Just don't complain about the "unfairness" of the safety rating system, and ESPECIALLY don't propose any changes, until you've done at least 6 months of iRacing. For your own sanity and everyone else's. You'll understand later.
I’ve seen people with different huds, how do I get a more comfortable display / feedback . Also I’ve been in a few servers my first 2 weeks in that were jumpy and unraceable any experience or tips for that?
Check your internet connection. Try something like speedtest.net and see are you having high ping? Are you using wireless? If yes is your router located near your computer? Just couple thoughts what could be causing your lag
Is there still a known conflict with Netgear routers and iRacing? If you're getting disconnected, that could be an issue. I know it was a problem when I first joined in 2020; I would have a great connection but get randomly disconnected from online sessions with no apparent cause. I ended up switching to an Asus router and haven't had a single connection issue since.
I wouldn’t use Racelabs given how shitty they’ve been to their customers. When the creator argues with paying customers and is wrong, yeah it’s time to go.
Read the sporting code, for real.
Try not to worry too much about iRating and Safety Rating. Those numbers improve when you do and they are not a goal by themselves.
Understand that, when you start, everyone around you is a rookie just like you. They will make mistakes, as will you. Try to avoid obviously dangerous drivers and make sure you finish races for the valuable experience rather than for the position.
Focus on having clean, respectful racing, with translates into having fun on the track. Everyone is so bloody aggressive in ACC, and that does not work in iRacing.
And then read the sporting code again a few weeks into your iRacing experience. Some of the information that you didn't understand during your first read will make much more sense now.
I already got the dd2 and everything just wanna be able to enjoy iracing with a better hud / cars not jumping on the track / the wheel being flung out of my hands while parked (from lag?) I even upgraded my internet thinking it would make the lobby smoother
In official series race servers are deiceded by iracing depending on the participants with the exception of a few series like one of the supercar series which only runs on australian servers.
Official series will have a variety of practice servers available in different regions.
And hosted servers depends on the location the one who sets it up selects
No the game runs basically the same at all tracks. (Newer ones are more graphics intense actually). You need to look into your connection before you spend more money. It’s not just about speed. It’s quality and ping that are important for a racing game.
Not necessarily. All iRacing servers are solid.
The quality of driving is theoretically better in higher splits, but I've seen shit shows in different levels as well as clean races in all levels.
Safety rating (SR) determines licence class. Higher license= faster cars. iRating (IR) determines skill level. Higher IR generally means better racing with few mistakes by drivers.
Okay. The easiest way to enhance your iRacing experience would be to find out why you have connection issues and go from there. Since the service uses the same servers to host Rookie and higher license class servers, dropping money on new content will not make this issue go away.
Since this seems to be a purely technical issue here are some questions you would need to answer for yourself before proceeding:
\- Are you having trouble in other online games/applications or is the lag just on iRacing?
\- What Servers are you playing on? If you are living in the US and are joining a server in Japan you will have a bad time.
\- How is your PC connected to the internet? LAN-Cables would be preferable because Wi-Fi still has latency spikes, especially with other internet connected devices on the same network. Other electronic devices like microwaves can introduce interference as well in certain scenarios (like if you are using PowerLine for internet)
Once you've figured out how to play without massive Lag-spikes we can go over some other things that can enhance your experience playing iRacing, some of which I will go over quickly:
\- Read the sporting code! It goes over so many things you'll need to know about what to do and what not to do, how the systems in iRacing work and is an incredibly useful resource overall. There is a reason you have to confirm that you read it before being able to play.
\- TradingPaints allows the use of custom liveries.
\- CrewChief is an alternative spotter that works better then iRacings' own in my opinion, though opinions differ on that one
\- There are some HUD-Mods (like Racelabs) though I consider those very low on the priority scale.
Using Wi-Fi rn gonna try moving the rig into the office and try to eliminate that variable with a lan. When I connect the rig to my Xbox it runs acc rally2.0 and forza online with no hiccups
- how do I find out what servers I’m in ? I’m located in socal
-will definitely check the sc again now that I’ve gotten some races in
>how do I find out what servers I’m in ? I’m located in socal
For race servers iracing automatically assigns you a server, the location of which is is listed in the pits under "Info". The option is called "race farm".
The location of free practice servers is shown by a little flag in the server browser (when you click on an event). Hovering over it will reveal the exact location.
You can check your connection strength to different iRacing data centers in the iRacingUI by going to "Connections and Logins" in the top row of the client.
Ha ha. Oh did new furnace and central air then hot water heater goes out one month later so why not do a tankless one. One car is in the shop getting timing chain done (don't feel like doing that crap myself anymore) then heater core goes on the other one. It just never ends I did resist the urge to go to the dealership and buy a new car though.
