Buyers Guide To The Different Types of Sim Racing Wheels

by adminUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

If you’re anything like me, you dove headfirst into Sim Racing after purchasing the first wheel recommended to you by another driver and that was somewhat affordable. When I first started, I had no idea that there were different types of sim racing wheels. I was genuinely unaware that there were people using wheel bases with different rims based on the style of racing they were participating in. I didn’t know that you could pair your wheel with pedals from a totally different company and make your racing experience more realistic. But the more I fell in love with sim racing and began to take it seriously, the more I longed to upgrade my entry level setup for something sophisticated. When I started shopping for sim racing equipment, I was completely overwhelmed by the abundant wheel options, the lack of information and explanation regarding their abilities, and the reasons why their pricing could fluctuate so dramatically. That’s why I decided to create this buyers’ guide to help online racers find the sim racing wheel that is perfect for you and your budget. There are three main types of sim racing wheels: Gear-Drive, Belt-Drive, and Direct-Drive, listed in order of lowest-to-highest average expense. I recommend starting from the beginning and upgrading your setup as your progress in your sim racing journey from rookie, to veteran, to expert.  For The Sim Racing Rookie: Gear-Drive, The Most Affordable Sim Racing Wheels The most affordable sim racing wheels are gear-driven, with a lightweight and fairly portable electric motor that acts on a set of variables to simulate steerage effort. The best gear-driven wheels offer at least 900 degrees of turn, with plenty of easily accessible switches to make changes to the car setup while on-the-move, or to navigate your racing platform’s options menu that is found on the face of the wheel. While gear-driven wheels aren’t as quick to react or as accurate in their feel as some of the more expensive belt or direct-drive options, these wheels do come at a price point that most everyone can afford. Their convenience is unmatched, as they are typically bundled with paddle shifters and pedals to get you on track swiftly and without having to piece together each item of equipment. Additionally, they come with built-in clamps, providing a simple, sturdy way to mount your set-up to a desk or table, avoiding the need to invest in a cockpit quite yet. I would personally recommend a gear-drive sim racing setup to anyone who is just getting started. However, when you’re shopping for a more affordable version of an item that is normally far more expensive, you need to be careful in your selection. After doing significant research, I believe the highest quality product in this category is the Logitech G920 Sim Racing Wheel & Pedals. There are two versions available for this wheel and pedal sim racing setup: Xbox or Playstation (Logitech G29), and both versions also work for PC. The Logitech G920 costs around $300, and is undoubtedly the best sim racing steering wheel and pedals in that price range because of its high quality materials, abundance of accessories, and overall bang for your buck. The dual-motor force feedback system on this sim racing wheel is realistic, strong, and does an impressive job of helping you physically feel and react to changes in the racing surface and obstacles in your path. This is the wheel I used when I first started sim racing, and I was incredibly impressed by the high quality of the wheel for its very fair price. The wheel is wrapped in a soft leather that has just the right amount of grip and feels natural and comfortable in your hands, which is a must-have for longer races. The wheel performs 900 degree turns, which is the same as a real race car and is the standard for sim racing. The stainless steel pedals feel sturdy, strong, and provide ample brake pressure, another important element in sim racing. For shifting, there are paddle shifters on the wheel and a clutch pedal at your feet. The paddles click whenever an up or down shift is performed, which provide a satisfying and responsive manual transmission experience. The Logitech G920 also comes with an excellent mounting system that easily allows tight mounting to a desk or table. The ample accessories available for this wheel and pedal setup also give you the ability to upgrade your equipment as you progress in your sim racing journey, without having to spend a significant amount of money on a totally new setup. For example, you can switch to an H-Pattern six-speed with the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter, or achieve a more realistic feel and heavier pressure from your pedals with this Pedal Inverting Kit For The Sim Racing Veteran: Belt-Drive, Sim Racing Wheels and Pedals With The Best Bang For Your Buck  Once you have some sim racing experience under your belt, stepping up to the next level brings you into the arena of the more advanced belt-drive sim racing rigs. This type of setup commonly uses larger, heavier-duty motors that drive a belt which actuates on the steering shaft. This is also where we enter the territory of setups where the motor (or belt-drive) and steering wheel (or rim) are two different pieces. Buying multiple steering wheels for your belt-drive is totally optional, as purchasing multiple rims can become pricey. However, if you can swing the price tag, it is a big advantage to have the option of using the specific wheel that best caters to each series you are racing in. Aside from the increased customization opportunities, additional benefits over gear-drive setups are the capability to handle more powerful and accurate force feedback with less noise and with smooth, swift action. While these types of wheels can also be mounted on a desk or table, they tread into a competitive enough arena that you should consider pairing them with a cockpit racing seat that has mounts for the wheel, pedals, and …

