Have Your Say – What's Your Favourite Piece of Sim Gear Right Now?

P. Winkler Simracing Rig.JPG
This week’s “Have Your Say’ article focuses on sim hardware; share your current favourite piece of sim racing gear in the comments below.

Sim racing can be an expensive hobby. It’s easy to pour a lot of your hard-earned money into new hardware. Sometimes those investments can be a let-down, while other times the product is all we’d hoped and more. We want to hear your stories from the latter case.

The right piece of gear can significantly enhance your enjoyment of sim racing. That enjoyment can be based on added immersion, more comfort while driving, or even something as simple as replacing a defective unit that was overdue for replacement. A favourite piece of sim gear doesn’t need to be expensive, of course. It could be something that you worked hard to be able to afford, something you inherited or received as a gift, or even something you found used.

Added immersion might be the most obvious reason to name something as your favourite piece of gear. This could be your first wheel, which meant a major step forward from a controller. Or a VR headset, which allows you to step into an alternate world where you’re piloting your favourite racecar. Or maybe a motion setup that allows you to feel every bump, curb, dip and crest.

Comfort is another great reason to love a sim hardware. Being hunched over a desk for endurance racing can be uncomfortable bordering on painful. And perhaps that new wheelstand or cockpit has opened up new possibilities in the world of sim racing for you.

Whatever it is, tell us in the comments below. Let us know which piece of sim hardware you love most, and why you love it.
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

My Geko Systems GS-105 (G-Seat) is my number one piece. Being able to feel the corning, braking and acceleration forces along with feeling the forces from when I trade paint is simply awesome
 
Got to be my triple screens, then maybe my Momo rim. But without every piece I own they would be useless...so it's the whole rig that is my favourite ;)
My 1080ti is really the gift that keeps on giving :D
 
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My favs while racing, outside of the rig itself would be gloves & my comfy pair of thick racing socks and my Yeti that keep my beverages hot/ cold.

But since you said gear it would have to be my quick release hub that lets me change rims based on the sim I'm playing F1 Ferrari rim GT3 McLaren rim or Rally 488 rim. As well as Crew Chief for immersion.
 
D
My Heusinkveld Sprints. They barely need maintainance. They are sturdy. Doing their job. Pethair-friendly. 1.5 years in. Best bang for your buck. ;) Only what's a little annoying was that the brake pedal need some oiling once and then.
 
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I've had a number of wheels ranging from Fanatec conversions, Ascher, Turn, Precision Sim Racing to SimCore.

However of all these wheels and other sim racing kit, the one that brings the biggest smile to my face is the Reverie Eclipse Carbon Fibre steering wheel. No button box, no shifters, but really comfortable and super light.

View attachment 508031
Please list your rig components. This is very cool!
 
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My new seat. Changed from a Turn One Eco bucket seat to a Simoni SRS "sports car seat". Think I kept that Turn One for way too long, it just doesn't fit my body well.

All the other gear is useless if you can't sit comfortably
 
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It may sound stupid but my favourite sim gear currently is a bamboo monitor stand from Ikea. I don't have a rig, my ultrawide monitor sits on the top my desk. That required me to look slightly downwards. Now, with this monitor stand I look straight ahead, and I can't express with words how big of a difference it made! It is surprisingly more immersive (the in game horizon can be set where it is in real life) and my posture also improved, resulting a much more comfy experience.
 
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I've spent quite a bit of money on many sim racing things, from assorted Fanatec gear to VR headsets etc. But I think it's the stuff that I built myself that I'm the most pleased with.

Like many, I made my own 8040 profile rig from scratch, which was incredibly rewarding. It was such a fun project to go from a scribbled diagram on a piece of paper to the finished article.

I aso made a socking great button box, which again, was fantastic fun to build. I wanted to build it myself as I needed to position the buttons in such a way that I could easily differentiate between them whilst wearing a VR headset. Amazingly, only one button doesn't seem to work (out of about 30!) I could open it up to check the connections, but it took a herculean effort just to get the enclosure closed due to the mass of wires, it was like trying to stuff a clowns wig into a thimble. Therefore, it was easier to mark that particular button as 'ejector seat' and never touch it again.
 
Which single piece of kit is the one I value most? Can't say. It has all been an evolution over time, adding bits here and there. I reckon the only piece of kit that made a step change in my ability was load cell pedals. But in terms of fun, it was a homemade alu profile rig. I bolted my old Playseat Challenge seat to it too, eschewing the ostentatious FIA certified carbon six-point harness vibe :D

The rig was the gateway drug to DD and Heusinkveld! Maybe the Playseat Challenge deck chair's days are numbered!
 
I've spent quite a bit of money on many sim racing things, from assorted Fanatec gear to VR headsets etc. But I think it's the stuff that I built myself that I'm the most pleased with.

Like many, I made my own 8040 profile rig from scratch, which was incredibly rewarding. It was such a fun project to go from a scribbled diagram on a piece of paper to the finished article.

I aso made a socking great button box, which again, was fantastic fun to build. I wanted to build it myself as I needed to position the buttons in such a way that I could easily differentiate between them whilst wearing a VR headset. Amazingly, only one button doesn't seem to work (out of about 30!) I could open it up to check the connections, but it took a herculean effort just to get the enclosure closed due to the mass of wires, it was like trying to stuff a clowns wig into a thimble. Therefore, it was easier to mark that particular button as 'ejector seat' and never touch it again.

30 buttons. The problem with VR will not be to differentiate between them, but to remember which function you assigned to each one of them.
 

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