Comparison of racing simulators

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of racing simulators. Please see the individual products' articles for further information. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date.

In each table, the simulators list follow the same order; the ordering is by sim engine and evolution:


 * NASCAR 2003 (all developed with David Kaemmer)
 * Racer
 * F1 Challenge 99-02, GTR, GT Legends, GTR 2, rFactor, Race 07, GTR Evolution (using evolutions of the ISI engine)
 * netKar Namie, netKar Pro (Using Stefano Casillo engine)
 * Live for Speed (by Scawen Roberts, Eric Bailey and Victor van Vlaardingen - Not to be confused with the Need For Speed series)
 * Richard Burns Rally, Driver's Republic (1st beta) (different engines, but both physics engines are developed by lead physics designer Eero Piitulainen)
 * Virtual Grand Prix 2
 * X Motor Racing
 * TORCS The Open Racing Car Simulator
 * Grand Prix Legends (all developed with David Kaemmer)
 * Grand Prix 4 (developed by Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label)
 * iRacing.com (developed with David Kaemmer)

Tire simulation - part 1
Note 1: with several modifications.

Note 3: Finite element carcass simulation coupled to finite difference contact patch simulation.

Note 4: There's one data file per manufacturer, but the files do not differ. Therefore at least one of them is not based on real data.

Note 5: 100% customizable tire model that allows define any tyre model (Pacejka, Own system or based on tyre manufactures)

Tire simulation - part 2
Note 1: On non-tarmac stages, there's higher grip after previous cars have swept the racing line.

Note 2: On non-tarmac stages, soil accumulation on sliding tires increase their grip.

Note 3: 48 sampling points, arranged as 16 along the circumference by 3 across the width of the tire.

Note 4: 16 sampling points along the circumference.

Note 5: True 3D Tire simulation.

Suspensions
Note 1: Instead of dynamically modeled suspension components, Racer uses parameters that define linear camber and toe change per unit of suspension deflection. This allows a rough approximation of the camber and toe effects that a dynamically modeled suspension has. Roll centers are static, and their placement is defined by a parameter.

Note 2: Suspension geometry in LFS can move only in X-Y plane, so trailing arm is approximated by moving the wheel up and down along the Y-axis.

Note 3: As of the beta version, suspension geometry in DR is completely customizable in the number, position and characteristics of any suspension rod, spring, damper and axis.

Drivetrain
Note 1: No proper RWD support; the RWD cars available for testing are made by switching the front and the back end, therefore handbrake affecting to the front wheels.

Note 2: This diff behaviour can be achieved through correct setup of the active differential mappings.

Note 3: No proper 4WD support. Cars can be set to 4WD, but power distribution is always 50%/50% (front/rear), and there are no means to adjust centre diff locking. This gives the 4WD cars a tendency to understeer.

Note 4: Limited Slip Differentials (LSD), are divided in four categories: Viscous Coupling (Syncro), Clutches, EDL and Torque Biasing Differential. The Clutches category include Passive Clutch, Progressive/Locking Clutch (Positraction or Salisbury type), Simple Hydraulic Clutch and Electronic Clutch.

<cite id="fn_3-5">Note 5: Their settings cannot be changed while driving, unlike in real life WRC.

<cite id="fn_3-6">Note 6: Power distribution is customizable. Racer is hardcoded so that only one differential per car is allowed. Therefore in a 4WD car, all four wheels are driven, but only two of the wheels can have a "real" differential. Also, Racer does not implement a center differential for 4WD.

<cite id="fn_3-7">Note 7: Transmission layout, as of 1st beta version, is completely customizable in DR. Only one type of differential is provided, probably an open one, but not verifiable.

Road surfaces and covers that affect handling
<cite id="fn_4-1">Note 1: The physics of the interaction between tire and wet asphalt is fully implemented, but in version 1.0.1 is not used yet.

<cite id="fn_4-2">Note 2: RBR initially has a total of 132 different surfaces (be it road surfaces or elements such as different types of rocks, water... even several types of bushes and poles!).<rb>

<cite id="fn_4-3">Note 3: There are 3rd party tracks featuring non-conventional surface types, such as snow, dirt (Blackwood for GPL), rain (Nurburgring in rain), and probably more. Also, there is a track surface type (surface type 8) that was supposedly going to be used as water, however it wasn't finished and doesn't work properly. It usually results in the car sinking into it, then being launched.

<cite id="fn_4-4">Note 4: In every surface type, there are parameters such as SoilThickness and SoilDensity in RBR and WetGrip/DryGrip in ISI-based sims that can be adjusted.

<cite id="fn_4-5">Note 5: Racer surface types have several parameters that can be customized on a per track basis. Specifically, these are grip, rolling resistance and viscosity.

<cite id="fn_4-6">Note 6: Ice is only used for internal testing, not present in the official tracks yet.

<cite id="fn_4-7">Note 7: rFactor engine can be adapted to model any kind of surface editing a terrain data file, but at the moment there is no specific support to model the interaction of different tire models with different surfaces.

<cite id="fn_4-8">Note 8: The event version of rFactor, that taken to demonstrations with BMW and Intel supports full wet weather, wet lines and rain drop particles. ISI have stated that this feature will reach the public version of rFactor at some point.

<cite id="fn_4-9">Note 9: A 3rd party track (Watkins Glen Wet) has modified grip values to resemble wet-weather racing. </rb>

<rb> All ISI based simulators can be modified to support any surface.

Aerodynamics
<cite id="fn_5-1">Note 1: The undertray angle is not adjustable and the undertray angle does not vary with the pitch of the car. The ground clearance of the car does not affect undertray downforce.

