Spinelli
RFactor 2 is the only sim in the history of sims, or any video game in general, that has relatively great kart dynamics...
Tier 1 Karts (on another level to anything else out there in terms of raw vehicle dynamics):
- RFactor 2
- Possibly KartSim
Note: Other than RF2's karts, KartSim has the only karts that truly resemble real-life karts, according to their preview video from about 3 years back. I think this says something astonishingly good about rFactor 2's physics engine considering KartSim has been developed for many years to be a hardcore specifically-karting sim, while rFactor 2's physics have not been designed from the ground-up to be purpose-made for karts.
Tier 2 Karts (good enough to have respect for, and play, actually this sounds like a bit of an understatement since these 2 games' karts are still good and definitely "sim"):
- Game Stock Car
The karts in Game Stock Car are fun as hell, and very, very, good for what the rF1 physics engine is capable, they actually do emit some actual kart dynamics rather than just a regular car with different numbers plugged in for it's weight and dimensions, but it still suffers from some oddness and "holes" of the rF1 general vehicle dynamics behavior. I'm not talking about "features" like flat spots or "RealRoad", I'm talking about vehicle handling/behavior.
- Kart Racing Pro
Even Piboso's Kart Racing Pro, while very fun and controllable, doesn't behave enough like a kart but more just like a really light car. People tend to praise it though because it is nice and intuitively controllable to save slides, and has natural FFB, sadly, this is a sign of people having no clue about vehicle dynamics and basing their thoughts of vehicle dynamics from how natural it is to correct a rear-slide and generally control a car rather than actual car behavior. There are times when the amount of lock used to get around corners is very comedic in KRP, as if the kart is behaving like a regular car rather than the dartiness, pointiness, and hardly-any-lock-needed-to-steer-around-corners dynamics that the dynamics of a real-life kart and RF2's karts exhibit. It also doesn't have enough of the same sort of super stiff and skipping behavior that the rF2 karts have. Pibos's efforts and enthusiasm are phenomenal, don't get more wrong.
Note: KRP's karts does some things better than GSC's karts, but overall, the vehicle dynamics of Game Stock Car's karts are more realistic/better and closer to rF2's and reality.
Tier 3 Karts(shows potential, definitely not to be laughed at, but just still not on that uber complex and "hardcore" realistic level, there is still quite some level of simplicity to it's overall dynamics but it's at least a step in the right direction and probably "good enough" for many.):
Tier "Nothing" (these are so bad in terms of realistic kart dynamics that I can't even consider them "tier 4", they're simply just off the charts):
- Project Cars
- Gran Turismo
Note: These karts don't really even make my list (hence the category "Tier Nothing"). Seriously, I can't believe how much of a joke they are, it's literally like playing some sort of game made for cell phones and tablets or something, THEY'RE THAT BAD. The "regular car" behavior I described above for KRP is even much, much worse in the Project Cars and Gran Turismo karts. In these two games, it's like the karts literally have the same dynamics as a regular car but just with different values plugged in for the car weight and dimensions; basically they're a complete joke. I wouldn't even consider them "simcade" but literally terrible (not exaggerating).
Some Other Thoughts:
IRacing - I generally like IRacing's physics; I personally think that if they made a kart that they could at least achieve "Tier 2", maybe even Tier 1.
Assetto Corsa - I think that it would be "easy as pie" for Assetto Corsa to achieve tier 3, probably even tier 2, however, I just don't see it's physics being complex and dynamic enough for tier 1 at the moment, there is sadly still a bit of staleness/simplicity to the overall vehicle dynamics modelling of AC which the super stiff, reactive, and just generally highly dynamic handling behavior of a kart would exhibit/show-off even more. Tier 2 is still very, very good though (GSC & KRP level).
Project Cars - I believe PC's physics are at least good enough to make a tier 3 kart, maybe even tier 2, but tier 3 should definitely be doable judging by the overall vehicle dynamics of their non-karting cars. Their current kart is not even close to what the physics are capable of.
