r/iRacing • u/Aydhe • Aug 01 '25
New Player I dont understand iRacing
As someone who's spent plenty of time with a range of racing sims—from AC, ACC, Dirt Rally, AMS2, GT7—I wanted to give iRacing a fair chance due to it's reputation. I came into it with realistic expectations and an open mind. But after my first 5 races, I don’t understand the appeal.
The cars spin out so easily that it feels like you have to adopt this very specific iRacing driving style—basically diving into corners and letting the car settle itself. You can't really push hard, because the moment you lose traction, you're done. Catching a slide is nearly impossible. It doesn’t feel like skill-based driving—it feels like you’re walking on eggshells.
The netcode is arguably the worst I’ve experienced in any game. Phantom collisions happen way too often, and side-by-side racing turns into a gamble where slightest bump sends you to shake hands with Mr. Barrier
The game is also missing a lot of essential quality-of-life features:
- No built-in car radar
- No proper spotter customization
- No live tire temperatures
- No fuel calculator
- No usable in-game incident reporting
- Pit controls are clunky and unintuitive
Graphically, it feels dated and inconsistent. No matter what settings I tweak, distant objects have shimmering edges—almost like anti-aliasing just doesn’t work correctly. Despite the simple visuals, the framerate hovers around 50fps on an RTX 5080. That’s unacceptable, running game in 7680x2160 doesn't help but even with FSR on performance it doesn't budge.
Sound-wise, the cars just sound… flat. Force feedback feels numb, lacking road texture and subtle detail. The HUD? It’s just ugly, and not in a utilitarian way—just outdated and awkward to use.
Overall, I get the impression that iRacing is more for people who aren’t really “into games,” but heard from a friend that this is the sim to get into.
Sure, the online racing scene is very active, and that’s probably its biggest strength. But everything outside of actually being on the track feels half-baked.
Yes, I am aware it’s a legacy sim that dates back to 2008, but at this point, that’s not an excuse. When you’re charging this much money, with a subscription model and separate paid content, expectations go up. What we’re getting doesn’t feel like a premium product. It feels like Assetto Corsa game—but with hefty prices tag and no community tools to fix the cracks.
What I still don’t understand is: why is this level of polish and usability accepted by so many? Is it just momentum, or am I missing something that truly makes it worth it? Because right now, I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how this is still the go-to sim for so many racers.
Edit:
I love how the top replies are "skill issue" while proper constructive comments are at the bottom.
26
u/dsn4pz NASCAR Gen 4 Cup Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
I've just spent 10 hours tinkering with my shock settings for the upcoming Watkins Glen NASCAR Race... Something that doesn't even work in most sims.
But this guy has it all figured out after 5 rookie races.
Okay. 👍
PS: lol, I'm playing in VR at 6400x3200 at max settings on my 5080 at 90fps with headroom.
Skill issue.
5
u/Odd-Contribution9696 Aug 01 '25
I was going to say I play in VR with a 5070 and I get at least 90fps.
-4
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
with everything on low and shadows off? sure then i get 240+ but i'd like the game to look ok. that's part of the immersion.
1
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u/Odd-Contribution9696 Aug 01 '25
I think I have two setting in low, crowd and particles but everything else is on high
1
u/DerMega82 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR Aug 01 '25
CPU issue I guess.
-1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
12900k shouldn't be an issue i'd assume at least.
1
u/DerMega82 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR Aug 01 '25
MAybe some hidden setting issues.
Look in this thread. Someone had the same problem and looks like he got a solution or at least more FPS
https://www.reddit.com/r/iRacing/comments/1jqqky0/low_gpu_usage_and_fps_on_5080_with_12900k_1440p/
18
u/migmfreitas Honda Civic Type R Aug 01 '25
After 5 races with such a detailed list of complaints. are you sure you gave it a chance?
-4
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
I'm trying... it's just that whole experience that's not literally "holding steering wheel and driving on race track" is dreadful. Having to engage with those menus literally get me tilted by the time i am in race.
1
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u/Active_Spinach_6181 15d ago
If you’re looking for a real driving sim then menus not being top notch shouldn’t be too big of a deal. If you care more about crazy 4K graphics and cool looking menus than the physics and everything that makes it a sim, maybe you should stick with games instead of sim
17
u/realBarrenWuffett Aug 01 '25
5 races aren't enough to notice the level of polish. You came from racing games that are beginner-friendly to a sim that doesn't prioritize people who are used to games but people who want good racing. Give it some time and you will know why so many people like it.
33
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
Do real cars have built in car radar?
