20 Tips for Sim Racing Beginners

20 tips for sim racing beginners, covering some of the big fundamentals of driving, be it in a racing sim or real life as well as a handful of practical tips for getting up to speed in your chosen racing sim.
The video is is intended for beginners, but there's probably something of use for sim racers that have been around the block a little bit, and if not, well, give yourself a pat on the back!
If you're wondering where to go next, my 11 part sim racing setup guide is a good next step:
• Sim Racing Setup Guide
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[@raymond_rayder]

I went back to basics recently: loaded up Mount Panorama, chose a Mazda MX-5, and just did some nice slow laps, gradually turning it up and braking later. Even once I was fully up to speed, I found time on every single lap. I only did 7 laps, but didn't put it in the wall at all and felt like I'd got better. One of the most rewarding sessions I've done and it was on my own, with a fairly slow road car.

[@friktionrc]

its the same not just in sim racing. Started racing RC cars at club level, none of the fancy fast Touring Cars, just stock Tamiyas, but starting out slow, concentrating on putting in clean laps and being consistent is key....me? got to go back to basics ....last race was atroscious. My F40 looked like a pinball in a Nitro Circus episode. I dont think there was a single kerb I didnt launch the car from 🤦‍♂️😆

[@kylehedrick7551]

@@friktionrc I also raced rc, and it really is even in the dirt, you have to be smooth!

[@SyTrades]

LITERALLY JUST DID THIS 😂😂😂

[@spanc0]

Yep, ND mx-5 and couple laps of Nordschlife.

[@joshuafallet5690]

I did this on forza. I did like 3 series races and was doing well. But I wanted to chill and just do something I enjoy. I bought the 240z and raced at bother suzuka and laguna Seca for a good 10 laps each. It helped alot and it was therapeutic

[@fremen321]

That time in history where you can give real life tips that real racers do in real life to sim racers that race in sims so real that these tips actually work. What a time to be alive.

[@Xerxes1337]

That's why I love sim racing. You can just watch any informative content about motorsports and learn from it. I recommend "physics of racing" on KZbin for those who like theory

[@markuskoivisto]

Oh you haven’t gotten the half of it yet. Every road racer is a sim racer to some degree. Everyone uses sims.

[@OCRacing]

This was fun to watch. Sometimes I get caught up in all the “technicalities” I tend to forget what it’s all about.

[@ChrisHaye]

... endless forum debates about tyre models right? 😅

[@DerGeraet205]

having fun really is invaluable to learning. no feeling quite like actually looking forward to doing your next laps or rallye stages. fun and thrill did lead me to essentially learn sim racing with Dirt Rally 2.0 and WRC10, so I also shot myself in the foot a bit there lol

[@ChrisHaye]

Haha, I bet you're fast with your feet though! Honestly, the techniques needed for Rally are a great way to expose any weaknesses in your driving. I know this, because I regularly humble myself every time I load up DIRT Rally 2.0 😂

[@DerGeraet205]

@@ChrisHaye it's very different from circuit driving, I go through your experience in DR2.0 every time I try to drive ACC and have to consciously stop myself from drifting and mashing the throttle thanks to 4WD. Seeing the leaderboards in Rallye games is also kinda discouraging, even with stage knowledge you need to cheese the game in some way. Focusing on your driving and avoiding accidents is a far better experience than caring about whether you are 35s or 1m down through the stage

[@PJTierney]

Chris, if you need help in Rally hit me up 😏 Facundo, the DR2 community’s great. Loads of people know the struggle and actively try to make everyone a better driver. Reddit is a good starting point 👍🏻

[@fleamcbaggins3087]

Funnily enough circuit racing has been helping me improve my rally driving. I look at corners with a different eye now

[@lugs118]

Solid advice. A lot of my overdriving was due to the time delta, if it went red I would end up pushing the next braking zone too hard and losing more time. Very useful tool if used correctly but I would suggest turning it off and focusing on using the whole track and driving smoothly before worrying about times.

