FH6 Best S1 Class Cars — 900 PI Meta Picks
S1 class is the most competitive class in Forza Horizon 6 and I'll die on this hill. It's fast enough that every car feels special — you're pulling 1.8 Gs through sweepers, hitting 200+ on the straights, and the racing is close enough that mistakes actually matter. But it's not the chaos of S2 where one missed braking point sends you into a field. S1 is where the best drivers live, and the car choice is way more nuanced than it looks on the stat screen.
The PI budget at 900 is tight. You can't have everything. Pick horsepower and you sacrifice handling. Pick grip and you'll get walked on the straights. The cars that win in S1 are the ones that find a balance — or commit so hard to one strength that they dominate their preferred track types and you just avoid the tracks they're bad at.
The Top 10 S1 Cars — Ranked by Race Results
1. Acura NSX (2017) — Best All-Rounder
The modern NSX is the answer to "what if I could only have one S1 car." The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with three electric motors gives you AWD without the PI penalty of an aftermarket swap — it comes that way from the factory. At 900 PI you're looking at roughly 750 hp with bolt-ons and a tune. The hybrid system fills the torque gap before the turbos spool, so corner exit is instant. It weighs about 1,725 kg which is the only complaint — it's heavier than the pure sports cars. But the weight sits low and central, so the center of gravity is excellent. On any track with a mix of corners and straights, the NSX is top five on the leaderboard. Tuning: final drive 4.10, rear ARB at 1.0 for rotation, front at 65. Keeps the rear alive under braking. Tire pressure 29 PSI all around. Buy it from the Autoshow for 170,000 credits. The best value on this list by a mile.
2. Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016) — Best Sound, Great Pace
The R8's 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 revs to 8,700 RPM and the sound alone is worth the 240,000 credits. But it's not just noise — at 900 PI this car puts down laps that scare purpose-built track cars. AWD through the Quattro system, 610 hp stock. With the right upgrades at 900 PI you can push 800 hp and still keep the handling intact because the mid-engine layout and AWD work together beautifully. Weight reduction to around 1,450 kg. The gearing is tall from the factory, so a race transmission with shorter ratios (final drive around 4.30) wakes it up immensely. Where it struggles: very tight technical sections where the wheelbase feels a bit long. Where it dominates: fast flowing circuits, anything with medium-to-high-speed corners. The R8 is the car I recommend to anyone moving up from A class — it's forgiving enough to learn S1 pace without being boring.
3. Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2019) — Handling Benchmark
If S1 had a handling king, this is it. The GT3 RS's rear-engine layout shouldn't work — physics says putting the heavy bit behind the rear axle is asking for snap oversteer. Porsche has been telling physics to shut up for 60 years and the 991.2 GT3 RS is their best argument yet. The 4.0-liter flat-six makes 520 hp stock, revs to 9,000 RPM, and sounds like mechanical music. It's naturally aspirated so the power delivery is linear — no turbo lag, no sudden surge, just progressive pull all the way to redline.
At 900 PI, focus upgrades on weight reduction first. Get it under 1,300 kg. Then race tires. Only then add power — the stock engine with cams and exhaust will get you to around 650 hp which is plenty because this car carries so much corner speed. It's RWD only, no AWD swap possible. Which means you need to be clean with the throttle on exit, but the rear grip is so good that you can get on the power earlier than almost any other RWD car in the game. Tuning: rear tire pressure 26 PSI for more footprint. Final drive 3.90. Slightly softer rear springs than front (counter-intuitive for rear-engine, but it works in FH6). Downforce max on the rear wing. On circuits with lots of corners — the city routes, tight technical tracks — this car is unbeatable. On highway sprints it'll get dusted. Know your track.
4. Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 — Consistent Performer
The Huracan is the Audi R8's Italian cousin — same platform, same 5.2 V10, same AWD system. But it's tuned differently. The Lambo has sharper steering response, a slightly shorter wheelbase, and a stiffer chassis calibration out of the box. At 900 PI with race weight reduction it comes in around 1,420 kg. Power upgrades push the V10 past 780 hp with forced induction, though I prefer keeping it naturally aspirated and spending the PI budget on handling. The NA build revs cleaner and sounds better.
