GTA 5 DLC Addon Cars and Replace Cars — Complete Installation and Removal Guide

Vehicle mods are one of the biggest parts of GTA 5 modding. Most custom cars are separated into two categories: Addon vehicles and Replace vehicles.

Many beginners install them incorrectly, which often leads to crashes, infinite loading screens, missing textures, corrupted traffic, and unstable gameplay.

This complete GTA 5 guide explains:

• What Addon cars are
• What Replace cars are
• Main differences between them
• How to install custom vehicles correctly
• How to safely remove mods
• How to prevent crashes and texture loss
• How to increase GTA 5 vehicle limits

❗ Always create a backup of your mods folder before installing vehicle mods.

🚗 What Are DLC Addon Cars in GTA 5?

Addon cars are standalone DLC vehicles added to GTA 5 without replacing original Rockstar vehicles.

Each Addon vehicle includes:

• its own spawn name
• individual DLC package
• custom handling setup
• separate vehicle files

Advantages of Addon Cars

Benefit	Description
Safer Installation	Original GTA 5 files stay untouched
Easy Removal	Can be removed without damaging the game
Better Compatibility	Perfect for large modded setups
Unlimited Expansion	Supports huge car collections

🚘 What Are Replace Cars?

Replace vehicles overwrite existing GTA 5 cars.

Examples:

• Adder → Bugatti Chiron
• Buffalo → Dodge Charger
• Sultan → Nissan Skyline

These mods directly replace Rockstar vehicle files.

Benefits of Replace Cars

• Simple installation
• No dlclist.xml editing
• Good for lightweight setups
• Works well in basic singleplayer builds

Disadvantages of Replace Cars

• Can break traffic spawning
• Harder to uninstall safely
• Higher risk of file conflicts
• May corrupt original files

📌 Addon vs Replace — Main Differences

Addon Cars	Replace Cars
Add new vehicles	Overwrite original vehicles
Use DLC packs	Edit base game files
Safer for modpacks	Riskier long-term
Ideal for large builds	Better for small setups
Require dlclist.xml edits	Usually no dlclist.xml needed

🛠️ Required Tools for Vehicle Installation

• OpenIV
• mods folder
• ScriptHookV
• gameconfig
• HeapAdjuster
• Packfile Limit Adjuster

Recommended Limit Fixes

Tool	Purpose
gameconfig	Prevents startup crashes
HeapAdjuster	Increases memory allocation
Packfile Limit Adjuster	Raises DLC limits
Resource Adjuster	Improves large modpack stability

📂 How to Install DLC Addon Cars

Step 1 — Open dlcpacks Folder

mods/update/x64/dlcpacks

Step 2 — Copy Vehicle Folder

Move the vehicle folder into:

mods/update/x64/dlcpacks

Example:

mods/update/x64/dlcpacks/skyline_r34

Step 3 — Edit dlclist.xml

Open:

mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/dlclist.xml

Add this line:

<Item>dlcpacks:/skyline_r34/</Item>

Step 4 — Save Changes

Save the file and close OpenIV.

Step 5 — Spawn the Vehicle

Use trainers like:

• Menyoo
• Simple Trainer
• Enhanced Native Trainer

Enter the vehicle spawn name.

📂 How to Install Replace Cars

Step 1 — Open vehicles.rpf

mods/x64e.rpf/levels/gta5/vehicles.rpf

Step 2 — Enable Edit Mode

Inside OpenIV click:

• Edit Mode

Step 3 — Replace Vehicle Files

Drag and drop:

• .yft files
• .ytd files

Replace the original vehicle files.

Step 4 — Launch GTA 5

The original car will now appear as the custom vehicle.

❌ How to Remove DLC Addon Cars

1. Delete the vehicle folder from dlcpacks
2. Remove the dlclist.xml entry
3. Clear OpenIV cache if needed

Example removal line:

<Item>dlcpacks:/skyline_r34/</Item>

❌ How to Remove Replace Cars

Method 1 — Restore Backup Files

Replace modified files with original GTA 5 backups.

Method 2 — Verify Game Files

Steam, Epic Games, or Rockstar Launcher can restore original files automatically.

⚡ Common GTA 5 Vehicle Mod Errors

Infinite Loading Screen

• Broken dlclist.xml
• Corrupted DLC package
• Missing gameconfig

Game Crashes on Startup

• No HeapAdjuster installed
• Too many custom vehicles
• DLC conflicts

Missing Textures

• Insufficient VRAM
• Outdated Packfile Limit Adjuster
• Graphics mod conflicts

💡 FPS Optimization for Large Car Packs

Setting	Recommended Value
Population Density	Medium
Extended Distance Scaling	Low
Reflection MSAA	Disabled
High Resolution Shadows	Disabled

📌 Which One Is Better — Addon or Replace?

For modern GTA 5 modding builds, Addon vehicles are strongly recommended.

Replace vehicles are acceptable for lightweight setups with only a few mods.

✅ Most advanced GTA 5 modpacks today use DLC Addon vehicles for maximum stability.

❓ FAQ

Can I use Addon and Replace cars together?

Yes. Both types are fully compatible with each other.

How many Addon vehicles can GTA 5 handle?

With proper limit fixes, GTA 5 can support hundreds of custom cars.

Why does GTA 5 crash after installing vehicle mods?

Usually because these files are missing:

• gameconfig
• HeapAdjuster
• Packfile Limit Adjuster

Do vehicle mods work in FiveM?

Singleplayer mods usually require separate server-side installation for FiveM compatibility.

🔥 Final Thoughts

Addon and Replace vehicles are the foundation of GTA 5 vehicle modding. Understanding the difference between them helps prevent crashes, corrupted installs, and unstable gameplay.

For large GTA 5 builds, Addon DLC vehicles combined with proper limit adjusters provide the best long-term stability and performance.