So You Want To Start Sim Racing? WATCH THIS first.

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If you're interested in the gear I use, I've compiled handy lists for you:

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:43 Topics
03:19 PC vs Console
07:30 Wheelbases
10:57 Pedals
14:02 Cockpits & Frames
16:43 Displays
21:31 Final Thoughts
22:43 Outro

Video Sources: YouTube
XBOX
Fanatec
Asetek Sim Sports
Next Level Racing
Advanced Sim Racing
Trak Racer
Gran Turismo 7
MSI Gaming
ASUS ROG
Simucube
MOZA Racing
kunos simulazioni
iRacing

[lcnsnipe]

Big tip... make your own cockpit... its very easy and you save a ton of money. I made mine out of wood and its been steady and strong for over 2 years now and i use it regularly

[jthompson]

Console was an easy choice because of money. I was able to buy chair, wheel, pedals and a VR headset for what a gaming PC can cost, let alone then buying all the sim racing gear. I wish i could afford a PC, but food is more important. I feel fortunate to have what i have though

[simracingden]

I've been reading many of your comments, and it will be challenging to respond to everyone, but thank you for your input, opinions, and feedback. I greatly appreciate anyone that has subscribed. I've noticed a trend of comments around my thoughts when first starting out. I realize many of us will differ on this, and that's fine. I hoped to start some discussion. It wasn't my intention to tell people what to do. Instead, give my two cents and my personal experience. You still need to research and watch other guides on YouTube to formulate what's best for you. I can only speak from my own experience. If I had started out with an entry-level wheel, I would not have been happy, and I wanted to achieve a certain amount of realism and immersion from the start. I knew that this was going to be a hobby I would enjoy just based on my love for cars and racing, racing games and experience trying out other setups, and I wanted to start at a different level doesn't mean I suggest everyone go out and do that, but I know I would not have enjoyed using an entry-level wheel for very long. That doesn't mean you can't have as much fun and be competitive with lower-end equipment.

[onetripwonders]

Nice video and well explained concepts. It’s worth mentioning that many direct drive wheels can’t be table mounted but some lower end ones can. I went with a Fanatec CSL DD which has 8nm and is still mind blowing, but can be table mounted if you don’t have the space for a chassis and frame. I started on an iPad racing app, went to console and a Thrustmaster, then to a PC with VR and load cell/DD. It’s good to upgrade as the interest grows instead of buying all this high end gear only to realize your interest isn’t what you thought it would be.

[LetsDoScience]

VR is on another level, surprised you haven't given it a go would be cool to see an comparison video. This was very helpful, thanks.

[DenisBender]

Being able to play Dirt Rally 2.0 on a Valve Index and now Gran Turismo 7 on a PlayStation VR2 was for me a good reason and a starting point to invest in a wheel and a seat.

[Happymars]

I gave up my dedicated sim rig because I need to use my PC for work and conventional gaming as well as sim racing. It became too much of a hassle to swap everything back and forth, so I went back to just clamping my wheel to my desk which I still have loads of fun with. Learned that I needed to keep things simple to enjoy sim racing myself.

[simracingden]

I now have an affiliate program with Advanced Sim Racing, a North American racing simulation chassis manufacturer and digital motorsport equipment retailer. I bought my ASR Pro Chassis and most of my hardware through them before they offered the program to me. I can easily recommend them for their excellent customer service and expert support, and free shipping in North America. Use my link or code THESIMRACINGDEN at checkout and receive 5% off selected collections: Advanced SimRacing, Racing Seats. I receive a small commission in return that helps support the channel

[LMarshall]

One additional point to consider when setting up your rig is whether or not you intend to use the console or computer for anything else. For console, a racing cockpit is fine if, for example you also plan to play FPS as the seating position is fine for gaming with a pad. For PC gamers, a more utilitarian design may be required so that a keyboard/mouse is accessible. My "rig" is based off of the standard aluminum T-Slot design, but is constructed from wood (2x4, 2x6, 2x8, and MDF panels). I use a seat mounted on tracks and an articulating arm for my keyboard tray, but a fixed platform for my mouse pad. I swing the keyboard tray to the side and slide the seat forward for racing, but for all other activities the seat is slid all the way back. This gives me room to swing the keyboard tray in for shooters or for working in Photoshop to paint my iRacing cars or for video editing, etc.

