DIALCRAFTIndependent setup intelligence
DC / REF13 chapters · EN / TR

The setup guide
built for the pit lane.

Quick rules first, physics second, garage checks always. Use the jump rail to reach any system without losing your place.

Back to diagnosis
01
Chapter 01

A setup method that teaches you

A setup is a controlled experiment, not a pile of fast-looking numbers. Establish a repeatable baseline, identify one phase, change one control, and compare evidence.

The quick ruleOne problem · one small change · one comparable run.
01

Make the driver repeatable first

Use the same fuel, tyre compound, weather, line and braking references. Run enough laps for pressures to stabilize before judging balance.

02

Name the moment, not the whole car

‘Understeer’ is incomplete. Say whether it begins on brake release, at steady apex load, or when power arrives. Those moments use different controls.

03

Keep an A/B notebook

Record the baseline, exact change, track condition, best representative laps and driver comment. Revert a failed experiment instead of compensating with another change.

Garage checklist
  • Warm tyres to a stable window.
  • Choose one repeatable corner or braking zone.
  • Change one click or one small step.
  • Run the same number of clean laps.
  • Keep, revert or refine—never guess.
Do not miss

A faster lap is not proof if the driving, traffic or tyre state changed.

02
Chapter 02

Tyre pressure & temperature

Tyres are the first suspension element and every other setup change depends on their operating state. Judge hot data, not the cold number alone.

The quick ruleCenter hot: pressure may be high. Both shoulders hot: pressure may be low.
01

Read three temperatures together

Inner, middle and outer readings describe how the contact patch is used. One snapshot can mislead; compare the same point after equal running.

02

Pressure changes shape and support

Lower pressure usually adds compliance but also heat and drag. Higher pressure adds support but can shrink the useful contact patch and sharpen breakaway.

03

Fix the cause of heat

Toe scrub, excess slip, aggressive differential locking or driving can overheat a tyre. Do not use pressure as the only heat control.

Garage checklist
  • Record cold and stabilized hot pressure.
  • Measure at the same point after equal laps.
  • Compare center to both shoulders.
  • Change in the smallest available step.
Do not miss

Sim titles and tyre models use different target windows. Follow reliable car-specific telemetry when available.

Related controls
Front tyre pressure · Tyres & alignmentRear tyre pressure · Tyres & alignment
03
Chapter 03

Camber & toe

Alignment trades straight-line efficiency and braking for loaded-corner contact. Small values matter; large corrections usually hide another problem.

The quick ruleCamber shapes loaded contact; toe shapes response and stability.
01

Negative camber

More negative camber can support the outside tyre under corner load. Too much overheats the inner edge and weakens braking and traction.

02

Front toe

A little toe-out can sharpen initial response. It also adds scrub, nervousness and drag. Reduce it when the car wanders or requires corrections.

03

Rear toe

Rear toe-in adds stability under braking and power. Reducing it frees rotation but makes the rear less forgiving.

Garage checklist
  • Use hot temperature spread, not visual stance.
  • Confirm steering wheel is centered.
  • Watch braking and traction after camber changes.
  • Watch tyre scrub after toe changes.
Do not miss

Toe direction and displayed sign conventions differ between sims. Verify the setup screen's definition.

Related controls
Front camber · Tyres & alignmentRear camber · Tyres & alignmentFront toe · Tyres & alignmentRear toe · Tyres & alignment
04
Chapter 04

Brake balance & ABS

Brake setup decides whether the car decelerates in a stable line and whether the front axle remains available for turning as pressure is released.

The quick ruleRear lock: move bias forward. Front lock: consider a small rearward move.
01

Bias changes axle workload

Forward bias is stable but can overload the front. Rearward bias helps rotation and front lock but has a smaller safety margin.

02

Pressure changes pedal ceiling

Reduce maximum pressure only when full pedal repeatedly overwhelms the tyres. Do not trade away braking force to avoid learning modulation.

03

ABS is part of the car

Many race cars are designed around ABS. More intervention can improve repeatability; too much can release pressure early and lengthen the stop.

Garage checklist
  • Use a straight, repeatable heavy-braking zone.
  • Identify which axle locks first.
  • Change bias in the smallest step.
  • Stop the test if rear locking appears.
Do not miss

Brake bias is safety-sensitive. A rearward change that feels agile can become unstable with fuel, bumps or downhill braking.

Related controls
Brake bias · BrakesBrake pressure · BrakesABS level · Brakes
05
Chapter 05

Springs & ride height

Springs carry the platform. They must be compliant enough to keep the tyre loaded and firm enough to preserve travel, geometry and aero.

The quick ruleUse the softest platform that does not bottom or lose control.
01

Axle stiffness changes balance

Softening an axle generally adds mechanical grip there; stiffening removes compliance but controls travel. Treat this as a trend, not an absolute law.

