Gran Turismo 4 Tuning Guide: Ultimate Tune List and Builds
Table of Contents
- General Notes
- Build Showcases
- Gran Turismo 4: Six Rally Builds You Should Try
- Gran Turismo 4: 15 Supercar Builds You Should Try
- List of Tunes
- Shopping List
- Notes & Tuning Philosophy
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General Notes
- All tunes were made and tested on vanilla NTSC-U
- PAL runs at 50 FPS and has less stable physics, since physics are tied to the frame rate and PAL does 10 less physics calculations per second vs. 60 FPS versions
- If playing on PAL, you may need to adjust the spring rates or front downforce to compensate for the reduced grip and instability over bumps
- If the car snap oversteers, try lowering the rear brake balance, or removing the brake balance controller entirely
- As racing tyres wear out faster on PAL, the tyre choices for some tunes may be unsuitable; these will be pointed out in the individual tune notes when applicable
- Many of these tunes are not compatible with the Spec II mod
- The mod changes the hidden chassis and power stats for many cars, making many suspension, transmission and ballast settings incompatible
- The SpecDB car summary spreadsheet now contains Spec II data, last updated for version 1.10
- I also made a changelist of everything that was changed here
- Over 200 cars received a general improvement to engine braking and gear shift speed, which I didn’t include here for the sake of brevity
- I’ve added flags in the Notes section for tunes that are confirmed to be incompatible with Spec II (there are many more where the gear setups won’t line up properly)
- I have zero affiliation with Spec II, and I do not plan to make any guides or tunes specifically for Spec II in the foreseeable future
- These tunes are not trying to be “realistic” or faithful to how the car drives IRL, they are primarily tuned to perform well within GT4’s physics engine
- GT4 is a 20 year old PS2 game with a rudimentary physics engine and numerous inaccuracies, and a lot of IRL tuning principles (especially stiff spring rate setups) interact poorly with the game’s tracks and physics
- Most setups are built from scratch based on the car’s SpecDB stats and engine curve, as the stock setups generally don’t take the car’s internal stats into account and often impede the car’s handling
- Many cars are tuned for a specific purpose (eg. beating 1000 Miles), others are just for fun
- Most tunes don’t go for max power, and instead focus on overall car balance and ease of driving
- All cars, regardless of purpose, are tested on either El Capitan or Nürburgring to ensure the car isn’t uncontrollable when going over bumps
- Racing brakes have little-to-no effect on cars with sports tyres, so they generally aren’t bought
- Here is a comparison proving their lack of effectiveness with sports tyres
- In very specific cars (particularly front-heavy FF’s), they can situationally improve effectiveness while trail braking, but it’s still a low priority upgrade
- If using one of the tarmac tunes with racing tyres, buy racing brakes
- For cars tuned for specific events, tyre wear is considered and tested
- Many tunes don’t upgrade the muffler, or go for the sports or semi-racing muffler instead of the racing muffler; this is either because I preferred how that muffler sounded compared to the others or, in the case of FF’s, they increase the power by too much and cause wheelspin
- A small number of tunes don’t use a rear wing, even though the car can be equipped with one; this is usually because it makes the car look too ugly, and the car can drive well without one anyhow
- Do not buy the rigidity increase for any of these tunes, as they will unbalance the car and worsen its grip
- Most FF tunes use medium sports tyres for better endurance, but they can be swapped with soft sports tyres in shorter races for improved traction and cornering
- All cars are generally tuned without a budget
- Sometimes a tune will go for a stage 2 turbo instead of NA tuning stage 3 if the power output is similar; this will be specified in the tune notes
- If tuning on a budget, you can skip the clutch, brake balance controller and weight reduction stage 3 and the car will still handle roughly the same
- Skipping the clutch and driveshaft can also make some cars easier to drive and reduce tyre wear, as engine efficiency is reduced and the driving wheels aren’t being pushed as hard
- You can also swap engine balancing for a muffler upgrade if the tune doesn’t use one
- Not buying engine balancing will affect the gear ratios since it pushes up the rev limiter by 100 RPM, so the gear setups won’t line up properly and you’ll need to make your own
