(Part 3) Top products from r/simracing

It's a self-promotion post, but it also would be a helpful information for you.

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Do you have to use your regular desk and office chair when you play a video game?

If yes, PEIN's Pedal Mount is recommended for you, To fix all of your gaming pedals issues.

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PEIN's Pedal Mount is a device that is meant to keep your pedals at a set distance from your chair as well as tilt the pedals to a more comfortable angle that suits you.

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We are sure PEIN's Pedal Mount will solve problems you've struggled with ever since you bought your pedals. With Pedal Mount the pedals perform the way they were meant to, they don't move and they don't tip over. And then you can push the pedals as hard as you like and they will stay put.

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Pedal Mount works exactly as described and it is very sturdy when assembled. Once the chair is in the U-profile the pedals will not move, neither forwards, backwards nor sideways. The angle adjustment works just as it's supposed to and while perhaps making your pedal use slightly less realistic it can help a lot with comfort after long hours of play, depending on pedal type and game of course. The mount works just as well without the angle adjustment.

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Assembling the mount is easy and adjusting it for your taste is straight forward. There aren't any quick latches or similar, just standard bolts that you fasten with the included allen key.

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Pedal Mount will fit almost all pedals on the market. The cross-rails for mounting pedal are very configurable and can be put in almost any position.

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Pedal Mount doesn't take up a lot of space. The extension frames connecting to the chair can be folded up which reduces the footprint considerably when stowed. When fully disassembled it's extremely compact.

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The Pedal Mount also can be configured to equip various additional options.

• Height upping add-on (now purchasable on this on-line mall)
  
• Reverse kit add-on (design completed, now on progress of producing prototypes)
  
• Center-stick mount for flight sim game (completed 60% design of the center-stick mount and now on progress of producing extension pole prototypes for center-stick)
  
• Additional brackets or add-on with user's requests
  
  You also can do DIY easily with extra screw taps and bolt holes in various parts of products.
  
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  You can find more information and pictures in this page.
  
  https://www.peingear.com/forum/product-information/pedal-mount-pein-information
  
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  Purchase in US
  
  Basic edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N2F9YQN?ref=myi_title_dp
  
  Height up Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PRRPV8V?ref=myi_title_dp
  
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  Purchase in other countries
  
  https://www.peingear.com/shop

If you're really interested in it, a good book to read is Tune To Win by Carroll Smith. It was written in the 70's so it's a bit dated but still plenty relevant, especially to new drivers/engineers. But if you're studying finance you probably already have more than enough on your plate.

Basically, driving a race car is about managing weight transfer to balance the car around each corner. The more load one corner or end of the car has on it the more grip it has. The driver controls lateral load transfer with the steering wheel and longitudinal load transfer with the gas and brake pedals.

Tuning the suspension is another way to influence how load is directed around the car. For example, if the front springs are very stiff, the front of the car won't squat as low under braking, less weight is transferred forward so the rear of the car has more grip. So that's why if you're struggling with turn-in understeer you might want to soften either the front sprigs or front (low-speed) compression damping. Alternatively you could also soften the rear low-speed rebound damping (take not that when talking about dampers, speed doesn't refer to speed of the car, but of the piston traveling through the fluid in the damper. Think high speed=bumps, low speed=weight transfer).

Anti-roll bars are a bit different since they manage lateral load. They also link suspension systems together, so if you hit a kerb or a bump with the right front wheel, the left front will feel it as well. Very generally, softer=more grip. The book I referenced goes into a lot more detail than I can, but I like to think of it as making that end of the car more malleable. Although I don't think that's entirely technically accurate. It also may be worth noting that when tuning the car, anti-roll bars are the first thing real-world teams play with, and a lot of cars have anti-roll bars adjustable from the cockpit. The team uses it as a sort of guide to lead other larger setup changes.

To your second question, the car can behave differently in different parts of the corner. It might feel great when you turn in (usually at which point the car is slowing-meaning forward weight transfer), but then lose all front grip when you're accelerating out of the corner. This means that you're transferring too much weight to the rear under power, so the solution is to stiffen rear springs or low-speed damper compression. If it happens earlier in the corner, when there is more lateral load, then stiffening the rear anti-roll bar (or the opposite, softening the front) might be a better solution.

