ok i am new to the whole LFS world. i d/l the s2 version today and am getting addicted to it. i want to make a skin but don't know how. i am good with photoshop so that is no problem but i don't know how to load the car to p-shop then save it back to the game. could someone give me a run through of how you do it. thanks.

Go check out Master Skinnerz, its a site dedicated to teaching people about skinning and helping people improve their skills.
Master Skinnerz - Home
It also has loads of useful resources for skinning - decals, designs, templates, tutorials, etc.

It's basically a matter of creating a .jpg at 1024x1024 pixels and sticking it into the LFS/data/skins folder. The result needs to come out at 400kb or under to be ideal, and if you want to use it online then you need to visit the LFS world link at the top of this page, click "My online skins" and upload it, that way your opponents can see your skin too.

The skins folder is evidently full of the skins that your game is currently using, and it's also where you should save any that you download. As suggested by Al, if you visit Master Skinners, you will find some excellent resources including 2048x2048 pixel wireframe skin templates in .psd format. They are absolutely the resource that I have found thus far for making skins.

ok thanks for the help, i'll tried that website and the d/l didin't come through on photoshop so i am going to try something else

Strange.... I got em no problem.....rar archives with big .psd files in 'em.
I've tried to use the defaultskin[carnamehere].jpg as a template in the past, and I've gotta say it's no substitute for the wireframe templates, which offer much better definition.

You will have to register for masterskinnerz, to view the "skinning kits and templates" section, I'm not gonna hot link the page, that's not fair on somebody else's bandwidth bill.

If you really want em and can't get em elsewhere P.M me an email address and I'll see what I can sort out for you.