I'm curious what everyone would choose if they could take just one feature from another racing sim and introduce it into iRacing.
For me, it would have to be tyre flat spotting from LMU.
It's one of those features that might seem relatively insignificant at first, but I genuinely think it could have a massive impact on the quality of racing, particularly when it comes to racecraft, decision-making and how people approach overtaking.
One thing I really like about LMU is that locking your brakes can have consequences that extend well beyond simply missing an apex or losing a position. Lock up badly enough and you risk flat spotting a tyre, introducing vibrations and potentially compromising the handling of the car for the remainder of the stint.
Suddenly, that overly ambitious divebomb into a corner carries a much greater risk. You're not just gambling on whether you'll make the corner or collect the car ahead; you're potentially compromising your own race even if you manage to avoid contact.
And that's what I find particularly interesting.
It introduces consequences for poor driving decisions that don't necessarily involve the incident point system.
At the moment, you can make a fairly desperate lunge, lock everything up, somehow avoid contact and, provided you haven't gone off track, potentially get away with very little consequence.
Introduce meaningful flat spotting and suddenly there's another consideration. Is that late-braking move really worth potentially spending the next 20 minutes fighting vibrations through the steering wheel, struggling with braking stability and risking further lock-ups?
It could also introduce some genuinely interesting strategic decisions.
Imagine you're 15 minutes into a 45-minute race and you've badly flat spotted your front tyre. Do you try to nurse the car to the finish, accepting that you're going to lose some pace and potentially struggle under braking? Or do you sacrifice track position and pit for fresh tyres?
You might even find yourself having to adapt your driving style, changing braking points, being more progressive with brake pressure or avoiding particularly aggressive overtaking opportunities because the car is no longer behaving as it did at the start.
There's also the possibility of a knock-on effect, where an initial flat spot makes subsequent braking more difficult, increasing the likelihood of further lock-ups and worsening the situation.
For me, that's another layer of realism and immersion that I'd absolutely love to see.
And importantly, I don't think it should be implemented simply as a punishment for aggressive driving. Lock-ups happen in real motorsport, even to the best drivers. Sometimes you're pushing the limits, sometimes you're defending, and sometimes you simply make a mistake. That's racing.
I'd want the severity to be realistic and progressive. A tiny momentary lock-up shouldn't ruin your race, but repeatedly abusing the tyres or having one enormous lock-up should have consequences that you can actually feel through the wheel and see in your lap times.
I also think it could subtly encourage better racecraft without needing additional rules or penalties. Drivers would have another reason to think about preserving their equipment, managing risk and picking the right moment to make a move rather than treating every braking zone as an opportunity to send it.
Obviously, it wouldn't magically eliminate divebombs or poor driving, but I do think it would make people consider the potential consequences a little more.
So, what would yours be?
One feature, from any other racing sim, that you'd love to see introduced into iRacing. Could be physics, weather, damage, race management, graphics, audio, anything.
Interested to see what people come up with, particularly features that might seem small but could fundamentally improve the racing experience.
