GTA 5 Metadata Glossary

This page aims to give details on what each attribute means when it comes to GTA 5's vehicle handling files. These explanations can also been seen by clicking the appropriate attribute on a vehicle page on the site.
Written by: Broughy1322, with continued updates from vehicle experts


Handling

fMass

Vehicle mass, in kg. This only impacts collisions, with a higher weight vehicle suffering less from collisions than a lower weight vehicle. It does not impact performance or handling behaviour in any way.

fInitialDragCoeff

Simulates aeodynamic drag casued by air, which higher values meaning the vehicle is more affected and therefore has lower a maximum speed.

fPercentSubmerged

How deep the vehicle can be submerged in water before drowning, as a percent of the model's height.

vecCentreOfMassOffset

Location of the vehicle's centre of mass relative to the centre of the model, in metres, with a value of 0 being in the centre of each axis (x = right/left, y = front/back, z = up/down) and higher values corresponding to right, front, and up respectively.

vecInertiaMultiplier

How hard it is for the vehicle to rotate or stop rotating around each axis (x = pitch, y = roll, z = yaw), with higher values meaning it takes more time to rotate or stop rotating [ie. less responsive]. Essentially the vehicle's feeling of weight, with higher values meaning a more weighty vehicle.

fDriveBiasFront

How engine power is distributed to each axle (front/rear), with a value of 1 giving 100% power to the front wheels (FWD) and 0 giving 100% power to the rear wheels (RWD). As an example, a value of 0.3 means 30% of power goes to the front wheels, with 70% to the rear (AWD). Values greater than 0.9 snap to 1, and values less than 0.1 snap to 0.

nInitialDriveGears

The number of forward gears the vehicle has. All transmission upgrades increase this value by 1. Newer builds (after 1604) support 10 forward gears, with older builds supporting 7.

fInitialDriveForce

The base total force applied by the wheels on the ground. Directly correlated to acceleration with vehicles having a baseline acceleration of approximately 10 * InitialDriveForce m/s2 (with upgrades, gear ratios, drag, etc. affecting this further). Essentially a relative engine torque value, where higher values produce more torque using the formula baseTorqueNm = fInitialDriveForce * fMass. Due to GTA 5's torque curve being flat until 80% RPM (then dropping to 60% torque), higher values here also allow longer/more acceleration and increase top speed.

fDriveInertia

How fast the vehicle's engine will rev, with higher values equating to hitting the redline quicker. Low values reduce acceleration, but high values may not increase acceleration beyond fInitialDriveForce capability.

fClutchChangeRateScaleUpShift

How fast the vehicle's gears will shift up, with higher values equating to shorter shifting times. A value of 1 means the gear will take 0.9 seconds to shift up, with a value of 0.5 meaning it will take 1.8 seconds, a value of 2 taking 0.45 seconds, and so on.

fClutchChangeRateScaleDownShift

How fast the vehicle's gears will shift down, with higher values equating to shorter shifting times. A value of 1 means the gear will take 0.9 seconds to shift up, with a value of 0.5 meaning it will take 1.8 seconds, a value of 2 taking 0.45 seconds, and so on.

fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel

The top speed of the vehicle's engine without external factors, including drag, hills, bumps, or the engine power itself, in km/h. Higher values mean higher in-game top speeds assuming all other factors are equal. Essentially specifies the final drive ratio of the gears.

fBrakeForce

How hard the bite on the brakes is at 100% brake input, with higher values equating to stronger braking.

fBrakeBiasFront

How much braking is done by the vehicle's front wheels and how much by the rear, with a value of 1 meaning only the front brakes are used and 0 meaning only the rear brakes are used. As an example, a value of 0.45 means 45% of the braking is done by the front wheels, with 55% done by the rear.

fHandBrakeForce

The braking force (working identically to fBrakeForce) of the handbrake. The handbrake is on/off unlike regular brakes which can be used for example at half input. Only locks the rear wheels.

fSteeringLock

How much the vehicle's inner wheel will turn when stopped, in degrees. When travelling at higher speeds, steering angle is reduced from this maximum.

fTractionCurveMax

The vehicle's maximum tyre grip (when the wheels are gripping the road surface during cornering and the vehicle is under its own power). The values roughly equate to g's of grip (such that a value of 1 means cornering at 1g).

fTractionCurveMin

The vehicle's minimum tyre grip (when the wheels are sliding beyond their optimum slip angle during cornering, or when the vehicle's wheels are locked due to braking/slipping while accelerating). The values roughly equate to g's of grip (such that a value of 1 means cornering at 1g).

