I haven’t used TCS in a racing sim in years, and the general consensus seems to be that in the majority of cars TCS only seems to hurt your ability to drive quickly.
However, when I was training in rivals to get on pace for the can am league, I’ve noticed that a lot of the top times use TCS, I’ve even seen some names I saw in the pinnacle league lobbies. The thing that’s weird to me though is, for some cars like the lmps, the 1970s F1 cars and the modern GT cars, it’s easy for me to lap them without tcs for long periods of time. However, most of the can ams and the 1960s GP cars are a nightmare to handle without TCS, even if they have similar or less power. So my question to the top guys is when is it actually faster to use TCS, and what’s the rule of thumb you use to figure out what cars to use it on?
I think it just depends on feel. Hardly anyone at the top of the boards below R class uses TCS because it tends to be unnecessary and slow you up, but most of the fastest tunes in R class are a real handful without it. Basically people use it if it makes them faster, there’s no other reasoning.
There’s plenty of cars in R that can be driven without TCS. The point about the leaderboards is that, unlike in lower classes, lots of cars will be a little or a lot faster with it, so those are the times that show up on the boards. For example I can race the Can Am cars without TCS, but I’m a couple of tenths faster with it on, so it’s my TCS times that show up on the leaderboards.
Below S class TCS tends to be more of a hindrance than a help, while above R it tends to be a help more than a hindrance. On average. All else being equal, and all that.
All cars in class R can be driven without TCS. The problem is for cars in class R and above, they are so overly powered it’s frustrating and hard to do. But to say TCS is easy is not really true. You can get around the track easier but it’s not easy to get good times with TCS because every little off angle during acceleration will trigger the TCS and slow the car down.
Don’t really agree with this - it most certainly is easier to get good times in some cars with TCS than without it. I do 2:09s and 2:10s around Spa in an Ultima with TCS on, which I think is top-50-ish on the class leaderboard and probably top-20 in division. Without TCS I struggle to get into the 11s and most of my laps are even slower than that. It’s not just that it’s frustrating driving without traction (though it is very frustrating). I literally cannot get near my usual times without it.
Of course the engine and running gear are the same in both cases so the car has the same potential performance either way, so while it’s trivially true to say that I could match my times with it turned off, only in the same way that it’s trivially true to say I could get the no1 time. In practice on this car and this track for a driver of my ability TCS is simply better at putting the power on the road than I am. That’s a pretty good definition of “easier” if you ask me.
I always give it a go without it on first and go from there. Some of these cars are just a pain to drive without it and I don’t want to be in a tight race and get a little anxious and spin the car around and take out someone else.
There is a special hardcore leaderboard. But for that you must drive with manual clutch.
I prefer driving without tcs, stm and abs. It’s much more fun and challenging.
Try it with tcs and try without tcs see what laptimes say. there is no real rule as with most things in forza which is why the players with the most experience and with the most time typically prevail. Because there is so little relation with a lot of things and real life its those who tinker the most and can run the most laps find the most time until you have an idea of what works in the game and what doesnt. I base everything in game strictly on lap times because races arent long enough to worry about tire wear or fuel economy.
I think that the folks in the upper echelon use TCS as a safety net more than anything… they are already pushing the cars to there limits, running right on the edge of “fast & on the verge of out of control” (quote as said by the character Harry Hogg from Days of Thunder).
It’s faster if you use it right. By that I mean if you keep the TCS light from flashing at bad times. When you do it right the car grips way better and you get killer acceleration. It may flash some when you’re accelerating in a straight line but it doesnt slow down the car. When it flashes while you’re turning, or turning and accelerating thats when it cuts power. It’s a little tricky to drive at first, but once you get the corners down, lap times will fall.
I use traction control always, as I can’t keep higher power cars from spinning out every time I try to even slowly ease on the throttle. Most of the E and D classed cars are easy to drive, therefore TVS is not required.
What I find weird is that cars that never had TCS in real-life have TCS in Forza.
TCS is my Nascar crutch I use it basically only for the rolling starts but, kinda equals out because I don’t think I am getting out of the pits with it on. As well as the folks who do not use TCS and they spin and cause me to hold up a bit and usually get rammed for my efforts so TCS can be good and bad I guess.
Swerve had the right answer traction control is faster on some cars but you have to almost drive the car without engaging the tcs I drive all R class with tcs unless 4 wheel drive cars. Iam heavy with the right trigger so find it better for me just enjoy the game if you use tcs it doesn’t mater