Driving Personalities lets you fully customize the four driving profiles that control how closely your car follows the vehicle ahead and how smoothly it accelerates and brakes. Stock openpilot offers three fixed profiles (Aggressive, Standard, Relaxed) with locked-in behavior. FrogPilot unlocks every parameter behind those profiles, and adds a dedicated Traffic Mode profile for stop-and-go congestion, giving you precise control over how your car behaves in every driving scenario.
💡 Tip: Not to be confused with Longitudinal Tuning, which controls the overall acceleration and braking style (Eco, Sport, Sport+). Driving Personalities control the following behavior and smoothness of each named profile, while Longitudinal Tuning controls the general acceleration curve applied on top of any personality.
What It Is
Driving Personalities gives you the ability to fine-tune each driving profile's gap to the car ahead and the smoothness of every gas and brake input.
Think of each personality profile like a passenger giving instructions to your car. The Aggressive passenger says "keep close, react fast." The Relaxed passenger says "give them space, take it easy." The Standard passenger is somewhere in between. And the Traffic Mode passenger is laser-focused on bumper-to-bumper crawls, saying "don't let anyone cut in, but blend into normal driving as traffic speeds up."
Without Driving Personalities enabled, openpilot uses hardcoded values for each profile that you can't change. You can switch between profiles, but every Aggressive driver gets the same 1.25-second following gap and the same responsiveness. With Driving Personalities enabled, you can set your Aggressive profile to follow at 1.10 seconds with snappier braking, or dial your Relaxed profile up to a 2.50-second gap with ultra-smooth deceleration. Every profile becomes yours.
Each profile controls two things:
- Following distance: How many seconds of gap your car maintains behind the vehicle ahead. Smaller values mean a tighter gap; larger values mean more breathing room.
- Smoothness values: How gradually (or abruptly) your car ramps up gas, applies brakes, and reacts to hazards. There are five separate smoothness controls per profile, covering different aspects of speed change.
Settings Summary
| Setting | Profile | Default | Range | Units | Tuning Level | What you feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driving Personalities (master toggle) | — | Off | On / Off | — | Advanced | Unlocks all profile customization |
| Acceleration Smoothness | Aggressive | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you accelerate |
| Acceleration Smoothness | Relaxed | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you accelerate |
| Acceleration Smoothness | Standard | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you accelerate |
| Acceleration Smoothness | Traffic | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you accelerate in traffic |
| Aggressive (enable) | Aggressive | On | On / Off | — | Advanced | Includes Aggressive in profile rotation |
| Braking Smoothness | Aggressive | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you brake |
| Braking Smoothness | Relaxed | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you brake |
| Braking Smoothness | Standard | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you brake |
| Braking Smoothness | Traffic | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you brake in traffic |
| Following Distance | Aggressive | 1.25 | 1 – 3 | seconds | Advanced | Gap to car ahead |
| Following Distance | Relaxed | 1.75 | 1 – 3 | seconds | Advanced | Gap to car ahead |
| Following Distance | Standard | 1.45 | 1 – 3 | seconds | Advanced | Gap to car ahead |
| Following Distance | Traffic | 0.50 | 0.50 – 3 | seconds | Advanced | Gap to car ahead at low speeds in traffic |
| Relaxed (enable) | Relaxed | On | On / Off | — | Advanced | Includes Relaxed in profile rotation |
| Safety Gap Bias | Aggressive | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | Extra gap cushion from lead vehicle |
| Safety Gap Bias | Relaxed | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | Extra gap cushion from lead vehicle |
| Safety Gap Bias | Standard | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | Extra gap cushion from lead vehicle |
| Safety Gap Bias | Traffic | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | Extra gap cushion from lead vehicle |
| Slowdown Response | Aggressive | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you slow down toward set speed |
| Slowdown Response | Relaxed | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you slow down toward set speed |
| Slowdown Response | Standard | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you slow down toward set speed |
| Slowdown Response | Traffic | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you slow down toward set speed |
| Speed-Up Response | Aggressive | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you speed up to match set speed |
| Speed-Up Response | Relaxed | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you speed up to match set speed |
| Speed-Up Response | Standard | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you speed up to match set speed |
| Speed-Up Response | Traffic | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer | How gradually you speed up to match set speed |
| Standard (enable) | Standard | On | On / Off | — | Advanced | Includes Standard in profile rotation |
| Traffic Mode (enable) | Traffic | On | On / Off | — | Advanced | Includes Traffic Mode in available profiles |
Driving Personalities (Master Toggle)
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | Off |
| Recommended | On if you want to tweak how closely your car follows or how smoothly it reacts |
When On, all four profile sub-panels become available for customization, and your custom values replace the hardcoded stock openpilot defaults. When Off, openpilot uses its built-in values for each profile (which can't be changed).
