It’s actually 100%. There is not one single car in the game that slows down from using the clutch. My point was directed toward the inaccurate statement you made about clutch not being as effective in higher classes, when in R1 the 787B gains monumental amounts of time from the use of the clutch.
And to you, MAKO… When your friend here can do better than top 200 in the classes he said he completed, then I’ll believe you.
Lol. I haven’t hotlapped FM4 since 2012 and every single one of my R1 and X class times where first started in career mode and after that I went back to the tracks with no lap times and ran one 3 lap no collision race. I did that for every single class with whatever I had available. I was trying to finish the overall boards before FM5 but I think 3 classes weren’t finished. I thought I did pretty good in R1/X for being a total noob to the class and rushing through it. So yea I completed them.
And we were teammates for a lil bit fool I think, right? Chill out man.
I had a lapse of thought when it came to the 787/C9. My thought train was on the newer prototype cars (not the classics) and that drag racing study one team did that showed how some cars were actually a little faster with just manual.
I think I’m starting to get there. I can post top 1% lap times on most of the things I do in F-B class, but I’ve really started to figure things out by picking 1 car, and driving the hell out of it, and also by doing stupid tuning experiments on it. So I got a '73 Porsche 911, and I didn’t upgrade anything, and I just drove it around to test it. Try driving at 55 psi in all tires, then at 15, or whatever the minimum is, then with the fronts maxed and the rears minimized, and then the opposite. None of those are good tunes, but you’ll be able to experience how tire pressure influences things, and not just rely on some theoretical notions you’ve read. Pick one test track, and use it. I’ve been using one end of Suzuka, because it only takes a minute per lap…but it is missing some features.
I wouldn’t say I’ve developed a subtle feel for things, yet…but I can now at least tell when a car is definitely oversteering or definitely understeering. Try the same experiment with anti-roll bars, and shocks, and such. Change only one thing at a time (don’t change the ARBs and the diff at the same time, for e.g.). I got a dramatic appreciation for diff tuning this way. Previously, it seemed like low diff settings were the preference (see various tuning calculators). I discovered diff settings on a RWD car can really influence turn-in, much more than toe, for example.
Also, confused by all the options for balancing oversteer and understeer–springs, ARBs, tire pressure, dampers??? I decided to simplify a bit–tune the thing whose primary job is to do the thing you’re tuning for. Springs are for going over bumps. Balance the car and leave them (so 45% front weight, the rear:front spring weights should be 55:45). ARBs are for controlling the balance of oversteer and understeer in corners. Tires are for grip, so set them to achieve maximum grip at both ends. The diff can help the back end get around on corner entry, or keep it from stepping out, and also might help if you get on the gas a bit early out of a corner. Dampers are tricky…I’m still not sure what to do, but start by mirroring them to the springs.
A note on tires: I’ve read a bunch of stuff about tire tuning in Forza. I’ve read “32 PSI provides optimum grip”, “180-210 degrees provides optimum grip”, “pressure too high will result in the center of the tire hotter than the edges, and too low in a center cooler than the edges”. After driving a ton of laps, I’m able to see how camber affects temperature. I’m not seeing any effect on temp from pressure, and certainly not cooler or hotter middles of tires. 32 PSI seems pretty close to the truth.
As a driver, I think the biggest thing to do to improve is to turn off the racing line, and learn the tracks. There are plenty of markers on and next to the tracks, and you can learn where to brake, turn in, and apex if you practice. Surprisingly, those points apply, or are really close, for cars of several different classes.
Finally, online racing is a bit of a crap shoot. You really can’t expect to gain 6 positions in a 3 or 4 lap race if your opponents are close to evenly matched and you race clean. I think that’s one of the big reasons there’s so much dirty racing online–if you start in 8th place, there’s no other way to win. Also, there’s douches who just seem to like crashing into people. Set a realistic goal–if you finish 2 places ahead of where you started after only 3 laps, you’re kicking ass.