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Handling helper 🚗

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A page dedicated to help people understand the handling.meta file.

  • handlingName must match the handling ID referenced from vehicles.meta.
  • Tune one system at a time. Small changes compound quickly.
  • Most normal cars only need CHandlingData; bikes, aircraft, boats, trailers, and special vehicles may also need SubHandlingData.
  • The “good range” values below are starting points, not hard engine limits.
  • strModelFlags, strHandlingFlags, and strDamageFlags are bitfields. Treat them separately from normal numeric tuning.
  • For a normal add-on vehicle, preserve the original XML field order and only change values you understand.

1. Core CHandlingData

Identity and physical properties

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
handlingName string Unique handling ID linked from vehicles.meta. Vanilla IDs are typically uppercase. Keep it short and unique.
fMass float Vehicle mass, mainly relevant during collisions with dynamic objects and vehicles. Road cars: roughly 1000–2500; trucks: much higher.
fInitialDragCoeff float Aerodynamic drag. Higher drag reduces achievable top speed. Typical road vehicles often sit roughly around 10–120.
fDownforceModifier float Adds speed-dependent downforce/grip. Increase carefully; excessive values create unrealistic high-speed cornering.
fPercentSubmerged float Water submersion threshold before the vehicle begins floating behavior. Road vehicles commonly use values around 85.
vecCentreOfMassOffset vector3 Moves center of mass from the model origin. x: right/left, y: forward/back, z: up/down. Lower z improves rollover resistance.
vecInertiaMultiplier vector3 Resistance to rotation around each axis. Higher values make the car feel less twitchy and resist roll/pitch/yaw rotation.
fPetrolTankVolume float Fuel-tank capacity used by FiveM’s optional fuel-consumption system. Set 0 for effectively infinite fuel / no fuel use.
fPetrolConsumptionRate float Per-vehicle fuel-use multiplier for FiveM fuel consumption. FiveM defaults to 0.5 when omitted.
fOilVolume float Engine oil capacity. Usually leave near donor vehicle values.
nMonetaryValue int Rockstar’s internal vehicle-value field. Usually cosmetic/gameplay metadata; rarely affects FiveM RP systems.

fMass, drag, center of mass, and inertia are foundational physics values. Higher drag lowers top speed; a lower center of mass generally makes a vehicle more stable.

2. Drivetrain and acceleration

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fDriveBiasFront float Torque distribution. 0.0 = RWD, 1.0 = FWD, values between = AWD. 0.5 is equal AWD.
nInitialDriveGears int Number of forward gears. Typical cars: 5–8; bikes often 5–6.
fInitialDriveForce float Wheel drive force / acceleration multiplier. Most normal cars are around 0.10–0.40; raise gradually.
fDriveInertia float Engine rev responsiveness. Higher = engine reaches redline faster.
fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift float Upshift speed multiplier. Higher = faster gear changes. Avoid extreme values.
fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift float Downshift speed multiplier. Higher = faster downshifts.
fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel float Gearbox/redline-limited top-speed target. It does not guarantee the car can actually reach that speed.

Quick drivetrain presets

<!-- RWD -->
<fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />

<!-- Balanced AWD -->
<fDriveBiasFront value="0.500000" />

<!-- Front-biased AWD -->
<fDriveBiasFront value="0.600000" />

<!-- FWD -->
<fDriveBiasFront value="1.000000" />

fDriveBiasFront, gear count, drive force, drive inertia, shift multipliers, and max flat velocity collectively determine straight-line behavior.

3. Braking and steering

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fBrakeForce float Overall braking-force multiplier. Higher = shorter braking distances, until traction becomes the limit.
fBrakeBiasFront float Front/rear brake-force distribution. Around 0.55–0.70 is common for road cars. Higher can make the rear more stable under braking.
fHandBrakeForce float Handbrake strength. Higher helps drifting/parking brake turns, but can feel binary.
fSteeringLock float Maximum steering angle. Higher improves low-speed turning but can make high-speed handling nervous.

4. Tire grip and traction

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fTractionCurveMax float Peak available tire grip. Raise for more ultimate grip.
fTractionCurveMin float Grip available once the tire exceeds peak slip. Lower difference from max = more predictable, less snappy breakaway.
fTractionCurveLateral float Slip-angle behavior / lateral traction curve. Strongly affects cornering feel and breakaway character.
fTractionSpringDeltaMax float Maximum suspension/traction spring effect. Usually leave close to donor values unless tuning deeply.
fLowSpeedTractionLossMult float Additional traction loss at low speed. Raise for easier burnouts/drift initiation; lower for stronger launch grip.
fCamberStiffnesss float Camber-related grip response. Usually best left near a proven donor vehicle. Note the field uses three s characters.
fTractionBiasFront float Front/rear traction distribution. Higher biases grip toward front; lower biases grip toward rear.
fTractionLossMult float Overall traction-loss multiplier. Higher = easier wheelspin/sliding; lower = more planted.

