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Car Profile

Popper

Rear-engine RWD · Fiat 500 / 600

RWDClass B

A tiny rear-engine city car — a nimble technical-track toy that swings its tail wide the moment you lift off.

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 to keep the light tail in line

Pressure86 %
LowHigh

Tiny and light — very easy to lock

Front Balancer
EnabledOn
OffOn

Undocumented — test both ways in one braking zone

Differential — Rear
Power60 %
OpenLocked

Rear weight gives traction — moderate lock

Coast58 %
OpenLocked

More coast lock to steady the tail on lift

Preload17 Nm
OpenLocked

More base lock on loose, less on grip

Final Drive
Final4.18
Top speedAcceleration

Very short — keep the tiny engine in its powerband

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
Front42.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Very soft, tiny front

Rear40.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

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
Front56.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Stiff front to tame the rear-engine swing

Rear40.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Soft rear for grip and stability

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 — steady the rear-engine tail

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 Popper is tiny, light, and rear-engined, so the engine sits behind the rear axle and every setup choice is about steadying the tail. It has almost no straight-line speed, but on a tight technical track that barely matters — it points and darts. The Final Drive runs very short to keep the tiny twin in its powerband; gear it any taller and it falls off the boil out of slow corners.

The rest tames the pendulum. A stiff front bar with a soft rear bar plants the back, forward brake bias keeps the featherweight tail in line, and rear toe-in holds it straight on the lift. The Differential follows the site rule — more locked on loose, more open on grip — with the coast side kept high to steady the car when you come off the throttle.

Braking Force
Balance62 %+4 %
RearFront
Pressure104 %+18 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power50 %−10 %
OpenLocked
Coast50 %−8 %
OpenLocked
Preload10 Nm−7 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.90−0.28
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
Front54.0 N/mm+11.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear52.0 N/mm+11.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front23.0 cm−2.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear25.5 cm−1.8 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front68.0 N/mm+12.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear52.0 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 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 losing the rear. More front camber and brake bias let the nose bite so you turn on the front, not the tail. The very short gearing still helps you claw back speed out of the corners.

The pendulum is the thing to watch: a sharp lift on turn-in pitches the rear out. Brake in a straight line, be off the pedal before you commit, and let the grip carry you through.

Braking Force
Balance58 %±0
RearFront
Pressure84 %−2 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power60 %±0
OpenLocked
Coast58 %±0
OpenLocked
Preload16 Nm−1 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final4.20+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
Front42.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear40.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front25.5 cm+0.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear27.5 cm+0.2 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front56.0 N/mm±0
SoftStiff
Rear40.0 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 and suits the Popper well — it is a tight, technical surface where the car’s darty rotation is an asset. The changes off the baseline are small: keep the front bar stiff and the rear soft so the tail stays planted while the nose does the turning.

Small, smooth inputs win here. A rear-engine car this light will swap ends if you snap it from lock to lock, which on a pad is easy to overdo.

Braking Force
Balance55 %−3 %
RearFront
Pressure70 %−16 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power70 %+10 %
OpenLocked
Coast64 %+6 %
OpenLocked
Preload24 Nm+7 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final4.40+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
Front32.0 N/mm−10.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear30.0 N/mm−10.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front27.5 cm+2.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear28.5 cm+1.2 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front44.0 N/mm−12.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear30.0 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 the lowest-grip surface, so soften the springs and bars and raise the ride height to clear the ruts. 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 gives you the traction to use it. Extra preload and coast lock keep the light tail from stepping out when you lift.

With so little mass and grip the car can snap fast here. Get it settled and pointed before you feed the power in, and keep steering inputs gentle.

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 Popper is a tiny rear-engine city car in the mould of a classic Fiat 500 or 600. The engine hangs behind the rear axle, so the weight sits over the tail (roughly 40/60) and the whole car weighs only 500–600 kg. That layout gives it its signature: pendulum-style lift-off oversteer. It is a technical-track toy — delightful through tight, twisty stuff and hopeless down a straight.

How it drives

The tail is the story. With the engine’s mass behind the rear wheels, the back of the car wants to swing wide — and it does so most sharply the instant you lift off the throttle mid-corner. Snap off the power and the pendulum swings; the Popper rotates fast and will keep going if you don’t catch it. The skill is smoothness: avoid abrupt mid-corner lifts, keep your inputs progressive, and let the rotation help you point the nose rather than spin the car.

Power is scarce — a torque-poor little twin — so pace comes from momentum, not muscle. Gear it short, keep it in the powerband, and carry corner speed rather than trying to accelerate out of mistakes. It is quick and darty exactly where a heavy car is lost: hairpins, chicanes and tight, rhythmic sections.

In a pack the Popper is fragile and easily shoved — it is tiny and light, so any solid contact sends it flying. It wins by being somewhere the big cars can’t follow, not by trading hits.