Elliot Skeer, from iRacing forums, wrote a very interesting article to solve all those frequently asked questions that the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup may cause, especially for those who have certain doubts about whether to acquire the vehicle in question and participate in the Porsche eSports Series.
Wait so this is a GT3?
Yes and No. The car is modelled after Porsche’s 911 GT3, but it is not a GT3 spec racecar. This will not compete in the VRS Sprint series. This car is designed to be in a spec one-make series. It does not have TC/ABS like the GT3 spec racecars, it doesn’t have massive downforce, and it doesn’t have much in terms of setup adjustability. Those cars were designed with gentlemen racers in mind, this car was not. It is difficult to drive!
Woah I hit the brakes and red lights came on the dash! What are those for?
Lockup lights, they will come on when the car notices a certain percentage between the wheel speed and the GPS speed. The top left lights mean you’re locking a LF, Top right for RF. The bottom lights on the display will signal rear lockup in the exact same way. Unlike the GTE cars, the Cups only have one light per wheel for lockup, it does not mean the tyre has completely stopped spinning though.
Wow I must be locking up a LOT, there is no way these cars are this sensitive on the brakes, right?
These cars are not designed to be easy to drive, therefore it will take time to learn how to maximize the brakes. It took me more than a few days to become fully confident with the brakes in the real car, and that’s with the “seat of the pants” feel! The best trick I use with them is, if you’re not locking (or on the verge of) the rear tires in the initial brake hit, you will lock the fronts at apex. Don’t be afraid to be on the very limits of the brakes, Porsche designed these cars to find and groom their talent. Don’t expect to master the brakes in the first week.
I have left this bit the same as I feel it still rings 100% true, but I will say that NTMv7 is oversensitive to lockup. That goes into a larger thought below.
I don’t have that much overall grip and I keep snap oversteering, what should I do?
These cars have significantly less aero grip than a GT3 spec car. They should feel on edge in a corner above 3rd gear. Don’t be afraid to slide it a little, but don’t press it too far as there is not much room to recover! It’s a fine line to dance!
Once your braking is done, focus on rolling as much speed to the apex as possible. Literally let the car coast and keep as much weight on the front axle as possible. As soon as you are at apex get back to throttle hard! This car does not like maintenance throttle, as it will take weight and grip off the front tires, causing you to insert more steering angle (bad), and ultimately snap the car into a slide when you get back to the throttle (more bad).
If there is anything to take away from driving this car and into every other car, it is throttle discipline. The long coasts can feel like an eternity, but that is ok knowing it is worth it at the end. The goal is to decelerate to apex, then go 0-100% throttle, next to no in-between.
Also, its completely ok to let this car coast. I know a lot of people say that you should always be on the brake or throttle but Porsche’s are unique in the fact that they like coasting deep into corners.
Treat it more as a V8 Supercar than a GT3 spec car.
Wow, I was behind someone and I lost a lot of front grip but didn’t gain much in the draft, is that normal?
Yep, especially with the 991.2. This is a slippy car through the air, don’t expect to blow by someone in the draft, you’ll have to earn it in the brake zone. Also this car does produce a bit of downforce from high 4th gear up, so expect a little aero understeer when following close behind!
Lastly, does this feel realistic?
The always evolving question, and the hottest question as of late. My response would be absolutely yes, and absolutely no, in a range of ways.
In terms of the car itself, it is the best of any simulator on the market. Chassis flex, attacking kerbs, downforce/drag, bias adjustments, suspension feel, changes to setup, all feel the closest to the real car. How the differential reacts to instant throttle changes is correct, the car’s race-ability and feeling when inside the real car is there.
But as has been discussed by many real drivers, the tyre is leaving something on the table. When the cup car is loaded up mid corner, it feels right (think carousel at Road America, Pouhon at Spa, any corner where there is a constant load in one direction). The car has the correct amount of grip. Where I feel the problem lies is with the transfer or weight and the speed in which the tyres can release/accept loads.
In the real cup car, the driver is so confident with attacking the initial hit on the brakes, with the initial turn in’s and setting the weight with intention. On here, you have to give a longer time to let the same amount of load transfer, giving a feeling of having to drive incredibly smooth with no sudden changes.
So yes, the feeling of the car is correct, the way I approach driving the car is identical to that of the real car. But changes are required to be made in how I attack the car, taking in mind how sensitive the tire is on here.
See you on the track!
Interesting. These comments at the end echo what Nikki Thim says about iRacing. Seems to be the transition where the fault does lie as said since he has essentially the same comment about having to “treat iRacing like a lady” in terms of smoothness.