iRacing 2021 Season 4 Update Released

iRacing 2021 Season 4 Update 01.jpg
2021’s iRacing Season 4 update has been released, and highlights include new cars and tracks along with expanded AI capabilities.

iRacing's latest season update has brought several new pieces of content for purchase. The Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), Hickory Motor Speedway, and Hungaroring have all been released.

In addition to the new content, iRacing’s growing AI implementation has taken a large leap forward by now optionally allowing AI cars to fill grids in hosted sessions. iRacing also added AI support to five additional cars and eleven additional tracks.

The damage model in iRacing has also been updated to include a "No Damage" mode that allows cars to heal damage instead of ending the session prematurely.

The addition of the Ferrari 488 Evo was perhaps the worst kept secret in racing outside of the signing of George Russell. Word of the new GT3 car had leaked early, but it didn’t stifle the excitement surrounding the new car. The same car in Assetto Corsa Competizione has become a popular choice across the field of GT3 cars, and many sim racers enjoy the balanced driving characteristics of the Ferrari. The improvements found in the Evo versus the previous 488 GT3 likely won't wow many drivers, but the updates should bring improved stability.

iRacing 2021 Season 4 Update 02.jpg


The new Porsche Cup car brings updated visuals and performance to the ubiquitous sim racing vehicle. The visual changes are comparatively subtle, as is expected from Porsche for new 911 models, but the performance changes should amount to about a 1% improvement over the outgoing Cup car according to the German auto manufacturer.

The new Hickory Motor Speedway, and Hungaroring circuit are both now available and AI ready. Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in North Carolina, and should be a fun place for bumper-to-bumper action. Hungaroring is Hungary’s most famous race course, and host to both Formula One and GT3 racing most notably, with countless other race series also including it in their calendar.

The season build notes are long, as we’ve come to expect from iRacing, so you can see them under the following spoiler.

2021 Season 4 Release Notes [2021.09.07.02]



iRacing 2021 Season 4 is here! This release adds the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), Hickory Motor Speedway, and Hungaroring Circuit to iRacing! We have added the ability to add AI Opponent Rosters to Hosted Racing, enabling you to fill-out the event with AI Drivers to ensure a full grid and increase the competition. The “No Damage” Mode has been updated to a new “healing” damage mode which allows for more realistic physics and collisions without any of the race-ruining permanent damage. The SCCA Spec Racer Ford and Street Stock have both received an artwork overhaul and have had the New Damage Model enabled. Road tires have also been added to ALL cars in the service - you may now run ANY car at ANY track! And finally, 16 new pieces of content are AI-ready, including five new vehicles and eleven new track configurations. Welcome to iRacing 2021 Season 4!





Season highlights include:

Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)

Hickory Motor Speedway

Hungaroring Circuit

Hosted AI Racing

New “Healing” No Damage Mode

Art Overhaul for SCCA Spec Racer Ford and Street Stock

New Damage Model for SCCA Spec Racer Ford and Street Stock

Road Tires for ALL Vehicles

AI Racing for Five New Cars (Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), Super Late Model, Supercars Ford Mustang GT, Supercars Holden ZB Commodore)

AI Racing at Eleven New Track Configurations (Bristol - Dual Pit Roads, Bristol - Single Pit Roads, Concord Speedway, Five Flags Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, Hungaroring Circuit, Mount Panorama Circuit, Myrtle Beach Speedway, Phillip Island Circuit, Red Bull Ring - North, The Bullring)





Visit our 2021 Season 4 features page here: https://www.iracing.com/2021-season-4/



Full 2021 Season 4 Release details are below.







iRACING UI:

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AI Racing in Hosted Racing

A new feature has been added to Hosted Racing: the ability to utilize AI Racing and AI Opponent Rosters!

- - Hosted Sessions now include the ability to add an AI Opponent Roster to the Hosted Session. This allows the Session Host to bring in AI Opponents to fill-in unclaimed entry spots for the Hosted Session, ensuring a full racing grid, and allows for multiplayer AI Racing. This feature may also be used in Hosted League Sessions!

- - You can see if a Hosted Session is utilizing an AI Opponent Roster by an “AI” icon on the Session, or by checking the Summary screen for the Session. During the Session and in the Race Results, AI Drivers are indicated with an [AI] tag, or a robot icon.

- - While a Hosted Session is running with AI Drivers, the AI Drivers are processed on the Session Host’s machine. This means the AI Drivers will share any connectivity issues experienced by the Session Host. This also means if the Session Host disconnects, the AI Drivers will disappear from the event until the Session Host rejoins.

Some notes about setting up AI Hosted Sessions:

- - Only Hosted Sessions that utilize AI-enabled content may enable AI Opponent Rosters.

- - Team events may not be created.

- - Heat Racing Events may not be created.

- - The “Avoid Me” option is available in the form of “Avoid Players”. This has also been updated in offline AI Racing.

- - The Session host may edit a pending Hosted Session that includes an AI Opponent Roster.

Some notes about AI Opponent Rosters:

- - An AI Opponent Roster of any size and makeup can be used for a Hosted Race.

- - AI Hosted Sessions can utilize an existing AI Opponent Roster, or one can be generated while the Hosted Session is being created.

- - When an AI Opponent Roster is enabled when creating a Hosted Session, the default number of AI Opponents to include in the Session is equal to half the size of the selected Opponent Roster, or half the amount of Grid Stalls, whichever is smaller.

Some notes about Registering the AI Opponents for the Session:

- - AI Opponents enter the Session and fill grid slots as soon as the Session Host Joins the Session. To ensure all desired Humans are able to join a Session, the Host should Register for their Session, but wait to Join until the very end of the Registration time - otherwise, AI Drivers may fill slots that could be instead taken by Humans.

- - Before the Session Host clicks to Join their Session, the Session Host can select the amount of AI Opponents that should join with them when they click their Join button via a slider next to the Join button. This could be any number from zero to the full AI Opponent Roster!

Sorry, AI Drivers may not have Protests filed against them!

Visit our AI informational page here: https://www.iracing.com/ai-racing/



Heat Racing

Resolved an issue in the Heat Racing Wizard where clearing numeric inputs was sometimes causing the page to crash if some specific settings were already set during session configuration.



