What I found is the cars reactions are closer to the way they handle IRL than in any other sim, including AC. This is especially obvious when you try drifting.

I mean, I see you have a S13 which I have to assume has been sideways. I personally feel drifting in AC is head and shoulders better than Beam. I think those cars handle like garbage, frankly.

Not to forget, AC also supports mods (as opposed to AC Competitzione).

This 100%. Look up James Baldwin on YouTube. He won McLaren's world fastest gamer competition a couple years back, and he went from sim racing to winning GT3 races in a 720s racecar within a year. Unless you have a full motion rig, FFB through the wheel is the only sensation of grip that you can feel while sim racing and good sim racers become extremely in tune with it. He says in an interview that once getting used to the physicals forces in an actual car, you are able to take advantage of all the other ways the car communicates to you other than the steering wheel.

Partially got into sim racing during COVID because of this guy and can say that it really took my driving to the next level. Once I learned to understand car balance and weight transfer, techniques like trail braking, rotating the car under braking and throttle all started to come together and a great way to get those down is in the sim. I see a lot of recommendations for AC and other sims, but if you're looking for a sim with the best FFB, I would recommend rFactor 2. Do some research on their tire model and you'll be blown away.

100% sim racing helps develop the right "instincts". At OTA, we've started accepting sim racing experience with a multiplier for IRL track time. In fact, with Covid preventing us to sit in-car for sign offs for "rookies", I used iRacing or AC as sign off equipment.

Surprised no one has mentioned autocross!

It's not for everyone, but if you're new to pushing your car it will get you a little more comfortable.

- Andrew

Surprisingly, I haven't drifted my 240 yet lol. Needs some work first, but that's not the point of this discussion. Based on my IRL experience of drifting E36 M3 and my ex Toyota 86, I have exactly the opposite impression of BeamNG and AC, lol.

I see. Well my last thought: I drift on track at Apple Valley Speedway, have tandem-ed a little (not super close proximity though) and have owned just about every single platform commonly used for drifting these dates. I 110% learned on Assetto and just do not like the self-steer and transition from grip to oversteer mechanics of Beam, personally. Feels too slow and there is little progressiveness in the weighting of the wheel from my experience.

Now, if you like it excellent! It’s still better than something like NFS lol.

https://nextlevelracing.com/products...n-platform-v3/

A little pricey but not like a full on motion rig. If you have an 8020 rig, it can mount up easily and provides way more detail and immersion than a buttkicker. Whether or not the cost is worth it is subjective. The thing with this is to not set it up on full blast to shake you around, but to tune the motion to replicate the feeling you get through the seat for understeer/oversteer moments.

Also, Car Control Clinics / skidpad.

It's a good idea, it's not too hard on the car and very safe since since there's nothing to immediately hit except for cones. My main issue is that there's a lot more waiting around vs seat in autocross than an open track day.

I do like the flexibility of the open track days since I can go the track and practice continuous laps. That said in the context of understeer vs oversteer, spinning out on the track trying to get the tail could be very expensive if I were to hit a wall or another driver. It can be very intimidating compared to autocross.

Another thing to consider: I’ve never gotten yelled at for being that guy that takes as many turns as possible in a 4wheel drift. I’ve never even gotten yelled at for spinning out because of it. Open track days aren’t that lenient.

Something else just occurred to me. OP is in Michigan. Winter is coming. Frozen lakes, baby! I lived in Minnesota for four years and even with my depressing FWD car, I made it a point to get out there and hoon every year.

Dem e-brake pullz!

Yeah, I used to do the same thing with my dad's Corolla. Parking lot snow'nuts!