Forza Horizon 6 has a pretty expansive set of tuning sliders, which we can use to get the best out of our cars. There’s no universal ‘best’ set of sliders, since tuning varies per car and the type of race you participate in.
Table of contents
All tuning sliders in Forza Horizon 6 explained
Before we dive deep into tuning sliders, always keep the vehicle you’re using in mind. You can radically change how they drive and perform by tuning the sliders. The images you’ll see here are for the 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR TM Edition, and it has already been customized to unlock more tuning options.
An additional note: I haven’t included any best settings or similar in this guide. I have kept the explanation as simple as possible so you can learn what each slider and the different values mean.
Tires
When it comes to Tires, you can determine the pressure on the Front and Rear wheels. You can either reduce the pressure or increase it. What happens when you tweak the sliders?
| Tire Pressure | Effects |
|---|---|
| Less | Allows you to get a better grip The higher grip gives you better control Sharper turns will be harder to pull off |
| More | Gives you less grip Makes the car harder to manage You can pull off sharper maneuvers on the road |
For most cars, the default tire pressure is fine. The compound of your tires will also affect the optimal pressure you choose. If you’re a beginner, I recommend going for less pressure just to get a better steering experience.
Gearing
Now comes the fun part. Gearing determines how the power shifts based on the ratios. The ratios, just like in real life, operate in RPM ranges. You can tune the ranges to your liking, and they will have a direct impact on the car’s performance. You can have up to 10 gears (unlocked with a Transmission upgrade in some cars, while others can handle it by default).
| Gear | How it Works | Lower Ratio | Higher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | The launch gear that creates the momentum for your car Determines the initial drift Determines the initial acceleration | Better top speed Steadier acceleration over the course of the race | Quicker start Weaker top speed over the course of the race |
| 2nd | This gear is required when you are moving in and out of the corners | Weaker control when exiting a corner | Unnecessary shifts |
| 3rd | This is where you’ll drive most of the route | N/A | N/A |
| 4th | This is where we will increase the pace and move towards the high-speed gears | Higher top speeds, but acceleration over 100 kmph will feel sluggish | Inconsistent shifting |
| 5th | Transition to the highest speed | Get more top speed at the cost of less acceleration | Get less top speed but quicker acceleration |
| 6th and beyond | Switches to the highest speed and maintains it | N/A | N/A |
Finally, there’s the Final Drive that collectively affects all the gear ratios. If you lower your Final Drive, it will lead to better top speeds but at the cost of reduced acceleration. If you raise your Final Drive, it will lead to better acceleration, but you’ll have less top speed.
Here are some key general pointers I keep in mind.
- Go for more Top speed if the track has long straights.
- Go for a less Final Drive if you’re going for Drifts.
- Go for ratios that lead to better acceleration if the track has more turns and corners.
Gear ratios seem to depend a lot on whether I am using my wheel or my controller. I highly advise checking out professional sim-driver setups to get the best ratios. Optimum ratios will also vary across cars, and depending on the upgrades you have on them.
Alignment
Alignment plays a direct role in determining how the wheels touch the ground when you’re driving a car. It’s broken down into three parts: Camber, Toe, and Front Caster. To unlock, you’ll need to install Race Spring and Damper upgrades.
- Camber: If you go too Negative, it will reduce the straight-line breaking and acceleration efficiency since it reduces the contact patch when you’re driving straight. If you’re going too much Positive, it will make your vehicle unstable due to reduced traction during cornering.
- Toe: If you Toe-in, you’ll gain stability, but your turn-in response will go down. Less turn-in response will result in more time when you transition between straights and turns. More Toe-in will result in better turn-in response at the cost of stability.
- Front Caster: If you’re going High, you can balance negative Camber by maintaining consistent braking and acceleration during cornering.
Antiroll Bars
The Front Antiroll Bars require you to install the Race Front Antiroll Bars upgrade.
- To reduce understeer, go Soft on Front and Stiff on Rear (balance both and test it out).
- To reduce oversteer, go Stiff on Front and Soft on Front (balance both and test it out).
Springs
Springs can be unlocked by installing Race Spring and Damper Upgrades. The Spring allows you to control how your car’s weight is transferred during movement.
- Go soft on the front springs to get better front grip and reduce understeer. Go stiff on it if you want to reduce oversteer (don’t do too much because it will cause understeer).
- You can go stiff on the rear springs to avoid understeer and increase oversteer.
Ride Height is easier to manage: go as low as possible without bottoming out.
Damping
You have to unlock Damping features by installing Race Spring and Damper upgrades.
- Rebound Stiffness allows you to increase your grip and handling. Go Soft on the front if you want to increase transitional Understeer, and Stiff if you want to increase transitional oversteer.
Aero
The Front Downforce option can be unlocked with Race Front Bumper Upgrades. The higher the Downforce, the better the contact of the car with the road.
- Having more Downforce allows you to enjoy better handling and greater control over hte car.
- Having less Downforce will reduce your car’s grip on the road, but you get better speed on the straights.
Brakes
Brakes have two key parts: Balance and Pressure. Brake Pressure determines the strength of your brakes. The stronger the strength, the stronger the brake. Brake Balance determines how much braking is applied to the front and the rear of the vehicle.
Differential
You’ll first need to install a Race or Sport Differential upgrade to unlock the slider. It determines how the power is distributed across the front, the rear, and the center of your car.
More acceleration improves traction on the road and allows your car to hit the top speed faster. However, it can cause problems in races with many turns and corners. For those races, you might want to decelerate to reduce the chances of understeer.
