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Car Profile

Buggy

Rear-engine RWD · 1971 VW Beetle

RWD

A light rear-engined Beetle with its weight over the back axle — darty and quick to rotate, with a pendulum tail that swings wide off-throttle.

Setup

The Hybrid tab is an all-round setup that does OK on any surface, in the game's real sliders and units; each surface tab shows what to change from it. The filled marker is the setting, the tick is the hybrid value, and the coloured number is the change (green higher, blue lower). Gamepad players: Steering Ratio one notch slower than shown.

Braking Force
Balance58 %
RearFront

Forward — the rear-engine tail needs front brake to stay in line

Pressure90 %
LowHigh

Light car — easy to lock

Front Balancer
EnabledOn
OffOn

Undocumented — test both ways in one braking zone

Differential — Rear
Power62 %
OpenLocked

Rear weight gives good traction — moderate lock

Coast58 %
OpenLocked

More coast lock to steady the pendulum on lift

Preload19 Nm
OpenLocked

More base lock on loose, less on grip

Final Drive
Final3.87
Top speedAcceleration

Short — torque-light flat-four

Forward Gears
1st2.90
Top speedAcceleration

Stock ratios — reference

2nd2.00
Top speedAcceleration
3rd1.40
Top speedAcceleration
4th1.10
Top speedAcceleration
5th0.90
Top speedAcceleration
6th0.75
Top speedAcceleration
Springs
Front49.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Soft, light front

Rear45.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Firmer — the rear carries the engine

Ride Height
Front25.4 cm
LowHigh

Up for kerbs and ruts, down for grip

Rear27.3 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front58.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Stiff front to tame the rear-engine swing

Rear42.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Soft rear for grip — calm the pendulum

Camber
Front-2.12°
NegPos

Less negative on loose, more on grip

Rear-2.12°
NegPos

The rear carries the weight and the drive

Toe
Front0.03°
OutIn

A touch of toe-out sharpens turn-in

Rear0.20°
OutIn

Toe-in — critical to steady a rear-engine car

Ackermann
Ackermann74 %
NoneFull
Wedge
Oversteer Bias0 %
LeftRight
Steering
Lock to Lock750.00°
LowHigh
Steering Ratio12.00
LowHigh

Gamepad: set one notch slower than shown

Why these numbers

The engine sits behind the rear axle, so the whole setup is about taming the tail rather than freeing it. Weight over the back means the Buggy hooks up well on power, but lift off mid-corner and that same mass swings the rear around like a pendulum. The two big levers pull against it: a stiff front bar with a soft rear bar to plant the back, and rear toe-in to keep it pointed straight when the weight shifts.

The Differential follows the site rule — more locked on loose, more open on grip — but the coast side runs high everywhere, because it is coast lock that steadies the car on the lift that would otherwise start the swing. Brake balance sits forward for the same reason: front brake keeps the light rear in line under braking.

Braking Force
Balance62 %+4 %
RearFront
Pressure108 %+18 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power50 %−12 %
OpenLocked
Coast50 %−8 %
OpenLocked
Preload12 Nm−7 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.60−0.27
Top speedAcceleration
Forward Gears
1st2.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
2nd2.00±0
Top speedAcceleration
3rd1.40±0
Top speedAcceleration
4th1.10±0
Top speedAcceleration
5th0.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
6th0.75±0
Top speedAcceleration
Springs
Front62.0 N/mm+13.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear58.0 N/mm+13.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front23.0 cm−2.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear25.5 cm−1.8 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front70.0 N/mm+12.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear54.0 N/mm+11.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.00°−0.88°
NegPos
Rear-3.00°−0.88°
NegPos
Toe
Front0.03°±0
OutIn
Rear0.20°±0
OutIn
Ackermann
Ackermann74 %±0
NoneFull
Wedge
Oversteer Bias0 %±0
LeftRight
Steering
Lock to Lock750.00°±0
LowHigh
Steering Ratio12.00±0
LowHigh

Why these changes

On asphalt there is real grip, so the springs and bars stiffen and the car drops closer to the road. The diff opens up — on high grip a locked diff breaks both rear wheels loose together, and this car needs no help breaking the rear loose. More front camber and brake bias help the nose bite so you are not relying on the tail to turn.

The pendulum still lurks: a sharp lift on turn-in can pitch the rear out fast. Brake in a straight line, get off the pedal before you commit to the corner, and the extra grip does the rest.

