Can you adjust the downforce?  Back when I used to play an Indy Car sim, I would adjust the ratios so that I'd redline just at the end of the longest straight.  Then, I'd adjust the downforce till the car was just right,  I like the front to stick a bit while the back end drifts some.  Oversteer I think it's called.

Drop the car some for better speed too.  Less air under the car means better speed.

You can adjust the suspension to counteract any handling issues caused by downforce.

If you aren't racing full length, try subtracting fuel from the car.  Just enough to finish will give you a huge boost in speed.

Harder tires will offer less resistance which, in theory, will make the car faster.  But they take longer to warm up and offer less grip.


How these things relate to GTR, I don't know.  I haven't played it enough to benefit from tuning.  However, I can tell you this:  Faster isn't always better.  If you have trouble driving, being fast in the straightaway won't help.  Better acceleration and better grip will win out on most tracks.

After looking through the NGT list, it's down to the Nissan 350Z or the TVR T400R.  I'll have to look through my backlog of Top Gear and see which was better for the Stig.  All the others just don't do it for me.

Oh, and my first race on simulation mode went bad.  I was about 6 out of 12 and me and a Ferrari went head to head in a corner.  I guess he had better brakes than my BMW.  He turned, I didn't.  Finished 12th.

I raced a few laps on semi-pro and did okay.  One I spun out bad in the last lap, the other two I won.

I cranked her up to Simulation and wow, what a difference.  If I get on the brakes too hard in a corner, the car jumps as the tires skip.  And I have to be careful applying the throttle past apex or she'll spin.

Which car is best to practice in for a newbie?  I'm using the BMW M3 GTR now.  But I'm thinking of moving to the Lotus Elise.

I've always loved sims. However, racing sims seemed too boring (NASCAR) or too tough (GPL) to play for long.

I've heard people go on and on about GTR, so when I saw GTR2 at the store, I grabbed a copy.

I have a few questions:

1. How should I configure my options to get the most out of the car? In most sims, it's better to go with full realism right out of the gate. However, knowing that a PC driver has no tactile feedback, what driver assists are considered okay for online play?

2. The game seems kinda easy. I opened the box, installed, and did a few practice laps on Monza. I went to Race Weekend and won by a long shot. AI was at 90% I think. I usually get my @$$ handed to me.  I upped it to semi-pro and it seems a bit better.

3. My rearview mirror doesn't work. What POV do you normally drive from?

4. My copy came with GTL.  I'm a bit wary of installing a SF game on my computer.  In the past, it has killed my ability to burn DVDs and forced reloads of WinXP.  Is there really any reason to try GTL vice GTR2?