I'll do some racing tonight and try to capture an example on a replay. The final left hander before start/finish is the main area that I seem to get dirt without touching dirt. If I run a bit wide and put 2 wheels on the rumble strip, the car will then push the front end a bit in turn 1. Maybe there is some sort of setup issue involved with what is happening, but I believe I'm using the most recent Nilex set from Team Inferno, so I would think that setup is as good as any. Although I see replays of the fastest guys taking liberties in the same spots I am, but it doesn't seem to have nearly as drastic of an effect on their cars.

I've been working on a goal of trying to master the XFG @ Blackwood, and so far I've gotten into the 33.5's. As I've been focusing on using every inch of track surface to shave off time, I'm having a lot of trouble with the car sliding as a result of touching dirt. I can clip a small amount of grass in a corner, run all the way down a long straight, and then slide off of the track as if I hit a patch of oil in the next corner. I've also noticed that sometimes you only have to touch a rumble strip to put the tires into "dirt mode". Is this just poor implimentation of the effects of dirt on tires, or is there something I'm not getting?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Thanks for the info so far. One other thing I'd like to know is what are the most common cars/tracks to know? I played the XFG/BW combo because that's what the demo was, and that combo seemed to have the most servers up when I first got the game. Considering how long it takes to learn a new car/track, are most of the top competitive guys good in many different combos, or do people generally pick a car and try to master it with the exclusion of everything else? Additionally, is rally more popular than road racing competitively?

I recently came back to LFS, and I'm getting really tired of trying to get quality racing in public servers. Most people online are either clueless or are just there to make sure no one gets in any real racing. I can run pretty consistent mid to high 33's on most days (XFG @ BWGP), so I would think that's fast enough to be able to do something competitively. My question is what is the next logical step to find decent racing? I don't know anything about leagues or how to get involved with them, but I would assume that would be the way to go. As it stands right now I just cycle through the few public servers that are always up and hope to find an idiot free server with a few good drivers. Thanks for any info provided.

The two sections highlighted in red are where I struggle with this setup. The first section I have to give up a significant amount of time just to make it through without losing the rear. The optimal line would be to set up at the edge of the rumble strip on the outside, but the only way I can get any rear grip is to stay off of it altogether. I seem to lose the rear as it crosses back onto the asphalt. Another key element is the amount of braking I do before turn in. If I do anything more than just a quick tap I end up sliding wide which doesn't make any sense to me. The only thing I can think of is maybe the way I'm hitting that camber change (the hump) before the apex is causing the loss of rear grip, but I can't seem to figure out how to stop it.

The last section I think is just me being inconsistent, but I can only seem to really nail the last corner about 25% of the time. When I don't I'm in the low 34's, and when I do I'm in the 33's. The car feels a little vague through there, and I can't really predict whether it's going to track too far inside or run wide on any given lap.

A few of the other setups I tried felt like they handled much better, and I could be more aggressive through the first section without sliding the car, but those sets had other shortcomings. One in particular had great feel but for some reason the car would break after only a few laps each session.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm using the Nilex WR setup for the XFG on Blackwood GP, but can't seem to get consistent 33's due to the oversteer. I particularly struggle in the second split with this set. I tried setups from previous patches that felt much more balanced with much better initial bite on turn in. I've checked all the common setup sites, but patch Z setups aren't very common.

Can anyone pass along a setup I could try out for hotlapping/5 lap sprints, for XFG at Blackwood GP, suitable for wheel, patch Z, and capable of low 33's?

Thanks in advance.

Those engines require back pressure to function correctly. By removing the can not only do you lose a considerable amount of power, but you run the risk of catastrophic engine damage. Just a heads up.