Simucube beginner - pitfalls and brain failure moments to avoid?

[Slapped]

I've got an SC2 Pro with the Ascher F28 SC V2 and the Tahko GT-21, plus mounting bracket and wheel side QR arriving today. I also have HE Sprints that are going on the rig at the same time

I'm well aware that this isn't going to be plug and play in the same way my current thrustmaster setup is, so a little bit of beginner advice would go a long way - such as what to avoid, what problems am I likely to encounter, etc.

Sims I'm driving are ACC, R3E and the F1 series if that has any bearing on the advice.

Paging @Andrew_WOT and @EsxPaul as I've seen you guys hovering around the Granite Device community and you guys seem pretty knowledgeable on all things Simucube.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

First of all congrats on the purchase. I have the same combo and i love it!

Your sims will come to life when you are using the right profiles, @Andrew_WOT has helped me a lot pointing me to the right settings and *BOOM*: perfection

For me especially AMS2 has become a game that now feels absolutely amazing.

 

[Slapped]

Thanks Bram

It hurt, oh boy did it hurt, but the taxman was nice to me this year and paid for half of it.

I'm absolutely looking forward to getting going with it, and I have a week off next week to really get it configured. The only thing I'm not looking forward to are the frustrating 2 or 3 days where I'm 3 - 4 seconds off my normal pace while I get used to the new gear.

 

[EsxPaul]

@Slapped That's some nice gear you have coming

My advice would be to start out by taking some game specific profiles that are either posted on the GD forums or via the Paddock software to get yourself a baseline to start from. As Bram mentioned, you can't go wrong with anything that Andrew shares as he has tons of skill and experience with direct drive.

If you get stuck, jump onto the game specific threads and we'll help out.

 

[stigs2cousin]

I "graduated" from Thrustmaster to SC2+HSV Sprints myself and don´t regret it a bit.

My advice would be to not obsess about settings, find yourself a "prebuilt" profile and go racing.

On the one hand there could be improvements hidden somewhere in the settings (in the 1/100 to 1/10 range) but the mayor upgrade is to a Direct Drive Wheel and competent pedals.

So enjoy the upgrade and use it for racing, not so much tinkering.

MFG Carsten

 

[Slapped]

The man from DHL just came by with a bunch of boxes - one of them very heavy.

I'm excited.

 

[RedBull48]

The man from DHL just came by with a bunch of boxes - one of them very heavy.

I'm excited.

Ah the closest thing you experience to Christmas when you're all grown up. Excited for you, I am sure you will love that combo!

 

[Slapped]

Ah the closest thing you experience to Christmas when you're all grown up. Excited for you, I am sure you will love that combo!

Unfortunately for me it's like 2 days before Christmas where you can see your presents under the tree but can't touch them - I'm going to have to wait until the weekend before I can set up everything.

At least I can give my trusty old TS-PC a worthwhile goodbye in the meantime.

 

[RedBull48]

Well take some solace in the fact the variable of the courier losing you shipment is gone

 

[Slick Trickle]

Congrats on the upgrade. I'm literally looking to buy the same wheel base and wheels. Did you get the bundle over at SRBay? If you don't mind me asking, what rig are you using? I'm still waiting to pull the trigger on the SimuCube 2 Pro bundle, HE Sprint or Ultimate and Trak Racer TR80 MK5, then eventually add a motion platform system. I keep dragging my feet because I'll have to reorganize my current Mancave/Podcast Studio that I built 5 years ago to incorporate the racing rig. Btw, nice Kojak profile pic.

 

[Slapped]

Did you get the bundle over at SRBay?

No, I bought the items separately from GPerformance in Slovakia - an official Simucube reseller, and honestly I'm astounded at how quickly they got the kit to me. I ordered on Tuesday evening after close, and everything arrived today - basically a 1 day turnaround. Given my current experience with them I'd highly recommend them.

I was going to use the RD store, but it links directly to Simucube who don't deliver to non EU countries at the moment, and Switzerland is not in the EU.

If you don't mind me asking, what rig are you using?

I'm using a Playseat Trophy which I recently acquired to replace my Playseat Challenge. At the time I bought it I wasn't really thinking about DD, but the Trophy is such an absolute unit when it comes to stability - there is absolutely no flex at all - I got thinking about DD. I'm actually pretty confident that the SC2 Pro will be fine on it, especially as I can't imagine using the full 25NM.

Also you don't need a fork lift truck to move it, and it's so damned comfortable - it fits me like a glove. Honestly I could sleep in it. I can go to a full alu extrusion rig if needed, but I really really don't want to as the Trophy fits my needs exactly.

...then eventually add a motion platform system.

