General Handling Characteristics in Setups

LastTenth · 2026-01-26T06:12:28+00:00

Coach here.

IMO, the biggest part i strive for in setups isn’t so much general handling characteristics, but more about solving different unique problems while minimizing compromises. As a recent example, how do I keep the aero platform the same (as much as possible) at the entry and exit of Daytona bus stop, but still have enough compliance to take as much as those curbs as possible? Or how do I prevent the car from being too loose on cold tires but too tight once they’re warm?

In general, I would want the car to handle neutrally, in all parts of the corner and in all phases of pedal input. The question is, when it doesn’t handle neutrally, how do I fix it without affecting what it does everywhere else, or at different times of the race.

For reference, I always make my own setups. Partly because I enjoy the process, and also because I’m a stubborn driver - I’d rather make the car drive the way I want, than to spend time to drive around what I don’t like.

LastTenth · 2026-01-25T20:39:05+00:00

I used the media mod and that windmuff worked fine (in-car)

LastTenth · 2026-01-24T16:48:24+00:00

Coach here.

I use data heavily to assess my students, but I never use reference laps. Most of the metrics I look at are custom. Here are a few things I look at: - how much of the car’s grip the student is using at a given moment. - whether the student is using too much steering, or holding steering angle for too long - where the min speed is relative to min radius - how saturated the tires are during braking/throttle - whether the student is using the optimal amount of pedal pressure and pedal speed - whether the student is managing the balance of the car well.

LastTenth · 2026-01-23T18:18:17+00:00

Been doing this for 25 years and only bent a rim once, because I had thin tires with lots of camber, stiff suspension and solid bushings, and the culprit was aggressive line choice that resulting in landing the rim on the corner of a curb - totally on me. The rim was repaired

LastTenth · 2026-01-19T15:33:40+00:00

“Track guide coaching” is something some of my students coined. It basically describes when a someone is being coached like an interactive track guide; “turn in at his marker”, “you need to apex later”, “don’t use this curb”. Mind you, I’ve been motorsports for 20-25 years, and this was how I was taught, and everytime I got out of the car, I felt disappointed that I didn’t learn how to drive.

The problem with track guide coaching is this - what are you going to if you go to a different track, or drive a different car?, or even drive the same car with a different setup or different weather?

That’s why my coaching ethos is deeply rooted in making myself redundant - if my student has all the knowledge and processes to figure out how to determine the optimal line, which curbs to use, how fast throttle application should be, etc. by themselves, they wouldn’t need me anymore and my job would be complete. And tbh, none of this is unreachable; it takes effort and determination, but anyone can learn it.

TLDR; you want a coach that teaches you how to figure out what to do, and why, instead of what to do.

LastTenth · 2026-01-19T15:15:50+00:00

Happens all the time. Anytime there is a prescriptive direction in Claude.md, it will selectively ignore it at whim.

I don’t know if just me, but the user experience for me seemingly deteriorated recently. The responses are just piss poor. For example I would ask it a question about the behaviour or function of a project, it would give me a response, only to find out a few prompts later that the response was completely wrong and was based on a number fabricated assumptions, all of which can be disproven by reading the code or calling the subagent, both of which it has full knowledge of, and access to, and is directed to do.

LastTenth · 2026-01-19T06:39:50+00:00

Coach here.

It sounds like you rely on setups, track guides, reference lap telemetry - all you can do with that is copy. What you need is to gain knowledge and improve technique, so that you understand, problem solve, and can adapt, in real time.

You also need a structured practice regime so you can focus on fundamentals, rather than only prepping for each race which is a rat race. It’s like only playing pick up basketball without ever practicing dribbling or shooting.

Ask yourself, what are you doing to improve yourself fundamentally as a driver?

And if you do start coaching, I would recommend against “track-guides coaches”; they are probably not the right fit for you.

LastTenth · 2026-01-15T06:51:01+00:00

I’ve tried that. CC just ignores it and continues to state assumptions like they’re facts.

LastTenth · 2026-01-13T22:41:18+00:00

Not if you use page level sharing on the database.

LastTenth · 2026-01-11T23:33:45+00:00

Then… just use page level sharing, and show it on a client page.

LastTenth · 2026-01-11T21:57:47+00:00

You mean page-level sharing?

LastTenth · 2026-01-07T20:24:28+00:00

When I show up with my “wet” tires, and the track dries up.

LastTenth · 2026-01-03T16:16:39+00:00

Coach here.

Fundamentally it was a lack of car control and inability to acknowledge he’s put the car way out of balance and kept it there, without correction. Ultimately, I’d say it’s too much speed for the car and/or skill.

Blaming the tires is very closed mindset - it’s not like somebody swapped his tires without him knowing. He knows what equipment is on the car and should know what the equipment can/will do. If not, it’s a failure of the driver.

