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Vehicle Handling Guide for GTA V / FiveM

FiveM Supply
Updated on March 24, 2026

This guide explains how to adjust a vehicle’s handling.meta file for GTA V and FiveM. These settings allow you to change how a vehicle behaves in-game, including its top speed, grip, braking, acceleration, drivetrain, and weight.

📘 What is handling.meta? #

The handling.meta file controls the driving behavior of a vehicle. By editing specific values, you can make a car feel faster, heavier, more stable, or easier to control.

These values are commonly used for:

  • Improving realism
  • Creating better race cars
  • Making police or civilian vehicles feel balanced
  • Adjusting custom addon vehicles for better performance

📂 Where can you find handling.meta? #

In most vehicle resources, the handling.meta file is located inside the vehicle resource folder.

Example structure:

stream/
data/
handling.meta
vehicles.meta
carvariations.meta

If the vehicle uses a custom handling name, make sure you edit the correct entry inside handling.meta.

Example:

<handlingName>customvehicle</handlingName>

⚠️ Important Before You Start #

Before changing values, always make a backup of the original handling.meta.

Also keep in mind:

  • small changes can already make a big difference
  • extreme values can make a vehicle unrealistic or unstable
  • some settings affect each other and should be balanced together

🏎️ How to Make a Vehicle Faster #

If you want to increase the top speed of a vehicle, the most common values to adjust are: 

<fInitialDriveForce value="0.320000" />
<fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel value="165.000000" />

Main values #

  • fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel
    Controls the theoretical top speed of the vehicle.
  • fInitialDriveForce
    Controls how much power the vehicle has.

Example #

<fInitialDriveForce value="0.380000" />
<fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel value="185.000000" />

Explanation #

  • increase fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel if you want a higher top speed
  • increase fInitialDriveForce if you want the vehicle to reach that speed more easily

If you only increase top speed without enough power, the vehicle may feel slow when trying to reach its maximum speed.

🔄 How to Prevent a Vehicle From Rolling Over in Corners #

If a vehicle flips or rolls too easily during turns, you usually need to improve its stability.

The most important values are:

<fAntiRollBarForce value="0.700000" />
<fRollCentreHeightFront value="0.250000" />
<fRollCentreHeightRear value="0.250000" />
<fSuspensionRaise value="0.000000" />
<fCentreOfMassOffsetZ value="-0.100000" />

Main values #

  • fAntiRollBarForce
    Helps reduce body roll during cornering.
  • fRollCentreHeightFront and fRollCentreHeightRear
    Affect how the vehicle shifts weight in turns.
  • fSuspensionRaise
    Changes the ride height.
  • fCentreOfMassOffsetZ
    Lowers or raises the center of mass.

Best practice #

To make a vehicle less likely to roll:

  • lower the center of mass by using a more negative fCentreOfMassOffsetZ
  • slightly increase fAntiRollBarForce
  • avoid excessive suspension height
  • keep roll centre values balanced

Example #

<fAntiRollBarForce value="1.000000" />
<fCentreOfMassOffsetZ value="-0.200000" />

A lower center of mass often makes the biggest difference.

🛞 How to Give a Vehicle More Grip #

Grip determines how well a vehicle stays planted on the road.

The main values are:

<fTractionCurveMax value="2.500000" />
<fTractionCurveMin value="2.200000" />
<fTractionCurveLateral value="22.500000" />
<fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="0.800000" />

Main values #

  • fTractionCurveMax
    Maximum available traction.
  • fTractionCurveMin
    Minimum traction when under load or sliding.
  • fTractionCurveLateral
    Affects how quickly grip falls off in corners.
  • fLowSpeedTractionLossMult
    Controls traction loss at lower speeds.

Example #

<fTractionCurveMax value="2.800000" />
<fTractionCurveMin value="2.400000" />
<fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="0.650000" />

Explanation #

  • increasing fTractionCurveMax and fTractionCurveMin gives more grip
  • lowering fLowSpeedTractionLossMult can help reduce wheelspin
  • too much grip can make a car feel unnatural, especially for standard road vehicles

🛑 How to Improve Braking #

If you want a vehicle to stop faster and feel more controlled under braking, adjust these values:

<fBrakeForce value="0.800000" />
<fBrakeBiasFront value="0.650000" />
<fHandBrakeForce value="1.000000" />

Main values #

  • fBrakeForce
    Controls overall braking power.
  • fBrakeBiasFront
    Controls how much braking force goes to the front wheels.
  • fHandBrakeForce
    Controls the strength of the handbrake.

