Open Wheel VS Tin Top - Are some car types just not for you?

[Lloyd Johnston]

Hi all,

I was wondering if it just me or other people too.

Do you gravitate to a particular type of car, for example Open Wheel or Tin Top.

I find myself racing mostly GT3, Stock Car, usually a car with a roof etc. and not racing Open Wheel.

But not necessarily because I dislike Open Wheel cars, but more because I just seem to be total crap at driving them (in any sim) and just don't seem to get how the style of racing works. There movement just feels so unreal to me (not in this game, but all games).

For example I can't seem to get the breaking distances right (which isn't helped with the lack of break lights) and lock up tyres constantly etc. but also just don't seem to be able to foresee how a situation will pan out, which way the car in front will move etc when bunched up in groups.

I guess it's just the race craft is very different for Open Wheel. Dose anyone have any tips on how to start getting better or is it a case of they just don't suit my driving style?

 

[Gevatter]

I don't think it's really open wheel vs tin tops, it's about finding the limits of a given car, which takes a while. If you're used to much heavier cars you basically have to relearn not only braking and corner grip limits of the car, but also the braking points on a given track. Especially F1 which usually sits on the top of available technology of the car's era.

I strongly gravitate towards historic cars, mostly low aero. I'm really bad at being precise like you have to be with modern vehicles, I'm more of a "throw it into a corner and steer it on the throttle" kinda guy.

 

[BillGuy]

For me it’s not a matter of open wheel VS tin top. It’s the differential. I simply have never been able to drive the cars with locked/spool diffs at anything close to the pace I can with cars equipped with LSDs.

I know the spools require a unique treatment but I’ve just never been able to find it. Feeling like you’re constantly tip-toing around the track, combined with getting blown away by the AI at settings you’re normally competitive with for LSD-equipped cars, just doesn’t make for a fun experience for me.

 

[pavig]

The formula trainer is a good introduction to how most of the open wheelers work and will get you used to the flow. Chase some AI round the track in a practice or qualy session - they may not be totally realistic, but they drive close enough outside racing packs to give you a feel for lines and breaking points. Short tracks are good for it because you only have a few corners to nail so you can quickly find a flow.

Higher aero open wheelers (formula cars) will feel more odd, because they tend to have more grip at higher speeds which suddenly drops when they get too slow. This leads to a couple of odd behaviors which take getting used to.

You can really brake fast and hard at speed but need to ease off the brakes smoothly as you slow down and downforce grip disappears. (Unbalancing the car by sharply releasing the brake can also alter aero balance which will lead to very odd handling.)

The other thing is as long as you're done braking you can take corners faster than you think because speed = downforce = grip. When the rest of the driving feels natural you can start taking advantage of that. But knowing how to get back on the throttle smoothly so you can build on that momentum also takes practice.

The formula vee will give you a vague feel for ancient open wheelers like 60s F1 but is a bit of an oddity otherwise. 60s F1 feels great to drive but is totally unforgiving, so you just need to put in lots of slow laps to find your speed and flow. I'd avoid them until the other open wheelers start to make sense.

As for the Caterham, it's like driving an angry jumping spider with wheels and pretty much its own thing. People either drive it really smooth, or like a complete maniac, and though it seems to work either way, it's not easy to master.

The only cars that are really not for me in AMS are the trucks and street cars

 

[R8pilot]

I greatly prefer open top cars such as F1 cars. I just like seeing the sky, etc., unimpeded.

I own a convertible (R8 Spyder), so that's my preference in real life as well.

I do wish AMS2 had more open-top options. It feels like their availability is a bit lean.

 

[geekyhawkes]

Not sure about us but the AI really doesnt adapt well to open wheels IMHO - they still like to rub too much and drive the Fultimate cars like they are closed wheel and are too happy to lean on other cars/you. It would be great if the AI knew the difference between open wheel racing and closed.

 

[t0mah4wk7]

I am a GT person myself. I don't have the throttle finesse needed to push the open wheel cars to the limit.

 

[R8pilot]

Lately, I've noted that my favorite open-wheel car's tires used to stick like glue, but now they have been getting super slippery. Why is that!?

Oh, yeah, it's just me pushing the car harder and harder, beyond my current skill level.