So you’ve probably spent quite some time with iRacing and are now wondering which are the best cars to buy to level up your game.
Well, the best way to do it is by following a proven path as shown in this list.
The best cars will ultimately give you the quickest lap times as well as incredibly realistic driving feedback.
Here’s what you need to look for when figuring out whether a car can be among the best of its class or not:
Table of Contents
Braking
If you want to set purple sectors and win online races, your car has gotta be good on the brakes. Period.
This is because passing in iRacing can happen in corners and braking sections (and probably only there), not in straights like it might happen in Formula 1 with DRS zones.
So you need a car which doesn’t understeer on the brakes and is easy to steer with while braking. The ability to do correct trail braking is fundamental for you to brake late and set fastest laps.
So always look for cars that don’t overlock wheels when braking (and the steeper you brake, the more this happens) or cars that can be trail braked into corners without losing the rear.
Traction
Traction is key guys.
No matter how many horsepowers your car is or how gorgeous it is under braking, if it can’t put the power down to the ground, winning races will be damn hard.
So get a car that doesn’t wheelspin all the time when accelerating.
Put the throttle just before the apex and you will destroy your competitors.
Yeah, theoretically you could always increase the TC (Traction Control) to improve the traction but that doesn’t mean the actual mechanical grip from the car is improved.
In fact, you might reduce the wheelspin like that but your lap times won’t benefit that much.
Aerodynamics
As the saying goes, you need big balls for high-speed corners and that can only be achieved with a car that has some great aerodynamics.
Always look for newly updated aero packages to level up your game and win races online.
Think about all the high-speed corners in SPA Francorchamps for example.
If you don’t have a great aero setup, you’ll either crash in the wall or lose a couple of seconds in the best-case scenario.
Straight-line speed
Last but not least you need pure SPEED.
As long as you don’t want to be a sitting duck on the straights, having decent horsepowers will grant you the ability to overtake your competitors as well as setting fastest laps in tracks like Monza.
Long straights with few corners will punish you if you don’t have a car that can achieve high speeds on them.
So always look for cars with great top speeds and the gearing that makes them able to go full throttle for as long as possible.
Ok, so now you know what you’re looking for when choosing a car.
So without further ado here is the list of the top iRacing cars you may have to get yourself today.
I must say that each one has its own unique driving feel and characteristics which will be important for your decision-making process.
Now, let’s see which ones can be qualified as the best in their class.
Best GT3 Car
Racing in GT3 class is all about being super quick in medium-speed corners.
This means you’ll need a car that brakes well, puts the power down effectively and which doesn’t understeer on corner entry.
On top of that, the best GT3 cars also need great aero and high-speed stability.
So, which cars are the best according to our definition?
The Mercedes AMG GT3 and the Audi R8 LMS.
As far as the driving goes the Mercedes AMG is easier to drive whereas the Audi R8 LMS is a bit more challenging.
Mercedes AMG
The Mercedes has aero that keeps it glued to the track at high speeds, has good mechanical grip and is generally very stable.
This means it’s easier to drive this car quickly on the limit allowing you to push the max all the time.
Audi R8 LMS
The Audi R8 LMS, on the other hand, is more demanding when it comes to the throttle application.
It’s easy to overdrive this car which is why you need great throttle control in order to get the best out of it.
Best GT4 Car
GT4 racing is largely based on braking and cornering speed.
The car is slower than the GT3 one in a straight line but it brakes earlier and is easier to drive on curbs making it great for beginners.
So, which car is the best when it comes to these things?
iRacing currently has 2 GT4 cars available in the game; the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR and the BMW M4 GT4.
The Porsche is available for the more serious endurance series as well as the Porsche esports Sprint challenge whereas the BMW is strictly linked to the BMW esport championship.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR
The Porsche is great on track with great brake power and mechanical grip.
It’s very stable at high speeds leaving you feeling confident when braking late into the corner.
BMW M4 GT4
On the other hand, the BMW M4 is an easier car to drive when it comes to curbs making this a great beginners choice.
Best GTE Car
The GTE cars allow you to compete for IMSA as well as the iRacing Le Mans series.
IMSA is the top tier of endurance racing in America while Le Mans takes you all across Europe to race for 24 hours.
These cars are harder to drive than all of the regular GT cars as they have no ABS but still maintain Traction Control.
So why would you choose one over the other?
BMW M8 GTE
The BMW M8 GTE used to be the best value in this category as it also had a fixed setup series but since this is no longer the case there is no clear choice for value for money.
Ferrari 488
From a driving point of view the Ford GT is generally the hardest to control while the Ferrari 488 is seen as the easiest with the Porsche and the BMW somewhere in between.
As always it comes down to personal preference and what you’re looking for.
The main thing to consider is that all of them need quite a bit of practice before you can compete at the top of the leagues.
Rule number one of iRacing is to practice, practice and practice.
So get out there, get on track with one of these beauties today!
Best Oval Car
As you’ve probably experienced yourself, racing on Ovals requires some serious aerodynamics as well as straight-line speed.
It’s also closely linked to engine power and gearing.
As you can imagine, there are quite a few great cars that do the job better than others.
But if we had to pick one, it would be the Chevrolet SS. I mean why not?
It’s a NASCAR car with a great feel and decent power/gearing to it making it one of the most popular choices among pro Nascar iRacing drivers.
To wrap up:
So here were our picks for the best cars in iRacing.
This does not mean that it’s impossible to get a top spot or even win in any other car.
It’s all down to personal preference and driving style so get out there, practice and see what cars suit you the best!
Hope this article was helpful.
As always, happy racing 🙂
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