http://youtu.be/P3dUgBB0TgE (best to click 1080p and full screen!)

This is a run I did in a Porsche 924 lined up next to a run in the XFG in LFS. I recreated the course by eye so it's not completely accurate, and also there are obviously some differences between the 924 and XFG, so you can see the two runs are not quite identical.

Edit: by the way, I know it's not quite lined up at the start... I chose to do that so over the course of the run as much of it was as closely lined up as possible. When I lined the start up it soon got quite out of sync.

Impressive! Very well done and nicely presented.
How did you experience the LFS run compared to the real one? Did you get that "wow" feeling even sitting behind a PC screen? It is often easier to recall that sensation if you've done the course/track IRL.

Cool mate!

Thanks Ingolf... as soon as I got the course roughly correct it felt very familiar and I was taking very similar lines, and also making the same mistakes. I find the slaloms a lot more difficult in LFS because that's one part of a course where 'feel' is absolutely everything! I am not sure about that 'wow' feeling in LFS, I think sometimes I get it when I really get a fantastic run or perfect my line. But so much of the adrenaline and excitement for me in real life comes from waiting at the start line and being told to go, and then finding out your time after the run. Still, it's a lot of fun in LFS, and a good learning experience as well

That's awesome. I've never actually tried autocross in LFS because it seems like it'd be too frustrating. If I had an actual course I'd driven in real life I'd feel obligated, though.

Looks good, maybe lower the FOV a little bit.

How come a XFG is just as fast as a 944?

Because it's a 924 not a 944 :P I actually had to restrict the power of the XFG to get the acceleration roughly the same.

Quote from qoncept :

That's awesome. I've never actually tried autocross in LFS because it seems like it'd be too frustrating. If I had an actual course I'd driven in real life I'd feel obligated, though.

Yeah, it can be frustrating for sure. I got into autocross in LFS before real life, but mainly because I wanted to try it in real life. You really need the seat of the pants feel for autox, and now I've come back to it in LFS after a long break I am not enjoying it as much as I used to. However, I'm still glad I made this video... I've been wanting to do it for years

Great footage, nice idea.

By the way, is the LFS layout public? If so, I'd like to try it too, it looks like a good challenge.

Thanks

Here's the layout!

Quote :

I was taking very similar lines, and also making the same mistakes.

See, that initself is quite interesting. I did some racing in a Volvo C30 (STCC) car and found the same thing while playing "STCC2 The Game". It is remarkable how close the sims get to the real thing when you have something to relate to. Simbin do not have the same sim-feel as LFS but still delivers a good "wow"-feeling if you have driven the track irl. I wish I could do the same/similar thing you did and compare with LFS and a G25. As I see it, it's like extending the fun of real racing into your living room after a day of regular work (wish I was a full time racer ).

I will certainly test your autocross layout and watch your movie again. Many thanks for sharing

Quote from Ingolf :

See, that initself is quite interesting. I did some racing in a Volvo C30 (STCC) car and found the same thing while playing "STCC2 The Game". It is remarkable how close the sims get to the real thing when you have something to relate to. Simbin do not have the same sim-feel as LFS but still delivers a good "wow"-feeling if you have driven the track irl. I wish I could do the same/similar thing you did and compare with LFS and a G25. As I see it, it's like extending the fun of real racing into your living room after a day of regular work (wish I was a full time racer ).

I will certainly test your autocross layout and watch your movie again. Many thanks for sharing

For sure! To be honest, coming back to LFS after mostly iRacing and real life autocross, the force feedback doesn't feel too great. But the general handling of the cars compared to real life autocross still feels pretty good, and your inputs still result in the outputs you'd expect. Once you get used to that 'feel' in LFS again, you really can use all the techniques you'd use in a real car in autox to change your line, stabilize the car, etc etc. It could certainly be a real life training tool, and I imagine even help with setups if you were able to model your real car.

However, for someone new to autocross in real life, unless they were already familiar with LFS, I would say just getting out there and trying it would be better than practicing in LFS first... In LFS you have to contend with lack of seat of the pants feel, lack of peripheral vision, trying to see all the cones through a small screen, etc etc that learning to drive on the computer would be more of a challenge than just doing it in real life. But for someone already experienced with LFS, you could definitely get really familiar with the driving style required for autox before you go and try it in real life.

Quote :

However, for someone new to autocross in real life, unless they were already familiar with LFS, I would say just getting out there and trying it would be better than practicing in LFS first...

Yep, it works best that way. But I must add, being familiar with a "virtual" track (as in my case and the STCC game), I quickly found my racing line irl. I was really astonished because all breaking points, apex and passing zones turned out to match quite well. Even the difference between wet & dry surfaces were comparable.

Quote :

In LFS you have to contend with lack of seat of the pants feel, lack of peripheral vision, trying to see all the cones through a small screen, etc etc that learning to drive on the computer would be more of a challenge than just doing it in real life.

Yep again. The feel of you squeezing the seat is still missing in all sims/games (havn't tried one of those rally FFB-seats yet :razz. Drove one of those Formula Renault 2.0 a while ago and this is one car you drive using your whole body . LFS grew quite a lot as I hooked up a second monitor tho. I'll soon try with three. All for the fun of racing

Pretty nice work right there Seemed like the size of the track in reality was bigger and the car faster, but that's probably just because the wind resistance on the car audio

Great stuff, and also fantastic driving in both the videos