M2R Simulation › Guides › How to read telemetry in Assetto Corsa EVO
How to read telemetry in Assetto Corsa EVO
Telemetry looks like a wall of curves, but you only need four of them to find most of your lost time: speed, throttle, brake and steering. This guide shows what to look at and what each shape means.
6 min read
Always compare two laps, never read one
A single trace says little. The value comes from putting your lap next to a faster one, on the same car and track, with both laid on the same distance along the lap (not on time), so that a corner is in the same place for both. Differences you see at the same point of the track are the ones that cost or give you time.
The four traces that matter
Start with these, in this order:
- Speed: the shape of the lap. Look at the minimum speed in each corner and at the speed on the exit.
- Brake: where it starts, how hard it goes and how it is released.
- Throttle: when you are back on it and how progressively you open it.
- Steering: how early and how smoothly you turn in, and whether you correct it.
Reading the brake trace
A good brake trace rises fast to a peak, then comes down smoothly as the car slows and the corner gets closer (trail braking). Three common problems: the trace starts too early (you brake before you need to), the peak is lower than the reference (you are not using all the braking you have), or the release is abrupt (the car is unsettled at turn-in). If the ABS bands are active for a long time, you are pressing harder than the tyres can use.
Reading the throttle trace
The exit of the corner decides the speed on the next straight. Compare where the throttle starts and how fast it rises. Opening it late costs time; opening it too fast with the steering still turned makes the traction control or the rear step in, and the trace shows steps and dips.
Reading steering and speed together
More steering angle at the same speed usually means a tighter line or an understeering car. If you need more steering than the reference to follow the corner, you probably turned in too early or carried too much speed. The yaw rate (how fast the car rotates) tells you if the car is rotating or sliding.
From the traces to one decision
Do not try to fix everything. For each corner choose the one difference with the biggest effect (usually the braking point or the exit speed), change only that for the next laps and look at the traces again.
Put it into practice with ACE Coach