What this means for you: Enable this if the default following gap or acceleration feel of any profile doesn't match your preference. Most drivers who want even a small tweak to following distance will benefit from turning this on.
Profile Comparison
| Profile | Default Following Distance | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggressive | 1.25 seconds | Close following, quick acceleration and braking reactions | Confident highway driving, keeping pace with fast traffic |
| Relaxed | 1.75 seconds | Generous gap, gentle acceleration and braking | Long highway cruises, maximizing passenger comfort |
| Standard | 1.45 seconds | Moderate gap, smooth and balanced responses | Daily commuting, general-purpose driving |
| Traffic Mode | 0.50 seconds | Very tight gap, responsive reactions, blends into Aggressive as speed increases | Stop-and-go congestion, preventing cut-ins |
With vs. Without Driving Personalities
| Aspect | Without (Off) | With (On) |
|---|---|---|
| Following distance | Fixed at 1.25 / 1.45 / 1.75 seconds | Adjustable from 0.50 to 3.00 seconds per profile |
| Smoothness values | Fixed (0.50 for Aggressive, 1.00 for Standard/Relaxed) | Adjustable from 25% to 200% per profile |
| Traffic Mode behavior | Uses hardcoded Traffic values | Fully customizable Traffic + Aggressive blend |
| Profile switching | Available via button | Available via button with your custom values |
Traffic Mode
Traffic Mode is a specialized profile designed for bumper-to-bumper driving where preventing cut-ins matters most.
Traffic Mode: Enable Toggle
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | On |
| Recommended | On |
When On, the Traffic Mode profile is available and can be activated on-road. When Off, Traffic Mode is removed from the available profiles. Disabling this doesn't affect the other three profiles.
Traffic Mode: Following Distance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 0.50 |
| Recommended | The default of 0.50 seconds works well for dense traffic |
| Range | 0.50 – 3.00 |
| Units | seconds |
This is the minimum gap your car maintains when Traffic Mode is active at low speeds. At 0.50 seconds, the car stays very close to the vehicle ahead, similar to how most human drivers behave in heavy traffic. At 3.00 seconds, the gap is so large that it defeats the purpose of Traffic Mode.
What this means for you: The default 0.50-second gap keeps the distance tight enough that other drivers are less likely to cut in front of you in slow-moving traffic. Increase this only if the default feels uncomfortably close.
⚠️ Warning: Unlike the other three profiles, Traffic Mode's minimum is 0.50 seconds (not 1.00). This is intentionally short for crawling traffic. Use caution and ensure you're always ready to take over.
Traffic Mode: Acceleration Smoothness
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 50 |
| Recommended | The default of 50% works well for responsive traffic driving |
| Range | 25 – 200 |
| Units | % |
Controls how gradually your car starts accelerating when the vehicle ahead begins moving. At 25%, takeoffs are very sharp and immediate. At 50% (default), the car responds quickly but not abruptly. At 200%, the car accelerates very gradually, which may cause you to fall behind in traffic.
Traffic Mode: Braking Smoothness
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 50 |
| Recommended | The default of 50% provides responsive braking for stop-and-go |
| Range | 25 – 200 |
| Units | % |
Controls how gradually your car applies brakes when the vehicle ahead slows down. At 25%, braking is sharp and immediate. At 50% (default), braking is firm but comfortable. At 200%, braking is very gentle, which may not stop in time if the lead brakes hard.
Traffic Mode: Safety Gap Bias
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 100 |
| Recommended | The default of 100% provides balanced safety margins |
| Range | 25 – 200 |
| Units | % |
Controls how much extra space your car keeps from the vehicle ahead when evaluating hazards. At 25%, the car tolerates very tight gaps. At 100% (default), the safety margin is balanced. At 200%, the car adds a large cushion, making it feel more cautious.
Traffic Mode: Speed-Up Response
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 50 |
| Recommended | The default of 50% provides quick speed matching in traffic |
| Range | 25 – 200 |
| Units | % |
Controls how gradually your car adjusts its speed upward toward the set speed. At 25%, speed adjustments are very sharp. At 50% (default), adjustments are quick but comfortable. At 200%, your car takes its time reaching the set speed.
