Suspension
Suspension is the single largest tuning category in GT7, and the one that has the most dramatic effect on how a car behaves through corners, over kerbs, and under braking. Every parameter in this section is interconnected — changing body height affects natural frequency, which in turn changes how damping ratios feel. Approach suspension tuning as a system, not a collection of isolated sliders.
Body Height Adjustment (mm)
Body Height Adjustment controls the ride height of the car measured in millimetres. Lowering the car drops the centre of gravity, which increases mechanical grip through corners and reduces body roll. The trade-off is ground clearance — go too low and the car will bottom out over crests and kerbs, causing sudden grip loss. Most road cars sit in the 100–130mm range; purpose-built race cars like Gr.3 machines can go as low as 80–95mm.
A common starting point is to set the front slightly lower than the rear (e.g., 5–10mm difference). This creates a mild rake angle that shifts weight bias rearward under braking and promotes front-end turn-in. If the car feels nervous on corner entry, raise the front or lower the rear to reduce the rake.
Track characteristics matter. On circuits with heavy kerb use like Suzuka or the Nurburgring, leave 5–10mm of extra clearance compared to a smooth track like Lago Maggiore. Bottoming out mid-corner is worse than the tiny grip gain from running lower.
Natural Frequency (Hz)
Natural Frequency is GT7’s way of expressing spring stiffness. Rather than showing a raw spring rate in N/mm, the game calculates the natural oscillation frequency of the sprung mass — a value in hertz that accounts for both the spring rate and the car’s weight over that corner. Higher Hz means stiffer springs; lower Hz means softer.
The ideal natural frequency depends heavily on the tire compound. Comfort tires work best around F 1.60 / R 1.80 Hz — soft enough to let the tire deform and generate heat gradually. Sport tires prefer F 2.30 / R 2.50 Hz, and racing compounds need even stiffer springs at F 3.00–3.30 / R 3.20–3.50 Hz to control the faster weight transfer that stiff sidewalls create.
The rear should always be slightly higher than the front. This prevents the rear from becoming too compliant under acceleration, which would cause the rear tyres to slide before the fronts. If you find the car understeering on exit, try raising the rear frequency by 0.10 Hz while keeping the front the same.
Damping Ratio (%)
Damping controls how quickly the springs return to their resting position after being compressed or extended. GT7 splits this into Compression (bump) and Expansion (rebound) percentages. Higher compression damping resists the suspension being pushed in — meaning less nose dive under braking and less body roll initiation. Higher expansion damping resists the suspension extending — meaning less squat under acceleration and smoother weight transfer when unloading a corner.
A typical starting point is 55–70% for both axes. If the car feels floaty or wallows over undulations, increase compression. If it feels harsh and skips over bumps rather than absorbing them, reduce it. Expansion damping is usually set equal to or slightly higher than compression — a 60/65 split (compression/expansion) is a common baseline for sport tires.
Be cautious with very high damping values above 80%. While the car will feel planted on smooth tarmac, it will struggle on bumpy tracks because the suspension cannot react quickly enough. Tracks like Bathurst with significant elevation change and rough surfaces reward softer damping.
Negative Camber Angle (°)
Camber describes the tilt of the wheel relative to the road surface when viewed from the front. In GT7, “Negative Camber Angle” is expressed as a positive number — so 2.0° in the settings screen means −2.0° of real-world camber, where the top of the tyre leans inward.
More negative camber keeps the tyre’s contact patch flat against the road during cornering, improving lateral grip. However, too much reduces the contact patch on straights, hurting acceleration traction and braking performance. For rear-wheel-drive (FR/MR) cars, a good starting point is Front: 1.5–3.0° and Rear: 1.0–2.0°. Front-wheel-drive cars benefit from more front camber (up to 3.5°) since the fronts handle both steering and drive forces.
If you notice uneven tyre wear in GT7’s telemetry overlay (inside edge wearing faster than outside), you have too much camber. Reduce by 0.5° increments until wear evens out.
Toe Angle (°)
Toe angle controls whether the wheels point slightly inward (toe-in) or outward (toe-out) when viewed from above. Front toe-out improves turn-in response — the inside wheel is already angled into the corner, so the car reacts more sharply to steering input. Front toe-in stabilises the car on straights but dulls initial turn-in.
Rear toe-in is almost always desirable. It creates a self-correcting force that stabilises the rear under cornering and braking. Too much rear toe-in creates drag and can cause the car to feel sluggish, so keep it small. A typical baseline is Front: 0.15–0.30° out and Rear: 0.10–0.20° in.
Toe settings generate tyre heat because the wheels are constantly fighting their alignment. This can be useful on tyre-warming laps but detrimental to tyre life over a long race. For endurance events, keep toe values as low as possible while retaining acceptable handling.