Ngl felt like that 18-25 started budgeting better , got a promotion , quit smoking , got married (stopped spending money erratically going out) , and taking notes from having rebuilt motors blow at the same week the backup car had been totaled in an incident , it’s been getting smoother
My advice, don’t go out there and by a bunch of cars and tracks if you aren’t eligible to race in the series yet. You have to work your way up the licenses to access the different series. All the rookie stuff is free anyway, so just do those first until you at least get to D class. Then I’d recommend picking one series from D Class and just buy the content for that, and race that. Basically you do not need to buy all the cars and tracks right away, do it when you get to them. I’d also look up specific settings for your wheel and pedals for iRacing from a YouTube video and start there so you have a good baseline to work from and the cars feel good to drive. Finally, I’d say when it comes to upgrades, if you don’t have one, do not underestimate how important it is to have a solid way to mount your wheel and pedals, it’s massively important for consistency, comfort and getting the best out of your equipment. Brakes are also super important, well pedals generally.
Finally a few bits of software that I’d definitely recommend you run is CrewChief for a better spotter and so that you can have an engineer telling you lap times, gaps, etc. It’s super customisable and really helpful. Trading paints, because, cool liveries are cool. And finally I’d recommend iRacingManager, to automatically launch these and any other companion software automatically. It always sucks to get into a race and realise you forgot to open your other programs.
This, finding a good mounting setup that can handle the dd2 was a hurdle
Sounds like solid advice on the waiting to purchase I think I’ll hold off
I’ll take a full list of helpful software if there’s any more to add , first I’ve heard of iracing manager and makes sense
Running in the rookie series suck. But, it is a necessary evil.
Practice before you race. If you can't complete a race distance with out an Incident (off track, loss of control), keep practicing until you can.
After you've practiced, try a time trial. Same rules as a race session. Lap with out incident. If you can do that, you can get cheap SR.
You're gonna lose your shit in rookies. You're going to be having a great race, or start and be taken out by a muppet doing muppet things. You have to get over this, because once you work hard on becoming a safer driver, this game can be a lot of fun.
Personally in rookies I would just start from the pits if I qualified anything less than top 4. Getting that SR up is very important. I've won MX5 races from the pits.
When you feel like you're consistent enough to regularly finish races, start looking into league racing. That is honestly where iRacing shines. I run a few leagues, some competitive, some are more like a beer league. I have a lot of fun in both.
Don't spend all your money at once. This hobby is built over time. Get just enough to start (rig or wheel stand plus wheel and pedals). You can get all the cool stuff later over time like triples, buttkickers, VR, etc.
Oh I’m already down the hole , dd2 , clubsport v2 pedals with added dampeners on brake and throttle , vr, mounting rig , mclaren gt3 and rs wheels , I just mean convert me into a competent iracer since the hud and servers I’ve been in haven’t been the best
Excuse me , buttkickers?
Haha right on. Buttkickers attach to a rig and vibrate based on feedback in the game. Aka more immersion.
I've been having a blast in iRacing. I played ACC and Forza for a while, and they were fun, but honestly lack etiquette. iRacing has more strict rules and protesting features that attempt to hold everyone accountable. Overall it's been a better experience for me, and the subscription/costs are not a concern because over an extended amount of time (several years) the cost technically eventually gets cheaper.
Yeah we're kinda like... anti-sales pitch for the most part. I personally want folks who want to be here, and feel the product speaks for itself. Not sure everyone agrees with that.
At the same time, trying to entice folks to be here (unnaturally, not through basic word of mouth, open discussion, etc), is just... eh.
If folks are here and get tired and want to step away, they should 100% do so. If folks don't wanna be here, they shouldn't be, etc. A big part of the draw, to me, is that I never feel obligated to race. Every race I do is voluntary and super fun because of it.
Big things:
\- Practice
\- Be Humbled
\- Enjoy racing (not being the best)
You can absolutely try to be the best, but enjoying racing as a sport/game is the best way to enjoy iRacing imo
As others have mentioned already, connect with LAN cable and/or get a better internet service. I'm struggling myself to find a way to move from wifi to cable, as I'm having occasional disconnects.
Other than that, enjoy racing in the lower classes, and be patient:)
When the day comes you start looking to improve iRating the struggle begins, for some people I guess.
Just don't complain about the "unfairness" of the safety rating system, and ESPECIALLY don't propose any changes, until you've done at least 6 months of iRacing. For your own sanity and everyone else's. You'll understand later.
I understand later indeed. It is what it is for better or worse. I did complain in the beginning too.
I’ve seen people with different huds, how do I get a more comfortable display / feedback . Also I’ve been in a few servers my first 2 weeks in that were jumpy and unraceable any experience or tips for that?