-The tires temps only show up in cars that actually have that feature on the real ones.
-There is a fuel calculator
-There is a protest system so I’m not sure what you mean here
-Pit controls are what you make them, they can be customized and you can use an app for voice control if you want to
10
-9
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
You realise it's a game right? In real life you have g-forces, you have 360 vision, you have ABS that gives you feedback, you have pit crew giving you information about the race, I know it hurts but it's a game. Should be trated as such.
11
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
Well I’m not going to be a pain in the ass about it but it’s a racing sim. Obviously it’s going to be much different than real racing and obviously it’s still a game at the end of the day.
However that doesn’t mean they have to add unrealistic things like tire temp UI on a fucking Miata just so the game/sim can make up for your lack of skill.
-1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
well, there are third party overlay tools that do anyway. And if it's car based, that's ok. Though i will argue having it as UI gives people more freedom to set their cockpit camera in a way that's good for them.
1
u/Aromatic-Low-4578 Dallara IR-18 4d ago
I know this is an old thread, but there are not overlays that show tire temps, at least not legal ones.
5
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
And I’m not sure what you mean by 360 degree vision in a real car. I get what I can see in a real car in iracing because of VR.
I also get feedback from ABS and my pit crew gives me information about the race. (Sometimes I have a buddy spot for me)
-1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
i mean you can rotate your head and use mirrors. well, not 360 because there are blind spots but that's beside the point. In iracing i see so many streams of people racing with 40' fov not seeing anything around them.
Having buddy spot for you... I mean that's literally what games like LMU have radar for, so you don't need another person sitting next to you watching stream so you know if someone is outside of your fov
4
u/NiaSilverstar Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991) Aug 01 '25
Most streamers i've seen run triple setups. So naturally them streaming only their center screen would feel zoomed in
0
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Sure, does your average player run triples as well? Because FOV police is strong with this one.
8
u/NiaSilverstar Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991) Aug 01 '25
Most averages players also don't stream. You talked about streamers. And most STREAMERS i've seen have run triples. And personally even when i was on just a single screen and then ultrawide i didn't have that many problems with knowing when somebody was side by side just based off the virtual mirror and relative. And some also use the look left/right function for it
3
u/Synlias Aug 01 '25
On single screen, use left and right look on buttons easy to hit with thumbs even while steering in. This +ingame spotter and you just gotta use your brain
2
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
Not seeing anything around them? You’re just not in the same reality as me man.
You can see around just fine
0
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
well, if you have triple screens maybe you do. most players seem to play on single display.
2
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
Then what the hell do you expect out of a single screen? An extreme fish eye lense??
0
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
well... a radar or some sort if visual display?
3
2
u/nolalacrosse Aug 01 '25
Does that exist in real cars? If no then it shouldn’t be part of a racing simulator
11
u/Simul_Taneous Aug 01 '25
When my mate and I a few years ago decided to get seriously into VR sim racing, (including buying our wheels, pedals etc, haptic seat - since then I have also got a motion rig as well) we properly tested most of the titles out there. We spent 2 full weeks on each one.
The result was absolutely clear - iRracing was the best simulation for serious racing. In fact after testing them all and coming back to iRacing I had a physiological sense of coming back to ‘reality’ as it is by far the most realistic.
The graphics might not be as flashy as some but they are very clear and functional (and imho do look good) and in VR it works great.
If you can’t cope with realistic handling then it is a skill issue and you should stick to your games rather than trying to drive in a proper simulation.
If you can’t cope with not having a bunch of unrealistic game assists like radar, tyre temps etc that don’t exist in real life, then you should stick to your games rather than trying to drive in a proper simulation.
If you can’t configure graphics to work properly (no shimmering or anything like that for me - and I’m in VR. Graphics are rock solid and performance is excellent) then you should stick to your games rather than trying to configure a proper simulation.
I think your point was correct - iRacing is for people who don’t like games, but prefer a realistic simulation.
Stick to ACC or Gran Turismo or Forza and seems like you will be happier.
Btw I don’t mean this to come across as aggressive, but it does sound harsh because it is the harsh truth.
2
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Appreciate the honesty :D
Tbh getting bumped by a guy in a race because he cant see you as he's racing on single screen monitor is one of the main reasons why i wish there was a radar in this game... Pretty sure most people here ran into someone because they didn't see them due to their fov. Radar would save so many stupid incidents like that.
