Sorry, I'm quite new. What does ping time/latency do and what do you mean and how do I compensate/correct it please?

We seemed initially, to be able to Start a Race and Join a race without problems.
Then we got ambitious and tried a 20 lap and a 30 lap. We have had drop outs seven times in ten starts. One of us, normally the joiner, drops out of the race. I have noticed that, on about two or three times, not every time, the word LAG appears when the other car is in sight and then he drops out and off the circuit.
We both have Pentium 4s or equivalent with Broadband cxns. A dedicated graphics card etc, nothing integrated.
Are there any hints out there as to why a head to head race, not congested by any means should suffer this.
Should we perhaps go onto an established higher quality host server?
Be grateful for help on this one.

It could be that you've got your braces caught up with the footbrake. Hit the Esc key, tap the gauge, give it a quick once over with an oily rag and go around and try again... Don't forget you don't want full flaps when you're whizzing down the straight. That's only when you're coming into land and you reduce power and descend to 200 feet. Watch for crosswinds...oops....sorry...wrong site...

What do I do while I'm going down the straight?
I'm still trying to straighten the thing and regain control after coming round the previous bend. Do us a favour!!!

I'd like to know what is the advantage of having a potentiometer?
At the moment I've got a logitech MOMO wheel.
Is it going to be an advantage please??

In an age of penny pinching and selfishness you're just too kind to us.....
we don't deserve all this molly coddling...;.

Quote from Daveebee :

First of all, I love new F1 car, it drives superbly well. I don't know if the developers have a Le Mans type sports Prototype (Audi for example)in the planning stage. A car of that type would be great if you wanted to go in for endurance type event. What do you all think?

Don't panic, I found it. Absolutely agree. Etc, etc.

This blinkin' Sauber is, in colloquial English, what is called the bees knees.
Has this program finally cornered the market the most favourite sim in the world?
Goodness knows what some of the hot laps are going to be like when some of the hot "boy racers" really get the hang of it in a few weeks time!!!

I have retained my old machine and after a servicing by my local friendly computer shop I lost my LFS installation.
Enter stage right my new PC. It has got the full version of LFS and runs great together with the latest patch.
Now I'm thinking of putting a router link between the two machines.
Being a sort of belt and braces man, if one machine breaks down can the one licence stand if I download LFS to the older machine?

Many thanks for the advice on set ups. Cheers

Thanks angryangel, i will try to do battle with your instructions.. my brain fries when confronted by these sorts of directions but I'm gonna try...cheers.

thanks ajp71, now you must think me an awful thicko but can you really be precise as to how, what I see and where it is because I really have difficulties following written instructions. Looking over someone's shoulder is one thing, "putting it into a file" is another. Would appreciate any spoon feeding you can have the patience to muster up.

thanks tristancliffe
Can you say where the lyt file precisely please?

Each time I see a file which is interesting and I double click intending to "view" it I get
"Windows box
Windows cannot open this file
(Name of file, i.e. AU1_drift 1.lyt
To open this file Windows needs to know what program created it. Windows can go on line to look it up automatically or you can manually select from a list of programs on your own.
Use the Web service or
Select from a list.

Can someone advise me WHAT I should do next. When you know, its obvious,...when you don't., it aint.
Many thanks.

I have tried to do as you say to get this file. I double clicked on sotougerep.mpr but it wouldn't happen.
A little window came up "Adobe reader".
"Adobe reader could not open sotougerep.mpr because it is either not a supported file type or because the file has been damaged. (For example it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded.)
So, despite your best efforts, sileightly, I still haven't been able to see your track.

I reckon there's a whole load of mileage in folks opinions and experiences of how they have managed to survive their first attempts at online racing.
Thanks to all who have contributed to making me gird up my loins and dive in.
PS I haven't as yet cos I'm still using auto gears and also the buttons on my MOMO instead of the foot pedals cos they obstinately refuse to be configured...

Surely if someone wants something mandatory then, by definition, it is not an option...or is he joking?
Anyway I would be sorry to see auto gearshift done away with on hotlaps.
That is a real backward step for me.
I would really like the ability to retain best laps and the dates when they were made on any track I went to.
This is something that so many car racing composers ignore these days but for me, (yes I know it's an online simulator,..etc..etc..) .but I do a fair bit of single player action and hot laps and would really appreciate it.

Having found the manual at last on lfswiki and downloaded it I am impressed by the detail in the Set up chapter. 33 pages, no less.
There is a lot of talk about setups.
Is it a case of "suck it and see" with these things and how can I get them and where do I store them and how can I examine how different it is than the default one which is linked to the XF GTI on page one!!??
Answers on a postcard please...to....

I can't understand why anyone would be doing hot laps online. Surely this is a practise that is carried out alone isn't it?

thanks hyperactive. And the next question is,......how does one upload them to LFS....?

Sorry - panic over - I found it. Now you mention it the German one was nowhere near as comprehensive as this monster at lfswiki....

Can someone advise just how I tell LFS World that I have done a decent lap with my nice shiny new Formula XR and wonder if they want to include it for everyone to see....

Sorry but I think you'll find it's just in German unless you know something I don't. If so please correct me. Ta ever so.

tHAnks a lot fellahs, there's a pile of good hints in there. much obliged.

Being a rank beginner I am keen to race but don't want to get smashed and my ego left in the gutter. Is there perhaps a host where the really slowest drivers get together?