The engine map is a driver setting on a 0–10 scale (default 5). It trades speed for fuel + heat + wear: lower maps save the engine and stretch a fuel load; higher maps push power at the cost of consumption and durability.
Engine map is set live during the race — by you (manually) or by the AI Race Director (engine-map module). The setting is per-car, per-tick.
The scale
| Map | Speed effect (Accel zone) | Fuel rate | Heat / wear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | -3.0% | 70% | Minimal heat, minimal wear |
| 1 | -2.4% | 76% | Very low |
| 2 | -1.8% | 82% | Low |
| 3 | -1.2% | 88% | Below normal |
| 4 | -0.6% | 94% | Slightly under normal |
| 5 (default) | 0% | 100% | Normal |
| 6 | +0.6% | 106% | Slightly elevated |
| 7 | +1.2% | 112% | Elevated |
| 8 | +1.8% | 118% | High |
| 9 | +2.4% | 124% | Very high |
| 10 | +3.0% | 130% | Maximum heat, peak wear |
(Values are nominal — actual effect zone-weighted, see below.)
Zone weighting
Engine map effect on speed is heaviest where the engine matters most — straights:
| Zone | Effect scale |
|---|---|
| Accelerating (straights) | 100% |
| Lifting (corners) | 40% |
| Braking | 20% |
So map 10 on a long straight gives +3.0%; in a tight corner, only +1.2%; under braking, +0.6%. Map’s value is highest on power circuits, lowest on twisty street tracks.
Mistake amplification
Higher maps amplify mistake probability:
map_amp = 0.55 + engine_map × 0.10| Map | Mistake amp |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0.55× (45% reduction) |
| 5 | 1.05× (5% increase) |
| 10 | 1.55× (55% increase) |
Map 0 is genuinely safer — defensive driving. Map 10 is genuinely dangerous, especially with a low-CON driver.
Heat damage
Engine heat damage rate scales with the map setting indirectly — high maps push the engine over critical temp faster. The damage formula:
damage_rate = engine_heat_damage_rate × heat_excess × dt × (1/fiability)² × (1/cooling_perf)²Map setting drives heat_excess. Cooling system perf and engine fiability double-square in to scale the damage. So:
- Healthy engine + good cooling + map 5: ~0% heat damage per race
- Healthy engine + good cooling + map 10: minor heat damage (recoverable)
- Frail engine + bad cooling + map 10: 5–10% perf loss per race; engine swap every 2–3 races
- Frail engine + bad cooling + map 0: still ~0% heat damage; the map saves you
When to push (map 7–10)
- Last 3 laps of a tight battle for a points position
- Out-lap on cold tires where extra power compensates for lacking grip
- You need to overtake right now — combine with Overtake Push toggle
- Final stint of the race when engine doesn’t need to survive past the flag
- You have a healthy engine + good cooling — heat damage is negligible
When to save (map 0–3)
- Early laps of a long race — saves fuel + tire temp
- Lift & Coast active — map low complements the throttle-off period
- You’re under fuel target — emergency fuel-saving mode
- Engine is showing yellow / orange overheat warning — back off immediately
- Cruising in clear air with no nearby battle — there’s no pace to gain by pushing
Default (map 4–6)
For most racing — neither saving nor pushing. The AI defaults to map 5 unless its decision module fires.
AI engine-map decisions
The AI engine-map module picks a map level each tactical tick (~1.5s) based on:
| Trigger | AI’s choice |
|---|---|
Fuel critical (fuel_laps_remaining < 2.5) | Map 0–2 (save mode) |
| Engine overheat warning | Map 0–3 |
| Active overtake commit | Map 8–10 (push) |
| Defending under pressure | Map 6–8 (defensive boost) |
| Last 3 laps + race for position | Map 8–10 |
| Clear air, plenty of fuel | Map 5 (cruise) |
| Lift & Coast active | Map 3–4 |
You can override the AI by setting the map manually — the override holds until the AI’s hold interval (3s) expires, then the AI re-evaluates.
INT effect
Higher INT drivers execute map changes more efficiently:
- High INT (15+): hits the right map at the right time, smaller fuel overshoot
- Low INT (1–8): AI module still works, but the driver’s
effective_intelligenceshapes map decision quality (slower reactions to overheat warnings, etc.)
Engine map + R&D
Two infrastructure dependencies matter:
- Engine supplier
base_power— sets the enginecurrent_perf. Higher base_power means map 10 gets you a bigger absolute pace gain (because it’s a percentage of a higher baseline) - Cooling system
current_perf— sets the heat damage rate scale. A high-perf cooling system lets you live at map 8+ for whole stints without burning the engine
This is why investing in the Engine infrastructure dept (which controls cooling perf at the chassis level) pays off for high-map racing.
Quick reference
| Scenario | Map |
|---|---|
| Race start, full fuel | 4–5 |
| Mid-stint, clear air | 5 |
| Defending against close rival | 6–7 |
| Active overtake committed | 9–10 |
| Last 3 laps, points fight | 8–10 |
| Lift & coast active | 3–4 |
| Fuel emergency | 0–2 |
| Engine overheat (orange) | 0–3 |