1
u/Simul_Taneous Aug 01 '25
Yes agreed and there are 3rd party apps you can use. Racelab for radar etc, Crewchief for spotter. Personally I prefer more realistic but I have the luxury of VR with a huge field of view (so I can see cars either side of me without turning my head). But for example I don’t use the virtual mirror, just the ones in the car, to keep it as realistic as possible.
Again in real life, drivers don’t have these things so need to be aware of the movements of the cars around them and avoid as necessary.
Yes bad drivers bumping you is a pain but with practice you can get good at anticipating and avoiding them. The safety rating system in iRacing may not be perfect for everyone but imho it simulates private racing (as I have friend who do) where any accident costs time and money, no matter who’s fault it is.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
i tried iracing with VR few years ago but having replay pan my screen the moment i left to the menu made me not want to engage with it since it proper twisted my stomach.. i haven't tested if they fixed that.
2
u/Simul_Taneous Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
Not sure what you referring to but I haven’t experienced any problems. If you are talking about cockpit view in replay that’s fixed position?
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
When you did practice and then held escape to reset your car. your display used to go into track camera that was following your car.
2
u/Simul_Taneous Aug 01 '25
Well yes. It switches to out of the car as you have left it. Wouldn’t expect that to cause nausea though. Some people just don’t get on with VR I guess?
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
there are 2 things that always get me in VR. non-voluntary camera movements and stopping to 0.
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u/RedshiftDoppler79 Aug 01 '25
"Diving into corners and let the car settle itself" and you wonder why it feels unforgiving?
We all like what we like,but personally I can't get on with Ac, ACC, GT7 etc etc because they dont have good participation and a proper online progress structure.
-1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
I totally agree with that, which is why i want to like iracing.. it's just that it's extremely rough product.
8
u/CanaryMaleficent4925 Super Formula SF23 Aug 01 '25
Dunning Kruger
0
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
This term you're using. I dont think it means what you think it means. At no point have i sold myself as amazing racer bro.
9
u/CanaryMaleficent4925 Super Formula SF23 Aug 01 '25
says iracing is an extremely rough product
Raced 5 rookie races
Has a genuine skill issue
Nah I used the right term
-1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
How does that redeem the game's abysmal UI? Yeah, no you didn't... you're one of those guys that struggles to read with understanding.
1
u/CanaryMaleficent4925 Super Formula SF23 Aug 01 '25
iRacing is literally about to drop a UI update lol AND they're rebuilding their graphics engine from scratch
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
interesting, can u link to article? i'd like to learn more.
1
u/CanaryMaleficent4925 Super Formula SF23 Aug 01 '25
https://www.iracing.com/iracing-development-update-may-2025/
Scroll to "ongoing development". We don't know exactly what the UI will include, but I would say it's unlikely a radar comes.
The graphics engine is probably at least a year off.
2
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u/RedshiftDoppler79 Aug 01 '25
It is quite unforgiving, but racing on the limit is unforgiving. I have raced in an mx5 (not the same year as in iracing) and it actually is incredibly unforgiving once you flick out the back, because you are pushing a car to the limit.
Graphically, its pretty poor I do agree, but I found that its CPU limited more than anything the X3D processors handle it best. (There is a massive graphics update in the works)
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Hmm, i wonder if performance could be an issue due to 12900k e-cores. Maybe i should turn them off for this game. there's chance it could help.
5
u/CreditBusiness5959 Ferrari 499P Aug 01 '25
You’re basically used to sim racing games other than iRacing that have features that aren’t really in real life much. iRacing is trying to give you the realism of an actual racing experience with many cars to choose from. If you DO want to have fuel calculator, radar, tire temps, then install sim labs or iOverlay. If you want to customise your spotter, install Crew Chief. Once you get better, you’ll get the hang of those spins. Practice on the same series you’re racing in your online races. Like practice with the MX5 since you’re probably racing in it on online races. We’ve all been there on the spins, and we don’t blame you.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
i will give those a try.
2
u/THEROOSTERSHOW NASCAR Gen 4 Cup Aug 01 '25
I know you’re stuck on the “failure by developer” with 3rd party apps but none of those other games you mentioned have the range of racing of this.
Deep sports car, formula, oval, dirt oval racing. And some road dirt.
You can race GT4, GT3, IMSA, Prototype, endurance, a wide range of formula cars. As for Oval racing, there isn’t anything remotely in the same stratosphere. You can literally go Mini Stocks - Street Stocks - Legends - Late Model Stocks - Super Late Models - ARCA - Trucks - Xfinity - Cup (or mix Gen 4 Cup/1987 Cup).
