Yes, this is very interesting. I'm new to iRacing. And I'm definitely a mid-pack guy (or slower). I do like the feel of driving the cars. They seem very realistic, but then I don't drive them to the edge, and so haven't experienced the concerns over tire model you are speaking of. For me, the best sims for tire modeling that I know of are netkar and P&G. In some ways, P&G is a tire sim rather than a racing car sim. It is amazing how they have the contact with the ground and the behavior of the older tires modeled.