Where the Huracan beats the R8 is in quick directional changes — chicanes, esses, anything where you're throwing the car side to side. The R8 is more stable but the Huracan is more agile. Pick based on driving style — if you like a car that rotates eagerly, take the Lambo. If you want planted stability, take the Audi. Both are A-tier competitive. Tuning: camber -1.8 front, -1.2 rear. The extra front camber helps turn-in bite. Final drive 4.20 for circuits, longer for highway.
5. Ferrari 488 Pista — RWD Specialist
The Pista is Ferrari's answer to the GT3 RS and in FH6 the comparison is close. The 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 710 hp stock — significantly more than the Porsche — and the mid-engine RWD layout is balanced to the gram. At 900 PI the Pista is frankly overpowered in a straight line. With simple bolt-ons you're over 800 hp, and the twin turbos give you mid-range torque that the naturally aspirated cars can't match.
The tradeoff: turbo lag on exit. There's a half-beat delay between flooring it and getting full boost, and in close S1 racing that half-beat matters. You learn to compensate — get on the gas a split second earlier than you think, before the apex, let the boost build as you unwind the steering. It's a learned skill, and once you've got it the Pista is devastating. Tuning notes: rear downforce at about 60%, not max. The Pista's body generates significant downforce without the wing, so maxing the wing gives diminishing returns on PI cost. Final drive 3.80. Rear tire pressure 25 PSI to manage the turbo torque on exit. This car rewards throttle discipline more than any other S1 pick.
6. McLaren 720S — Speed Focused
The 720S is the straight-line bully of S1. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 710 hp stock and the carbon fiber tub keeps weight to 1,419 kg. At 900 PI with power upgrades you can hit 850+ hp and the top speed advantage over most S1 cars is dramatic. On tracks like the Marathon or Colossus with long flat-out sections, the 720S gaps the field. The active aero wing deploys under braking — the game models this — giving you extra rear stability exactly when you need it.
Weaknesses: front-end grip on corner entry. The 720S pushes wide if you enter too hot, and unlike the GT3 RS you can't trail-brake your way out of it because the weight distribution is all wrong for that. Learn to brake in a straight line, turn in smoothly, get the nose pointed, and then use the horsepower. Final drive 3.60. Tire pressure: 30 front, 28 rear. Tune the front anti-roll bar softer (around 15-20) to help with entry understeer.
7. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (2019) — American Muscle
The C7 ZR1 is the wildcard. Front-engine, rear-drive, 755 hp from a supercharged 6.2-liter LT5 V8. At 900 PI with the right build you can push north of 900 hp, which puts it in S2 power territory in an S1 body. The catch: putting that power down through the rear wheels alone is a challenge. First and second gear are basically suggestions — you'll spin through both. Third gear is where the car actually starts accelerating.
But on fast circuits where you can keep it in third and above, the ZR1 is a rocket. It also has one of the highest top speeds in S1, around 230+ mph with the right gearing. On tight tracks it's hopeless — too much power, not enough grip, too much weight over the front axle. But on a high-speed circuit it's a legitimate podium car. Tuning: this is one of the few S1 cars where I recommend drag tires if you're really struggling with grip. Otherwise, race tires with rear pressure at 24 PSI. Final drive 3.40 accounting for the massive torque. Aero: front minimum, rear at 75% to keep the rear planted. Throttle control is everything — feather it out of slow corners, don't just mat it.
8. Nissan GT-R Nismo (2020) — AWD Tank
The R35 GT-R is the heaviest car in this top 10 at 1,740 kg but you wouldn't know it from the lap times. The ATTESA E-TS AWD system and rear-wheel steering give it physics-defying agility. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 600 hp stock; at 900 PI with bolt-ons and upgraded turbos you're looking at 780+ hp.
