This is a guide to help you adjust your car setups. It was originally written for N2003 but can also be applied to other racing sims. See my links page for links to sites that have setups to use as a starting point. Use this guide to help make adjustments to them that better suit your driving style.
Handling
Problems
The two main
handling
problems for a racecar are:
Loose or Oversteer - Your rear wheels feel like they want to break away and back the car into the wall.
Push, Tight, or Understeer - Your front wheels won't turn enough and the car feels like it wants to go up to the wall.
There are many adjustments you can make to help fix these conditions in the garage. Below is a list of what these adjustments do.
Tires
Pressure
LF (Left Front):
Adding air tightens the car up exiting the corner, while taking air out loosens it up exiting the corner.
RF (Right Front):
Adding air tightens the car up entering the corner, while taking air out loosens the car entering the corner.
LR (Left Rear):
Adding air loosens it up exiting the corner, while taking air out tightens it up exiting the corner.
RR (Right Rear):
Adding air loosens the car up entering the corner, while taking air out tightens the car up entering the corner.
Camber
LF Camber:
Increasing loosens the car exiting the corner, while decreasing tightens the car exiting the corner.
RF Camber:
Increasing loosens the car up entering the corner, while decreasing tightens the car up entering the corner.
Springs
LF Spring:
Making it stiffer tightens the car up exiting the corner, while making it softer loosens it up exiting the corner.
RF Spring:
Making it stiffer tightens the car up entering the corner, while making it softer loosens the car entering the corner.
LR Spring:
Making it stiffer loosens it up exiting the corner, while making it softer tightens it up exiting the corner.
RR Spring:
Making it stiffer loosens the car up entering the corner, while making it softer tightens the car up entering the corner.
Shocks
Compression
LF Compression:
Lowering it tightens the car up entering the corner, while raising it loosens the car up entering the corner.
RF Compression:
Raising it tightens the car up entering the corner, while lowering it loosens the car up entering the corner.
LR Compression:
Raising it tightens the car up exiting the corner, while lowering it loosens the car up exiting the corner.
RR Compression:
Lowering it tightens the car up exiting the corner, while raising it loosens the car up exiting the corner.
Rebound
LF Rebound:
Raising it tightens the car up exiting the corner, while lowering it loosens the car up exiting the corner.
RF Rebound:
Lowering it tightens the car up exiting the corner, while raising it loosens the car up exiting the corner.
LR Rebound:
Lowering it tightens the car up entering the corner, while raising it loosens the car up entering the corner.
RR Rebound:
Raising it tightens the car up entering the corner, while lowering it loosens the car up entering the corner.
Caster
Caster:
More positive caster loosens the car, while less tightens the car.
Toe-Out
Toe-Out:
More toe-out tightens the car up, while less toe-out loosens the car up.
Track Bar
Right Track Bar:
Raising it loosens the car entering the corner and tightens the car exiting the corner. Lowering it tightens the car entering the corner and loosens the car exiting the corner.
Left Track Bar:
Lowering it loosens the car entering the corner and tightens the car exiting the corner. Raising it tightens the car entering the corner and loosens the car exiting the corner.
Sway Bar
Front Sway Bar:
A larger front sway bar tightens the car entering the corner, while a smaller front sway bar loosens the car entering the corner.
Rear Sway Bar:
A larger rear sway bar loosens the car up exiting the corner, while a smaller rear sway bar tightens the car up exiting the corner.
Front Break Bias
Front Break Bias:
Lower loosens the car under breaking, while higher tightens the car under breaking.
Spoiler
Rear Spoiler:
Raising the spoiler angle tightens the car up, while lowering it loosens up the car. Lowering it also creates less drag and downforce and gives it more speed down straightaways, while raising it creates more drag and downforce and helps the car get through corners faster.
Gears
Gears:
Use taller gears for best top speed or smaller gears for best acceleration.
Grille Tape
Grille Tape:
More tape gives you less drag and more downforce, but too much and your engine overheats. Try to put as much tape on as you can with out overheating the engine.
Weight
Front Weight Bias:
More tightens the car up, while less loosens the car up.
Left Weight Bias:
Left weight bias is set all the way to the left on ovals. On road courses it is set close to the center or more weight toward the side with more corners on the road course.
Wedge (Cross Weight):
More tightens the car up, while less loosens the car up.
