[Nebuc72]

How do you ensure the car doesn't spin out when you drop it to 0? I always struggle with cars when the TCS is dropped to 0....maybe I'm too aggressive with throttle idk.

You just have to be gentle with the car, accelerate out of corners slowly so the power is put down gradually.

There's a lot of power in this car though and to stop it getting squirrely I found it's safer to exit out of most corners in 4th gear rather than 3rd. I take the first corner and the chicane in 3rd but through the sweeping corner after it I shift up to 4th and don't drop back into 3rd until turn 1.

 

[Mistah_MCA]

How do you ensure the car doesn't spin out when you drop it to 0? I always struggle with cars when the TCS is dropped to 0....maybe I'm too aggressive with throttle idk.

Smooth throttle control is key coming out of turns with this car. If you're able to straighten up your steering as you exit a turn, you'll be able to get on the throttle a bit faster.

4th gear is very useful here. You'll have a bit more control of the car on the bus stop and on the last three turns. Stay on 4th gear on the last two turns.

 

[ColinNZ]

So this car doesn't want to stop, doesn't want to turn into the corner and spins out at corner exit if you even glance at the throttle. Sounds like fun. Let's go!!!

After 20 minutes or so, I've managed a 1:15.2.

 

[Talon16]

Managed a 13.8. We'll see if it lasts. If not, hopefully this time I am actually around to have another go.

Unlike last time. I was out of town on work when the aliens started one-upping each other at the last minute! Now when I go to Sport Mode I have this staring at me... in the upper right. It's painful to see... especially since I was only like .050" off so I know I would've gotten it.

If you're a similar age as me (or have kids), odds are you've watched the original Mighty Ducks. I can't help but thinking of the Hawks' coach's quote during the below scene.



I wish they'd just take that silver one down.

Ok, ok... I am being a bit melodramatic. On to the next one!

 

[SteelPantha]

I'll never set times like you guys, but I enjoy seeing the times you get and hearing your stories/experiences. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GTboyz]

I'm just gonna wait for someone to make a video guide here lol

 

[Blayney]

I'm just gonna wait for someone to make a video guide here lol

If I can get a clear run from this cold I'll make one - that said... Mistah_MCA has one out - and I'd wager they are faster than I'll ever be!

 

[sdi_03]

Corrrwette is oddly addictive. Did 400km stint yesterday and currently in p124 with 1:13.486
Will try to find more time, lose like .5s on the long right after the bus stop. No idea how to make the car grip on the exit.

 

[KAlex122]

Already predictions what Gold and Silver times might be at the end?

 

[Gogga]

With the previous time trial at Suzuka, I ended with a 1:44.4. I stopped about a week in to the time trial as I pretty much reached my limit. There was no way in hell I was going to get in to the 1:43 let alone the 1:42 mark.
With the current one I'm really enjoying chipping away at my time. Currently at a 1:14:811. Loads of time to gain, but also the top guys will start going faster..

 

[Gomario JSP]

Had the first session on Watkins, what a terrible car to drive, it's like the 400z on steroids, first corner is soooo bad, it understeers like a sailboat, if the vette would drive like this in real life every owner would be killed eventuately

Closed the end of the session with a 1:14.331 , with still alot to gain, once you get the hang of the weight transfering in the car it becomes a tiny bit better to drive...

Tip of the day......., BRAKE EARLY

 

[Gomario JSP]

Corrrwette is oddly addictive. Did 400km stint yesterday and currently in p124 with 1:13.486
Will try to find more time, lose like .5s on the long right after the bus stop. No idea how to make the car grip on the exit.

Nice time, yeah busstop exit is like on ice, still don't know how to enter the long right, but learned not to even look at the throttle mid corner

 

[Sunzi]

My kinda time trial after Suzuka which I folded on quite early.

