Hi everyone, I'm a complete and utter noob!
I just wondered if anyone had some suggestions on which car I should practice in to get a good feel for the physics of the game? I understand you get FWD, RWD etc, I'd just like to know what a good start is!

Im here to eventually have some great contests once im up to speed, from what I can see its a lot more rewarding than racing AI cars! I dont want to be upsetting people in the process of learning!

I suggest the TBO's (FXO, RB4, XRT) to start off with, then try making your way up to more powerfull cars. About you not wanting to upset people, when you join the server, tell people that you are new, and im sure they would understand if you caused a minor accident

Hope this helps

Frenchy

when i got S2 i played only with fox

Quote from LFSn00b :

I suggest starting from the beginner cars(XFG, UF1, XRG), and then advance to more powerful cars. And also, do the lessons first

you may suggest this, but i disagree. These car's imo do not show off the game's physic's capability's. and anyway, the cars i suggested are'nt hard to drive

Do some of the training lessons... It will help you getting a feel for the cars... After that, join some less populated servers, be nice and you might even get help from other more experienced drivers... Just don't annoy them by spamming the server while they are racing... And I might suggest you reading one of the many threads about the blue flags, so you'd be prepared when you get into such a situation...

I'd start with the XFG. it responds well to setup adjustments and is easy to drive. watch the oversteer on some setups though. I'd drive around a track you know well in Bob Smith's Easy Race setups.
later on I'd go for TBO class, secondly LX4, LFR, FWD GTR, GTR, FOX, F08, finaly BF1. good list eh?

There is no definative way to do this. I have played lfs for getting on 1 and a half year and still i have have rarely driven the tbo class as i don't like. What i would suggest would be try out all the cars at, say bl1 as a track everyone seems to know, pick one you like and go from there.

Xrt

i jumed straight in the BF1@BL1 lol. but i found my home in the FZR. but if i was to give a list of cars to drive it'd be, after XFG->FXO->RB4->LX4->LX6->FXR->XRR->FOX->FZR->BF1->FO8. Thats in order of easy to drive->harder to drive

IMO, the BF1 is easiest to drive, bump the TC to full, slam the downforce, and even an 8 year old can drive it. (no offence to any 8 year olds who can drive the BF1 without as mentioned )

As for "learning the drivetrain ropes" so to speak, I'd go:

FWD: XFG, FXO, XFR
RWD: XRG, XRT, RAC, FZR
4WD: RB4, FXR
Single Seaters: FOX, FO8

Also, the UF1 and MRT5 are a blast for shorter tracks.

i personaly think each car has its own thing and are all good for different kinds of races. just pick one you like get good and joing a league that is ment for that car

FOX, XFR or FXR will do the job

Thanks for all the advice guys! I've found the FOX good! Spent hours on end on GP2 + 4 before finding LFS so I like the way the single seaters handle. I was finding it hard to control EVERY car at first! One thing I will say to other new guys reading this is GET THE WHEEL SORTED RIGHT! I've not got a brilliant wheel, but it will do for now! The problem I had was that my gas pedal wasn't working the way it should, it was more like a button, either full on, or full off. A quick driver update solved this and proved that throttle control is paramount in this game!
My next target is to lap the Aston GP circuit sub 2:50! Got a long way to go yet!

when i started last month or so i got the XFG and rallied it like i stole it around blackwood till i got a feel for it , thn moved to to the XRG then the XRT

i surgest using a server called [LTC] Live To Cruise, to learn how to drive slow to fast cars you start off in a uf1 and work your way through to the fzr........it is a very good way to learn cars and great fun and when u get confident go and race on another server

I would actually highly recommend training on the UFR, at least as soon as you can handle it. Keeping the front tire temps in control is an excellent way to learn throttle control without worrying too much about spinning out all the time.

I'd rather recommend the XFR... The UFR has some nasty lift-off/braking oversteer that is hard to counter...

Personally I think the single seaters offer the best feel and feedback. The steering on them is nice and sharp and it's important to learn throttle control and unwinding the lock as quickly as possible. These cars will get you into good habits.

But really it is about personal preference. It's good to try a variety of cars and compare them. Just have fun I reckon. Don't get too hung up on trying to get faster, just try and avoid accidents and the speed will come for sure.