Paint Shop

The following new sponsors have been added to the iRacing Paint Shop:

- - Sim Racing Studio

- - Vertagear

The following sponsors have been removed from the iRacing Paint Shop:

- - Craftsman

- - iRacing TV



Achievements

Fixed an issue where achievements that use a progress tracker could display completion amounts with an incorrect decimal position, displaying results far greater than the actual value.





MEMBERSITE:

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Account

You are now able to download and/or print a receipt for any iRacing purchase, including Hosted Sessions.

- - To do this, go to the Account section, then open “My Order History” at the top of the window. Then, click on the order number that you are interested in to see the invoice. Finally, click the “Open Printer Friendly Version” link at the top-right of the invoice - you may either Print or Save As a PDF version.



Cart

You are now able to toggle the “Use iRacing Credits” option while in the shopping cart.

- - While you are still able to update this option in the “Preferences” section of the My Account page, you can now toggle the “Use iRacing.com™ Credits and Dollars towards my subscription & car/track purchases” option while in the Cart during the checkout process.

- - When in the cart, if you’d like to toggle the use of your iRacing Credits and/or Dollars towards the cart purchase, simply click the checkbox to change it’s toggle state before moving forward with processing the order. When clicked, a pop-up window will prompt you to confirm this preference change - Click “OK” if you accept. The cart page will then refresh and the iRacing Credits and/or Dollars preference change will be applied and your purchase total price will be updated to reflect this change. Finally, you can then finish the checkout process.

- - - - Remember, toggling this preference will be applied towards all future purchases of subscription time and content purchases until it is changed again.



Support

We have continued to grow our support team and are now offering limited support services during weekends. We know this is a popular time to be racing and we want to help keep you on the track! We will do our very best to answer all critical issues.





SIMULATION:

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Team Racing

Fixed a bug that could cause a driver to be flagged as "unofficial" in a Team Racing event that uses the Declare Team Drivers feature.



Heat Racing

Fixed a bug in Heat Racing with Closed (Lone) Qualifying Sessions where a specified number of drivers were set to be advanced directly to the Feature. The bug prevented anyone from participating in the Qualifying Session, skipping all Heat and/or Consolation Sessions, and only allowing the specified drivers to run in the Feature.



Dirt Racing

The formula for determining the grip levels of a dirt track based on water content has been updated. Dry slick is now a bit more grippy.



Dirt Oval Racing

The dynamic track data for Dirt Ovals has been improved to prevent an uncharacteristic washboard-effect that could occur on straights.



AI Racing

AI Racing is now available in Hosted Sessions!

- - The Session Host may create a Session including an AI Opponent Roster, and bring some or all of them into the event with them! Read the section above for more details, or visit our AI informational page here: https://www.iracing.com/ai-racing/

AI Racing is now available for the following vehicles:

- - Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020

- - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)

- - Super Late Model

- - Supercars Ford Mustang GT

- - Supercars Holden ZB Commodore

AI Racing is now available for the following tracks:

- - Bristol - Dual Pit Roads and Single Pit Roads

- - The Bullring

- - Concord Speedway

- - Five Flags Speedway

- - Hickory Motor Speedway

- - Hungaroring Circuit

- - Mount Panorama Circuit

- - Myrtle Beach Speedway

- - Phillip Island Circuit

- - Red Bull Ring - North

AI Drivers have improved their skills with the following vehicles:

- - Audi RS 3 LMS

- - GT3 Class Cars

- - Dallara F3

- - Dallara P217

- - Formula Vee

- - Global Mazda MX-5 Cup

- - GT4 Class Cars

- - Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

- - Kia Optima

- - NASCAR Cup Series Class Cars

- - NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series Class Trucks

- - NASCAR Xfinity Series Class Cars

- - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991)

- - SCCA Spec Racer Ford

- - Skip Barber Formula 2000

- - Street Stock

- - USF 2000

- - VW Jetta TDI Cup

AI Drivers have improved their skills at the following track configurations:

- - Talladega Superspeedway

- - Red Bull Ring (ALL)

- - WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

AI Drivers have completed their 2021 Season 4 Curriculum, including the following classes:

- - Engine Revving and Other Ways to Look Wicked Cool

- - Fitting-In: Pacing Order

- - Targeting and Tracking for Type-C Non-Military Drones

- - Dr. Junior’s Oval Racing Check-Ups

- - Risk & Reward - The High-Stakes Game of Pit Timing

- - Practical Applications for the Hazard Handbook

- - Red-Light Green-Light: How a Children’s Game can Improve Your Racing

- - A Theory of Relative Speed and Maneuvering

- - Three-Wide Nightmares and Other Scary Stories

- - Instructional Program File: #FFFF00 U+2691

- - Sophomoric Single-File Tactics

- - Draft or Pass? A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure by Brent Saunders

- - Improving Your Rolling Starts with this One Simple Trick!

- - SCI-119 Lateral Spacing and Transitions

- - Upgrading Your Pit Team’s Consistency for Garages & Backfires: 5th Edition

- - Brake so You don’t Break

- - Measuring Vehicle Space Using the Patented “Dirt Midget to Big M8” Scale

- - Vehicle Anatomy - Preventing Dangerous Contact

A wide variety of AI Vehicle parameters have been updated, including:

- - Tire degradation

- - Tire heat calculations

- - Brake cooling

- - Tire outer surface convection

- - Conduction rate of the tire carcass

- - Heat conducted from tires to the ground

- - Heat generated from the bending of the tire carcass

- - - - These changes should result in AI Vehicles having slightly increased tire grip.

Fixed an issue where disqualified AI Drivers would remain on the grid for eternity. They now remove their vehicles from the track, and go on to live prosperous lives.



Damage Modeling

The “No Damage” mode has been updated for improved interaction with collisions.

- - This damage mode now allows the simulation to execute full vehicle damage, allowing the physics to perform accurately for more realistic collisions. Then, after the crash has settled and a very short duration, all vehicle damage is immediately repaired. This alleviates impossible physics behaviors that could occur under the previous system which utilized some indestructible and non-pliable objects. These changes should make vehicle collisions more realistic and predictable, even when racing with damage disabled.

