How to Quickly Calculate Your Fuel in ACC

Calculating the perfect starting fuel load for your race in Assetto Corsa Competizione can be complex. Here is a quick and easy way to find the perfect starting fuel in ACC and calculate the number of pit stops required in seconds.

Free Fanatec Shipping On All Orders. Plus all wheel bases now come with a QR2 quick release as standard.
Shop Fanatec EU Shop Fanatec US
ACC how to calculate fuel for race

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We earn a commission from any sale after clicking an affiliate link. Find out more.

Subscribe to get a 10% discount on your first setup purchase, and the latest sim racing guides in your inbox.

There are a lot of things to think about when progressing through a race weekend. One thing that can be easily overlooked and give you a headache before a race is calculating your starting fuel before a race in ACC.

Thankfully, this is a task that is easily worked out and streamlined. Our handy ACC fuel calculator is capable of showing you exactly how much fuel to start any race with using any car or track. It will also show you how many pit stops you’ll need and factor in formation laps.

In this guide, I’ll look at how to use our ACC fuel calculator. I’ll also look at ways of managing your fuel and getting a better understanding of what affects how much fuel you use during a race.

The importance of correctly calculating your fuel before a race

If you’ve been sim racing long enough, we all have experience of starting a race with the wrong fuel load. It’s a mistake that can cost you a lot of time in a race. Starting with too little fuel can result in the need for an extra pit stop, which will almost certainly ruin your race. If you start with too much fuel, you will be slower each lap compared to using the optimum fuel level. This is due to the added weight of the fuel you’re carrying with the excess fuel.

With so many pit falls, it can be very hard to judge how much fuel to correctly start a race with. This is true of any racing sim, including Assetto Corsa Competizione. When setting up your car’s fuel in ACC, you can find your fuel level along with some helpful information in the “Fuel & Strategy” tab of the car setup menu.

This screen shows your current fuel level, how much fuel you are using per lap, and your maximum fuel capacity. These are all important factors when calculating the perfect fuel for a race in ACC.

ACC Fuel and Strategy

The fastest way of calculating starting fuel in ACC & iRacing

Our race fuel calculator is the fastest method of calculating the ideal fuel for ACC and other racing sims, including iRacing. This calculator uses the information that can be found in the “Fuel & Strategy” in ACC to quickly calculate how much fuel is required.

There are a few pieces of information that are required to calculate your fuel usage for an entire race. These include;

  • Race time: This is the complete duration of your race from start to finish. It’s available before the start of any race in ACC, or during the race weekend set up screen.
  • Average lap time: This is the average lap time across a race stint. This can be found by putting in a few laps during practice or qualifying. You can view this information on your HUD in ACC or on your car’s in-game dashboard.
  • Fuel per lap: The fuel per lap figure is how much fuel you’re using each lap during an average run. This can be found in the fuel & strategy part of your car setup or on the in-game dashboard.
  • Fuel tank capacity: To calculate how many pit stops you’ll need, you will need to know your fuel tank capacity. This can be found by filling your car with maximum fuel and seeing your fuel level in game. This isn’t required if you’re running a shorter race where pit stops aren’t required.
  • Total laps: If you are about to start a race with a set number of laps rather than a timed race. You’ll need to know the lap count.

With all of the information above, you can head over to our ACC fuel calculator to input these variables. Our calculator will show your total fuel consumption during the race along with how many pit stops you’ll need to make it to the end.

ACC Fuel Calculator

How to calculate your own fuel load

While our fuel calculator does take care of the math involved with calculating fuel loads in ACC, I do want to break down the math and show you how to calculate your own fuel load.

By using the formula below, you can quickly work out the rough fuel required for any race. Our own fuel calculator does take into account a few additional factors. However, this calculation will provide a pretty accurate estimate of fuel usage.

  • ((Race Duration*60) / Average Lap Time) = Estimated total laps for the race
  • Total Laps*Fuel Usage Per Lap = Estimated total fuel usage for the entire race
  • Total Race Fuel / Fuel Tank Capacity = Number of pit stops required

Using each of the three calculations above will let you find out various information about your race strategy. If you are taking part in a race with a set number of laps, you can skip the first calculation.


How do I know how much fuel to put in before a race?

Before any race it is important to check your fuel level as a misscalculation can cost a lot of time in the race. There are two ways of finding how much fuel to put into your car before a race in Assetto Corsa Competizione.

  1. Use our ACC fuel calculator (The quickest option)
  2. Calculate the fuel manually (Using our formula above)

I’d highly recommend using our pre-built ACC fuel calculator, as it’s the fastest way to calculate the amount of fuel required. It also factors in elements such as pit stops and formation laps.


What factors affect fuel usage in ACC?

When racing in ACC or any racing sim, there are various factors that all affect your fuel usage. Learning what these factors are can really help you better manage your fuel usage during a race. This is a good skill to master as you can use these tips to reduce the amount of times you pit during a race, or to gain an advantage over pit strategy.