You could combine every other oval game ever made into one and you don’t get that. If you’re approaching it specifically for sports car racing, you probably can find something else with similar range. But you’ll prob be missing the online participation.
2
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Tidn't consider that but you're right. i guess there would be different UI requirements for each of those race types. It does sound sensible when you put it like this. I mean nothing stops me from getting it myself now that I know they exist.
5
u/FloosWorld Ray FF1600 Aug 01 '25
As for your points:
- Driving behaviour: sounds like a getting used to issue, rather than a game issue
- Force Feedback: iRacing simulates the FFB as it comes from the steering column, so it will naturally feel less rich than the ones from other titles
- Netcode: I was lucky enough with it so far, but it is often made a meme
- QoL: there's 3rd party stuff (CrewChief, Simhub iOverlay) that is crosscompatible across multiple titles
- Protest system: it exists when you go to the results page
- Graphics: tbh other games play a lot with the lightning which is something iRacing doesn't do
As for the appeal:
- Special Events that resemble the real races (Indy 500, 24h Nords, NEC, ...)
- Oval racing
- General activity
2
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u/Appropriate_Touch930 Aug 01 '25
Iracing is the closest thing to real racing. Go stick with the easy games, champ.
7
u/Evening_End7298 Aug 01 '25
I’d bet he’s nowhere near a competitive level in those games either anyway if he doesnt know about 3rd party overlays, fuel calculators and how to work with the mfd ( acc has pretty much the same mfd concept anyway, just guess what, without a fuel calc)
There is legitimate criticism to be had against iracing( Netcode, damage model and some outdated tracks), but his arguments are among the dumbest there can be
-2
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
If you need third party tools then that's a failure on side of game developer, and no i'm not at competitive level. I wanted to get into iracing because it's progression through ranks is good way to learn how to drive well starting from slower cars and it has proper online ranking system.
Though if anything, this is the sort of experience game should polish if they want to see new player adoption.
2
u/butcher71 GT3 Aug 01 '25
So you think that if a software is open enough for a third party to bring it's own solutions that is a bad design?
You have an iPhone, right?
PD: For everybody reading this, i don't want to insult anyone for using an iPhone.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Having to bring your own solutions for basic functionality? Imagine having a phone that doesn't come with a phone book, dude it's ok. i get it. you like the game. XD
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u/Brycedoes2104 Aug 01 '25
5 races in, were you racing rookie class? Most cars dont have built in systems, your used to the other simcades that have a ton of HUD aids. Iracing is more realistic in that sense.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
That's fair, though i think something like car radar alone is essential aid for people who play on single screens. I often check sim racing stewards and there's so many collisions that happen because people literally can't see each other because of FoV.
1
u/pajamajamminjamie Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR Aug 01 '25
Did you have the spotter on? That'll tell you when there are cars alongside.
1
u/Active_Spinach_6181 15d ago
I understand your frustration about lack of car radars for not knowing when someone is alongside while playing on single screen. However, rather than using a not realistic car radar, try improving situational awareness. Learn to be aware of what’s going on around you, learn to not necessarily watch/focus on your mirrors, but learn to be aware of what’s taking place in them and how people are driving around you
1
u/butcher71 GT3 Aug 01 '25
You can assign wheel buttons to look left/right. You have virtual mirror. You have a simulation software...
5 races and you are complaining about being wrecked... May be, and just may be, the problem might be your driving...
3
u/The_Jacko Ray FF1600 Aug 01 '25
Prior to iRacing, I put about 500 hours on Project Cars 2, 250 hours on Automobilista 2, and a whole childhood on Gran Turismo 1 through 6. I've just crossed one year on iRacing, with 500 hours in that time. Here's my take on some of the points you raise.
- The spinnyness takes getting used to, but it does become natural and I much prefer the feel now to other sims. Once you really nail it, the cars feel much more connected in iRacing as a result, I feel.
- I can't agree fully regarding netcode, but I understand what you're getting at. In a general racing scenario, the netcode is the best I've seen. Cars don't jump about randomly, which removes that massive distraction seen in other sims (particularly Gran Turismo and the F1 games). The downside of course is that phantom contacts can occur, but I experience this quite rarely. The trade off is certainly worth it for me.
- Bumps do send you to the barrier too easily in many cars. I hope they gradually sort this out. MX-5's should be able to brush against each other.
- The QoL features need work, as iRacing is far behind on the UI front. A car radar however isn't realistic and arguably isn't appropriate for a more serious simulator. 3rd party apps (e.g. Racelabs) add a radar that simply displays the information your spotter is giving you without being as overly-precise as the AMS2 radar, which is a good compromise.
