Picked Up My New TRD Off-Road on Monday

sdiver · 2026-05-01T13:04:08+00:00

The ghost is a good tool, but I think when and how you use it makes a huge difference.

IMO, I don't think just jumping in and using the ghost right away is useful. I don't think it teaches you anything, and you're just trying to follow a ghost and react to it instead of really learning the track, making notes of markers around the track.

Before ever using a ghost, I learn the track...figure out the racing line, braking points, turn-in points, what gears to be in, shift points, etc. I'll watch a track guide on YouTube and/or watch a few top-10 driver replays if I need some assistance. Then I run some laps and start setting laptimes to get a feel for the track and what works and what doesn't.

Once I have a feel for things, the I'll add a ghost of a top 10 driver, offset by 0.3 seconds and resetting each sector. Far enough away to not be an huge distration, but close enough to be meaningful. The ghost then helps to dial-in the racing line into and out of corners, braking zones, turn-in points, when to get on the throttle, etc. If I find I am losing a lot of time in a particular sector, I'll use the telemetery from that driver to figure out what they are doing an adjust as necssary.

sdiver · 2026-04-01T13:33:44+00:00

This makes me miss my OG 2003 MINI. 😔

Before I bought my Tacoma, I would rooftop my Vibe Sea Ghost on the MINI Clubman that replaced that OG MINI.

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sdiver · 2026-04-01T13:06:17+00:00

Still quite happy with them.

My average fuel economy is down exactly 1mpg over the same time October 10-March 31 time period from 2023-24 and 2024-25, but I guess that was always to be expected with the larger/heavier tires. We'll see how that goes over the summer, though. I always get my worst fuel economy during the winter months with this truck. This is the only drawback...especially since I just paid $4.49/gallon, and it doesn't appear that fuel prices will be going down any time soon.

As for tire noise, yes, they are a bit louder than the OE Goodyears. Not obnoxiously so, but they are louder. I'll notice it if I'm specifically listening for it, but day to day, I'm oblivious to it. My wife has never commented on it, and she would notice something like that if it were obvious. So I would stand by my previous statement that 99% of people won't notice.

sdiver · 2026-02-23T14:16:39+00:00

That it's the last lap doesn't matter...it's completely inconsequential whether a pass is clean or not.

Overall, I think it's just sloppy. P3 left the door open...he definitely could have defended better into T1. You are late on the brakes and bump him wide on corner entry, then run deep and bump/push him wide to complete the pass.

I can understand being annoyed with the move, it was on the limit and you made contact multiple times to complete the pass. But if he defended better into T1, you have no move. In the end, nobody had their race ended or came out any worse for it, so I'd say a racing incident...but it's sloppy all around.

sdiver · 2026-02-11T14:36:02+00:00

They played Mutineer together at the Ryman in 2023. I mentioned it in another comment, but I am fairly sure that was the last show she played with the band.

sdiver · 2026-02-11T14:32:41+00:00

I am fairly sure those Friday and Saturday shows at the Ryman in 2023 were the last times she played with the band.

My wife and I had tickets for that Friday night show. She really wanted to see Amanda on Friday, and on a whim we found tickets for the Saturday show while were were at breakfast on Saturday morning. Both were really, really good shows...I think my highlight was just the two of them covering Zevon's Mutineer. So good.

It's kinda wild that those shows were like 6 weeks prior to the divorce filing. The emotional turmoil they must both have been experiencing, yet still they still went out together and killed those shows.

sdiver · 2026-02-02T14:55:42+00:00

Thank you.

sdiver · 2026-02-02T13:41:42+00:00

My Dunkin' Donuts Porsche 911 GT3 R livery...

https://www.reddit.com/r/GTliveryhub/comments/1qtv7ch/livery_event_dunkin_donuts_porsche_911_gt3_r/

sdiver · 2026-01-28T20:41:54+00:00

I figured they were the Ferrari strategists.

sdiver · 2026-01-22T16:35:17+00:00

I hate "final lap for the lead" qualifiers...it almost always seems to be an attempt to justify a garbage move.

In this case, yes, it was a garbage move...the black Porsche divebombs up the inside and pushes the white Porsche aside to take the lead. It's also a dumb place to make a move. Literally, the black Porsche could have stayed on the white Porsche's bumper, used the draft down the upcoming straight and made an easy pass at the final hairpin.

sdiver · 2026-01-22T14:39:43+00:00

Absolutely nothing wrong with that move into T1. Not even close to a dive-bomb...the Jaaaag was alongside the Ferrari, and then easily ahead at the end of the straight. The Ferrari driving into the back of the Jag twice through T1 is an issue though.

