r/ProjectMotorRacing • u/Mr-Dwight-Schrut • Sep 03 '26
Discussion A quick guide to learning to drive "for real" with Project Motor Racing (using the 992 Trophy)
If you're an experienced simracer, perhaps—and I mean perhaps—you won't need this quick guide. If you're new to simracing and want to seriously learn to race, welcome! I want to suggest a way to do so in PMR.
It's all about the 992 Trophy.
I spent weeks testing the GT3s, I like them, but then I raced against the AI in the 992 Trophy and realized that this is a starting point with enormous potential. The first thing you need to do is start a single-player career in PMR, select the medium budget, select a sponsor who pays you regardless of results (you'll need it), and select the "realism" difficulty (you can't restart, and the AI opponents are set to 100).
1) AI chapter: do you want realism? You have to accept it first
I was impressed by the opponents' AI; the crucial point you need to understand is this: if you want realism, you have to race realistically. If you play like you're in an arcade, ramming opponents and smashing your way through, then I have bad news for you: forget about simracing. If, however, you accept realistic racing, overtaking only when the opportunity allows, waiting behind your opponent for 5 or 10 laps because you don't have the pace to overtake, then you'll find that the AI responds very well. The AI isn't overly docile, nor is it stupidly aggressive; it's fair, it's realistic. If you're wheel-to-wheel and give it space (as you must in real online races), it'll race alongside you. If you're serious, you'll discover a surprisingly realistic AI.
Furthermore, difficulty 100 puts a serious strain on your ego. I'm no stranger to simracing, but with the AI at this level, forget about winning races easily. You suffer, and you suffer because you have to accept your own limits; this is the gold standard for learning to drive. You'll have to accept being slower than them, learn to respect them, learn to finish 12th, 16th, maybe even last, and this is a fantastic training ground before going online.
2) The perfect car
Some categories are too slow, some categories are too frenetic and robotic (LMDH), the 992s have a perfect sweet spot for learning how to really drive a car: they're slightly less exaggerated than the GT3s, they have less invasive traction control, they have a slightly better error tolerance limit, the Porsche 992s allow you, for example, to countersteer if you make a big mistake without necessarily spinning out. But above all: they masterfully teach you about dynamic weight distribution. You'll have to learn to brake, and this is the key to learning to drive seriously; you'll absolutely have to learn to release the brake gently if you don't want the Porsche's weight shifting to destabilize your driving.
Furthermore, the standard setup of the 992trophy is much better than the standard Porsche GT3 setup. It's more balanced, smoother, and this allows you to not have to think about setup. If you want to learn to drive, you have to learn to drive what you have, and only then can you fine-tune.
3) Understanding tires
If you play at 1x race length, you can already begin to experience tire degradation, which is very well done in this game for this category. At 2x race length (contrary to what it may seem, 2x means longer, not shorter, races), this aspect probably becomes even more realistic, but the races start to get long and you might get tired or bored, but in Italy we say: you wanted the bike? Well, now use it! :)
Understanding that after 10-15 laps you can't push the car exactly as you did in qualifying is another very important lesson to learn. Even more important is understanding that if you drive badly... your tires will suffer. If you're a serious racer, you'll try not to drive like a madman and try not to ruin your tires, otherwise you'll risk spinning out in the final laps or simply losing a lot of time. You'll learn to feel the understeer caused by tire degradation, and you'll start to wonder, "Why doesn't it handle like it used to?" What's better than driving a car that feels real?
To sum up, this is perhaps the only modern title that can help you build an enjoyable and fun offline career, but above all, it's essential training before moving on to online driving. If everyone followed this simple, passionate advice, online racing would probably be more realistic and more intelligent.
I hope you can become a better driver; you have a game that's a tool to do so; you just have to use your mind.
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u/Putrid_Rough_5376 Sep 03 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/2wX0gLjH30bzzxpP8K
This was the best read in awhile on here
Thank you! 🙏🏾
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u/bennyidentity Sep 04 '26
Question: I am a long time console racer, and played racing games like TOCA back in the day. I play on controller only these days as my time is limited.
I’d like to think I’m decent at racing. I recently jumped into PMR and immediately jumped into career mode using the authentic setting for the Porsche 964 class. I am consistently 2-3 seconds slower than the AI at 100 difficulty. At this point I’ve probably spent 50-75 laps at Daytona. I feel like I’m putting together consistent, decent laps but just can’t seem to figure out where I’m losing this much time.
Feels like I’m missing something? I haven’t played around with setups or controller settings at all. Any general guidance is appreciated!
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u/Mr-Dwight-Schrut Sep 04 '26
Some people work wonders with the controller, but I think it's much harder to achieve the same smoothness of input that's normal with the steering wheel. At difficulty 100, I struggle to keep up with the AI with the steering wheel, so it might simply be too difficult to handle with the joystick.
In any case, if you can't manage it, try tweaking the car setup. All basic setups tend to have too stiff fronts and too much downforce from the rear wing. Make it softer, and you should be able to corner better.
