The Le Mans Ultimate February Update adds more LMGT3 contenders and a revised tire model - we tried it early, and here are our thoughts.
Three new LMGT3 cars, one of them for free, revised tire physics, new track variants and quality of life improvements - Le Mans Ultimate is becoming an ever more complete sim racing experience exactly one year after its Early Access launch.
When will the Le Mans Ultimate update release?
Over the weekend I was able to test the new LMU update that will be released to all of you on February 25, already confirmed for around 10:00 UTC. The Pack 4 DLC, still part of the 2024 Season Pass, standalone price €6.99, brings the Spa 24-winning model, the Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3, and the highly anticipated Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 (992). The next free car is no less exciting, this year's Daytona 24 Hours GTD class winner - the Ford Mustang in its LMGT3 version! We'll talk about the new cars in a moment, but first something more important.Le Mans Ultimate: Revised LMGT3 Tire Model
Although the LMGT3 class already feels very authentic and real GT3 drivers like James Baldwin or David Perel have attested to the high realism of their McLaren 720S or Ferrari 296 counterparts in LMU, especially in terms of ABS and cornering behavior, developer Studio 397 has collected further feedback and enhanced the tire model for the LMGT3s – prototypes will also benefit from these updates at a later date.To remind myself of the old tires, I did a few laps at Sebring with the Corvette pre-patch, and the cold slicks in particular are very difficult to anticipate and surprise me with a sudden loss of grip. LMU is known for its merciless cold tires! This is the first thing that has been mitigated with the update. The point at which you lose grip is similar, but the limit before that feels 10% wider, and you know earlier from the car's movements and the Force Feedback that something is about to happen that will cause you to spin. You have more control and are less of a passenger.
In both versions the car has a good operating temperature from lap 3, I've turned the ABS down a bit then. LMU has always given me a huge difference between the mid-engine and front-engine concepts, especially the light front axles make precise turn-in and positioning more difficult, good trail braking technique and working with the balance of the car are very important. This was a bit wobbly and spongy at times, especially with the Corvette. The best way I can describe the update now is that it feels like the resolution has been increased from 720p to 1080p. The challenge is still the same, but the feel and confidence of when you can push is much better!
Le Mans Ultimate Ford Mustang LMGT3: Detailed Like No Other
Driving the new Mustang, which feels heavier but has an easier to understand front axle, adds to the enjoyment of these LMGT3s in LMU. The Force Feedback during braking alone is incredible - twitches, micro-bumps and an amazingly detailed force transmitted to me by the Simagic Alpha U in my setup. To be honest, I've never experienced anything like it, and I have no idea how Studio 397 achieves it. What I can tell you is that this car is incredibly detailed and great to drive - the versions in iRacing and ACC are no comparison, not even close. I encourage you to try it once the update launches and let me know what you think down in the comments!The sound is also good, although there still seem to be a few bugs. I've experienced the engine suddenly disappearing under no load and it's also suspiciously quiet at low revs. The red line doesn't quite match the shift indicator in the HUD, but these are minor issues that can certainly be ironed out quickly. Mustang LMGT3, especially as free DLC - big thumbs up!
The Aston Martin is in the same vein and sounds even better to me. This Evo facelift was first available in Rennsport, and no other sim has the sporty Brit. Even with the standard setup, the Aston offers a very good balance and should be a good choice for LMGT3 beginners, as the front-engine concept ensures a comprehensible steering behavior here as well. Even when the tires are out of the optimum temperature window or worn, the car remains forgiving.
Speaking of setups, all car settings will probably have to be overhauled from tomorrow, so the Coach Dave setups available in-game will disappear for a bit, but come back soon, if I've understood correctly.
Porsche 911 LMGT3 R (992): Different Character
With the distinctive, mechanical, rich sound of the GTE RSR in mind, I was really looking forward to the GT3 R Porsche. In terms of sound, however, it is unfortunately a disappointment for me. It sounds like a hair dryer in the cockpit, very thin and somewhat synthetic. Of course, I understand that the engine is a bit further away from the driver than in the RSR and it may be realistic, but I would still like it to be throatier. What do you think?The 911 reacts much faster and punishes rougher steering corrections and input, the braking behavior is also very different from the other two cars due to the rear-engine concept. The fact that the cars feel so fundamentally different is one of LMU's great strengths.
Le Mans Ultimate Alternate Track Layouts
- Fuji Speedway Without Sector 3 Chicane
- Monza Curve Grande - cutting the first chicane
- Spa-Francorchamps: Endurance Pits with 62 pit boxes
- Sebring School Layout
- COTA Club
- Bahrain Endurance
- Bahrain Paddock
- Bahrain Outer
- Le Mans Without Chicanes
It's also good to see that we're getting all these cars in new playgrounds in familiar surroundings - and for free. It adds variety to the racing and I like the Bahrain Outer layout better than the standard track. COTA won't be one of my favourites, even with the National variant, but it opens up a layout that might be better suited to pure LMGT3 racing. Fuji, Le Mans and Monza give us variants with fewer chicanes, who would miss T1 at Monza? And a full Mulsanne straight with no chicanes, why not? At Spa, the Endurance Pit Layout gives us more pit boxes for even bigger races. You could already see the Sebring School in the footage, also cool for more compact GT3 sprint action.
Le Mans Ultimate Update: HUD & Quality Of Life Changes
But that's not all, Studio 397 has also made improvements to small details, having already worked on stability and menu flow over the last few months, and added features such as save games. We already talked about the cold tires, especially with the LMH / LMDh it can sometimes be quite tricky to get them into the right temperature window. A tire warmer option is now available to help with this if needed. But remember, your brakes need some time too. Additionally, available tires per event is now a thing to make a race weekend and endurance even more realistic.The HUD gets a few improvements, so we can now see the amount of energy available for each car at the top, which means fuel for the LMGT3 and LMP2 cars, and the mixture of fuel and battery for the Hypercars. In Relative we can now see if we are on the same lap as our opponent or if we are ahead or behind with color coding. The lap delta box also has more information and the delta can be reset.
The racing AI has also been tweaked, in my experience the fast classes are very respectful of the slower ones, sometimes even a bit too passive. In one case in Spa, I just wanted to close the door on the right, the AI tried to take its chance on the left instead, something you don't often see in other titles. You can definitely have fun racing against the AI, but some hiccups will still break the immersion, especially in longer races. Their strategy behavior has been improved, they will no longer get new tires without needing them. The overall consistency is good, but there is still room for improvement.
There are also things that have been postponed, such as driver swaps. These will be coming in the May update, as well as teams – so you can create your own group or esports team within LMUs online system, including custom liveries and a sharing feature for them. There will also be DLC number 5 with the Qatar track and the missing two 2024 LMGT3 cars, the Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo 2 and the Lexus RC F LMGT3.
Verdict
I think Studio 397 is on a very good path here, even though it has taken a little longer and there are always challenges in the background, the team is delivering the best sim racing experience for me personally at the moment. The cars are just awesome and unique to drive, and studios like iRacing and Kunos for AC EVO should take note to not fall behind in terms of driving physics.Even though I don't think it's objectively true, it just feels like the density and frequency of physics effects are higher at LMU. After this first year, I really want to drive this title more often!
What's your opinion of the Le Mans Ultimate February Update, and what are you missing? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our LMU forum!