fTractionCurveLateral

The full angular range, in degrees, of the vehicle's slip angle (which is the difference between where the wheel is pointing and where it's actually going). This value is the maximum angle the vehicle's tyre can handle during cornering before the wheels start to slide and revert from fTractionCurveMax to fTractionCurveMin.

fTractionSpringDeltaMax

Determines the distance, in metres, that a vehicle will pull back towards the direction it came from when it becomes completely stationary. A value of 0 equates to a completely hard stop.

fLowSpeedTractionLossMult

How much traction the vehicle loses at low speeds, with higher values meaning the vehicle is more prone to wheelspin at low speeds. An approximate formula for how much traction the vehicle has at low speed is 1 / (1 + fLowSpeedTractionLossMult), so a value of 1 means a car will have around half as much traction at low speed.

fCamberStiffnesss

The lateral force pushing the vehicle towards its roll direction (chassis roll relative to the world), when tires are on the ground.

fTractionBiasFront

How much grip is experienced by the vehicle's front wheels and how much by the rear, with a value of 1 meaning only the front wheels are gripping the road and 0 meaning only the rear wheels. As an example, a value of 0.48 means 48% of the grip is experienced by the front wheels, with 52% experienced by the rear.

fTractionLossMult

How much traction and top speed the vehicle loses when driving on surfaces whose grip multiplier is not 1.0 (the value of normal road), with higher values meaning more traction/speed loss on surfaces such as dirt.

fSuspensionForce

How stiff the vehicle's suspension is, with higher values equating to more stiff suspension.

fSuspensionCompDamp

How the vehicle's suspension is dampened under compression, with higher values equating to suspension compressing faster (giving more direct feeling suspension but more bounce). If this value is set to fSuspensionForce/2 it perfectly cancels the compression in 1 bounce.

fSuspensionReboundDamp

How the vehicle's suspension is dampened under extension, with higher values equating to suspension extending slower (giving more stable suspension and less bounce). If this value is set to fSuspensionForce/2 it perfectly cancels the rebound in 1 bounce.

fSuspensionUpperLimit

The vehicle's maximum suspension travel under compression, in metres, with higher values equating to more travel. Value is relative to the car's rest height which equates to a value of 0 at rest. Combine with fSuspensionLowerLimit for total suspension travel.

fSuspensionLowerLimit

The vehicle's maximum suspension travel under extension, in metres, with higher values equating to more travel. Value is relative to the car's rest height which equates to a value of 0 at rest. Combine with fSuspensionUpperLimit for total suspension travel.

fSuspensionRaise

The vehicle's natural ride height, in metres, with higher values lifting the vehicle higher and negative values lowering the vehicle.

fSuspensionBiasFront

How much suspension stiffness and dampening is experienced by the vehicle's front wheels and how much by the rear, with a value of 1 meaning only the front wheels are receiving suspension effects and 0 meaning only the rear wheels. As an example, a value of 0.50 means 50% of the suspension stiffness is experienced by the front wheels, with 50% experienced by the rear.

fAntiRollBarForce

How strong the vehicle's anti-roll characteristics are, with higher values meaning the vehicle experiences more force on the opposite wheel to that which hits a bump to keep the vehicle upright.

fAntiRollBarBiasFront

How much anti-roll strength is experienced by the vehicle's front wheels and how much by the rear, with a value of 1 meaning only the front wheels are receiving anti-roll effects and 0 meaning only the rear wheels. As an example, a value of 0.49 means 49% of the anti-roll strength is experienced by the front wheels, with 51% experienced by the rear.

fRollCentreHeightFront

The pivot point at which the vehicle's bodyroll happens for the front wheels, in metres, relative to the bottom of the vehicle's wheels (meaning roll centre does not change as suspension moves). If the z axis for vecCentreOfMassOffset is significantly higher than this point, the vehicle will tip over easily, and if lower it will lean inwards like a Tyrus.

fRollCentreHeightRear

The pivot point at which the vehicle's bodyroll happens for the rear wheels, in metres, relative to the bottom of the vehicle's wheels (meaning roll centre does not change as suspension moves). If the z axis for vecCentreOfMassOffset is significantly higher than this point, the vehicle will tip over easily, and if lower it will lean inwards like a Tyrus.

fCollisionDamageMult

Multiplier for how damaged the vehicle will get from collisions, with a value of 1 being default and a value of 0 equating to no damage (only scratches and cracked windows).

fWeaponDamageMult

Multiplier for how damaged the vehicle will get from weapons, with a value of 1 being default (so a value of 0.5 means a bullet with 10 damage will actually deal 5 damage, and a value of 2 means dealing 20 damage).

