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Car Profile

Switchback

Front-heavy RWD muscle · 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle

RWD

A front-biased V8 brawler built for straight-line speed — strong on fast tracks, but it understeers hard in tight corners.

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
Balance56 %
RearFront

Slight rear bias for turn-in; brake early into technical sections

Pressure98 %
LowHigh

Heavy car — less on loose, more on grip

Front Balancer
EnabledOn
OffOn

Undocumented — test both ways in one braking zone

Differential — Rear
Power69 %
OpenLocked

Locked on loose for traction, opener on grip

Coast54 %
OpenLocked

A little more on loose for braking stability

Preload20 Nm
OpenLocked

More base lock on loose, less on grip

Final Drive
Final3.50
Top speedAcceleration

Long-ish — it lives at high 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
Front63.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Firm — heavy nose

Rear36.0 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
Front48.5 N/mm
SoftStiff

Soft front to free the reluctant nose

Rear58.0 N/mm
SoftStiff

Stiffer rear to rotate the understeery car

Camber
Front-3.00°
NegPos

More front camber to wake the nose

Rear-1.62°
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 Switchback is a heavy straight-line brawler with a reluctant nose — it wants to understeer in the tight stuff. The setup is built to free that nose: a soft front anti-roll bar and a stiffer rear bar shift grip forward and let the tail come round, and extra front camber gives the outside tyre something to bite with on turn-in.

The Differential is still the biggest lever, and it runs opposite to instinct: locked on loose, opener on grip. Brake early — a heavy car takes distance to slow, and a slight rear brake bias helps it rotate as you trail into a corner. Brake Pressure’s scale runs 50–150%, so 100% is mid-travel, not the maximum.

Braking Force
Balance60 %+4 %
RearFront
Pressure118 %+20 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power56 %−13 %
OpenLocked
Coast46 %−8 %
OpenLocked
Preload12 Nm−8 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.20−0.30
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
Front80.0 N/mm+17.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear46.0 N/mm+10.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front22.0 cm−3.1 cm
LowHigh
Rear24.5 cm−2.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front62.0 N/mm+13.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear72.0 N/mm+14.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.50°−0.50°
NegPos
Rear-2.50°−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

Asphalt is where the Switchback belongs — high speed and long corners suit its stability. The springs and bars stiffen, brake pressure climbs, and the car drops closer to the road, but the front bar stays soft relative to the rear to keep the nose alive. The diff opens up on grip so the rear stays progressive on exit.

Brake early into the technical sections and let the long gearing carry you everywhere else — this car makes its time on the fast parts, not the hairpins.

Braking Force
Balance55 %−1 %
RearFront
Pressure96 %−2 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power70 %+1 %
OpenLocked
Coast54 %±0
OpenLocked
Preload20 Nm±0
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.50±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
Front62.0 N/mm−1.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear35.0 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
Front48.0 N/mm−0.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear58.0 N/mm±0
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-3.00°±0
NegPos
Rear-1.50°+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. The loose surface takes some of the edge off the understeer, so the car rotates more willingly — steer it with the throttle and keep corrections small, which matters on a pad where a big stick input overshoots.

Slow the car early, get it pointed, then drive out; trying to brake and turn together wastes the front tyres.

Braking Force
Balance52 %−4 %
RearFront
Pressure82 %−16 %
LowHigh
Front Balancer
EnabledOn±0
OffOn
Differential — Rear
Power80 %+11 %
OpenLocked
Coast60 %+6 %
OpenLocked
Preload28 Nm+8 Nm
OpenLocked
Final Drive
Final3.80+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
Front48.0 N/mm−15.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear28.0 N/mm−8.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Ride Height
Front27.5 cm+2.4 cm
LowHigh
Rear28.5 cm+1.5 cm
LowHigh
Anti-roll Bars
Front36.0 N/mm−12.5 N/mm
SoftStiff
Rear44.0 N/mm−14.0 N/mm
SoftStiff
Camber
Front-2.50°+0.50°
NegPos
Rear-1.00°+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 and the understeer only gets worse — the heavy nose pushes wide. Soften the springs and raise the ride height to clear the ruts, keep the rear bar stiff relative to the front to keep some rotation, and lock the diff up to drive both rear wheels.

Brake in a straight line before you turn — a heavy car that is still slowing mid-corner just plows straight on.

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 Switchback is a late-’60s Chevrolet Chevelle-style muscle car, a front-biased V8 brawler at roughly 55/45. Its strength is speed in a straight line; its weakness is tight corners, where the nose weight makes it push wide. It is happiest on fast, flowing tracks and ovals and least happy threading a slow, technical section.

How it drives

On tarmac the Switchback is a straight-line weapon that fights you when the road tightens. Fast sweepers are fine, but in tight corners the heavy front understeers and it is slow to change direction, so you help turn-in every way you can and brake early into the technical bits rather than carrying speed in. Once it is pointed, the V8 torque drives it out cleanly, with the usual muscle-car power oversteer if you stab the throttle.

On loose surfaces the same story holds — it slides wide on entry and needs to be set and settled before you get back on power. Manage the understeer with your braking and your line, not by trying to flick it.

In a pack it is a stable, heavy presence that holds its line at speed, so use the fast sections to make places and defend carefully through the slow ones where it is weakest.