Fast diagnosis

Symptom Try first
Spins too easily under throttle Lower fInitialDriveForce; lower fTractionLossMult; reduce rearward traction bias.
Understeers heavily Reduce fTractionBiasFront; slightly increase rear grip; reduce front-heavy brake bias if braking is involved.
Snaps suddenly into oversteer Bring fTractionCurveMin closer to fTractionCurveMax; lower fTractionLossMult.
Too much grip at 200+ km/h Reduce fDownforceModifier and/or fTractionCurveMax.
Cannot do burnouts or controlled slides Increase fLowSpeedTractionLossMult and/or fTractionLossMult.

5. Suspension, anti-roll, and chassis balance

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fSuspensionForce float Suspension spring strength. Higher = stiffer spring behavior.
fSuspensionCompDamp float Compression damping. Higher = resists suspension compression more.
fSuspensionReboundDamp float Rebound damping. Higher = resists extension after compression.
fSuspensionUpperLimit float Maximum upward wheel travel. Usually negative/positive values follow donor setup.
fSuspensionLowerLimit float Maximum downward wheel travel. More travel can help off-road vehicles.
fSuspensionRaise float Ride-height offset. Positive raises; negative lowers. Excessive lowering can cause clipping or instability.
fSuspensionBiasFront float Front/rear suspension distribution. Changes how front and rear react to bumps/load transfer.
fAntiRollBarForce float Anti-roll stiffness. Higher reduces body roll, but too high can create harsh or lift-off behavior.
fAntiRollBarBiasFront float Front/rear anti-roll distribution. More front bar tends toward understeer; more rear bar tends toward oversteer.
fRollCentreHeightFront float Front roll-center height. Advanced chassis-balance setting.
fRollCentreHeightRear float Rear roll-center height. Advanced chassis-balance setting.

Suspension tuning order

  1. Set ride height with fSuspensionRaise.
  2. Set spring stiffness using fSuspensionForce.
  3. Control bounce with compression and rebound damping.
  4. Reduce body roll with fAntiRollBarForce.
  5. Balance understeer/oversteer using anti-roll bias and roll-center heights.

6. Damage, deformation, and durability

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fCollisionDamageMult float Damage received from collisions. Higher = more crash damage.
fWeaponDamageMult float Damage received from weapons. Useful for armored or emergency vehicles.
fDeformationDamageMult float Body deformation sensitivity. Higher = panels deform more easily.
fEngineDamageMult float Engine damage multiplier. Higher = engine fails sooner from impacts/damage.

7. Seating and camera offsets

Parameter Type What it does Practical tuning notes
fSeatOffsetDistX float Seat/camera lateral offset. Usually leave from donor.
fSeatOffsetDistY float Seat/camera forward/back offset. Helpful when first-person seat position is wrong.
fSeatOffsetDistZ float Seat/camera vertical offset. Helpful for vehicles with incorrect driver height.

8. Flags and AI

Parameter Type What it does
strModelFlags flags/bitfield Vehicle model behavior flags.
strHandlingFlags flags/bitfield Physics/handling behavior flags.
strDamageFlags flags/bitfield Damage-system behavior flags.
AIHandling enum/string AI driving behavior preset.
SubHandlingData collection Vehicle-type-specific handling extensions.

Do not randomly copy flags between unrelated vehicle types. Many special behaviors require matching vehicle/model flags, layouts, and subhandling definitions.

9. CCarHandlingData subhandling

Usually used for cars with special physics behavior such as wheelie cars, certain special vehicles, or advanced chassis effects.

Parameter What it does
fBackEndPopUpCarImpulseMult Strength of rear-end lift / wheelie impulse.
fBackEndPopUpCarImpulseBias Bias/timing for rear lift impulse.
fBackEndPopUpCarImpulseMaxDeltaSpeed Speed-change cap affecting the rear lift impulse.
fToeFront Front toe angle behavior.
fToeRear Rear toe angle behavior.
fCamberFront Front camber.
fCamberRear Rear camber.
fCastor Steering caster behavior.
fEngineResistance Additional engine resistance / drag behavior.
fMaxDriveBiasTransfer Maximum drivetrain bias transfer.
fJumpForceScale Jump-force multiplier for jump-capable vehicles.
fIncreasedRammingForceScale Additional ramming-force multiplier.
fWeaponDamageScaledToVehicleSize Scales weapon damage based on vehicle size.

10. CBikeHandlingData subhandling

Used by motorcycles and bicycles.