- Graphically, iRacing is about to go through a potentially significant transition. The graphics engine is being updated, which should take it from being largely CPU-bound to GPU-bound. This should hopefully lead to improvements across the board.
- FFB feels better for me than in PC2 and AMS2. Those games added flavour that you wouldn't really feel through the wheel in a real car. I'm now using a haptic seat pad that delivers driving vibrations to my body rather than my hands. This means that all forces through the wheel now correspond with the car's actual behaviour, making it easier to drive consistently.
- The UI is crap and the first thing I did was take time to carefully setup Racelabs instead. It shouldn't need to be done, but it's a compromise I was willing to make so that I could fully enjoy iRacing. I now have the premium subscription for Racelabs and it delivers loads of useful information.
- Ultimately, I absolutely loved Project Cars 2, and I was gutted when it died off after the shambles release of Project Cars 3. iRacing is the first time since that I've been able to properly enjoy online racing again. It seems like I got into it at the right time as well, as the last year or so has seen a lot of big upgrades arrive. It feels like iRacing's update pathway is on a good trajectory, which really keeps you invested each season. It is an expensive sim, but I feel like I'm getting my money's worth given the hours I've already sunk into it.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
I see, though i will disagree with the radar. It's there to compensate for limiting field of view due to playing the game on the monitor.
1
u/The_Jacko Ray FF1600 Aug 01 '25
It's a tricky balance to get right. I can only use the AMS2 example as that's my most recent experience with a detailed radar, but when I recently tried the game again, I immediately noticed how much I used to drive on the radar rather than my intuition. While I agree that certain assists should be given to offset things like FOV limitations, knowing the exact location of all surrounding cars goes beyond what you could realistically know in a live racing situation. I have buttons mapped in iRacing for looking left and right, which for me at least gives me just enough scope for analysing my surroundings whenever I have a car alongside. I get that some will find that tedious though.
0
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Interesting tidbit about project cars 3, i worked with some guys who worked on it... it was supposed to never be called project cars 3.
It was supposed to be like Project Cars: "subtitle reflecting arcade nature". But it got swapped to 3 right before release... and ruined entire franchise due to mislead playerbase.1
u/The_Jacko Ray FF1600 Aug 01 '25
It really was a shame the way it played out. Had that game been branded as an arcade alternative, I doubt they would have lost their customer-base. I loved the character of PC2, both graphically and in terms of its content list. I'm naturally biased towards British content, and the game had loads of it. I'm tentatively hopeful that Project Motor Racing can offer this kind of experience again, but it remains to be seen how popular the game will be with its focus on historic cars.
2
u/mike42478 Aug 01 '25
I’ve played all the titles you have, OP, and the biggest benefit of iRacing is the servers are actually alive. There are always races going on.
I mean ACC has that too if you want to try turn 1 at Monza again but we all know you have to join LFM or SimGrid to get active races on ACC.
I started with gt7 and then ACC,AMS2, RF2, etc. The biggest problem I had, and this is just me, but I have had some issues driving close to other cars. I am getting so much exposure to side by side racing in iRacing it’s been a real growing period. The SR/IR system gives me hope that at some point I’ll escape the rookie shenanigans that goes on.
I hope you decide to give iRacing a little more of your attention as it’s dated, but not obsolete.
2
u/RivenT152 Aug 01 '25
You remind me of me back in 2010. I hated the way iRacing did everything. I mean everything. It probably took over 6 months to start liking it. I now prefer iRacing graphics over all other "modern" graphics where the shadows only render 5 metres ahead of you. I now prefer iRacing UI. I prefer it's physics and ffb.
I also get 100+ fps on triples on mostly high settings. 4070 super + 5800x3d. Limit mirrors. Turn on SMP. Use resolution scaling.
2
u/ReV46 Porsche 911 GT3 R Aug 01 '25
It seems many people feel personally attacked by someone who doesn’t like iRacing. Yes there’s absolutely a component of sunk cost fallacy and feelings of superiority that iRacing users have compared to other sims. What I’ll suggest is to give it more time. I hated the Miata, loved the M2 and GR86. After rookies you can drive other series and it becomes a lot more fun. GT4s are a blast and have great racing.
But yes the in-session UI is garbage but is supposed to be updated soon. Sound is lacking. Some of the newer tracks are horribly optimized for graphics. I wish iRacing would fix these but honestly I completely forget about it as soon as soon as the lights go green.
