Differentials Explained

The differential is the single biggest handling lever most people never touch. Get it right and the car turns in, puts the power down and stops fighting you.

In Forza Horizon 6 the differential controls how the driven wheels share torque. Two numbers matter: acceleration lock, which works on the throttle, and deceleration lock, which works on lift-off. For rear-wheel drive road racing, run high acceleration lock around 75 to 95 percent and low deceleration lock of 10 to 20 percent so the car rotates into corners instead of understeering.

By Alexander Royle. Ten years sim racing, published gaming journalist, top-50 FH6 Rivals player. Updated 2026-07-28

What the differential actually does

A locking differential decides how much the two driven wheels are tied together. Fully open, each wheel spins freely and the inside one lights up out of corners. Fully locked, they turn as one and the car pushes wide. The sliders let you set that lock separately for on-throttle and off-throttle.

Acceleration lock

Acceleration lock applies when you are on the power. Higher lock ties the driven wheels together so the torque lands cleanly and both tyres drive out of the corner.

RWD road racing: run it high, 75 to 95 percent. Leaderboard tunes sit near the top.
FWD: 55 to 70 percent. Too much and you get power understeer and torque steer.
Only back it off if the rear steps out on exit (RWD) or the nose washes wide under throttle (FWD).

Deceleration lock, the one everyone sets wrong

Deceleration lock applies when you lift off the throttle. This is the setting that quietly ruins handling. A high decel lock steadies the rear as you brake, which sounds reassuring but actually stops the car rotating and gives you understeer on the way into a corner.

Road racing: keep it low, 10 to 20 percent, so the car turns in.
If it will not rotate on entry, lower decel further before touching anything else.
Loose surfaces: a little more decel (25 to 40 percent) helps stability on lift-off over bumps and descents.

All-wheel drive differentials

AWD has front, rear and centre settings. The meta keeps the front accel lock low so the front wheels can steer, runs the rear near full, keeps rear decel low, and pushes the centre balance as far rearward as the car will take.

Front accel: around 25 percent. Front decel: 0.
Rear accel: 100 percent. Rear decel: 15 to 25 percent.
Centre balance: 75 to 90 percent rear. The most aggressive tunes sit near 90 for a rear-drive feel with AWD traction.

Drift differentials

Drift wants both rears locked together so the car slides predictably. Run high acceleration lock, 75 percent upward, and full 100 percent on lower-power builds. Add strong deceleration lock so the car rotates freely on entry. With very high power, sit at the lower end of both to keep the car catchable.

Frequently asked questions

What does acceleration lock do in Forza Horizon 6?

It ties the driven wheels together on the throttle so the power lands cleanly out of a corner. Higher is usually faster in FH6; only reduce it if the rear steps out on exit.

How do I fix corner-entry understeer with the differential?

Lower the deceleration lock. High decel lock steadies the rear on lift-off and stops the car rotating, which is the most common hidden cause of entry understeer. For road racing, keep decel at 10 to 20 percent.

What is the best RWD road racing differential in FH6?

A high acceleration lock of 75 to 95 percent to put power down, and a low deceleration lock of 10 to 20 percent so the car turns in.

What centre balance should I run on an AWD car?

As far rearward as the car will take, usually 75 to 90 percent rear, with low front acceleration lock so the front can steer. This gives a rear-drive feel with AWD traction.

Put this into practice: the FH6 tuning calculator builds a full setup for any of 630 cars, and the meta cars list shows what to build first.