Modding in GTA 5, especially vehicles in general, and cars, in particular, is a popular choice among players.
Mods and add-ons allow you to take control of real-life cars, replace the default vehicles with newer ones, or transform them into high-speed beasts.
However, learning how to mod cars in GTA 5 can be a bit challenging, and you must be careful to avoid making serious errors during the process.
In this post, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide to mod cars in GTA 5.
Table of Contents
How to Mod Cars In GTA 5 (Step-by-Step)
In GTA 5, car mods come in various types, including:
- Add-ons: introduce new cars to the game world.
- Replace mods: Replace default vehicles with new ones.
- Livery mods: Alter or refresh a vehicle’s appearance.
- Sound mods: Change or replace vehicle sounds.
- Handling mods: Offer in-depth customization of a car’s statistics.
- Wheel mods: Apply the new wheels to the cars.
Each type of mod has a different installation process, and if you install them incorrectly, it can lead to crashes and issues. Therefore, before installing any mods, it’s advisable to create a backup of your GTA 5 files.
On top of that, you need to install some applications and tools in advance so that the mods can work properly. In that case, check out this post, download, and install all the recommended tools before installing car mods.
Here’s the list of required tools and applications for car mods in GTA 5:
- Scrip Hook V
- Script Hook V .NET
- Menyoo Mod
- OpenIV
- Game Config
- Heap Limit Adjuster
- Add-On Vehicle Spawner
Now, let’s dive deep into the world of cars in GTA 5!
There are many mod sources on the Internet, but we suggest checking their credibility first to avoid containing viruses or malware. Nexus mods and GTA5mods are our recommendations.
1. How to Install Car Add-ons
Vehicle add-ons are also the most popular mods for GTA 5. Before downloading the vehicle mods, you must read their title or introduction or the ReadMe file to ensure that those mods are add-on types.
Navigate through the mod choices on the mod website and choose any mod you’d like, as long as it includes “add-ons” in its name or supports add-ons according to its instructions. For example, our pick is the BMW X6M F16.
Download and extract the file. Go to the Add-on folder, select “x64” => “dlcpacks” => “x6m”.
Cope the x6m folder to this path using OpenIV (you must enable Edit mode first): mods\update\x64\dlcpacks.
In the OpenIV window, go to mods\update\update.rpf\common\data, find the dlclist.xml, right-click, and select “Edit”.
Scroll down to the bottom of the file, beyond the </path>, and insert this line: “<Item>dlcpacks:\add-on name\</item>“.
In this case, the name of the add-on is x6m, so the line is “<Item>dlcpacks:\x6m\</item>”.
Click “Save” to finish the step, open GTA 5, and use the Menyoo mod or Add-On Vehicle Spawner to spawn the BMW X6M F16.
2. How to Install Car Replace Mods
When you install replacement car mods in GTA 5, you aim to swap out the default cars for new ones.
Replace car mods doesn’t increase the total number of cars in the game. Instead, it ensures that all pedestrians in GTA 5 drive the new cars rather than just your protagonists.
Caution: You mustn’t replace the default protagonist’s cars with the new ones, as errors and crashes might occur during some missions.
Similar to installing add-ons, you must first check whether the car you want to add is a replace mod. Our pick is the 2017 Bugatti Chiron.
Next, you must read the instructions or the ReadMe file to find out which default car is being replaced. In this case, the 2017 Bugatti Chiron replaces the Nero in GTA 5.
Download the mod and extract the Replace folder. Open OpenIV and go to this path: “mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\MODDING\dlc.rpf\x64\levels\gta5\vehicles\vehicles.rpf\”, then copy all the files from the Replace folder into it.
Open GTA 5, use the Menyoo mod to spawn the Nero, and check the difference!
3. How to Change Car Livery
Livery mods in GTA 5 serve the purpose of changing or updating the appearance of a specific vehicle. These mods allow players to customize the look of their cars by adding unique liveries, designs, colors, and decals.
You can use the search button on the GTA5mods website, or use the Paint Job button to navigate through the choices of liveries and select what you want. Our choice is the Honda Civic Type-R(FK8).
Since we haven’t installed this car yet, we need to do it first so that the livery can be applied.
Download the 2018 Honda Civic Type-R, then follow our add-on installation guide to add it to your game. Open GTA 5 and spawn it to ensure the add-on works appropriately.
Extract the livery file. You may have 2 types of livery files: PNG and YTD. Here’s how to install each of them:
- For the *.ytd file, simply drag and drop it to the file path: \mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\<vehicle name>\dlc.rpf\x64\vehicles.rpf\.
- For the *png file, you need to open *.ytd in the file path first, then drag and drop all the png in.
In our case, the livery mod is *.ytd file, so we have to drop it to the file path \mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\fk8\dlc.rpf\x64\vehicles.rpf\.
Open GTA 5 once again, use the Menyoo mod, and select “Vehicle Options” => “Menyoo Customs” => “Livery” to change the livery.
4. How to Install Car Sound Mod
The car sound mod simply replaces the default sound of a specific car in GTA 5 with others (both default cars and add-ons), making driving more exciting.
Similar to the mods above, you must first explore the sound mods via the mod website, read the instructions carefully, and find the one you want to install.
Since all the add-on cars have their customized sound, which are applied automatically after installation, we’ll guide you on changing the default sound of the vanilla cars with new ones.
Our choice is the Engine Sound Upgrade Pack, which replaces the sound of the T20, Feltzer, and Elegy, as shown in its instructions.
For example, we’ll change only the sound of the Felzer in GTA 5. After downloading and extracting the file, copy the vehicles.meta from the “Supra” folder to this path using OpenIV: “mods\update\update.rpf\common\data\levels\gta5”
Open GTA 5, spawn the Sultan,and enjoy the sound of the Toyota Supra!
5. How to Install Handling Mods
In GTA 5, the purpose of handling mods is mainly to enhance the performance of the cars, including speed, acceleration, steering, and more.
There are lots of options for handling mods in GTA 5. They consist of handling customization for all vanilla vehicles, handling for a specific add-on car, or handling for a pack of cars. Generally, it’s up to you.
Our pick for the handling mod is the Koenigsegg Regera Real Handling, which improves the performance of the Koenigsegg Regera.
In case you haven’t installed the Koenigsegg Regera in our GTA 5, you can download and install it from here.
Open GTA 5 and spawn the car, make sure there’s no error, then you can drive it for a while so that you can realize the improvement after installing the handling mod.
Now exit GTA 5, then open OpenIV and go to this path: “mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\Koenigsegg\dlc.rpf\data”, and replace the handling.meta file from the handling mod to this folder.
Open GTA 5, spawn the Koenigsegg Regera, and feel the speed demon.
6. How to Install Wheel Mods
As its name implies, the purpose of wheel mods is to change the wheel design of cars, especially the default ones, which are unattractive.
First, head to the GTA 5 mod websites and find the wheel you’d love to add to your GTA 5. For example, the Ambient Mafia Wheel Pack.
The Ambient Mafia Wheel Pack simply adds new wheels for every car, regardless of their class.
Download and extract the mod, then use OpenIV and go to this path: “mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\patchday22ng\dlc.rpf\x64\levels\patchday22ng\vehiclemods\wheels_mods.rpf” and paste all the files from the mod folder into it.
Open GTA 5, and use the Menyoo mod to spawn any car, then go to “Menyoo Customs” => “Wheels” =>”Sports” and navigate until you find the right one.
Press “Enter” to apply it, and be ready to get attention from the pedestrians.
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