Community Question | Do You Wear Gloves To Sim Race?

[regnar94]

No, question is if your wearing gloves to keep from wearing down your sim wheel, with that logic are you also doing that with your real car in public.

 

[Dennis Karlsson]

I don't have a suede wheel in my real car.

 

[François Strat]

I have to, my hands sweat like there is no tomorrow

Haha same here ^_^ ... And my sweat is so acid, that I had rust on my T500rs shift paddles (yeah, the big original chromed paddles...)
And I took off the leather of my old G27 in 4 months
It's not a choice to wear gloves... It's a physical need !!!

Cheers,
Donnie

 

[turbo86]

Yes because i'd rather wash the gloves every now and then instead of the wheel. Much easier.

 

[Gregoryleo]

Interesting question, I wear gloves quite a bit for all kinds of jobs. Trimming my horses, doing fencing, working in the garden and going mountain biking to name a few. But not in sim racing. Shortly after I got into sim racing several years ago I noticed that I was getting callouses on the soft tissue between the index finger and thumb on my hands, from spending so much time sim racing. So I bought some gloves just for racing. I'm not sure what ever happened to them, it just never felt right and eventually they kind of disappeared after my wife made me an oil blend for the callouses.
So no I don't wear gloves to race anymore.

 

[nangu]

I've recently started to use gloves, but only to protect from wear my alcantara wheel. I don't use racing gloves tough, only some cheap gloves meant for gardening

 

[farjam]

I use a Glove, not a complete glove, cut off 4 fingers of it, so it can only cover my thumb and my palm lol
I shift up with my right thumb (a button on the right side of my wheel) and those Logitech buttons are rough, so it was **** my thumb, now i have to protect it

 

[ruubjeee]

In any hardware store you can pick some cheap mechanic gloves, or garden gloves. In sports stores you can equally pick some cheap cycling gloves. Otherwise the internet is your friend although trying on the gloves first can be beneficial.

Thanks! I'll go have a look somewhere.

 

[Redvaliant]

Cycling gloves -fingerless, broken down over time so the impact cushioning is worn down. Can't imagine driving now without them.

 

[djm68]

Yep, gloves. I use gloves that are intended for mountain biking, Troy Lee Rukus. Friendly to steering wheel, great grip, super comfy, breathable.

 

[chemic]

I'm wearing cheap thin real leather working gloves at the moment but they are a bit too loose and tend to move around a bit. Planning to get BMX or motox gloves soon.

Using only my Luisi wheel.

 

[Scott Borchardt]

I've never seen the need for gloves or shoes for that matter. I don't wear either I play my drums as well, in case you were wondering... I am however fully clothed when sim racing and drumming ;-)

 

[gamer19]

Its like i would wear football shoes playing Pro Evo

I've never seen the need for gloves or shoes for that matter. I don't wear either I play my drums as well, in case you were wondering... I am however fully clothed when sim racing and drumming ;-)

We actually didn't but thanks for the input
Now I can't stop thinking about you...
playing drums...
fully clothed

 

[Cold_Strike]

Yeah, maybe i'll try them cause my hands gets too sweaty

 

[Ryno917]

I did for a few years, but stopped when I got into VR. As AC requires the mouse for interaction I found I needed the dexterity of feeling in my fingers to be able to grab the mouse to move between the menus in between sessions.

If I ever build that custom alcantara-wrapped wheel rim that I want I'll go back to wearing gloves, for sure, though. Longer races are tricky with sweaty palms!

 

[Charlie Lockwood]

I personally don't! I can certainly see the appeal, a few times I've definitely been left with sore hands having done a full day of sim racing.
I think it also depends what wheel you have. For example I myself find that with gloves, my G29 feels quite difficult to use as there is not much space between the rim and the paddles. With that being said on the occasions I have tried a Fanatec, I have felt that without gloves the wheel feels too big in my hands.
I guess ultimately it comes down to personal preference and comfort!

 

[ApexVGear]

I prefer gloves, but because sim-racing isn't as demanding as real-world racing, I wear something like these. They're more comfortable and not as hot to wear, they reduce wear on the wheel rims, and the rubber coating, which gives you a very good grip, also prevents moisture from being transferred to the wheels' materials. They're thin enough that you can feel the mouse and keyboard, which is good for VR, and touch screens can still pick up your input.

They're also relatively cheap, especially if you choose a lower-price "knock-off" brand--three pairs for about $5, not bad, even if they only last six to eight months before the rubber coating starts to wear off.

In a way, this is a compromise of sorts, but it's proven to be a very good one--been using these for at least the past four years.

 

[Botmeister]

Yes gloves, feels more 'racing'. I have a DD with a suede rim and a leather rim. I like the gloves' grip for both, but initially I bought them to protect the suede.

Sparco sim gloves, they are cute but also kinda suck. 6-7 months of usage and ready for replacement. Getting karting gloves soon, got my eyes on some sparco arrow's

 

[roadyroad]

I bought bike gloves to protect my new wheel and it felt strange initially. Now it feels strange if I'm not wearing them. IRL ypu would be racing with gloves,. Si it should be part of the experience when simracing.

After that, to complete the immersion I started to race with shoes . It was strange initially but now it makes everything more immersive and I think it's better for heel and toe and it gives some protection to the feet. I use my old thin soles onitsuka tai chi tigers, so I am still able to make subtle inputs on the throttle and the brake.

 

[André Gee]

yepp, cycling gloves , same I use for my MTB ...became a habit, ya know race drivers are somewhat superstitious