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Tips and Tricks
IGN has the tips and tricks, strategies, and secrets you need to succeed in Forza Horizon 4.
Camera View
The default camera view--called the Chase Far camera view-- might offer the best view of the car but consider changing it to either the hood or cockpit camera for very tight and technical tracks so it doesn’t become a handicap. This should be the first go-to if you’re finding a particular track or even turn tricky. It also helps when trying out a car that doesn’t quite handle the way you’re used to. It’s amazing what simply switching from the Chase Far camera view to the Hood camera view can do for your driving.
Of course, it’s up to you since you’re the one driving, so select whichever camera helps you better understand the track.
Making Passes: Look for Openings, Don't Trade Paint
Maneuverability plays as much a role in winning a race as speed does. Sure, trading paint is fun... and frankly inevitable in some races but, slowing down and exercising patience to look for and exploit openings is a way better option.
You want to carefully watch the driver ahead of you and try to predict how they’re going to turn. How they turn informs what kind of pass you make: either an inside or outside pass. Watch their race line carefully and keep an eye on their speed, how fast they approach a turn, how they slow down and when they slow down. Execute an inside pass when the driver ahead goes in too wide on the turn leaving enough room for you to slide in uninvited. Stick as close to the apex as you can because you’ll be out of the turn faster. An outside pass is best when your opponent already has the corner but you have a car that can accelerate faster. Go around on the outside alongside them and duke it out!
Your opponents are also doing this to so try not to give them openings during turns. You can block inside passes by going into turns staying as close to the apex as possible so you have the corner. Block an outside pass by speeding up like a gentleman, swerving to block the path or just smashing into the other racer.
Go For The Flags
We've all been there. You're doing one of those races with checkpoints every few meters(long green flags on either side of the track) and you zip through but you don't hear that familiar distinct chime. So you just keep driving pretending like you didn't just miss a checkpoint until you're flashed a "Checkpoint Missed" message and asked to rewind.
If you're having trouble staying on the road to go through the checkpoints for whatever reason, go for the flags! Driving straight through the flag or even clipping it with the hood or side of your car registers as a hit. Use this new found knowledge to cut ahead cars and execute sweet inside passes as it keeps you as close to the apex of turns as possible. This is especially helpful in Team Adventure races where half of the drivers race like maniacs and there's usually a pile up at almost every corner. Simply brake, and go off track if necessary but clip the flag to get ahead of the carnage.
Cornering Like a Pro: SLOW IN, FAST OUT
The “slow in, fast out” mantra we’re all familiar with still applies here. When approaching turns, decelerate straight into the turn before applying any turn input. You can hit the gas a little to complete the turn, then floor it once you reach the exit. The race line, if you have it turned on, does a great job of letting you know when to slow down and when to speed out.
It helps to be really smooth and gentle with your turn inputs(as you would in a real car). How aggressive you are on the wheel depends mostly on the terrain; slow, smooth motion for paved roads, sharp and aggressive turns for dirt and offroad tracks.
Another thing you should be aware of going into turns is oversteer and understeer. The type of transmission on the car you’re racing with gives you an idea of what behavior to expect from the vehicle during turns.
Speeding into a turn usually causes understeer in Front-Wheel Drive vehicles and oversteer in Rear-Wheel Drive vehicles.
Wheels provide both power(or drive) and steering and during turns, they can be strained to their limits so it helps to dedicate them to one function (either power or steering) at any given time. As in front-wheel drive vehicles, when you try to accelerate and turn at the same time, the car doesn’t respond and turn as much as it should. Decelerate into the turn and prioritize steering first before switching to propelling the car out of the turn. Try not to do both at once.
Rear Wheel Drive(RWD) vehicles tend to oversteer during turns. You’ll notice the rear wheels losing traction and the back end of the vehicle slides into the turn. To counter this, all you have to do is turn the wheel in the opposite direction to adjust the weight of the car and straighten out the tires. It’s definitely easier to manage and correct an oversteer than an understeer, but be careful not to overcompensate by turning the wheel too hard.