fDeformationDamageMult

Multiplier for how deformed the vehicle will get from damage, with a value of 1 being default (so a value of 0.5 means half deformation and a value of 2 means double deformation, from the same amount of damage).

fEngineDamageMult

Multiplier for how affected the vehicle's engine will be from damage, with a value of 1 being default (so a value of 0.5 means half as affected and a value of 2 means double affected, from the same amount of damage).

fPetrolTankVolume

Size of the vehicle's fuel tank in litres. Essentially dictates how far the vehicle can travel when leaking petrol before dying, with largery values equating to taking longer to drain.

fOilVolume

Size of the vehicle's oil tank in litres. Engine oil starts leaking if the engine is damaged below 200 health, and will be further damaged when the oil level drops below 25% capacity.

fSeatOffsetDist{X,Y,Z}

Location of the vehicle's driver, in metres, with a value of 0 being where the car's seat is (x = right/left, y = front/back, z = up/down) and higher values corresponding to left, back, and down respectively.

nMonetaryValue

Not well defined.

strModelFlags

Hex values that equate to various attributes related to vehicle model functions (eg. a value of 1 in the second column from the right indicates the vehicle has ABS). Actual attributes listed in Handling Flags section.

strHandlingFlags

Hex values that equate to various attributes related to vehicle handling functions (eg. a value of 2 in the fifth column from the right indicates the vehicle has Tyres Can Clip). Actual attributes listed in Handling Flags section.

strDamageFlags

Hex values that equate to various attributes related to vehicle damage functions (eg. a value of 1 in the first column from the right indicates the vehicle's driver side front door is unbreakable). Actual attributes listed in Handling Flags section.

aiHandling

Tells AI which handling profile to use when driving the vehicle (from AVERAGE, SPORTS_CAR, TRUCK, and CRAP)

strAdvancedFlags

Hex values that equate to various attributes related to experimental vehicle functions (eg. a value of 4 in the seventh column from the right indicates the vehicle does not benefit from having Tyres Can Clip). Actual attributes listed in Handling Flags section.


Model Flags

00000001 - is_van

Uses double door animations for the rear doors.

00000002 - is_bus

Uses bus animations for entry & exit.

00000004 - is_low

Uses animations suitable for cars with a low ride height.

00000008 - is_big

Alters the way the AI drive around corners.

00000010 - abs_std

Arcade style Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) equipped as standard; minimal slip allowed.

00000020 - abs_option

Arcade style Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) equipped with braking upgrade; minimal slip allowed.

00000040 - abs_alt_std

Realistic style Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) equipped as standard; some slip allowed.

00000080 - abs_alt_option

Realistic style Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) equipped with braking upgrade; some slip allowed.

00000100 - no_doors

For vehicles that don't have any openable doors.

00000200 - tandem_seats

Allows two people to use the front passenger seat.

00000400 - sit_in_boat

Uses seated boat animation instead of standing.

00000800 - has_tracks

For vehicles with tracks instead of tyres.

00001000 - no_exhaust

Removes all exhaust particles.

00002000 - double_exhaust

Creates a second exhaust by mirroring the model's exhaust over the y-axis.

00004000 - no_1stperson_lookbehind

Prevents player from using rear-view when in first person mode.

00008000 - can_enter_if_no_door

Allows entry into the vehicle even if there are no currently accessible doors.

00010000 - axle_f_torsion

Front wheels stay vertical to the car.

00020000 - axle_f_solid

Front wheels stay parallel to each other.

00040000 - axle_f_mcpherson

Front wheels can tilt.

00100000 - axle_r_torsion

Rear wheels stay vertical to the car.

00200000 - axle_r_solid

Rear wheels stay parallel to each other.

00400000 - axle_r_mcpherson

Rear wheels can tilt.

00800000 - dont_force_grnd_clearance

Chassis hitbox is taken into account when suspension is compressed while hitting the ground, with sparks rendered.

01000000 - dont_render_steer

Does not render steering animations.

02000000 - no_wheel_burst

Has bulletproof tyres as standard.

04000000 - indestructible

Can't explode or be rendered inoperable from damage.

08000000 - double_front_wheels

Duplicates the skidmarks of the front tyres.

10000000 - is_rc

For RC vehicles; the player model is hidden upon entering.

20000000 - double_rear_wheels

Duplicates the skidmarks of the rear tyres.

40000000 - no_wheel_break

Prevents wheel bones from detatching off the vehicle due to damage.