[dragonknight]

I find pedals (actually the brakes to be specific) are more important than the wheel, like you said yourself here. I am poor but dedicated and found that the Logitech G923 (more torque isn't necessarily better in all games, something you should have mentioned IMHO. Many pros turn that force way down to allow them to not be distracted whilst racing) with a an aftermarket brake upgrade (I used a load cell upgrade for under $100US) hit the sweet spot for me on my PC based setup. I also found that a nice NLR GTLite cockpit also fit the bill for me. I'm very competitive with this setup and I can fold it all up in minutes to save space (and more importantly, make the partner happy that there isn't a huge cockpit taking up half the living room, lol). For my "monitor", I use my living room 55" LG OLED TV. It's got a 120Hz refresh rate and the picture is out of this world. More than enough for racing and it also allows me to not have to have multiple monitors taking up tons of my limited space. If you plan properly, your setup doesn't have to cost as much as a real car does and you'll still have lots of fun doing it.

[jasonfiglioli]

Great video for people who are starting out or thinking about it, very well thought out and informative. I bet your getting excited and counting down the days till that ASR PRO arrives!

[jovaniseptovich]

3 years ago, I started with t150 pro, then 2 months later I cant hold myself not to upgrade, so I bought t300 rs with t3pa pedal. Thenn I bought the rig/cockpit, then I buy TLCM. Bear in mind in my country only Thrustmaster and Logitech has official distributors, so what I have is somewhat the best you can get around here.

early 2022 I sell all my rig due to money issues.

fast forward 1 month ago, I purchase a used t150 pro with the cheap wheelstand included.

This time I somewhat pay more attention to details in dring technique, proper racing line, and general understanding of grip and weight distribution

I break all my personal best.

[ericblumenkrantz]

Excellent video!! It was logical and objective I am in 100% agreement. The differences between console and PC is more subjective and worthy of it's own video. I have used both console and switched to PC awhile back. There are several features I still miss from the console world. Over the past few years the options have greatly increased and I have made changes because of newer better options and hopefully and I suspect will continue to improve and will need to make more decisions in the future. The biggest issue from everyone I know is nobody knew for certain what their ultimate experience was they wanted. That all came from getting in and figuring it out.

[norcalfire]

Great video! I'm trying to get some friends into sim racing.. so this is a great video to share. One thing others said and I'll emphasize as well... is VR. I bought 3 monitors and went down that road at first. Then even added the 4th on top for telemetry. It was

Then I bought the HP Reverb G2... and I have yet to go back to triples lol. The depth perception in VR is so much more than you can ever get with monitors. Had I known this when I started.. I might have just bought one ultrawide. I still need a monitor of course.. but once I went VR.. I'll never go back to triples.

So people should keep that in mind.. as you could save some money by not buying 3 monitors. Just my two cents. ✌️

[orionmec]

I'm actually more into flying, however, some racing vids popped up has I was interested in motion cockpits and I was curious so I watched a few. I really enjoyed your video I think you did a great job without being exhaustive it was very informative and gave me some food for though. Being retired I have time on my hands for hobbies so I may just eventually get into driving as well. Thank you!

[adrianchannelle]

Thanks. Just starting out. Very excited to see how this hobby evolved. I got the CSL DD from Fanatec. Very impressed with it.

[paulanderson]

9:45 just to play devils advocate, I've used a used fanatec belt drive wheel for the last three years. I think its rated at 8.2nm, and although I might upgrade in the future, I don't think I could part with it. Its a damn fine wheelbase.

[jonasweiss]

I'm a retired racing pro whose kids went thru all of this. Not being a naysayer, but be careful to realize that real racing is a tough job that is not necessarily fun. The wheel is the least fun part, in any form of racing. It is constantly pushing back at you and conveying the lack of grip you are dealing with. SO, the more real your sim hardware is, the less fun you're going to have. If your sim is not coddling you and is true to physics, you'll find that racing competitively is very difficult to do well at all. Just a voice from the real seat. My opinion. You can spend too much and come to realize what I'm saying.

[iSpike]

🏁🏎️🏁 G’day mate, great video 👍🏻 I’ve just purchased ACC and a basic sim steering wheel & pedals. I’m only getting into gaming at the ripe ol age of 60 👀. This game looks like it will be a lot of fun. New Subscriber here. Cheers from Western Australia 🇦🇺✌🏻

[gamernaut]

Someday in the future I feel our high-tech EV cars will simply come with an app that allows us to play driving/racing games while parked in the garage. The car would lift itself up on retractable actuators, force feedback tech in the steering box, haptic feedback seats and pedals, and a windshield and door glass that doubles as monitors (or maybe just a VR headset stored somewhere in the car).