Tier 1 Karts (on another level to anything else out there in terms of raw vehicle dynamics):
- RFactor 2
- Possibly KartSim
Note: Other than RF2's karts, KartSim has the only karts that truly resemble real-life karts, according to their preview video from about 3 years back. I think this says something astonishingly good about rFactor 2's physics engine considering KartSim has been developed for many years to be a hardcore specifically-karting sim, while rFactor 2's physics have not been designed from the ground-up to be purpose-made for karts.
Tier 2 Karts (good enough to have respect for, and play, actually this sounds like a bit of an understatement since these 2 games' karts are still good and definitely "sim"):
- Game Stock Car
The karts in Game Stock Car are fun as hell, and very, very, good for what the rF1 physics engine is capable, they actually do emit some actual kart dynamics rather than just a regular car with different numbers plugged in for it's weight and dimensions, but it still suffers from some oddness and "holes" of the rF1 general vehicle dynamics behavior. I'm not talking about "features" like flat spots or "RealRoad", I'm talking about vehicle handling/behavior.
- Kart Racing Pro
Even Piboso's Kart Racing Pro, while very fun and controllable, doesn't behave enough like a kart but more just like a really light car. People tend to praise it though because it is nice and intuitively controllable to save slides, and has natural FFB, sadly, this is a sign of people having no clue about vehicle dynamics and basing their thoughts of vehicle dynamics from how natural it is to correct a rear-slide and generally control a car rather than actual car behavior. There are times when the amount of lock used to get around corners is very comedic in KRP, as if the kart is behaving like a regular car rather than the dartiness, pointiness, and hardly-any-lock-needed-to-steer-around-corners dynamics that the dynamics of a real-life kart and RF2's karts exhibit. It also doesn't have enough of the same sort of super stiff and skipping behavior that the rF2 karts have. Pibos's efforts and enthusiasm are phenomenal, don't get more wrong.
Note: KRP's karts does some things better than GSC's karts, but overall, the vehicle dynamics of Game Stock Car's karts are more realistic/better and closer to rF2's and reality.
Tier 3 Karts(shows potential, definitely not to be laughed at, but just still not on that uber complex and "hardcore" realistic level, there is still quite some level of simplicity to it's overall dynamics but it's at least a step in the right direction and probably "good enough" for many.):
Tier "Nothing" (these are so bad in terms of realistic kart dynamics that I can't even consider them "tier 4", they're simply just off the charts):
- Project Cars
- Gran Turismo
Note: These karts don't really even make my list (hence the category "Tier Nothing"). Seriously, I can't believe how much of a joke they are, it's literally like playing some sort of game made for cell phones and tablets or something, THEY'RE THAT BAD. The "regular car" behavior I described above for KRP is even much, much worse in the Project Cars and Gran Turismo karts. In these two games, it's like the karts literally have the same dynamics as a regular car but just with different values plugged in for the car weight and dimensions; basically they're a complete joke. I wouldn't even consider them "simcade" but literally terrible (not exaggerating).
Some Other Thoughts:
IRacing - I generally like IRacing's physics; I personally think that if they made a kart that they could at least achieve "Tier 2", maybe even Tier 1.
Assetto Corsa - I think that it would be "easy as pie" for Assetto Corsa to achieve tier 3, probably even tier 2, however, I just don't see it's physics being complex and dynamic enough for tier 1 at the moment, there is sadly still a bit of staleness/simplicity to the overall vehicle dynamics modelling of AC which the super stiff, reactive, and just generally highly dynamic handling behavior of a kart would exhibit/show-off even more. Tier 2 is still very, very good though (GSC & KRP level).
Project Cars - I believe PC's physics are at least good enough to make a tier 3 kart, maybe even tier 2, but tier 3 should definitely be doable judging by the overall vehicle dynamics of their non-karting cars. Their current kart is not even close to what the physics are capable of.
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lol