What upgrade gave you best bang for the buck - and why?

[markie44]

I'm lucky to have a very nice rig with some premium parts. While the more expensive bits are great, they mostly punch AT their weight - not above it. I'm interested to know as I'm sure others would be, what upgrades offered you the largest price to benefit ratio?

For me it has to be my SRS double fan kit. I drive mostly open cars where they make the most 'sense' - but even in cars with windscreens its a similar effect to driving IRL with the windows open. When I took delivery, I thought there wasn't much too the kit, and perhaps it wasn't worth the money but having used it for a while now I love it and think its the best value addition I've bought.

Whats yours?

 

[blekenbleu]

Certainly, upgrading to AccuForce from G29 wheel made the difference for me between expecting to recover oversteers and not. DIY with DIY hub and $25 eBay wheel < US$700.
Having modified G29 pedals and tweaked settings to approximate load cell response, actual load cell was not so great an improvement. However, for the buck, DIY 2DOF harness tensioning wins for me.

 

[stigs2cousin]

When it´s "Bang for the Buck" I´m out

My biggest step forward was from T300 to SC2 pro.
Another slightly smaller step was from T3PA pro with homemade loadcell upgrade to HE Sprints.

The tactile feedback was a step forward too, maybe the most BfB because I did it on the cheap.
The biggest performance advantage was the "wheel slip" exciter on the throttle, that made me realise how much wheel spin the Skippy has because no LSD.

MFG Carsten

 

[Tom_Hampton]

The biggest performance advantage was the "wheel slip" exciter on the throttle, that made me realise how much wheel spin the Skippy has because no LSD.

Managing an OPEN DIFF is a real thing. I shelled my LSD in my real racecar in my rookie season with a money-UPshift (2nd to 1st instead of 3rd). Instantly going to 7200 rpm to 13,000 was a bit more reverse thrust than the ring/pinion could take. Anyway...clutch-pack diffs are kinda hard to find, so I spent the rest of the season with an Open.

You learn many ways to manage inner-rear wheel traction when you have an Open diff to content with. Learning to open the steering to set the inside down a little can also help to minimize the need for aggressive throttle management. So, a slightly different line can help in that circumstance: square off the corner a little and take a slightly later apex to allow for lower G-load under throttle (and less body roll lifting the inner-rear tire).

 

[Sascha Reynders]

For me, it's my Simétik K2 cockpit. Switching from a Playseat Challenge sitting in front of a desk to the K2 opened up a whole new world of simracing to me. And as I had a Sparco seat lying around at the time, it didn't break the bank either
A close second would be my HE Pro pedals.

Why ? In both cases: a greater sense of control and immersion.

 

[mrexcitement71]

Pedals for me , upgraded to HE Pro's , I came from Fanatec V3's pedals and there is no comparison , they have so much better feel and the ability to modulate the throttle and brake precisely is I think what makes the difference.
This had the biggest improvement to my lap times.
I also have a DD1 and came from the Fanatec CSW V2.5 but for me lap time wise it made little difference , it just felt much nicer to use , even the jump from my old Logitech G920 to the V2.5 was again little difference to lap times but much better feel.

 

[Tom_Hampton]

Two things:

1. Loadcell brake---improving the ability to consistently apply the same amount of brake pressure.
2. Tactile---again, particularly for its ability to provide feedback that is otherwise lacking---specifically braking again, as I find that differential-decel rate is the most under-represented feedback parameter from sims.

I think belt tensioners will probably fall into the same category as the above two. But, I don't have those yet. I think I need to actually finish a few of my current projects before starting another one.

 

[TedBrosby-]

OP asked for bank for buck. SC2 or any DD should never be in that conversation unless it's a $700 DD wheel.

Agree with @Tom_Hampton on the load cell brake. Even a DIY one on a G29 for $30 or the Ricmotech one will be a huge difference in your ability to brake.

You'll want better brake feedback when you drive Porsche Cup in iRacing or any formula car that doesn't have ABS.

 

[vexvex]

Best bang for me is adding a buttkicker to the rig. And a very close second is the newly added VNM shifter. Great value.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

HP Reverb G2 from a small 1080p monitor, expensive but massive jump also my own 8020 rig also expensive but a massive jump

 

[markie44]

OP asked for bank for buck. SC2 or any DD should never be in that conversation unless it's a $700 DD wheel.

Exactly! I have an SC2 and its an incredible bit of kit, but it's priced accordingly and IMO only offers fair value. If it was half the price - then we'd be talking great value.

It's those unexpected disproportionate step-ups that I'd most like to hear about.

 

[Sascha Reynders]

It's those unexpected disproportionate step-ups that I'd most like to hear about.

Well, "disproportionate" and "bang for buck" are all in the eye of the beholder I guess Especially when it comes to us, simracers

 

[Wilko Jones]

Getting a loadcell brake was the best bang for my buck. I was always locking up tires with a potentiometer based brake, even when I screwed those things in place, braking was a guessing game. Even though I went with a budget friendly set of pedals, the loadcell made an enormous difference.

A close second in bang for my buck is getting a wheel stand. Until recently, I clamped my wheel and shifter to my desk. I was able to race with it, but it wasn't comfortable. I also had a lot of misshifting problems with the shifter being at shoulder height.

After getting a wheelstand (again a budget friendly choice) my whole setup feels much better. The wheel feels a lot more communicative, the pedals are bolted down and they are always right where I want them, and the shifter is close to where car's shifter should be. On top of that, I'm a lot more comfortable when racing.

Those are my top 2 B4Bs.

 

[ShinyAndy]

SHH shifter for me, closely followed by an OSP display and then the BK Gamer2 (second hand from eBay)

SHH makes me smile every time I use it as it is so damn good for the price. The OSP stopped mobile phones falling off my rig and smashing and the BKG2 made me realise how tactile stuff (no matter how little) really does add to the immersion

 

[Kevin Troschinski]

For me: Changing from a common 27" Monitor to a 34" 21:9 last year for half the prize i would pay 1 year before.

 

[Manfredk2]

Switching to HP Reverb G1 , coming from 27" triple

 

[AccAkut]

It's hard to pinpoint one thing as everything is obv connected, but probably my 40x40 rig. Only once I had that I could use my DIY loadcell pedals and my shifter effectively, and it opened the door the SC2 I now own. It just ties the whole lot together. And by designing it myself I could tailor it to my needs, as I'm sure I'd not fit well into ready made solutions as I'm rather tall.

 

[Insert Coin]

CSR Elite pedals (with load cell brake pedal), I'm still using them.

 

[Botmeister]

The cup holder on my P1-X. 15 euro and does a great job

 

[stigs2cousin]

You learn many ways to manage inner-rear wheel traction when you have an Open diff to content with. Learning to open the steering to set the inside down a little can also help to minimize the need for aggressive throttle management. So, a slightly different line can help in that circumstance: square off the corner a little and take a slightly later apex to allow for lower G-load under throttle (and less body roll lifting the inner-rear tire).

Thanks for the advice, will try this in the next Skippy practise.
For now I use a lot of rear ARB, feels like better traction because less lean.
And I like the rotation ( which only seldom gets away from me.)

MFG Carsten