Example #

<fBrakeForce value="1.000000" />
<fBrakeBiasFront value="0.700000" />

Explanation #

  • increase fBrakeForce to make the vehicle brake harder
  • adjust fBrakeBiasFront if the vehicle feels unstable during braking
  • a front brake bias is common for most road cars

⚙️ How to Set Front-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, or All-Wheel Drive #

The drivetrain type is controlled by this value:

<fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />

Drivetrain values #

  • 0.0 = rear-wheel drive
  • 1.0 = front-wheel drive
  • 0.5 = all-wheel drive

Examples #

Rear-wheel drive:

<fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />

Front-wheel drive:

<fDriveBiasFront value="1.000000" />

All-wheel drive:

<fDriveBiasFront value="0.500000" />

Explanation #

  • use 0.0 for RWD vehicles
  • use 1.0 for FWD vehicles
  • use a value around 0.5 for AWD vehicles
  • you can also use values like 0.3 or 0.7 for custom power distribution

🚀 How to Make a Vehicle Accelerate Faster #

If you want a vehicle to feel quicker off the line, adjust the engine power values.

Main values:

<fInitialDriveForce value="0.320000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift value="2.000000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift value="2.000000" />
<nInitialDriveGears value="6" />

Main values #

  • fInitialDriveForce
    Main acceleration value.
  • fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift
    Faster upshifts can improve responsiveness.
  • fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift
    Affects downshift response.
  • nInitialDriveGears
    Number of gears used by the transmission.

Example #

<fInitialDriveForce value="0.420000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift value="3.000000" />
<fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift value="3.000000" />

Explanation #

  • increasing fInitialDriveForce improves acceleration
  • faster shift rates can make the vehicle feel more aggressive
  • too much drive force can cause wheelspin if grip is too low

🏋️ How to Make a Vehicle Heavier #

Vehicle weight is controlled by this value:

<fMass value="1800.000000" />

Main value #

  • fMass
    Controls the overall weight of the vehicle.

Example #

<fMass value="2400.000000" />

Explanation #

A heavier vehicle will usually:

  • feel less agile
  • need more braking distance
  • feel more planted in some situations
  • accelerate more slowly unless engine force is increased as well

If you increase weight, it is often a good idea to rebalance:

  • suspension
  • braking
  • acceleration
  • grip

🧩 Useful Handling Values at a Glance #

Here are some of the most commonly adjusted values in handling.meta:

<fMass value="1800.000000" />
<fInitialDriveForce value="0.320000" />
<fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel value="165.000000" />
<fDriveBiasFront value="0.000000" />
<fBrakeForce value="0.800000" />
<fBrakeBiasFront value="0.650000" />
<fTractionCurveMax value="2.500000" />
<fTractionCurveMin value="2.200000" />
<fTractionCurveLateral value="22.500000" />
<fLowSpeedTractionLossMult value="0.800000" />
<fAntiRollBarForce value="0.700000" />
<fCentreOfMassOffsetZ value="-0.100000" />

⚠️ Troubleshooting #

The vehicle is too fast but feels weak #

Increase both:

  • fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel
  • fInitialDriveForce

The vehicle flips too easily #

Adjust:

  • fCentreOfMassOffsetZ
  • fAntiRollBarForce
  • fSuspensionRaise

The vehicle spins too much #

Adjust:

  • fTractionCurveMax
  • fTractionCurveMin
  • fLowSpeedTractionLossMult

The vehicle brakes too hard or feels unstable #

Adjust:

  • fBrakeForce
  • fBrakeBiasFront

The vehicle feels unrealistic after editing #

Lower extreme values and test again in small steps.

💡 Best Practice Tips #

  • change one value at a time
  • test every change in-game
  • keep values balanced
  • avoid extreme numbers unless the vehicle is meant to be unrealistic
  • always keep a backup of the original handling file

❓ FAQ #

➕Can I make a car faster just by changing one value? #

Yes, but it is usually better to adjust both top speed and drive force together for better results.

➕What is the safest way to improve cornering stability? #

Lower the center of mass and slightly improve anti-roll settings.

➕What value changes drivetrain type? #

fDriveBiasFront

➕What value gives more grip? #

Mainly fTractionCurveMax and fTractionCurveMin

➕What value makes a vehicle heavier? #

fMass

➕Can I break a vehicle by using extreme handling values? #

Yes. Very high or very low values can make a vehicle unstable, unrealistic, or difficult to drive.

🎧 Support Information #

FiveM Supply does not provide support for handling according to personal preference. Only if a FiveM Supply vehicle is unusable due to the current handling.

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