BeamNG.drive Tuning Calculator
Generate mathematically perfect suspension tunes based on vehicle mass, weight distribution, and real-world natural frequency kinematics.
Vehicle Parameters
Suspension Kinematics
The Physics of BeamNG.drive Tuning
BeamNG.drive features one of the most advanced soft-body physics engines in gaming. Because components possess real mass and material properties, "arcade-style" tuning does not work here. You cannot simply maximize sliders to make a car handle better. Instead, you must rely on real-world automotive engineering principles, specifically Natural Frequency and Critical Damping.
Calculating Spring Rates via Natural Frequency
Instead of guessing spring rates, professional race engineers tune suspension by targeting a specific "Natural Frequency" (measured in Hertz). This dictates how fast the chassis bounces after hitting a bump.
- Street Cars (~1.0 - 1.3 Hz): Soft and comfortable. Absorbs potholes easily but suffers from heavy body roll during cornering.
- Rally Cars (~1.4 - 1.7 Hz): Stiff enough to land jumps without bottoming out, but soft enough to find mechanical grip on loose gravel and dirt.
- Track / GT Cars (~2.0 - 2.5 Hz): Extremely stiff. Keeps the tire contact patch perfectly flat on smooth asphalt, maximizing aerodynamic efficiency.
Note: In BeamNG, 1 N/mm equals 1,000 N/m.
Damping: Controlling the Spring
Springs hold the car up, but Dampers (Shock Absorbers) control the speed at which the springs compress and extend. If you install stiff springs without upgrading the dampers, your car will bounce uncontrollably off the track.
Bump (Compression) controls the upward motion of the wheel when hitting a bump. Rebound (Extension) controls the downward motion as the wheel returns to the ground. Rebound is almost always tuned stiffer (1.5x to 2.0x higher than bump) to prevent the chassis from "pogoing" upward after a compression.
Why does aero change my suspension?
At high speeds, aerodynamic wings push down on the car, creating "virtual weight." A car that weighs 1,200kg at rest might effectively weigh 1,600kg at 200 km/h due to downforce. If your springs are too soft, this aero-load will crush the suspension, bottoming out the car and causing a high-speed crash. High aero requires significantly stiffer springs.
How do I tune for Drifting?
Drifting requires breaking rear traction intentionally. To achieve this, you want a stiff rear end relative to the front. The calculator achieves this by increasing the rear natural frequency, suggesting higher rear tire pressures (to reduce contact patch grip), and recommending a stiffer rear Anti-Roll Bar.
Why is Drag tuning so weird?
Drag racing requires extreme weight transfer to the rear wheels for launch traction. A drag setup uses very soft, long-travel front springs (to allow the front end to lift) and incredibly stiff rear springs/bump damping (to prevent the rear from squatting so much that it bottoms out).
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