What's with the speed differential in the same cars.

Since the last major update I've noticed that in races consisting of a single model of car that the speeds on the straights are all over the place. This happens with the AI as well as online races. When on the straights at full song there will be some cars that come from up to 15 car lengths back and will just drive around me. I've asked this question in some facebook groups and get the answer that I'm not getting off the corner fast enough. I don't buy this. I've been sim racing for 5 years and am a average racer in speed. So what gives here? Is there something I'm missing with my hardware settings or car setups? Regarding car setups I have reduced all aero to enhance speed.

 

Have you checked your brake pedal (dead zone)?
Maybe brake force is applied although you're not on the brake pedal. I had that problem with my G27 pedals. It took me a couple of weeks before I noticed. After setting dead zone to 5% I haven't had any issues.

Or maybe you're resting your let foot slightly on the brake pedal while accelerating (a friend of mine did that for example).

 

Similar to Alistair's experience, I have an Ali Express handbrake, and if it hasn't been touched after being plugged in, it gives 'garbage' signals and affects a lot of cars in AMS2, I just need to actuate it once (as I do with all analogue inputs) and it clears it up.

Also, in regards to G27s and other older potentiometer-based controls, it's a good idea to check if they're giving a noisy signal as the pots may need to be cleaned - you can get electronics cleaning solvent which is good for this, just spray a bit into the pot and move the pedal back and forth until it cleans up.

In regards to your corner exit speeds on the straights, my recommendation here is to load up a Time Trial with 3 ghosts - The first being the record holder in that car (not class), then someone just slightly faster than you (maybe 0.3) and then somewhere in between those two for the third ghost. That can help you to find where you might be gaining or losing speed compared to others. The top times are usually ridiculous, so not always the best comparison, but they can be helpful in that you can see a line that they're taking or work out where they're braking to gain extra speed.

I've been sim racing a similar time to you and often being reminded of ways I can be even faster (e.g., I got into a bad habit of braking too hard in slower cars and losing time that way after spending time in faster classes).

 

Yes I've tried the TT Ghosts. Didn't help much and I've considered the top TT speeds to phony. These guys have figured a way to get into the sub comands and tweak them some how. There is one name that pops up at top of the speed board on multiple cars that I've checked.

 

Hence why I suggest following a few different times, generally people who are consistently faster (and there are definitely more people doing the right thing than not) will have similar lines so it can be useful. There are a few guys who have some crazy setups that I've tried out and I can see how they are faster, but they're usually only good for one lap and then the engine overheats, etc. due to no cooling. Some have some crazy front caster settings that are super heavy and yet it seems to actually make you faster when you get used to it - whether that's a quirk of the engine or just simply how it works I'm not sure. Most of the very obviously too-fast times get flagged.

But hey each to their own, you can take or leave my advice, totally up to you nobody likes being told it's a skill issue but I always assume it's a skill issue with me, hence why I went back to slower cars and now I'm racing at 120 difficulty in the Ginetta GT5. Always something new to learn or change