Heat Corner Rules: Speed Limits, Spinouts, Slipstream & Finish Line
Most Heat rules questions come from one sequence: moving across a corner line, comparing speed with that corner’s limit, paying Heat if necessary and then resolving positional effects such as Slipstream.
A corner’s printed number is its speed limit
When your movement crosses a corner line, compare the speed relevant to that corner with its printed limit. Equal to or below the limit is safe. Exceeding it creates a Heat cost equal to the amount of excess speed.
Pay excess speed with Heat from the engine
To take a corner faster than its limit, move the required number of Heat cards out of the engine according to the rules. Those Heat cards later circulate through your deck/hand until you cool them back into the engine.
If you cannot pay, you spin out
When the required Heat exceeds what your engine can provide, resolve a spinout. A spinout costs track position and forces the recovery penalties stated by the rulebook, including a severe gear reset. It is usually much worse than entering the corner slightly slower.
Slipstream is separate from ordinary Speed-card movement
If your final position qualifies for Slipstream, you may gain its additional movement at the specified timing. Because Slipstream has special corner interactions, do not simply add its spaces to the number on your played Speed cards when checking a corner.
Boost also has its own timing
Boost spends Heat to create extra movement from the deck. Resolve it according to the Boost step rather than treating it as another card selected during the initial gear-based card choice.
Finish-line order depends on final race position
After completing the required laps, crossing the finish line puts a car into the finishing order. If more than one car crosses during the deciding round, apply the official position/tiebreak rules rather than assuming the car that began the round in front automatically wins.
Continue learning
Source: Days of Wonder: Heat, including official rules downloads. Checked September 20, 2026.