- - This system operates when using either the original damage model or the New Damage Model.

A new system message is now displayed when the Simulator is using any damage model other than normal damage.

Fixed a long-standing bug where player wheels would sometimes pass through opponent cars and/or their wheels.

- - This fix should significantly improve the consistency for car-to-car interactions for all cars.



New Damage Model

Fixed an issue where wheel damage forces were sometimes getting applied in the incorrect direction and angle.

Fixed an issue where removable car parts from other vehicles were showing up in Lone Practice Sessions.



Tires

Road course tires have been updated for NASCAR vehicles, including:

- - ARCA Menards Chevrolet Impala

- - NASCAR 1987 Series Cars

- - NASCAR Cup Series Cars

- - NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series Trucks

- - NASCAR Xfinity Series Cars

- - [Legacy] NASCAR Cup Series Cars

- - [Legacy] NASCAR Nationwide Chevrolet Impala - 2012

- - [Legacy] NASCAR Truck Chevrolet Silverado - 2008

- - [Legacy] NASCAR Xfinity Series Cars

NASCAR vehicles will utilize road course tires at Mount Washington Auto Road. Dirt tires will continue to be used at all other Dirt Oval and Dirt Road track configurations.

- - This change affects the following vehicles:

- - - - ARCA Menards Chevrolet Impala

- - - - NASCAR Cup Series Class Cars

- - - - NASCAR Gander Outdoors Class Trucks

- - - - NASCAR Xfinity Class Cars

- - - - [Legacy] NASCAR Cup Series Cars

- - - - [Legacy] NASCAR Nationwide Chevrolet Impala - 2012

- - - - [Legacy] NASCAR Truck Chevrolet Silverado - 2008

- - - - [Legacy] NASCAR Xfinity Class Cars

Road course tires will now be used by all vehicles when the vehicle does not have any other appropriate tire type to be used when loaded onto a Dirt Oval or Dirt Road track.

- - This fixes some loading errors that could be received because a selected car/track combination is not really intended to be run, but we no longer wish to deny our users this type of fun.



Pit Stop

Fuel leaks are now always fully repaired during pit stops - no exceptions. They are also fully repaired before refueling begins. This update affects the following vehicles:

- - Aston Martin DBR9 GT1

- - Audi R18

- - Audi R8 LMS

- - BMW M4 GT3

- - BMW M4 GT4

- - BMW Z4 GT3

- - Cadillac CTS-V Racecar

- - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1

- - Chevrolet Corvette C7 Daytona Prototype

- - Dallara P217

- - Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020

- - Ford GTE

- - Ford GT GT2/GT3 (GT3)

- - HPD ARX-01c

- - Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

- - McLaren 570s GT4

- - McLaren MP4-12C GT3

- - Mercedes-AMG GT3

- - Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR

- - Porsche 911 R GT3

- - Porsche 919

- - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)

- - Ruf RT 12R (Track)

- - [Legacy] Ferrari 488 GT3

- - [Legacy] Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991)

- - [Legacy] Riley MkXX Daytona Prototype - 2008

Severe engine leak damage is now repaired instead of forcing the car to be retired for all open-wheeled cars. This update affects the following vehicles:

- - Dallara F3

- - Dallara iR-01

- - Dallara IR18

- - Formula Renault 2.0

- - Formula Renault 3.5

- - Formula Vee

- - Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

- - Lotus 79

- - McLaren MP4-30

- - USF 2000

- - Williams FW31

- - [Legacy] Dallara DW12

- - [Legacy] Indycar Dallara - 2009

- - [Legacy] Pro Mazda

Body panel and steering damage repair characteristics have been improved for the following vehicles:

- - Audi R18

- - Audi R8 LMS

- - BMW M4 GT3

- - BMW M8 GTE

- - Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE

- - Ferrari 488 GTE

- - Ford GTE

- - Ford GT GT2/GT3 (GT3)

- - Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

- - McLaren MP4-12C GT3

- - Mercedes-AMG GT3

- - Porsche 911 RSR

- - Porsche 911 R GT3

- - Porsche 919

- - [Legacy] Ferrari 488 GT3



Spotter

Spotter messages have been updated to indicate the following warnings:

- - Coolant temperature is high.

- - Oil temperature is high.

- - Tire tread is low.

Spotter messages for the Italian Renzo A. Olivieri and Marco Arcidiacono spotter packs have been updated.

- - Many thanks to Renzo and Marco for their efforts to maintain these packs!



Pace Car

For tracks with separate pit entry and pit exit lines, the Pace Car now exits the pits immediately, instead of driving a full loop around pit lane first.

- - This should fix the unique track-line seen at Lanier National Speedway.



Rendering

A new Graphics Option has been added: Static Steering Wheel.

- - Previously, cars with displays built into the steering wheel were not removed from the world when the “Hide Steering Wheel” option was enabled. Now, all steering wheels regardless of type will be removed when this option is enabled.

- - Now, if a user wants a steering wheel with a display to remain while removing other steering wheels, enable the Static Steering Wheel option.

- - The following vehicles are affected by this new option:

- - - - Audi R18

- - - - Dallara F3

- - - - Dallara iR-01

- - - - Dallara IR18

- - - - Dallara P217

- - - - Formula Renault 2.0

- - - - Formula Renault 3.5

- - - - Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

- - - - McLaren MP4-30

- - - - Porsche 911 RSR

- - - - Porsche 919

- - - - Supercars Ford Mustang GT

- - - - Supercars Holden ZB Commodore

- - - - USF 2000

- - - - Williams FW31

- - - - [Legacy] Dallara DW12

- - - - [Legacy] Indycar Dallara - 2009

- - - - [Legacy] V8 Supercar Ford Falcon - 2009

- - - - [Legacy] V8 Supercar Ford FG Falcon - 2014

- - - - [Legacy] V8 Supercar Holden VF Commodore - 2014

The environmental reflections inside of car cockpits have been improved when HDR rendering is enabled.

In the Graphics Options menu, selecting Low Quality Shaders no longer disables the ability to select Low Quality Trees.

SpeedTree's runtime performance and memory usage have both undergone further optimization. These changes affect the Mount Washington Auto Road.

