hsmith

Nice. I haven't raced VIR in a long time.

User 52121

With a quiet afternoon I planned to spend the day in the simulator... but I think I'll head to the garage to fart around instead. 60 degrees out but drizzly and I'm itching to be outside.

I'll definitely make practice tonight, for at least a little bit.

Indy Rev

Thanks Jim

pyropete125

Hi all,

I am looking to start doing some iRacing soon. I have been listening to Dinner with racers and speed secrets podcasts and I feel it will be a good tool to use to learn tracks and help me develop as a driver.

I do not have a setup or anything, but I want to spend a few bucks and get all set up. My problem is I just don't know what to get. I am not a I need the best of the best person, but I don't mind spending money if its worth it. I am not much of a video game person, though I still have intellivision hooked up to my tv currently, lol.

What are peoples recommendations for a setup with say a budget if $1000, $1500, $2000 etc

I think I want to buy one of those seat setups with the pedal mounts, shifter, wheel, monitor mounts.

I'd like to do the 3 monitors, but what video card do I need for 3?

What wheel/pedal/shifter? I have a track 924/944 so I want a shifter not paddles on the wheel.

I heard someone on a podcast recommend a upgraded progressive spring for the brake pedal to give it a more realistic feel- any ideas?

Thanks
Pete

masterianvii

Here's a blog post I wrote with some recommendations, which I think are still valid:
http://www.mockracer.com/2014/12/how...ivingroom.html

$2000 will get you mostly there if you're including the PC as part of the budget, because you can get an entry level Logitech or Thrustmaster set that will have the pedals and the H shifter. You can always upgrade later. Believe it or not, simgear has great reseale value.

If you want to know what's really worth spending on, I would recommend the
HE Pro Pedals, https://www.h-engineering.net/shop/sim-pedals-pro/), the
AccuForce direct drive wheel, http://simxperience.com/products/acc...uforcepro.aspx, and the
Fanatec H shifter, https://www.fanatec.com/eu-en/shifte...ter-sq-eu.html

By really worth it I mean these are really high-end pieces of gear that will give you noticeable gain for the least amount of money, or the best value.

For entry level equipment you don't need a special rig as anything makeshift at home will work. However, for the high end stuff you absolutely need to mount them to something.

For rigs, the choice depends largely on your space availability at home, your personal dimensions, and whether you want triple screen, oculus, motion, racecar seat, comfy seat, cup holder, etc...

One of the most flexible solutions is to build one yourself out of "80/20" aluminum strips, which you can source cheaply on eBay.

Another is to get a well thought out rig like the Simetik, https://simetik-cockpits.myshopify.c...cts/cockpit-k2

For PC, a 1070 videocard is plenty for iRacing and Oculus, which is quite demanding.

If this sounds too daunting and you want someone to just build you a turn key solution, or maybe you want to try any of the gear before you buy it, and you happen to live on, or be near Norwalk CT, you can go visit a friend of mine, Naid, of Crimson Simulation, www.crimsonsimulation.com. Better yet, you can just contact him and ask him what he recommends for your budget, and he can put an entire system for you together and either tell you what to order exactly or build it and ship it to you.

pyropete125

Thanks for taking the time for that reply. I definitely now have a better idea on the budget I'll need.

A friend just told me about that crimson simulation place which is not too far from me. Last year he did a session there instructed by Ross Bentley. I'm going to check out that place in the next couple of weeks that way I can justify spending the money on the "good stuff"... especially if resale on that stuff is good.

As for the rig, fortunately for me I can make anything out of metal since I am a welder fabricator and I have my own shop. Space is somewhat limited where it is going but three monitors and whatnot will be fine.

User 52121

Ditto to everything masterianvii said.

Double-ditto to going to see Naid @ Crimson. Great guy and some great setups. He's also a Heusinkveld Engineering dealer and can hook you up with some good gear.

hsmith

tough track.. my opt is a second from my best. Lots of fun. For me its easy to over drive this track.

JustinL

Thanks for setting it up Jim. I've been busy with wrenching on cars the last week or so. We bought a 2013 S4 so I've been going over it and cleaning up my old E46M3 for selling as well as getting a pair of race cars ready for the season. I'll try the video card driver stuff tonight and see if I can get some laps in before tomorrow. If not, I'll run until the hood flies open again and I go off into the long grass.

User 52121

I love VIR. Hands-down favorite US track.

Completely destroyed one of my old Yamahas there on North Course. That's where I learned to answer "OMG PUT TIRES ON IT" to the question of, "Should I put tires on it? Nah, it'll make it one LAST race of the weekend..."

hsmith

Yeah it really is one of the best tracks in the US and world. Are we running the full course? I didn't get a chance to practice on Sunday.

User 52121

North course.

JustinL

Rolled back driver, disabled particles in iracing. Still black screening like crazy. I started a warranty process with gigabyte. Hopefully they are good for it.

User 52121

Domestic issues again, signed in right as the race was about to start. Green flag and lost it in T3, wall, done. Frustrated, I logged out.

Looked like we lost a few people between practice and the race? Were there other server issues?

dabneyd

I fell asleep sitting in my seat after I ran some practice laps so I went to bed.