Traffic Mode: Slowdown Response
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 50 |
| Recommended | The default of 50% balances responsiveness and comfort |
| Range | 25 – 200 |
| Units | % |
Controls how gradually your car slows down toward the set speed. At 25%, slowdowns are very abrupt. At 50% (default), the car decelerates promptly but smoothly. At 200%, deceleration is very gradual.
Aggressive: Enable Toggle
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | On |
| Recommended | On |
When On, the Aggressive profile is included in the on-road profile rotation. When Off, pressing the profile cycling button skips Aggressive entirely. Disabling this also affects Traffic Mode, since Traffic Mode blends into Aggressive at higher speeds (see How It Works).
Aggressive: Following Distance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Default | 1.25 |
| Recommended | The default of 1.25 seconds works well for confident driving |
| Range | 1.00 – 3.00 |
| Units | seconds |
At 1.00 second, you're following just one car-length per 30 mph, which is quite close. At 1.25 seconds (default), you have a comfortable but assertive gap. At 3.00 seconds, the gap is very relaxed, which defeats the "aggressive" character of this profile.
What this means for you: If you drive on highways where traffic is fast-moving and gaps are important, the default 1.25 seconds balances assertiveness with safety. Lower it to 1.00 if you prefer to stay tight behind the lead.
Aggressive: Smoothness Settings
All five smoothness sliders for the Aggressive profile share the same structure:
| Setting | Default | Range | Units | Tuning Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acceleration Smoothness | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer |
| Braking Smoothness | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer |
| Safety Gap Bias | 100 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer |
| Slowdown Response | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer |
| Speed-Up Response | 50 | 25 – 200 | % | Developer |
The Aggressive profile defaults to 50% for most smoothness values (except Safety Gap Bias at 100%), making it noticeably more responsive than Standard or Relaxed. This is what gives Aggressive its "assertive" feel: quicker takeoffs, firmer braking, and snappier speed changes.
How Following Distance Works
The gap between your car and the vehicle ahead is calculated using a simple formula:
In plain English: The gap in meters equals your speed (in meters per second) multiplied by the following time you've set (in seconds).
For example, at 60 mph (about 27 m/s) with the Standard profile's default of 1.45 seconds:
At the same speed with the Aggressive profile's 1.25 seconds, the gap shrinks to about 33.8 meters (111 feet). With Relaxed at 1.75 seconds, it grows to about 47.3 meters (155 feet).
Because the gap is time-based, it automatically shrinks at low speeds and grows at high speeds. At 10 mph with a 1.45-second gap, you're only about 21 feet behind the lead. At 70 mph, you're about 150 feet behind.
The maximum following time is 3.00 seconds. The source code notes that larger values risk losing track of the lead vehicle, as the driving model's prediction horizon has limits.
How Smoothness Values Work
Each smoothness value is a percentage that controls how much the speed planner penalizes changes in acceleration. The system stores these as whole numbers (25 to 200) and converts them at runtime by dividing by 100.
For example, a slider value of 50 becomes a factor of 0.50 at runtime. A value of 100 becomes 1.00. A value of 150 becomes 1.50.
- Higher values (100–200) make the speed planner strongly penalize sudden changes. Your car accelerates and brakes more gradually, like a luxury sedan gliding to a stop.
- Lower values (25–50) reduce that penalty, allowing the speed planner to make quicker, more decisive changes. Your car reacts faster, like a sports car launching from a stoplight.
The five smoothness axes control different aspects of speed change:
| Smoothness Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Acceleration Smoothness | How quickly the car ramps up gas when speeding up |
| Braking Smoothness | How quickly the car ramps up braking when slowing down |
| Safety Gap Bias | How much extra space the car keeps from the lead during hazardous situations like cut-ins |
| Slowdown Response | How quickly the car decelerates toward the set speed |
| Speed-Up Response | How quickly the car adjusts speed upward toward the set speed |
How Traffic Mode Blends with Aggressive
Traffic Mode has a unique behavior that sets it apart from the other three profiles. At runtime, all of Traffic Mode's values are paired with the corresponding Aggressive profile values in a two-element array. The system then blends between them based on your speed:
- At 0 mph (standstill): 100% Traffic Mode values are used
- At ~56 mph: 100% Aggressive values are used
- Between 0 and ~56 mph: The system linearly blends between the two
This means at a crawl in traffic, you get the ultra-tight following and responsive acceleration of your Traffic Mode settings. As traffic speeds up past ~56 mph, the behavior smoothly transitions to your Aggressive profile settings, preventing the dangerously close following that works in a traffic jam but would be unsafe at higher speeds.
Practical implication: Customizing both your Traffic Mode and your Aggressive profile affects how Traffic Mode feels at speed. If you make your Aggressive profile very smooth, Traffic Mode will gradually become smooth as traffic speeds up.
