The Electronics or ECU settings on the MotoGP games can be the source of a little bit of confusion for newbies to these games.

They can be changed from the main bike setup menu (under ECU) before you go to track, but they can also be changed on the fly during races. All the ECU settings available for the class of bike you’re riding are on your HUD at the bottom:

You can use the D-Pad on your controller to move across the settings, and then up/down on the D Pad to increase or decrease them.

• Traction Control (TCS) runs from 1 to 5
• Anti Wheelie (AW) runs from 1 to 5
• Engine braking (EBS) runs from 1 to 5
• Power output (PWR) runs from 1 to 3

Now let’s explain what each setting does in more detail, plus when to change them.

Traction Control (TCS) Explained

The traction control setting controls how much power is delivered to the rear wheel on acceleration. Increasing this setting applies greater modulation and restraint to the way power is delivered, preventing the rear end slipping and losing traction. Decreasing it allows the engine to deliver more power to the rear wheel, but in doing so increases the chance of rear tyre slip (losing traction)

It’s best for newer players to use a higher TC setting when getting used to the game, for easier corner exits. 3 or 4 is a commonly used value for this setting.

Here are some instances when it might make sense to change this setting on your HUD:

• If you can feel the TC is bogging you down on corner exit and costing you time, you can reduce this setting. But if you do this you need to be more progressive on the accelerator out of corners.
• If you keep losing the rear end of the bike, increase the TC setting to gain greater control out of corners at the potential cost of lap time.
• One particular example of losing traction is around prolonged medium or high speed corners at tracks like Phillip Island. If this happens, increase your TC value to 2 or 3 for better traction.

Anti-Wheelie (AW) Settings Explained (MotoGP Bikes Only)

This setting only appears on your HUD for MotoGP class bikes, not Moto2 or Moto3 class. It’s kind of an offshoot to the TC setting, in that it regulates power delivery on corner exit to affect how easy it is for the bike to “wheelie” or the front end to come up on acceleration, throwing you off the bike.

This is more likely to happen if you’ve got the Acceleration Input Modulation assist disabled, plus a lower TC setting, but it’s a real pain on many tracks when riding the powerful MotoGP bikes. The front end of the bike always wants to come up, especially out of slow corners or uphill/downhill ones. But setting this assist to the right level can prevent or reduce the instances of this.

4 or 5 is a common setting for AW, especially for newer players. Reducing it lower than this will potentially allow for better corner exits and better lap times, but you’ll need to modulate the accelerator much more smoothly to prevent the bike doing wheelies. So it depends on skill level and how progressive you are with inputs.

• If you can constantly see the front end of the bike lifting up out of corners and slowing you down, increase your AW setting (on some tracks, even setting it to 5 maximum still causes mini wheelies, but they cost you less time).
• If you’re constantly being thrown off the back of the bike altogether when applying the power out of corners, turn this setting way up, and also consider enabling the Acceleration Input Modulation riding aid if it’s turned off.
• If you’re confident on the accelerator and good at modulating the power delivery, turning this setting down can give you better exits and stronger lap times if you do your corner exits correctly.

Engine Braking (EBS) Setting Explained

This setting provides a braking power vs grip trade-off. Increasing engine braking will increase stopping power but lower grip. Decreasing the setting will reduce braking power but deliver more grip.

3 or 4 is a common starting value for this setting. I’m personally sometimes putting it on 5 right now, as I want maximum stopping power to prevent over-running corners (a common newbies mistake).

• If you want more braking force, increase this setting.
• If your bike skids and slides a lot when braking and cornering, reduce this setting to deliver more grip.
• If your tyres are starting to wear out in a race, also consider reducing your EBS setting on the fly if the bike is swerving and struggling for grip in the corners.

Power Setting (PWR) Explained

The PWR setting is basically analogous to the fuel mix setting you may have seen for other racing games. 1 provides the least power but saves the most fuel, and 3 provides the most power but uses the most fuel. 2 is in the middle.

Therefore you’re basically just regulating this setting as per the fuel you’ve got available in a race, plus possibly turning it up to 3 on long straights. Most players keep it on 2 when going round twisty/tight sections on tracks, and only run max on straights. Leaving it on 3 can deliver too much power and make over-shooting corners more likely in twisty sections, as well as using a lot of fuel.

If your fuel level is low (also shown on the HUD), drop PWR down to 1 to save fuel and get to the end.

Getting Used To These Settings

On the MotoGP 22 game, there’s actually a Tutorial mode to get used to using these settings.

If you have this edition, it’s highly recommended as it shows you kind of a before and after demonstration of how bike handling can change when adjusting these different ECU settings. Otherwise it’s just a matter of testing them out yourself on different game modes.

There’s always a trade-off in these parameters, but in the early days of learning these games, it’s advised to use settings which make it easier to control the bike and lap consistently rather than going for maximum outright pace.

MotoGP 22 ECU Settings:

• Common ECU Settings – 2-4-4-3 or 2-3-3-3
• What I’m most often using right now – 2-5-4-2

MotoGP 23 ECU Settings:

• Beginners level – 5-4-5-2 is what I’m using right now
• Advanced players – 1542 or 2542

The TCS setting is tricky to navigate at first on MotoGP 23. Setting it too low can cause chronic understeer when accelerating out of corners. Keep it high at first; more advanced players may be able to lower it later on.