80000000 - extra_camber

Induces more wheel camber only on vehicles with the has_lowrider_hydraulics meta flag plus hydraulic suspension modkit.


Handling Flags

00000001 - smoothed_compression

Simulates progressive spring suspension, making suspenion compression motion smoother.

00000002 - reduced_mod_mass

Reduces mass added from upgrades.

00000004 - has_kers

Partially enables KERS on the vehicle; disabled horn and shows the recharge bar below the minimap. KERS boost itself still needs to be enabled by the set_vehicle_kers_allowed native.

00000008 - has_rally_tyres

Inverts the way grip works on the vehicle. When enabled, grip starts at the fTractionCurveMin value and may increase up to the fTractionCurveMax value upon wheel slip. Grip stays at max beyond the vehicle's peak slip angle. This means the vehicle will strongly resist sliding and will keep gripping even at extreme angles of slide.

00000010 - no_handbrake

Disables handbrake control for the vehicle.

00000020 - steer_rearwheels

Steers the rear wheels instead of the front.

00000040 - handbrake_rearwheelsteer

Handbrake control makes the rear wheels steer in addition to the front.

00000080 - steer_all_wheels

Steers all wheels, with rear wheels steering at the same lock angle as the front.

00000100 - freewheel_no_gas

Disables engine-braking when no throttle is applied.

00000200 - no_reverse

Disables reversing for the vehicle.

00000400 - reduced_righting_force

Makes the vehicle slower to flip back on its wheels.

00000800 - steer_no_wheels

Disables steering on all wheels, for use with vehicles with tracks.

00001000 - cvt

Gives the vehicle a variable-ratio transmission, for use with vehicles with 1 gear. The vehicle starts with a gear ratio of 5.0 when standing still and decreases as speed increases, ending at a ratio of 0.9 when at 90% of the vehicle's fInitialDriveMaxFlatVel. If there are more than 1 gears, it will force the vehicle into top gear upon acceleration.

00010000 - less_snow_sink

Less grip loss from deep mud or snow, most notably in North Yankton.

00020000 - tyres_can_clip

Allows tyres to clip into the ground when under enough pressure. Effectiveness depends on tyre sidewall, with larger sidewalls (for example off-road tyres) performing better. If 04000000 is applied in strAdvancedFlags, the effect of this flag is tied to the sidewall size of the stock tyres only (disregarding the sidewall of whatever tyre is currently applied).

00100000 - offroad_abilities

Gravity constant increased by 10% to 10.78 m/s2, resulting in increased grip & falling faster when airborne. Also gives a vehicle increased power (around half as much as offroad_abilities_x2).

00200000 - offroad_abilities_x2

Gravity constant increased by 20% to 11.76 m/s2, resulting in increased grip & falling faster when airborne. Also gives a vehicle bush immunity, increased power, and auto-levelling in mid-air.

00400000 - tyres_raise_side_impact_threshold

Includes the tyres in the general collision hitbox of the vehicle, for vehicles whose wheels extend beyond the bodywork.

00800000 - offroad_increased_gravity_no_foliage_drag

Gravity constant increased by 20% to 11.76 m/s2, resulting in increased grip & falling faster when airborne. Also gives a vehicle bush immunity and increased power. Identical to off_road_abilities_x2 without auto-levelling in mid-air. Previously referred to as offroad_abilities_x3.

01000000 - enable_lean

Currently undefined.

02000000 - force_no_tc_or_sc

Allows motorcycles to lose traction.

04000000 - heavyarmour

Currently undefined.

08000000 - armoured

Prevents vehicle doors (including hood and trunk) from opening in collisions.

20000000 - improved_righting_force

Increases force acting on the vehicle when attempting to flip it back on its wheels. Makes it easier to flip back over.

40000000 - low_speed_wheelies

Allows a motorcycle to perform wheelies at very low speeds.

80000000 - last_available_flag

Currently undefined.


Damage Flags

00000001 - driver_side_front_door

Marks the driver side front door (door_dside_f) bone as non-breakable.

00000002 - driver_side_rear_door

Marks the driver side rear door (door_dside_r) bone as non-breakable.

00000004 - driver_passenger_side_front_door

Marks the passenger side front door (door_pside_f) bone as non-breakable.

00000008 - driver_passenger_side_rear_door

Marks the passenger side rear door (door_pside_r) bone as non-breakable.

00000010 - bonnet

Marks the bonnet bone as non-breakable.

00000020 - boot

Marks the boot bone as non-breakable.


