Automobilista 2 is a sim, and it is at its best with a wheel. But you can drive it on a pad, and a lot of people do. The default settings are the problem: the car feels nervous at speed and slow to react in the hairpins. Four sliders fix most of that.
I drive sims with a wheel, so I will not sell you these as my race settings. This is a baseline from the values pad players have published, with what each slider does so you can adjust it for your own thumbs. Checked on 5 October 2026, on the V1.6 builds of the game.
The baseline
Open Options from the main menu and go to the controls section. You want the configuration page, where the deadzones and sensitivities are.
| Setting | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Steering deadzone | 3 | 0 if your stick is new and centres well |
| Steering sensitivity | 30 | Lower makes the centre calmer |
| Throttle deadzone | 0 | |
| Throttle sensitivity | 10 | Up to 30 if the car feels lazy on exit |
| Brake deadzone | 0 | |
| Brake sensitivity | 10 | Gives you most of the trigger for the first half of the brake |
| Clutch deadzone | 10 | Only matters with a manual clutch |
| Clutch sensitivity | 25 | |
| Speed sensitivity | 95 | Lower gives you more steering lock at speed |
| Controller damping | 25 | Higher is smoother and slower |
| Controller vibration | 0 to 40 | To taste. I would start with it off |
| RPM and gear display | Yes |
If you only change two things, change speed sensitivity and controller damping. The rest is fine tuning.
Control scheme
Before the sliders, tell the game what it is talking to. This is on the control scheme page, in the same controls section.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Gamepad |
| Make and model | Your pad, for example Microsoft, Xbox One |
| Calibrate pedals | Do it once: press each trigger all the way and release |
| Automatic clutch | On |
| Gearing | Manual |
| Inverted gearing | No |
Automobilista 2 is a PC game. There is no console version, so "controller" here means a pad plugged into your PC. An Xbox pad is the easy choice because Windows and the game know it out of the box. A PlayStation pad works too. If the buttons are not picked up, run it through Steam Input.
What each slider does
Automobilista 2 is built on the same engine as Project CARS 2, and the pad sliders have the same names. Two of them are not obvious.
Steering deadzone. How far the stick moves before the car reacts. Zero is the most precise. Raise it only when the car turns with your thumb off the stick.
Steering sensitivity. How much steering you get in the first part of the stick travel. At 50 the response is linear. Below 50 the centre is calmer and the lock comes at the end of the travel. A stick has very little travel, and you want most of it for small corrections. That is why 30 works.
Throttle and brake sensitivity. The same idea on the triggers. Lower gives you more control in the first half of the trigger. In a car with no ABS and no traction control, and this game has many, that is where the lap time is.
Speed sensitivity. The faster you go, the less steering lock the game gives you. A higher number takes away more. Too low and the car snaps at 250 km/h. Too high and it will not turn in a fast corner. Most published pad setups sit between 90 and 100.
Controller damping. Smoothing between your thumb and the front wheels. Low is direct, high is smooth. If you are jerky with the stick, go higher. If you are smooth and the car feels late, go lower.
Three setups side by side
There is no single right answer. Here is my baseline next to two pad setups that players have published and that others keep recommending.
| Setting | My baseline | Setup A | Setup B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering deadzone | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering sensitivity | 30 | 0 | 50 |
| Throttle sensitivity | 10 | not given | 50 |
| Brake sensitivity | 10 | not given | 50 |
| Speed sensitivity | 95 | 100 | 96 |
| Controller damping | 25 | 50 | 10 |
Look at the damping row: 25, 50 and 10. Then the steering sensitivity row: 30, 0 and 50. Three people, three different pairs of thumbs.
There is a pattern, though. Nobody goes low on speed sensitivity. And the lower the steering sensitivity, the more damping people run with it. Setup A is the calm one, for long races and fast cars. Setup B is the direct one, for people who are already smooth. Mine sits in the middle, which is where I would start.
Assists on a controller
A trigger has a few centimetres of travel. A brake pedal has a lot more, and you push it with your leg. So on a pad I would not be proud about the aids.