02

Ride height protects a window

Lower is useful only while suspension and aero stay in their valid range. Floor contact or stalled aero can create abrupt grip loss.

03

Rake is a coupled change

Changing one end alters clearance, pitch response and often aero balance. Record both heights and check high-speed behavior.

Garage checklist
  • Check peak suspension travel.
  • Find the corner, kerb or braking event that bottoms.
  • Separate low-speed mechanical balance from high-speed aero.
  • Retest kerbs after every spring change.
Do not miss

A car riding on a hard stop no longer behaves like the spring setting suggests.

Related controls
Front springs · Mechanical balanceRear springs · Mechanical balanceFront ride height · Mechanical balanceRear ride height · Mechanical balance
06
Chapter 06

Anti-roll bars

Anti-roll bars tune lateral load transfer distribution between axles. They are fast balance tools, but they do not create total grip for free.

The quick ruleSoften the axle that needs grip; stiffen the opposite axle to free rotation.
01

Front bar

Softer can reduce steady-state understeer; stiffer adds platform support but may unload the inside front.

02

Rear bar

Softer adds rear traction and calm; stiffer frees rotation but can make power oversteer abrupt.

03

Drivetrain matters

FWD cars often use rear roll stiffness to help rotation, while powerful RWD cars may need rear compliance for exit traction.

Garage checklist
  • Judge one medium-speed corner.
  • Compare steering angle at the same speed.
  • Check inside-wheel spin and exit traction.
  • Revert if the gain only moves the problem to exit.
Do not miss

Very stiff bars can make a car feel responsive while reducing the tyre's ability to follow uneven surfaces.

Related controls
Front anti-roll bar · Mechanical balanceRear anti-roll bar · Mechanical balance
07
Chapter 07

Bumpstops & travel

Bumpstops are progressive secondary springs near the end of travel. Their range decides when support begins; their rate decides how sharply support grows.

The quick ruleRange chooses the moment. Rate chooses the severity.
01

Earlier engagement

A smaller free range can protect ride height under braking, aero load or power squat. It also introduces the bumpstop sooner in ordinary corners.

02

Stiffer rate

More rate prevents deep compression but increases tyre-load spikes. If grip vanishes at one repeatable compression, the transition may be too abrupt.

03

Work with springs and height

A bumpstop cannot rescue a fundamentally too-low or too-soft platform without tradeoffs. Inspect travel before choosing range or rate.

Garage checklist
  • Find the exact event that reaches deep travel.
  • Change range before rate when timing is wrong.
  • Change rate when engagement is correct but too harsh.
  • Retest both smooth corners and kerbs.
Do not miss

Setup labels may describe gap, packer length or engagement distance in opposite directions. Verify what a higher number means.

Related controls
Front bumpstop range · Mechanical balanceRear bumpstop range · Mechanical balanceFront bumpstop rate · Mechanical balanceRear bumpstop rate · Mechanical balance
08
Chapter 08

Dampers without guesswork

Dampers control the speed of suspension movement, not the final amount of steady-state load transfer. Diagnose the first motion and the recovery separately.

The quick ruleBump controls compression. Rebound controls extension. Slow is body motion; fast is surface impact.
01

Slow bump and rebound

Use slow circuits for braking dive, power squat, roll and direction changes. Too stiff delays weight transfer or spikes load; too soft permits repeated platform motion.

02

Fast bump

If a sharp kerb kicks the car away, fast bump may be too stiff. If suspension crashes through travel, it may be too soft or the platform may need more height/support.

03

Fast rebound

Rebound decides how the tyre returns after impact. Too much can hold the wheel up; too little can allow a second bounce.

Garage checklist
  • Identify compression or extension.
  • Identify body-speed or impact-speed motion.
  • Adjust only the relevant corner pair first.
  • Judge first response and recovery separately.
Do not miss

Do not use dampers to permanently hold a ride height. If the car stays on a damper trend, spring/platform support may be wrong.

Related controls
Front slow bump · DampersRear slow bump · DampersFront slow rebound · DampersRear slow rebound · DampersFront fast bump · DampersRear fast bump · DampersFront fast rebound · DampersRear fast rebound · Dampers
09
Chapter 09

Aerodynamic balance

Aero load grows with speed. If the problem appears equally in a hairpin, solve mechanical balance first. Use aero only with clear high-speed evidence.

The quick ruleFast-only problem: investigate aero. All-speed problem: investigate mechanical grip first.
01

Front load

More front load improves high-speed turn authority but can make the rear nervous and add drag depending on the device.

02

Rear wing

More wing adds rear margin and confidence. The cost is drag and a balance shift toward understeer.

03

Ride-height map

Floor and diffuser performance may change non-linearly with pitch and clearance. Bottoming is an aero event as well as a mechanical one.