Braking Force
Balance58 %±0
RearFront
Pressure88 %−2 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power62 %±0
OpenLocked
Coast58 %±0
OpenLocked
Preload18 Nm−1 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.90+0.03
Top speedAcceleration
Forward Gears
1st2.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
2nd2.00±0
Top speedAcceleration
3rd1.40±0
Top speedAcceleration
4th1.10±0
Top speedAcceleration
5th0.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
6th0.75±0
Top speedAcceleration
Springs
Front48.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear44.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front25.5 cm+0.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear27.5 cm+0.2 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front58.0 N/mm±0
SoftStiff
Rear42.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-2.00°+0.12°
NegPos
Rear-2.00°+0.12°
NegPos
Toe
Front0.03°±0
OutIn
Rear0.20°±0
OutIn
Ackermann
Ackermann74 %±0
NoneFull
Wedge
Oversteer Bias0 %±0
LeftRight
Steering
Lock to Lock750.00°±0
LowHigh
Steering Ratio12.00±0
LowHigh

Why these changes

Gravel sits close to the hybrid setup — small moves off the baseline. The rear weight puts the power down well and the car rotates willingly, so the job is keeping that rotation controlled rather than chasing more of it. Keep the front bar stiff and the rear soft so the tail stays planted through the middle of the corner.

Steer with small inputs and let the car settle between direction changes — a rear-engine car punishes a fast flick from one lock to the other, which on a pad is easy to overdo.

Braking Force
Balance55 %−3 %
RearFront
Pressure74 %−16 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power72 %+10 %
OpenLocked
Coast64 %+6 %
OpenLocked
Preload26 Nm+7 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final4.10+0.23
Top speedAcceleration
Forward Gears
1st2.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
2nd2.00±0
Top speedAcceleration
3rd1.40±0
Top speedAcceleration
4th1.10±0
Top speedAcceleration
5th0.90±0
Top speedAcceleration
6th0.75±0
Top speedAcceleration
Springs
Front38.0 N/mm−11.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear34.0 N/mm−11.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front27.5 cm+2.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear28.5 cm+1.2 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front46.0 N/mm−12.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear32.0 N/mm−10.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-1.50°+0.62°
NegPos
Rear-1.50°+0.62°
NegPos
Toe
Front0.03°±0
OutIn
Rear0.20°±0
OutIn
Ackermann
Ackermann74 %±0
NoneFull
Wedge
Oversteer Bias0 %±0
LeftRight
Steering
Lock to Lock750.00°±0
LowHigh
Steering Ratio12.00±0
LowHigh

Why these changes

Mud is low grip and full of ruts, so soften the springs and bars and raise the ride height to clear the worst of it. Lock the diff up harder — on a loose surface a tight diff drives both rear wheels instead of spinning the inside one away, and the rear weight already gives you traction to lean on. More preload and coast lock hold the tail steady when you come off the throttle.

The pendulum is at its most vicious here because there is little grip to catch it. Lift off early and gently, get the car settled before you turn, and feed the power back in smoothly.

Hybrid = a do-everything setup; each surface tab shows what to change from it. All recommendations to test against your own feel — the game stock tune (identical for every car) sits mid-range of these.

Want the full theory behind every slider? See thegeneric RWD guide. New to Wreckfest racing? Read the racing lessons.

Overview

The Buggy is a rear-engined car based on the 1971 VW Beetle, with its flat-four hung out behind the rear axle. That layout — not a mid-engine dune buggy despite the name — puts the weight rearward at roughly 40/60 and gives it a handling character all of its own. It is tiny and light at around 934 kg, with a short wheelbase, so it is darty and quick to rotate. The catch is the pendulum: with the mass behind the rear wheels, the tail wants to swing wide, especially when you lift off the throttle.

How it drives

On tarmac the Buggy turns in eagerly and feels alert, but you have to respect the rear. Lift off mid-corner and the weight over the back axle keeps carrying, swinging the tail out in classic lift-off oversteer — the pendulum effect that defines every rear-engined car. The trick is to avoid abrupt mid-corner lifts and stay smooth on and off the throttle so the tail never gets a reason to start swinging.

On loose surfaces that rotation comes even more freely, which is fun once you trust it but easy to overcook. The engine is torque-light, so you are winning on momentum and line rather than driving out of the rotation on power. Set it up for stability, because the car already supplies more than enough rotation on its own.

In a pack the Buggy is fragile. It is one of the lightest cars here, so contact moves it easily and a solid hit will spin it. This is a nimble momentum car, not a contact winner — use its agility to stay out of trouble rather than trying to trade blows.