It probably depends on whether you play the game for entertainment, or play because you have a racing lust. I guess I fall into the latter category.

The car is feeding a lot of information, via audio, so I turn music off.
The ingame music is typically just boring loops, and if I was going to listen to something I really like, it would only distract me.

I'm a musician, and I have a hard time listening to 'background music'.
If it's not interesting, it can be annoying to me, and if it's interesting, I can't help but listen to it. Either way, not well suited to shaving off a few 10th's, in my case.

Cool question, and I have an interesting answer

I'm quite the hotlapper, so this answer basically applies to hotlaps only, not online racing (in which case I would almost always have music off, no matter what)

When I start hotlapping, I start off gently and don't try to push it. After I get my regular feel going, I turn on some music, usually Initial D or something similar (even though I am certainly not a drifter, I just love the music ;d)
After some time, I stop hearing the music and start focussing properly, this is where I turn the music off completely and go full-out.

I find that this gets me going much faster than usual, and I can get within PB's much faster

Yes i do....i like the music which calms me down...if i drift im listening to metal or punk...if i drive calm i listen to not that loud music....

Sometimes. Even some of my hotlaps are done with music on. It depends on music, but some music can make me try harder. Of course I play it so that I can hear both music and the car sounds.

I don't know why so many of you say that BG music won't let you hear the car sounds. Of course I play with winamp at 30% volume +/- so I can hear the wheels noise, if not then I will totally screw almost all corners.

The point is that sometimes for good, sometimes for bad, listening to, well, not actually listening, but having 160 bpm BG playing while driving makes you change your behaviour and be more agressive, more sharp, risking more, etc.

I just turn it off when I want to hear my family calling me from another room

I've been playing with music for the last 2 weeks and it's great. I find it gets me going, more into the game etc. I've been listening to Sirius (sat radio) on Octane (hard rock) streaming in the background at 50% vol and it blends well. Doesn't take anything away from the game. Howard Stern is fun too, just like driving to work but in my race frame!

I used to listen to some music in the BG, but later in time, I couldn't really feel the car so well if the music was on. Even if it was on 10% in winamp, it still affected my driving and concentration. To me, it's really important to hear the car sounds really well, specially the tyre squiling, sliding etc. Helps me learn and feel the car more, and find it's limits.

Music is definately a no-no for league races and closer tense races but okay for some fun events and perhaps some boring long hotlap sessions(when you already know all the sounds in the head, cause of hotlapping the damned track for hours. )

As t3h Mac says, I used to listen to the radio all the time but league races it was off, full concentration.

Now I got these damn headphones so I can't hear the radio so I play some Snow Patrol or something when I play LFS for fun.

I always ALWAYS! listen to my own music whislt play lfs, gets ya in the zone when your fave tune comes on thumping away down the blackwood straight side by side with someone feels great!

If you want music to race to in LFS..

Racing Radio is always a good bet

We'll be back online from Monday 4th December for the
Racing Radio Countdown to Christmas
(no i wont be placing total christmas songs..just ONE song everyday (iow a different song everyday)

we're only back from Monday 4th because of server problems, real life problems...money problems........and anything else you can think of lol

but we're back for good now i hope

and before anyone asks Racing-Radio.co.uk Version 3 is when the request forms and other radio interactivity will be launched.

altho you can send me emails/shoutouts/requests to [email protected]

J.
Racing Radio Owner

Normally I drive with a bit of music in the background, faded out to ~40-50% volume. But if I get into "the zone" I turn it off, if i've not already gone deaf to it. Even though I enjoy it I perform my absolute best with no distractions.

In "arcade" racing games I always have music on - just seems natural, but in any other type of game I don't play music at all.

I dont just because my pc cant reproduce it, slow pc.. , but i would like to can

Yeah I race with music.

Have media player on in the background (with full graphics settings and no slowdown) playing some stuff. Bit of everything really, Kasabian's "Empire" track is a good 'un because it automatically reminds me of Sharpe and I end up being a bit more piratey and adventuresse in my driving.

i used too play without music, but now im ALWAYS playing with music, always =O

Well I have the windows media player open in the BG with some My Dying Bride and Cradle Of Filth on. That's like every time i play LFS

TBH I find it better for me to concentrate when I have music on but I also higher the volume on the game up for like the sound of engine etc etc. just have my own music on.

There wouldn't be a time you would catch me not having the music on while racing

Music = On
BUT
more as background and the whole time Bands like Die Apokalyptischen Reiter / Hammerfall / Ingwy Malmsteen / Megaherz or Dimmu Borgir

Nope can't concentrate on what I'm doing or hear anything. I listen to music 99% of the time I'm not playing LFS so I can live without it during racing. The single seaters don't even have a cd player.

Quote from Becky Rose :

The noise of a race tuned engine revving it's bolts off is music to my ears, does this count?

not in LFS as it sounds like a hoard of angry bumble bees

in lfs i play the standard music with the add on pack, but after trying out the CSR sound mod, i have not even noticed the music for a while

I am quicker without music, easier to stay concentrate, but I am wilder with some punk rock !

Without, music sucks in games.

A big NO to the Music - not in such a good sim anyhow

I'll drift with some good music on.

racing - no music hotlapping - only on "really exciting" combos (ky gp long rev gt for example ), winamp volume at 5%. makes a sweet, definitely not too loud background noise that makes hotlapping a bit more interesting

Most of the time unless i wanna hear the engine sound.

Well, i feel a bit awkward after reading all the posts, but here's what i do...start winamp, click play, start lfs, press Shift - N and off i go. U might think i'm strange, but i just can't play without music, i have no idea why, but i just can't...

u ask what music? absolutely everything, from Rock to Trance and even some Hip Hop songs, but Drum 'n' Bass really gets me into the zone...