Are my tires farting? Going down the straights there are small puffs of smoke coming from my tires... doesn't happen all the time, seems pretty random. Anyone know what it is?

Happens when you lock the tyres and create a flatspot. For some reason when you heat tyres in LFS they tend to smoke more.

As locked wheels drag along the road they get hotter than the rest of the tyre. Hence why as you're driving along when you get to these "flatspots" a puff can be seen in your mirrors.

Didn't know LFS had flatspots. Kinda hard to avoid with keyboard driving...

Try ABS, although not sure what cars it's avalible on.

As a (good) second line, play about with the setup, and set the brake balance/force so that full brake pressure (Ie when you press the brake key) is on the limit of grip, and then reduce it by 5% so you can turn a small amount without locking the front (trail braking)...

So basically go to BL and blast down the straight till the right hander and keep doing it till you can brake without the wheels locking up. Bear in mind in the XFG the inside rear wheel looks fairly easily under braking and you shouldn't worry about it too much.

Either way, the fronts steer all the cars and it's more important you can brake as quickly as possible without locking them

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Try ABS, although not sure what cars it's avalible on.

abs is only in the test patches. not sure what version he's using.

at any rate, if you're a kb player, you might be interested in using the "brake help" option, or maybe decreasing the "button control rate".

you should also be able to adjust ur brakes a bit better so it's harder to lock them, and use the pulse braking method a bit (it's hit and miss, but worth a shot)
I still flatspot with pedals when i brake to hard and don't allow for road conditions/bumps etc

Quote from bunder9999 :

abs is only in the test patches. not sure what version he's using.

at any rate, if you're a kb player, you might be interested in using the "brake help" option, or maybe decreasing the "button control rate".

I'm using whatever version is on the demo download page. I haven't installed any special stuff.

Thankfully I won't be a keyboard user much longer. My Fanatec 911 is on order!

Thanks for the help guys.

Quote from MadCat360 :

I'm using whatever version is on the demo download page. I haven't installed any special stuff.

Thankfully I won't be a keyboard user much longer. My Fanatec 911 is on order!

Thanks for the help guys.

what the f is that?


Looks like a err, new one?

Couple tips for your next wheel:
1. Plastic pedals dont last =/ (They look plastic)
2. That accelerator pedal is going to annoy you i think
3. From the pic it looks like the gear stick is extendable from the wheel?
4. Buy a G25


EDIT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dWjLRhd8w0 <-- comparison.

I noticed something in the vid tho, when he plays lfs with the fanatec wheel, you can see the ingame wheel jumping about (its not smooth), whats up with that? also the accelerator seems to have a deadzone =/



EDIT2: Topic hijax plx?

I hear the Fanatec wheel and shifter is a better quality than that of the G25. But I'd have to try them myself to cast an opinion. I've had my G25 for nearly 2 years and the only problem is a slight throttle spiking caused by the wall munching the cable from the pedal box..

I'd personally have the Clubsport RS wheel thing and use the Logitech shifter and Pedals. The shifter feel a bit sloppy but I am not known to be gentle and it's lasted well, and the pedals just have a very nice feel.. I believe you can use the G25 pedals with the Fanatec wheel so everyone wins.

EITHER WAY, you'll enjoy your wheel very much, it'll bring LFS to a new level for you.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

I hear the Fanatec wheel and shifter is a better quality than that of the G25.

there's nothing wrong with the g25 shifter if you don't smash it into gear all the time...

Quote from mathew4445 :

Couple tips for your next wheel:
1. Plastic pedals dont last =/ (They look plastic)
2. That accelerator pedal is going to annoy you i think
3. From the pic it looks like the gear stick is extendable from the wheel?
4. Buy a G25

1. Clubsport pedals. PS, the G25's pedals are all plastic except for the actual foot plates and the springs.

2. The accelerator has the same resistance as all the cars I've driven, which is good because the plastic standard pedals are the ones that simulate the street car. The clubsport pedals are fully adjustable, position and resistance, and feel more like a race car. Also, magnetic sensors. The only moving part is the spring and guide rod of each pedal, and it's USB, so no matter what happens to the wheel, I will always be able to use the pedals, and they will last forever. I won't ever use the standard pedals; I bought the pure edition, which is just the wheel with the paddle shifters. I'll be able to use my current Xbox's pedals until I feel the need to pick up the shifter set (50 bucks) and the clubsport pedals.

3. Yes, two metal rods insert into the wheel and the gear stick goes on that. A short wire is connected from the shifter to the wheel. it can go on either side. There are some complaints about stability, but if you mount the shifter slightly closer to the wheel it's fine.

4. No. It has to work both with my consoles and my PC. The G25 does not work with the Xbox (contrary to popular belief, there are good racing games on the Xbox). The Fanatec Turbo S works on everything. Also, the Turbo has more buttons on it.

Quote from bunder9999 :

there's nothing wrong with the g25 shifter if you don't smash it into gear all the time...