- You can buy a lower level of NA tuning or turbo, or skip the engine balancing or port polish, but you’ll need to increase the final to compensate for the reduced power
- For used car tunes, the rigidity refresh can be skipped, but the front springs and front camber need to be raised to compensate for the reduced gripgks
- Even though it costs 50,000, it’s strongly recommended for high-powered tunes, as they need as much grip as possible
- Some insight into my tuning philosophy
- The main priority with my tunes is clean, sharp corner exits, which is accomplished by balancing the ballast, gearbox, front ride height and springs
- Soft springs in the 5.2 - 8.2 region are prioritised so the car feels nice to drive on any track without reacting violently to bumps
- For stabilisers I use either 2 / 2 (FF / 4WD) or 6 / 7 (all other drivetrains) as a starting point, however for cars with a long wheelbase, I’ll consider softening the stabilisers to encourage more body roll and reduce understeer
- I usually start with 1.4 / 1.4 camber and raise the front if the car divebombs too easily, or the rear if the car is losing grip too easily mid-corner
- The ideal rear camber setting depends on the car’s front/rear grip modifiers, as if the rear grip modifier is much higher than the front, the car will already have good mid-corner grip and won’t need extra camber
- I tend to max either the Accel or Decel before making changes to camber, so I can improve one aspect of the car without negatively affecting another
- For FF and 4WD tunes, I try to get the car as loose as possible for easier turning, while avoiding instability as the car brakes into corners
- The “gear trick” is applied to all cars to build the most ideal gear ratios, where RPM drops are small and top speed is sufficiently high
- Demonstration of the gear trick: Gran Turismo's "Gear Trick" Explained
- The final drive settings are just a baseline for TCS 0 users; you can adjust to your own preferences for faster launches and corner exits if using TCS or you have good throttle control
- These tunes will not make you a good driver
- You need to be very aware of the car’s weight while using soft spring setups, as it becomes easier to unbalance the car if you’re driving recklessly
- Brake in a straight line as much as possible, avoiding braking while the car’s weight is unsettled
- If driving with 0 TCS, you’ll need to anticipate bumps and use throttle control to prevent wheelspin
- All tunes were tested on PCSX2 nightly using a DualShock 4 with analog sensitivity set to 100-110%
- These are just what worked for me; use them as a starting point, and tune the car to your preferences according to the Advanced Tuning section of the Cheat Sheet.
- These tunes are constantly being revisited and refined with new ideas and solutions
- There might be typos; please let me know if you find one
- Why does tuning matter? I discuss the importance of GT’s tuning system here.
- For a video example of my tuning approach, check out the Tuning Examples section of Gran Turismo 4: How to Fix Understeer
- If you want to adjust these tunes or make your own, I highly suggest checking the SpecDB Car Data Summary spreadsheet for a breakdown of each car’s stats (weight distribution, grip modifiers, wheelbase, tyre width etc).
Build Showcases
Gran Turismo 4: Six Rally Builds You Should Try
Cars showcased:
- Audi S4 ‘03 [Dirt]
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02 [Dirt]
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS ‘03 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R M-spec Nür (R34) ‘02 [Dirt]
- Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi spec C (GD) '04 [Dirt]
- Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT specB ‘03 [Dirt]
Gran Turismo 4: 15 Supercar Builds You Should Try
Cars showcased:
- Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
- BMW M3 CSL
- BMW M5
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5)
- Chevrolet SSR
- Dodge Viper SRT10
- Ford GT ‘05
- FPV F6 Typhoon
- Jaguar XKR R-Performance
- Lotus Esprit Sport 350
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) ‘02
- Mercedes SL 55 AMG (R230) ‘02
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) M-spec Nür ‘02
- Shelby Series 1 Super Charged
- TVR Tuscan Speed 6
List of Tunes
Tarmac
- AC 427 S/C
- Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Twinspark
- Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
- Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 TI
- Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V
- Alpine A110 1600S
- Alpine A310 1600VE
- Amemiya Asparadrink RX-7 (JGTC)
- Amuse Carbon R
- Amuse S2000 GT1
- Amuse S2000 R1
- Amuse S2000 Street Version
