[XFG] XF GTI

1.3 litre inline 4
86 kW (115bhp) @ 6871 rpm
940 kg (2072 lbs)
92 W/kg (125 bhp/ton)
60.0 F 40.0 R

Setup Tip

Don't overlock the diff, although more powerlocking helps put the power down since the XF GTi doesn't have a twoway adjustable diff, you will also kill off the oversteer that you'll need to put into the setup to make the car steerable with the throttle.

Summary

An excellent car for beginners and experts alike, no other car in LFS is so universally driven as the XF GTi, from first-time-driver to seasoned league pro. It responds well to setup adjustments, and is a stable chassis that will teach a driver some invaluable lessons about pushing it to its limits, whilst retaining a degree of inherent stability and forgiving handling.

[XRG] XR GT

1.8 litre inline 4
104 kW (140bhp) @ 5945 rpm
1167 kg (2572 lbs)
90 W/kg (122 bhp/ton)
54.3 F 45.7 R

Setup Tip

A neutral setup is best for this car since it suffers very little from power oversteer. Keep the diff fairly open, but not so much that you can spin the inside wheel. Viscous works better here than clutchpack.

Summary

A perfect car for practicing the fine art of driving RWD on the limit. plenty of power to keep even the most tail happy drivers amused, but not enough to brown your pants on every exit. A car that will pave the way to handling some of the more frightening motors out there in LFS. A good match for the XF GTi although slightly faster!

[XRT] XR GT Turbo

2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4
183 kW (245bhp) @ 6019 rpm
1224 kg (2699 lbs)
150 W/kg (204 bhp/ton)
52.5 F 47.5 R

Setup Tip

Just a touch of understeer is all that's need to control this car, once you've learnt to anticipate the turbo lag it's really just a more powerful XR GT. It has enough power to warrant the clutch pack diff but it doesn't need to be overly locked.

Summary

Take the XR GT, enlarge the engine to a nice round 2 litres, chuck a Turbocharger under the bonnet for good measure and give it some meaner bodywork, and the XR GT Turbo is born. Although infamous for it's turbo lag, it does infact drive very nicely once you have gotten used to its handling and rather unique power delivery.

[RB4] RB4

2.0 litre turbocharged inline 4
181 kW (243bhp) @ 6021 rpm
1235 Kg (2723 lbs)
147 W/kg (200 bhp/ton)
56.4 F 43.6 R

Setup Tip

Understeer is your enemy here. Only add as much as you feel you need into the suspension and push the torque split back until you can push the rear out slightly with the throttle. This will also help even out tyre wear.

Summary

This car has a lot of torque and this, coupled with the AWD drivetrain, makes it the ideal car for the rallycross courses. The RB4 is also fun to drive on the road tracks, but is slightly slower than the GT Turbo and FXO due to the mechanical loss inherited from the AWD layout. It is the easiest to drive out of the trio, however.

[FXO] FXO TURBO

1.9 litre turbocharged flat 4
175 kW (234 bhp) @ 6365 rpm
1132 kg (2495 lbs)
154 W/kg (210 bhp/ton)
59.3 F 40.7 R

Setup Tip

People telling you powerful FWD cars have traction problems.This one doesnt.

Summary

The favorite car in S1, as it is very accessible and fun, being a fast front wheel driven car. Because it is light, it is able to maintain a high speed right through the turn.

[LX4] LX4

1.3 litre inline 4
105 kW (140 bhp) @ 8212 rpm
499 kg (1100 lbs)
210 W/kg (286 bhp/ton)
45.8 F 54.2 R

Setup Tip

These cars need a fair amount of understeer in the springs to keep the controllable. Don't go silly with the spring rates though. Low tyre pressures are needed. Keep the diff as open as possible on the power side and reasonable well locked on the coast side. Some rear toe comes in very handy here.

Summary

With only 518 kg the LX4 is a pretty light car and is quite fast around the twisted S1 tracks. Compared to its bigger brother, the LX6, the LX4 is easy to drive and ideal for beginners to learn how to control a LX-style car.

[LX6] LX6

1.8 litre inline 6
142 kW (190 bhp) @ 8429 rpm
540 kg (1192 lbs)
62 W/kg (357 bhp/ton)
48.3 F 51.7 R

Setup Tip

Summary

Take the LX4, swap the engine for a 1.8 litre inline 6, and you have the LX6. So what's the big deal? It's a touch heavier, has a slightly more balanced weight distribution (due to the heavier lump up front) and, most importantly, more power. It's trickier to drive, so if you've not driven an LX style car before the LX4 is a better starting point. Since the LX8 has been canned, this is the fastest LX style car available in LFS at the moment.

[MRT] MRT 5

600 cc turbocharged inline 4
48 kW (64 bhp) @ 7894 rpm
221 kg (486 lbs)
217 W/kg (296 bhp/ton)
37.5 F 62.5 R

Setup Tip

This car is best with SOFT suspension. Understeer is certainly not needed in the springs, it hurts turnin too much. Just adjust antiroll bars to get the balance you want. Also this car is extremely sensitive to diff settings. Use the viscous diff and keep it fairly open (low single digits). Very low tyre pressures. Rear toe comes in handy again here.

