larrycr

I just got back from two days of driving on Road America (RA) in my RS4. During eight 25 minute track sessions I managed to get in about 300 miles on the track. Many laps were slowed either by rain, when I overtook other cars, or got overtaken (passing rules require waiting in line behind slower cars and then passing only on the longer straights and only when the car being passed gives a point-by) but I got enough hot laps in to compare the track and the car against the Forza 2 variants.

I spent time in Forza 2 driving a stock RS4 (lowered tire pressures only) at RA during the week prior to the event. I wanted to make sure the track and the driving line were truly drilled into my head, and I wanted to get a good feel for how the FM2 version of the RS4 compares against a real one. I've had the real car at RA twice before, but going directly from the simulated to the real version eliminated that fading memory effect and gave me a good opportunity to really compare the two.

The FM2 version of RA is really good. The bridge over turn 13 is gone now, so the visuals there are all different, but everything else is pretty accurate. There is a little dip just before the apex to 13 that I don't remember being there in FM2, and the run from The Kink to Canada corner has a lot more little dips than the game (I may opt for some suspension upgrades before going again), but everything else was spot on. Driving in FM2 is most definitely good training prior to hitting the real track. Especially for those going for the first time. You really can learn the track from your living room.

The FM2 version of the RS4 is good enough. Driving the real thing is naturally a lot different, especially if you consider noise levels and G forces. The FM2 version of the car seems to have significantly more understeer than the real thing. As my instructor kept pounding into my head, the best way through the corners with this AWD car is to start getting into significant throttle almost immediately after turn-in. When I try to do the same thing in FM2 the car invariably wants to push right off the track. This may have to do with my lack of throttle finesse in FM2, so I will be going back to the simulation soon to explore it some more. Braking is another area where there seems to be a fairly big difference. The FM2 car wants to kick in the ABS with only the slightest pedal pressure. With the real car it is much easier to brake at the threshold of the ABS. Even with race pads on the fronts (think eyeballs on springs in the braking zones) I had no trouble at all with lockup. I think the only time I got any pedal pulses at all was in an inadvertent trail braking maneuver. Gearing and power/weight seem about right in FM2. In the game I always have more speed on the straights, but that is because my simulated bravery is much greater than my real bravery so I take the corners at my limit. Getting into the gravel, or worse, is not in my plans for the real car.

Overall I would say that mixing FM2 in with a real driving experience is an excellent way to get the most out of each "media". They're both very fun experiences, but on very different levels. And for those on a budget FM2 is a pretty good deal. Just the money I spent on gas at this event will pay for half of an Xbox 360. And if you throw in brake pads, hotel, etc., the simulation is pretty cheap.

Good times.

wagongotya

<ul><li><a href="http://www.iracing.com/">http://www.iracing.com/</a></li></ul>

JMSIV

I recently got Ferrari Challenge for the PS3. The graphics are great, the physics is OK, but it is a game. GTR2 is not as fun (I often just run on an open, empty track) but the physics is spot on and it will teach you or help solidify several very important concepts, especially reaction of the car to throttle, and looking way down line. My opinion, anyway.