The average online racer probably uses most of the assists. The people in this forum tend to include a larger number of hardcore racers. So opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the majority online.
I use no assists other than normal steering. On rare occasions I’ll turn TCS on for some of the cars that spin the tires way too easily. I never use any lines. I usually use far away chase cam view. I can race in cockpit view or bumper cam, but I’m quite a bit faster and more comfortable racing in chase cam view.
I use TCS and braking line. I’m starting to tinker with the idea of turning TCS off though. I keep the braking line on because, online, I like to use different cars a lot and I just don’t have the patience to learn all the different braking points with each car.
You should check out YouTube and streamers on twitch if you have some time. There are some good explanations on why to run/ why not to run assists and awesome knowledgable racers. Starting out its good to have them on and LEARN the tracks (I.e. When to brake,when to accelerate etc.) knowledge of the track is most important. Just because the race line tells you to brake it doesn’t mean you have to brake at that moment. Learning your cars would be second. When to shift on the track is a must and what gear you leave a corner in is important. Too high and you will be passed but too low and you will spin the tires and leave the corner too slow. I personally drive manual with clutch just because I have driven stick irl since I have started driving. Automatic in this game is horrible. You can slow down quicker and accelerate faster if you drive manual compared to if you let the computer do it. Abs would be a good second to do without Get the muscle memory of optimal trigger squeeze down and you will find out it’s much better than with it turned on. Next turn off tcs bc with lower class cars you will barely spin the tires due to lack of horsepower. STM isn’t a must but with it on your car will brake automatically to straighten you out losing those valuable seconds to posting low times. With all this said though keep in mind the more bhp (brake horse power) your car has the harder it will be to control meaning with higher class cars you will need to have more experience. Hope this helps. Remember just bc it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s always fun. Challenge yourself. That’s what this game is about.
I run abs with brakeline only, normal steering, tcs only, automatic trans, whatever lobby is running for damage.
I also run some difficult tunes with springs nearly bottoming out for me to have grip, 0% accel/decel diff, and a few other settings that aren’t on typical cars.
I use cockpit view and no assists up to S class, R and above I use TC but thats it. Wish full damage was on as well, would cut down on the wreckers and force people to run cleaner.
I may use TCS depending on the track/class and I turn on brake line for MP. There are too many tracks that come up in MP that I’m just not that familiar with and it is also an insurance policy. If I blow a turn in rivals, no problem - on to the next lap. But, do the same thing in MP and you’ve probably blown a whole race.