Anti-Roll Bar (Lv. 1–10)
The anti-roll bar (also called a sway bar) connects the left and right suspension on the same axle and resists the body rolling to one side in corners. GT7 uses a simple 1–10 scale where higher numbers mean a stiffer bar and less body roll.
The key insight is that relative stiffness between front and rear determines handling balance. A stiffer front anti-roll bar promotes oversteer by limiting how much grip the front tyres can generate through weight transfer. A stiffer rear bar promotes understeer. If the car is understeering, try reducing the front bar by 1–2 levels or increasing the rear.
A balanced starting point for most cars is Front: 5, Rear: 4. For Gr.3 and Gr.1 race cars, you can push higher (6–8) because the chassis and aero can handle reduced mechanical compliance. Road cars with comfort tyres should stay in the 2–4 range to avoid overloading the tyres.
Differential (LSD)
The limited-slip differential (LSD) controls how power is distributed between the driven wheels. In GT7, you tune three parameters for each driven axle: Initial Torque, Acceleration Sensitivity, and Braking Sensitivity. Understanding the LSD is crucial because it directly affects corner exit traction, mid-corner balance, and braking stability.
Initial Torque
Initial Torque sets the base locking force of the differential when neither accelerating nor braking — essentially the off-throttle, coasting state. A higher initial torque means the diff maintains more lock even when you lift off the throttle mid-corner. This stabilises the car during transitions but can make it resist rotation.
For rear-wheel-drive cars, a moderate initial torque (10–20) provides a good balance between stability and agility. Front-wheel-drive cars benefit from lower values (5–15) because a locked front diff while coasting creates understeer. Four-wheel-drive cars have separate front and rear diff settings — keep the front initial torque low and set the rear slightly higher for a balanced, confidence-inspiring feel.
If the car feels locked-in and refuses to rotate mid-corner, reduce initial torque. If the inside wheel spins freely and the car feels vague on trailing throttle, increase it.
Acceleration Sensitivity (Lv. 0–60)
Acceleration Sensitivity determines how aggressively the differential locks under throttle. When you apply power exiting a corner, a higher value sends more equal torque to both driven wheels. This improves traction on corner exit but can push the car wide (understeer in FR/MR, push in FF) if set too high.
For FR and MR layouts, start around 25–35. You want enough locking to put the power down without spinning the inside wheel, but not so much that the car resists rotating on exit. FF cars should run lower (15–25) because the front wheels are doing double duty — steering and driving. 4WD cars can run higher rear acceleration sensitivity (30–40) with a lower front value (10–20) to keep the front axle available for steering.
On wet tracks or with lower-grip tyres, increase acceleration sensitivity by 5–10. The reduced overall grip means you need the diff to distribute torque more evenly to prevent single-wheel spin.
Braking Sensitivity (Lv. 0–60)
Braking Sensitivity controls how much the diff locks under engine braking and deceleration. A higher value stabilises the car on corner entry by preventing the inside wheel from decelerating faster than the outside. This is particularly useful for trail-braking techniques where you carry brake pressure into the turn.
The trade-off is that a locked diff under braking can make the car feel like it wants to continue in a straight line rather than rotating into the corner. Start around 15–25 for most rear-drive cars. If you feel the rear stepping out too easily under heavy braking into a corner, increase it. If the car understeers on entry, reduce it.
Four-wheel-drive cars have both front and rear braking sensitivity. Keep the front value conservative (10–20) and use the rear to dial in the level of entry rotation you want. This is covered in depth in our GT7 Differential Settings guide.
Aerodynamics & Downforce
Aerodynamics in GT7 are surprisingly impactful, especially on cars with adjustable wings and race-spec aero kits. Downforce adds grip that scales with speed — the faster you go, the more the air presses the car into the road. The catch is that more downforce also means more aerodynamic drag, which reduces top speed. Every car and track combination has an ideal balance point.
Downforce (Lv.)
GT7 uses a “Level” system for downforce rather than raw kilograms or pounds. Front and rear downforce are adjusted independently. More rear downforce stabilises the car at high speed and increases rear grip through fast corners. More front downforce improves high-speed turn-in and reduces understeer in quick direction changes.
The range varies enormously between car categories. Gr.3 cars may only have a few hundred levels of adjustment, while Gr.1 prototype cars can reach staggering values — front downforce around 1200 and rear around 1600. These cars generate so much downforce that they could theoretically drive upside down at speed.
Balance is the key consideration. A car with significantly more rear downforce than front will understeer at high speed but feel stable. A car with more front downforce will rotate willingly but can become unpredictable at the rear. Start with the default aero balance and adjust in 5–10% increments based on how the car feels through the fastest corners on the circuit.
For low-speed tracks with tight hairpins (like Tsukuba or Goodwood), reduce downforce towards the minimum — the drag penalty outweighs the grip benefit because speeds are too low for aero to work effectively. For high-speed circuits like Monza or Spa, maximise downforce only if the car lacks mechanical grip through fast sweepers; otherwise, trim downforce to gain on the straights.