Parameter What it does
fLeanFwdCOMMult Center-of-mass effect while leaning forward.
fLeanFwdForceMult Force effect while leaning forward.
fLeanBakCOMMult Center-of-mass effect while leaning backward.
fLeanBakForceMult Force effect while leaning backward.
fMaxBankAngle Maximum normal leaning angle.
fFullAnimAngle Lean angle used for full rider animation.
fDesLeanReturnFrac How quickly bike returns toward desired lean.
fStickLeanMult Steering-input lean multiplier.
fBrakingStabilityMult Stability under braking.
fInAirSteerMult Steering influence while airborne.
fWheelieBalancePoint Target balance point during wheelies.
fStoppieBalancePoint Target balance point during stoppies.
fWheelieSteerMult Steering influence during wheelies.
fRearBalanceMult Rear balance influence.
fFrontBalanceMult Front balance influence.
fBikeGroundSideFrictionMult Side friction for bike chassis on ground.
fBikeWheelGroundSideFrictionMult Side friction for bike wheels on ground.
fBikeOnStandLeanAngle Lean angle when parked on stand.
fBikeOnStandSteerAngle Steering angle when parked on stand.
fJumpForce Bike jump-force strength.
fMinJumpHeightForJump Minimum jump height threshold.
fMinJumpHeightForJumpBike Bike-specific jump-height threshold.
fJumpLandForce Force applied on landing.

For normal road motorcycles, begin with a close vanilla donor bike rather than building bike handling from scratch.

11. CBoatHandlingData subhandling

Used by boats, amphibious vehicles, and water-capable special vehicles.

Parameter What it does
fBoxFrontMult Front buoyancy-box multiplier.
fBoxRearMult Rear buoyancy-box multiplier.
fBoxSideMult Side buoyancy-box multiplier.
fSampleTop Upper water-sampling position/value.
fSampleBottom Lower water-sampling position/value.
fAquaplaneForce Hydroplaning force.
fAquaplanePushWaterMult Water-push force multiplier.
fAquaplanePushWaterCap Cap for water-push effect.
fAquaplanePushWaterApply Application factor for water-push effect.
fRudderForce Rudder steering force.
fRudderOffsetSubmerge Rudder submersion offset.
fRudderOffsetForce Rudder force offset.
fRudderOffsetForceZMult Vertical rudder-force multiplier.
fWaveAudioMult Wave-audio intensity multiplier.
vecMoveResistance Resistance to linear movement.
vecTurnResistance Resistance to turning movement.
fLook_L_R_CamHeight Camera-height behavior.
fDragCoefficient Water drag.
fKeelSphereSize Keel collision/buoyancy sphere size.
fPropRadius Propeller radius.
fLowLodAngOffset Low-LOD angle offset.
fLowLodDraughtOffset Low-LOD draft offset.
fImpellerOffset Impeller position/offset.
fImpellerForceMult Impeller-force multiplier.
fDinghySphereBuoyConst Dinghy buoyancy constant.
fProwRaiseMult Bow lift multiplier.
fTransmissionMultiplier Boat transmission multiplier.
fTractionMultiplier Boat traction multiplier.

12. CFlyingHandlingData subhandling

Used by aircraft, helicopters, and some special flying vehicles.

Parameter What it does
fThrust Base propulsion thrust.
fThrustFallOff How thrust declines with speed.
fThrustVectoring Thrust-vectoring influence.
fYawMult Yaw responsiveness.
fYawStabilise Yaw stabilization.
fSideSlipMult Side-slip response.
fRollMult Roll responsiveness.
fRollStabilise Roll stabilization.
fPitchMult Pitch responsiveness.
fPitchStabilise Pitch stabilization.
fFormLiftMult Body/form lift multiplier.
fAttackLiftMult Lift from angle of attack.
fAttackDiveMult Dive force from angle of attack.
fGearDownDragV Drag with landing gear deployed.
fGearDownLiftMult Lift behavior with landing gear deployed.
fWindMult Wind-effect multiplier.
fMoveRes Linear movement resistance.
vecTurnRes Rotational resistance.
vecSpeedRes Speed-resistance vector.

Aircraft handling is highly interconnected. Use a known aircraft donor and change thrust, lift, and response multipliers in small increments.

13. CTrailerHandlingData subhandling

Used for trailers and trailer-like vehicles.

Parameter What it does
fAttachLimit Attachment/connection limit behavior.
fAttachStrength Strength of trailer attachment.
fAttachMaxDistance Maximum attachment distance.
fCameraDistance Trailer camera distance.

14. CSpecialFlightHandlingData subhandling

Used by special aircraft/VTOL-style vehicles.

Parameter What it does
vecAngularDamping Angular damping vector.
vecLinearDamping Linear damping vector.
fLiftCoefficient Lift coefficient.
fMinLiftVelocity Minimum velocity needed for lift.
fDragCoefficient Flight drag coefficient.
fMaxLiftVelocity Velocity cap for lift behavior.
fThrustCoefficient Thrust coefficient.
fHorizontalDamping Horizontal damping.
fVerticalDamping Vertical damping.