That's something that I'm not really interested in - I've tried motion platforms before but they've always left me with a "this isn't really right" feeling about them. In fact I actually find a couple of Buttkickers attached to my rig to be more immersive than a motion platform in many ways

But each to their own - there are many people that swear by them, and If that's you then go for it.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Word of advise if you are planning to frequent GD board, put CLAYREGAZZONI on ignore list right away, dude is soooo hopelessly super confused on everything, it's not funny, but always first in line to consult.

 

[Slapped]

Word of advise if you are planning to frequent GD board, put CLAYREGAZZONI on ignore list right away, dude is soooo hopelessly super confused on everything, it's not funny, but always first in line to consult.

LOL, telling me to put somebody on my ignore list is by far the best way to ensure that I don't put them on my ignore list, because now I'm going to be watching everything they say out of pure morbid curiosity

But thanks - forewarned is forearmed as they say.

 

[Slapped]

Well everything is set up and working - the firmware update on the SC Pro 2 was a little bit hand in mouth - this is one of the rare occasions something was giving me a bit too much information, and I'm always wary of updating firmware.

I had no problems switching to the HE Sprints, although the throttle is a bit too heavily sprung for my tastes, but I'll get used to it - I know I can adjust them out, but nevertheless they do feel right, which is why I'm not reaching for the spanner.

My first goal is, crazily, to make the SC2 Pro feel like my old TS-PC, and I'm actually getting there. Ok I can already hear you yelling "Are you mad, one and half thousands euros to make it feel like a Thrustmaster", but bear with me on this - there is method in my madness. This is an exercise in understanding how the adjustment parameters work, and if I can dial it in to behave more or less like my old TS-PC then I'll know how I got there and will then be able to understand how to dial in whatever I like.

Also one of the things that made chuckle about the higher end boutique manufacturer mounting philosophies is this:

Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec: "Here's a complete sheet showing exactly how to mount and secure your wheel/pedals to your rig"

Simucube/Heusinkveld/Ascher: "Here's bag of bolts, washers, and nuts, go figure it out yourself"

I do have a quick question however. Do I need to have the True Drive app open at all times that I'm using the Simucube? I'm guessing so. It's no biggie but I do tend to close down those apps that are not needed for what I'm doing.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Do I need to have the True Drive app open at all times that I'm using the Simucube?

No. You only need to launch it once after power up, to activate high torque (don't forget to set it to permanent so you don't need to click it every time) and load profile, after that it can be closed.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Also one of the things that made chuckle about the higher end boutique manufacturer mounting philosophies is this:

Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec: "Here's a complete sheet showing exactly how to mount and secure your wheel/pedals to your rig"

Simucube/Heusinkveld/Ascher: "Here's bag of bolts, washers, and nuts, go figure it out yourself"

Welcome to the big league

 

[RCHeliguy]

I was surprised how different the Sprints felt different at first, but also how comfortable they got after just a couple days.

HE has good baseline settings for their pedals.

I never spent the time to learn how to tweak my SC2 Pro profiles. The online profiles are a great way to start. Just login and click on them to try them out. Start with a few that have consistent high ratings for each title. Some will have instructions for matching in game settings.

I've been very impressed with a number of those.

 

[RedBull48]

I really wish I could try out an SC2 in person before buying. When I upgraded my Clubsport v2.5 I ended up going with a DD1 to save on not having to buy a different rim as well. Understanding that SC2 is really somewhat the gold standard of wheel bases I am constantly wondering what I am missing. Fanatec's wheel profiles leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. They have community pages with base configs from one of their employees but with how often the drivers change this does not always provide a decent config.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I went from a v2.5 to an SC2 Pro so I can't compare the DD1.
I do know of a number of people who went from a DD1/2 to an SC2 Pro and they seem happy.

I also had no Fanatec components left on my rig, so connectivity wasn't an issue for me and I was excited to get my two wheels for the SC2.

In my opinion the profiles make ALL the difference. The SC2 hardware is perfectly good, solid, reliable etc., but the right profile is what makes it shine and makes you love having one. A poor profile will leave you scratching your head on why you purchased a direct drive wheelbase.

 

[RedBull48]

I went from a v2.5 to an SC2 Pro so I can't compare the DD1.
I do know of a number of people who went from a DD1/2 to an SC2 Pro and they seem happy.

I also had no Fanatec components left on my rig, so connectivity wasn't an issue for me and I was excited to get my two wheels for the SC2.

In my opinion the profiles make ALL the difference. The SC2 hardware is perfectly good, solid, reliable etc., but the right profile is what makes it shine and makes you love having one. A poor profile will leave you scratching your head on why you purchased a direct drive wheelbase.

And this is perhaps precisely why I feel I am missing something. For example when playing AMS2 and AC on my DD1 despite using the recommended profiles and in game settings the steering often feels very muted on initial turn in. It's also very light in the middle. Perhaps these are things that can be dialed out and considering the market share Fanatec has I am surprised there isn't better support on such an important topic.