Advanced Flags

00000001 - diff_front

Currently undefined. Notes from source code: "If we want torsen diffs they will need to know resistance at the wheel as applying the brakes should apply force back to the wheel on the ground".

00000002 - diff_rear

Currently undefined. Notes from source code: "If we want torsen diffs they will need to know resistance at the wheel as applying the brakes should apply force back to the wheel on the ground".

00000004 - diff_centre

Transfers the drive force from the slipping wheels to the less driven wheels.

00000008 - diff_limited_front

Currently undefined.

00000010 - diff_limited_rear

Currently undefined.

00000020 - diff_limited_centre

Currently undefined.

00000040 - diff_locking_front

Causes the vehicle's front wheels to wheelspin if the player is holding down the handbrake and forwards/backwards keys.

00000080 - diff_locking_rear

Using the handbrake slows the car down more smoothly and often without leaving tyre marks.

00000100 - diff_locking_centre

Currently undefined.

00000200 - gearbox_full_auto

Currently undefined.

00000400 - gearbox_manual

Sets the clutch value to 0.0 when idling.

00001000 - gearbox_electric

Currently undefined.

00002000 - assist_traction_control

Currently undefined. Notes from source code: "Just reduce throttle".

00004000 - assist_stability_control

Currently undefined. Notes from source code: "Apply brakes to individual wheels".

00008000 - allow_reduced_suspension_force

Allows the vehicle to be set to lowered stance in the interaction menu. Requires 04000000 to be applied in strAdvancedFlags in order to function.

00010000 - hard_rev_limit

For most vehicles this flag changes gear shift behaviour to upshift earlier and applies a hard speed limit per gear like a real life gearbox. This stops the vehicle from being able to handbrake boost and from going over the intended top speed of each gear and its ratio (effectively making the vehicle have a hard top speed cap). For vehicles in the Tuners sub-class, this flag only limits the speed in the last two gears (allowing handbrake boosting) and doesn't change gear shift behaviour.

00020000 - hold_gear_with_wheelspin

Makes the vehicle shift later than normal, causing the engine to bounce off the rev limiter before changing gear. Previously referred to as gear_shift_overrev.

00040000 - increase_suspension_force_with_speed

Increases suspension spring force as vehicle goes faster, causing the vehicle to bounce more at high speeds.

00080000 - block_increased_rot_velocity_with_drive_force

Generates fake wheelspin after an instance of real wheelspin. Tyres will stabilise and show 0.0m/s of slip with debugging data, but the traction behaves like it's still spinning. Previously referred to as fake_wheelspin.

00100000 - reduced_self_righting_speed

Reduces force acting on the vehicle when attempting to flip it back on its wheels, making it harder to flip back over.

00200000 - close_ratio_gearbox

Extends the duration of all gears, giving the vehicle longer gear ratios and therefore slower acceleration. Previously referred to as longer_gears.

00400000 - force_smooth_rpm

Smooth revving in first gear, giving the vehicle a resistance to hitting the rev limit. Previously referred to as smooth_1st_gear.

00800000 - allow_turn_on_spot

Allows the vehicles to be rotated left or right while parked on the spot. For vehicles with tracks.

01000000 - can_wheelie

Allows the vehicle to perform a handbrake wheelie. The entire Muscle class is hardcoded to use this flag.

02000000 - enable_wheel_blocker_side_impacts

Makes the wheels much less likely to clip into the ground when the vehicle is tipped over.

04000000 - fix_old_bugs

Limits the effect of the tyres_can_clip flag (00020000 in strHandlingFlags) to where tyre clipping is tied to the sidewall size of the stock tyres only (disregarding the sidewall of whatever tyre is currently applied). Also prevents the suspension from dropping when shooting at the wheels (old method to stance cars). Previously referred to as ignore_tuned_wheels_clip.

08000000 - use_downforce_bias

Changes the way downforce and spoiler turning works, utilising the mechanics found on Open Wheel vehicles. Each spoiler and bumper has to have their affects on downforce be defined by AdvancedData in handling.meta. Previously referred to as open_wheel_downforce.

10000000 - reduce_body_roll_with_suspension_mods

Makes suspension upgrades noticeably affect the body roll of the vehicle, which can also cause the vehicle's grip to change.

20000000 - allows_extended_mods

Enables HSW upgrades for the vehicle defined by AdvancedData in handling.meta. Adds turbo affecting mods for mod slot 20 (VMT_KNOB) parts, and power affecting mods for mod slot 22 (VMT_ICE) parts.

40000000 - removed_flag_31

Currently undefined.

80000000 - removed_flag_32

Currently undefined.