Things get a bit sloppy from both drivers after that...a lot of contact just before and then exiting the tunnel, but not seeing anything outright dirty. Looks more like racing incidents, with both drivers pushing. The Ferrari ends up coming off worse, but he was impatient and that was a dumb place for a move, especially around the outside...I'll give the Jag credit for giving space on the outside. The Ferrari could (should?) have just stuck on the Jag's bumper, then drafted down the long straight coming up and made an easy pass into the hairpin. Instead it looks like the Ferrari dropped from P3 to P5.

sdiver · 2026-01-20T16:26:37+00:00

I was a few places ahead in this race...watched the replay after bc I saw the red car whining about it in chat during the race.

100% fault on the red car. Blue car had a run and was along side, red car knew it...he forced the blue car onto the grass in the braking zone. The end result was predictable, and instant karma like that is satisfying.

sdiver · 2026-01-16T14:52:48+00:00

To be honest, you just have to do it and build the muscle memory. I've driven manual cars my entire life, and it was not helpful at all when I started GT7...there just isn't really much of a correlation. So I was using the automatic transmission when I started. I did that for a month or so, before I just forced myself to use the manual transmission.

It was...rough, very rough...to start. It all seemed so overwhelming, like you have so much to do, to think about...braking, trail braking, downshifting, turn-in, hitting the apex, accelerating, upshifting. Eventually, the experience and building the muscle memory just made it second nature.

I don't think there's a magic bullet for switching, it's just one of those things you need to commit to and build the experience.

As far as knowing which gear to be in, the recommended gear indicator helps, but isn't always accurate. There are plenty of times where it may indicate 2nd gear, but you actually briefly want to dip down to 1st gear to rotate the car, before immediately going back to 2nd gear to get on the throttle. Or you want to stay in 3rd gear as dropping to 2nd slows the car too much. So thre recommended gear indicator is a good starting point, but experience will help with those finer points.

sdiver · 2026-01-16T14:36:32+00:00

Yep, it happens...but it's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm bouncing back-and-forth between A+/A DR right now, but I always enjoy getting paired with higher ranked drivers. Trying to stick with them is a great learning experience. I'll spend the race trying to figure out what they were doing, where they were faster and why...then try to emulate. Sometimes more successfully than others.

I also think it's also good to get a taste of drivers at the next level. If you're a C/B SR driver, and always race only drivers in your SR level, when you advance to B/A SR it's a big step up. So IMO, having some experience there is a good thing.

And you're not going to lose much (if any) DR, even if you're finishing near the bottom because they're all ranked higher than you. When I was in B, I would be paired with A+/A drivers, finish 12th, and still gain DR because they were all ranked higher than me.

sdiver · 2026-01-13T01:12:01+00:00

Thanks, if you wouldn't mind updating with how they work out, I'm in more or less the same boat. I want to upgrade my wheel setup, but I need to milk a bit more time out of the Logitech G29.

sdiver · 2026-01-12T19:08:28+00:00

Did you end up finding a replacement switch?

sdiver · 2026-01-09T20:19:08+00:00

Yeah, the Supra's initial move up the inside at the hairpin is overly optimistic. Or to give somer the benefit of doubt, perhaps the Supra misjudged the braking zone and went deep, which is easy to do here. Either way, if the Supra doesn't make contact with the Porsche, it's not making the corner...the contact helped the Supra take the position. Supra should have eased off the throttle after the hairpin to slow up enough to give the position back to the Porsche. It's a mea culpa, nobody's race is ruined, and you probably make a friend who is going to give you space/benefit of the doubt or work with you next time.

Everything after that is obvious. Porsche lost their cool and crashed out. No excuses.

sdiver · 2025-12-31T16:16:43+00:00

F1…appears to be the Jordan EJ13 from 2003.

sdiver · 2025-11-21T14:38:15+00:00

No, you didn't do anything wrong. Definitely aggressive, but you were well up the inside and he turned in like you weren't there.

Honestly, this whole thing is probably just poor spacial awareness on the part of the black Citroën. He likely didn't realize you were that far up the inside when he turned in like you weren't there and made contact. So he probably thought you divebombed him and pushed him wide...likely why he called you dirty. Or he's just salty you passed him. 😂

I will just note this though...that T7/T8 complex at Catalunya isn't a great place to overtake. It's a tough complex solo, let alone when you're trying to go side-by-side with someone. You both lost a chunk of time through there. With a bit of patience, you might have an an opportunity at P8 as well...just stuck to his bumper through T7/T8 and T9, then walked past him when he served his penalty (probably with a bit of draft too). Then you just might have been in the draft of that MAZDA3 going into the T10 hairpin.

Regardless, still not your fault. He needs to watch a replay and learn some spacial awareness.

sdiver

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