Brakes
Braking performance in GT7 is often overlooked in tuning discussions, but proper brake setup can shave significant time by letting you brake later and carry more speed into corners. There are two main parameters to adjust: brake balance and brake controller (ABS level).
Brake Balance
Brake balance determines how braking force is distributed between the front and rear axles. More front bias (higher numbers) creates stable, predictable braking — the front tyres lock before the rears, so the car stays in a straight line. More rear bias allows the rear to rotate under braking, which helps the car turn into corners but risks snap-oversteer if the rear locks up.
Most GT7 cars default to a front-biased setup around 2–5 on the front balance. For trail-braking, shifting 1–2 points toward the rear encourages rotation on entry. Rear-engine and mid-engine cars like the Porsche 911 RSR or McLaren 650S Gr.3 naturally have more rear weight, so they tolerate more rear brake bias than front-engine cars.
If you are locking the front tyres regularly (visible as flat spots or straight-line instability), shift the balance rearward. If the rear steps out under braking, shift it forward.
Brake Controller (ABS Level 0–5)
The brake controller sets the level of anti-lock braking system intervention. Level 0 is no ABS — full manual threshold braking. Level 5 is maximum ABS intervention, preventing any wheel from locking. Lower ABS levels give more feel and shorter stopping distances (since the system is not cutting braking force), but require more precise pedal control.
Competitive players often run ABS at 0 or 1 with a load-cell brake pedal, but ABS 3–4 is perfectly viable for controller players. The time difference between ABS 0 and ABS default is typically less than 0.3s per lap on most circuits. Focus on consistency first — a stable ABS level that lets you brake confidently every lap is faster than an aggressive setting that causes occasional lockups.
Transmission & Gearing
Gearing determines how the engine’s power band is used across different speeds. GT7 lets you adjust individual gear ratios and the final drive ratio, giving fine-grained control over acceleration character and top speed. Most players use the auto-set feature, but understanding manual gearing unlocks another layer of performance.
Gear Ratios
Each gear has a ratio that determines the trade-off between acceleration and speed in that gear. A shorter (numerically higher) ratio provides faster acceleration but a lower speed ceiling for that gear. A longer (numerically lower) ratio provides higher top speed but slower acceleration. The goal is to keep the engine in its optimal power band as much as possible around a given track.
For tight, technical circuits, shorten the ratios so you spend more time in the meaty part of the rev range. For high-speed tracks, space the gears further apart so you are not hitting the rev limiter on straights. Pay attention to which gear you are in through key corners — if you are between gears and neither feels right, adjust the ratio for that specific gear.
GT7’s transmission tuning screen shows a graph of speed vs RPM for each gear. Use it to identify gaps — if there is a large RPM drop between 3rd and 4th, the jump is too big and you are losing time waiting for the engine to spool back up.
Final Drive Ratio
The final drive is a global multiplier applied to all gear ratios. A shorter final drive makes every gear punchier — faster acceleration across the board at the cost of lower top speed in every gear. A longer final drive stretches the gears for more top end.
GT7 provides an auto-set option where you specify a target top speed and the game calculates the final drive accordingly. This is a great starting point. Check the top speed on the longest straight of your target track (Monza’s main straight, Spa’s Kemmel straight, etc.) and set the auto target 5–10 km/h above that speed. This ensures you are not rev-limited but also not wasting acceleration.
Ballast & Power Restrictor
Ballast and Power Restrictor are primarily used for Performance Point (PP) compliance — adjusting a car to meet a specific PP cap for online lobbies and Sport mode. However, ballast placement can also be a legitimate tuning tool for changing weight distribution.
Ballast
Adding ballast increases the car’s total weight, which raises the PP cost. The crucial variable is position — ballast can be placed anywhere from full-front to full-rear. Moving ballast forward increases front axle weight, which improves front grip under braking and can reduce understeer on corner entry. Moving it rearward does the opposite.
For mid-engine and rear-engine cars that already have a rearward weight bias, placing ballast forward (values below 0 or toward the front on the slider) improves overall balance. Front-engine cars rarely benefit from forward ballast but can use rearward placement to improve traction on corner exit. The weight penalty is real though — every kilogram costs acceleration and braking performance. Use the minimum ballast necessary to hit your PP target.
Power Restrictor
The power restrictor simply reduces engine output by a percentage. It is the cleanest way to lower PP without affecting handling characteristics. Most competitive tuners prefer to use the power restrictor for the bulk of PP reduction and keep ballast minimal, since extra weight degrades every aspect of performance while reduced power only affects straight-line speed.
The combination of ballast and power restrictor lets you fine-tune a car to hit exact PP targets. A common strategy is to add performance parts (better turbo, racing transmission, aero) and then use the restrictor to bring PP back down. This gives you a car with better handling hardware at the same PP as a less-modified version.
For more on which cars perform best within PP restrictions, see our Gr.3 tier list.