Start Sim Racing CHEAP in 2022

0:00 Intro
0:51 Pick Your Poison
2:18 The Important Bit
5:23 Wheelstands & Cockpits
7:12 Not Games, Simulators

IF you’ve been pondering over the thought of getting into sim racing recently, you need to drop everything, stop what you’re doing and watch this video because now is the perfect time to get into the hobby.

The first step of getting into the hobby is deciding which platform you would like to race on. Is it console or PC? PlayStation or Xbox? Before you do anything else, you need to answer these questions. You don’t want to buy an entire sim racing setup, only later to find out that it’s not compatible with your platform. Of course, if you already own one of these platforms, the decision is kind of a no-brainer if you want to go about the cheapest route. But, if you’re totally new to gaming in general, I would definitely recommend picking PC. Yes, a console is cheap, but in a couple years, you’re gonna want to switch to PC. It’s practically the course of nature. It’s simply the superior platform. So, buying a gaming PC from the get go may be a worthwhile investment.
But, if someone put a gun to my head and told me I had to race on a console, I would definitely chose the playstation. This is because on PS you get the Gran Turismo franchise, which is a far superior racing simulation as compared to Xbox’s Forza. It offers much better competitive racing, and a more realistic simulation. But if you are on console, you’re just delaying the inevitable of joining the PC master race. It has better sims, and you can even mod your racing sims, which I’ll cover a little later on when we discuss racing sims in more depth.
So, now you’ve picked your poison, it’s time to select a your peripherals. The wheel and pedals are the most important aspect of your sim racing setup. It’s true that most racing simulators are compatible with game pads, or even keyboards, and there are plenty of racers that use them. But at that point, is it even sim racing? If you do try to play racing simulations on either of these, you’re bound for a bad time. Racing simulations aren’t like your casual racing games, and they aren’t designed with gamepads or keyboards in mind. Meaning, you’re going to have a tough time controlling your car. You’re definitely going to want to buy a wheel.
The wheel I started out with 6 years ago was the Logitech G920. It also comes in the G29 variant, they’re practically identical, except the G920 is for Xbox, and the G29 playstation. Both are compatible with PC however. Anyway, the Logitech offerings are PERFECT for anyone wanting to get into sim racing on a budget. They cost around £300 or $400, and with that you get a durable wheel and a decent 3 pedal set. You can also throw in a H pattern shifter for a little extra, which is a worthwhile addon in my opinoin. It just means you won’t have to use the flappy paddles, and will actually have a realistic shifting action in anything other than race cars.
However, logitech recently came out with the logitech g923. This is their upgraded version of both the previously mentioned wheel. As far as I can tell, there isn’t much difference. If we disect the marketing mumbo jumbo, all you get is a slightly improved brake pedal and more vibrations through the wheel which really isn’t much. So, you can decide if you think this is worth the upgrade.
Much like the successor to the G29 being almost identical, the predecessor to it is again, almost identical. If you want to sim racing on an extreme budget, you can find logitech g27s second hand at a very reasonable price. Again, the g27 will offer an almost identical experience for under a ¼ of the price.
Now the other company that makes wheels for budget sim racers is called thrustmaster. They have a lot of models, which can become quite confusing. However, the models you should look out for are the T300, T150 or TMX. They’re all decent wheels, and range from cheaper than the aforementioned Logitech wheels, to more expensive. The main difference between the Logitech and thrust master wheels it the way force feedback is delivered.

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MY SIM RIG:
▶Fanatec Wheelbase Base
▶Fanatec CSL Elite Wheel
▶Fanatec Shifter
▶Fanatec CSL Elite Loadcell Pedals

[sspacegghost]

i used to help run a sim league, had the full setup. i watched in amazement as my peers went to three screens and moving rigs. i did the opposite - i downsized. i now use a foldable stand, and a low end thrustmaster wheel and pedals. literally 1/10th of the cost of my initial G27 Obutto setup. Keep it simple. Your brain fills in the gaps...you dont need to go full everything.

[Jcvlasmesas]

Just upgraded to a T300RS after 4 years with a G920. It's really awesome how different they are. The FFB is much better on the T300RS and it feels a lot more natural.

