CSR Racing 2: How to master Live Races
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Getting better at racing the AI in CSR Racing 2 is a pretty straightforward process. You run enough races with a particular car to get its shift timing down, continually improve it by buying upgrades whenever you can, and add any fusion parts you grab along the way.
Tuning adds another dimension to the whole affair, but not enough to significantly throw you off course. If you just keep plowing ahead, you'll be able to take down all the crews in the game eventually and figure out what happened to your friends' stolen cars.
The Live Race mode, however, is a different beast. In contrast to some other mobile racing games, it provides CSR Racing 2 with a true multiplayer experience, allowing you to race head to head with a live human opponent at any time (or at least any time the servers are functioning properly).
Human racers can be much more of a handful than the AI, as the best ones know how to tune their cars just right and are quick off the line as well. That's not to say that you can't hang with the best of them -- especially since Live Races offer one of the best, most reliable ways to win keys for rare cars -- but you'll want to go in with the best possible chance of racking up a win streak.
Naturally, we can help, since that's kind of what we do here at 148apps. Mash the gas and blast through our CSR Racing 2 tips for Live Races and you'll be reaping the benefits in no time.
Tune for the 1/2 mile
All Live Races are contested at the 1/2 mile distance instead of the 1/4 mile. You encounter that length in single-player modes of various kinds as well, so it shouldn't come as a complete surprise.
Because of the increased distance, there are essentially two strategies that can win. You can go for the best possible acceleration and sacrifice top speed, hoping to build an insurmountable lead, or you can tune for top speed knowing you will get to it a tad slower.
In most cases, the latter play is the better one for Live Races. It's not as easy to get way out in front of human racers even if they've sacrificed acceleration as well, so you'll find yourself constantly getting overtaken down the stretch. Hit the dyno and tinker until you've squeezed the last bit of top end speed from your car.
Get to know the Launch button
In regular races, getting a good start means feathering the gas so that the needle on your tachometer is in the green when the countdown hits zero. That's not good enough in Live Races, which throw another element into the mix for any showdown featuring cars Tier 2 and above.
That comes in the form of a Launch button on the left side of the screen. Simply put, the idea is to hit that button right at zero while also keeping the needle in the green.
It takes some getting used to since it requires two hands, but it's not difficult. Practice makes perfect in this case, and simply logging more time in this mode will help you get a handle on the timing involved.
Watch out when making bets
One of the unique aspects of Live Races is that you can wager on their outcome with your own in-game cash. When you are challenged by another player, you can decide on the bet amount, and vice versa when you issue the challenge -- though even then, you'll have an opportunity to confirm the stakes.
There's no way to truly know how good the person you're racing against is at CSR Racing 2, but an obvious red flag should be if they want to bet a lot of cash on the race. That could mean they're just desperate, but it typically is a sign that they're quite good and confident they will emerge victorious.
Be smart here, and just like real life gambling, never bet more than you can afford to lose. You can always turn down a race with a wager that is too rich for your blood, knowing that there are always other players in the Live Race lobby to race for whatever you feel is comfortable.
BONUS TIP: You can leave Live Race mode and keep your current winning streak intact to add to later. Simply play again within the next 24 hours to add to your streak.