Don't Waste your Money - $30 vs $10,000 Racing Setup

Alex wanted to build himself a new racing setup for his. So when we were given a chance to test out EA Sports WRC, we had to see how it held up to a budget racing wheel and our ultimate setup.

Some of the hardware we used:

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

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MUSIC CREDIT
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Intro: Laszlo - Supernova

Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High

CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
1:25 The Basic
3:55 Driving the Basic Setup
5:15 PS5 Controller
7:10 Alex's Rig
9:44 Adorable Chiweenie Cameo
14:55 Linus Knows Cars Good
16:55 Driving Alex's Setup
20:38 "Upgrading" the Handbrake
22:56 THE ULTIMATE
24:40 Testing the Ultimate Setup
29:13 Which Setup was the Best?

[NielsHeusinkveld]

Niels Heusinkveld here (the pedals guy). Nearly spit out my coffee when I saw our pedals for the second time on LTT! And yes, definitely do not go 'ultra high end' unless this hobby really sinks its teeth into you. Once you are beyond help, all sorts of immersion improving hardware is available.. Oh and the throttle travel can be adjusted, as well as the initial pedal installation angle, so the pedal movement can be made comfortable for most heel angles and foot motions.

[rekire___]

For 10 grand that thing better blow something else other than just my mind

[hippie_]

Something for potential buyers to consider is that the resale value of most of these sim racing setups is quite high. I bought my T300 with pedals for 300 and about three years later when I upgraded to a direct drive wheel sold it again for 250.

[theterrarianman]

G27 owner here, if you do get one, you are going to want to replace the optical encoder wheel inside, it will crack over time and when you make fast turns your steering wheel will start to go further and further to one side, its not too difficult to replace, just time consuming. its ~30$ for a metal one. another issue i have had with mine is the potentiometer in the pedals drifting. you just need to clean it out with some isopropyl alcohol and itll work.

[ryanberardelli]

Props to LTT for putting the sponsor talking points in the video, that's super cool and transparent of them

[doslover]

I know the trend is 'cheapest vs. most expensive' but I really appreciate the 'bang for the buck' setup thrown in there as well

[CV]

Sim racing is probably the best gaming experience you can get. The immersion you get from VR and FFB is phenomenal. I run in former title from codemasters all the time and it never gets dull. Hope we are getting VR support for WRC soon.

[arsnakehert]

I'm at the start of the video and I want to say I really appreciate your transparency in showing exactly the talking points EA asked you to mention

[Codingale]

13:47 Alex mentions brightness being an issue and needing to use the OSD to fix this, if it's purely brightness you can use an application like Twinkle Tray, which allows you to turn down the brightness, volume, and even power via an application instead of the menu; most newer monitors should support this though some older ones might have issues. I used to use this to link two monitors brightness levels together so I can just adjust it for night time.

[MTLoveridge]

It genuinely makes me smile ear to ear as a sim racer to see Linus making more racing content

[mikekopack]

As somebody with a high end racing setup (for iRacing) I can totally agree that you get what you pay for. The statement about more sensory inputs is dead on - being able to FEEL things - like the rear end sliding out, or going over the bumps or loss of traction, etc. It makes SOOOO much difference in terms of feeling what the car is doing and being able to react. The immersion level just goes off the charts. I run in VR though as I find it better than running triples (and takes up less space).

My setup:

Fanatec CSL DD (w/boost kit)
Fanatec Clubsport V3 pedals w/the dampers and the different inserts
Fanatec F1 V1 wheel (have the new V2.5x on order)
Fanatec Clubsport Shifter
Fanatec Clubsport Handbrake V1
DoF Reality H3 3-axis motion rig
SRS 6 transducer shake kit
HP Reverb V2 VR headset
And a pair of custom built button boxes (by me...)


I started out with just a basic crap wheel (similar to the first one showed) with no FFB and I couldn't drive at all with it. Then I got the Fanatec Porsche Turbo S setup which I used for 3 years. Then upgraded the pedals to the V3s. Then bought a used Fanatec Clubsport V2.0 base and the F1 wheel... and so on...

Point is, if you aren't sure you're going to do it a lot, you can have plenty of fun with a G25/27/29 setup, and then upgrade over time if you get into it hard core.

[justofgod]

I think the VR setup time is totally worth it imo it is easier for me to drift being able to look out the windows.

[pickeljuice]

The vr is beyond worth the setup, the immersion, the depth perception coming into corners, being able to see out the side windows when youre sliding, it just makes it so much better

[Karl-memh]

Make no mistake ... the brake pedal is where it's at. Having a good brake pedal can really give you an advantage. The wheel, after having Force Feedback in general is a slight improvement from geared FF to belt FF to Direct drive. Also having a fly off handbrake if you want to drift or go rallying really helps. If you go GT3 or F1 the wheel's switches become more important so you can adjust the settings on the fly. Especially if you drive in VR, which is a very good alternative to 3 screens. If you start building a serious rig, and you can't afford all the stuff at the same time (like me) I think it is best to start with a rigid and moddable frame. So as you improve your rig you still can use the same frame for all your extentions and improvements.

[Kevinlinaresroller]

“That heel toe would’ve been a little better if you weren’t in mocasins” meanwhile Senna driving the doors off an NSX around Suzuka in mocasins lmao

[EricGonzalo]

For seeing this video in consideration of the changes y'all have made with processes after the pause, I'm impressed. The genuine enthusiasm, the editor commentary to reduce any confusion or misinterpretation of context, the awareness of other content and previous videos...I'm genuinely impressed. The quality has gotten a ton better and the video doesn't feel rushed, well done!

[donovang]

I got into sim racing during 2020 while being off work. I got the TM T300 RS GT. Built my own rig. Realized that it was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Bought the NLR F-GT and haven't looked back. It's a fantastic mid-tier setup. One thing I think is worth mentioning, when you set-up - be sure to reference proper ergonomics - especially if you become an enthusiast like myself. Musculoskeletal injuries are not worth it.

[futabaanzu]

It's cool to see not just the cheapest possible and craziest setup, but to also see what you get on a very reasonable setup. I wish LTT would show those more.

[GetIrked]

I'm 47. I've been using computers since I was 3 years old. My mouth dropped open to the floor when Alex talked about all the finnicky adjustments he makes to his monitor throughout the day.

I mean, to each their own, but in 44 years of spending way too much of my day in front of a monitor, I've never once considered adjusting brightness or color temperature to compensate for time of day.

I'm definitely Team Linus on that one.

[jtland]

I have to add that Fanatec's CSL DD bundle which includes the motor base, the steering wheel, and pedals is $400 which is really great value for how nice for how high quality they are. If you are getting into sim racing and think that you will get into it, I highly recommend this bundle and to put it on a cockpit like what Alex has.