Equipment ... anything which made you faster ?

A proper driving seat with properly mounted wheel and pedals.... easier to focus.

I do agree the hardware does not make all that much difference. When you check the AC leaderboards that list wheels, often the fastest guys are using basic wheels like g25 or even driving force, momo, etc.

 

VR is especially nice if you don't have too much time to practise..
With a screen it took me ages (~30 laps) to reach my personal limit consistently (which isn't too fast to be honest).
With VR i reach the same speed in the second lap, my new personal limit (about a sec faster) after maybe 6 or 7 laps.
In Dirt Rally i was faster from the get go, without practise, faster then i have ever been without VR

 

IMO, practice will make you faster. No hardware can replace that. I know some guys who use a single monitor and low entry wheels and they are fast, i mean, FAST! So, i would say, before sinking gold in expensive gear, practice... a lot.

 

I'm not really any faster, but I am way more consistent in cornering and more aware of where the cars are around me, so I can easily avoid crashes - VR with Oculus Rift.

Cornering is especially great in open-wheel cars where you can clearly see your tyres. You can place them on the apex more easily because you can look at them, and when someone's next to you, you can rely on the CrewChief app and your head-turning to avoid any contact.

I guess a really good and accurate wheel and pedalset would be a nice thing as well but I think you can be just as quick with a cheaper wheel.

 

Fanatec csp v3 made a huge difference as well as tweaking the settings lately .

 

I am asking myself if someone is living near to me for having a VR experience with RaceRoom. I know I could test some of these VR systems at Media Markt and so on...but I like to test this with R3E...and not just for 10 min. I need to know if I am going sick easily and if it does go well with chicken...ähm my glasses.

I know this could sound bit weird asking for someone to invite me but hey without trying....I am german living close to Heilbronn.
So anyone out there ?

For sure I am going to robbing everybody with cool rig...

 

I can say that it is very immersive, but I can't quite explain how it feels. It's like explaining someone who has been blind how the color red looks.. You really have to experience it. You obviously don't feel the gravity, wind etc.. but with a nice wheel and VR, Raceroom gets transformed into something amazing.

 

If you do get sick, the motion sickness will pass if you stick with it and train your senses to get used to VR.

 

I have a g27, and i have done a diy brake mod with a high temp joint sealer cylinder, i love it.
But imo , time and practice is the key to improve, lift the foot of the throttle in time, hit the apex,
start accelerating as soon as possible , especially in the turn that precedes the longest stright of the track.

 

First of all again many thanks for all this input.

What I learned about was good for me.

1. I bought myself a playseat which makes sure to have one and the same position every single session I drive. Makes me more confident driving the car hard right from the start
2. Practice
3. Exercise
4. Practice

Once again I like to say I do not have the talent of a Yakubu or those Wiesenmüllers and I have a bad lack of knowlegde regarding technics. And on top I must say I do not like watching racing in RL...in fact it bores me to death.
But racing on my own...yeah...I f...ing love it that much !!!!

So as I am getting better and better (did find 1,5 seconds on my Fav leaderboard race, Bathurst and this constantly) I would like to buy some more stuff.

When I had a look for all those great rigs build by yourself (https://forum.sector3studios.com/index.php?threads/show-your-cockpit.62/) I wondered about the fact that most of you seem to be running a FANATEC system.

Why?

 

Why?
Because when my G25 broke, I didn't want to buy exactly the same as a G29/G920.
Then, there was Fanatec & Thrustmaster (okay, you have the direct drive wheel but that's $$$$).
I took the CSL Elite Wheel Base + Formula Steering Wheel + CSL Elite Pedals (with LC) because it looked good for the price (maybe at bit of love at first sight?).
Maybe because of the guys on the forum that were happy with their Fanatec gear.
In fact, you ask a really good question and I don't really know anymore.
(I asked advice on that approximately 1 year ago on the hardware forum ).

 

The time and the money has come.

I have put an eye on the Fanatec V3 pedals as I am really fed up with the pedal set from my T300 (no clutch). Are there any issues I should be aware of ?

 

I'm also thinking of buying a pedal set with load cell on brake pedal but am a bit worried by this recent bug reports.
I find I'm reaching the limits of my brake pedal, that I customized by inverting spring with the clutch pedal, but after hours of use the customization doesn't look reliable. ^^ But the default was not good for me either, it doesn't feel like a real brake pedal.
I think the braking part is where I'm loosing the most time on a fast lap, I struggle to do it with precision.

 

I just got a Thustmaster TX with the GTE rim after my Fanatec GT3 RS died. And after reading quite a lot and people writing that this would not be a step up it definitely is! The TX is a lot smoother and has more forces to it. Saying that...I am faster because I feel more and can adapt to that a lot more. So yes this made me faster. I kept my CSP V1s so pedal wise I was kind of ok from the get go.

 

Not sure about R3E, but having recently upgraded to an Accuforce and HE pedals.....the pedals have made the biggest difference by far. I'm much more consistent in iRacing and as a result my drivers rating is going up and my finishes are better than they've ever been. In addition, I can now trail brake when I previously couldn't do that without spinning.

 

Is not an issue for me as I know about this problem. Sometimes I get the connecting sound of an USB port even I did nothing. Some friends of mine made the same experience. Has not effected anything so far while working/playing with my PC. If it does someday I will figure out a solution.

I ordered the Fanatec V3 pedals yesterday. Looking forward to a new breaking experience.

 

Typo?

 

I vomited tight......or better smurfing or b-boying should go better ...I can swear I meant braking...don`t know if my past as BREAKDANCER came through

 

I just went through the answers that's been posted and I have to add one advice for to getting "faster" ... presumably this is if you have some knowledge about racing in general but it's still usable for a total beginner.
Reading from an expert like Ross Bentley, Carol Smith or any other REAL race car driver, can make a big impact on your learning curve. Some times I just hit the wall where I just can't go any faster no matter what I do or try
Taking a look in any of my three books about race craft and mental preparation sometimes helps me and gives me that understanding how to be able to shave off that extra time or change a mental state I have

Every time you practice a technique incorrectly, you're increasing your chances of doing it wrong again. It's easy to become very experienced at repeating the same mistakes. "Practice doesn't make perfect; only perfect practice makes perfect"

- from Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques, a book by Ross Bentley

 

On that note from Jorgen.