Car setup

Outside of your fuel strategy, other parts of your car setup can affect how much fuel you use each lap. Changing your suspension setup can have the biggest impact. Less camber for example will increase the tyre contact patch, increasing friction. More toe can also add friction and drag, slowing your car but increasing fuel consumption.

Also, adding downforce will increase fuel consumption as it will increase the air resistance, which works in a very similar way to road friction.

Get the perfect ACC car setups

Our expert ACC car setups have been optimised to provide the fastest car in all situations. All of our car setup bundles include fast qualifying setups, consistent race setups, wet setups and LFM BoP car setups. Our setups are updated each week and are the perfect place to get an advantage over your competition.

How hard your pushing

The first, and possibly most impactful element that affects fuel usage in ACC is just how fast your driving. Your speed is a key factor in fuel usage. If you are on the throttle more throughout a lap than you would be if you weren’t pushing, or compared to a slower driver, you will use more fuel.

During a race in ACC, there will be moments when you push harder and others when you focus more on consistency. During the laps where you push harder, your fuel consumption will increase. It is important that when performing any fuel calculation, you factor in your average fuel consumption across push laps and slower laps.

Track and weather conditions

One factor that affects fuel consumption which is out of our control is the weather and track conditions. When racing ACC in single player, you can choose your conditions, however, if you compete online in an Assetto Corsa Competizione LFM series, you have no control over the conditions.

Colder weather conditions can reduce the amount of fuel you consume, meaning evenng and night races will often yield better fuel consumption compared to races in the middle of the day.

Racing in wet conditions will also reduce fuel consumption in ACC. This is because you are likely to be using the throttle much more conservatively to avoid wheel spin and oversteer. Reducing the throttle usage will lower your average fuel consumption per lap.

Engine maps

One way to affect your fuel usage each lap is to adjust your engine map during a race in Assetto Corsa Competizione. Your engine map dictates how much fuel is used at any time, and can be a good way of increasing your car’s performance or managing your fuel consumption.

ACC Engine Map ECUMap

Most GT3 and GT2 cars in Assetto Corsa Competizione have 8 engine maps, although this does differ from car to car. Below is an overview of how most car’s engine maps work in ACC;

  • Engine map 1: Most aggressive and fastest engine map. Highest fuel consumption.
  • Engine map 2: Slower than map 1. Average fuel consumption.
  • Engine map 3: Slower than map 1. Average fuel consumption. Different throttle map compared to map 2.
  • Engine map 4: Slowest engine map. Least fuel consumption.
  • Engine map 5: Fastest wet engine map. Highest engine consumption.
  • Engine map 6: Slower than wet map 5. Lower fuel consumption.
  • Engine map 7: Slower than wet map 5. Lower fuel consumption. Different throttle map compared to map 6.
  • Engine map 8: Pace car engine map to be used during pace car situations.

Engine maps aren’t always universal, as some cars have the standard 8 maps, while others have a different number of maps. The Ferrari 296 GT3 and 488 GT3 Evo for example have 12 engine maps, while the Nissan GT-R only has 4.

Engine maps for all cars

Each car in ACC has different engine map settings, and this can cause a headache when switching cars. Typically, the lower numbered engine maps will provide the fastest car with the highest fuel consumption. As you increase your engine map, you start by progressing through the different dry engine maps, before getting to the wet engine maps and the final pace car engine map.

To find out the exact engine maps for every car in Assetto Corsa Competizione, you can reference this guide by the developers themselves.


Grab Your Sim Racing Gear Here

You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.


Frequently asked questions

What is the quickest way to calculate fuel for timed race?

With timed races, as long as you know the duration, along with your average lap time and fuel consumption, our fuel calculator will quickly show you the best fuel load to use.

Can I just use AutoFuel in iRacing?

AutoFuel is a feature in iRacing that automatically adds the correct amount of fuel to your car during a pit stop. It uses your existing lap data to calculate your fuel levels until the end of the race and automatically gives you that much fuel. This is a really handy tool to use and works in a similar way to our ACC fuel calculator. The problem with AutoFuel is that it doesn’t tell you how much fuel you’ll receive, and this can affect your race strategy and plan on how much time you spend in the pits.

Does track selection affect starting fuel amount?

Our ACC fuel calculator doesn’t require you to input the track you are racing at. You can use our fuel calculator with any car and track combination by entering your average lap time and fuel usage each lap. The calculations factor in the different lengths of the lap to show how much fuel you require.

Do engine maps affect how much fuel is needed?

The different engine maps in ACC will adjust how much fuel is consumed each lap. When calculating your starting fuel load before a race in ACC, it is important that you use information from previous laps using the same engine map that you plan on using during the race. Using a different engine map will cause the calculation to be incorrect.

Author Profile Picture

Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. We may earn commission from any sale after clicking a link. Read our affiliate policy.
F1 24 Game Logo

The Best Racing Wheels F1 24

PS5 logo

The Best Racing Wheels For PS5