Arma Reforger is taking a much more serious step toward rally simulation ahead of its upcoming Rally DLC. Bohemia Interactive has added full steering-wheel support, Force Feedback and a major rewrite of its vehicle physics to the Steam Experimental branch, including a custom Pacejka tire model, Ackermann steering, revised drivetrain simulation and support for clutch and gear-shifter inputs. The Rally DLC itself remains listed as Coming Soon, but the latest Experimental updates provide a much clearer picture of how Bohemia intends its new driving content to work.
The changes arrived across Experimental updates 1.9.0.5 and 1.9.0.9, released on September 15 and September 18 respectively. Although these systems affect Arma Reforger’s wider vehicle simulation rather than being exclusive to the Rally DLC, their timing is particularly relevant given Bohemia’s upcoming move into dedicated rally racing.
Arma Reforger Rally will introduce three competition cars, six rally stages across the game’s three islands, configurable race conditions and a ghost representing the current best time. Bohemia has still not announced a final release date or price for the DLC.
Arma Reforger Adds Full Wheel and Force Feedback Support
Experimental Update 1.9.0.5 introduces what Bohemia officially describes as full steering wheel support. That includes steering, accelerator, brake, clutch and gear-shifter inputs, accompanied by Force Feedback specifically for racing wheels.
This is a major change from the situation when Rally was first revealed, when wheel and FFB support had not been confirmed. Arma Reforger can now communicate steering forces through compatible hardware rather than relying exclusively on controller vibration or conventional analogue steering.
Bohemia has also added gear positions one through six and neutral to the input system, alongside engine and suspension feedback effects. Strong gear-grinding Force Feedback can also be generated when the transmission is forced in the opposite direction at excessive speed.
The September 18 Experimental 1.9.0.9 update goes further by adding a dedicated Joystick/Wheel/Pedal binding settings tab. Players can also manually select the Force Feedback device ID through the Controllers menu, which should make more complex PC sim racing configurations easier to manage.
However, the current implementation still has known issues. Bohemia says the clutch keybind is currently missing, gear bindings do not work correctly and some vehicles can become stuck repeatedly shifting up and down. These problems are marked for correction in a future Experimental version.
New Pacejka Tire Model and Reworked Vehicle Physics
Wheel support is only part of the update. Bohemia has substantially rewritten Arma Reforger’s underlying vehicle simulation, including the engine, clutch, differential and wheel systems.
One of the biggest additions is a custom Pacejka tire model for all vehicles. Pacejka-style mathematical tire models are widely used to describe how tire forces change with slip angle, longitudinal slip and load, giving the simulation more sophisticated tools for calculating grip than a simpler fixed-friction system.
The new vehicle simulation also introduces:
- Ackermann steering geometry
- Camber and toe simulation
- Caster and steering-axis inclination support
- Inter-axle differential simulation
- Engine compression braking
- Reworked engine, clutch, differential and wheel simulation
- Engine stalling after incorrect clutch release
- Improved on-road and off-road tire behavior
- Vehicle self-steering caused by slopes
Bohemia’s modding tools now expose additional tire-model options, including Pacejka 2002 MF5.2 and Pacejka 94 implementations. Tire tread can also influence the transition between on-road and off-road friction coefficients, an especially relevant change for rally stages that move between different surfaces.
These additions do not automatically turn Arma Reforger into a dedicated rally simulator. They do, however, represent a considerably deeper vehicle-physics foundation than would be required for a simple arcade-style racing mode.
Skid Marks, Tire Smoke, Mud and Surface Effects
The visual simulation is changing alongside the physics.
Experimental 1.9.0.5 adds skid marks when vehicle wheels are slipping, support for tire smoke and burnout effects, vehicle trails and different particle behavior depending on surface conditions.
Vehicles can now collect dust or mud based on their environment, with rain and driving through water able to clean the vehicle. Wet surfaces can also generate mud particles instead of the conventional dust effect. That should be particularly relevant to Rally’s mixed-surface stages. Surface condition becomes more than a visual backdrop when combined with the revised tire model and new tread-dependent friction parameters.
The September 18 update continued refining this area with smoother wheel-friction balancing and corrections for vehicles that could drift toward one side at higher speeds. It also fixed situations where the clutch could become stuck at a low input value.
What This Means for Arma Reforger Rally
The timing strongly aligns the new driving systems with Bohemia’s upcoming Rally content, although it is important to distinguish between the two.
The wheel, Force Feedback and vehicle-physics changes are part of the Arma Reforger Experimental branch. Bohemia has not described them as features exclusive to the Rally DLC, and the systems apply more broadly to wheeled vehicles throughout the game.
What they provide is the technical foundation Rally needs.
The DLC will feature three purpose-built rally versions of existing civilian vehicles:
- Šárka 105 RS
- Sputnik 600 RS
- Dana 2001 RS
Steam describes each car as having different braking, handling and breakaway characteristics. Six rally stages will be spread across Arland, Kolguyev and Everon, with configurable conditions and a ghost system for comparing times.
Bohemia has also started integrating assets connected with this wider vehicle work. Experimental 1.9.0.5 added Rally posters, while 1.9.0.9 introduced the civilian Sputnik T601 and Dana VAZ 2101 to the sandbox and randomized Conflict vehicle spawns.
Those civilian vehicles should not be confused with the dedicated Sputnik 600 RS and Dana 2001 RS competition cars included in Rally.
Wheel Support Is Still Experimental
The biggest caveat for sim racing users is that none of this should yet be treated as finished stable-branch wheel support.
Bohemia specifically released these features through the Steam Experimental application. The current main version of Arma Reforger has not yet received the complete 1.9 vehicle simulation package.
There is also no official model-by-model list identifying supported Fanatec, Logitech, Thrustmaster, MOZA, SIMAGIC or other wheelbases. The addition of a selectable Force Feedback device ID and separate wheel/pedal configuration menu is promising for users with multiple USB devices, but real hardware compatibility will still need to be tested.
The existing input bugs are another reason not to describe Rally’s wheel implementation as complete. Bohemia is clearly still refining gear, clutch and Force Feedback behavior before the systems move beyond Experimental.
Arma Reforger Rally Release Date
Arma Reforger – Rally still has no confirmed release date.
The Steam store continues to list the DLC as Coming Soon, and Bohemia has not announced a final price. It requires the base Arma Reforger game and is currently listed as a single-player DLC with full controller support.
What has changed is the technical context surrounding the release.
When Rally was originally revealed, wheel support and Force Feedback remained unanswered questions. Following Experimental 1.9.0.5 and 1.9.0.9, Bohemia has now officially implemented both while simultaneously introducing a significantly more advanced vehicle simulation.
The remaining question is when those changes will graduate from Experimental to the main game and how well the new Force Feedback translates to current sim racing hardware. With a Pacejka tire model, revised drivetrain physics, clutch and shifter support and dedicated wheel configuration now being actively tested, Arma Reforger Rally is becoming a considerably more serious driving project than its initial announcement suggested.
See you on the track!
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