Fixed an issue where loose car parts on cars that were not the camera focus were rendering over the top of everything when close to the focus-car’s cockpit. This also fixes an issue where loose car parts could disappear in mirrors when a car was close.

Fixed an issue where dynamic cube maps were not rendering at a proper rate when set to a value of one.



Lighting

Fixed an old issue where small track side objects were not picking up the correct light intensities from stadium lights.



Visual Effects

The overall duration in which smoke lingers has been increased.

The look of smoke effects at night have been improved.



Audio

Curb and rumblestrip noises have been improved.

Sawtooth curb sounds for open-wheel exterior camera views have been improved.

For LFE devices, the bass shaker wheel slip rumble has been reduced when driving on dirt.



Environment

Environment effects have been updated for a variety of tracks.



Camera

Improved camera controls to fully support analog joysticks, instead of treating them as buttons.

The show camera tool mode now closes when the Simulator exits.

The free-view camera has been updated so that Ctrl+Z is now a hotkey for bringing up the camera modifications window for the current camera as long as it is outside of a car.

Cameras now stay attached to their base platform instead of falling off the car when you take over control of them.

- - A new variable, “mouseAimRemainOnPlatform=1” has been added to the [CamTool] section of the “app.ini” file. Setting this value to 0 will restore the previous behavior where the camera would fall off the car when you take control.

- - A new variable, “mouseAimUpdateOnExit=0” has been added to the [CamTool] section of the “app.ini” file. Setting this value to 1 will restore the previous behavior where the camera’s position and orientation would be updated when closing the mouse aim mode.

The free view camera now supports holding down the center mouse button to allow for moving the camera along the X/Y plane. The mouse scroll wheel adjusts the camera along the (vertical) Z-axis.



Replays

The Save Replay dialog box now displays the file size of Replays already saved to disk.

A new setting, “DefaultChatReviewState=0” has been added to the [Replay] section of the app.ini file.

- - This setting may be manually adjusted to a value of 1 to request that the Replay/Session screen defaults to playing voice chat from the point of time being reviewed in the replay. This state can be manually toggled by clicking on the headset icon in the Replay controls area. The headset blinks red when voice chat is being played from the replay, and gray when still connected to a server and listening to live voice chat.



Garage

The garage no longer prompts to save setup changes if you’re attempting to exit without having modified the setup in any way.



Options

Helper notes have been added to the LFE sliders.



Telemetry

New session string telemetry variables that output information on the gears in your transmission have been added.

- - DriverInfo:DriverCarGearNumForward: - Number of forward gears (0-8)

- - DriverInfo:DriverCarGearNeutral: - 1 if car has a neutral gear, 0 otherwise

- - DriverInfo:DriverCarGearReverse: - 1 if car has a reverse gear, 0 otherwise

New telemetry variables have been added:

- - “SteeringWheelMaxForceNm” displays the value of the maximum force slider.

- - “SteeringWheelUseLinear” displays the value of the “Use Linear” checkbox found in the Simulator Options Screen.



Controllers

The latest Fanatec API has been integrated.



Peripherals

Help text has been added to the various peripheral API's available in the settings dialog.



Sporting Code

The Sporting Code has been updated.

- - You can find the latest version here: https://ir-core-sites.iracing.com/members/pdfs/20210831-iRacing-Sporting-Code_dated_Aug_30_2021.pdf





CARS:

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ARCA Menards Chevrolet Impala

For the New Damage Model, the tire sidewalls and tire tread properties for this vehicle have been differentiated. This should improve tire impacts and reduce the tendency for wall-climbing.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Aston Martin DBR9 GT1

iRacing setups have been updated.



Audi 90 GTO

iRacing setups have been updated.



Audi R8 LMS

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Vehicle minimum weight has been reduced by 5 kg

Aerodynamic downforce has been increased slightly.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

Fixed an issue where the rear wing angle range was incorrect.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Audi RS 3 LMS

iRacing setups have been updated.



BMW M4 GT3

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

New engine and backfire sounds have been added.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.

Fixed an issue with the tooltip information for the rear wing angle adjustment range.

iRacing UI renders of this vehicle have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



BMW M4 GT4

Tire construction parameters have been updated.

Aerodynamic model data, mapping, and pitch limits have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



BMW M8 GTE

Vehicle minimum weight has been reduced by 5 kg.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.



BMW Z4 GT3

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.



Cadillac CTS-V Racecar

Tire parameters have been updated.



Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT1

iRacing setups have been updated.



Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE

Vehicle minimum weight has been increased by 5 kg.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.



Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

Tire parameters have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Dallara F3

iRacing setups have been updated.



Dallara iR-01

iRacing setups have been updated.



Dallara IR18

Road tire construction parameters have been updated.

The pit road speed dashboard now takes priority over low fuel, low oil pressure, and other red warning gauges.

The driver helmet used by drivers in this vehicle has been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Dallara P217

Some parameters have been adjusted for the repair of the engine, wheels, and body panels.



Dirt Midget

Collision parameters around the wheels and perimeter of the vehicle have been updated to prevent car-to-car overlaps and clipping.



Dirt Modified

(ALL) - Collision parameters around the wheels and perimeter of the vehicle have been updated to prevent car-to-car overlaps and clipping.



Dirt Sprint Car

(ALL) - Tire construction parameters and tread pattern have been updated.

(ALL) - Collision parameters around the wheels and perimeter of the vehicle have been updated to prevent car-to-car overlaps and clipping.

(ALL) - Banished a mysterious floating shadow that could be seen above some drivers in this vehicle during Replays.

(ALL) - iRacing setups have been updated.



Dirt Sprint Car Non-Winged

(ALL) - Center-of-gravity has been raised slightly.

(ALL) - Tire construction parameters and tread pattern have been adjusted.

(ALL) - Rear suspension geometry has been adjusted.

(ALL) - Collision parameters around the wheels and perimeter of the vehicle have been updated to prevent car-to-car overlaps and clipping.

(ALL) - Opponent car parameters have been updated so they better match the real vehicle.

(ALL) - iRacing setups have been updated.



