The latest Need For Speed Hot Rod update delivered some exciting new content, including a classic Ford 'Deuce' as well as a completely insane BackKustoms F132 custom hot rod. The garage has now expanded as well, featuring a virtual warehouse to free up some space for more cars. What's more, players are excited for manual transmission, which has finally arrived in the game along with some new Drag Racing events.
Precision gear changes with a manual gearbox can be a tricky new skill to master and when things happen as quickly as they do in Drag Racing, the major key here is to not mess up. The last thing you want is DJ Khaled congratulating you for playing yourself.
First things first, let's go over the new manual transmission mechanics in Need For Speed. It's pretty simple: If you're playing on the PS4, flick the 'R' stick up to go up a gear, and flick the 'R' stick down to go down a gear. Got it? Good.
Driving Technique
Now, for the Drag Race event: It's fair to assume that going in a straight line is, well, relatively straightforward. That is, until your objective is to go in a straight line faster than everybody else. Drag racing is the art of managing all parameters of a car to its narrow window of optimum performance. That means the tires must be at the best operating temperature for the highest amount of grip and the gear shifts must be just perfect so that the car is always accelerating within the peak powerband.
The first step is to position your car to the 'Start Box' and perform a burnout by holding the brake and the throttle at the same time. Once the bar meter reaches the pair of dots just between the center and the outer-most indicators, your tires should be GOOD and the event will announce that the drag race will begin in just a couple of seconds.
As you anticipate for the Christmas tree to turn green, a big tachometer on the right will feature a tiny red triangle at the top to let you know exactly where your revs must be to have a good launch. You're going to have to remember where the red triangle is, though, because it will disappear once the drag race begins. Try to shift as close to the optimum rev range as possible for a strong launch. The first two three gears fly by really quickly when the car rockets from the line, so there's usually little time to pay attention to the use of NOS until I'm in fourth gear. While depleting your NOS, be mindful that your tach is not slamming against the redline.
Tuning for Drag
Driving technique is only half the battle in drag racing. Your ride needs to be quick! Need For Speed makes modding your car relatively easy. Simply move down the list of parts and always go for the Elite tune. However, the forced induction and nitrous oxide columns get interesting. There's a selection of Elite superchargers and turbochargers that Need for Speed offers, each affecting parameters such as 0-60 mph acceleration, 1/4 mile time, and top speed. But which is most important?
A fast 0-60 mph time will give you the lead at the jump, but you'll probably lose steam down the road. A high top speed will make you the fastest car at the finish line, but it'll take a while to get up to speed so you'll risk falling behind at the start. The parameter you should pay the most attention to is the 1/4 mile time, which offers an overall balance and represents the quickest time over a given distance.
Finally, you won't be drifting during a drag race, so there's no point in purchasing an Action Refill NOS tank. Instead, get the Time Refill Nitrous instead. The NOS will slowly refill itself after it's used.
Go and give Need for Speed drag racing a try! Do you like the new race event? How does it stack against other events like sprint and drift? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