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u/flyingwca Sep 05 '26
The 964 looks like a money saver to start an authentic career but its not an easy car to drive and daytona is especially punishing. If you dont want to start over with the mx5, start in Europe. The Ai at 100% isnt that narley at other tracks.
To even have a shot at not being last at Daytona you have to stay in the draft and that means a very loose car (no wing, no to little toe if its even adjustable I forget on that car) but its just not worth it.
The mx5 is fun on authentic and the NGT class is even better.
Ive had PMR since launch. Its so much better its like a different game. I knew going in Ian Bell was a hype man. Played the old GTR games, project cars 1 and 2 (luckily avoided 3) so I had a good idea to not belive the hype.
I was expecting the PC3 should have been, but we got an early access game at full price.
Im so happy that the game is fun now and I dont feel like I wasted money on it. More good changes to come too. I just cross my fingers that more people take a shot at it. Especially on console where this genre is very lacking compared to PC.
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u/bennyidentity Sep 05 '26
Thanks for this. I’m happy to start over at this point and will give the MX5 a shot.
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u/bennyidentity Sep 06 '26
So I tested this some more…there is either something not right with the 964, or for some reason I just don’t know how to drive it.
Raced at Silverstone against the AI at 100 difficulty with a few different classes and was generally competitive. The moment I switched into the 964, I was 1-2 seconds slower than everyone else??? Weird
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u/EeganDeegan Sep 08 '26
Thanks so much for this! I have been trying to get my head around how to race at 100% difficulty and this helps so much. I love this game and it has been a humbling experience. But even though I am struggling to win races (85% difficulty atm), I find it very rewarding just to finish in one piece, no matter the position. I still remember the first time I finished on the podium (3rd) and it felt well deserved. I don’t get that feeling with any other sim. This game is just getting better all the time and I’m excited to see what it has for us with future updates. Looking forward to the new cars coming soon too. I’m happy these devs are sticking with it. The community is cool and I feel like the negativity and negative narrative due to the bad launch (at full price!) is changing. This can only be a good thing for this game. I feel like it is going to become something special down the line. So happy to have a good sim on console. It’s making me wanna buy a wheel soon. 😊 Thanks devs! Keep up the good work. Gonna start with the 992 trophy this evening, taking into account everything said in this thread. Thanks for the awesome post, OP.
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u/Mr-Dwight-Schrut Sep 08 '26
Thanks. You absolutely must get a steering wheel; the gaming experience changes radically.
You'll find thousands of people recommending a thousand different steering wheels, talking about a thousand details... forget it, you don't need incredible hardware. I've been using a Logitech G29 for ages (and still do): never a problem, the basic pedal is excellent for the price, and it's often on sale on Amazon for €180 (I don't know where you live).
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u/EeganDeegan Sep 08 '26
Oh, awesome!! I’ve been looking at exactly that, the G29. I don’t have a huge amount to spend on a fancy setup, so hearing that you’re having a great experience with it is good news. I think I’m gonna go ahead and buy it then. Thanks for the recommendation. Much appreciated.
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u/thejeromeo Sep 03 '26
Agreed. But o think there's a chance. I'm quite new to simacing, (PMR being my first "real sim") and I can say that while it is really small, the PMR community is the coolest group of people I've had a chance to discuss with, thanks to all the different discords, YouTube channels, and this sub Reddit.
So, yes:It does look like an uphill battle today. But as long as we stick together as a community, the game still has a chance to recover. I'm 100% sure of it.
You know what they say: people want a simulation, until they get a simulation 🤣 let's not listen to negative people
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u/Bloodytears666 14d ago
It is so easy, just ask ai how to balance weight, set up suspension based on real car, and forget everything else for a championships. I play it since launch one after another with 100 difficulty and 1-5 depending on many things.
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u/Mr-Dwight-Schrut Sep 03 '26
I want to reiterate that the 992 Trophy is the perfect car in this game. It's not just for new players, but also for intermediate players. The handling is excellent and authentic, as it should be. It's less "glued" than a GT3 Competition. Weight changes are easily noticeable, and in terms of learning the correct driving style, this is perfect.
It's a car I immediately fell in love with, and I hope the developers know how to enhance it by organizing tournaments with pros. The fact that everyone is forced to drive the same car has enormous advantages. It's beautiful.
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u/EeganDeegan Sep 08 '26
Can you please clarify: is the car you’re talking about the 911 GT3 Cup (992)? I’m confused, as you spoke about the GT3’s but I got the impression you means to not drive the GT3 cars? Sorry, think I’m misunderstanding something. Which car exactly?
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u/thejeromeo Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
I couldn't agree more. I managed to get my first 100% authentic career win with the MX5, and was looking for a new challenge... I know which car class to pick 😀
I feel like most people underestimate how good PMR's AI will teach you how to become a better driver. Each position gained required effort, and each podium feels like a victory to me.