My reason for doing so is I still see way too much advice and theorizing around what worked in FH2 (and a little bit of what didn’t).
This game is way different and in my opinion people being advised to build a car the FH2 way in part contributes to “some” of the complaints about drivatars because a lot of the time they are copying drivers who are using solid FH3 builds but the player is chugging along in an FH2 build.
My guide is my opinion about what works most of the time. There will be combinations of tracks, cars and classes where something else will work better but what I post here is what I believe works most of the time.
It is also the case that sometimes I use some of the less ideal parts simply because there is pi leftover.
My build process:
AWD swap. Yep I do it on every car now. I have played with RWD / FWD and have about 5 of each car but never drive them. Why do I AWD swap? Because it is easier to get the power down.
In some cases I use front and rear aero, in some cases I use front but not rear, in some cases I use no aero. Take your pick.
I then jump to handling. I ignore brake upgrades. In my opinion in this game for most tracks the pi cost is too high and I do not spend a lot of time on the brake pedal and I rely on decel diff quite a lot. Via testing (in most cases) laptimes are quicker spending that pi on power not brakes.
Springs take your pick between none and race. I usually use race or rally.
Anti roll bars – I usually use race at both ends but not always.
Rollcage – usually upgrade 1 level but may come back to it later.
Weight reduction – at this stage of the process I use race but come back later depending on pi to adjust and often will end up using less than race. I put race on to start with just to see where the pi ends up with max weight reduction and maxed out motor.
No clutch upgrades and no driveline at this point. I may use to top up pi but they are never part of my preferred build.
Transmission if AWD swap then I probably use race, if natural awd car then I decide based on what class, what engine, and always via laptime testing.
Race diff always.
Tyres – for build 1 in D-B class – stock compound, max rear width. For front I only upgrade if less than 205mm and I only upgrade to the first level that is at least 205mm. More than that wastes pi and in most cases does not add handling that I cannot add via tuning anyway. For A-S2 it is very car dependent. Sometimes stock tyres, sometimes race but I will always test with lesser tyres first to see if I can get the handling I want and even then driving can make up for small handling deficiencies anyway.
Engine – swap to what I want to use. Usually the furthest right but not always.
Forced induction – all depends on how much pi available. I like Centrifugal if not a lot of pi left. Turbo if plenty of pi left. Other SC option if medium pi left or if trying to use slightly more spaced out gears.
Engine parts – upgrade induction, exhaust, then all engine parts that DO NOT come with weight reduction, then parts that do come with weight reduction but not flywheel. Intercooler and oil take your pick.
Test, tweak, test, tweak etc
Where do I think people go wrong:
Upgrading tyre compound too far.
Sticking with RWD. I know you want to and I know its fun and I know the real world car is RWD. But if you want to be quick then go AWD in most cases in this game.
Upgrading brakes. High pi cost for an activity that often is not (or should not) be used a lot in this game. Sure with extra power you need to stop but in most cases I am quicker with stock brakes.
Front tyre width – maxing it costs too much pi for any perceived gains.
Weight reduction – is not always quicker and needs to be tested. This includes engine parts. Often you do not get much gain from valves, pistons etc
I do the exact same and like you I figured it out from trial and error. Only difference for me is I swap motors 2nd if I know stock motor is garbage.
Lap times don’t lie. When you can use this formula and put an overlooked car well within top 30 with little effort or fine tuning, you know you’ve hit on something.
The problem is the formula lacks general car building logic. I think some folks need to revisit FM3 for a refresher course.
Great write up mate!
I initially got caught up with trying to build cars how I would in FM6 but like yourself and many others, quickly learnt that power was the way to go.
It’s a shame that there aren’t more tight, technical tracks within the game itself so as to offer the opportunity for more varied builds. But then again there is so much grip in the game itself that there is really a limited need to opt for grip upgrades anyway, regardless of track type.
Like I said, great write up bud! Hopefully it will go a long way to helping people build more competitive cars!
And that is what is disappointing about FH3. A game that is so heavily dependent on tuning to be competitive and there’s really only one formula to use for every single car in the game. And it is a formula that is completely nonsensical and defies all logic.
I just do not understand how they could have strayed so far from FH2 and FM6. It’s like they took 10 steps backward with their tuning logic for FH3.
