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Car Profile

Cardinal

Heavy RWD sedan · 2010 Ford Crown Victoria

RWD

The heaviest car in the roster — a front-biased full-size sedan that understeers hard but survives contact and runs a huge top speed.

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
Balance57 %
RearFront

Forward for stability — heaviest car in the roster

Pressure102 %
LowHigh

Heaviest car — brake early and progressively

Front Balancer
EnabledOn
OffOn

Undocumented — test both ways in one braking zone

Differential — Rear
Power68 %
OpenLocked

Locked on loose for traction, opener on grip

Coast52 %
OpenLocked

A little more on loose for braking stability

Preload20 Nm
OpenLocked

More base lock on loose, less on grip

Final Drive
Final3.30
Top speedAcceleration

Long — it wants top speed

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
Front69.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Very firm — huge nose weight

Rear39.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Softer than the front for traction

Ride Height
Front25.1 cm
LowHigh

Up for kerbs and ruts, down for grip

Rear27.0 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front44.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Soft front to fight the heavy understeer

Rear62.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Stiffest rear bias — rotate the heaviest car

Camber
Front-3.50°
NegPos

Plenty of front camber to find any front grip

Rear-2.00°
NegPos
Toe
Front0.03°
OutIn

A touch of toe-out sharpens turn-in

Rear0.20°
OutIn

A little toe-in for stability

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 Cardinal is the heaviest car in the roster, with a high top speed, huge strength, and the worst cornering of anything on the grid. You do not tune it into a corner-carver; you gear it long, lean on its mass and durability, and claw back whatever front grip you can. A soft front bar against the stiffest rear bar in these guides is the main lever, backed by plenty of front camber and a very firm front spring to cope with the nose weight.

The Differential runs locked on loose, opener on grip: a tight diff drives both rear wheels on mud and gravel, while opening it on asphalt stops both wheels breaking loose together. The Final Drive runs long — this car wants top speed, not acceleration, and its mass carries the speed it builds. Brake Pressure’s scale runs 50–150%, so 100% is mid-travel; a 1,937 kg car sits well above it because stopping this much mass takes everything.

Braking Force
Balance61 %+4 %
RearFront
Pressure122 %+20 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power56 %−12 %
OpenLocked
Coast44 %−8 %
OpenLocked
Preload12 Nm−8 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.00−0.30
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
Front88.0 N/mm+18.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear50.0 N/mm+11.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front22.0 cm−3.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear24.5 cm−2.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front58.0 N/mm+13.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear78.0 N/mm+15.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-4.00°−0.50°
NegPos
Rear-2.50°−0.50°
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 the Cardinal has grip to lean on at last, so the springs and bars stiffen, brake pressure climbs to its highest, and the car drops closer to the road. The diff opens up: on high grip a locked diff breaks both rear wheels loose together, so a looser diff keeps the exit progressive. Maximum front camber helps the outside tyre find an edge through the heavy understeer.

Use the straights — this is where the long gearing and high top speed pay off. Brake early and smooth into the corners, set your entry speed before turning, and let the mass carry you through.

Braking Force
Balance56 %−1 %
RearFront
Pressure100 %−2 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power68 %±0
OpenLocked
Coast52 %±0
OpenLocked
Preload20 Nm±0
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.30±0
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
Front68.0 N/mm−1.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear38.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front25.5 cm+0.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear27.5 cm+0.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front44.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear62.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.50°±0
NegPos
Rear-2.00°±0
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 changes. The soft-front, stiff-rear bar split does its best work on a surface that still lets a heavy car rotate, so use it: steer with the throttle and keep corrections small, which matters on a pad where a big stick input overshoots.

Carry the momentum. The Cardinal takes an age to rebuild speed, so roll it through the corner rather than scrubbing it all off and trying to point the nose.

Braking Force
Balance53 %−4 %
RearFront
Pressure86 %−16 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power78 %+10 %
OpenLocked
Coast58 %+6 %
OpenLocked
Preload28 Nm+8 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.60+0.30
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
Front54.0 N/mm−15.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear30.0 N/mm−9.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front27.5 cm+2.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear28.5 cm+1.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front32.0 N/mm−12.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear48.0 N/mm−14.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.00°+0.50°
NegPos
Rear-1.50°+0.50°
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 punishes weight, and the Cardinal has the most of it — the nose plows and the rear sinks. Soften everything, raise the ride height to clear the ruts, and lock the diff up so both rear wheels drive instead of spinning the inside one away. Ease the brakes back; all that mass locks the wheels easily on a loose surface.

Brake early, in a straight line, and let the car settle before you ask it to turn. Trail-braking two tonnes into mud just buries the front.

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 Cardinal is a full-size rear-drive sedan modelled on a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria, and it is the heaviest car in the roster at roughly 1,937 kg. That mass, sat over a long wheelbase with a front bias around 55/45, defines everything about it: it is slow to change direction, it understeers in corners, and it survives contact that would wreck a lighter car. What it gives back is straight-line stability and a high top speed — this is a demolition and momentum platform, not a corner-carver.

How it drives

On tarmac the Cardinal pushes wide. Carry too much speed into a corner and the heavy nose refuses to tuck in, so the fast way round is to brake early, get it slowed and pointed, and let its straight-line strength do the work down the next straight. Trail-braking and last-second inputs fight the car; smooth, early braking works with it.

On loose surfaces the understeer softens but the lazy direction changes remain — its mass takes time and distance to gather up once it is sliding, so you plan corners well ahead rather than reacting to them. It will not dart, and asking it to only scrubs speed.

In a pack this is where the Cardinal earns its keep. It is huge and durable, shrugs off hits that spin lighter cars, and can use its own mass as a weapon. Point the nose, keep the speed up, and let the weight settle arguments.