Assetto Corsa Competizione setups are adjusted on the garage setup screen and saved as .json files in Documents\Assetto Corsa Competizione\Setups\<car>\<track>\. If you’re just starting out, load the default Safe or Aggressive setup and change only two things: tire pressures, so they sit between 26 and 27 psi hot in the dry (the official window since version 1.9), and the electronics (TC, ABS and engine map) to suit your driving style. Everything else, one at a time and based on what you feel on track.
How the setup screen is organized
ACC setups are split across several tabs. Here’s what you’ll find in each one:
| Tab | What you adjust |
|---|---|
| Tyres | Pressure for each wheel, toe, camber and caster |
| Electronics | Traction control (TC1 and, on some cars, TC2), ABS, engine map (ECU map) and telemetry |
| Fuel & Strategy | Liters, tire sets, brake pads and pit stop strategies |
| Mechanical Grip | Anti-roll bars, brake bias and brake power, spring stiffness (wheel rate), bumpstops, differential preload and steering ratio |
| Dampers | Compression and rebound, slow and fast (bump, fast bump, rebound, fast rebound) |
| Aero | Ride height, splitter, rear wing and brake ducts |
Not every car lets you adjust the same things: a GT4 has fewer options than a GT3, and each car has its own value ranges.
Safe and Aggressive setups: where to start
Every car comes with two default setups. Safe is more stable and more forgiving of mistakes. Aggressive makes the car rotate more and is usually faster, but it also steps out at the rear more easily. The most common advice in the community is to start with Safe, learn the track and switch to Aggressive once you’re putting in consistent laps. They’re good setups: many drivers race with them, changing only pressures, fuel and electronics.
Tire pressures: the most important adjustment
In the setup you set the cold pressure, but what matters is the hot pressure, the one the tire reaches after a few laps. You need to adjust the cold pressure so the hot pressure lands in the right window:
| Tire | Hot pressure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dry slick | 26.0 to 27.0 psi | Official: version 1.9 patch notes (April 2023) |
| Slick temperature | 70 to 100 °C | Official: version 1.9 patch notes |
| Wet tire | Around 29.5 to 31 psi | Community advice, not official |
How to do it:
- Head out on track with the base setup and do three or four laps at race pace.
- Check each wheel’s pressure in the tire widget on the HUD.
- If they’re above 27 psi, lower the cold pressure. If they’re below 26, raise it. Correct each wheel separately.
- Repeat until they’re all in the window.
Ambient and track temperature change the hot pressure. A rule of thumb often given in the community is to drop the cold pressure by about 0.1 psi for every degree the ambient temperature rises, and vice versa. When you’re following another car in a race, pressures also go up a little.
Electronics: TC, ABS and engine map
- TC (traction control): the higher it is, the more it cuts power when the rear wheels spin. Raise it if the rear steps out when you get on the throttle or when it rains, and lower it if you feel it holding you back on corner exit. Some cars have a second setting, TC2, which controls how much it cuts.
- ABS: the higher it is, the earlier it stops the wheels from locking. Raise it if you lock up a lot, especially in the wet.
- Engine map (ECU map): changes power delivery, throttle response and fuel consumption. Each car has its own maps and their meaning varies from model to model: some are for saving fuel, and others, smoother ones, are for the rain. Check the in-game description before choosing.
- Brake bias: it’s on the Mechanical Grip tab. More to the front gives stability under braking; more to the rear helps the car rotate, but it becomes nervous.
TC, ABS, engine map and brake bias can also be changed while you drive, with buttons on your wheel or controller. That way you can adapt to tire wear or rain without pitting.
Aero and ride height
The rear wing adds downforce at the rear: more stability in fast corners in exchange for less top speed. The splitter and front ride height do the same on the front axle. Lowering the front ride height relative to the rear (more «rake») usually gives more front grip and more tendency to turn in. On tracks with long straights, like Monza, you run low downforce; on slow or twisty tracks, more.
Adjustments based on how the car behaves
These are basic changes, widely used in sim racing. Make one change at a time and test for a few laps before the next:
| Symptom | What to try |
|---|---|
| Understeer (won’t turn) in slow corners | Soften the front anti-roll bar or stiffen the rear |
| Understeer in fast corners | Less rear wing or more front downforce (splitter, lower front ride height) |
| Oversteer (rear steps out) on throttle | Raise TC, soften the rear bar or apply the throttle more progressively |
| Oversteer in fast corners | More rear wing |
| Front wheels lock under braking | Raise ABS or move the brake bias slightly to the rear |
| Rear gets loose under braking | Move the bias forward or raise ABS |
| Bounces over curbs | Soften the fast dampers or raise the ride height slightly |
How to save, load and install setups
The setup screen has buttons to save and load. When you save, ACC creates a .json file in:
Documents\Assetto Corsa Competizione\Setups\<car>\<track>\
To install a downloaded setup, copy the .json into the folder for the same car and the same track. Pay attention to these details:
- It goes in Documents, not in the Steam install folder.
- If you put it in another car’s folder, it will show up in the list, but when you load it the game will revert to the Safe setup.
- If the game was open, leave the setup screen and go back in so it picks it up.
On PS5 and Xbox you can’t copy files: you have to enter the values by hand on the setup screen and save them on the console. If you’re torn between versions, the differences are in ACC on PS5, PS4 and Xbox.
Before an online race, like the ones we explain in ACC servers, check your pressures for that day’s temperature: it’s the adjustment that gains you the most time. To analyze pressures and temperatures in more detail on PC, you can use telemetry dashboards like SimHub. And if you play the original Assetto Corsa, its setups work differently: see Assetto Corsa setups.
Frequently asked questions
What tire pressure should I run in ACC?
Whatever gets the slick to between 26 and 27 psi hot in the dry. The cold pressure depends on the car, the track and the temperature, so adjust it after a few laps while watching the HUD.
What is the engine map in Assetto Corsa Competizione?
It’s the ECU setting: it changes power, throttle response and fuel consumption. Each car has its own maps, and some are designed to save fuel or for the rain.
Where are ACC setups saved?
In Documents\Assetto Corsa Competizione\Setups, in one folder per car and, inside it, another per track.
Is the Safe or Aggressive setup better?
Aggressive is usually faster, but it’s harder to control. If you’re learning or about to run a long race, Safe is a better starting point.
Can you import setups on PS5?
Not as a file. On console you have to copy the values by hand and save them from the setup screen.