- ABS: on, when the car has it. You can not feel a locking front tyre through a trigger.
- Traction control: on at the start. Turn it down when your exits are clean.
- Stability control: on for the first hours, then off. It hides what the car is doing, and you stop learning.
- Automatic clutch: on.
- Gears: manual. Short shifting out of slow corners is the cheapest traction control there is.
If you set the aids to authentic, each car gets only what the real car has. That is the right way to play the game in the long run, but it means an old Formula car has nothing. On a pad, start with the modern GT cars. They have ABS and traction control in real life, and they forgive you.
If the car does not feel right
Change one value, do five laps with the same car on the same track, then decide. If you change three things at once you will never know which one helped.
| Problem | Change | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The car weaves on the straights | Steering sensitivity down to 20, or damping up to 40 | Small thumb movements do less around the centre |
| Not enough steering in fast corners | Speed sensitivity down to 90 | The game takes away less lock at speed |
| The car snaps in fast corners | Speed sensitivity up to 100 | Less lock at speed, so the same thumb movement is calmer |
| The steering feels late | Controller damping down to 10 | Less smoothing between your thumb and the front wheels |
| I can not catch a slide | Controller damping down, steering sensitivity up to 40 | You need the opposite lock fast, and damping slows it |
| I lock the brakes into every hairpin | Brake sensitivity down, ABS on | More trigger travel before you reach full pressure |
| Wheelspin on every exit | Throttle sensitivity down, traction control on | The first half of the trigger gives less power |
| The car drifts left or right on its own | Steering deadzone up to 5 | The stick no longer returns to a perfect centre |
How to drive it on a pad
Settings are half of it. The other half is your thumbs.
- Brake in a straight line, then release slowly. Coming off the trigger too fast is what unsettles the car, on a pad and in a real car.
- Roll the stick, do not flick it. Push it along the edge of its travel. Fast inputs are what the damping has to clean up.
- One steering input per corner. If you are sawing at the stick, you turned in too early or too fast.
- Squeeze the throttle. Half trigger until the car is straight, then all of it.
- Pick the right car. A GT3 or a touring car is easy on a pad. A 1980s turbo Formula car is not.
More in my Automobilista 2 driving tips.
Will the next update change this?
Maybe. Reiza has announced V1.7 with a big physics revision across most car classes. The last build I could confirm today is V1.6.9.9. The pad sliders do the same job whatever the physics, so the method above stays valid. The numbers may need a few points of adjustment, and I will recheck this page when V1.7 is out.
More Automobilista 2 settings
- Automobilista 2 graphics settings
- Automobilista 2 FOV settings
- Automobilista 2 VR settings
- Automobilista 2 wheel and FFB settings, for the day you move to a wheel
- Steering wheels for Automobilista 2
Coming from the older game on the same engine? The logic is the same as in my Project CARS 2 controller settings.
FAQ
Can you play Automobilista 2 with a controller?
Yes. It is a sim and a wheel is better, but with the right sensitivity and damping it is very playable on a pad.
What are the best controller settings for Automobilista 2?
Start with steering deadzone 3, steering sensitivity 30, throttle and brake sensitivity 10, speed sensitivity 95 and controller damping 25. Then tune speed sensitivity and damping to your hands.
What does speed sensitivity do in Automobilista 2?
It reduces the steering lock as the speed goes up. A higher value takes away more lock. Lower it if the car will not turn in fast corners.
What does controller damping do?
It smooths your stick inputs. Low is direct, high is smooth. Raise it if the car weaves, lower it if the steering feels late.
Which controller is best for Automobilista 2?
An Xbox pad is the simplest, because the game and Windows recognise it right away. A PlayStation pad works as well, through Steam Input if needed.
Is Automobilista 2 on PS5 or Xbox?
No. It is a PC game. You can use a console controller, but only on a PC.
Should I use assists on a controller?
Yes. ABS and traction control on where the car has them. Stability control only while you learn the car.