Tuning Guide
Information about upgrades and tuning for most cars.
In-game performance stats are not always accurate.
Engine
! The stats below the Works Progress bar are complete bullshit, ignore them !
Engine swaps are not always better, especially if the new engine comes with a turbo or supercharger when the original one is naturally aspirated.
There is a huge difference in engine upgrades between different cars. This also changes which upgrades are the most effective in terms of performance rating. I ranked all of them below.
Low revs = 0-37.5%, Mid revs = 37.5-62.5%, High revs = 62.5-87.5%, Top revs = 87.5-100%
Best: T1_Works_Engine
Cars: Giulia, Mini, Escort Mk1, Escort RS, Cortina, 200SX, Silvia, 2000GT-R, Mégane, Leon, Corolla, Scirocco
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +1.875% power per level | #1 |
| Exhaust | +2.625% power per level | #3 |
| Camshafts | +2.625/3.75/4.5/6.25% low/mid/high/top power per level, +5% rev limit at lv3, +10% rev limit at Works | #2 |
| Valve Train | +1.5/2/4% low-mid/high/top power per level | #6 |
| Block/Lower End | +5.625% power per level | #4 |
| Fuel Delivery | +2.625% power per level | #5 |
| Flywheel | -3.75% engine inertia per level | #7 |
Rotary: Rotary_Engine
Cars: RX-7 FC, RX-7 FD, RX-8
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +1.875% power per level | #1 |
| Exhaust | +2.625% power per level | #3 |
| Rotary Housing | +17.5/20/22.5% low-mid/high/top power per level 1-2, +5% rev limit at lv3, +10% rev limit at Works | #2, lv3 #5 |
| Fuel Delivery | +2.625% power per level | #4 |
| Flywheel | -1.25% engine inertia per level | #6 |
Strong: Engine_Generic
Cars: NSX, Giulietta, S3, S4, TT, M3 E30, Z4 sDrive, Camaro, Cobalt, Challenger, Focus, Civic, S2000, E-Type, Delta, Elise, Exige, MX-5, Evo IX, Evo X, 240SX, 240ZG. R32, R34, 914, tC, Impreza, Supra, Golf Mk5, Golf Mk1
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +1.25/2% low-mid/high-top power per level | #1 |
| Exhaust | +1.75/2.5% low-mid/high-top power per level | #3 |
| Camshafts | +1.75/2.5/3% low/mid/high-top power per level, +5% rev limit at lv3, +10% rev limit at Works | #2 |
| Valve Train | +1/2.5% low-mid/high-top power per level | #6 |
| Block/Lower End | +3.75% power per level | #4 |
| Fuel Delivery | +1.75% power per level | #5 |
| Flywheel | -3.75% engine inertia per level | #7 |
T2: T2_Engine
Cars: RS 4, 135i, M3 E36, M3 E46, M3 E92, Z4 M, '67 Corvette, Challenger R/T, Charger R/T, G35, IS F, 190E, 350Z, 370Z, Cayman S, 427, Daytona, '67 GT500
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +0.75% power per level | #2 |
| Exhaust | +1.05% power per level | #3 |
| Camshafts | +0.55/1.5/2.75/3.25% low/mid/high/top power per level, +5% rev limit at lv3, +10% rev limit at Works | #1 |
| Valve Train | +0.5/0.55/0.6% low/mid/high-top power per level | #6 |
| Block/Lower End | +2.25% power per level | #4 |
| Fuel Delivery | +1.05% power per level | #5 |
| Flywheel | -3.75% engine inertia per level | #7 |
T3: T3_Engine
Cars: 8C, DB9, V8 Vantage, R8, Continental, M6, Corvette Z06, Viper, GT, XKR, Gallardo, Murciélago, LFA, GranTurismo, SL65, SLR 722, SLR Stirling Moss, SLS, GT-R, GT-R SpecV, 911 RSR, 911 GT2, 911 GT3 RS
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +1.5% power per level | #2 |
| Exhaust | +2% power per level | #3 |
| Camshafts | +2/3/4/5% low/mid/high/top power and +5% rev limit per level | #1 |
| Valve Train | +1/2/3% low-mid/high/top power per level | #6 |
| Block/Lower End | +4% power per level | #4 |
| Fuel Delivery | +2% power per level | #5 |
| Flywheel | -5/15% engine inertia on level 3/Works | #7 |
T4: T4_Engine
Cars: Veyron, R500, Apollo, CCX, Reventón, F1, MP4-12C, Huayra, Zonda F, 918, Carrera GT
The engine upgrades on the Caterham Superlight R500 do NOTHING. Only flywheel is applied.