Read more “Buyers Guide To The Different Types of Sim Racing Wheels”

How To Get Into Sim Racing For Under $500

How To Get Into Sim Racing For Under $500

by adminUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

It is widely believed that online sim racing is not a cheap hobby. In the midst of its growing popularity, it’s not uncommon to find sim racing rigs that are worth well over $5,000, and others that even enter five-figure territory. However, that does not mean it’s impossible to get into sim racing at an affordable price. In this guide, we will outline specifically how you can get started in sim racing for under $500. We will recommend only high quality equipment that will provide you with the opportunity to participate in the booming hobby of sim racing, while also not breaking the bank. Wheel & Pedals  First off – and perhaps the most important – you’re going to need a wheel and pedals. This is where arguably the biggest cost variable lies, as there are so many different options you can choose from when it comes to purchasing a wheel and pedals. You’re going to want a wheel that offers force feedback, which is a simulation technique used in racing wheels to deliver an accurate representation of what it is like to race for real, such as the bumps in the road or contact with other vehicles or with the wall. There are three types of competent sim racing wheels that will provide you force-feedback: gear-drive, belt-drive, and direct-drive. Gear-drive wheels are the most affordable, so we’re going to focus on those. The gear-drive set of wheel-and-pedals that we recommend is the Logitech G920, which costs around $300, and sometimes it’s on sale for a little less. If you come across this set on sale for less than $300, don’t wait! The Logitech G920 is the best sim racing steering wheel and pedals for under $300 because of its high quality materials and abundance of customizable accessories, making it an amazing bang for your buck. The dual-motor force feedback system on this sim racing wheel is realistic, powerful, and immersive. The wheel is wrapped in a soft leather that feels nice and comfortable on your hands, which is a must-have for longer races. The wheel performs 900 degree turns, equivalent to a real race car. Its high quality is a pleasant surprise for such a cost-effective wheel. The stainless steel pedals feel sturdy and strong, and they provide ample feedback to guide you in applying a realistic amount of pressure to the pedal. Regarding shifting, there is a clutch pedal as well as paddle shifters on the wheel. The paddles click whenever a shift is performed, providing a satisfying manual transmission experience. The Logitech G920 also comes with a handy mounting system that easily allows you to tightly mount your wheel to a desk or table. This saves you a significant chunk of change by not having to purchase a full cockpit! We also love the abundance of accessories available for this wheel and pedal set-up. If you’re not feeling the paddle shifters and want to switch to an H-Pattern six-speed, you can dothat with the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter! Or if you want a more realistic feel and additional pressure from your pedals, you can do that with the Pedal Inverting Kit! These are only a few of the many additional accessories and add-ons that are available for this specific wheel and pedal set-up. Racing Simulator Next up in our pursuit to getting into sim racing for under $500, is our racing simulator. Unsurprisingly, we’re partial to iRacing.  Our pick is iRacing for several reasons, such as their wide variety of cars and types of racing, low cost of entry, and the huge community that spans across a vast skill-set of online racers. It costs under $10 per month to use the simulation, plus the cost of the specific cars and tracks you want to race. If you want all of the content iRacing has to offer, it can get extremely expensive, but that really isn’t necessary at all. You’ll likely fall in love with 1-3 racing types, and will only need to buy the cars and tracks for those series. What we love most about iRacing is the clean and responsible driving that you typically find among your competitors – something that is very hard to find elsewhere in the world of online racing. The racing itself is both enjoyable and challenging, and quickly transforms you into a more disciplined and clean driver. Additionally, iRacing is designed specifically for use with a steering wheel and pedal, and will feel much more natural and realistic than a game like Forza Horizon 5 would with a wheel. iRacing is the platform where you’re going to experience the most fun and realistic racing with your new wheel and pedals at a cheap entry price. Gaming Monitor Now that you have your wheel, pedals, and racing simulator, you still have about $200 left to make your start in sim racing for under $500. The next step is to purchase a monitor that best caters to the platform you’ll be sim racing on – in this case, iRacing. The most important aspect here is getting a widescreen gaming monitor. A gaming monitor is necessary for its high refresh rate, which helps you maintain a quick reaction time while racing. A widescreen monitor will expand your visual field, allowing you to see as much of your surroundings as possible from the viewpoint of the race car’s cockpit. The more you can see, the less chance you have of colliding with someone or making a mistake during close racing. A great example of a monitor that accomplishes all of this for under $200 is the ASUS 24 or 27 inch monitor. This is a high quality and reliable monitor that provides all of the specifics you need in order to use the iRacing service at some of its highest graphical capabilities. We’re Sim Racing For Under $500 In summary, that’s how you break your way into sim racing for under $500 and a few dollars to spare, with high quality equipment that will ensure …

