Things that the game doesn't tell you - Part 1: Service Costs

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Hello! As said on the tin, this is a series of quick guides that tell you whether the design choices you made in your car make any unforeseen side effects at all, since I saw that some people have been struggling with certain aspects of their car during the design stage. Now, since I’m not good with words, let’s get right to the topic at hand.

Part 1: Service Costs

Ever wondered why when you have tried to make a “budget” CSR car, equipped with all the “reasonably cheap” parts, only for it to end up getting binned by the judge for having $1000++ service costs? If you answered yes, then this list is for you.

I’ll be trying to update the list to the latest meta, but so far these are the things that I have found. Anything else that is not specified in the list does not affect the service costs (unless I’m proven wrong, in which case please point it out).

Chassis:

  • Car body type (the larger the car, the more expensive)
  • Engine layout (from cheapest to most expensive: Front longitudinal -> Front transverse -> Rear longitudinal -> Mid transverse -> Mid longitudinal)

Engine:

  • Engine configuration (from cheapest to most expensive: Inline -> V (bank angle does not have effect) -> Boxer)
  • Number of cylinders
  • Head type (for some reason, DOHC is cheaper to maintain than SOHC by a few cents)
  • Valve count
  • Engine size/displacement
  • Engine fill factor (as the in-game warning says, there is extra multiplier added to the service costs if your engine is filling up the engine bay past a certain treshold)
  • Turbo
  • Fuel system
  • Configuration (only on multiple carb setup)
  • Intake type
  • Fuel system quality (by a few dollars)

Trim:

  • Drive type (from cheapest to most expensive: 2WD -> 4x4 -> AWD)
  • Gearbox type (from cheapest to most expensive: Manual -> Sequential -> Auto / Adv. Auto / DCT)
  • Top speed limit (affects tire speed rating; only available if engine has fuel injection)
  • Differential (from cheapest to most expensive: Open -> Manual Locker -> Viscous LSD -> Auto Locker -> Geared LSD -> eLSD)
  • Tire type (radial is cheaper than cross-ply)
  • Tire choice (from cheapest to most expensive: Hard Long Life -> Chunky Off-road -> Medium -> Sport -> Semi-slicks)
  • Tire width (staggered/different width tires will greatly affect service costs since they can’t be rotated)
  • Wheel quality (affects tire quality)
  • Brake types
  • Brake caliper options
  • Brake drum/rotor size
  • Brake pads (the softer/lower the number, the cheaper the service costs)
  • Brake quality
  • Undertray
  • Wing angles (only by a few cents)
  • Active wing
  • Interior and entertainment choice
  • Power steering (hydraulic PS are more expensive)
  • Traction aids
  • Springs, dampers, and sway bars options (the parts choice, not their spring/damper/sway bar rates, mind you)
  • Camber (if you go over 0.5 degree total on both wheel axles it will get more expensive)

That should be everything. Happy minmaxing!

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i have to correct the camber part to 0.6 degrees, as it still lists it as 0.85 service cost multiplier

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From my test, while the service multiplier stays at 0.85x, the service cost in the Market tab still increases by a couple cents.

Here’s with -0.5 degree camber: image
Here’s with -0.6 degree camber: image

Conclusion: The game is lying to you

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i shall be corrected then

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Hello, it’s me again with my poorly-written tips that readers new and old could hopefully learn something new from. Today, I’m going to talk about something easier, like…

Part 2: Body Morphing

We all know that morphing the body can actually change the car’s stats, and not just for aesthetic reasons. The thing is, the game won’t show us much when we collapse the stats screen to morph the car, and going back-and-forth between morphing and seeing its effects on the stats can become tedious eventually. And for some of us who are participating in challenges involving cargo/passenger space, the body morph could even be a matter of life or bin.

Luckily (either due to a game glitch or design oversight), once it’s activated, the ability to morph your car’s body stays active in all tabs except Fixtures. To activate the morphing tool, simply turn it on in the Color or Wheel tab, go to the second to last tab of the trim designer, and then go to Detailed Stats.

This section displays the car’s stats and other bits like price, cargo space, passenger space, etc. This way, we can directly see the impact of a morph on the car’s material cost or other values, which in turn will slightly change the drivability/comfort/sportiness value. The difference may not seem like much, but it could give you the very slight edge on certain forum challenges.

I’m not sure if this still works on the latest open beta version since I’m not opting into it. Nonetheless, have fun minmaxing!

Also let me know if there are any other untold things that I should cover on

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