Dirt Street Stock

Fixed an issue with spinning mudplugs.



Dirt UMP Modified

Collision parameters around the wheels and perimeter of the vehicle have been updated to prevent car-to-car overlaps and clipping.



Ferrari 488 GTE

Aerodynamic drag has been reduced slightly.

Vehicle dashboard lighting has been updated.

The driver’s feet are now animated while driving this car.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020

NEW CAR!

- - A new road car, the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, is now available!

- - - - The Ferrari 488 GT3 was already one of the Prancing Horse’s most successful sports cars of all time, but continued evolution is a hallmark of the brand’s continued success across all forms of racing. Such is the mindset that birthed the 488 GT3 Evo, a reworked version of the car that features a longer wheelbase, new engine management system, additional driver comforts including a new seat developed with Sabelt, aerodynamic adjustments, and more. The result is a proven GT3 platform that has taken the next steps towards further glory in the world’s biggest sprint and endurance championships.

- - Add the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 to your digital garage by purchasing it from the iRacing Store, here: https://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/CarDetail.do?carid=144



Ford Fiesta RS WRC

Vehicle center-of-gravity has been adjusted slightly to reduce the likelihood of roll-overs in tight corners.

Fixed an ambient occlusion mapping issue on the steering wheel.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Ford GTE

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.



Ford GT GT2/GT3

(GT3) - Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

(GT3) - Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

(GT3) - Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

(GT3) - ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

(GT3) - Gear ratios have been adjusted.

(GT3) - Vehicle minimum weight has been reduced by 15 kg

(GT3) - Aerodynamic downforce has been increased slightly.

(GT3) - Range of differential preload has been increased.

(GT3) - Minimum front spring rate has been increased to 210 N/mm (1200 lbf/in).

(GT3) - Steering has been adjusted to improve feel and provide a greater sense of handling control.

(GT3) - Traction control settings have been updated.

(GT3) - Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

(GT3) - Fixed an issue where the aerodynamic balance was incorrectly being reported as 4% too high.

(GT3) - Fixed an issue where the rear wing angle range was incorrect.

(ALL) - iRacing setups have been updated.



Ford Mustang FR500S

Tire parameters have been updated.

Brake bias setup range has been increased.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Formula Vee

The minimum allowable fuel capacity for this vehicle has been reduced to 0.1L.

A new iRacing setup has been added for the Mount Washington Auto Road - Downhill configuration: soapbox.

Tire textures have been updated to reduce visual color bleeding when using white-wall tires at far camera distances.

Dashboard switches are now animated.

Paint Shop model has been updated.



Global Mazda MX-5 Cup

Cockpit textures have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



HPD ARX-01c

On-board engine and gear-shift sounds have been improved.



Indy Pro 2000 PM-18

iRacing setups have been updated.



Kia Optima

Tire parameters have been updated.

Brake bias setup range has been increased.

Shift lamp RPMs have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

Fixed an issue where the rear wing angle range was incorrect.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Lotus 49

Tire parameters have been updated.

A variety of vehicle parameters have been updated including: suspension geometry, aerodynamic properties, gearbox parameters, and differentials.

Mirrors have been adjusted slightly.

Shadows cast by the driver have been updated.

A more dynamic delivery of engine sounds based on throttle inputs and engine load has been enabled.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Lotus 79

Tire parameters have been completely updated.

Cold tire pressure limits have been adjusted.

Adjustable camber ranges have been expanded.

Tire level-of-details have been adjusted so the highest quality LOD is always visible while in the cockpit.

A more dynamic delivery of engine sounds based on throttle inputs and engine load has been enabled.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Lucas Oil Off Road Pro 2 Lite

Animated driver and pedals have been updated.



Lucas Oil Off Road Pro Trucks

(ALL) - Animated driver and pedals have been updated.



McLaren 570s GT4

Tire construction parameters have been updated.

Aerodynamic model data and mapping have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Differential drive ramp angle has been increased to reduce axle spin at corner exit.

Aerodynamic downforce has been increased slightly.

Steering speed has been reduced slightly to better match the other GT3 class car updates. Mechanical trail has been added to compensate for the associated loss in steering weight.

Traction control settings have been updated.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

Fixed an issue where the aerodynamic balance was incorrectly being reported as 4% too high.

Fixed an issue where the rear wing angle range was incorrect.

iRacing setups have been updated.



McLaren MP4-30

iRacing setups have been updated.



Mercedes-AMG GT3

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Front roll center height has been increased.

Rear bump steer has been reduced.

Aerodynamic balance has been shifted forward slightly.

Brake pressure bias range has been shifted up 10% to allow for higher settings. The adjustment increment has also been updated to 0.25%.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

Fixed an issue where the rear wing angle range was incorrect.

Fixed an issue where the traction control positions were reversed.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Modified - SK

(ALL) - Tire properties have been updated.

(ALL) - Front hub mass has been adjusted.

(ALL) - iRacing setups have been updated.



NASCAR 1987 Class Cars

Some engine parameters have been updated based on newly found data.

Final gear ratios have been made slightly shorter.

Dirt tires have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



NASCAR Cup Series Class Cars

Fixed a strange frequency issue with some of the engine audio samples.

iRacing setups have been updated.



NASCAR Gander Outdoors Class Trucks

Shocks have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



NASCAR Next Gen Class Cars

Throttle must now be lifted for upshifting and manually blip is now in place to assist with downshifting.

Pit stop animations for tires have been updated to match the new tire design of this vehicle.

Fixed an issue with tooltip information.

iRacing setups have been updated.



NASCAR Xfinity Class Cars

Shocks have been updated.

Rear springs are now set at 450 lb/in while running at Superspeedway tracks.

Fixed a strange frequency issue with some of the engine audio samples.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Nissan GTP ZXT

Tire parameters have been updated.



Pontiac Solstice

(ALL) Tire parameters have been updated.

(ALL) iRacing setups have been updated.



Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR

Tire construction parameters have been updated.

Aerodynamic model data and mapping have been updated.

Vehicle minimum weight has been increased by 2.50 kg.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)

NEW CAR!

- - A new road car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), is now available!