I'd recommend the CTRA severs - you start with an XFG and UF1, and then you can give the XRG a try - then move up to the TBO's and by that time should be good in a pack, and then you can move to the LRF's

Of course - the FOX is... ok, the UFR is good to learn slicks with, but if you want to get the basics of car handling worked out, something with slicks is NOT the best way to do it.

But then maybe i'm just a road car whore :P

I recommend you to chose a car that you like, but not to stick to it forever. Drive it till you get reasonably good on a track, then switch the track. Repeat that a few times and then switch the car (preferably to one that is quite different from your current; for example after racing a slick+downforce one, go to TBO or LRF). You don't have to go through all cars and tracks, but I think it's important to keep it mixed up. Switching the track ensures that you also learn to control your car through different corners/speeds, and mixing up the cars helps you understand and get a feel for LFS' physics in general.

The true skill lies in racing a totally unknown track/car combo, but still being competitively fast within a few laps. By having a feel for LFS' physics, it's also much easier to overcome unexpected situations, like a spinning car in front of you or tyres on the track.

People, even if only moderately skilled, who continuously lap one car on one track eventually become very fast on it, sure. However, as soon as these people find themselves on a different combo they completely fall apart, and drive like it's their first day on LFS. The speed comes from repetition of actions on a track they know in and out, but that only works as long as the environment is the same, which is rarely the case in a real race. A car going slightly slower than them through a corner? Crash, followed by blaming and cussing. A tyre on the ideal line? Close eyes and hope for the best. Then crash. Usually they also hit a barrier regarding lap times, getting close to but never surpassing the WR, simply because they're not feeling, not driving the car, but repeating a bunch of actions over and over.
[/my point of view]


Geez, I feel like I slept in a :soapbox: tonight.

the MRT is a nice car to learn driving with - if you can handle that one, you shouldn't have problems with the other cars. Might be a bit of an overkill for a newbie though

Android - I agree, thats why i think the CTRA system is good for a newbie, 5 lap races (enough so you can push the limits and if you screw it right up it wont be long before your back in the pack), and in 2 hours or so you'll find yourself somewhere else.

The MRT is nice, but so twitchy. Try something easy to control, linear, like the XFG, UF1, maybe XFR, and then once you feel that you can do stuff like trial braking, getting the throttle down before the apex try the XRG - same style, little more oversteer - then try the XRT and see if you can get the same feeling you did with the XRG. Once you've got the XRT under control, try something different - like the UFR, FXR or FOX, and then maybe try an LRF - once you can drive that and control the power and get to a point where you can not only drive em, but can race em, then it's time for the FZR/XRR, MRT, FO8/BF1 - once you've got that licked (which will take about a year methinks) you'll end up at the stage i (think) am at - which is that i can turn up to a random combo, and in most cars be fairly competitive (ie under 103% of the WR) and sometimes win. Then maybe it's league time in your favourite car.

I'm a newb as well, and would just like to say don't spend too much time in the FOX, or any car with down force at the beginning. I drove the FOX a lot at the beginning, and now found that it's a horrible way to learn. You get used to being able to push the car into the corners, but the three formula cars are so different than any others that the driving style used in the Formulas is detrimental to some of the other cars. I'm really liking the LX4 for learning the RWD, as it has enough power to spin the end out if your not careful, but it isn't bad enough to be annoying.

i started in demo and XFG maked a really good beginning knowledge to drive later cars wt more grip and speed .
It is better to start with cars like UF1000 and XFG/XRG(if u like RWD more)
and learn good lines true corners and tight racing, so later when u get to faster cars u will have all needet fellings to drive them.
When i got to S2 i also started with the GTR class but my spinning was really dangerous for lot faster cars which come so fast u dont even see them .. best one is XFG and then TBO class

I agree with blackcarmafia. I am new at this and have avoided going on line since I seem to be unable to control the "little errors". I can lap quite safely at a certain speed ie slow :-( but when I try to push a little faster I start to wipe out. If I did this in an online race I am sure I would annoy the experienced racers...

I am beginning to understand what everyone is recommending. You need to learn car control in a car with an easier RWD setup so that when you get in the faster cars you can at least react to the small errors such as entering a corner accidentally too fast but still being able to recover and continue.