The GT-R's secret weapon is consistency. Lap after lap, it does the same thing. No surprises, no snap oversteer, no weird weight transfer moments. You can brake later than you think, turn in harder than you think, and the computers sort it out. For online racing where consistency wins over one-hero-lap pace, the GT-R is a very smart pick. Tuning: because it's heavy, you need stiffer springs than lighter cars — start at 650 front, 550 rear. Final drive 4.10. Rear ARB at 65 for rotation. Don't AWD swap it — the stock system is already better than any aftermarket swap you could buy.
9. Honda NSX-R (1992) — Lightweight Classic
The original NSX is 30 years old and it still works in S1. That's how good the chassis is. 1,230 kg after race weight reduction. Mid-engine, rear-drive. The 3.0-liter V6 with VTEC makes about 280 hp stock, but at 900 PI with the right build — engine swap to a racing V6, race cams, turbo — you can get 650+ hp in a car that weighs less than a modern hatchback. The power-to-weight ratio is absurd.
Ayrton Senna helped develop this car's chassis and it shows. The steering feel in FH6 is among the best — you can sense exactly when the rear is about to let go, and the rotation under trail braking is telepathic. Weakness: no AWD option (some consider this a strength). Straight-line speed is middling even with the engine swap. But on a handling circuit, the NSX-R punches so far above its weight it's almost unfair. Tuning: final drive 4.40 (short gears to keep the engine in VTEC). Camber -2.0 front, -1.5 rear. Tire pressure 28 PSI all around. This car rewards precision more than any other S1 pick. Miss your braking point by ten feet and you'll feel it. Nail it and you'll beat cars with double the horsepower.
10. Toyota Supra MK5 (2020) — Value Pick
The A90 Supra is the budget king of S1. Available from the Autoshow for 55,000 credits. The 3.0-liter B58 inline-six makes 335 hp stock, but BMW's engine takes to tuning like it was designed for it. At 900 PI with upgraded turbo, intercooler, cams, and exhaust you're making 700+ hp reliably. The ZF 8-speed auto is excellent — quick shifts, no power interruption.
Front-engine, rear-drive, 1,540 kg. It's not the lightest and not the grippiest, but the B58's torque curve is so fat that corner exit speed makes up for it. The Supra also has one of the widest wheel/tire upgrade paths in the game, so you can stuff massive rubber under the rear fenders without excessive PI cost. On medium-speed circuits it's genuinely competitive with the Pista and GT3 RS. Tuning: AWD swap is available and worth considering if you're struggling with wheelspin. RWD build: rear tire pressure 24 PSI, final drive 3.70. AWD build: final drive 4.00, front diff accel at 20%, center balance 70% rear. Both builds are viable; test both and see which fits your driving style.
S1 Tuning Philosophy — Where to Spend Your PI Budget
At 900 PI, every upgrade point counts. Here's my order of priority, learned the hard way through hundreds of failed builds. First: weight reduction. Lighter cars brake later, corner harder, accelerate faster. It's the one upgrade that improves everything. Go race weight reduction on every S1 build, no exceptions.
Second: tires. Race tires on everything unless you're doing a drag-focused S1 build. The grip increase from sport to race tires at S1 speeds is worth every PI point. Third: transmission. The race transmission gives you individual gear tuning which you absolutely need in S1 where half a second through a corner sequence is the difference between first and fifth. Fourth: aero. Adjustable front splitter and rear wing cost almost no PI and give you tuning knobs that transform a car's behavior. Fifth and last: power. Bolt-ons (intake, exhaust) first, then cams, then forced induction. Forced induction costs the most PI so only add it if you've maxed everything else and have room.
A common mistake is adding a turbo first because it gives the biggest horsepower number on the stat screen. But a 700 hp car on stock tires with stock weight is slower than a 550 hp car on race tires with race weight reduction. Lap time is the only stat that matters. Don't build for the upgrade screen, build for the stopwatch.