- ASL Arta Garaiya (JGTC)
- ASL Garaiya
- Aston Martin DB9 Coupe
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage
- Aston Martin Vanquish
- Audi A2 1.4
- Audi A3 3.2 quattro
- Audi A4 Touring Car
- Audi Abt TT-R Touring Car
- Audi Le Mans quattro
- Audi Nuvolari quattro
- Audi quattro ‘82
- Audi R8 Race Car
- Audi RS 6
- Audi S4 ‘03
- Audi TT 3.2 quattro ‘03
- Autobianchi A112 Abarth
- Bentley Speed 8 Race Car
- BMW 120d
- BMW 320i Touring Car
- BMW M3
- BMW M3 CSL
- BMW M3 GTR
- BMW M3 GTR Race Car
- BMW M5
- BMW M Coupe
- BMW McLaren F1 GTR Race Car
- BMW V12 LMR Race Car
- BMW Z4
- Buick GNX
- Buick Special
- Cadillac Cien
- Callaway C12
- Chaparral 2D
- Chaparral 2J
- Chevrolet Camaro LM Race Car
- Chevrolet Camaro SS ‘69
- Chevrolet Camaro SS ‘00
- Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Coupe ‘97
- Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454
- Chevrolet Corvette C5R (C5)
- Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (C2)
- Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport (C4)
- Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L46 350 (C3)
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5)
- Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (C4)
- Chevrolet SSR
- Chrysler Crossfire
- Chrysler PT-Cruiser
- Citroen 2CV Type A
- Citroen Xantia 3.0i V6 Exclusive
- Cizeta V16T
- Daihatsu Copen Detachable Top
- Daihatsu Storia X4
- Dodge Charger 440 R/T
- Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Hemi
- Dodge Viper GTS
- Dodge Viper GTS-R Concept
- Dodge Viper GTS-R Team Oreca
- Dodge Viper SRT10
- Eagle Talon Esi
- Fiat Coupe Turbo Plus
- Fiat Punto HGT Abarth
- Ford Falcon XR8
- Ford Focus ST170
- Ford GT ‘05
- Ford GT LM Race Car
- Ford GT LM Race Car Spec II
- Ford Ka
- Ford Mustang GT ‘05
- Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
- Ford RS200
- Ford Taurus SHO
- Formula Gran Turismo
- FPV F6 Typhoon
- FPV GT
- Gillet Vertigo Race Car
- Ginetta G4
- Honda 1300 Coupe 9 S
- Honda Accord Coupe ‘88
- Honda Accord Euro-R ‘02
- Honda Ballade Sports CR-X 1.5i ‘83
- Honda Beat ‘91
- Honda City Turbo II
- Honda Civic SiR-II (EG) ‘91
- Honda Civic Type R (EK) ‘97
- Honda Civic Type R (EP) ‘04
- Honda CR-X SiR ‘90
- Honda Element
- Honda Fit W
- Honda Integra Type R (DC2) ‘99
- Honda Integra Type R (DC5) ‘03
- Honda Integra Type R Touring Car
- Honda Loctite Mugen NSX (JGTC) ‘01
- Honda NSX Type R ‘92
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02
- Honda NSX Type S ‘01
- Honda NSX Type S Zero ‘99
- Honda NSX-R Concept
- Honda NSX-R Prototype LM Race Car
- Honda Odyssey
- Honda Raybrig NSX (JGTC) ‘00
- Honda S2000 ‘04
- Honda S2000 LM Race Car
- Honda S2000 Type V ‘00
- Honda S2000 Type V ‘03
- Honda Takata Dome NSX (JGTC) ‘03
- HPA Motorsports Stage II R32
- HKS Genki Hyper Silvia RS2 (D1GP)
- Hyundai HCD6
- Hyundai Tiburon GT
- Infiniti G20 / Nissan Primera 2.0Te
- Jaguar E-Type Coupe
- Jaguar S-Type R
- Jaguar XJ220
- Jaguar XJ220 LM Race Car
- Jaguar XJR-9 Race Car
- Jaguar XKR R-Performance
- Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione
- Lancia Stratos
- Lancia Stratos Rally Car
- Lexus IS300 Sport Cross
- Lotus Carlton
- Lotus Elan S1
- Lotus Elan S1 [Dirt]
- Lotus Elise 111R
- Lotus Elise 111S
- Lotus Elise Sport 190
- Lotus Elise Type 72
- Lotus Esprit Sport 350
- Lotus Esprit V8 ‘02
- Lotus Europa Special
- Lotus Motor Sport Elise
- Mazda 110S (L10A) ‘67
- Mazda 787B
- Mazda Mazda6 5-door
- Mazda Mazda6 Touring Car
- Mazda Mazdaspeed 6
- Mazda MX-5 Miata ‘89
- Mazda MX-5 Miata 1800 RS ‘04
- Mazda MX-5 Miata VR-Limited (NA) ‘95
- Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) ‘90
- Mazda RX-7 LM Race Car
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) ‘02
- Mazda RX-7 Type RS-R (FD) ‘97
- Mazda RX-7 Type RZ (FD) ‘96
- Mazda RX-7 Type RZ (FD) ‘00
- Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car
- Mazda RX-8 Type S
- Mercedes 300 SL Coupe
- Mercedes A 160 Avantgarde
- Mercedes 190 E 2.5 - 16 EvoII
- Mercedes AMG 190 E EvoII Touring Car
- Mercedes CLK 55 AMG
- Mercedes CLK Touring Car
- Mercedes CLK-GTR Race Car
- Mercedes E 55 AMG
- Mercedes SLR McLaren
- Mercuty Cougar XR-7
- MG TF160
- Mine's Skyline GT-R• N1 V• spec (R34)
- Mini Cooper-S
- Mitsubishi 3000GT MR ‘95
- Mitsubishi 3000GT MR ‘98
- Mitsubishi Colt 1.5 Sport X Version
- Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS
- Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R ‘99
- Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car
- Mitsubishi Galant GTO MR ‘70
- Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR Rally Car
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Rally Car
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI RS T.M.E.
