Brian Clancy
Premium
The SRHF Xmas reviews are going to start coming thick and fast now we approach Xmas. This review is the first of three rig reviews, enjoy...
First Impressions:
The 'Elite' arrived in a suprisingly small box. Once opened, I found it to have been very well and carefully packaged, lots of protection and thought had gone into this, always a good start! The first thing to grab your attention though, without doubt is the Genuine Corbeau race seat. A very nice quality 'propper' deep bolstered unit, it most deffinatly looks the part! The next thing to become obvious is the quality and finish of the steelwork, top notch stuff!
Well packaged!
Nuts n Bolts!:
This is a fairly simple, but well engineered single 'spine' rig. Construction is of steel box tubing of various sizes, but all of it is thick wall and of a high quality. The welding is of a good standard and finish as is the excellent powder coating and 'plated' finishes, no 'angle grinder' marks, paint runs or flaky plating here! All edges of the steel work have been given a generous radius and the components have been cut very accuratly (lazer or water cut I would imagine). The supplied fastners, knobs and fittings are top notch too and even include bolts to fit the G25/7 to hard fix both the Wheel and pedals to the rig (a nice touch)
The Elite also comes with a very nice assembly tool kit, a very good quality double ended spanner and allen keys, plus various velcro pads and cable fixings. A really complete setup!
Design and build up:
This single spine design makes for a very compact yet rigid setup. Assembly is a breeze with the included instructions. Its a pretty simple case of bolting the seat to the base unit (with or without the seat riser plates) inserting the 'spine' tube, sliding on the 'upright' for the wheel and then bolting on the pedal plate and its support feet! My unit came with the optional G25/7 shifter mounting, again a simple bolt on affair that is mountable on either side of the rig and places the shifter perfectly!
Adjustability:
This is where the Elite excells! The range of adjustment is huge, from seat height (using or removing the seat riser plates) to wheel/pedal positions. The 'upright' for the wheel has a cranked neck (see pics) and this can be reversed, add to this the sliding extension and adjustable rake on the wheel plate along with the fact that the upright can be slid forward and back the length of the spine and this rig can accomodate anyone from kids to 6'4" tall monsters like myself and bigger! The main spine itself can also be slid backward and forwards, moving the pedal distance from almost at the base of the seat to a distance that will cover even the longest of legs!
Adjustments Neck forward on upright and backward
Driving with the Elite:
Due to the adjustable nature of the Elite, it really doesnt take long to find a comfy and suitable position to drive from. If your used to driving with your wheel 'clamped' to a desk and using a house hold chair, this will be a revelation! Not only is it far more comfortable for driving, but it feels correct, the immersion factor is massive and brings you much closer to 'the real thing'. Whilst I cant really say it will make you faster, it will be much more comfortable, especially on longer races and I think that alone my have an impact on times!
Options:
There are quite a few options for the Elite including Monitor stands, shifter mounts, buttkicker gamer 2 and fittings, console mounts and more
Check out the Gameracer website for more info HERE
Conclusions:
A really high quality rig. It offers a great package on a small footprint and can be stored fairly easily considering the fixed back seat. There are a great number of optional extras too, all in all a very viable option if your looking for a solid, well made and compact rig!
Value: 89/100 At £325 plus shipping for the basic model, its not the cheapest rig, but its quality of construction offsets this to some degree
Functionality: 93/100 Great stability and driving position adjustment ensures a high score here!
Quality: 93/100 Top notch design, construction and finish.
RD Rating: 275/300 Solid contender
Buy One?: I think this rig has to be considered, if you looking for a high quality unit, with a small foot print that quickly adjusts to suit multiple users of differing sizes, this may well be your answer!
Finally: Ted (Gameracers C.E.O.) is one of the nicest guys in the industry, rest assured he is very helpful and has excellent after sales care! Ted has very generously given all RD'ers a 10% discount on his rigs too! Just e-mail him and quote Racedepartment and he will send you an adjusted invoice! (this offer is for rigs only and not combo units)
I would like to thank Ted for his kindness in helping me with this review and the discount for our members!