[@abuelb]

Tip #10 Vision ahead is probably the most important tip to getting faster. It allows you to naturally control your speed while turning smoothly with pinpoint accuracy.

[@isodoubIet]

The center of mass of the car is a geometric property of the mass distribution in the car. It won't change unless the car itself (or its contents) changes. The center of mass will move forward a little bit during breaking because the vehicle's fuel (and occupants) will slosh forward a little bit, but that is not the cause for why load is transferred forward in breaking. That is because the braking force is applied on the wheels and the car's center of mass is above the wheel axles, so the braking induces a torque which tries to rotate the car forward. Same goes in reverse for acceleration. If the center of mass explanation were correct, you'd see the front always go down when breaking even if the wheel axles are mounted above the center of mass, or for a hypothetical f1 car braking while driving upside down on the ceiling. In both of these cases, you'd in fact expect the front of the car to go _up._

[@SnoodyMcFlude]

I always turn tyre noise up, really helps you know when you're scrubbing tyres, especially since ACC rejigged physics to make it a bit more important to bring tyres in gently. Also think notes about consistency and setups are spot on, still see far too many beginners thinking that the faster people just have better setups when often they're actually running something pretty close to default. iRacing's fixed setup series are the best way to dispel this myth

[@chepilevski]

Wow , that must be the most important video ever produced for beginners 😃 If you watch that 100 times and really understand every single advice and work in that direction there is nothing more to add ! Well done Chris, outstanding work on this one ❤️

[@ajrichar0]

This is a really timely video. On GT7, I'm losing the basics in my haste to try to chase the hare starting way off in front of me. It's leading to scrappy driving, frustration and rage quits. I'll take a deep breath, implement these steps, and rediscover the fun and pleasure again.

[@CH1K3N99]

Kei car Cup has thought me a lot, aftee finally making the switch from pad to wheel. Its frustrating I've gone from easy s licenses to noob, but the mid engine crappy tyres on my little Honda has taught me a bit about catching snap oversteer, early power outs, and nose stability while braking on bad camber! That and unlearning my heavy-handed dirt2 inputs!

[@danielbecker-birkner9887]

Chased all "new" crap (read: recycled shit from previous games, most commonly) every week on FH5 for a while. So when my GamePass went out and NO fixes for any mentioned/reported bugs that needed fixes were done I skipped renewing the GamePass. Went back and finished off left stuff in previous FH's and also helps kiddo thru 'em, one by one. And maybe, just MAYBE, I'll renew GamePass if I'm allowed to get it at the 1$ fee since I use it for 90-99% for FH5. FH5's current status where no Co-op races works, Convoys bugs out and game itself just chokes itself after a few hrs so I chose to go "back to basics". In this case returned to previous games. Oh, and just a couple days ago I manage to get my old noicey 360 going which haven't started up since 2013-2014... FM4, TDU2 and many other old "gems" did I find there. So my gaming heart still has some things to beat for even without the GamePass atm. 😎👍

[@krispyk.1786]

The MX-5 really is a terrific little car to learn the basics- made my stock car driving (dirt and asphalt) so much better and cleaner

[@scalebuildersguild]

This is the sort of advice that you want to come back and watch every few months! Thanks so much for producing a well thought out, and exceedingly important video!

[@GUN69_]

Chris, I always found your videos very informative...but what you have achieved in these 8:31 is impressive! For all these new sim racers, that video would be super helpful

[@grandhipster660]

Great work, Chris. Really enjoyed this as well as your Sim Racing Setup Playlist from a number of years ago. Keep up the great work!

[@b34rcr4ft]

Hi, just started sim racing today. I am doing well, and felt like I can get wayyy better than I am now because I felt motivated to do it passionately. Your calm demeanor felt very welcoming. Thank you for the lessons. New subscriber here!

