Hello guys, I would like to start a discussion about mod realism. It looks like many mods do not follow IRL technical specifications and players (and even mod authors) usually did not have a chance to drive a car mod IRL so it is hard to compare. Therefore I would like to discuss how mod users can trust that mods are physically accurate enough.

I must admit that when I started with modding I knew very little about a proper car suspension. Therefore, I picked a complete technical documentation of one of the most simple historic cars to learn. It was easier than I thought, but with each new mod I have found more and more difficulties linked with mod realism (even if modders do their best):

• some IRL technical details are not well documented (for example aerodynamic lift)
  
• some IRL technical details are not supported in the LFS and must be tweaked heavily
  
• some technical details are really not easy to tune (for example engine power curves)
  

Moreover, it looks like some mod ratings do not correlate with mod realism. As an example I have picked two different mods for a comparison (my own mods, not to offend anyone). The LEMON FANTOMAS has physics rating 4.9. The handling feels really good, but it uses heavily tweaked damping and springing values, because a hydropneumatic suspension is not supported in the LFS. On the other hand there is the HANZMUND V8 mod with physics rating 4.6, which is tuned closely according to IRL specification and only small approximations were needed to fit the LFS engine. It has much more realistic physics, but its handling is tricky (the car has a scary reputation IRL). I am personally not worried about such inconsistencies in ratings of my mods, because as an author I know exactly which values are accurate and which are approximated and why (also, I am happy for any form of feedback ). On the other hand, as a regular mod user I do not have access to such info and thus have some trust issues if I do not know the car IRL.

Therefore I would like to initiate a little brainstorming with both mod creators and users, if we can add some voluntary additional information to mods which would make them more credible for users. For example we could introduce mod categories such as:
mod is according to specs and author drove it IRL
mod is according to specs but author did not drive it IRL
mod is according to specs and author drove it IRL but uses some rough approximations
mod is according to specs but uses some rough approximations
mod is not documented and roughly approximated

Or we could define a "level of approximation" such as
A - IRL specified (a directly specified or computed value)
B - closely estimated (not specified, but can be estimated from specified data)
C - estimated (not specified, but can be estimated from videos, etc)
D - roughly estimated (not specified and not sure if the estimate is realistic enough)
E - tweaked (not supported in the LFS but approximated to keep the right feeling)
F - custom

A complete example could look like this:

LEMON FANTOMAS: mod is according to specs but uses some rough approximations
Wheel alignment front axle: A
Wheel alignment rear axle: A
Arm lengths front axle: B
Arm lengths rear axle: B
Suspension frequency front: E (unsupported hydropneumatic suspension)
Suspension frequency rear: E (unsupported hydropneumatic suspension)
F/R weight ratio: A
Center of gravity height: C
Aero drag: C
Aero lift: D
Brakes: D
Torque curve: C
Steering: A
Force feedback: B
Tire/wheel size: A

Such data could help mod authors too. In my example it is shown that I am not confident about brake balance of the mod and thus anybody, who has better information on the topic can help me to increase the quality of the mod. Of course it is just an idea and such information should be voluntary. I am not suggesting to change modding system, just to add an additional info, which can be provided in a mod description.

Also, I would like to ask people to review mods which they have driven IRL and recommend ones which feel accurate. Feel free to use this thread to recommend some nicely accurate vehicles

As user, I think you have already found a good solution.
Your description texts are quite detailed, there are links to technical manuals and other sources.
If something could not be replicated in LFS then you explained how you approximated it. Some other modders also do that and/or have good development threads.

When I see such texts then they make me believe that the modder tries to create realistic physics.
It actually seems more useful and trustworthy than just ratings options or categories.

definitely agree for this

but

dont forget most mod authors are not that fluent in mechanics and words like wheelbase or upper arm dont mean much for them
they create mods for fun mostly and dont care/understand the numbers

now you and a few authors play in another league where expertise and knowledge is most important. Maybe then it would be sensible to let the authors choose a category of expertise level and intent aswell.