- Primary Subject: Forza Motorsport
- Key Update: A complete guide on which driving software features to disable for faster lap times.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: November 10, 2026
- Quick Answer: To become faster in Forza Motorsport, immediately disable fully assisted steering, switch to manual shifting, and gradually turn off stability and traction control for speed.
Forza Motorsport’s driving assists are excellent at keeping you on the track and out of the gravel, but they’re no replacement for driving technique. Driving assists, while helpful, will only slow you down, and not make you any faster.
Track racing is all about speed, and speed comes from dancing on the edge of grip, between traction and total loss of control. To get faster, remove the driving assists that keep you from reaching the edge.
For new players getting into Forza Motorsport, or intermediate players who want to competitively improve lap times, these are the driving assists to turn off first.
Turn Off Today
Suggested Line creates a dynamic driving line on the track, telling you when to press the gas, brakes, or steer. The line turns blue when it is time to accelerate, and red when it’s time to hit the brakes.
The driving line adapts to your speed and track conditions automatically, though there is a bit of a delay.
One problem with using the ‘Full’ driving line is that it causes target fixation. A famous saying that applies to philosophy and real-life racing is “look where you are going.” This is because looking at something subconsciously pulls you toward it.
A ‘Full’ driving line keeps your eyes glued to the ground where the line is, when you should be looking at the apex of the next corner. Turning this option to ‘Braking Only’ will make you learn the track, cornering technique, and braking zones organically.
Other driving assists that should be turned off as soon as possible are the Steering and Braking Assists, or more specifically, ‘Fully’ and ‘Partially Assisted’ Steering and Braking.
Both ‘Fully Assisted’ and ‘Partially Assisted’ provide strong, automatic guidance to steering and braking inputs. In other words, it fights driver intent.
It dampens the controls severely, and, unless you like letting the game drive for you, the Steering and Braking assists should be ‘Normal’ (or ‘Simulation' if using a racing wheel) and ‘ABS On’, respectively.
Turn Off Sooner
Turning the Shifting assist to ‘Manual’ or ‘Manual w/ Clutch’ is the single biggest instant boost to better lap times. While ‘Automatic’ shifting may be less stressful, the computer is also much slower to shift up or down gears.
With manual shifting, drivers can keep their RPMs high through a corner and even utilize engine braking. Over the course of a lap, this time difference between manual and automatic can reach up to a matter of seconds.
Turning Stability Control to ‘Off’ is another instant boost to better lap times, but the difference is more subtle compared to manual shifting.
Stability Control ‘On’ and ‘Sport’ aggressively applies braking to individual wheels to prevent the car from rotating or spinning out, but this is the opposite of what racing drivers want.
It’s actually beneficial to rotate the car slightly, as it allows the car to more easily turn into the corner. Slight, controlled oversteer can shave up to a second off lap times.
Similarly, Traction Control ‘Off’ gives you a subtle but noticeable boost. It stops the car from cutting power to the wheels when the tires are about to lose traction.
Remember when I said that speed comes from dancing on the edge between traction and loss of grip? Traction Control ‘On’ or ‘Sport’ prevents you from reaching that edge. It leaves up to a second of lap time on the table.
However, there’s an argument to be made about the ‘Sport’ modes. On powerful cars, like Class X or P cars, it may be more trouble than it’s worth to keep Stability and Traction Control on ‘Off’, especially if you spin out of every corner.
Try keeping it on ‘Sport’ first. When it feels like the car is out of control no matter what you do, it’s better to chase consistency with assists on than to chase potential seconds of saved lap time with assists off.
Turn Off Later
Turn every assist off. But only if you feel comfortable enough that your racing skill is at a level where driving assists are more of a hindrance than, well, an assist.
First, the Suggested Line should be ‘Off’. It forces you to learn the nuances of the track, the track limits, braking zones, and ideal cornering.
While ‘Braking Only’ is a good reference for braking, the braking line shown is very conservative. As in, you can brake much later than you think when the red line appears.
‘ABS Off’ Braking allows advanced drivers to eke out a bit more performance from their brakes before their wheels slip.
‘ABS On’ works by pulsing the brakes when the tires are about to lock up under heavy braking, and this inherently extends the braking distance needed to slow down.
Keeping braking force just under the threshold of locking the tires requires time and experience, and advanced drivers are rewarded with a few more milliseconds every corner.
Lastly, Throttle, Traction Control, and Stability Control should all be unassisted.
As mentioned previously, Steering can be ‘Normal’ or ‘Simulation’ depending on whether you use a gamepad or sim racing wheel setup, same as ‘Manual’ Shifting or ‘Manual w/ Clutch’.
Ditching the Training Wheels
Driving assists in Forza Motorsport should be turned off gradually, and not suddenly. Turning off every assist is a surefire way to spin out on every corner instead of learning the track and developing racecraft.
Similarly, relying too much on assists will never make you improve.
It’s important to know when and why to use the different assists. Driving assists are there for a reason, and the driver who consistently wins races is the driver who uses every tool at their disposal.
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