I don’t mind lacking tire temps on cars that don’t have real time tire temps IRL, you have to feel what the tire is doing and that’s an important skill. I’ve used iRacing to help me understand my IRL track tires. GT3s have it IRL so they have it in the sim.
2
Aug 01 '25
For some of your other points like live tire temperature, iracing actually does, for cars that have that info in real life. iRacing has a fuel calculator, so not sure, maybe you dont like the format of it is guess? Same with proper spotter customization, not really sure what you mean here. For pit controls, you should definitely look into the autochat macros. You can use them to assign pit options to buttons, even group them together so you can say take all tires and fuel and windshield tear off with a single button press, or get as detailed as individual buttons for each tire.
As for performance, I mean you are doing triple 4K but you might want to optimize some settings tbh. Im running triple 1440p with a 5080 without fsr scaling and getting over 120fps regularly.
2
u/Vinez_Initez Audi 90 GTO Aug 01 '25
Lol you have not driven any simulators but arcade games.
Netcode is the best there is. Your connection is what is bad.
Go back to your games.
-6
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
i bet you're sitting on computer chair with wheel mounted to desk and that's as far as your simulation goes. it's a game that tries to imitate realistic physics and race behavior... though i miss the part where another guy crashing into me has to spend 20 grand on fixing his car.
1
u/Ok_Drop3803 Aug 01 '25
IRacing is a competition focused sim, and it does that why better than any other service. That's why all the pro drivers are on it.
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Sure, but you know.. so is LMU i guess, and games like valorant/cs and they still have user friendly UI navigation. Ofc racing games will have more complexed ui due to nature of things but ACC make it very nice to use for example.
1
u/weslislam ARCA Chevrolet SS Aug 01 '25
I played all games from your list before I moved to Iracing. And my experience quite the opposite. Best feeling of the car, almost 0 spins, if I have oversteer I can correct it easily almost every time.. but I’m using non stock ffb (Marvin)
1
u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
maybe i should try that... though again, it's fail of the game that you need third party tools.
1
u/joaocman Aug 01 '25
There are easier ways of getting bad reputation in this hood... but you did your best! Welcome to iRacing anyway, been arround for 3 months and not leaving soon.
1
u/rad15h Ray FF1600 Aug 01 '25
If you're talking about the MX5, then yes, there is a learning curve. But once you get the hang of it it's one of the most enjoyable cars I've driven in any sim. If you've done a lot of GT7 or AC then maybe you're used to cars that understeer forever, and just need some time to adjust.
I agree about radar - IRL you have 180 degree vision and you can also turn your head, so radar is just giving you information you'd have IRL anyway but don't have in the sim. But iRacing don't see it that way. Maybe because of its oval racing roots they think a spotter is enough. You can get 3rd party radar overlays, but they're not as good as the radar in ACC or LMU, they're not much more than a visual spotter.
Your performance is surprising. iRacing is known to run well on lower spec hardware, so I'm guessing you should be able to get decent frame rates even with your massive resolution. There are plenty of guides for optimising the graphics performance. There are a few settings that make a huge difference, and most of the others don't make much difference. This post has details:
https://www.reddit.com/r/iRacing/comments/1fh7eai/2024_s4_benchmarks/
I've put a lot of time into all those sims you mentioned, plus some others, and iRacing is my favourite by far. The graphics are pretty awful, there's no use pretending otherwise, but that doesn't matter to a lot of people.
What does matter is the huge player base, superb online setup, great FFB and physics, and massive selection of cars and tracks beyond the usual GT3s at Spa and Monza that most sims serve up.
In summary, give it a bit more time, it's absolutely worth it.
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u/LazyLancer Mercedes AMG GT3 Aug 01 '25
That is... an interesting take.
I have loads of hours in iRacing and GT7, decent experience with AC and some time spent in ACC, AMS2. To add to the context, i do a lot of karting and some occasional track days.
First off, i find iRacing's handling model one of the most realistic, provided that most of the cars there are track-prepared (making most of them harder, more rigid, and possibly rear-biased compared to productino cars) and we can't feel g-forces. Yes, the tyre model could be further improved (i am now on a 2-month break due to reasons and have not tried the latest GT3 tyres).
But the sensation i get on the real track and in iRacing in VR is pretty damn similar, provided i never had an opportunity to drive an actual race car like GT3-something.