How Profile Switching Works
You can cycle between profiles while driving using your steering wheel's distance button or the on-screen distance button.
Cycling order: Each press of the distance button cycles through Aggressive → Relaxed → Standard → Aggressive. This rotation only includes profiles whose enable toggle is turned on. If you disable the Standard profile, for example, the cycle becomes Aggressive → Relaxed → Aggressive.
Traffic Mode is not part of the normal cycling rotation. It's toggled on and off separately, typically by a very long press of the distance button.
By default, the distance button is mapped as follows:
| Press Type | Hold Duration | Default Action |
|---|---|---|
| Short press | Less than 0.5 seconds | Cycle driving personality profile |
| Long press | 0.5 seconds | Toggle Experimental Mode |
| Very long press | 2.5 seconds | Toggle Traffic Mode |
💡 Tip: You can remap all three press durations to different actions in FrogPilot → Vehicle Settings → Wheel Controls. The LKAS button can also be mapped to cycle profiles.
If you prefer a screen-tappable button instead of (or in addition to) the steering wheel button, enable the on-screen distance button under FrogPilot → Theme and Appearance → Appearance → Driving Personality Button. Tapping this on-screen button triggers the same action as a short press of the physical distance button.
⚠️ Warning: On some GM vehicles with an on-screen menu system, the first short press may only show the personality indicator on screen rather than cycling it. Press again within a few seconds to actually cycle to the next profile. GM vehicles also require a slightly longer hold (~0.75 seconds instead of 0.5) to register a long press.
Status Indicators
The on-screen distance button icon changes to show which personality is currently active.
| Icon | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
 | Aggressive active | Your car is using the close-following Aggressive profile. |
 | Relaxed active | Your car is using the generous-gap Relaxed profile. |
 | Standard active | Your car is using the balanced Standard profile. |
 | Traffic Mode active | Your car is using the tight-following Traffic Mode profile. The screen border turns red. |
When Traffic Mode is active, the screen border color changes to red to make the mode clearly visible. The other three profiles use the standard green engaged border.
These icons change based on your active theme. If you've installed a custom theme from The Pond, the icons may look different but represent the same profiles.
Conditional Experimental Mode
Relationship: Works alongside
Conditional Experimental Mode automatically switches between standard and Experimental Mode based on driving conditions. When it does, the currently active personality profile determines how smoothly your car behaves within both modes. While Traffic Mode is active, Conditional Experimental Mode's stop-sign and stop-light detection is disabled, preventing those specific triggers from interrupting the tight-following traffic behavior. Other Conditional Experimental Mode triggers (such as speed thresholds, curves, navigation turns, and slow leads) remain active during Traffic Mode.
Human-Like Following
Relationship: Enhances
Human-Like Following (found under FrogPilot → Driving Controls → Gas / Brake → Longitudinal Tuning) dynamically adjusts your following distance and smoothness values based on the lead car's relative speed. It closes the gap faster when approaching a quicker lead and brakes more proactively when catching a slower one. It applies these adjustments on top of your personality profile's settings. Human-Like Following is automatically disabled during Traffic Mode.
Weather Condition Offsets
Relationship: Enhances
When Weather Condition Offsets detect rain, snow, or low visibility through an OpenWeatherMap connection, they add extra following time on top of whatever your active personality profile sets. The combined value is capped at the 3.00-second maximum. For example, if your Standard profile is set to 1.45 seconds and a rain offset of 0.30 seconds is active, your effective following distance becomes 1.75 seconds.
Traffic Mode
Relationship: Requires (for Traffic blending)
Traffic Mode is a separate activation that uses your Driving Personalities settings. As described in How It Works, Traffic Mode blends your Traffic Mode profile values with your Aggressive profile values. Customizing the Aggressive profile directly affects Traffic Mode's behavior at speeds above a crawl.
Limitations & Known Issues
- Following distance is time-based, not distance-based. At very low speeds (5 mph), even a 1.45-second gap is only about 10 feet. The gap feels very different at city speeds vs. highway speeds, even with the same profile.
- Extremely low smoothness values (near 25%) may cause oscillation. The speed planner may overshoot and correct repeatedly if the penalty for acceleration changes is too low, leading to a "hunting" sensation.
- Extremely high smoothness values (near 200%) may feel sluggish. Your car may respond so slowly that other drivers cut in front of you, or the gap may grow uncomfortably large before the car reacts.
- 3.00 seconds is the hard maximum following time. This ceiling exists because the driving model's prediction horizon has limits, and larger values risk losing track of the lead vehicle.