[@squishykotetsu]

Thank you so much for this! I've only recently started getting into the hobby and it can all be rather overwhelming, so having a nice starting point like this is incredibly valuable! Especially the "start slow" is something I need constant reminders for - after all, racing is about winning, hurr durr, so I wanna go fast :D

[@pierregodin1]

Very helpful indeed! I got all the beginner's symptoms you are describing and your advice is spot on. Very glad I found your channel with clear and thorough advice. I will be exploring more of your content for sure! Many thanks for too top quality videos

[@FretFreak02]

Solid tips Chris, really! It certainly is all about the basics and understanding the physics. During Covid and being home so much, I decided to start up my old hobby of sim racing again. Bought a cheap yet decent second hand playseat and Thrustmaster t300rs with the f1 wheel. After a few months of getting into it again, I’m suddenly improving my consistency greatly. Love how you emphasized that it’s not about the gear; it’s about understanding the feel and getting your ‘wrong habits’ out of the way! Keep up your nice videos.

[@ProSimRacing]

OMG... when I think that you just couldn't make your videos any better, you just take it up another notch. Great content as always buddy.

[@jawknee4088]

Can I just say, I love your smile that shows how much joy you have in sharing your knowledge to others looking to get into sim racing. Your joy is honestly really infectious and makes me want to get back on the tracks and keep racing.

[@TheCameltotem]

It's amazing the length you go to make good content. Great work Chris!

[@chrisslater9514]

there’s a massive difference between downloading setups and tweaking your own i think biting the bullet and learning what the aspects of setup change are is hugely important

[@wenderhg]

This is the best video with tips for beginners I found so far. Well done. Thanks

[@ManuVyas-social]

I regret not finding you sooner. This is beautiful stuff. Kudos!

[@fightingcarrot]

I just picked up AC and a sim rig so that I can train for motorcycle racing during the off-season. Yep, motorcycle racing - the points Chris makes are pretty much spot on for riders as well!

[@nightwingzero8905]

As someone who has been through all of this before truly to get to a competent level is by practice and having lots of patience on this, great video as always M8 😊

[@ShogunShmogun]

This was super useful and had a really solid grip on what makes learning things like this fun, thanks for the tips, I’m so excited to dive into this world finally

[@SIMTRIBE]

Great delivery of information Chris! Thank you for this!

[@MattyPH93]

Amazing video mate, the tips flowed effortless one into the next, it's wasn't clunky and was brilliant information for me when I'm about to get into sim racing

[@runrun4638]

This is the best video i have watched in relation to advices to beginners.

[@supflake8373]

I can't stress enough how important car balance actually is, 2 years in and I'm still struggling to get a grip on it in some cars, but when you nail the grip balance and properly learn it on a car it feels amazing to play with!

[@oj7177]

Same, i've been sim racing for 2 years as well, on pcars2, and a few months ago i finally downloaded some great sheets for improving setups. The ones on yt with which they go super quick are, most of the time, horrible for races. I remember lapping around fuji with the bentely speed 8, and the base setup was horrible. I put some work in tweaking it, and it completely transformed the car. One of the best cars in the game once you nail the setup, great fun

[@aureljansokoli6598]

Couldn't be said better... Great thoughts ,simply said... keep up the great work 👍

[@anderu2384]

This is by far the best beginner's tips video for sim racing that ive ever seen

[@themarenda]

You can learn more in road cars than race cars because everything is happening slower and mistakes are more noticable. And with their limits being so low you can really fool around with them when you get tired of chasing laptimes

[@Krymefighter]

Fantastic amount of info in 8 and a half minutes. So many channels out there would have created a 40 minute video with tons of fluff. Kudos to you!