- - - - New for the 2021 Porsche Supercup season, the latest generation of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car builds upon an existing and successful framework to create the next era of top-notch racing in Porsche’s premier global one-make racing series. Kicking up the horsepower to 510 in its 4.0-liter flat-six powerplant, 25 more than its predecessor, the latest 911 GT3 Cup features improvements to chassis construction, aerodynamics, suspension, and safety features, and can be run on synthetic fuels for the first time. Do you have what it takes to master the machine and become the next great Porsche champion?

- - Add the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) to your digital garage by purchasing it from the iRacing Store, here: https://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/CarDetail.do?carid=143



Porsche 911 RSR

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.

Vehicle minimum weight has been increased by 5 kg.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Porsche 911 R GT3

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Torque has been reduced slightly.

Aerodynamic drag and downforce have been increased slightly.

Vehicle minimum weight has been increased by 2.50 kg.

Front-end geometry has been updated to reduce pitching through braking zones.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Porsche 919

The amount of MGU-H harvesting has been increased by 1.9 kW.



Radical SR8

On-board engine sounds have been improved.

iRacing setups have been updated.



SCCA Spec Racer Ford

A full artistic update has been completed on this car!

- - The SCCA Spec Racer Ford, inside and out, has been brought into the modern age of computer artwork with a brand new high-fidelity model, high-definition textures, new paint patterns, and improved render settings!

- - The SCCA Spec Racer Ford is part of the default iRacing content. As such, all users have received this upgrade completely for free.

The New Damage Model is now enabled for this vehicle!

Rev-matching restrictions have been removed in order to allow users to downshift sooner.



Silver Crown

iRacing setups have been updated.



Skip Barber Formula 2000

Chassis texture has been updated to 4K resolution.

Tire wheel rim textures have been updated.

A variety of driver animations have been updated for both body types.



Street Stock

A full artistic update has been completed on this car!

- - The Street Stock, inside and out, has been brought into the modern age of computer artwork with a brand new high-fidelity model, high-definition textures, new paint patterns, and improved render settings!

- - The Street Stock is part of the default iRacing content. As such, all users have received this upgrade completely for free.

For the New Damage Model, a variety of re-balancing has been performed to optimize and upgrade this vehicle’s damage states.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Subaru WRX STI

iRacing setups have been updated.



Supercars Ford Mustang GT

Car repair times have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Supercars Holden ZB Commodore

Car repair times have been updated.

Fixed an issue with the driver’s foot and pedal animation.

iRacing setups have been updated.



Super Late Model

Tire parameters have been updated.

iRacing setups have been updated.



USF 2000

Fixed an issue where the left sidepod could appear in the incorrect position at certain camera distances.



VW Beetle

iRacing setups have been updated.



VW Beetle Lite

Allowable garage camber and inflation ranges have been adjusted.

iRacing setups have been updated.



[Legacy] Dallara DW12

iRacing setups have been updated.



[Legacy] Ferrari 488 GT3

With this season release, this vehicle is joining our Legacy content.

- - This vehicle name has been prepended with the [Legacy] distinction.

- - All customers who purchased this vehicle within the past two years will receive $11.95 in iRacing Credits as a refund.

- - This vehicle’s purchase price has been reduced to $2.95.

Tires have been updated for the GT3 class. You can expect different limit feel and degradation behavior. Grip will be slightly lower on cold tires, peak after a few laps, and then drop noticeably before holding steady until the tires are heavily worn.

Temperature sensitivity and wear are now enabled on the clutch for this vehicle.

Minimum cold tire pressures have been increased to 21.5 psi (148 kPa) to bring operating hot pressures closer to real life.

ABS control has been adjusted slightly. Proportional gain has been increased. More aggressive pressure cuts now allow the system to converge on target slips more quickly.

Engine torque has been increased in mid RPM range

Aerodynamic drag has been increased slightly.

Vehicle differential has been adjusted.

Coast side locking has been increased by a ramp angle change.

The driver’s feet are now animated while driving this car.

Vehicle cockpit has received some artistic updates.

Imperial toe adjustment values in the garage are now displayed as 0.000 in.

Tooltip text for rear wing angles has been updated.

Fixed an issue where vehicle damage was incorrectly increasing downforce.

iRacing setups have been updated.



[Legacy] Mazda MX-5 Cup & Roadster - 2010

(Roadster) - Fixed an issue with a missing headlight in the interface model.



[Legacy] Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991)

With this season release, this vehicle is joining our Legacy content.

- - This vehicle name has been prepended with the [Legacy] distinction.

- - All customers who purchased this vehicle within the past two years will receive $11.95 in iRacing Credits as a refund.

- - This vehicle’s purchase price has been reduced to $2.95.



[Legacy] Pro Mazda

Tire parameters have been updated.





TRACKS:

--------------------------------------------------------------

Atlanta Motor Speedway

(Oval) - Track surface parameters have been adjusted.

Grass area at Turn 3 has been removed.

Fixed an issue with grandstand shadows at Turn 4.



Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari

Patched some terrain seams.



Autódromo José Carlos Pace

Some dirt staining has been reduced.



Autodromo Nazionale Monza

(Grand Prix) - Pit lane checkpoints have been improved.



Bristol Motor Speedway

(Dual Pit Roads and Single Pit Road) - Track surface parameters have been adjusted.



Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans

Fixed an issue where some brake markers at the end of the Mulsanne Straight did not correctly reflect light at night.



Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Some dirt staining has been reduced.



Darlington Raceway

Track surface parameters have been adjusted.



Daytona International Speedway

Adjusted the visual popping that could occur on some track light poles at certain distances and rendering settings.



Dover International Speedway

Track grip has been reduced slightly.



Hickory Motor Speedway

NEW TRACK!

- - A new asphalt oval, Hickory Motor Speedway, is now available!