Works Coversion gives a total of: +13/14/15/21% low/mid/high/top power, +5% rev limit, -5% engine inertia.
Radical SR3 RS: Radical_SR3
| Part | Effect | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Air Intake | +1.67% power per level | #1 |
| Exhaust | +2.33% power per level | #3 |
| Camshafts | +2.33/3.33/4% low/mid/high-top power per level, +2.5% rev limit at lv2, +5% rev limit at lv3 | #2 |
| Valve Train | +1.33% power per level | #6 |
| Block/Lower End | +5% power per level | #4 |
| Fuel Delivery | +2.33% power per level | #5 |
| Flywheel | Does nothing? | - |
Drivetrain
Clutch upgrades are required when the power is increased via engine or forced induction. Apply the lowest upgrade that prevents clutch slip when building with performance restriction. Some cars are configured incorrectly and always experience clutch slip with upgrades or an engine swap. Effective use of nitrous might also require an upgraded clutch.
Differential upgrades unlock tuning. Usually low priority, unless the default settings are problematic. Can be more important in high power or highly upgraded cars.
Transmission upgrades barely increase the performance rating, so it can be worth installing at least the level 1 upgrade for faster shifts. Level 2 unlocks Final Drive tuning, level 3 unlocks full gearing tuning and replaces the gearbox on certain cars and adds an extra gear or adjusting default ratios. Works Conversion usually drastically reduces shift times.
Forced Induction
Naturally aspirated cars always benefit greatly from the first upgrade, gaining 30-50% additional power.
Upgrading any existing induction is always really weak as you only gain 1-5% power. The only exception is the Supra which has special turbo upgrades - Level 1 is +6.67%, Level 2 is +15.55%, Level 3 is 24.44% and Works is +33.33% power.
Suspension
Suspension upgrades slightly increase spring and damper multipliers, adjust default tuning settings and unlock tuning in Alignment, Stance, Springs and Dampers. Almost always worth installing level 3 or at least level 1 for adjustable sway bars.
Brakes
Accessories only increase brake torque by 3%. The main benefit comes from level 2 and 3 unlocking tuning.
Upgrades increase brake torque massively, however do NOT upgrade the brakes too much if your car doesn't have sufficient grip, otherwise you are going to instantly lock your wheels without ABS or have near zero gains with ABS.
Tires
Unless you are very limited by performance rating, you should upgrade your tires alongside power as it affects braking, cornering and acceleration significantly. AWD cars can handle weaker tires a little better, but RWD and FWD run into grip issues even with moderate power upgrades. Some cars (eg. Legends) have very strong tire upgrades, while others can be underwhelming, making Weight Reduction a better option.
Body
Bodykits unlock downforce adjustment and add or increase the diffuser under the car. It is recommended to install at least a basic body kit on most C or higher class cars.
Weight Reduction is relatively expensive in terms of rating, but it can increase cornering speeds and low-mid speed acceleration. The efficiency order is: Level 2 > Level 1 > Level 3. Can be better than rank #4 or #5 engine upgrades or even tires, but it depends mass, engine power and induction size.
Cockpit upgrades are visual only.
Nitrous
Nitrous is a relatively cheap way to have access to much more power, even if only for a limited duration. Can be very useful for hotlap builds.
Drag
These upgrades are only active in Drag and Standing Mile events, but increase the performance rating overall.
Drag clutch allows the car to handle twice the power.
Drag engine gives 20/25/30% low/mid/high-top power.
Drag turbo increases turbo size by 30%, resulting in a 7.5-15% power increase depending on the exact induction of the car/engine.
Drag fuel increases power by 15%.
Tuning
The in-game descriptions are usually accurate.
Tires and Brakes
Tire Pressures - Always available: You can finetune the balance of oversteer vs understeer by adjusting the pressures. Lower pressure in the front results in more oversteer and vice versa. Pressures also affect responsiveness - lower is slower, higher is faster. You can use telemetry view to see tire temperatures. Blue or teal means cold tires, so you might want to increase pressure. Orange or red means hot tires, so you might want to decrease pressure. If pressures are too high, the middle section between the two sidewalls heats up much faster.
