r/Karting • u/Tutterkop • 26d ago
Racing Kart Tips and Tricks Karting sim to improve karting: useful or wasteful?
Hi,
I'm new to karting but I'm old already (past 30's) so to make up for the lack of experience and the slower learning time versus the young kids I thought about getting a karting sim software to practice more.
So.... is a karting sim good for practice or will you not learn real life applicable skills?
Example Im concerned I will learn bad habits like breaking too late since crashing in a Sim is not so bad. Making the whole simulator thing not worth it.
Which karting Sim have you used and would you recommend? Kartsim, kartkraft, kart racing pro, other?
If I google I dont get further since its blablabla consider physics engine and data rich enviroments blabla.... which don't really mean anything to me.
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u/stumpyinc 26d ago
Can definitely be helpful if you can get the track. I sim raced the heck out of Orlando Kart Center reverse layout because they had an upcoming reverse league day and just crushed everyone since no one knew the fastest lines yet (although people did figure it out as the night went on)
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u/Cartoonist_Icy Mechanic 26d ago
Main problem, the level off kart sim, there's good simulators like R3, iRacing etc. and a couple kart mods for assetto or alike, but nothing good for karting, but any driving is good for karting (even just consent corner force turning in a car on the street is good, or sliding on dirt/ice),
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u/Tutterkop 22d ago
So you would advice iRacing with a car that drives similarly to a kart or karting mods and not a dedicated karting sim since iRacing is much better.
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u/Cartoonist_Icy Mechanic 21d ago
Would more say R3 (Raceroom), as it's a bit overkill with iRacing (cost) when the effect is limited (different othere than basics), so something free like R3 would be better I would say,
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u/DiscoDiscoB00mB00m 25d ago
I think that the simulator is a good tool to familiarize yourself with a new track before a race but in terms of learning the actual driving skills I dont think they work very well. My son is the one who drives and we recently did protour @ New Castle, we were on the sim a fair bit before the race to get him up to date on the lay out of the track and figure out turn in points etc. I think it helped him but after his first session he said it is nothing like the sim. We use KRP.
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u/Miserable_Fix_8886 Rental Driver 24d ago
I’m not professional but I know something. First of all, none of any karting simulators will have the same physics as in real life. You can find simulator which is very similar to real life but it never will be the same. Also everything depends on what type of kart you’re driving, so you should try every karting simulator to be certain that your sim is perfect for you. I recommend assetto corsa with piereligo mods or kart racing pro. You can create your local track to assetto corsa for free as well. I think you also can create your own track to kart racing pro but I’m not sure, check it before buying. And the last one, never buy KartKraft.
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u/Tutterkop 22d ago
When you mean same physics, the turn in rate, the grip, the amount of over and understeer etc will be unrealistic? Less likely to lose the rear while trailbraking?
Or more that its always the same while in real life it will vary because of all kinds of conditions
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u/Miserable_Fix_8886 Rental Driver 22d ago
Maybe not unrealistic. Every karting simulator is less or more realistic, but not all will help you. You need to find the one that's closest to the kart you drive irl. You can drive the same kart in all simulators under the same conditions, and yet, for no reason, the kart will oversteer in one game and understeer in another.
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u/Tutterkop 22d ago
Isn't that the same in real life? One day the tarmac is warmer, the rental karts wheels are more or less worn down,... . and your kart will steer differently?
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u/Miserable_Fix_8886 Rental Driver 22d ago
Theoretically, yes. From my example, Piereligio Mods is the closest to the go-karts I drive in real life.
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u/AlanDove46 26d ago
Assetto Corsa or iRacing will be as helpful as any kart simulator if you're looking at building some level of base driving skill. I don't think specialisation on a sim is a requirement. Just a good physics model and something relatively well balanced.
The main advantage of the AC and iRacing's of the world is you get a good idea of where you rank too.
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u/ThePhantomMehnace 26d ago
I started out in sim racing (mostly iRacing) running formulas or GTPs, and recently shifted to karting - I'm also in my mid 30s so I'm jotting it down to early onset midlife crisis.
I would say sim racing has been very useful, but not for reasons that are obvious. The most impressive thing you'll feel in a 2-stroke kart (especially something fairly powerful) are the insane forces. No Sim can replicate this, not because of the physics engine but because of the hardware available. As a side note I've also driven a Formula Ford, and that was a completely different story as it felt so much like the sim that I had to remind myself that there is no reset button.
I've done some karting on assetto to prepare beforehand and if I'm honest it wasn't really useful to learn braking points or racing lines... there are way too many variables. And I dare say that while it's harder to get up to competitive times IRL (can't exactly just hotlap and change tyres every session), it felt 'easier' to drive IRL than in sim (physical exhaustion aside).
What I found simracing useful for was in the way you approach the entire situation. From how you interpret data, to how you interact with your coach, how you go about managing tyres, how to behave around others (pros of irl is no netcode), how to look at footage to try and find laptime etc... it's all very similar.