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII RS
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII GSR
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR GSR
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Super Rally Car ‘03
- Mitsubishi Legnum VR-4 Type V
- Mugen Motul Civic Si Race Car
- Nismo 270R
- Nismo 400R
- Nismo Fairlady Z Z-tune
- Nismo GT-R LM Road Going Version
- Nissan 240SX (S14) ‘96
- Nissan 300ZX 2seater (Z32) ‘89
- Nissan 300ZX 2seater (Z32) ‘98
- Nissan 350Z (Z33) ‘03
- Nissan 350Z Concept LM Race Car
- Nissan 350Z Roadster (Z33) ‘03
- Nissan Bluebird Rally Car (510)
- Nissan C-West Razo Silvia (JGTC)
- Nissan Calsonic Skyline (JGTC) ‘00
- Nissan Fairlady Z 280Z-L
- Nissan FALKEN☆GT-R
- Nissan GT-R Concept (TokyoShow)
- Nissan GT-R Concept LM Race Car
- Nissan Micra ‘03
- Nissan Motul Pitwork Z (JGTC)
- Nissan R390 GT1 Race Car
- Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car
- Nissan R89C Race Car
- Nissan R92CP Race Car
- Nissan Silvia K’s 1800cc (S13) ‘88
- Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero (S15) ‘99
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) ‘89
- Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II (R32) ‘94
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) ‘96
- Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec LM Limited (R33) ‘96
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) ‘99
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) ‘00
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Midnight Purple III ‘00
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) M-spec Nür ‘02
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) V-spec II Nür ‘02
- Nissan Skyline GTS-t Type M ‘89
- Nissan Xanavi Hiroto GT-R (JGTC) ‘01
- Nissan Xanavi Nismo GT-R (JGTC) ‘03
- Opel Calibra Touring Car
- Opel Corsa Comfort 1.4
- Opel Speedster
- Opera Performance 350Z
- Opera Performance S2000
- Option Stream Z
- Pagani Zonda C12S 7.3
- Pagani Zonda LM Race Car
- Panoz Esperante GTR-1
- Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car ‘03
- Pescarolo PlayStation C60 Race Car ‘04
- Peugeot 106 Rallye
- Peugeot 205 Turbo 16
- Peugeot 206 RC
- Peugeot 905 Race Car
- Plymouth Super Bird
- Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe
- Pontiac Solstice Concept
- Pontiac Sunfire GXP Concept
- Proto Motors Spirra 4.6 V8
- Renault Avantime
- Renault Clio Sport 2.0 16V
- Renault Clio Sport Trophy V6 24V Race Car
- Renault Clio Sport V6 Phase 2
- Renault Megane 2.0 16V ‘03
- RUF 3400S
- RUF BTR
- RUF CTR “Yellow Bird”
- RUF CTR2
- RUF RGT
- Saleen S7
- Shelby Cobra 427
- Shelby Series 1 Super Charged
- Sileighty
- Spoon Civic Type R
- Spoon Integra Type R
- Spoon S2000
- Spyker C8 Laviolette
- Subaru 360
- Subaru Cusco Advan Impreza (JGTC)
- Subaru Impreza Coupe 22B-STi Ver. ‘98
- Subaru Impreza Coupe R STi Ver. VI ‘99
- Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi spec C (GD) '04
- Subaru Impreza Sport Wagon STi ‘00
- Subaru Impreza Sti Prodrive Style ‘01
- Subaru Impreza Super Touring Car
- Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT specB '03 [Dirt]
- Subaru Legacy B4 2.0GT specB ‘03 [Snow]
- Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R)
- Suzuki Escudo Dirt Trial Car
- Suzuki GSX-R/4
- Suzuki Kei Works ‘02 (Dirt)
- Suzuki Kei Works ‘02 (Snow)
- Toyota 2000GT
- Toyota 7 Race Car
- Toyota Altezza Touring Car
- Toyota Castrol Tom’s Supra (JGTC) ‘00
- Toyota Celica GT-R (ST183, 4WS) ‘91
- Toyota Celica SS-II ‘99
- Toyota GT-One Race Car (TS020)
- Toyota Minolta 88C-V Race Car
- Toyota MR2 GT-S ‘97
- Toyota MR2 Spyder ‘02
- Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE86) ‘83
- Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE86) S.Shigeno Ver. ‘00
- Toyota SUPERAUTOBACS APEX MR-S (JGTC) ‘00
- Toyota Supra RZ
- Toyota Vitz RS Turbo ‘02
- Toyota Wedssport Celica (JGTC)
- Toyota WOODONE Tom’s Supra (JGTC)
- Trial Celica SS-II
- Triumph Spitfire 1500
- TVR Cerbera Speed Six
- TVR Cerbera Speed 12
- TVR Griffith 500
- TVR T350C
- TVR Tamora
- TVR Tuscan Speed 6
- TVR V8S
- VW Bora V6 4MOTION
- VW Golf V GTI
- VW Lupo GTI
- VW Lupo GTI Cup Car
- VW New Beetle 2.0
- VW New Beetle Cup Car
- VW New Beetle RSi
- VW W12 Nardo Concept
- VW 4R Nardo Concept
- Dirt/Snow Tunes
- Acu ra DN-X / Honda Dualnote [Dirt]
- Audi S4 ‘03 [Dirt]
- Buick Special [Dirt]
- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) [Dirt]
- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) [Snow]
- Ford RS200 Rally Car [Dirt]
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02 [Dirt]
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02 [Snow]
- Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car [Dirt]
- Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car [Dirt]
- Lotus Elan S1 [Dirt]
- Mine’s Lancer Evolution VI [Dirt]
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Super Rally Car ‘03 [Dirt]
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS ‘03 [Dirt]
- Nissan 350Z (Z33) ‘03 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) ‘00 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Midnight Purple III ‘00 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) M-spec Nür (R34) ‘02 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) V-spec II Nür ‘02 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) V-spec II Nür ‘02 [Snow]
- Opel Calibra Touring Car
- Opel Corsa Comfort 1.4
- Opera Performance 350Z
- Opera Performance S2000
- Option Stream Z
- Pagani Zonda C12S 7.3
- Pagani Zonda LM Race Car
- Panoz Esperante GTR-1
- Pescarolo Courage C60 Race Car ‘03
- Pescarolo PlayStation C60 Race Car ‘04
- Peugeot 106 Rallye
- Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evo2 Rally Car [Dirt]
Dirt/Snow Tunes (subset)
- Acura DN-X / Honda Dualnote [Dirt]
- Audi S4 ‘03 [Dirt]
- Buick Special [Dirt]
- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) [Dirt]
- Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) [Snow]
- Ford RS200 Rally Car [Dirt]
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02 [Dirt]
- Honda NSX Type R ‘02 [Snow]
- Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car [Dirt]
- Lancia Delta S4 Rally Car [Dirt]
- Lotus Elan S1 [Dirt]
- Mine’s Lancer Evolution VI [Dirt]
- Mitsubish Lancer Evolution Super Rally Car ‘03 [Dirt]
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS ‘03 [Dirt]
- Nissan 350Z (Z33) ‘03 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) ‘00 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R M-spec Nür (R34) ‘02 [Dirt]
- Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) ‘89 [Dirt]
Shopping List
- oil change
- brake balance controller
- port polish
- engine balancing
- computer
- NOS
- custom transmission
- triple clutch
- R flywheel
- etc. (full item lists per car omitted here for brevity)
Notes
- Many tunes include notes about weight distribution, tyre wear, and compatibility with events.
- GT4 tuning requires experimentation; the data provided here is a starting point for re-creation and further tuning.
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This document is a living collection of GT4 tuning experiments and builds. Use as a reference and adjust to your own play style and event requirements.