Garage checklist
  • Choose one fast, repeatable corner.
  • Compare with a slow corner to isolate aero.
  • Watch top speed after wing changes.
  • Check floor contact and ride-height travel.
Do not miss

Aero balance can change with speed, pitch, yaw and damage. A single wing number does not describe the whole map.

Related controls
Front aero · AerodynamicsRear wing · AerodynamicsFront ride height · Mechanical balanceRear ride height · Mechanical balance
10
Chapter 10

Differential: coast to power

The differential manages wheel-speed difference across a driven axle. Diagnose coast, transition and power separately; each may use a different control.

The quick ruleCoast shapes entry. Preload shapes transition. Power shapes throttle behavior.
01

Coast locking

Less coast lock frees off-throttle rotation; more lock stabilizes the driven axle but can resist turn-in.

02

Power locking

More lock couples driven tyres and can stop one-wheel spin. Too much can make both tyres push or break away together.

03

Preload

Preload sets the background coupling before strong coast or power ramps act. High preload makes transitions immediate; low preload makes them freer.

Garage checklist
  • Name entry, pickup or full-power phase.
  • Watch inside driven-wheel speed.
  • Keep throttle timing constant.
  • Recheck both rotation and traction.
Do not miss

Differential labels, ramp conventions and percentages vary by car and sim. Verify whether a higher value means more actual locking.

Related controls
Differential coast · DifferentialDifferential preload · DifferentialDifferential power · Differential
11
Chapter 11

Electronics & torque split

Driver aids and AWD distribution are setup tools, not shame buttons. Use them to make delivery repeatable while you understand the mechanical cause.

The quick ruleUse electronics to manage torque—not to hide a platform that cannot grip.
01

Traction control

More TC can protect tyres and consistency. If it intervenes with smooth input, improve mechanical traction or reduce intervention one step and compare exit speed.

02

AWD torque split

More front drive can calm power oversteer but add push. More rear drive frees rotation but reduces the safety margin under power.

03

Driver maps

Throttle maps change how pedal movement requests torque. Choose a map you can repeat before interpreting traction symptoms.

Garage checklist
  • Record the active aid/map level.
  • Watch intervention and exit speed together.
  • Use identical throttle pickup.
  • Recheck tyre temperature after intervention changes.
Do not miss

Lower intervention is not automatically faster. Repeatable drive and tyre life often win over a single aggressive exit.

Related controls
Traction control · Controls & gearingAWD torque split · Controls & gearing
12
Chapter 12

Gearing, fuel & track context

A balanced car can still be slow if gearing misses the engine band or fuel state changes the test. Context controls whether setup evidence is comparable.

The quick ruleGear for the important exits and the longest straight—with limiter margin.
01

Final drive

Shorter gearing multiplies wheel torque and acceleration but can worsen wheelspin and reach the limiter. Longer gearing calms torque and protects top speed but may bog exits.

02

Shift placement

Avoid shifts at the apex or while traction-limited when a small ratio change can place them on a straight section.

03

Fuel is setup mass

Fuel changes mass, balance, braking and ride height. Compare setups at the same load, then validate the chosen setup at race-start and race-end states.

Garage checklist
  • Record fuel and tyre state.
  • Check RPM at key exits.
  • Leave top-speed and draft margin.
  • Count shifts through the lap.
Do not miss

Do not shorten gearing to compensate for a poor corner exit caused by balance or driving.

Related controls
Final drive · Controls & gearing
13
Chapter 13

Fast diagnosis reference

Use this chapter at the pit wall. Start with the phase, verify the evidence, then choose the smallest relevant control from the ordered list.

The quick ruleEntry → brakes/coast. Apex → tyres/bars/springs. Exit → traction/diff. Fast-only → aero. Bumps → dampers/travel.
01

Understeer sequence

Check front tyre state and driver release. Entry: bias/coast. Slow apex: front compliance or rear roll stiffness. Exit: differential and driven-axle saturation. Fast only: aero balance and floor clearance.

02

Oversteer sequence

Entry: rear lock, bias, coast and rear toe. Slow apex: rear bar/spring support. Exit: power locking, preload transition and TC. Fast only: rear aero and ride-height platform.

03

Kerb sequence

One sharp kick points to fast bump. A second bounce points to recovery/rebound. Floor contact points to ride height, travel or bumpstop support before damping.

Garage checklist
  • Name the phase.
  • Confirm it repeats.
  • Check tyre and platform baseline.
  • Choose one small relevant change.
  • Retest and record the tradeoff.
Do not miss

If two opposite symptoms appear, do not average them. Split the corner into moments and diagnose the first repeatable event.

Related controls
Brake bias · BrakesFront anti-roll bar · Mechanical balanceRear anti-roll bar · Mechanical balanceDifferential coast · DifferentialDifferential power · DifferentialRear wing · AerodynamicsFront fast bump · Dampers