This isn't even getting into things like camber/castor/toe, which I don't really understand enough myself. The general rule of thumb is to try to keep the outer/middle/inner tire temps as even as possible. I think it's also common opinion that cars should always have at least a little bit of toe-in. Edit: This video has a good overview.

Your third point is absolutely correct. Race car setup is an unsolvable equation. There are too many interdependent variables for there to ever be an ultimate solution. Add on top of that different driving styles and one setup might work well for one driver and be trash for another. It's more of an art than a precise science.

I hope that helps!

I will not claim it is the best, but I bought this PlaySeat and have been very happy with it.

In my case, I'm using it for VR sim racing with the Vive (and sometimes Oculus Rift).

For me, it is very important that my seating position in the seat closely matches the avatars seating position in the game, in order to really feel "in" the experience, and the Playseat delivers in that regard.

I like the playseat in that it was pretty good quality for the price, holds my wheel and petals and shifters nicely, and is nicely adjustable.

It is a tad bit flimsy in the post that holds up the wheel, but I found I actually like that because it transfers some of the wheel vibrations into the chassis, which while not perfect does add some realism. I added a pair of "butt kickers" to amplify the road and engine feel, and then a giant industrial fan to blow in my face to simulate open cockpit. Picture here

Yeah, The Perfect Corner is an overall look at the basic physics of racing. If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, Perfect Control covers car control techniques if you are looking for more info on that. The paperback version was just released a few days ago. Perfect Corner 2 covers things like chicanes, double apexes and how to optimize them when combined into complex sections. I'd be happy to answer questions anyone has about the books, driving stuff or whatever.

We're in a word-spreading mode right now so The Perfect Corner is 50% off list right now on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Corner-Drivers-Step---Step/dp/1523441143/

Well, you could move the camera. Find a comfortable space for a potential cockpit, see where you'd need the camera to be, and find a little stand for it, along with a USB extension cord to go along the edge of the room. If the headset's wires aren't long enough to properly extend to you from that position, you could find an HDMI and USB extension cords for it as well. If you want the cameras to be static, you could buy a second camera to sit in the middle of the room, and use a USB switch to switch between them (I personally use this one to switch between my PS3 and PS4, but there are other options out there).

Otherwise, I'd also agree that a fold up stand would probably be best here. I have the Apiga AP2, which also has the option for the seat mount (though you'd have to source the seat). You could have the stand folded up in a closet with the seat, and when you want to race, put them together in the middle of the room, and enjoy. There are other folding mounts out there, but the AP2 is the only one that I know of that also has an option for seating, and most of the other ones have a bar that goes between your legs.

Just my two cents as a new boot in Sim Racing, but I think you may be over estimating the necessity of FFB at first. Once you have it, you know how much it adds to the immersion, and that may be coloring your opinion as to how important it is to a new person.

My point is this. I've always liked racing games but never had a proper wheel. I was stuck with those damn controllers. (Yes, I'm on console. I left the PC Master race years ago.) So a month ago I finally said "screw it", and bought this:

Thrustmaster VG Ferrari 458 Spider Racing Wheel

I have had so much fun over the last month that I decided to jump into a little deeper end of the pool and bought this:

Thrustmaster TX Servo Base, Leather Steering Wheel, Gearbox Shifter, & Pedal Bundle

The FFB is so much fun, but I realized I probably appreciate it more because I haven't had it for the last month. On top of that, my wife (casual at best) hates it. She wants to use the non-FFB instead when she wants to race.

So that's my opinion on that. Just my experience and some food for thought. I'm glad to see you're trying to bring new people in like myself. I'm having a blast. I'm even building my own rig now. Yay for working with AutoCAD most days. :)

Easily the t300 gt it runs about 360 [on the German amazon] (https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B01HRYFODO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1491256865&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=T300+gt&dpPl=1&dpID=41FH4dYDMKL&ref=plSrch). You can add a shifter. Or get this version which has a better Alcantara rim. Either way both these wheelbase will provide much better force feedback, better pedals and the Ferrari bundle a better rim than the Logitech offering.

http://imgur.com/XGBMlMc - Ignore the filter, the room is usually dark and my camera phone isn't the best unless it's perfect lighting.