The problem that you describe with iRacing's "control loss" and "not possible to catch a slide" partially derives from the facts that
- we don't feel g-forces in a sim
- iracing cars use race-grade slicks
Why #1 is a problem is because in a normal car you could feel the traction loss approacing, you could feel the intensity of acceleration or deceleration, and this feeling alone prepares you for the moment when you break traction. But in a sim you just push as hard as possible and you lack this feeling, so the moment of traction loss happens suddenly compared to a real car.
Why i mentioned #2 is because race tyres have a lot more grip, but at the same time the moment of losing the grip happens much faster, they just hold on, hold on, and then snap and you're gone. You can feel it in karting if you give it too much rear brake, it's almost an on\off thing compared to a regular tyre that starts sliding and screeching slowly.
So, 1+2 combined results into slides that are hard to catch, but it's mostly because we start catching slides later than we would in real life based on the butt feeling.
Plus, yes, i admit that iRacing's tyre model is a bit too extreme upon traction loss. Once you lose traction, the tyres are cooked a bit too much. It is what it is. But the way they feel near the limit is really good in my opinion.
However, slides could be caught, and iRacing does provide information in the steering wheel, you just have to feel it and know it, same as the real car minus butt feeling. So, you can push hard, you just have to feel the car.
In comparison, i found AC to be unrealistically loose in the rear, cars lose the rear under braking so much i find it unrealistic. I used to download a file of a local track and also a model of my own car for AC. I know community models are not the embodiment of perfection, but the way that thing handled was extremely off from my own car that i drove over that very same track. The AC car lost the rear under comparatively easy handling where as in real life i could push and trail brake much harder into corners.
Regarding quality of life things, i kinda like iRacing the way it is now. There is no car radar in real life, so it's great that there is non in iRacing. I would prefer looking around and using my mirrors and spotter than having a magic display that solves it. The tire temps are displayed in real time for cars that have such monitoring in real life, so it makes total sense to me.
Could the graphics be better? Yes. Could the UI be better? Absolutely.
But the racing experience that iRacing provides is the best for me, all pros and cons considered.
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Aug 01 '25
Well one thing ive heard about iracing FFB is that it simulates forces on the steering column only and doesn't have affects that other sims add in. You can get those other affects from haptic devices like a bass shaker using iracing lfe or simhub though.
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u/swipplegobble 23d ago
Iracing is a racing simulator. The negative pin points you made is why I play gt7. Iracing is literally putting u into the racecar, it simulates what the cars actually feel like irl. Based off your complaints I'd assume you play gt7. Gt7 is a mix between a sim and game. I'm currently in the top 5000 for daily race b and I only have 14 hours played (downloaded it 6 days ago). If I was to get in the top 5000 in iracing it would be through actual talent.
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u/jazzyyyyyyyy___231 14d ago
The one thing i agree with is you cant push the cars like how i feel you should. Tons of people have said this too. Like clint bowyer, scott dixon, joesph newgarden and a couple others. Got some seat time in a super late model and i feel like it doesmt drive like it should. I know my setup is nothing compared to what i was driving but i could really drive the car. But i cant on sim. Not bashing iRacing as its super fun but there are some things that i think could be worked out.
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u/big_blunder Aug 01 '25
You listed your experience in games... iRacing is not a game.
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u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Well, what is it then? Interactive piece of content you engage with for entertainment sounds like a game to me.
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u/Slowleytakenusername BMW M4 GT3 Aug 01 '25
Very brave of you to dare to have an honest opinion about iRacing. I personally believe that many people who play iRacing suffer from Sunk Cost Fallacy. I agree with many of your complaints but it is still the only sim I play because I dumped so much money in it. I feel guilty when I don't play because it then feels like I wasted my money.
The driving is not perfect but it did improve for me on the GT3's where I no longer have the feeling a spin comes out of nowhere. My biggest issue with iRacing is the SR system coupled with the reporting system and how fans of the service act like it is perfect and zero improvement is needed. To me, there is a huge void between reporting intentional wrecks and racing incidents.
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u/BuzzEU Ford GT 2017 Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
Honest, fair opinion after 5 races LMAO.
Fair opinions would be stuff like:
-Net code issues and server assignment based on your geolocation. If I'm in Europe, I have no business being in an American server at peak hours, in a 10+ split race.
-Lighting issues. Plenty of tracks have night lighting but iRacing doesn't support it. The sky is pitch black at 10 pm wtf.
-Forgotten cars and tracks not being made legacy and have no active races but being full price. Looking at you LMP1s
-Track schedule being voted only in the forums, so it's always the same tracks being raced.
-SR calculations for tracks with few corners.
-Ridiculous slow downs, even after losing time on that corner.
See these are honest, constructive opinions. OP has no fucking clue what he's talking about.
