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Car Profile

Grandstar

FWD minivan · 2001 Dodge Caravan (minivan)

FWDClass B

A heavy, tall front-drive minivan — strong understeer and a high centre of gravity make it roll-prone, but its mass is a ramming asset.

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
Balance63 %
RearFront

Well forward — huge nose weight does the stopping

Pressure94 %
LowHigh

Heavy — brake early

Front Balancer
EnabledOn
OffOn

Undocumented — test both ways in one braking zone

Differential — Rear
Power49 %
OpenLocked

Locked on loose so the driven wheels put power down; opener on grip so it stops fighting your steering

Coast26 %
OpenLocked

Keep it low — too much makes the driven axle push on entry

Preload15 Nm
OpenLocked

A little on loose for stability, less on grip

Final Drive
Final3.78
Top speedAcceleration

Mid — heavy, stay in the torque

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
Front53.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Firm — heavy nose

Rear65.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Very stiff rear — rotate the heavy nose and cut the roll

Ride Height
Front24.1 cm
LowHigh

Low as allowed — high CG rolls

Rear26.0 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front50.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Firmer than a light FWD to control roll

Rear70.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Very stiff rear — rotation and roll control

Camber
Front-3.12°
NegPos

Front-heavy camber budget — the front does the cornering

Rear-1.50°
NegPos
Toe
Front0.03°
OutIn

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 Grandstar is a heavy, very nose-heavy minivan with a high centre of gravity — strong understeer and a real rollover risk. You cannot make it agile, so make it stable and use the mass. Stiff everywhere and low as allowed: firm springs and bars to control the roll, and the ride height dropped further than a lighter FWD to keep the tall body from tipping.

The rear runs very stiff — it both rotates the heavy nose and cuts the roll. The differential governs the driven front wheels: locked on loose to drag the mass out of corners, opener on grip so it stops fighting your steering. Brakes sit well forward since the huge nose weight does the stopping, and you brake early because there is a lot of car to slow down.

Braking Force
Balance66 %+3 %
RearFront
Pressure114 %+20 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power40 %−9 %
OpenLocked
Coast20 %−6 %
OpenLocked
Preload10 Nm−5 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.50−0.28
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+15.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear82.0 N/mm+17.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front21.0 cm−3.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear23.5 cm−2.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front64.0 N/mm+13.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear86.0 N/mm+15.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-4.00°−0.88°
NegPos
Rear-2.00°−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

Asphalt is where the high CG and nose weight fight you hardest — roll and exit understeer both peak. Stiffen everything further, drop the car as low as allowed, and open the diff so it stops adding understeer as it fights your steering.

Add front negative camber to keep the outside front planted through the roll, and stay smooth on turn-in; a sudden input tips weight onto that tall outside corner and the nose just pushes.

Braking Force
Balance63 %±0
RearFront
Pressure92 %−2 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power48 %−1 %
OpenLocked
Coast26 %±0
OpenLocked
Preload14 Nm−1 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.80+0.02
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
Front52.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear64.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front24.5 cm+0.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear26.5 cm+0.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front50.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear70.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.00°+0.12°
NegPos
Rear-1.50°±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 gives you a little rotation to work with and sits close to the hybrid setup. Lift off to bring the heavy nose round, then feed the power in smoothly and let the mass carry you out.

Keep the rear bar very stiff — it is the only thing rotating this nose — and remember the mass is an asset in traffic; a well-placed Grandstar shrugs off contact that spins lighter cars.

Braking Force
Balance60 %−3 %
RearFront
Pressure78 %−16 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power58 %+9 %
OpenLocked
Coast32 %+6 %
OpenLocked
Preload20 Nm+5 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final4.00+0.22
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
Front40.0 N/mm−13.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear50.0 N/mm−15.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front26.5 cm+2.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear27.5 cm+1.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front38.0 N/mm−12.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear56.0 N/mm−14.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-2.50°+0.62°
NegPos
Rear-1.00°+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 plus a heavy understeering nose is the worst case — the driven front digs and pushes wide. Soften slightly and raise the ride height off the lowest setting to clear the ruts, and lock the diff up so both front wheels haul the mass out.

Brake early and get the nose pointed on the entry lift; once this thing is understeering under power in mud, nothing brings it back but patience.

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 FWD guide. New to Wreckfest racing? Read the racing lessons.

Overview

The Grandstar is a front-wheel-drive minivan in the mould of an early-2000s Dodge Caravan. It is heavy, very nose-heavy (around 58–60% on the front) and it sits tall, so it carries a high centre of gravity. That combination gives it strong understeer and a real tendency to lean and tip — but it also gives it mass, which on a demolition track is a weapon.

How it drives

The Grandstar pushes. All that weight over the front, plus front tyres asked to steer and drive at once, means it understeers hard if you carry too much speed in or get greedy with the throttle on exit. As with any FWD car the answer is to rotate it early — lift off or trail-brake into the corner to bring the light-ish rear round and point the nose before you get back on power. The difference here is that the tall body works against you: lean into a corner too aggressively and the high centre of gravity has it rolling, and it will tip if you provoke it. Smooth, deliberate inputs keep it flat and pointed.

Pace comes from stability, not agility. You are never going to flick this thing through a chicane; you drive it tidily, brake in good time, and let its rotation do just enough to get it turned.

In a pack the Grandstar is in its element. It is heavy and it hits hard — use the mass as a ramming asset, lean on smaller cars and let contact do work that cornering never will. Where a light FWD car survives by dodging, the Grandstar survives by weighing more than the thing that hit it.