[@adrianramriez9045]

Great advice 👍 you've help me fall in love with sim racing all over

[@TraumaTeamRacing]

Awesome video Chris. A really nice overview of the key fundamentals👍🏻Top job👌🏻

[@ChrisHaye]

Gracias! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[@gh0st65]

The kicking off that pedal set felt personal

[@MrChutney]

Really enjoyed this. Not come across your content before and you have it all on point - delivery, content and editing. Liked and subscribed 😄

[@MythionVR]

Cheers Chris, years later and I'm still learning new things and trying to improve! :) I've been having a blast lately instead of chasing car setups.

[@estebanchapa606]

I have no idea who this guys is but this was one of the best tip videos I’ve ever seen. Bravo my guy bravo

[@MPSC1490]

Thanks, I happy for you and your sim racing.

[@slaphead90]

This is a little bit of a new style for you - I like it.😀 Great video.

[@testimactest8696]

Honestly this was the first video I watched out of many as a sim racing beginner that covered helpful advice aside from bUy a FaNaTeC oThErWiSe yOu SuCc. Finally someone talking about braking and driving rather than equipment and video game settings. Thanks Chris!

[@MitchGP]

Loved the video Chris! Great stuff for all the new people in the hobby!

[@ChrisHaye]

Thanks Mitchh. Enjoy the rest of your weekend dude!

[@MitchGP]

@@ChrisHaye You as well!

[@markabercrombie3763]

Great content as usual Chris, you're getting awfully close to 100 000 Subs, nice!

[@darthsnape]

Having fun is very important. Of course it sounds a bit off but if you're not having fun, sooner rather than later sim racing will become more of a chore and less of an experience. Great video Chris!

[@MrRedders]

Some great little quips in here..."the oops pedal" lol. Great video. Love your presentation style.

[@Boonatix]

Another good one Chris, very important points!

[@nikolasnolde]

I am not a Beginner, but these tips are MEGA for those who want to start Simracing!!! Great Video

[@ggrepoman]

Left foot braking is the only way I drive. It baffles my passengers. Great video.

[@friday_xo]

The video was awesome and informative for newcomers into sim racing. My only argument is setups. Don't know about other sims, but for example in ACC, some cars are just set up really, reeeally bad from the get go in ACC. Safe preset is "okay" ish, but for me personaly, I wanted to jump into deep waters, and drive the car as it should be driven. Started out with agressive presets, and a few weeks in, started downloading setups (never bought any). Some felt waaay to agressive, and not "beginner" friendly. None is to be honest. And after running each setup, found the one I felt the most comfortable, and stuck with it. I remember I wanted to learn the McLaren 720s GT3 in ACC, and after driving with few setups, found one that was setup that way that the rear won't kill you on every lift off (its a driver error but the setup "fixed" it) and I was super quick with it. Gained tenths and finished in higher positions. The point is, do not be afraid to test other setups, it can be a lesson in either way: a) bad (you get frustrated that the car is undriveable for you, but some people are quick as hell with it (I see you Porsche 911ii GT3 R) b) good (you will gain significant tenths of seconds, the car will feel more stable, more responsive, generaly faster) (for me those setups were for AMG Evo, McLaren 720s, Lexus) You just have to prepare yourself to put in time test driving those setups, and as time goes by, you will understand what was done to that exact setup (higher rake, bumpstops, diff preload, toe) Thats my 2 cents

[@NWA_1919]

From someone who is already quite experienced in simracing: this video is really good, and i wish i had all these tips when i was starting out.

[@integrantedavidanoturna]

Thanks man. Most videos about simracing either assume I know too much already (they talk about tuning and mechanical details I know nothing about) or they are too focused on specific games. I wanna learn the stuff that applies to any simrace, not just a specific one

[@evetsiksatu]

Great tips. Learned more in your :35 seconds on trail breaking than a Driver61 video thats 20 minutes long!

[@OzzCyrus]

fantastic content which is much appreciated. liked and subbed :)

[@noobdaddyraces]

Very useful - thanks!

[@lunardawnimages6838]

New sub here...thanks for the great content, Chris!