My problem with this game and myself is this: I refuse to turn every car into an AWD 1500 HP vehicle. So I have to satisfy myself with being slower than some because sadly I cannot disagree with a single thing that Eduardo has said here. For FH3 his post is how you build a top leaderboard car.
Indeed. I was choosing not to hear much of what Eduardo was saying during my first weeks back. I just couldn’t subscribe to ideas contrary to what I’ve learned in the real world and past Forzas. But it all started coming into focus when I switched to an AWD car (Volvo S60 Polestar) and went with a power build. It’s not the best car by far, but whereas I was all too often collateral damage for drifters and rammers in my Miata, I started finishing in the top half of the field, if not winning races outright in the AWD car. I swept an Asphalt championship series in the Yarra Valley two nights ago despite everyone and his dog bringing a rocket-powered WRX STi or Evo to the party. That would’ve NEVER happened with the Miata. . .at least not without adding AWD. I’d have been too preoccupied with throttle control and dodging other people’s drifts into the outside wall to get into a rhythm.
I still can’t bring myself to resort to some of the more extreme measures necessary to be a Top-100 player, but nor am I so staunchly scientific in my approach. You just can’t be. The game’s physics may be rooted in science, but they aren’t perfect or absolute. Case in point, when I was trying to figure out why my Volvo began handling like a school bus after putting a race suspension on it, I ultimately determined that the default setting balance was completely wrong. Back when I first got the game, I’d have simply concluded that the car was trash rather than trying to stiffen the rear and soften the front, and would’ve dismissed any suggestion otherwise because in the real world, doing that without a corresponding adjustment in the front is often a prelude to wrapping a car around a tree or pole. But FH3 isn’t quite the real world. Real life is a good starting point upon which to build your knowledge, but you have to amend it with a little whim to be competitive.
also remember that with the AWD swap, 9 times out of 10 there is no PI hit when upgrade the the clutch and tranny to race…
there are a few cases where the tranny will be 1 point in PI…
Great write up, man. I have to admit, I am one of the holdouts with going full AWD on every build. It definitely hurts my times. Running the HLC’s now that Moss has them going again has got me running AWD. I just honestly haven’t built that many cars yet. Just a bunch of muscle that ended up somewhere in S1, lol.
The grip levels in FH games should allow allcomers to enjoy whatever drivetrain they want but this time that option was taken away if you want to be quick.
I still sometimes build “handling cars” mainly to give my hands a rest lol especially given the current HLCs. Pretty tough on my steering hand lol
This is useful info and is similar to my build process. I am not as experienced as some of you guys, so I prefer a few more handling upgrades. Sure, I can put 1,000 hp in a ford focus but if I’m just slamming into walls it does no good for lap times. This process might be useful for the less experienced folks out there.
AWD swap. Always. Huge benefits to launch and acceleration, and this game has a tendency to change from tarmac to dirt to sand all in one race, and AWD is definitely made for just that reason.
Brakes, suspension, race sway bars, almost always full roll cage and race weight reduction. You could certainly argue against the roll cage, but I like the added handling, braking, and sometimes launch benefits. I am also a firm believer that mojo does help, even if it doesn’t show in the stats. I love the look of the full cage, and I drive better because of it. Brakes and suspension vary, I obviously prefer race but lower class cars may get sport or even street. All cars get at least some upgrade to brakes and suspension.
Tires. To start, I pick the first option to the right of stock. I have found that this is also usually a good indicator of what class the car really belongs in. Some cars tire options go straight to race, some start at street. If a cars first option is street, it probably doesn’t belong all the way in S1 or above. There are times where even a slight tire upgrade will launch the car up 3 classes or something crazy, so it is class dependent. For the most part, my A and B class cars have street tires, and my S1 and above all have race. C and below varies depending on car. Rear width max always, front width as high as PI will allow once in done with everything else.
Engine swap. Class dependent. If I’m building for A and below, I pick the first option (usually). This is oftentimes the I4 Turbo Rally due to the types of cars I like. If I’m building for S1 and above, I go all the way to the right for the I6, V8, V10, etc.
Aspiration (if applicable). Really depends on PI, usually start with single/twin turbo and see what happens.