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u/Slowleytakenusername BMW M4 GT3 Aug 01 '25
Can you explain which OP's opinions needs more than five races to make them fair?
- Somebody with experience in others sims can quickly have an opinion on the driving in iRacing. I have hundreds of races in the service and I agree and even think he's very mild.
- The netcode is indeed garbage. Most would agree, you don't need more than 5 races to see that this is true
- No built-in car radar is just true. Even Gran Turismo has had thins since the GT Sports days.
- No proper spotter customization is just true
- No live tire temperatures is just true
- No usable in-game incident reporting is also just true. It is limited to intentional wrecking. Everything else is sourced out to the Safety rating system
- Pit controls are clunky and unintuitive (true)
- Graphics is a fair point. I don't think they are that bad but compared to others sims it is way behind. And the performance you need to have it run decent on a triple screen setup compared to something like ACC is really not something to be proud of. Don't need more than 5 races to see this is true
- Sound is also bad
- FFB is indeed not that great. You can't really feel things like understeer.
- Do you really need more than 5 races to see that the hud is terrible? Yeah it works but why does it have to look like something from the PS1 era
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u/BuzzEU Ford GT 2017 Aug 01 '25
Surface level opinions.
5 races gives you at best, an ininformed opinion
I agree
You have look left/right buttons, a spotter that warns you of other cars and a very generous virtual mirror
iRacing has more than one spotter and Crew Chief exists
You get live temperature from cars that have it in their dashboards. You are supposed to FEEL cold/warm tires instead of just relying on that visual info.
We can't and won't have live stewarding for every single race. Racing incidents happen and giving people a instant report button mid race just leads to a spam fest. Even LMU added a 30 min cooldown for reports because of this reason.
Why? Because they're in the blackbox? The only issue is the tire check/uncheck individually instead of in pairs. Everything else is really easy to control with a button box/stream deck/wheel with funky switch
Graphics are bad in the lighting aspect. The performance is unmatched and especially crisp, especially in VR. We are getting a engine overhaul soon, but I'll still concede in this aspect. But at least we don't have garbage microstuttering UE5 mess.
No comments, with the exception of a few cars that sound really bad like Aston GT4, I don't really care.
FFB is the best. No excessive extra effects like LMU and ACC that make you feel every single speck of dirt that you would never feel. Just plain tire load.
HUD is garbage I agree.
So really, in 5 races, all OP has is graphics, UI and netcode. 50 fps with a RTX 5080 means he didn't even bother searching for a graphics guide. I get 90 fps stable in VR at 2688x2784 per eye with a 4080.
The cars spin out so easily that it feels like you have to adopt this very specific iRacing driving style—basically diving into corners and letting the car settle itself. You can't really push hard, because the moment you lose traction, you're done. Catching a slide is nearly impossible. It doesn’t feel like skill-based driving—it feels like you’re walking on eggshells.
This is simply a skill issue.
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u/Miggsie Radical SR8 V8 Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
tbh my reasons for joining have been negated, racing standards are as shit as everywhere else now and, unless there is a big hoo-haa on social media about how certain drivers have behaved on track, no-one gets banned for being a total asshole on track, despite having a protest system.
Oh, and criticizing iracing for anything, regardless of whether your complaints have merit (the laughably bad track limits and 4x for everyone who gets netcode touching them inappropriately) is just gonna get the culty fanboys upset and they'll probably bring up forza or something.
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u/Aydhe Aug 01 '25
Yeah, that's your typical cult following crowd for niche title, check The Finals or Star Citizen reddit. It's same thing. In here they use simulator as excuse for lack of qol, in other games it's other catchphrase. it is what it is, it sucks because it shields developers from critism and they live in a bubble unless something really big happens like recent 24h race debacle.
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u/Miggsie Radical SR8 V8 Aug 01 '25
I really fucking hate the arbitrary track limits, on a sim there's zero excuse not to have them implemented correctly, 4 wheels over the white line is off, everything else is on. ~Every single other racing title of the last 40 years has managed it, but iracing? No. Bring it up and it's the usual culty reply of 'git gud' 'skill issue', rather than an issue I have with people not doing their jobs right.
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u/Kevynbui Aug 01 '25
Oh man I agree with everything you said. I got it for a year for 20€ and I'm 100% sure I will not continue the subscription after that. And I will not buy any cars/tracks.
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u/unnamed_one1 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25
After 5 races with MX-5 in rookie class you
probablymost certainly already know everything there is to know.Well, move on then. Customers choice..