Brake Balance - Brakes Accessories level 2: With ABS disabled, you can adjust this to control which wheels are more likely to lock up. If the car refuses to turn in during or after braking, move brake balance to the rear. If the car is unstable or spins out under braking, move brake balance to the front.
Brake Pressure - Brakes Accessories level 3: Adjust brake torque - too much and your wheels will lock up easily, too little and you are wasting potential. Certain cars have brakes that are too strong - in extreme cases, reduce the brakes upgrade level.
Alignment
Steering Lock - Always available: Depends on car, track and preference. Smaller cars with short wheelbase (eg. Elise) require slightly lower values. Use lower settings for high speed tracks to increase accuracy or higher values for tracks with tight turns. The base value for most cars is 2° with a few exceptions where it is 3 or 4. Each step adds 1° of lock.
Caster Angle - Suspension level 3: Affects how quickly the car responds to steering inputs. Reduce it if the reaction is slow or increase it if the car feels twitchy.
Toe Angle - Suspension level 2: The labels of Rear Toe Angle are swapped! If you are struggling with oversteer or instability during corner exit, especially with RWD cars, increase Rear Toe In (labeled Out). If you are willing to sacrifice response, you can increase both Front and Rear Toe In for a more stable and planted car. Adjust Front Toe to finetune steering response - slight Toe Out is recommended in most cases. Adjusting the driven wheels has the biggest effect.
Camber - Suspension level 3: Can't tell the difference. Most street cars default to -1.5° front and -1° rear. Each step is +0.1°, with the leftmost value being -4.5°, -4° or -3.5° depending on the car (front and rear not always the same). Affects tire temperatures - certain cars easily overheat the inside of the tires even at a small negative angle. If you don't notice any differences in how the car behaves either, try to adjust camber for more even tire temperatures.
Stance
Ride Height - Suspension level 2: Use suspension telemetry to determine the optimal ride height. You want to use the lowest settings that avoid bottoming out frequently.
Differential
Acceleration Lock - Differential level 2: 2WD only! Disabled with AWD even if available due to a bug. Adjust this to determine the maximum wheel speed difference between each side while accelerating. Lower settings allow you to rotate the car with throttle at the cost of traction. High values might make the car understeer while accelerating. Each step is +5% lock. Recommended values are 6-10 for most cars and tracks. Going below 4 is not recommended.
Deceleration Lock - Differential level 3: 2WD only! Disabled with AWD even if available due to a bug. to do Adjust this to determine the maximum wheel speed difference between each side while decelerating (no throttle or brakes applied). Lower settings allow more manouverability at the cost of stability. Most cars seem to like the same 6-10 range as Acceleration Lock.
Preload - Differential level 1 (2WD) or 3 (AWD): to do
Viso Electronic Lock - Differential level 3: AWD only! Disabled with 2WD even if available due to a bug. Very low values forcefully straighten the car out while accelerating, causing tons of understeer. High values allow the car to perform slides at the cost of acceleration out of corners.
Aerodynamics
TO DO
Springs
Sway Bars - Suspension level 1: The main way to adjust balance between oversteer and understeer. The default setup on most cars has moderate understeer, so it is recommended to soften the front sway bar. If both are set too soft, the car becomes unstable during cornering, especially at medium and high speed. At least 3 steps of front and rear are recommended for most cars. Soften by at most one step or harden by 1-3 steps to balance the car.
Spring Rates - Suspension level 2: The secondary adjustment for balance between oversteer and understeer. Softest settings recommended by default to increase grip and stability. Stiffen front or rear to balance the car. Increasing overall stiffness is not recommended outside of special cases like ovals or high downforce cars.
Bump Stops - Suspension level 3: Avoid these and keep them at 0. Only experiment with bump stops if a certain section on a track causes the car to bottom out in such a way that you lose control or too much speed.
Dampers
An alternative method for minor or moderate balance adjustments. Rebounds are the safest to tweak.
TO DO
Drivetrain
Try to keep the car in the optimal rev range (use telemetry). Either space all gears evenly, or set the higher gears slightly shorter for better acceleration. Tune gearing for each track if possible. Some long corners benefit from holding a specific gear on power.