<cite id="fn_5-2">Note 2: The physics engine that Grand Prix Legends shipped with did not model downforce. Downforce was added to the model with the release of the 1969 mod for GPL. For its 1966 Mod, this was changed to 'upforce' since the wingless F1 cars of 1966 tended to generate lift at higher speeds.

<cite id="fn_5-3">Note 3: The XFG, XRT, FXO, FZ50 have GTR countreparts that rely on ground effects for added grip.

Chassis
<cite id="chassis-1">Note 1: see Car.ini fields reference

<cite id="chassis-2">Note 2: Uses a 3x3 inertia matrix (thus allowing for combined pitch and roll to have different inertia to separate pitching then rolling) that is dynamically generated from a group of masses distributed around the vehicle body; thus adding passengers and fuel usage, automatically effect the inertia matrix in a realistic manner.

Damage
<cite id="fn_damage-2">Note 2: Only wings and suspensions.

<cite id="fn_damage-3">Note 3: Front wing.

<cite id="fn_damage-4">Note 4: Simple graphical representation, only large body panels fall off.

<cite id="fn_damage-5">Note 5: Includes damage vulnerability based on suspension stiffness with stiffer settings on uneven/bumpy surface causing damage more easily.

<cite id="fn_damage-6">Note 6: Engine damage does not result from impacts - only from over-revving the engine.

The CTDP 2005 Mod for F1 Challenge '99-'02 did add Gearbox damage and failures into the game.

Force Feedback
<cite id="fn_ffb-1">Note 1: Optional implementation from 3rd party also available - Real Feel plugin.

<cite id="fn_ffb-2">Note 2: Disabled in netKar Pro version 1.02.

Artificial Intelligence
<cite id="fn_AI-1">Note 1: Of a rather rudimentary sort.

<cite id="fn_AI-2">Note 2: Not as shipped-most AI wrecks due to bad LP lines or errors in the .ini file, but some modding has been done in this area.

<cite id="fn_AI-3">Note 3: AI Mistakes are only considered partial in rFactor because they are not convincing to anyone. As of V1.087 beta there is a *.PLR variable called "AI Mistakes".

Connection quality
<cite id="fn_mpquality-1">Note 1: More data packets are send to peers who are closer on track, network conditions permitting.

<cite id="fn_mpquality-2">Note 2: "Yes" is good. Here, "significant" means any outright freeze of the program or a decrease or stutter of frame/s significant enough to impact the driving experience negatively (e.g. causing a crash or loss of control).

<cite id="fn_mpquality-3">Note 3: Third-party plug-in needed.

<cite id="fn_mpquality-4">Note 4: Must be enabled in .PLR settings.

<cite id="fn_mpquality-5">Note 5: Only when cars of new joined players are loaded into garage. It is settable in multiplayer settings or .PLR file

<cite id="fn_mpquality-6">Note 6: Hotseat mode.

<cite id="fn_mpquality-7">Note 7: "Every time there are more than 27 racers on the track, the excess players are unable to race properly due to all kinds of strange errors."

<cite id="fn_mpquality-8">Note 8: The dedicated host program takes up one of the peer slots.

<cite id="fn_mpquality-9">Note 9: LFS implements a pseudo dynamic-throttling, as the physics engine updates cars within a certain radius of the player (or spectated) car more frequently than a car that is outside this radius.

Configurability options
<cite id="fn_AI-1">Note 1: Possible by server uploading results to a third-party website.

<cite id="fn_AI-2">Note 2: Possible by killing the program then the next driver connecting with the same name.

<cite id="fn_AI-3">Note 3: Results (XML) log contacts and incidents and these stats can be viewed, for example, when uploading XML results file for viewing with rFactor Report (one example).

<cite id="fn_AI-4">Note 4: Ability for multi-class results possible using Insim programs, but only the overall results are transmitted to the online database.

<cite id="fn_AI-5">Note 5: Ability for Crash Ratio via Insim programs.

Sound
<cite id="fn_sound-1">Note 1: "Recorded" if long microphone-recorded sound samples (>=0.3 secs) were used for the vehicle engine main sound; "Synthesized" otherwise.

<cite id="fn_sound-2">Note 2: The user can choose any of the two systems.

<cite id="fn_sound-3">Note 3: Sample based sounds available using 3rd party Car Sound Remixer utility/plugin.

<cite id="fn_sound-4">Note 4: Using third party modification.

part 1
<cite id="fn_gfx-1">Note 1: Suspension travel is only visible in open wheeler cars (LX4, LX6, MRT, FOX, FO8, BF1). Real-time two-dimensional overlay schematic available for all cars.

<cite id="fn_gfx-1">Note 2: Available with HDR plugin originally for use with GTA San Andreas.

<cite id="fn_gfx-3">Note 3: Specular highlighting available

<cite id="fn_gfx-4">Note 4: FSAA available with third-party rasterisers, or can be forced at driver-level.

part 2
<cite id="fn_gfx-1">Note 1: Rain is available for some tracks as a third-party add-on. It does not affect physics, although the use of different surfaces gives the impression of uneven grip. <cite id="fn_gfx-2">Note 2: A configuration file hack allows players to change the driving view to the rollbar (top) view. <cite id="fn_gfx-3">Note 3: Several Community Created tracks have a "wet" track layout where "rooster tails" are implemented. An animated helmet modification shows raindrops fall onto the helmet visor. <cite id="fn_gfx-4">Note 4: Available as 3rd-Party add-on for some mods. Then only attached to steering wheel

<cite id="fn_gfx-5">Note 5: Configuration settings (.ini files) for certain tracks may be edited to decrease the grip of the racing surface and therefore create the impression of racing in the rain; however, there is no way to make rain physically appear.