I put over 1000 miles in to the Maggiore Z Performance TT but couldn't break Gold. Hoping to get back into the Gold times with this one. I've been driving a lot of RWD sports cars on SH/SM (F40, Strassenversion, AMG Black Series, C6 ZR1, Amemiya, Z Performance etc) the last month so feel like I should have familiarity with the C7s physics. Love The Glen aswell, looking forward to this.

 

[half_sourly]

How do you ensure the car doesn't spin out when you drop it to 0? I always struggle with cars when the TCS is dropped to 0....maybe I'm too aggressive with throttle idk.

Just to echo what @Nebuc72 and @Mistah_MCA have said and to add a couple of points:

• Use TC0 - if you plan to play sims for years to come, TC0 is where you'll end up, so just move now.
• Particularly listen to Mistah_MCA re steering angle - it is hugely important and unfortunately you don't see that on most video track guides. (For more on this, see Phase 5 here).
• Re smooth throttle inputs, some ideas to train this:
  • Go to a long straight (Special Stage X) to practice what partial throttle feels like (in your case with a controller, on your finger):
    • From standing, accelerate from 0% to 100% throttle in 5 seconds; look at the HUD and count out loud and if you hit 100% before 5, try again. Now do the same for 10 seconds and 20 seconds.
    • From standing, without looking at the HUD, go to where you think 50% throttle is. Stop, look at the replay and see on the HUD where you actually were. Should you hit 50% every time, try 25% and 75%.
  • Watch Mistah_MCA's guide and pay attention to throttle %. Then do a few laps without worrying about time, but just focus on hitting similar percentages - try not to look at the HUD, but the road ahead, and brake really early for corners - you are now working on corner exits only. Save your fastest lap (again, don't worry what time you did) and replay that alongside the guide to see how close your inputs match.
• Final point, be patient, you will not get better overnight and you may even get worse before you get better, as you get used to being a smoother driver.

Good luck

 

[hardvibes]

I'm just gonna wait for someone to make a video guide here lol

You missed it, page 44 😁 although I disagree with

• using 5th gear mid chicane uphill. I'm faster in 4th gear and the car is easier to steer to not hit the guardrail at the top
• using 4th gear for the last 2 corners. I'm faster in 3rd

 

[SteelPantha]

I didn't even see the above post (thank you for the helpful tips!) but jumped online...kinda did a weird hybrid few laps with TCS 0-1. I don't have much confidence with TCS on corners but when I hit the apex of corners particularly on straights I drop TCS to 0 lol.

Tonight's 20min jam:
1st session: 1:16:550
2nd session: 1:16:578
3rd session: 1:16:163
4th session: 1:16:116
---At this point I was mad because I was a tenth off my best but like the others have said, the Corvette handles like a ****ing boat. American cars look awesome and sound mean but they handle like ****ing dog****. Decided to push this prick of a car like the bitch that it is and remove my ghost as I thought it was being too much of a distraction...
5th session: 1:15:771
6th session: 1:15:435

Last night I didn't think I could do much better but 0.7 seconds quicker great! That'll do for tonight. I can probably do a low 1:15 if I mastered a few corners but the margin of error for a car that understeers like this is slim. Good luck guys!

 

[TumeK5]

Decided to push this prick of a car like the b***h that it is

 

[SteelPantha]

I should probably change my signature to too slow, very furious lol.

 

[TumeK5]

And probably censor the word.

 

[Zorz]

As things stand, it is (currently) possible to get gold in a different way for anyone who's struggling with this one.

Whether it'll stay good enough for gold still remains to be seen, but I managed to get about 1.5 tenths under the cutoff with a 1:14.482 last night by going completely counter to the advice above and cranking the TCS up to 5. From there I just worked on trying to get the line right with all the car's nervousness taken out of the equation. After about 200 miles worth of laps I'd had enough of feathering the throttle and found forcing the car to settle down saved more time than the TCS was costing me, along with making good laps much more consistent.

It won't be the best strategy if you're aiming for a top time, but if you feel like you've hit a wall and can't get faster like I was, it might be worth a try as an alternate approach.