Front Wheel Drive(FWD) vehicles are notorious for exhibiting understeer during turns. This is what happens when the front wheels feel unresponsive to turn inputs. This is because the front axle is serving a dual purpose -steering and power - and becomes overburdened. The best way to deal with understeer is.... to completely avoid it by...not speeding into a turn. Just brake earlier!
All Wheel Drive(AWD) vehicles offer a good balance of power and steering and handle well on most terrains due to their really good traction on any road. To recap, power from the engine is delivered to all four wheels in an AWD transmission system, and all four wheels are involved in steering. Apart from not having as much fine steering control as you would in an RWD which is very important for drifting and some AWD cars exhibiting understeer during turns, AWD cars are the easiest to drive and handle. You basically can’t go wrong with one.
Acceleration Over Speed
While it may seem smart to pick a car with a good speed rating for a race, it’s smarter to pick one with a better balance of not only speed but acceleration as well. Acceleration determines how fast a car can reach its top speed, and a car with a high acceleration rating can come out of turns faster and is generally better for making passes. Keep an eye on the Braking stat, too, which is important for cornering well.
If you’re having trouble winning a race, try to figure out exactly what’s stopping you from winning. It could be any one of the car’s stats, such as handling, speed, acceleration, braking or even the transmission. Most times, the weather and terrain will affect the race, so that should also influence your choice in car.
If you do find yourself in the losing bracket, consider driving to the end of the track regardless so you can understand the track and its turns better.
Upgrading Cars
Once you finish a couple of races and progress further in the game, it gets a bit tougher to win races with the stock cars and their original tuning. Even getting new ones might not be enough. At the Above Average level, the Drivatars are already racing like Dom Toretto and it’s hard to catch up to them if you botch a couple turns and drive a slower car.
Better hope they smash into a tree or have fun chasing an AI driver you’re never going to catch up to with your friends' name plastered on top. You can either turn down the Drivatar difficulty(we won't judge), upgrade your current car or get a new one(and upgrade it). If manually tuning everything under your hood seems too daunting, there's an Auto-Upgrade function where you can buy parts and upgrade a vehicle to automatically reach a particular car class.
You can also select a car from the garage, head over to Upgrades and Tuning and select Find New Tunes. Select the one that best applies to the car and off you go. Note that with some cars, you might have to make some trade-offs for a higher speed stat, usually weight.
Handle AWD Cars Better? Switch Your RWD and FWD Cars Over to AWD
You can convert your RWD and FWD cars to AWD for a stable handling and a better racing experience across all terrains and seasons. Head over to any houses you own, jump into the Garage, Upgrades & Tuning, Custom Upgrade, Conversion, and then Drivetrain Swap.
It doesn't cost much at all to do this but comes with serious noticeable improvements to speed, acceleration, and handling. Thanks to Dan Amrich for this tip!
Get The Forza Edition Cars
There's a Forza Edition Car for every category of cars in the game. Each provides a distinct skills boost and bonuses. The 2015 Alumi Craft Class 10 Race Car Forza Edition provides a Destruction Skills boost while the 2010 Pagani Zonda R Forza Edition provides a Clean Skills boost. Forza Edition cars can be won at Wheelspins or found at the Auction House under Unique Cars. The biddings here can be very fierce and even exceed the buyout price by a lot. There's also listed at very expensive prices. Here's an example of the CR1.950,000 Pagani Zonda R selling for CR2,145,000.
Instead, head back to the Auction House and to Search Cars and use the menu to search for the exact Forza Edition Car you desire. Browse for a reasonable buyout price taking great patience and a good dose of luck. Check back occasionally if you can't find the car you need. These listings are significantly cheaper than the public auctions. Once again, huge thanks to Dan Amrich for this!