Fine-tuning your car’s gear ratios is one of the most important skills to master in Gran Turismo 6. Whether you’re looking for lightning-fast acceleration out of corners or maximizing top-end speed on long straights, the right gear setup can transform your performance. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about gear tuning, from using the sliders effectively to applying the legendary “gear trick” — a technique that’s been around since Gran Turismo 2 and still works in GT6.

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Understanding the Gear Setup Screen

In GT6, your gear tuning screen includes three core sliders:

1. Individual Gear Sliders – For adjusting each gear’s specific ratio.
2. Final Drive Slider – Controls the overall spread of gear ratios.
3. Max Speed (Auto Setup) Slider – Automatically adjusts all gears based on the desired top speed.

The goal is to find the sweet spot between minimizing RPM drops between shifts (for consistent power) and retaining enough top-end speed for straightaways. The closer the RPM drops are between gears, the faster the car can accelerate — a setup referred to as close gearing.

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Controlling Wheelspin and Launch Behavior

One major advantage of gear tuning is its effect on launch performance. Many powerful cars will wheelspin at full throttle from a standstill, especially with traction control off or set low. To reduce this:

• Lengthen first gear. This smooths out launches and minimizes wasted torque.
• Use a longer final drive ratio to space out gears more evenly.

With a proper setup, your car can launch cleanly, minimizing traction loss while still surging forward efficiently.

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Performing the Gear Trick: Step-by-Step

The gear trick is a proven method for getting close gears with a stretched top speed — the best of both worlds. Here’s how to do it:

1. Slide Final Drive all the way to the right.
2. Set Max Speed (Auto Setup) Slider to 1.
   • This recalculates the gear ratios to bring them closer together.
3. Now slide Final Drive back to the left.
   • This stretches out the entire gearbox, increasing your top speed.

At this point, your gear ratios are recalculated with tight RPM drops and decent top-end potential.

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Setting Up Individual Gears

For a balanced setup that works across most vehicles:

• 1st Gear – All the way left
• 2nd Gear – ~45% right
• 3rd Gear – ~75% right
• 4th & 5th Gear – All the way right

This pattern ensures consistent RPM drops while keeping enough room for top-end speed.

If you’re driving a six-speed car with a manual transmission, an even tighter pattern can be used:

• Sacrifice 2nd gear by setting it far left
• Shift from 1st to 3rd quickly to reduce wheelspin

This allows first gear to act as a launch-only gear, ideal for rolling starts or drag scenarios.

Important: Never touch the Max Speed slider again once you’ve done the trick. Doing so will force a recalculation and undo your custom ratios. From this point on, only use the Final Drive slider to make adjustments.

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Testing and Fine-Tuning

Before jumping into a race, run your car through the Machine Test (ideally with traction control off or set to 1). Watch for:

• Excessive wheelspin off the line
• Smooth, consistent acceleration
• RPM stability through gears
• Whether top speed fits your track’s requirements

Also, factor in your engine’s power band — the range between peak torque and peak power. Try to keep shifts within that zone. Manual shifting helps, especially if your engine delivers torque after or before redline.

Upgrades like turbos and superchargers can shift your power band, so be prepared to adjust your ratios accordingly after making any performance changes.

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Game-Specific Notes

• In GT6, the Auto Setup slider is labeled as “Max Speed,” but the trick works exactly the same as in earlier games.
• The same method applies in Gran Turismo 2, 3, 5, and beyond — though GT3 requires dragging the auto slider all the way right first due to a calculation glitch.
• Slider layouts may vary slightly across games, but the principle remains consistent.

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Final Thoughts

Tuning gears isn’t just about raw speed — it’s about control, stability, and acceleration where it matters most. The gear trick offers a reliable, adaptable framework for making your vehicle faster in almost every situation.

So the next time your lap times feel sluggish or your launch struggles, pop open the gearbox tuning screen, apply this method, and let your drivetrain do the heavy lifting.