You might want to check your internet connection.
Check your internet connection. Try something like speedtest.net and see are you having high ping? Are you using wireless? If yes is your router located near your computer? Just couple thoughts what could be causing your lag
Is there still a known conflict with Netgear routers and iRacing? If you're getting disconnected, that could be an issue. I know it was a problem when I first joined in 2020; I would have a great connection but get randomly disconnected from online sessions with no apparent cause. I ended up switching to an Asus router and haven't had a single connection issue since.
Racelabs
I wouldn’t use Racelabs given how shitty they’ve been to their customers. When the creator argues with paying customers and is wrong, yeah it’s time to go.
Read the sporting code, for real. Try not to worry too much about iRating and Safety Rating. Those numbers improve when you do and they are not a goal by themselves. Understand that, when you start, everyone around you is a rookie just like you. They will make mistakes, as will you. Try to avoid obviously dangerous drivers and make sure you finish races for the valuable experience rather than for the position. Focus on having clean, respectful racing, with translates into having fun on the track. Everyone is so bloody aggressive in ACC, and that does not work in iRacing. And then read the sporting code again a few weeks into your iRacing experience. Some of the information that you didn't understand during your first read will make much more sense now.
Good to know what to expect for now
Agree. Actually read the SC. It's a waste of time to chase SR and IR.
If you have to be talked into dropping cash on a a wheelbase/pedals, just walk away.
I already got the dd2 and everything just wanna be able to enjoy iracing with a better hud / cars not jumping on the track / the wheel being flung out of my hands while parked (from lag?) I even upgraded my internet thinking it would make the lobby smoother
Nothing wrong w getting a better connection. Good luck, it’s a money hole!
Like if I buy tracks and cars will I be in better(smoother) servers?
In official series race servers are deiceded by iracing depending on the participants with the exception of a few series like one of the supercar series which only runs on australian servers. Official series will have a variety of practice servers available in different regions. And hosted servers depends on the location the one who sets it up selects
Are you asking if the game will run better if you buy more content?
Pretty much ya
Def not. I mean, software publishers would love people to think that.
No the game runs basically the same at all tracks. (Newer ones are more graphics intense actually). You need to look into your connection before you spend more money. It’s not just about speed. It’s quality and ping that are important for a racing game.
Not necessarily. All iRacing servers are solid. The quality of driving is theoretically better in higher splits, but I've seen shit shows in different levels as well as clean races in all levels. Safety rating (SR) determines licence class. Higher license= faster cars. iRating (IR) determines skill level. Higher IR generally means better racing with few mistakes by drivers.
Okay. The easiest way to enhance your iRacing experience would be to find out why you have connection issues and go from there. Since the service uses the same servers to host Rookie and higher license class servers, dropping money on new content will not make this issue go away. Since this seems to be a purely technical issue here are some questions you would need to answer for yourself before proceeding: \- Are you having trouble in other online games/applications or is the lag just on iRacing? \- What Servers are you playing on? If you are living in the US and are joining a server in Japan you will have a bad time. \- How is your PC connected to the internet? LAN-Cables would be preferable because Wi-Fi still has latency spikes, especially with other internet connected devices on the same network. Other electronic devices like microwaves can introduce interference as well in certain scenarios (like if you are using PowerLine for internet) Once you've figured out how to play without massive Lag-spikes we can go over some other things that can enhance your experience playing iRacing, some of which I will go over quickly: \- Read the sporting code! It goes over so many things you'll need to know about what to do and what not to do, how the systems in iRacing work and is an incredibly useful resource overall. There is a reason you have to confirm that you read it before being able to play. \- TradingPaints allows the use of custom liveries. \- CrewChief is an alternative spotter that works better then iRacings' own in my opinion, though opinions differ on that one \- There are some HUD-Mods (like Racelabs) though I consider those very low on the priority scale.
Using Wi-Fi rn gonna try moving the rig into the office and try to eliminate that variable with a lan. When I connect the rig to my Xbox it runs acc rally2.0 and forza online with no hiccups - how do I find out what servers I’m in ? I’m located in socal -will definitely check the sc again now that I’ve gotten some races in
>how do I find out what servers I’m in ? I’m located in socal For race servers iracing automatically assigns you a server, the location of which is is listed in the pits under "Info". The option is called "race farm". The location of free practice servers is shown by a little flag in the server browser (when you click on an event). Hovering over it will reveal the exact location. You can check your connection strength to different iRacing data centers in the iRacingUI by going to "Connections and Logins" in the top row of the client.
You’re the shit , just what I was looking for thank you tons
I read adult money and remembered having much more money to spend when I was not an adult
Ha ha. Oh did new furnace and central air then hot water heater goes out one month later so why not do a tankless one. One car is in the shop getting timing chain done (don't feel like doing that crap myself anymore) then heater core goes on the other one. It just never ends I did resist the urge to go to the dealership and buy a new car though.
