Introduction

Forza Horizon 5 is a racing game that lets you do just about anything you can imagine in the world of cars.

But with that much freedom there are some downsides. For example, the game has people start in vehicles that are too fast, with tons of assists to keep them from running into a ditch.

It’s much better to develop real driving skills. That way you can turn off those driving assists, and not have to do an AWD swap for every build.

So if you’re new to Forza Horizon 5 or racing games in general, here are some driving tips to get started. At the bottom I also include a link to my online racing school, Keys to Speed.

Choose the Right Car

It’s best if you choose a car that suits your driving level. Newer drivers would do well to stick with a B or C-class car for a bit. It will give you some time to learn and apply these tips, and notice the changes.

That’s the other tough thing about Forza Horizon 5 or earlier games: you may be tempted to switch cars a lot, which can make it a little challenging to practice consistency.

Practice these tips with different cars over time and see how they differ. Then you’ll find it much easier to swap between them.

Know the Apex of Every Corner

You’ll want to remember “out-in-out” as you go through each turn. That means try and enter corners as wide as possible, kiss the inside of the turn about halfway through, and then exit as wide as possible using the full track.

That inside point, or apex, is something you’ll want to find quickly with every turn. Ideally, you’ll know it ahead of time but that can be tough in Forza Horizon when you are jumping from event to event.

When in doubt, remember that most corners will benefit from having a late apex, just after halfway through the turn.

Brake Before the Turn

You never want to be braking through the middle of the turn and especially not at the exit.

Instead, brake just before entering the turn to control your speed and get your car settled and ready to pull through the exit. You want to be slow into the turn and fast out.

Accelerate Out of the Turn

The goal here is to maintain traction, so avoid applying too much throttle too early. As you’re leaving a turn, your steering wheel should be becoming straighter as you apply more throttle.

Your goal is to be gaining speed as you leave the turn, not making corrections with your hands and feet (or thumb stick and throttle button).

Be Patient When Passing

A common mistake that players new to Forza Horizon 5 make is trying to pass other cars too soon. This can cause a lot of frustration for both drivers when you end up crashing.

The key thing here is patience, especially on turns and stretches without too much room. Wait for the right moment before you start passing someone else. You’ll not only win more—you’ll do well with online races and earn respect for clean racing!

Tune Your Car Properly

Upgrading and tuning your cars is one of the most rewarding parts of Forza for me. And it’s much easier to drive a car that handles well.

If you are driving on a circuit with lots of straights and few turns, go heavy on the power upgrades and skimp on tire width and compound.

Shorter circuits with more turns will do better with more grip in the tires and less power upgrades. Makes sense, right?

I typically add chassis upgrades (suspension, anti-roll bars, differentials) and weight reductions since they provide benefits in most race types.

Once you have your upgrades, run your car through a tuning calculator like the free version of ForzaTune (get it for iOS or Android). This ensures that the car is balanced to itself and the new upgrades.

Conclusion

So there you have it, some of my quick Forza Horizon 5 driving tips. I hope this helps you improve your racing skills and enjoy the game even more than before!

If you want to go deeper into race car driving technique click the “Racing School” link in the ForzaTune app, or head on over to my Keys to Speed site.