[@tennbones]

Solid advice. First and foremost is enjoying your time racing.

[@jenscee7679]

Even if I’ve been off for a month, I build up the speed gradually. Been off for four weeks, was slow as a brick on session 1 today. Second session I’d gained 1.6 seconds (with a fixed set up series)z Bit by bit I refined my inputs and was way quicker. All the time was maximising line, speed in versus exit speed.

[@kiddhkane]

Very useful, thank you

[@mauriceroijen7486]

Enjoyed this vid as much as a do Sim Racing. Great and helpful tips. Thank you so much Chris. And I have a request: can you give some info about gear shifting. When to pull through high revs or when to short shift etc...

[@HazzR8]

Having fun and not obsessing over using "assists" is the most important tip for anyone.

[@CaptHotah]

Amazing video. Thanks

[@a92gsxdsm]

Ahh seeing 5/50 cord brings back so many memories from my Army days.

[@johnzebarth4102]

Thank you for this one.

[@THEROOK2007]

Great tips!

[@oj7177]

I learned a lot by switching car often, it helped me in adapting more easily and quickly I did like 30/40 mins with one, doing some laps for fun, trying to be consistent without exaggerating, and then i changed the car. I'm now able to jump from a lmp1 to a vintage gt and have fun, not overdriving the car, and being consistent

[@someoneonly]

An informative and concise video :)

[@tobyreinhardt9022]

I thought this dude was showing my replay of spinning out!! I need to get better under braking big time!

[@gentleracer7779]

Excellent tips!

[@DavidGarcia-oi5nt]

Me with thousands of hours into sim racing with a DD is good to check up on the basics, trying to spark that love once again rn.

[@hungryowl1559]

I just started and bought a thrustmaster 458 ferrari yesterday. Its a cheap wheel but im really happy with it. So much more precise than a controller and its only a $130 wheel. No force feedback but im fone with that. Can't wait to get home today.

[@aeroi.528]

Only thing I need now is a FFB wheel. This really hit all the issues right on the nose.

[@EyeNVNo1]

Thanks for this bro

[@knurpsel]

Great video, thank you! When I started out, I also made the mistake of thinking "I just have to find the right setup.... THEN I'm quick". 😄

[@ChrisHaye]

Thanks Michael. I think pinning all your hopes on a good setup is a right-of-passage for every sim racer 😄

[@roddy6924]

ouch the poor g29 pedals lol Chris - did you ever finish that track you were building? Great to see you again - You're the best!

[@ChrisHaye]

Thanks Rod. Yeah, some things have changed, for the better... so let's call this a relaunch of sorts 😉 I've had a few questions about the track recently. It might be time to dust off the project!

[@roddy6924]

@@ChrisHaye Please do 🙂 I know RTB can be fussy lol, so I'm patient Thanks again my friend 2 years later with the g29, zero issues. you're recommendation. thanks

[@Mitjiva]

Excellent video

[@PozzaPizz]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@dirtyjerz32]

Great info here. Thanks, Chris.

[@simraceuk8504]

Great tips Chris.. This guy you could listen to over and over again.. always great content and information without the "oh look what top of the range gear im using" like some other bragging well know content creators on here

[@kalogias]

I'm not really new to sim racing but not really a veteran either. But I loved all the tips and I realised a few days ago that I forgot one of these. To have fun. Got too competitive and in the end I was left with more frustration and anger than enjoyment and it sucks because I love driving. I think having fun is the most important part.

[@EruenGameplays]

As someone who is practically new to sim racing but have been driving a car for almost 20 years i can say that this is gold

[@mokshrajpal5937]

Single best tip video ever ngl

[@AJ19855]

Great video

[@DuckReconMajor]

GREAT video

[@calvinlee1127]

the center of mass never shift anywhere, it is the frictional force create a rotating moment to the whole car

[@TheDevilsAccountant]

When I first started I found I was concentrating so much on what my left foot was doing I'd forget to turn into corners properly.