15. Useful tuning recipes

Make a car less likely to flip

<vecCentreOfMassOffset x="0.000000" y="0.000000" z="-0.150000" />
<fAntiRollBarForce value="0.850000" />
<fSuspensionForce value="2.200000" />
<fRollCentreHeightFront value="0.250000" />
<fRollCentreHeightRear value="0.250000" />

Also consider slightly increasing vecInertiaMultiplier on the roll/yaw-related axes.

Add realistic acceleration without making the car uncontrollable

<fInitialDriveForce value="0.310000" />
<fDriveInertia value="0.950000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift value="2.500000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift value="2.300000" />
<fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="0.900000" />

Make a car more drift-friendly

<fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />
<fTractionCurveMax value="2.300000" />
<fTractionCurveMin value="1.900000" />
<fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="1.250000" />
<fTractionLossMult value="1.100000" />
<fHandBrakeForce value="1.100000" />
<fAntiRollBarBiasFront value="0.450000" />

Add high-speed stability

<fDownforceModifier value="1.500000" />
<fSteeringLock value="34.000000" />
<fTractionCurveMax value="2.700000" />
<fTractionCurveMin value="2.400000" />
<vecCentreOfMassOffset x="0.000000" y="0.000000" z="-0.080000" />

16. FiveM runtime handling notes

Common native field group names:

-- Core handling fields
GetVehicleHandlingFloat(vehicle, 'CHandlingData', 'fInitialDriveForce')
GetVehicleHandlingFloat(vehicle, 'CHandlingData', 'fPetrolTankVolume')

-- Per-vehicle override
SetVehicleHandlingFloat(vehicle, 'CHandlingData', 'fInitialDriveForce', 0.32)

-- Global override for a handling name
SetHandlingFloat('ADDER', 'CHandlingData', 'fInitialDriveForce', 0.32)

Use runtime overrides sparingly. They can conflict with other resources, may be reset when a vehicle streams/rebuilds, and do not replace having correct baseline values in handling.meta.

17. Minimal normal-car template

<Item type="CHandlingData">
  <handlingName>USINEXAMPLE</handlingName>

  <fMass value="1500.000000" />
  <fInitialDragCoeff value="7.500000" />
  <fDownforceModifier value="1.000000" />
  <fPercentSubmerged value="85.000000" />

  <vecCentreOfMassOffset x="0.000000" y="0.000000" z="-0.080000" />
  <vecInertiaMultiplier x="1.000000" y="1.300000" z="1.500000" />

  <fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />
  <nInitialDriveGears value="6" />
  <fInitialDriveForce value="0.280000" />
  <fDriveInertia value="1.000000" />
  <fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift value="2.500000" />
  <fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift value="2.300000" />
  <fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel value="170.000000" />

  <fBrakeForce value="0.850000" />
  <fBrakeBiasFront value="0.620000" />
  <fHandBrakeForce value="0.700000" />
  <fSteeringLock value="35.000000" />

  <fTractionCurveMax value="2.450000" />
  <fTractionCurveMin value="2.180000" />
  <fTractionCurveLateral value="22.500000" />
  <fTractionSpringDeltaMax value="0.150000" />
  <fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="0.900000" />
  <fCamberStiffnesss value="0.000000" />
  <fTractionBiasFront value="0.490000" />
  <fTractionLossMult value="1.000000" />

  <fSuspensionForce value="2.200000" />
  <fSuspensionCompDamp value="1.350000" />
  <fSuspensionReboundDamp value="2.100000" />
  <fSuspensionUpperLimit value="0.100000" />
  <fSuspensionLowerLimit value="-0.120000" />
  <fSuspensionRaise value="0.000000" />
  <fSuspensionBiasFront value="0.500000" />

  <fAntiRollBarForce value="0.800000" />
  <fAntiRollBarBiasFront value="0.500000" />
  <fRollCentreHeightFront value="0.250000" />
  <fRollCentreHeightRear value="0.250000" />

  <fCollisionDamageMult value="1.000000" />
  <fWeaponDamageMult value="1.000000" />
  <fDeformationDamageMult value="0.800000" />
  <fEngineDamageMult value="1.250000" />

  <fPetrolTankVolume value="65.000000" />
  <fOilVolume value="5.000000" />

  <fSeatOffsetDistX value="0.000000" />
  <fSeatOffsetDistY value="0.000000" />
  <fSeatOffsetDistZ value="0.000000" />

  <nMonetaryValue value="50000" />
  <strModelFlags>440010</strModelFlags>
  <strHandlingFlags>0</strHandlingFlags>
  <strDamageFlags>0</strDamageFlags>
  <AIHandling>SPORTS_CAR</AIHandling>

  <SubHandlingData>
    <Item type="NULL" />
  </SubHandlingData>
</Item>
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