Reference

handling.meta fields, explained

Every value in a CHandlingData entry, what it does in one line, its unit, and the median across 608 vanilla cars. The 11 fields people actually search for have their own page with a live lab.

Full pages

fInitialDriveForcemedian 0.28
Drive force
fInitialDriveForce is the force the engine puts on the wheels per kilogram of vehicle.
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fInitialDriveMaxFlatVelmedian 141.7
Max flat velocity
fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel sets the gearing of a vehicle in km/h.
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nInitialDriveGearsmedian 5
Gears
nInitialDriveGears is the number of forward gears.
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fDriveBiasFrontmedian 0
Drive bias front
fDriveBiasFront is the share of drive force sent to the front axle.
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fMassmedian 1,628
Mass
fMass is the mass of the vehicle in kilograms.
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fInitialDragCoeffmedian 9.25
Drag coefficient
fInitialDragCoeff is the air resistance of a vehicle.
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fTractionCurveMaxmedian 2.228
Peak grip
fTractionCurveMax is the peak grip the tyres deliver before they let go, roughly in g.
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fBrakeForcemedian 0.72
Brake force
fBrakeForce is the braking strength per wheel.
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fSteeringLockmedian 40
Steering lock
fSteeringLock is the maximum angle the front wheels can turn, in degrees.
Read and try it
strHandlingFlags
Handling flags
strHandlingFlags is a 32-bit field written as hex that switches vehicle behaviours on: the CVT gearbox, the off-road power bonus, armour, rear-wheel steering and others.
Read and try it
strModelFlags
Model flags
strModelFlags is a 32-bit hex field that describes how the vehicle is built: ABS, the front and rear axle type, twin wheels, hatchback and a few AI hints.
Read and try it

All 55 fields

Grouped the way the editor groups them. Median is across vanilla cars; motorcycles, boats and aircraft are left out.

How the file works

Engine

7 fields

fInitialDriveForcewheel force per kg: How hard the engine pushes per kilogram. Roughly 10 m/s² of acceleration per 1.0 in first gear, before drag and grip limits.; median 0.280.159 to 0.37 for 80 %
fInitialDriveMaxFlatVelkm/h · respawn for gears: Sets the gearing. Redline in top gear is 1.33 times this value; real top speed lands lower because drag wins first.; median 141.7115 to 160 for 80 %
nInitialDriveGearscount · respawn: Number of forward gears. The ratios come from a fixed table per count, so this decides how the speed range is split.; median 54 to 6 for 80 %
fDriveBiasFront0 to 1: Share of drive force on the front axle. 0 is rear-wheel drive, 1 is front, anything from 0.1 to 0.9 is all-wheel drive.; median 00 to 0.5 for 80 %
fDriveInertiamultiplier: How quickly revs rise and fall without load. Below 0.5 the engine feels like it drags.; median 11 to 1 for 80 %
fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift0.9 / seconds: Upshift speed. The shift takes 0.9 seconds divided by this value, with no drive during the shift.; median 2.21.3 to 6 for 80 %
fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift0.9 / seconds: Downshift speed, same rule as the upshift value.; median 2.21.3 to 6 for 80 %

Aero and body

6 fields

fMasskg · respawn: Vehicle mass. Decides who wins a collision and how mods weigh in. Acceleration is per kilogram, so mass alone does not slow the car.; median 1,6281,040 to 5,150 for 80 %
fInitialDragCoeffx 0.0001: Air resistance, grows with speed squared. The one number that caps top speed without touching the gears.; median 9.256 to 13 for 80 %
fDownforceModifiermultiplier: Extra grip from downforce at speed. 0 means the flat default; values above 100 use the newer, stronger ramp.; median 1752 to 311 for 80 %
fPercentSubmerged%: How deep the vehicle sits in water before it floats or sinks.; median 8585 to 85 for 80 %
vecCentreOfMassOffsetm (x, y, z) · respawn for gears: Moves the centre of mass: x right, y forward, z up. The quickest fix for a car that rolls over.
vecInertiaMultipliermultiplier (x, y, z) · respawn: Resistance to pitch, roll and yaw. A z value above 2 makes the car feel less like a toy in slides.

Grip

8 fields

fTractionCurveMax~g: Peak cornering grip before the tyres let go. Vanilla cars sit between 1.6 and 2.65, which is arcade grip on purpose.; median 2.2281.6 to 2.65 for 80 %
fTractionCurveMin~g: Grip once the slide has started. Keep it about 10 % under the peak; above the peak the curve breaks.; median 1.921.45 to 2.5 for 80 %
fTractionCurveLateraldegrees: Slip angle range. Peak grip sits at half this value; wider is more forgiving, narrower is snappier.; median 22.518 to 22.75 for 80 %
fTractionSpringDeltaMaxm: How far the tyre sidewall can flex.; median 0.150.1 to 0.15 for 80 %
fLowSpeedTractionLossMultmultiplier: Burnout factor. At 1.0 the tyres keep about half their grip at walking pace.; median 10 to 1.3 for 80 %
fCamberStiffnesssmultiplier: Extra side force in the roll direction. The three s in the name are a Rockstar typo and are required.; median 00 to 0 for 80 %
fTractionBiasFront0 to 1: Share of grip on the front tyres. Above 0.5 the front sticks more; 0 or 1 makes wheels vanish.; median 0.4880.47 to 0.5 for 80 %
fTractionLossMultmultiplier: How much the road surface changes grip. Off-road cars run lower values.; median 10.15 to 1 for 80 %

