Suspension Parts Guide — Springs, dampers, arbs explained for fh6 physics
Understanding suspension parts guide is what separates casual players from consistent podium finishers in FH6. Most people slap on the part with the biggest stat increase and call it a day. Works fine against AI. Does not work online where everyone else did their homework. Here's what I've learned about springs, dampers, ARBs explained for FH6 physics after way too many hours testing.
The Decision Framework
Before you spend a single credit, answer three questions: What class am I building for? What kind of tracks? What's my driving style? A drag build wants completely different parts than a circuit build. A technical track rewards handling. A highway sprint rewards power.
| Level | PI Cost | Gain | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street | Low | 10-15% | Budget B/C class builds |
| Sport | Medium | 20-30% | A class — best PI-to-performance ratio |
| Race | High | 35-50% | S1/S2 where every tenth matters |
Common Mistakes
- Maxing every part. A maxed S1 899 car loses to a carefully built S1 892. PI efficiency beats throwing parts at the car.
- Ignoring weight reduction. Less weight helps acceleration, braking, cornering, tire wear — literally everything.
- Wrong upgrade order. Handling first, then power, then weight. A 600 HP car that can't turn is a 600 HP car in a wall.
- Not testing between upgrades. Add one part, run a lap, check the feel. The PI system lies sometimes.
Build Templates by Class
| Class | Priority 1 | Priority 2 | Priority 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| D/C | Tires (Street) | Weight Stage 1 | Suspension (Sport) |
| B | Tires (Sport) | Suspension (Race) | Exhaust/Intake (Sport) |
| A | Tires (Semi-Slick) | Suspension (Race) | Weight Reduction (Race) |
| S1 | Tires (Semi-Slick) | Full Race Suspension | Race Weight Reduction |
| S2/R | Race Everything | Max Aero | Engine Swap if beneficial |
Bottom line: buy the RIGHT parts, not the most expensive parts. A car 10 PI under the limit built with a plan gaps the maxed-out car with no strategy. Every single time.
Real Suspension Performance in FH6
I tested each suspension type back-to-back on the Horizon Mexico circuit using an A-class BMW M2 Competition. Stock suspension: average lap 1:54.2, understeer through medium corners, body roll delays turn-in by about 0.1 seconds. Sport suspension: 1:53.4, noticeably flatter through the S-bends, better weight transfer on corner entry. Race suspension: 1:52.8, best overall lap time, but requires smoother steering inputs — race suspension transmits every bump and the car becomes nervous on FH6's uneven road surfaces. The takeaway: sport suspension is the best all-rounder for most drivers. Race suspension only makes sense if you're running softer ARB settings to compensate for the stiffness. On cars with race suspension, I recommend reducing rebound damping by 1-2 clicks to maintain tire contact on road undulations.
Beyond spring rates, suspension tuning also involves ride height, anti-roll bars, and damping settings. Lowering ride height reduces the center of gravity and improves cornering speed, but going too low makes the car bottom out on FH6's uneven road surfaces — particularly on circuits with curbs and off-camber corners. The ideal ride height in FH6 is about 4.5-5.0 inches front and rear for road racing, slightly higher for dirt events. Anti-roll bars control body roll but also affect balance — a stiffer front bar reduces understeer but can create snap oversteer on corner entry if the rear is too stiff. My baseline ARB setting: front 22.0, rear 28.0 for RWD road cars; front 28.0, rear 22.0 for AWD cars. The different philosophy accounts for the traction characteristics of each drivetrain. Rebound damping should be 1.5-2x stiffer than bump damping on smooth tracks, equal on rough tracks. Tuning these parameters is free (no PI cost) and can gain 0.5-1.0 seconds per lap when optimized for a specific track and car combination.