main dog
for many, many years we have started the V1 call 5 knots prior to V1 in order to complete the call by V1.
As far as trimming while on the ground, after the engine cut, before rotation, this was actually suggested to me by my sim instructor.
Again, we all know that the sim is not the plane, no matter how good you think it is.
IF the person who is having the problem really wants GOOD ADVICE...tell him to contact the people who maintain the simulator...we call them SIM TECHS here. They fly the sim better than any of our pilots...but its because they know the machine...not because they know how to fly!