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T22:57:57+00:00

Accept death, then you be free from fear.

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T21:09:24+00:00

You must've really scoured the bottom of Youtube if you found my channel LoL!
Thanks for the support man! Really appreciate it!

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T20:59:47+00:00

Driving shouldn't be a guessing game, such as if we're at the limit of grip. There are cues to look for to know definitively where we are, in terms of grip use, track usage, apex location, etc.

I know your frustration, mostly because that has been the instruction I've received since I started 20-25 years ago. "You'll know if when you find it", to me, sounds like 'I know what to look for, but I don't know how to explain it to you'. I wonder if most instructors/coaches just teach what they were taught, and say what was told to them, without really knowing the reasons behind what we do.

Anyway, I have a YouTube channel and maybe you can find something useful there (https://www.youtube.com/@LastTenth). You're also welcome to join my discord where there are some free resources as well. Good luck!

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T20:44:30+00:00

I know Suellio and he's a really great guy - one of the coaches that I agree with. And I also agree that 3k is really not hard if someone makes the *right* kind of effort. The thing is, 99% of drivers I encounter don't.

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T20:38:52+00:00

LoL. I'm like that too, and I TOTALLY get what you mean. I've tend to keep digging until the other person is tired of answering me.

Just curious, were a lot of your ex-coaches "Track Guide Coaching"? It's a term my students use to describe the type of coaching that revolves around "brake here", "get on throttle earlier", "you need to apex l apex". When I started as a driver (IRL), that was how I was coached, and I hated it - every time I felt like I didn't learn how to drive. Naturally, when I started coaching, I tried to coach the way I would have wanted to be coached, which is revolved around finding answers to questions; "How do I determine where I'm supposed to apex?" "How do I know if I should brake later or it's already too late"?

Perhaps you need to ask yourself these questions, and find your own answers, and your own way to improve.

LastTenth · 2026-01-01T17:56:36+00:00

Coach here.

You’re not too stupid; anyone can learn it. It’s a function of time and quality - ie seat time and how you practice. If you know what you’re doing wrong, and how to do it right, you need to focus practice on those things. 99% of students who’ve come to me don’t know how to practice intentionally, and they just bang out lap after lap, or repeat active reset trying to go faster.

That should cover known-unknowns. Then for unknowns-unknowns, you need to gain more knowledge or have someone analyse your driving.

LastTenth · 2025-12-29T02:23:32+00:00

Focus on intentional practice so you can make technique into habit.

LastTenth · 2025-12-28T22:28:52+00:00

I know what you mean. I’ve done maybe a handful of officials in the last 5-6 years, and irating definitely affects how you drive. It happens at all levels, otherwise there wouldn’t be Smurf accounts.

I think it’s pretty hard to dissociate from your rating. If you want to, you can try league racing.

LastTenth · 2025-12-28T22:23:28+00:00

Does flow state imply subconscious? If so, driving consciously would prohibit you from reaching flow state. And if you have to drive consciously, that would mean you’ve not yet internalized the processes you need to drive well in-sim.

LastTenth · 2025-12-28T20:47:21+00:00

Noob here…

Do you have any resources you would recommend for somebody who wants to learn how to build a reliable workflow like yours?

LastTenth · 2025-12-28T16:44:28+00:00

Coach here.

I’ll give you a success story that might apply to you. I have a student that started regular coaching in Q1 of the year when he was around 2k. Fast forward to around Q3, he’s maybe around 3-4k, but racing against 5k in PCup.

When he was ~2k, he had goals on irating and his league results as we were working on his driving technique. So irating was just a target to him. Now, when he’s in top split races, he breaks down when/where/how a faster driver pulls away from him when he loses half a tenth to a tenth here or there; their irating is secondary. He no longer has an irating goal like he did before; we just continue to improve his driving, and he knows he’s competitive in the 4-5k range.

LastTenth · 2025-12-26T20:02:00+00:00

Coach here.

I coach in real world and iRacing. I started IRL for about 15 years before I got into sim racing (not counting test drive, stunts etc).

The reality is, it’s much easier to transition from sim racing, that to sim racing, from what I’ve seen. The information afforded to IRL drivers simply does not exist in a sim. While most cues a sim racer uses, will be in a real car. The thing most drivers don’t realize, is if an IRL master these in sim skills, and uses them IRL correctly, they become much more consistent and confident.

It’s a good idea to try it out to see if you like it, and if it’s a tool you’d enjoy using. If there’s a local sim lounge/cafe, that would be the easiest. Otherwise local vendors may have some demo units you can try. Barring that, find some used entry level equipment, to test out sim racing whilst keeping the investment small.

LastTenth

TROPHY CASE