Read more “How To Get Into Sim Racing For Under $500”

Gutenberg Sample Post

by adminLandscapesPosted on One Comment

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a placeholder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts. All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers. As a result of which, your entry will repay your efforts. Take your sales; simply put, they will rise. Likewise your credibility. There’s every chance your competitors will wish they’d placed this entry, not you. While your customers will have probably forgotten that your competitors even exist. Which brings us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to another small point, but one which we feel should be raised. This is dummy copy. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. If this were real copy, it would have ended long ago, because‚ as we all know‚ no one reads body copy, and even fewer read body copy this long. But then, this is dummy copy. It is not meant to be read. Period.

Testing the Elements

by adminGeneralPosted on 4 Comments

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts. Gallery Fullscreen Image Cras justo odio, dapibus ac facilisis in, egestas eget quam. Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis vestibulum. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

Post with YouTube Video

by adminVideosPosted on One Comment

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts. All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers.

Post with Gallery

by adminScenicPosted on No Comments

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. Mosaic Gallery If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. Square Tiles In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.

Post with Slideshow

by adminLandscapesPosted on No Comments

Below is an example of a Slideshow Block which is included in the free Jetpack Plugin. See more details about this block here. This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit.

Post with Vimeo Video

by adminVideosPosted on No Comments

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts.  

City Bike

by adminArchitecture, UrbanPosted on No Comments

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts. All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers. As a result of which, your entry will repay your efforts. Take your sales; simply put, they will rise. Likewise your credibility. There’s every chance your competitors will wish they’d placed this entry, not you. While your customers will have probably forgotten that your competitors even exist. Which brings us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to another small point, but one which we feel should be raised.

Sed posuere consectetur est at lobortis

by adminGeneralPosted on No Comments

This is some dummy copy. You’re not really supposed to read this dummy copy, it is just a place holder for people who need some type to visualize what the actual copy might look like if it were real content. If you want to read, I might suggest a good book, perhaps Hemingway or Melville. That’s why they call it, the dummy copy. This, of course, is not the real copy for this entry. Rest assured, the words will expand the concept. With clarity. Conviction. And a little wit. In today’s competitive market environment, the body copy of your entry must lead the reader through a series of disarmingly simple thoughts. All your supporting arguments must be communicated with simplicity and charm. And in such a way that the reader will read on. (After all, that’s a reader’s job: to read, isn’t it?) And by the time your readers have reached this point in the finished copy, you will have convinced them that you not only respect their intelligence, but you also understand their needs as consumers. As a result of which, your entry will repay your efforts. Take your sales; simply put, they will rise. Likewise your credibility. There’s every chance your competitors will wish they’d placed this entry, not you. While your customers will have probably forgotten that your competitors even exist. Which brings us, by a somewhat circuitous route, to another small point, but one which we feel should be raised. Long copy or short – You decide As a marketer, you probably don’t even believe in body copy. Let alone long body copy. (Unless you have a long body yourself.) Well, truth is, who‘s to blame you? Fact is, too much long body copy is dotted with such indulgent little phrases like truth is, fact is, and who’s to blame you. Trust us: we guarantee, with a hand over our heart, that no such indulgent rubbish will appear in your entry. That’s why God gave us big blue pencils. So we can expunge every example of witted waffle. For you, the skies will be blue, the birds will sing, and your copy will be crafted by a dedicated little man whose wife will be sitting at home, knitting, wondering why your entry demands more of her husband‘s time than it should. But you will know why, won‘t you? You will have given her husband a chance to immortalize himself in print, writing some of the most persuasive prose on behalf of a truly enlightened purveyor of widgets. And so, while your dedicated reader, enslaved to each mellifluous paragraph, clutches his newspaper with increasing interest and intention to purchase, you can count all your increased profits and take pots of money to your bank. Sadly, this is not the real copy for this entry. But it could well be. All you have to do is look at the account executive sitting across your desk (the fellow with the lugubrious face and the calf-like eyes), and say ”Yes! Yes! Yes!“ And anything you want, body copy, dinners, women, will be yours. Couldn’t be fairer than that, could we?