Part of the challenge of sim racing is learning how to set up your car. Car setup varies among sims in terms of difficulty and number of options, but there are some general, down-and-dirty points of which every newcomer should have some knowledge. Familiarity with the basics below is essential to developing effective car-setup strategies regardless of your sim of choice.

ANTI-ROLL (SWAY) BARS

Use to counteract handling changes during race due to fuel consumption and tire wear; for understeer, stiffen rear and/or soften front; for oversteer, soften rear and/or stiffen front; stiff means more responsive car but with less grip

BIAS (LEFT/RIGHT)

Shift weight to left for ovals

BIAS (FRONT/REAR)

Shifting weight to rear results in looser car; shifting weight to front results in better balance under acceleration but tighter car; may want to set rearward for short ovals and forward for superspeedways

BRAKE BALANCE (FRONT/REAR)

Set forward if unstable under braking and oversteering; set rearward if understeering

BRAKE BIAS (IN-CAR ADJUSTMENT)

Same as above; set forward for street and road circuits, rearward for speedways; avoid excessive adjustment during race

BUMP STOPS

Adding stops allows reduction of ride height without changing springs; using bump stops equivalent to increasing spring, so front bump stops cause understeer and rear bump stops cause oversteer

CAMBER

Adjust when temps at outer and inner edges of tire differ; if outer temps too hot use negative camber, if inner temps too hot use positive camber (cf. tire pressure adjustments)

DAMPERS

Stiffen all four dampers if car loses traction over bumps or curbs or responds slowly when entering/exiting corner; soften front dampers (and stiffen rear) if understeering, soften rear dampers (and stiffen front) if oversteering

FUEL

Full tank means a "push" and sluggish cornering (use sway bars to counteract during race); top speed increases as fuel consumed

 

GEAR RATIO

Shorter gearing means faster acceleration; taller gearing means (possibly) higher top speed

 

RIDE HEIGHT

Front should be lower than rear; too low and car will bottom out

 

SHOCKS

Stiffer shock means more responsive handling but increased tire temps; softer shock means less responsive handling but decreased tire temps

 

TIRE COMPOUNDS

Soft means best grip but quicker wear; if tire temps too hot can try using harder compound

 

TIRE PRESSURES

Adjust when center tire temp differs from outer temps; if soft compound running too cold, may be warmed by underinflation; if hard compounds running too warm, may be cooled by overinflation (cf. camber adjustments)

 

TURBOCHARGER

Higher setting means increased horsepower but decreased fuel economy and increased engine wear

 

WEDGE

Increase to correct loose condition; decrease to correct tight condition ("finer" adjustment than left-side & front-rear bias)

 

WHEEL LOCK

Too much means excessive tire wear; too little means lack of necessary cornering ability

 

WHEEL STAGGER

Can increase cornering speed but causes pull on straightaways

 

WINGS & SPOILERS

More front wing/spoiler means better cornering but more drag (used to correct understeer); more rear wing/spoiler means tighter cornering but more drag (used to correct oversteer)