Drive Fast, Drive Smooth

Published June 5, 2007

Forza Motorsport 2 represents the pinnacle of simulation racing. Not only does each car perform precisely as it should, but every conceivable element is taken into consideration (tire heat, track conditions, downforce, traction, etc.) and painstakingly factored in at incredible speed to create as authentic a racing game as can be designed.

Body modifications can add a lot of downforce.

With that in mind, finding success in Forza 2 requires a strict adherence to realistic strategy. The following driving tips should help whether you're a novice or a veteran.

Manual Please
It can be intimidating to the casual gamer to switch off automatic transmission and embrace manual shifting, but it's really necessary for ongoing success. It may not seem like it after playing a race or two on automatic and winning, but races will quickly become far more challenging, with victory being routinely decided by just a second or two.

The extra seconds you shave off your time throughout a race with more precise, controllable acceleration thanks to manual transmission, make all the difference in the world. Make this change early on in your career and it will be second nature for you by the time you need it.

Rear-Wheel Education
Players are in for a rude awakening if they think they can make the switch from racing front-wheel-drive cars early in their career to rear-wheel without making a few adjustments. Try the following when driving rear-wheel vehicles and you'll find yourself fish-tailing far less.

• Make absolutely sure to brake or simply slow down well before a turn.
• Make the turn without your foot on the brake or the gas pedal.
• Only apply the gas when you've straightened out to accelerate beyond the curve.
• Never, ever hit the gas when you still hear the screech of the tires. In fact, a perfect turn will boast no screeching tires at all.

The preceding tips are viable for front and all-wheel-drive cars as well, but they are far more critical to rear-wheel-drive cars.

Welcome to rear-wheel-drive. Enjoy your stay.

Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade
The litany of available upgrades in Forza 2 isn't just there for show. Sure, it's nice to install a turbocharger, upgrade your cams or slot in some anti-roll bars, but often it's just flat-out necessary as well. If you find yourself competitive in a race, but can't take the win, it's time to upgrade your car.

However, it's also important to keep the class of your car in mind. For example, if your current ride is ranked C497, you may not want to upgrade beyond a C in order to stay racing cars in your same class. In this case, the key is to upgrade your car just to the edge of the current ranking, but not over. Luckily, you'll see what rank your car will become when you preview the upgrade.

Tool Tips
Forza Motorsport 2 does an excellent job of explaining all the various upgrades and tuning options available. Not everyone is a car nut, and developer Turn 10 understands that. When viewing an upgrade or tuning option, take a look at the scrolling text explaining its use, importance and how it correlates to other items. You may need to tap Y on the upgrade/tuning screens to toggle the text's appearance.

Tuning Styles
There are two basic types of races in Forza 2, the speed race and the technical race. In a speed race, your primary concern is top speed as you hurtle around gentle curves, while the technical races require better handling and a focus on immediate acceleration. Your best option for success is to build and save different tuning setups for both types of races. When changing a tuning setup on a car, press X at any time to save and name your current settings. Then, call up the different settings depending on your need. The Default setup is always available in case you need to get back to a baseline.

Tuning options can be further refined just before a race. Choose the Tune option before the race and fiddle away without permanently affecting your saved settings.

Never trust a power slide.

Nix the Power Slide
Too many drift-happy racing games have given the power slide a kind of strange popularity, but in a realistic racer like Forza 2, you simply lose far too much speed during a power slide to make it worthwhile. It may work early on in single-player but after just a few events, it will serve you poorly as patient A.I. drivers accelerate properly through turns and blaze by you. Additionally, its over-use online is a sure-fire way to finish anywhere but first place.

Come Back Later
There are so many races available at any given time that it's just not worth obsessing over a single one. If you find it impossible to finish first in a particular race, leave it for another time and head on to other events.

Rubbin' Ain't Racin' Here
Finishing an entire race without bumping or being bumped by an opponent is rare indeed, but avoiding contact is still the preferred method of travel. Put simply, the damage physics are just too good and too unforgiving (particularly on higher difficulty levels) to get away with smashing up your car. Plus, you run the very real risk of losing control of the vehicle with every bump and shimmy.

Keep it under control, drive smooth, and drive fast!

Article by Ryan Treit