HI ALL!
Im in the market to buy a racing simulation set up.
Im looking to do this online against real pepole with brains.
Im just trying to find out the best recomendations for the best online racing simulations that are curantly avalible and why.
Thanks in advance for any help

rfactor if you don't want to spend too much money but want a huge selection of cars tracks, but graphics are not so good. If you want the full deal, try iracing but the selection isn't as big and the cost is big, imo.

ARCA Sim Racing draws a fairly large crowd on their servers. If you want stock cars, it's on par with the Nascar sims of the past.

rFactor is what I've driven almost exclusively for the past 3-4 years. There are so many car mods and tracks to find that you can download for free it makes your head spin. Almost any car, and almost anywhere you'd want to race...it's there.

Plus, a little plug...we race rFactor here at SimHQ on 2-3 servers every weekend and during the week. A lot of fun, a lot of good friends.

Actually we could really do with a guide here at SimHQ to show new people what sim they would like or something.

Actually there is a quite good couple of answers in this thread here: http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2442986#Post2442986

Joe has added a nice thread here:
http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2579226#Post2579226

Thank you all for the kind replys
I will take a look at the links
RaVe

Live for Speed is designed to be an online racer, which is good because the AI sucks. Has good physics engine.

http://www.lfs.net/

rFactor for lagfree online play! IMHO
I haven't played iRacing so I don't know how that compares.

Go with GTR2. I own Race07 (love it) and GT Evolution (nice addition)and NASCAR Racing 2003 Season (oldie but goodie) and ARCA Sim Racing (still junior to NR2K3, IMHO). I just got through with a race on Hockenheim GP (2004 track) with 18 other guys. First time racing online in six months. It was awesome. I loved the way the sky changed during the race to show the passage of time. It was sunset by the time the race ended, the sky was beautiful, the sun knifing your eyes at certain points on the track, guys turning on their headlights. Beautiful, man, beautiful! And excellent MP code, too.

I also own rFactor. It's very good, but the abundance of mods and tracks has a downside: it can be difficult to match up online. There are too many variations. Unless you have a bunch of friends who all want to do the same thing, it's tough. I know a few guys who race rFactor regularly, and I will occasionally race with them, but then I always end up having to download the 348th newest mod and track because that's what they want to do, and that's a pain in the ass. With GTR2/Race07/GTEvo/NR2K3 you can be a stranger and find a public server fairly easily and it's likely you won't have to download the newest latest modification thingy.

So, rFactor is great if that's all you want to race and you're going to keep up with a couple hundred new mods and tracks for your hardrive. If you move back forth between Tom Clancy shooters, flight sims, and racing sims, like me, so you're more of an occasional racer, go with GTR2 or Race07/GTEvolution.