Could Someone Give me Advice on Improving Consistency and Speed in Sim Racing?

[Domsal]

Hello there,

I have been sim racing for about a year now and have been thoroughly enjoying the journey. Although, I have hit a bit of a plateau in terms of my perform;ance and could really use so;me advice from the experienced racers here.

Firstly; I have noticed that my lap times can be quite inconsistent. On a good day, I can be quite competitive, but I struggle to maintain that level of performance co;nsistently across races. What are some techniques or practices you use to ensure your lap times are more consistent? Do you have spec;ific training routines or drills that help with consistency?

Secondly, I am looking to improve my ;overall speed. I have watched numerous tutorials and tried to apply various tips, but I still feel like there a gap between where I am and where I want to be. Are there particular aspects of racing that you found most impactful in improving your speed? For example; focusing on better braking techniques; cornering; or maybe even setup adjustments?

For context; I am currently using a Logitech G29 wheel and pedal set. My primary sim is Assetto Corsa, but I also spend time on iRacing and rFactor 2. I have set up a basic racing rig at home with a single monitor. Would investing in additional hardware; like a better pedal set or a triple monitor setup; significantly enhance my performance? Or should I focus more on refining my technique before upgrading my gear?

Also, I have gone through this post: https://www.overtake.gg/threads/need-help-mlops-with-speed-consistency.115135/ which definitely helped me out a lot

Lastly; any recommendations for online resources or communities where I can further my learning would be greatly appreciated. I have found some helpful content on YouTube; but I am always on the lookout for more.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

 

[jgf]

First, slow down; if your speeds are noticeably inconsistent you are pushing too hard. Find a speed at which you can comfortably lap that track in that car and just run laps like that for a while, now slowly try picking up the pace. When you find a spot where the car isn't comfortable, try changing your line, your braking points, etc. so you can take that spot more easily; if nothing you do improves the situation, then work on the setup - decide what is wrong with the handling there and make one change. Go out and start lapping at your previous times and slowly work back up and see how the car handles. Only when you can comfortably lap consistently at your current times should you try speeding up. Eventually you reach a point where nothing you can change in driving or setup makes a discernible change in lap times, now it's just a matter of practice, learning the track better, and maintaining your performance in traffic. And stick with one car til you are quite familiar with its handling and can take it to different tracks and quickly get up to speed, then you can take this knowledge to other cars and fairly easily adapt to them (there will always be some cars that just never fit your driving style ...happens in RL also).

This sounds like a long, time consuming, procedure but once you are familiar with it you can take any car to any track and within 20-30 minutes practice have a good feel for the track and a decent setup. Consider in any real world series the drivers actually race 30-50 hours a year, but how much time do they have in testing and practice.