- Your car's dashboard follow-distance indicator may not update. While FrogPilot changes the active profile, the factory dashboard display may not reflect the change on all vehicles.
- Custom profiles are stored per-device. If you move your comma device to a different car or use multiple devices, your custom profile settings don't automatically transfer.
- The smoothness sliders require Developer tuning level. If you only want to adjust following distances, Advanced tuning level is sufficient. But if you want the full set of smoothness controls, you'll need to switch to Developer.
Setup Recommendations
Here are suggested configurations for common driving scenarios.
| Driver Type | Recommended Profile | Following Distance | Smoothness Values | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City driver | Aggressive | 1.00 – 1.25 | 50 – 75% | Tighter gap and quicker reactions for stop-and-go urban traffic |
| Comfort-focused | Relaxed | 1.75 – 2.50 | 125 – 175% | Maximum comfort with gentle, gradual speed changes |
| Highway commuter | Standard or Relaxed | 1.45 – 1.75 | 100% or higher | Generous gap and smooth reactions reduce fatigue on long drives |
| New user | Standard | 1.45 (default) | 100% (defaults) | Start with defaults and adjust after a week of driving |
| Stop-and-go specialist | Traffic Mode | 0.50 – 0.75 | 50% (defaults) | Activate Traffic Mode when you hit congestion, deactivate when traffic clears |
💡 Tip: A practical daily strategy is to leave Standard as your primary profile with default smoothness, set the Aggressive profile with a slightly tighter gap (1.10 seconds) for spirited driving, and keep Traffic Mode at default for congestion. Switch between them with the steering wheel distance button as conditions change.
Q: The Driving Personalities toggle is greyed out or not visible. How do I enable it?
A: This requires two things. First, your car must support openpilot longitudinal control (openpilot controlling gas and brakes, not your car's factory cruise control). Second, your tuning level must be set to Advanced or higher. Go to FrogPilot → Tuning Level and select at least Advanced. If your car doesn't support openpilot longitudinal control, this feature isn't available for your vehicle.
Q: I changed the Aggressive profile but Traffic Mode doesn't feel any different.
A: Changes to the Aggressive profile do affect Traffic Mode, but only at higher speeds. At a standstill and very low speeds, Traffic Mode uses its own settings. As your speed increases toward ~56 mph, it gradually blends in the Aggressive values. If you're testing in slow traffic (under 10 mph), the Aggressive changes will have minimal effect. Try testing at 30 mph or above to see a noticeable difference.
Q: My car feels the same after changing the following distance.
A: First, confirm that Driving Personalities is actually turned on (the master toggle, not just the individual profile toggle). Second, verify that the profile you edited is the one currently active on-road by checking the on-screen icon. Third, remember that following distance only matters when there's a vehicle ahead being tracked. On an empty highway, the following distance has no effect because there's no lead car.
Q: Pressing the distance button doesn't change my personality profile.
A: Check FrogPilot → Vehicle Settings → Wheel Controls → Distance Button and verify it's set to Change "Personality Profile". If it's been remapped to another function (like toggling Experimental Mode), it won't cycle profiles. Also, you can use the on-screen distance button if your car's physical button isn't working as expected.
Q: Can I set the following time higher than 3.00 seconds?
A: No. The 3.00-second maximum is a hard ceiling. The source code notes that larger values risk losing track of the lead vehicle because the driving model's prediction horizon has limits. If you want a very large gap, 3.00 seconds at 60 mph is already about 264 feet (80 meters), which is more than most drivers would ever want.
Q: I disabled one of the profiles. How does that affect cycling?
A: If you disable a profile's enable toggle (for example, turning off the Standard profile), that profile is skipped when cycling with the distance button. The remaining enabled profiles still cycle in order. If you disable all three standard profiles, the distance button won't change anything, but Traffic Mode can still be activated separately.
Related Features
Driving Personalities works with features that modify the same gas and braking decisions.
| Feature | Relationship | How it interacts |
|---|---|---|
| Conditional Experimental Mode | Works alongside | Stop-sign and stop-light detection is disabled while Traffic Mode is active. Other triggers (speed, curves, navigation, leads) remain active. The active personality determines smoothness during both standard and Experimental Mode driving. |
| Human-Like Following | Enhances | Dynamically adjusts your personality's following distance and smoothness based on the lead car's relative speed. Automatically disabled during Traffic Mode. |
| Weather Condition Offsets | Enhances | Adds extra following time on top of your active profile's setting during rain, snow, or low visibility, capped at 3.00 seconds. |
