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How to Prevent Overheating in Iracing

Practical guide for iRacing drivers on how to prevent overheating in iRacing. Fix engine, brake, tire, and PC heat fast with clear steps and settings and tips.

If your car or PC is running hot in iRacing, the fix is usually simple: manage airflow and load. This guide shows you how to prevent overheating in iracing with quick setup tweaks, driving adjustments, and a few PC settings so you can race hard without cooking your gear or your engine.

Quick Answer: how to prevent overheating in iracing

Open cooling (less grille tape, more radiator/brake duct), drive a touch smoother (short-shift, avoid sitting in dirty air, stop dragging brakes), and cap GPU load (lower heavy graphics and limit FPS). Watch temps on the dash and back off for a lap if they spike.

What’s Really Going On

Overheating in iRacing shows up in two places:

In the car: Engine temps climb in traffic, brakes fade after heavy use, and tires overheat from sliding. Fixed setups can make this worse because you can’t change cooling.
On your PC: High graphics load, dust, or poor airflow push CPU/GPU temps up, causing stutters or throttling that feels like lag or micro-freezes.

The goal: reduce heat input and improve cooling, both in your iRacing setup and your PC setup.

Step-by-Step Fix

Open the cooling on the car
In the Garage (open setup races), reduce grille/radiator tape and open brake ducts a click or two. For fixed setups, skip this and use the driving tips below.
Manage draft and revs
In packs, leave a small gap or move half a lane for cleaner air. Short-shift out of slow corners and avoid bouncing off the limiter or downshifting too early.
Protect the brakes
Add a small brake deadzone so you’re not resting on the pedal. If allowed, move brake bias slightly forward to keep rears cooler, and ease off trail braking on long stints.
Keep tires in the window
Be smooth with steering and throttle to stop slides. If you can, lower tire pressures a click for stability—but don’t go so low you lose support on long runs.
Reduce GPU/CPU heat in iRacing settings
Cap FPS (e.g., 120 on monitor, 90 in VR). Lower heavy hitters: shadows, reflections, mirrors, particles, and number of cars. Turn down supersampling/render scale in VR.
Improve PC airflow and monitoring
Clean dust filters, ensure front-to-back airflow, and set sensible fan curves. Monitor temps with a tool (e.g., MSI Afterburner). Aim GPU < 85°C, CPU < 90°C under load.

Extra Tips / Checklist

Watch water/oil, brake, and tire temps on the in-car dash or black boxes; take an easy lap if they spike.
On ovals, don’t sit bumper-to-bumper for laps; pop out to cool the engine.
Laptops: use a cooling pad and avoid soft surfaces that block vents.
Hot tracks heat everything—expect to manage temps more than on cool days.
In endurance stints, plan periodic “reset” laps: lift earlier, short-shift, and cool brakes on straights.

FAQs

How do I know my engine is overheating in iRacing?
Watch the water/oil readouts on your dash. Sustained high temps, warning lights, or sudden power loss mean you need clean air and a cooldown lap.
Does drafting cause overheating?
Yes. Tucked-up drafting cuts airflow through the radiator. Leave a small gap or step out briefly to cool the car, especially on ovals and in traffic trains.
Which iRacing settings cut PC heat fastest?
FPS cap first, then lower shadows, reflections, mirrors, and particle effects. Reducing the number of visible cars also drops GPU load quickly.
What if I’m in a fixed setup and still overheat?
Use clean air, short-shift, and brake a touch earlier to cool things down. If it’s a known hot car/track combo, manage pace early to avoid late-run fade.

Short Wrap-Up

Most heat problems come from too much load and not enough airflow. Open cooling when allowed, drive smoothly, and trim your iRacing settings to cap GPU load. Try these changes in your next session and watch your temps—and lap times—stabilize.