One of the biggest hurdles for beginners to overcome in MotoGP games is setups. You can be the quickest rider on the grid, but if your MotoGP bike isn't set up correctly, you'll be at a big disadvantage.
Thankfully, our ultimate MotoGP 24 setup guide will help you beat even the fastest AI and online riders.
MotoGP 24 Setup Guide
While the setups presentation in MotoGP 24 is slicker than in MotoGP 23, most of the settings available have remained the same as in 2023.
What has changed, though, is how these settings affect the bike. The handling model has changed significantly from last year, so you can be more aggressive with the suspension, for example.
Going from front to back, you'll need to configure the Brakes, Suspension, ECU, Transmission, Geometry, and tyre compounds for every circuit in MotoGP 24.
We'll walk you through all six of these and explain in detail how they affect the bike's behavior on track.
Keep in mind, though, that the best way to perfect your setups is to put in the hours in both Time Trial and Quick Races. This is because every racing gamer's driving style and preferences are different.
Brakes
There are now far more options for the front and rear brakes in MotoGP 24 than 23.
We all know that brakes slow the bike down, but which brakes should you opt to put on the front and rear axles of your ride?
Two factors dictate which brakes are best in MotoGP: how many large braking zones there are around a track and how many braking zones are in quick succession.
The number of big braking zones correlates to the size of the brake disc, so the more of these there are, the bigger the mm number you'll need. The mass helps with the rapid-fire braking zones as they determine cooling.
So, for a track like Silverstone where there are big braking zones that are spread apart, the best option is the 355mm High mass. On the other hand, a circuit like Assen will need the 340mm Extreme cooling due to its smaller but rapid-fire braking zones.
Suspension
The bike's suspension sets how it reacts to steering inputs and its stability. The front and rear suspensions both have five areas each to customize.
The higher the Pre-load, the more responsive the bike is at the cost of stability, effectively making it more liable to oversteer. Spring Hardness acts in the same way.
Lower Oil Quality means the bike absorbs bumps in the road better, meaning a smoother ride. Fork Compression is similar but is more evident when cornering rather than going straight.
Fork Extension makes the bike more stable when high but improves overall grip when low.
ECU
The Engine Control Unit (ECU) relates to two electronic aids and two engine settings. Traction Control helps to prevent wheelspin when exiting corners but limits potential pace the higher this is.
Engine Brake sets how much speed is scrubbed off the bike by the engine when off the throttle. Anti-Wheelie stops the front axle lifting off the ground when getting on the throttle.
As you'd expect, the Power Mapping sets how rich the fuel is in the engine and, therefore, how much power it sends to the back wheel.
All of these settings can be adjusted on-track, so experiment to see what works best for you.
Transmission
Transmission settings dictate the gear ratios and speed limiter of the bike. The lower the gear ratios, the faster the bike accelerates, but this could cost you top speed on longer straights.
The higher the ratios, the slower the acceleration, but the higher the potential top speed of the bike.
The general rule of thumb for transmission is that the higher the average top speed, the higher the gear ratios should be set.
There are exceptions, though, particularly for circuits that have a low average speed but a long straight.
An example of this is India's Buddh Circuit, where the average speed isn't that high but has huge top speed down its pit and back straights. For tracks like this, go for regular gear ratios but a high final ratio.
Geometry
Vehicle Geometry is similar to Suspension in that it dictates how the bike handles and how stable it is. Higher Steering Head Inclination increases stability at the cost of responsiveness.
Higher Trail values mean a more stable bike, but this will also result in more understeer. The Steering Plate Position does the same.
The Rear Swingarm Length, though, has the opposite effect: the higher it is, the more oversteer is added to the bike's performance.
Tyre Compound
This is the part of the bike that will change most from track to track and race to race.
Different tyre compounds will not only perform differently around each circuit but also depending on the weather. The higher the track temperature, the faster the tyres will wear.
You can see both the air and track temperatures shown before starting each race, but track temperature is the one you need to concern yourself with as this dictates tyre wear.
There are three dry compounds available to you in MotoGP 24: Soft, Medium, and Hard. The harder the tyre, the longer it lasts, but its ultimate pace is slower. The softer the tyre, the faster it is, but it'll also degrade quicker.
A general rule of thumb is that the more slow corners there are, the harder your rear tyre should be. The more fast corners there are, the harder your front tyre should be.
MotoGP races typically don't have planned pitstops, so you'll need to go the distance with the tyres you start the race on.
Like anything, though, there's no substitute for practice and you should use the free practice sessions to familiarize yourself with how your bike performs on all three compounds.
If your opening gambit isn't the one you're looking for, you can use your in-game race engineer to make setup changes based on your feedback.
You can do this by going into your setup and choosing Guided Setup. This will then allow you to describe the performance issues you have with the bike to make adjustments.
For more on MotoGP 24, check out our review to find out our verdict on this year's official MotoGP game.
Do you prefer MotoGP 24's setup options compared to 23? Let us know in the comments below!
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