[@alpha007org]

Another one more tip: Take a break from time to time. Everyone gets tires or burned out and 2 weeks or 1 month break can do wonders to your psyche.

[@cryo5177]

I totally want to get back into racing games. First game I played when I was 7 yo was some rally game and then some f1 game with ps1. So far Dirt2 is my favourite racing game for ps3. Also Need for speed most wanted is legendary always. Gotta upgrade by getting myself a gaming set up for PC and such just for this stuff. I dont really care about other games, only enjoy racing really. It would be great to find new friends who enjoy the same hobby.

[@SkyfighterZX]

I'm beginning to learn how to use a wheel since i've been a controller player all my life and it's been quite a ride, one of my mistakes were trying random cars+tracks combos on AC, i have hundreds of mods and i quickly noticed how differently cars handled, some i would spin out a lot, others i would have a blast, i would set up races with cars with the same classes and see how i did,and i still quite most of them because i spin out while im doing great, but presistency can be quite fun, i will keep trying that exact same race with the same car until i manage to win it, which would mean I finally started getting the hang of the car enough to not go flying off the road, it's been quite fun and currently trying to beat a gt3 race on tsukuba using a Evo gt3 has been a challenge because i have to learn the querks of that specific car which has a very unique handling, and that challenge, altho frustrating at times, has been quite fun when you see the distance from the leader decrease lap by lap, even if i end up soinning out somewhere at 3 laps to the end :p

[@rileybonaventure5366]

Sick video

[@belleyy4810]

Omg, you're looking sooo much fitter, well done you're looking great

[@The7H_Forza]

thanks man

[@nobodyimportant7380]

All great advice except one... the Left foot break isn't required, it is quicker, but also has its own issues, and after a very famous race driver went to visit Jim Broadbent, Jim was surprised to find the race driver was not left foot breaking. For me personally the biggest help was, stay out of cockpit view and use the view either from front bumper or a view that show the bonnet/Hood it removes the restrictions of the cockpit view. If you do feel you want to use the cockpit view then give yourself a chance, ditch the single screen and put on a VR headset, it allows the ability to naturally look around and a feeling of depth. If you are one of those people that use the out of vehicle view above and behind the vehicle.. Donate your sim racing equipment to someone who wants to use it properly and go back to the controller you deserve. Something about most sim racers I have always been annoyed with is the simple fact they lack feeback where its needed most ( in your a**) and no sim can give you that. The other things is they never make you feel like you are doing the speed that it says, an example of this is in Dirt Rally 2, the car Speedo says your doing 60Mph but the scenery is coming towards you at what feels like 20mph which disconnects your brain.

[@josephbifulco]

Really enjoyed this vid, learned a lot. May I add the idea of doing practice laps from the perspective of above and behind the car. Truly learn every track, I noticed ‘career mode” does not include practice sessions before a race.

[@sbbeowulf8296]

I’ve done sim racing for a year and I found the most important part is just having fun and keep racing not getting caught up in Ranking stuff

[@dickfitzwelliner2807]

The best cars to learn all the solid basics in assetto corsa is the Ford escort and mx5 cup car. In the escort you'll learn how to dance a car and pick up car rotation and throttle/brake inputs, the mx5 will teach you precision without too much speed. The escort might just be my favorite car to run on the green hell

[@crigboy]

Load Transfer: the weight of the car may be moving about, but the centre of mass absolutely isn't. Mass is the physical object, weight is the force.

[@isodoubIet]

The weight isn't moving either (apart from sloshing of fuel and/or driver body movement). Both the center of mass and the center of gravity are geometric properties of the object. Load transfer is a rotation in response to torque from the wheels.

[@noname-gp6hk]

I am absolutely braking too late and it's driving me nuts. Thanks for the tips, imma dial it back a bit.

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Try " cadence braking, don't stamp apply on off pressure quickly. Very useful in wet.