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great driving experience. It’s not blindingly fast, nor does it handle particularly well. So, what does it do?
The biggest factor that attributes to a great sim racing experience is relatability. This adds an extra degree of immersion and emotion, that is sorely missed when you’re driving a track in a country you’ve never heard of, in a car that you only learned the name of 5 minutes prior.
This relatability enhances the experience massively. Whether you’re driving your local track, your favourite race car you watched growing up, your dad’s sports saloon – or most favourably a car you own.
This is my Z4. I’ve driven it almost daily for the last 5 years. I’ve made great memories in this car, and have a deep sentimental attachment to it. I’ve learned how it drives, how far I can push it. I know this car, like the back of my hand, inside and out.
Sure there are a few minor differences. The steering wheel is a little too big. The radio doesn’t have a display, my hairdressing equipment is not present, and the steering feedback is a little too floaty. And most importantly the hot babes that can usually be found in the passenger seat are missing. But everything else is bang on. Even the gage cluster is realistic, showing all the flashing orange lights that I usually ignore. But, that’s only the beggining.
Of course, I’m a young…ish guy with a 2000s bmw, the first thing I had to test was oversteer. What else am i going to be doing in this car? And to say this experience was almost identical would be an understatement.
The car kicks into oversteer the exact same way the real version does, and rear end pendulums around just like it does in real life, due to the shoelike shape of the Z4.
And when you stop sliding around and actually get on the throttle, the power delivery is almost identical – with an early peak of torque which throws you back in your seat. And a late peak of power that really lets you string out every gear.
The car’s suspension geometry is also realistic, and the mod settles into turns in a familiar fashion, even the way you can see the front end pitch up under acceleration is identical. I was taken aback by this at first. I’d never had such a realistic experience in a simulator before. It was so… relatable.
Even watching a replay of my car being yeeted around the track evokes emotion. To you, it probably just looks like yet another assetto corsa video clip. But to me, it’s beautiful. That’s my car, being driven hard. A sight I’d never seen before. This mod has real world meaning to me. And, if every assetto corsa car was this realistic, I would be happy in the knowledge that perhaps sim racing isn’t as far from real life as some people make it out to be
However, I do have a few gripes with the mod. Firstly, the Z4 has a soft limiter, meaning you can’t bang it off redline which you can in the mod. Secondly, this gen of BMW’s, even the sportier ones are drive by wire, meaning there’s no physical connection between the pedal and engine. This results in a slightly delayed throttle action, which ins’t present in the mod. But really, I’m just nitpicking now.
So if you’re ever getting tired of sim racing, try racing something more relatable. Perhaps hotlapping around your local track, maybe try driving your parent’s sports saloon. Or, even try racing a racecar you loved growing up. It truly makes for a far greater experience. Just like this video does, in which I teach you everything you could possibly need to know about driving slow cars, like my z4 fast.
That’s why sitting in this virtual version for the first time, was such a surreal experience, even if it is wrong hand drive.
Hit the like, and maybe even subscribe button if you enjoyed the video!
MY SIM RIG:
Cammus Wheel Base https://bit.ly/3xMlRBi
Fanatec Shifter
Fanatec CSL Elite Loadcell Pedals
Heusinkveld Handbrake https://heusinkveld.com/shop/shifters-handbrakes/new-sim-handbrake/
GTLite https://nextlevelracing.com/products/gt-lite/
Gloves https://amzn.to/3ua0PtG
Monitor https://amzn.to/3ERjNKQ
Oculus https://amzn.to/3kEc0Yr
GTX 1080 https://amzn.to/3CPbcGm
i5 8600k https://amzn.to/3i8x2gb
16GB DDR4 https://amzn.to/3ujkozV
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