[Legion_Victrix]

FYI: I built my own home cockpit out of wood and wooden black laminate sheets for the final finish that cost me around 100$. I used an after market Honda Civic Si seat that cost me 20$ and around 200 screws. Finally, the planning was the hardest but my cockpit can be used for Race Sims, Flight Sims and space games like Star Citizen. I can use the wheel and pedals at the same time as the joysticks when it's set into the right configuration.

I would suggest anyone to build their own cockpit if they can. They will really get a huge bonous out of it and it will cost a lot less.

*** Forgot to mention*** My Cockpit is also compatible with things like the Next Level Motion PLatform that I do not own... but it's ready :P


Cheers !!!

[ertugrulbae]

My heart: Fanatec CSL DD + 8nm booster, loadcell brake kit, nice wheel, racing rig, curved monitor/3x LGCX 48inch TVs

My brain: T300 RS would do fine

My wallet: controller does the job just fine.

[Cheezus]

a definite difference between the g920/g29 vs the g923 is the new wheel's pedals are now 10 bit so they have more resolution so braking is a lil more dynamic. (the tech is in the wheelbase not the pedals and one can easily make their pedals 10 bit by getting the g29/920 pedal to usb adapter.)

[quitw]

I just got a second hand g25 and I'm having a lot of fun and with you talking about wheel stands it was just what I need.

[Somerandom]

Honestly, I love beamng for rally because it adds the fear of crashing that's so absent in other games.

Like clipping a curb in some sims might spin you out and lose time, it may even have your car take "damage". But in beam, youre now going to have to try finish the race with collapsed suspension, a punctured tyre and likely a damaged wheel to boot.

Or even little things like clipping a hedge can realistically take out your radiator so you've got to worry about finishing the race before your car overheats. It's great.

[brkinwrx]

this was one of the most easy and informative videos on this topic I've watched. Straight forward and tells you the best options actually on a budget.

[Anty]

Finally a good guide for wheel mounts! I have a tiny apartment and a desk and table that wouldn't fit a wheel on them so this was a big help for me, Thank You!

[aaronhorn]

The amount of time I've spent looking for a setup guide which normally tells you to buy the most expensive and gives you very little So thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for 😁

[keanehgz]

Any wheel stand with the vertical support between the legs is a no go IMO, it impedes on heel and toe action

[snippidippi]

Everything is so extremely expensive today! Remember back in the days then you could get a top notch force feedback wheel that actually was great back in the days for like 150€ but today everyone talks about "budget" and shows wheels at 500€ and above and like "it's cheap". Insane!

[macca]

Just a note on budget wheels, my 1st wheel was a G-27 and it was great!! it took many years of abuse (a LOT of drifting) Now I have a G-29 (with H-pattern shifter) an arduino E-brake system & a VR setup. Sim racing in VR is freakin amazing by the way!!

[raisagil]

A Thrustmaster T150, a cheap used PS4, and a DIY cockpit made with plywood or whatever else you may have lying around, is the best Bang-for-your-Buck combo right now.

[nikkoallen]

Recently got a G29 for 260$ off of Amazon and am waiting for the shifter, so far I am enjoying the sim racing experience, I enjoy the mods that asseto supports and hopefully will invest in a hand brake and cockpit (if I get extra interested and have space lol)

[rudyrude]

Ty for sharing your 6 yrs of knowledge. I have been pondering on getting into the hobby completely and this really helped!

[skarqen]

LOVE the chill Drum n Bass in the background. Keep it up with that! 💃

[Kalron]

I am thinking of getting into sim racing. I'm having so much fun playing Forza Motorsports 7 on just a controller. This video was helpful af

[Imagine_Breaker]

A lot of good looking records classics in this tutorial, I recognized almost all tracks, very good music choice

[dathyr]

Yes, there are so many directions we can go for racing games. I have always been doing SIM racing on the PC and on the STEAM platform.
One nice item besides the ones you mention in the video is using VR - many of the popular racing games now support this on the PC. This is not really a budget item or a necessity, but once you have used VR, you really don't want to go back to racing on the FLAT screen. Another visual FAD is using 3 displays for better visual driving. That gets costly also depending on display sizes.
Thanks for the video.