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The original was posted on /r/simracing by /u/LightlySaltedPeanuts on 2023-08-07 16:02:51+00:00.

I was just reading another text post about how 2-3 years of sim racing made the OP go from novice racer to fastest time of the day at a karting track. I think we have ample evidence that Sim Racing makes you faster IRL.

What I found interesting was how real life felt vs sim racing. I’ve been playing racing games on controller since I was a kid, starting with Need for Speed all the way to Forza and GT. I’ve always been fascinated by drifting especially.

I built a sim a little over a year ago, and have been using it pretty consistently. Last year, I bought a car to practice drifting and go to the track. The muscle memory from the sim transfers over almost 1:1 to real life. The only real difference is how many sensations come with IRL racing/drifting.

For racing, on a sim I’m limited by feel. I am in tune with all the feedback the sim can give me, and have to make some predictions based on how I think the car is going to act (My setup is a bit modest, with a g29 and no shakers. I do use VR though). But irl, there’s so many vibrations and sounds and little shifts of weight you don’t get on a sim. I’ve driven a car fast on the backroads, but nothing compares to going all out with a car on a track. There’s just so many sensations. But the racing came natural, even counter steering oversteer just happened without a conscious thought.

Drifting was the same way, except it took more getting used to just how much of an absolute racket you’re making irl vs how calm it feels on a sim. And when you spin out and the car jolts to a stop, that really tosses you around inside the car (my bucket seat is a little oversized). But my hands just knew what to do, even when my brain was trying to take in all the new sensations. And after a few sessions of practice, I was able to get some figure 8s around two points nice and clean and it felt great.

Just thought I’d share my experience on the topic. The transfer from controller racing to sim racing was more frustrating then sim racing to irl racing, personally. When I got on the sim, I felt like I should be faster because I knew what I needed to do to get the car to go fast, but I had to learn how to drive super aggressively with a wheel and get the muscle memory with the controls before I started to get quick. And that made racing irl more enjoyable because I had the confidence to handle the controls of a car at a fast pace, I just had to get used to the feeling of doing it irl and the much higher risk that came with crashing. But by my second track day, I was able to hang with the intermediate class and was passing faster cars that were being driven a lot less confidently.