First Impressions:
The 'Elite' arrived in a suprisingly small box. Once opened, I found it to have been very well and carefully packaged, lots of protection and thought had gone into this, always a good start! The first thing to grab your attention though, without doubt is the Genuine Corbeau race seat. A very nice quality 'propper' deep bolstered unit, it most deffinatly looks the part! The next thing to become obvious is the quality and finish of the steelwork, top notch stuff!
Well packaged!
Nuts n Bolts!:
This is a fairly simple, but well engineered single 'spine' rig. Construction is of steel box tubing of various sizes, but all of it is thick wall and of a high quality. The welding is of a good standard and finish as is the excellent powder coating and 'plated' finishes, no 'angle grinder' marks, paint runs or flaky plating here! All edges of the steel work have been given a generous radius and the components have been cut very accuratly (lazer or water cut I would imagine). The supplied fastners, knobs and fittings are top notch too and even include bolts to fit the G25/7 to hard fix both the Wheel and pedals to the rig (a nice touch)
The Elite also comes with a very nice assembly tool kit, a very good quality double ended spanner and allen keys, plus various velcro pads and cable fixings. A really complete setup!
Design and build up:
This single spine design makes for a very compact yet rigid setup. Assembly is a breeze with the included instructions. Its a pretty simple case of bolting the seat to the base unit (with or without the seat riser plates) inserting the 'spine' tube, sliding on the 'upright' for the wheel and then bolting on the pedal plate and its support feet! My unit came with the optional G25/7 shifter mounting, again a simple bolt on affair that is mountable on either side of the rig and places the shifter perfectly!
Adjustability:
This is where the Elite excells! The range of adjustment is huge, from seat height (using or removing the seat riser plates) to wheel/pedal positions. The 'upright' for the wheel has a cranked neck (see pics) and this can be reversed, add to this the sliding extension and adjustable rake on the wheel plate along with the fact that the upright can be slid forward and back the length of the spine and this rig can accomodate anyone from kids to 6'4" tall monsters like myself and bigger! The main spine itself can also be slid backward and forwards, moving the pedal distance from almost at the base of the seat to a distance that will cover even the longest of legs!
Adjustments Neck forward on upright and backward
Driving with the Elite:
Due to the adjustable nature of the Elite, it really doesnt take long to find a comfy and suitable position to drive from. If your used to driving with your wheel 'clamped' to a desk and using a house hold chair, this will be a revelation! Not only is it far more comfortable for driving, but it feels correct, the immersion factor is massive and brings you much closer to 'the real thing'. Whilst I cant really say it will make you faster, it will be much more comfortable, especially on longer races and I think that alone my have an impact on times!
Options:
There are quite a few options for the Elite including Monitor stands, shifter mounts, buttkicker gamer 2 and fittings, console mounts and more
Check out the Gameracer website for more info HERE
Conclusions:
A really high quality rig. It offers a great package on a small footprint and can be stored fairly easily considering the fixed back seat. There are a great number of optional extras too, all in all a very viable option if your looking for a solid, well made and compact rig!
Value: 89/100 At £325 plus shipping for the basic model, its not the cheapest rig, but its quality of construction offsets this to some degree
Functionality: 93/100 Great stability and driving position adjustment ensures a high score here!
Quality: 93/100 Top notch design, construction and finish.
RD Rating: 275/300 Solid contender
Buy One?: I think this rig has to be considered, if you looking for a high quality unit, with a small foot print that quickly adjusts to suit multiple users of differing sizes, this may well be your answer!
Finally: Ted (Gameracers C.E.O.) is one of the nicest guys in the industry, rest assured he is very helpful and has excellent after sales care! Ted has very generously given all RD'ers a 10% discount on his rigs too! Just e-mail him and quote Racedepartment and he will send you an adjusted invoice! (this offer is for rigs only and not combo units)
I would like to thank Ted for his kindness in helping me with this review and the discount for our members!