It feels like a toy. That's what I like about the Fanatec. It feels more meaty and satisfying, both the wheel and the shifter. I know there are mods for the G25, but I'd rather not buy a product that I must improve myself, thanks.

The G25's a fine wheel, but the Fanatec has all the features I want that the G25 doesn't have. Like, for instance, a programmable LED display and on-the-fly adjustment via said display.

Quote from MadCat360 :

1. Clubsport pedals. PS, the G25's pedals are all plastic except for the actual foot plates and the springs.

No they are not.

Quote from MadCat360 :

The G25's a fine wheel, but the Fanatec has all the features I want that the G25 doesn't have. Like, for instance, a programmable LED display and on-the-fly adjustment via said display.

u can adjust stuff on the fly with a g25 or G15 keyboard with macro's.
G15 also has an LCD screen.

LFS has pretty limited key binding at the moment (brake bias etc can't be done with a controller AFAIK? and you have to still have the F key windows up to change em i think) and you can't bind pit options so yeah it's actually a bit of a pain.

So it's a little redundant..

Quote from Not Sure :

No they are not.

I stand corrected.

Quote from senn :

u can adjust stuff on the fly with a g25 or G15 keyboard with macro's.
G15 also has an LCD screen.

LFS has pretty limited key binding at the moment (brake bias etc can't be done with a controller AFAIK? and you have to still have the F key windows up to change em i think) and you can't bind pit options so yeah it's actually a bit of a pain.

So it's a little redundant..

What can you adjust on the fly with the G25? For clarity, on the fly means not taking me out of the game and doable on the run. Why would I want an LCD on my keyboard?

Did it not occur to you that I might just maybe play other games than LFS? There are plenty of things to put on the face of the wheel. Talk button, pit limiter, indicators, look buttons, wipers, headlights, flash button... on and on.

Why do people always insist the G25's better? I don't like the G25. It doesn't fit my needs and I don't like the way it feels. I will never own one. The Fanatec is the one I've bought because I like the feel and it fits my needs.

Back on you original topic

Tyre model in LFS is interesting.
Tyre width is divided in 3 sections, and the circumference is 32 sections if I remember correctly. These sections mean that the tyres can heat unevenly / after a hard braking and locking up tyres, do press F9 to see tyres temp - internal (and CRTL+SHIFT for tyre surface) and drive at a very slow speed. You will see that some sections show a red color, some are green or even blue, and you also get a temperature display.
High temperature produces smoke, and if you had a lockup with only one spot of the tyre red then the smoke puffs do happen. Flatspots are also modelled and can be felt in the direction for FFB wheels.


Prevent lockups, for mouse / kb:
Decrease the "button control rate" so that it smoothens the on/off controls (adds a ramp). It will make you a bit slower for hotlaps but smoother, so faster for races.

Reduce brake force (not realistic, but you will be able to set it back up when you get the wheel and pedals) --> full speed on a straight, press "F" to see the forces and apply full brakes.
With the correct brake force the tyres should not lock up before you are very slow (slower that desired apex speed). Red arrows in the "F" view means tyre lockup. This will also allow you to set the brake balance.

By the way, you will have to start again with all your setups when you get the wheel.

Good luck!

what does brake help actually do?

Never used it, but I think it is some kind of "super abs" that prevents lockups.

This thread actually reminded me of one unrealistic feature in LFS. Yes it's the small puffs of smoke from tires.

Weirdly if you get your tires hot enough, they will produce a bit of smoke even in the straights when you're not even burning any rubber actually.
This doesn't happen IRL.
It's not maybe the most important things to get corrected in LFS, but it can be a bit annoying sometimes, at least when watching the replay.

If there's no already, someone should make a improvement suggestion out of this.

Quote from BigPeBe :

This thread actually reminded me of one unrealistic feature in LFS. Yes it's the small puffs of smoke from tires.

Weirdly if you get your tires hot enough, they will produce a bit of smoke even in the straights when you're not even burning any rubber actually.
This doesn't happen IRL.
It's not maybe the most important things to get corrected in LFS, but it can be a bit annoying sometimes, at least when watching the replay.

If there's no already, someone should make a improvement suggestion out of this.

Actually, only one thing is wrong: the heat model of the surface of the tyres... They heat much more rapidly (and also cool down much more rapidly) than in LfS - just think about the burning sensation you get from falling down on the street - and that's a speed of maybe 20 km/h (at best) where friction didn't even last half a second... Get the heat model right and you'll see so much more realistic smoke generation...

I think the main problem with LfS smoke generation is that smoke is only generated on the patch of rubber that's touching the tarmac, and it isn't based on friction, but on temperature. thus a hot spot will always create a puff of smoke as soon as it touches the road, as long as it's hot enough.

Ive had this too, it doesnt bother me

Its a feature not a bug

We in Team T7R use this to send smoke signals to each other when TS isn't working

SD.