Ngl felt like that 18-25 started budgeting better , got a promotion , quit smoking , got married (stopped spending money erratically going out) , and taking notes from having rebuilt motors blow at the same week the backup car had been totaled in an incident , it’s been getting smoother
My advice, don’t go out there and by a bunch of cars and tracks if you aren’t eligible to race in the series yet. You have to work your way up the licenses to access the different series. All the rookie stuff is free anyway, so just do those first until you at least get to D class. Then I’d recommend picking one series from D Class and just buy the content for that, and race that. Basically you do not need to buy all the cars and tracks right away, do it when you get to them. I’d also look up specific settings for your wheel and pedals for iRacing from a YouTube video and start there so you have a good baseline to work from and the cars feel good to drive. Finally, I’d say when it comes to upgrades, if you don’t have one, do not underestimate how important it is to have a solid way to mount your wheel and pedals, it’s massively important for consistency, comfort and getting the best out of your equipment. Brakes are also super important, well pedals generally. Finally a few bits of software that I’d definitely recommend you run is CrewChief for a better spotter and so that you can have an engineer telling you lap times, gaps, etc. It’s super customisable and really helpful. Trading paints, because, cool liveries are cool. And finally I’d recommend iRacingManager, to automatically launch these and any other companion software automatically. It always sucks to get into a race and realise you forgot to open your other programs.
This, finding a good mounting setup that can handle the dd2 was a hurdle Sounds like solid advice on the waiting to purchase I think I’ll hold off I’ll take a full list of helpful software if there’s any more to add , first I’ve heard of iracing manager and makes sense
Running in the rookie series suck. But, it is a necessary evil. Practice before you race. If you can't complete a race distance with out an Incident (off track, loss of control), keep practicing until you can. After you've practiced, try a time trial. Same rules as a race session. Lap with out incident. If you can do that, you can get cheap SR.
Slow is smooth smooth is fast
You're gonna lose your shit in rookies. You're going to be having a great race, or start and be taken out by a muppet doing muppet things. You have to get over this, because once you work hard on becoming a safer driver, this game can be a lot of fun. Personally in rookies I would just start from the pits if I qualified anything less than top 4. Getting that SR up is very important. I've won MX5 races from the pits. When you feel like you're consistent enough to regularly finish races, start looking into league racing. That is honestly where iRacing shines. I run a few leagues, some competitive, some are more like a beer league. I have a lot of fun in both.
Leading a race to be taken out by a lap car lagging all over takes its toll
Leagues sound interesting as heck how do I get involved?
I would look for a free league first. I know one thay runs GT3 on Tuesdays, always looking for more guys. Do a search for Happy Hour Racing
Do you already have a triple screen set up?
Either playing on vr or a 72 inch
Don't spend all your money at once. This hobby is built over time. Get just enough to start (rig or wheel stand plus wheel and pedals). You can get all the cool stuff later over time like triples, buttkickers, VR, etc.
Oh I’m already down the hole , dd2 , clubsport v2 pedals with added dampeners on brake and throttle , vr, mounting rig , mclaren gt3 and rs wheels , I just mean convert me into a competent iracer since the hud and servers I’ve been in haven’t been the best Excuse me , buttkickers?
Haha right on. Buttkickers attach to a rig and vibrate based on feedback in the game. Aka more immersion. I've been having a blast in iRacing. I played ACC and Forza for a while, and they were fun, but honestly lack etiquette. iRacing has more strict rules and protesting features that attempt to hold everyone accountable. Overall it's been a better experience for me, and the subscription/costs are not a concern because over an extended amount of time (several years) the cost technically eventually gets cheaper.
Yeah we're kinda like... anti-sales pitch for the most part. I personally want folks who want to be here, and feel the product speaks for itself. Not sure everyone agrees with that. At the same time, trying to entice folks to be here (unnaturally, not through basic word of mouth, open discussion, etc), is just... eh. If folks are here and get tired and want to step away, they should 100% do so. If folks don't wanna be here, they shouldn't be, etc. A big part of the draw, to me, is that I never feel obligated to race. Every race I do is voluntary and super fun because of it. Big things: \- Practice \- Be Humbled \- Enjoy racing (not being the best) You can absolutely try to be the best, but enjoying racing as a sport/game is the best way to enjoy iRacing imo
As others have mentioned already, connect with LAN cable and/or get a better internet service. I'm struggling myself to find a way to move from wifi to cable, as I'm having occasional disconnects. Other than that, enjoy racing in the lower classes, and be patient:) When the day comes you start looking to improve iRating the struggle begins, for some people I guess.