G29 with H shifter

OpenWheeler cockpit

3 Samsung 32inch 1080p TVs. I got a lot of hate on this setup because they're not legit monitors. But I put my buddies monitor next to one of these to try them both and didn't see a difference. (They have game mode) I do play FPS's on them and see no input lag.

Anyway, I love this setup. Originally, I had the wheel on the desk but there was some movement on the entire thing. Once I got the cockpit everything felt 100 times better since the wheel was more secure. I highly recommend getting a stand for the wheel. There are a bunch of cockpits like this, more expensive or cheaper.

Of those 3 the TX (XBox version of the T300) has the best FFB, but has the crappy 2 pedal set.

The T150 has slightly better FFB than the G29.

The pedals of the G29 and T150 RS Pro are roughly the same, both decent.

I assume the G29 price does not include the shifter (you need to buy it separately), so I would say the T150 is the better choice at that price.

Me, I'd spend a little extra for something like the T300 RS GT Edition (T300 with a decent 3 pedals set similar to the G29's/T150 RS Pro's).

I couldn't find any adapters for the T150. The T300 has some though.

The top-end Thrustmaster bases are perfectly comparable to the CSL, everyone in this thread seems to be thinking of the TS-PC / T-GT / TS-XW as equivalent to the T300 which just isn't at all true.

Pedal wise it's trickier as Thrustmaster don't offer a loadcell (though plenty of people would argue the T3PA brake mod makes that fairly superfluous, it's a pretty subjective thing and a lot of the time it's post-purchase rationalisation either way) - but you can always use Fanatec's pedals with Thrustmaster's base.

Just for the sake of (much) cheaper rims I'd personally go for a TS-PC instead of the CSL, even if I was using the Fanatec pedals. I'd either go for the TS-PC and add the 599XX or Sparco r383 rim, or the TS-XW by itself (though Thrustmaster are a bit weird with selling that one with the T3PAs) and then get the Fanatec CSL pedals.

That should be within your budget roughly

TS-PC Racer: $450

TM Sparco R383: $200

CSL Elite LC: $200

Or alternatively you could look at the 488 Challenge wheel which just came out which is a 9:10 scale replica (32cm diameter compared to the standard T300's 28cm) on the TS base, which oculd be very nice (but bumps up the price a decent amount - if you wanted a formula rim you'd probably have to get the Ferrari F1 which is a bit plasticky compared to the rest)

Edit: The caveat here is that if you think you might end up moving up to a Clubsport wheelbase there might be a reason to start investing in the Fanatec ecosystem regarding rims etc. but you're well into diminishing returns at this point and there's every chance that Thrustmaster keep on bringing out higher end wheels given their current trends with the 488 Challenge/TS-XW/T-GT etc.

The playseat challenge looks awesome, is it able to support a flight throttle and stick such as a Saitek set?

I just purchased the Next Level Flight stand for $200 off eBay because it is collapsible and supports racing and flight controls. Will be delivered next week. It doesnt come with a seat though like the playseat challenge.

Next Level Racing Wheel and Flight Stand
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WVDKSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_YkzbAbAHTH2R2

Looks good, have fun! Might I also suggest these for the chair? It'll help with any sliding during pedal presses.

www.amazon.com/Short-Office-Chair-Stool-Glides/dp/B00OGVBI5U/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1527135620&sr=8-8&keywords=caster+replacement+feet

I bought THIS and love it. It says unavailable now, so I'm not sure if it's available elsewhere. I bought it as a temporary solution until I could build something. But after receiving it and using it for a couple months, I have no urge to use anything else. It's awesome.

The first one looks pretty old, like in the earlier days of playseat stands, while it is cheap, is probably not worth it, you'll end up regretting it. It has a flawed design as pointed out by others where the bar connecting the wheel to the stand will only get in the way. Reviews also say that the stand is too light and moves with pedals are pressed and that g27s keep falling off the stand.

The wheel stand pro v2 is, IMO, the better of the two and worth the extra money. I have owned one for nearly a year, still the best purchase I ever made, besides the g27 itself. This model is pre-drilled for a g27 meaning you can bolt it to the stand and it is completely solid. The only thing going anywhere is me going backwards in my office chair (Need to take the wheels off my chair...).