Brakes and steering

4 fields

fBrakeForceper wheel: Brake strength per wheel. Above a quarter of fTractionCurveMax the tyres are the limit, not the brakes.; median 0.720.296 to 1 for 80 %
fBrakeBiasFront0 to 1: Share of braking on the front axle. Around 0.6 keeps the rear stable under braking.; median 0.550.425 to 0.65 for 80 %
fHandBrakeForcemultiplier: Handbrake strength on the rear wheels.; median 0.530.3 to 0.8 for 80 %
fSteeringLockdegrees: Maximum steering angle. A good match is fTractionCurveLateral times 1.25 plus 10; drift cars run 60 and up.; median 4035 to 42.58 for 80 %

Suspension

11 fields

fSuspensionForcerelative: Spring rate. Damping equal to this value gives a settled ride.; median 2.11.4 to 2.7 for 80 %
fSuspensionCompDampx 0.1: Compression damping. Half the spring force cancels a bump in one stroke.; median 1.30.8 to 1.7 for 80 %
fSuspensionReboundDampx 0.1: Rebound damping, same rule as compression.; median 2.11.3 to 3.165 for 80 %
fSuspensionUpperLimitm: How far the wheel can travel up.; median 0.10.05 to 0.18 for 80 %
fSuspensionLowerLimitm: How far the wheel can drop, as a negative number.; median -0.12-0.2 to -0.084 for 80 %
fSuspensionRaisem: Ride height offset. Minus 0.02 is already a visible drop.; median 00 to 0.015 for 80 %
fSuspensionBiasFront0 to 1: Share of spring stiffness on the front.; median 0.50.46 to 0.54 for 80 %
fAntiRollBarForcerelative: Anti-roll bar strength. Higher means less body roll in corners.; median 0.650.15 to 0.986 for 80 %
fAntiRollBarBiasFront0 to 1: Share of the anti-roll bar on the front.; median 0.550.3 to 0.65 for 80 %
fRollCentreHeightFrontm: Front roll centre above the model floor. Closer to the centre of mass means less roll.; median 0.240.099 to 0.453 for 80 %
fRollCentreHeightRearm: Rear roll centre, same idea as the front.; median 0.2330.1 to 0.45 for 80 %

Flags

3 fields

strHandlingFlagshex bits · respawn: Behaviour switches: CVT gearbox, off-road bonus, armour, rear-wheel steering. Half of all vanilla cars leave it at 0.; hex
strModelFlagshex bits · respawn: Build switches read when the vehicle is created: ABS, axle types, twin rear wheels, hatchback.; hex
strDamageFlagshex bits · respawn: Which doors, bonnet and boot cannot break off.; hex

Damage

4 fields

fCollisionDamageMultmultiplier: Damage taken from collisions.; median 10.7 to 1 for 80 %
fWeaponDamageMultmultiplier: Damage taken from weapons.; median 11 to 1 for 80 %
fDeformationDamageMultmultiplier: How much the body deforms on impact.; median 0.70.6 to 0.8 for 80 %
fEngineDamageMultmultiplier: Damage the engine takes.; median 1.51.5 to 1.5 for 80 %

Other

12 fields

fPetrolTankVolumelitres: Tank size. Matters once the tank leaks after a hit, and for fuel scripts.; median 6560 to 70 for 80 %
fOilVolumelitres: Oil volume, leaks the same way.; median 55 to 6.5 for 80 %
fPetrolConsumptionRaterelative: Fuel use per rpm. Only fuel scripts read it.
fSeatOffsetDistXm: Seat offset sideways.; median 00 to 0.1 for 80 %
fSeatOffsetDistYm: Seat offset forward.; median 0-0.25 to 0 for 80 %
fSeatOffsetDistZm: Seat offset up.; median 0-0.05 to 0.1 for 80 %
nMonetaryValue$: In-game value used by some scripts.; median 40,00025,000 to 150,000 for 80 %
fPopUpLightRotationdegrees: How far pop-up headlights rotate.
fRocketBoostCapacityseconds: Rocket boost capacity for boost vehicles. Default 1.25.
fBoostMaxSpeedm/s: Speed cap while boosting. Default 70.
fWeaponDamageScaledToVehHealthMultmultiplier: Only the Rhino uses it.
AIHandlingAVERAGE, SPORTS_CAR, TRUCK, CRAP: Which driving profile AI traffic uses for this vehicle.

Edit any of these live

The Handling Editor exposes 29 of these fields as sliders with the class range next to each, and shows top speed, 0-100 and a lap estimate while you drag. Free, no login.

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Every vanilla vehicle in one table

Predicted top speed, 0-100 and the key fields for 657 GTA V vehicles, sortable by class.

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