- - - - Before NASCAR’s biggest names first shone under the bright lights of Charlotte Motor Speedway, many of them found their first successes elsewhere in North Carolina. The city of Hickory plays home to the World’s Most Famous Short Track, Hickory Motor Speedway, a .363-mile asphalt bullring that has welcomed racers and fans through its gates for more than 70 years. From its early days since opening in 1951 as a half-mile dirt oval to the current day, Hickory’s fastest drivers have had what it takes to win at racing’s highest levels. Ralph Earnhardt had five track championships in those early days, while Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett also scored titles at Hickory early in their Hall of Fame careers. While the track would eventually be reconfigured multiple times before taking its current shape, the quality of names on track remained the same, with legends like Jack Ingram and Harry Gant earning titles of their own later on. For much of its history, Hickory played host to what is now known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and it even hosted nearly two decades of NASCAR Cup Series racing before the 1972 schedule shift that consolidated the division. Nowadays, it’s a premier circuit on the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series map, and a crucial part of multiple Super Late Model series’ calendars.

- - Add Hickory Motor Speedway to your digital landscape by purchasing it from the iRacing Store, here: https://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/TrackDetail.do?trkid=414



Hungaroring Circuit

NEW TRACK!

- - A new asphalt road course, Hungaroring Circuit, is now available!

- - - - Conceived in the mid-1980s, placed just outside of Budapest, and built in a rapid eight months, the Hungaroring became the host of the first-ever Formula 1 event in eastern Europe in 1986 when it welcomed the inaugural Hungarian Grand Prix. Originally, organizers had wanted a street circuit, similar to Monaco; while a permanent circuit became the eventual choice, the track features a number of tight and challenging corners that make it polarizing among drivers. In its more than 30-year history, the track has crowned two Driver’s World Champions and four Constructor’s World Champions at its events. It’s also the site of numerous firsts, including four first-time F1 winners and the first drivers from both Hungary and Poland to compete in the series. The Hungaroring has also added various sports car, touring car, motorcycle, and open wheel feeder series to its portfolio along the way, with a regular premier touring car event supplementing the schedule for more than a decade.

- - Add Hungaroring Circuit to your digital landscape by purchasing it from the iRacing Store, here: https://members.iracing.com/membersite/member/TrackDetail.do?trkid=413



Iowa Speedway

Track surface properties have been updated.



Mount Washington Auto Road

A new set of iRacing Awards is now available for earning exclusively from activities at the Mount Washington Auto Road! These awards are brand new, and may not be applied retroactively based on your event history at the Mount Washington Auto Road.

The physics properties of the dirt section have been updated.

Track wear properties have been updated to reflect the point-to-point nature of this track.

- - The asphalt sections of the track accumulate much less rubber over the course of an event. The dirt section of the track is worn away much less, even with maximum track usage.

Our professional Rock Gnomes have been hard at work and they have updated all rocks along the sides of the track surface. This means both that all visible rocks now have proper collision, and you will no longer find any invisible rocks on your journey up or down the mountain.

Smoothed a pair of severe bumps; one at mile marker 3 and another on the up-hill side of the bridge.

Fixed some issues with some signs disappearing as a camera approached them.



Oulton Park Circuit

Some cone placements have been updated and should make viewing the chicane turn-in point a bit easier.



Phoenix Raceway

(ALL) - Track surface properties have been updated.

(ALL) - Asphalt textures on the apron have been adjusted to better match where the seams are.



Twin Ring Motegi

(Grand Prix & East) - Fixed an issue where Barney was waving his flag through the wall.



[Legacy] Phoenix Raceway - 2008

(Rallycross) - Gain-time checkpoints have been updated to prevent course cutting.

Have you tried any of the new content or features? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

Really love the new iteration of the GT3 tyre model.
I speed nearly 500 hours last year for the digital Nordschleifen Langstrecken Series together with Maro Engel, Dirk Müller, Daniel Morad and Nico Bastian.
The new iteration is much more stable in highspeed and easier to get an understanding of what the tyre does, when you go over the limit.

In the earlier versions, as soon as you dropped over the limit of the tyre the grip broke of instantly, which resulted in very snappy handling where you need to have the muscle memory to be fast enough to catch the car in the right moment.
Now, it is way more forgiving and you've "more time" to catch the car, since the grip falls off after reaching the maximum amount of grip, isn't that harsh anymore.

Also this iteration interacts much better with the suspension, because of the increased stiffness of the tyre.
You can actually make the suspension work more efficient, since the tyre interacts less as a small damper, which was an issue in the last iteration for us in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

In general iRacing got more accessible over the last two years, but is still more appealing to people with higher end hardware than ACC in comparison.
(This is no bashing if you've questions about it, feel free to ask)
 
Considering the new tyre model is drastically different from the last version and reality doesn't change, does that mean the old model was unrealistic or is the new model unrealistic?
It's not a question of if it's unrealistic, but how much.
 
I edited my first comment for further informations about that topic. Basically a realistic, usable and controllable slipangle was not existent in iR before nmtv7. I would also recommend those 2 videos for better understanding :) :


But, isn't the new tire model only for gt3 / 79 and other cars?
I dont see any change to the F3 tires on the release note
 
Premium
I've been playing with the Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO on the edge, dialing in my tactile wheel slip effect that lets me feel when my car is just starting to slip in back or front, but before it has lost control. I've also been going into and recovering from slides.

By definition iteration based physics modeling means each new model will be more complex than the previous one and take something new into account and continue to improve.

As it is there are many cars that I've been able to stay on the edge of adhesion and slide a bit and recover. But YMMV.
 
Just do it it is wonderfull!!! I rarely saynthis ;)
It really is a massive improvement ovee the old car.. And that's coming from someone who literally adores the old thing.
The following video from the Porsche Club of America gives us a very good overview of all the changes made in the underpinnings of the machine.
[
]
 
Last edited:
I edited my first comment for further informations about that topic. Basically a realistic, usable and controllable slipangle was not existent in iR before nmtv7. I would also recommend those 2 videos for better understanding :) :



Tyre slip angles can't be measured from chase or overhead views of cars in motion; telemetry is required. iRacing do not make tyre slip angle data or the channels needed to compute it directly available in their telemetery stream, unlike some other sims such as LFS and rFactor2. It is possible to compute slip angle estimates from telemetry channels that iRacing do provide, when combined with certain car data.

Nagai Naoya's YouTube video (top video) is visually comparing car yaw angles. Tyre slip angle and car yaw angle are different measures and are frequently confused in sim racing forums.