Apiga AP2. It's unfortunately out of stock (I picked up the last one :D). They might restock soon, but I don't know. However, GT Omega Racing and DX Racer have pretty good stands too. They also have full cockpits.

Buy a couple of these locking caster replacements. You should only have to replace 2 of the wheels to stop movement but more is usually better (its a set of 5). Much easier than messing about with cups.

Tune To Win would be my recommendation by Carroll Smith, old but very informative.

I started to read "The Perfect Corner" and whilst there is nothing wrong with it, it's not my go to book, but that is just my personal opinion which doesn't mean it's right for everyone.

Also very cheap at the moment - at least compared to the latest rift/vive offerings. It's not nearly as good at "proper" VR, but if you're just looking for a head-tracking, head-mounted display for sim racing, it's really the best deal going.

I've been using Mechanix Vent gloves as they are super cheap, durable, and comfy. I believe there are quite a few here who also use these. I really like them and don't see any need to change.

Hey man you know you can replace your seat casters with glides so your good seat doesn't roll around so easily.

You may need to look around for the perfect fit but these things look like this.

I bought a DF Pro off Amazon and it didn't come with the adapter, so I bought this one. Has worked perfectly for me.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-T150-Force-Feedback-Wheel/dp/B01N6VICKX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=t150+pro&qid=1563026320&s=gateway&sr=8-1

That one. Same price, with way better pedals, and about 40 pounds cheaper than the G29 for better FFB.

I saw this as well, which is basically both combined for less than the original+addon...

This might be what I go with but I'm also seeing all these on ebay for under $100 which is kind of what I had in mind if I were to DIY it... but I'm usually terrified of ebay and I can only find one review of an adorable Aussie kid who loves it... I just can't find any detailed information on mounting capabilities...

• Wheel base: $220
  
  
  
• Shifter: $180
  
  
  
• Pedals: $150
  
  
  
• Wheel rim: $200
  
  Grand total: $750
  
  
• Fanatec: $1000
  
  It's really not that far off when you consider that Fanatec is broadly considered higher quality than Thrustmaster. I was ready to go all-in on Thrustmaster before I added it all up and realized I might as well keep saving and get the Fanatec stuff.

The other option I'm looking at is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WVDKSP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_YkzbAbAHTH2R2 so I can more easily mount my hotas joystick along with my wheel and shifter but I really like the idea of the racing seat so I'm just not sure what to do.

Since you primarily race open wheel and GT cars, I recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N9M9DBL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pbxEDbAR43WRW

I bought one of these and it is the best thing I've bought. I know it is pricey but you'll never need anything else. You can find cheaper versions as well.

Before I built my rig, I used this on my office chair: https://www.amazon.com/distance-comfortable-PlayStation-2-3-4/dp/B07PRRPV8V/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=PEIN+Gear+Mount&qid=1574703956&sr=8-3

I put some locking caster wheels on my chair, too. Worked pretty well.

Any of the Thrustmaster wheels should work on it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014US048A/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_1_w

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Ferrari-F458-Wheel-playstation-3/dp/B00CP4IKHE/ref=sr_1_50?srs=2530623011&ie=UTF8&qid=1521061859&sr=8-50

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TM-Leather-Wheel-Add-pc/dp/B00TTQKSUS/ref=sr_1_56?srs=2530623011&ie=UTF8&qid=1521061859&sr=8-56

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Sparco-Rally-Wheel-Add-383/dp/B0764415FS/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1521061911&sr=1-1&keywords=sparco+thrustmaster

If you want cheaper, maybe someone will sell your their 458 rim from the TX regular package or something.

It's this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-T150-Force-Feedback-Wheel/dp/B01N6VICKX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550656807&sr=8-1&keywords=thrustmaster+t150+rs

I can't quite work out what pedals it comes with, but they look better than the standard T150 pedals.

I just can't find it on the website. Unless I'm downloading something specifically for a wheel other than the VG Ferrari 458 Spider, I can't find any sort of software to download at all. I can't find any mention of a 'Thrustmaster profiler' at all. Sorry for all the questions! It is much appreciated.

