Beta Judd V8 and drift suspension for bolide 1.1

Recent Reviews

1. 
   DC..78

   5/5,

   Version: 1.1

   This mod is done really well! The sounds are also amazing, but I do have a few suggestions. The real Judd 4.0 V8 revs to 9900-11000 RPM, so a Judd ECU would be a good option. Also, the 4.0 Judd V8 IRL makes 670bhp, and this one doesnt. I dont know how hard it is to do that but these additions would be greatly appreciated. Despite my words, the mod is absolutely fine already.

   Jun 2, 2026
2. 
   Theproga

   5/5,

   Version: 1.1

   Disclaimer: Static analysis of the files and structure against BeamNG documentation, not in-game observation. Conclusions are evidence-based from the files; in-game testing and the log are the final confirmation.
   
   What this mod is
   A Bolide engine swap: bolide_engine_judd.jbeam (4.0L Judd V8), a sequential transmission, a sticker/livery pack, a 9-sample RPM engine sound (judd_v8.sfxBlend2D.json + WAVs), and a ready-made "Judd Drift" demo configuration.
   What's good
   
   Engine sound is properly done: the sfxBlend2D references nine per-RPM WAV samples (1000–9100 rpm) and all of those WAV files are actually included (11 files present). This is the right way to ship a custom engine note, and many mods get it wrong by omitting the samples.
   Three of four jbeam files are clean (bolide_glass_sticker, bolide_nugget_pack, bolide_sequential) — brackets balanced, no missing-comma corruption.
   Config info_Judd Drift.json is valid and richly filled (performance stats, drag times, bounding box).
   Mod info.json is valid.
   
   CRITICAL findings
   1. bolide_engine_judd.jbeam has an unbalanced brace (extra })
   The engine jbeam — the core file of the whole mod — has 47 { vs 48 } (one extra closing brace). The extra brace is at the very end:
   ], <- line 298: closes the "beams" array
   }, <- line 299: EXTRA closing brace (the beams section was already closed by the ] above)
   }, <- line 300: closes the part
   } <- line 301: closes the file
   Line 299 }, is the stray one. The correct ending is just the part close (300) and the file close (301).
   While BeamNG's jbeam parser is famously lenient about commas, an actual structural brace imbalance is a different class of problem — it can cause the parser to misread or drop the part. Given this is the engine itself, the risk is that the Judd engine fails to load or loads incompletely. This is the single most important thing to fix and verify in-game (check the log for jbeam parse errors on bolide_engine_4.0l_judd).
   2. sticker_main.materials.json is corrupted (starts with },, unbalanced)
   This materials file is malformed JSON:
   
   it begins with }, — there is no opening { for the file or for the first material; the file literally starts by closing a block that was never opened;
   brace count is 15 { vs 16 };
   it also ends on }, with no file-closing brace.
   
   It looks like the first material entry (everything before bolide_glass_FDRP) was accidentally cut off when the file was assembled/exported. Consequence: BeamNG may fail to parse the materials, so the glass materials (bolide_glass_FDRP, bolide_glass_dmg, bolide_glass_int) may not apply — in-game that typically shows as black/untextured/incorrect glass. Fix: restore the missing opening of the file and the first material block so the JSON is balanced.
   MEDIUM findings
   3. Sticker/glass texture path + format mismatch
   sticker_main.materials.json references textures like vehicles/bolide/bolide_glass_FDRP_b.color.png (root bolide/ folder, .png), but the actual files ship as vehicles/bolide/FDRP/bolide_glass_FDRP_b.color.DDS (a FDRP/ subfolder, and .DDS).
   
   The .png → .dds part is usually fine: BeamNG resolves a .dds when a .png is referenced. Not a bug on its own.
   The folder mismatch (bolide/ vs bolide/FDRP/) is the real risk — if the material points at the root path but the texture only exists in FDRP/, the texture won't be found and the material falls back to blank. Worth confirming the paths line up after fixing finding #2.
   
   MINOR findings
   4. Space in config filenames (Judd Drift.pc, info_Judd Drift.json)
   Spaces in .pc / info filenames work in BeamNG but are fragile (scripting, console commands, and some tools choke on unquoted spaces). Consider Judd_Drift.pc. Cosmetic.
   5. Trailing-comma style in some JSON
   Standard BeamNG-lenient trailing commas appear in places — not an error in BeamNG, noted only so it isn't mistaken for the real corruption in finding #2.
   OPTIMIZATION (performance / polish)
   6. Engine sound: 9 samples is fine, but check sample rate / mono
   The blend uses 9 RPM samples, which is plenty. To keep memory/streaming light, make sure the WAVs are mono and a sane sample rate (44.1 kHz) — stereo or 96 kHz engine samples double/quadruple the memory for no audible benefit in a positional engine loop. Quick win if they're currently stereo.
   7. Sticker stages have empty {} slots
   Each glass material's Stages array is [ {real stage}, {}, {}, {} ] — three empty stages. That's the stock BeamNG 4-stage layout and harmless, but the empty stages are pure boilerplate. Trimming to the stages actually used keeps the materials file smaller and easier to read (micro-optimization, optional).
   8. Ship a non-drift config too
   Only a "Judd Drift" demo config is included. Adding a plain grip/track config (or just leaving the engine selectable on stock configs) makes the swap more useful out of the box. UX, not performance.
   
   Bottom line
   The sound work and most of the jbeam are solid, and the WAV samples are correctly packaged. But there are two real structural bugs that should be fixed before this is reliable:
   
   bolide_engine_judd.jbeam has an extra } (line 299) — this is the engine itself, so it risks not loading. Highest priority.
   sticker_main.materials.json is corrupted — starts with },, unbalanced braces — so the glass materials may not apply (black/blank glass).
   
   After those, confirm the glass texture paths (FDRP/ subfolder vs the root path in the material). Everything else is polish (rename spaced filenames, trim empty material stages, verify mono WAVs, add a non-drift config).

   Jun 2, 2026
3. 
   Beammy

   5/5,

   Version: 1.0

   Looks Beautiful!

   Apr 11, 2026