Danny Lee's video defines slip angle correctly in the overhead camera views, but it is still not possible to measure slip angles accurately using that technique.

Slip angle is a dubious terminology choice, by the way, but so widely used now that it will never be changed; it was inherited from aeronautics. In normal tyre use, most of the tyre contact patch does not slide. However, as the car is driven harder and turned more aggressively, driving the tyres beyond the slip curve peak, an increasing proportion of each contact patch does slide until a completely sliding state is achieved.

I do agree that iRacing's tyre slip angle (and car yaw angle) behaviour have improved over the history of the NTM.

Considering the new tyre model is drastically different from the last version and reality doesn't change, does that mean the old model was unrealistic or is the new model unrealistic?

Realism isn't a binary yes/no, it's better thought of as shades of grey and you need to be specific about which aspect you are talking about - tyre heating and temperature behaviour, over-limit/recovery, flat-spotting etc etc. Other sims can beat iRacing still in some areas, while in others iRacing is level or ahead, in my opinion.
 
One thing to note is that iR's ice-racing behavior over the limit probably has to do with tire thermal behavior as much as the slip curve. If the FY dropoff from going just a bit over the optimal temperature is very punishing, and the rears slide easily, then a likely effect is a kind of feedback loop where the car oversteers for more than a moment, the rears heat up, which causes more prolonged oversteer etc. After some point it might not be very possible to save the car with normal driving techniques.

The dropoff is not very significant IRL and you need to drift the car quite a bit to get a really noticeable balance change, while sims typically have very punishing curves where grip drops off several % just by going 10c over the optimal. Hence why heating behavior is just as important as slip behavior.
 
Really love the new iteration of the GT3 tyre model.
I speed nearly 500 hours last year for the digital Nordschleifen Langstrecken Series together with Maro Engel, Dirk Müller, Daniel Morad and Nico Bastian.
The new iteration is much more stable in highspeed and easier to get an understanding of what the tyre does, when you go over the limit.

In the earlier versions, as soon as you dropped over the limit of the tyre the grip broke of instantly, which resulted in very snappy handling where you need to have the muscle memory to be fast enough to catch the car in the right moment.
Now, it is way more forgiving and you've "more time" to catch the car, since the grip falls off after reaching the maximum amount of grip, isn't that harsh anymore.

Also this iteration interacts much better with the suspension, because of the increased stiffness of the tyre.
You can actually make the suspension work more efficient, since the tyre interacts less as a small damper, which was an issue in the last iteration for us in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

In general iRacing got more accessible over the last two years, but is still more appealing to people with higher end hardware than ACC in comparison.
(This is no bashing if you've questions about it, feel free to ask)
So is iracing better for gt3 now compared to ACC?
 
So is iracing better for gt3 now compared to ACC?
Depends what your looking for out the game?

FFB is subjective....I really like what iracing have done with this update, prior to the update ACC would be my top runner for FFB out of the current sims. Tho I'm not a huge GT3 fan and like a variety of racing in one title (dirt, oval and road)

If your looking for an authentic GT3 experience with official cars and tracks....ACC wins hands down and is cheaper on the wallet.
ACC is an excellent game as long as your not an eye candy whore and running VR :)

If money is not an issue and would like to run GT3 cars on a wide variety of tracks, run a 12 week season with daily hourly races or even create your own GT3 season with very good customizable AI.....iracing is a great option.

Cheers
David
 
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FFB is subjective....
To be completely honest, it's possible to simulate manual and EPS cars' steering effort pretty much almost 1:1 assuming nothing is loose, so apart from cars with very compliant bushings or very significant slack in gears, sims can do "accurate" steering effort. I'm sure hydraulic powersteering is possible too but I have not personally used an application.

EPS feels good when you scale it down to even fairly low-end consumer wheel forces, too. GT3 powersteering feels pretty good even on a G27 when I tried. It doesn't need the full range of torque to behave well, 2Nm is enough even if the real system is closer to 10Nm. Roadcars probably translate even better.

With that in mind I'd say FFB is very much so not subjective, and we should strive towards accurate steering effort curves, because it scales down to just about any even remotely modern FFB wheel and also works well in better wheels such as DD. Things like gain adjustments are fine, but I disagree with letting the user adjust the SAT, or proportion of suspension loads to tire loads or whatever.
 
But, isn't the new tire model only for gt3 / 79 and other cars?
I dont see any change to the F3 tires on the release note

Any car that has a release note "Tire parameters have been updated" or similar wording has been moved onto the latest tyre model. iRacing dropped the version numbering after NTM7. The F3 moved onto the latest tyre model some seasons back; I forget exactly when.

As of 2021 Season 4, I think all cars now run the latest tyre model, though there are obviously differences in tyre construction and therefore behaviour between the various cars. iRacing maintain a compilation of the release notes "ALL Release Notes since the beginning of (iRacing) time", so it should be fairly easy to check when a particular car received the latest tyre model by searching on "parameters" and visually filtering out the results that don't relate to tyres. No, I am not volunteering to check the release notes for all cars! :D

Until fairly recently there were a few cars that continued to run NTM6, e.g. the Lotus 49.
 
Depends what your looking for out the game?

FFB is subjective....I really like what iracing have done with this update, prior to the update ACC would be my top runner for FFB out of the current sims. Tho I'm not a huge GT3 fan and like a variety of racing in one title (dirt, oval and road)

If your looking for an authentic GT3 experience with official cars and tracks....ACC wins hands down and is cheaper on the wallet.
ACC is an excellent game as long as your not an eye candy whore and running VR :)

If money is not an issue and would like to run GT3 cars on a wide variety of tracks, run a 12 week season with daily hourly races or even create your own GT3 season with very good customizable AI.....iracing is a great option.

Cheers
David
I wanna do iracing sooo baad but my internet is not very good and I'll have bad ping and I mostly do offline and for that the price is not worth it. I so badly wished iracing was cheaper for ppl who want only offline experience
 
well once you pay you always keep your content. and can i add everyone should give the lotus 79 a shot. omg what a sound. what a drive
Yeh, I loved the Lotus '79 when I was an iRacing member. Unfortunately, it was not a popular car in the community. That seemed to often be the problem for me.
 

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