Summary

Based on the real MRT5 built by the McGill Racing Team and competing in the Formula SAE championship this lightweight car is ideal for autocross tracks and slow configurations. The MRT5 is fun to drive and reminds you of a kart although it has more power and a differential.

[FZR] FZ50GTR

This is what happens when a not-so-sane person looks at the FZ50 and says "Mmm, nice, but could do with a bit more power." 130bhp more to be exact. Like the XR GTR, it was given slicks, downforce, gorgeous looks and lightened, but just ended up better. Not for the faint hearted, since it will do it's best to rip it out the first time you drive it.

[UF1] UF 1000

Stiffer springs than usual to make up for the lack of antiroll bars, and will help generate some tyre heat. Works best with quite a lot of oversteer in the springs.

The least powerful car in the game, but far from being the least fun. In fact, the closest races are to be had when behind the wheel of this car. Certainly not suited to the faster tracks however. Driving with open top will reduce weight but will also reduce topspeed because of the worse aerodynamics.

[RAC] RaceAbout

The lack of rear antiroll bar can make this awkward to setup. Don't put too much understeer into the springs or the car will push too much. No need to go silly with the front antiroll bar either, although a healthy amount is still recommended. Keep the suspension fairly soft too.

Really existing prototype of a sportscar from Finland powered by a mid-mounted turbocharged Saab engine. Hard to be driven on the limit.

[FZ5] FZ50

Doesn't actually need that much understeer. Heavy engine braking is the main issue, so most importantly have the diff very tight on the coast side to help with offthrottle oversteer, and move the brake bias forward to help stability under braking.

This is the fastest road car available in LFS. Its high weight, high power and rearward weight distribution make for an challenging, yet entertaining drive. Go take it for a spin and make those tyres squeal.

[XFR] XF GTR

Wheelspin frying the front tyres is the main nightmare behind these cars, so keep the suspension soft, lock the diff as far as it will go on the power side and use the coast side to control liftoff oversteer. Keep zero toe on the front wheels, and keep tyre pressures LOW. Although this makes the tyres easier to heat up, the extra grip will be more beneficial in preventing wheelspin, so in fact the tyres will generally be cooler.

Take everyone's favourite hot hatch, stick slicks on it, thrown in a beastly 2.0 engine, throw out some weight, then clad it in some mean racecar bodywork and this is what you end up with. The most powerful FWD car in LFS, it brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "power understeer". Requires smooth driving. Is a competitor to the UF GTR.

[UFR] UF GTR

While it has less power than it's competitor, the XF GTR, it's lack of weight more than makes up for this. On twistier circuits it will eat the XF GTR (and a couple of sets of tyres), but loses out on the straights. Certainly requires smooth driving. Whoever said Minis were boring?

[FOX] Formula XR

Actually needs a bit of a loose setup, this will help with low speed cornering. Adjust downforce to keep the rear in place at higher speeds. Due to it's low power it's best to keep wing angles low for most tracks.

Based upon a Formula Renault 2000 racecar, this car serves as a nice introduction to the cars with downforce. The relatively low power of the engine makes the car easy to drive once up to speed. Insane fun on twisty tracks.

[FO8] Formula V8

As a beginner it's probably a good idea to keep the diff open while you learn. Then tighten it up to reduce inside wheelspi once you get used to the awesome performance available under your right foot. Again you don't really need much understeer, just use downforce to keep the rear in place. High tyre pressures work well on this car.

Based upon a Formula 3000 racecar, this is the fastest but most difficult car to drive in LFS. Once mastered though, it offers great rewards to the driver. It's no Formula One car but don't let that fool you into thinking this isn't one awesome car. Just look at that power-to-weight figure! Suffice to say, the acceleration is incredible. It can pull over 3Gs in the bends. And if it stopped any quicker it would hurt (well, more-so). Only drive it if you have the balls.

[FXR] FXO GTR

Need a little oversteer for this car, and send plenty of the torque rearward to keep tyre temperatures equal front and rear. Best keep the diff fairly open to help turn in, which is this cars main strength.

The FXO GTR is the easiest of the GTR cars to drive, thanks to its stable handling and four-wheel drive. Unfortunately it's also the slowest over a single lap. In the hands of a skilled driver it can usually beat most comers, but even the best FXO GTR driver can't catch a well-driven FZ50 GTR or XR GTR in a sprint race. In endurance races the playing field is leveled somewhat, as the FXO GTR is easier on its tires than the other two GTR cars and has superior fuel economy. Ultimately the FXO GTR is a great car for somebody just getting used to the extra power offered by the GTR cars or for somebody who just wants to have some fun in the GTR class, but if you want wins and don't like long races you have to move to one of the rear-wheel drive GTR cars.

[XRR] XR GTR

Not much understeer needed for these cars, again just use downforce for high speed stability. Need to keep the diff fairly tight so you can put down all that power. Highish tyre pressures at the rear, less at the front.

Is the XR GT Turbo not man enough for you? Slicks, wings, silly power and an angry face, this car has had the works done to it. Nobody knows what the LFS tuning division did to the turbocharger to get double the power out of the engine, but it works, and we are forever thankful. It likes to eat FXO GTRs for breakfast, so watch out.

[BF1] BMW Sauber