I have a Mazda MX3 with a ZE engine swap and a bunch of other mods. Overall, I'd say I'm fairly close to FXO. FWD, performance street tires, same weight, maybe a little less power, but I've no turbo lag, because NA.
I'm in WA state, hence I went to Pacific Raceways road course track. Couple of times, actually. First time with high performance driving school, second time just on my own. Overall I probably got around three and a half hours of track time, which is plenty to get fairly decent. Throughout the sessions I slightly adjusted the school racing line I was taught, to better accommodate my car's characteristics. It was somewhat understeery. I was definitely nailing apexes by the end, and was fairly smooth and consistent. At least I feel I was. It's a damn challenging track, too. Not too many turns, but it's quite technical and has some very severe elevation changes mixed with hairpins. Tough on the brakes, on the tires, and on the nerves.
Anyway, sim or no sim, but driving at the limit in real life is a whole another business. I can't even compare it to the game very well, even though there's an equivalent of my car in there. I finally understand the impact of the g-forces and vibration and wind noise and all that other stuff not presented in the game. Definitely helps with driving. But also makes everything so much scarier. I've gone maybe 115 mph tops at the main straight, but braking after that was tense. No reset. Slow down or it's gonna suck. Same goes for braking for downhill hairpins. A much more intense experience.
However, if I must compare to LFS, it did feel like my car handled better. There was none of that slippery slidiness that's commonly perceived in the game. I'm comparing to the FXO, btw. Perhaps it's just an illusion, but that's what it felt like. I felt like my car was much better planted on the ground than the game equivalent. And yes, I did push it. The tires were squealing, and I've broken loose at least twice.
So if you enjoy racing sims and you've never driven on a real track, and you got the means, I say it's a must. I know I will do it again next summer.
I'm in WA state, hence I went to Pacific Raceways road course track. Couple of times, actually. First time with high performance driving school, second time just on my own. Overall I probably got around three and a half hours of track time, which is plenty to get fairly decent. Throughout the sessions I slightly adjusted the school racing line I was taught, to better accommodate my car's characteristics. It was somewhat understeery. I was definitely nailing apexes by the end, and was fairly smooth and consistent. At least I feel I was. It's a damn challenging track, too. Not too many turns, but it's quite technical and has some very severe elevation changes mixed with hairpins. Tough on the brakes, on the tires, and on the nerves.
Anyway, sim or no sim, but driving at the limit in real life is a whole another business. I can't even compare it to the game very well, even though there's an equivalent of my car in there. I finally understand the impact of the g-forces and vibration and wind noise and all that other stuff not presented in the game. Definitely helps with driving. But also makes everything so much scarier. I've gone maybe 115 mph tops at the main straight, but braking after that was tense. No reset. Slow down or it's gonna suck. Same goes for braking for downhill hairpins. A much more intense experience.
However, if I must compare to LFS, it did feel like my car handled better. There was none of that slippery slidiness that's commonly perceived in the game. I'm comparing to the FXO, btw. Perhaps it's just an illusion, but that's what it felt like. I felt like my car was much better planted on the ground than the game equivalent. And yes, I did push it. The tires were squealing, and I've broken loose at least twice.
So if you enjoy racing sims and you've never driven on a real track, and you got the means, I say it's a must. I know I will do it again next summer.
