well according to this interview i see no reason why lfs should not have proper aerodynamic physics some day and even have some more ovals and proper vehicles. Im also convinced that LFS has got enough potential to compete with NR03S but i wouldnt dare to compare those two games because it wouldnt make any sense. The papyrus/sierra team got a lot help from several professionals and they surely got a much bigger budget.
Time will show and until then, you can either use what you've got or ignore it and do something else.
couldn't they do that now? i've definitely bump drafted down the BL GP straight and you can get a pretty big speed boost from it. problem is no one does it on the oval.
dont mistake bumpdrafting with drafting which could also include the so called "push-pull effect" but this is not yet part of the aerodynamic "engine" in lfs.
I just found this site (after a quick google search) which explains the effect roughly just in case you do not already know about it. I was not able to read though it completely yet but i think it looks quite interesting and i will have a look at it tomorrow.
"Drafting, which looks like tailgating or slipstreaming, occurs when a second car tucks closely behind the first, filling part of the vacuum. The car in front loses some of the drag at its rear. The second car still has a vacuum at its rear, but now has less air resistance in front. As a result, both cars quicken a bit — the two combined speed a few miles per hour faster than either can alone. This push-pull effect is stronger the closer the second car gets to the first. Indeed, the second may even touch and push the first in a tricky maneuver called "bump drafting." But slipstreaming so closely hinders airflow into the trailing car's radiator and can cause its engine to overheat. Most drafting calls for a half to a full car length between the two cars. (In contrast, open-wheel, motorcycle, and bicycle racers do not gain extra speed by drafting, because a trailing racer does not generate the forward aero push that stock cars do"
Due to the fact that bumpdrafting needs a lot of practice and even then its really dangerous and can spoil racing (racing in this case means drafting eachother) i would not recommend it to anyone. Still, it is possible and some people are doing it but because of the lack of a "realistic aerodynamic engine" it is not yet part of racing strategies (regarding usual or realistic terms) from my point of view.
So in other words, if youre good at it (and you have to/ if not lag spoils it) and if you want to stay in front of the grid, this is the key to success BUT if you want racing action at "normal" conditions then stick to drafting and let the amount of practice and maybe a portion of luck decide who is going to win.
yeah i know what you're talking about. that would be pretty sweet if LFS could get some updated physics to support that, and better yet, actual stock cars
Not sure I agree with that. The lead car, be it a SS, bike or lorry, ALWAYS gets an aero benefit (though they might lose engine ram-air to compensate).
But, you're probably expecting some oval bashing now, right? Well, you're wrong. With decent aero and drafting physics, a more NASCAR/champcar orientated car, and a few improvements to damage (incl. overheating), I could see oval racing becoming enjoyable (bear in mind I used to enjoy NR2003). Even on Kyoto, although a decent oval would go a long way to improving it.
It (oval racing) would never replace my preference for twisty tracks, but a decent simulation of ovalling in LFS would be flame-resistant!
From what I understand you need bulk in the nose section of the following car. You need to fill up that area behind the leading car where normally the airflows meet after being split by that car.
Push-draft is a matter of filling up that area behind the leading car so that the airflow doesn't implode but carries on over the second car. To do that you simply need bulk, volume. A single seater's thin nose section may still split the airflow but by the time it does the turbulence has long since done the damage. Therefor only the second car benefits (mostly).
I have no experience with motorbikes, but considering their bulky front shape, in theory it would have to work.
From what I understand, Stock-cars are designed in the wind tunnel to support push-draft as much as possible. So in NASCAR the effect is stronger then in a normal tin top.