Engine. I dump all remaining points into the engine. I usually always go intake, exhaust, engine block, camshaft, and turbo/supercharger. I have found that these make the most significant impact with minimal PI. They also add to the mojo factor I talked about earlier, because they change the sound of the engine/exhaust. At some point during this process I will upgrade the drivetrain. I can usually max it all out without issue, but the race tranny and race diff are crucial. I will then dump whatever PI is left into ignition, fuel system, flywheel, etc. I consider these luxury items and not always necessary.
Appearance and aero. I add wings, rims, bumpers, etc. last. I always at least change the rims. Everything else depends on PI. Sometimes, if your build is just a tad too high, you can add a wing or something and knock it back down. Other times, you only need one or two points to get to the top of the class you’re aiming for, and can add lighter rims or a bumper to get there.
SatNiteEduardo’s information is very useful, and I’m not trying to say my method is better, just different. I can still get respectable power with this method, but also great handling. Everyone’s driving style, car preference, and surface preference will be different, so their build process will be as well. I have noticed a lot of people online doing straight power builds and they can’t even control the things. They just slam the gas and the first turn of the track ends up being 6 people stuck in the wall lol. Its nice to be able to just zip right by, waving out the window. Of course, you more experienced guys can maybe control a go kart with a jet engine strapped to it, but I prefer a touch more finesse.
EDIT - I should point out that my method is intended for solo play and online adventure. If you’re just trying to break records, you probably want to go really heavy on HP. It’s not quite as important in solo or online, because in solo the other cars are rubber banded to yours, and in online play you get XP based off of how well you drive, not necessarily by coming in first. Of course, coming in first is the goal and is always nice, but you can win an online adventure without ever coming in first place.
I use my method for all game modes maybe with the exception of King and Infected.
Online I get a lot of xp from race results and racing clean.
But there seems to be a belief that quick builds are hard to drive. Sure some are and they are “harder” than grip builds. But in my opinion when tuned right and with the grip FH3 provides it is most often not efficient to spend much pi on handling.
Each to their own but be aware hp is very low cost pi here so if you see a car zoom past do not always assume glitch or bug.
I agree with this. I wouldn’t say that I spend a ton of PI on handling, probably just a little bit more than you do. I can drive high powered cars with stock tires and sometimes even stock brakes, but they do feel a tad more squirrely and unresponsive, at least to me. It makes it feel more like I’m driving a high powered boat or something I dunno. All of my favorite cars have a high power and a power/handling balance build saved so that I can switch between the two depending on my mood. I definitely have some high power and power/handling builds in each class so that when I play online I can choose accordingly based off of the game mode. For playground games, I definitely prefer a little more handling. The others really depend. Asphalt only I will usually opt for more power, mixed surface I will usually go with a more balanced build. For cross country I generally prefer power as well.
Either way, it is definitely car dependent. Sometimes you get those oddballs that just don’t want to cooperate and you have to scrap the build and start over to try and get in the range you want. It’s good to have formula to use as a starting point, but at the end of the day it’s just a little trial and error.
I agree with a lot of your post. That’s the reason why my mixed surface tunes are naturally fast.
It takes a lot more time to get a rwd tune right, but when you do it’s only (sort of) a problem for launch. There are a lot of things you can do to improve getting the power down to the rear wheels, and I just can’t deal with the sluggish nature of such a heavy front end in top tier hotlaps. Rather deal with a sensitive throttle.
Not upgrading weight reduction as much or just starting out with a heavier car does definitely help in this game.
It’s amazing, i commonly use builds that i already made but the majority are troll builds and drift a lot, using this guide does help and will save you a lot of money
Do people spend a lot of CR on upgrades? I suck at gaming in general but even given that I can’t keep up with the number of skill points that I collect so pretty much all of my upgrades are free. I just lock in the perk, go get as much as I want off of the intended tree, then tune it back down to where I want it to be.
I’m not a collector though, so there’s that. I tend to focus on a car for a while trying different things and enjoying the game. I will say that the recipe given here isn’t “fun” for me, but then, like I say, I’m not competitive though, I mean like not at all, and I like the immersion that you get from, e.g., using different drivetrains. When everything is AWD with a higher powered engine then they all start to feel much more similar to each other.
