hey guys, I am quite new to lfs ( I have had it for a long time but never really played it until I got my wheel). Well I have a wheel now and am looking forward to enjoying some good racing. But before I can do that I am really going to need to improve my driving skills.

I guess what I am asking here is what everyone thinks is the best approach to becoming good at lfs. I have read the driving tips sticky and done all the in-game training and I am wondering what to do next. Should I jump back into the XRG at blackwood until I can do consistent 1:34s. Or is there another combo that I could practice that would help me become a good lfs driver in less time. For example I have been practicing Aston National in XFR and this seems easier to me that the XRG at BL1.

What I would like to get is peoples opinions on whether it is better to get as close to WR in combos we find easiest first or would it be better to use cars that are less forgiving and wont let you form bad habits when you are a beginner.

Also for either case if you could give some examples of which combos you think it would be best to start with and which ones graduate to as we progress.

thanks a lot
Zach

December 2007 is new??Anyways..
Try the FOX and jump on (FM) FOX JUNKIES

best way to earn experience though the fox isnt the easiest car for some people it is generally the easiest.

u can get sets at setupgrid.net

Learn to drive LX6, that should teach you something about car control.

Ky2r + lx6.
Fz50 + as7r.
Uf1000 + fe1r.

Imo, first and foremost, concentrate on handling ability and situational awareness. Lap times are only relevant when you're good enough to compete with other people. Start off with easy cars and easy tracks, drive entire sprint races (5-10 laps, or even more if you want) up until you can do so comfortably without losing control, hitting walls etc. Personally, I'd suggest XRG, XRT, UFR at any track. Once you gain the base ability to confidently control your car, you'll learn tracks far easier and far more quickly. Consistency, confidence; lap times will come down with time.

Quote from Bmxtwins :

December 2007 is new??Anyways..
Try the FOX and jump on (FM) FOX JUNKIES

best way to earn experience though the fox isnt the easiest car for some people it is generally the easiest.

u can get sets at setupgrid.net

Lol, read the mutha ****ing post as said.

I guess I'll try to be helpful for once

If you want to progress as quickly as possible, first of all I suggest you try to understand what's happening on the track. If you just happily go hotlapping and repeat the same lap with the same mistakes without learning anything about them, you won't get far too soon.

Get to know your enemy, i.e. read about racing. If you find it boring to read, just get outside the comfort zone. This should be interesting anyway. For example Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley is a very good book, even for a beginner. It's the one I can recommend, but there's plenty more to choose from. It'll give you some insight with the setups as well. You should aim to know what the car does when you command it, and what you should try to make it do.

Try to network with good racers. This may be a little harder nowadays compared to the past, as there seem to be loads of fools around... However, it would be good to get some tips and feedback from people around you. That's when teams come useful - except if the team consists only of beginners, who cannot teach each other to drive, it seems. So go find the good guys.

Another just as important point is to compare your driving to the guys faster and more consistent than you. The replay analyser tool in LFS World is good and easy to use. Here you can find other analysers. If you're more focused on the driving than the setup, Analyse for Speed shows you nicely where you lose time and where your racing line is off. The other two give you loads of numbers and graphs to tinker with. Oh, and of course watching replays is good.

As an enlightened Finn already said, LX6 is quite a lesson. I think the best way to learn driving any car is to drive LX6, even badly. Also pay attention to setting up your steering wheel right. I don't want to go into details, but there are good threads about it on this forum.

-at

My tip is trying out alot of cars and see what car (or class of cars) your good at, and which you enjoy the most. And you can always ask people for setups, most of the time they will share.