Not OP but try something like this

Bell Glides Replacement Office Chair Swivel Caster Wheels to Fixed Stationary Castors, Short Profile Black 5pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GVBYXW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_X.bDCbNXJBBT4

DrivingFast.net

TurnFast.com

"The Six Most Important Things You'll Learn At Racing School" (Jalopnik.com article)

"Performance Driving Illustrated" by Ross Bentley (PDF e-book)

"Ultimate Speed Secrets: The Complete Guide to High-Performance and Race Driving" by Ross Bentley (book)

"RaceLogic Advanced Circuit Driving Techniques" (PDF e-book)

Rapid-Racer.com Suspension Tuning

"Tune to Win" by Carroll Smith (book)

I'm building my new aluminum profile rig now and if you are in US and are interested PM me and I can sell you my previous stand at a reasonable price. I bought it in late 2014 on Amazon and I've been using it all the time with my G27. It is this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084EG3ZA

For your budget that’ll get you a T150 Pro and some spare cash for a decent wheel stand and is a good entry level FFB wheel

Thrustmaster T150 RS Pro Force Feedback Wheel (PS4/PS3/PC)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N6VICKX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BgcxDb4H7GC3B

If you want a more permanent solution, I use these: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076GVBYXW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_S.PADb4HED76Y

What about this:
https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Office-Chair-Caster-Wheels/dp/B00HVK8GGC
Or this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001MS70J8/ref=pd_aw_fbt_196_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2GRBGA8NQY3AH12T92F4
Not sure if the brakes of the first option is good enough bit maybe it works

Would something like this work? amazon

The Perfect Corner, a bit heavy on trying to describe physics but very understandable

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1523441143/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1457147031&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=the+perfect+corner&dpPl=1&dpID=51Bfu8oKN3L&ref=plSrch

The logitech part number is 190211-A030. You can get a knockoff from Amazon:

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https://www.amazon.com/POWER-Compatible-Logitech-190211-0010-190211-A030/dp/B00DIL0NSW

I prefer something with a little ventilation, something like this or this. I tried a pair of karting gloves but found them too heavy for the summer months.

For about 2 dollars more, you can get Richard Burns Rally from Amazon for about $5-$6.

It's still up here:
https://www.amazon.fr/ThrustMaster-Volant-Licence-Officielle-Turismo/dp/B01HRYFODO/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=UC4295SBSNLA&keywords=thrustmaster+t300rs&qid=1574988617&sprefix=thrustmaster+%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-3

and here:

https://www.cdiscount.com/informatique/gaming/thrustmaster-volant-pour-jeux-video-t300rs-gt-edit/f-107140306-3362934110420.html#mpos=0|cd

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J4SXNQ5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_EsilDbG2G0XGC

Dell Gaming LED-Lit Monitor 27" Black (D2719HGF), FHD (1920 x 1080) at 144 Hz, 2 ms Response time, DP 1.2, HDMI, USB, 2W x 2 Speakers, AMD FreeSync https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J4SXNQ5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VeRDCbSMSNP99

??

Check out Pein Pedal mounts, they have a tray to catch the wheels of your chair. Game changer for desk use.

Regular
Tall boi

Samsung Odyssey + discount from 499 to 229. https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-Wireless-Controllers-XE800ZBA-HC1US/dp/B07HS7R1RT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=samsung+odyssey+%2B&qid=1574762387&sr=8-1

You'll need the whole game. It's available on Amazon.com, but only the cd version. I don't believe it's ever been released as a downloadable game.

Right now? Oddysey+ in a discound https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HS7R1RT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LVkWDbRQMW2N6

Thanks for replies. Would this work?
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Office-Chair-Caster-Wheels/dp/B00HVK8GGC

Im worried the material on the wheels is not ideal so it slides through my floor.

I didn't want to spend $60 on karting gloves so I followed the common advice and got these Mechanix gloves. The major difference for me is that it allowed me to run a higher forcefeedback (still below clipping range of course) than I would normally run. The wheel felt much lighter because of the grip that the gloves offered me.

TM started selling the rim separately after high demand for it.

Thrustmaster VG Thrustmaster Open Wheel Add On - PC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N9M9DBL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ffv7Cb5HNXZ0A

$13 and no more issues

Another user same problem as me here https://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/B07N9M9DBL/ref=cm_cr_unknown?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&filterByStar=two_star&pageNumber=1

I bought a disc copy from Sold Out Software via Amazon. But... it doesn't appear to be terribly well-stocked at the moment.