User 52121

Obutto is probably the most popular.

I bought a PlaySeat model years ago (before Obutto existed) and it held up fine - my son is using pieces of it now. Not as "nice" as Obutto but not as expensive either IIRC.

And my son and I both have authentic 993 seats in our sim rigs LOL.

Charles A. Toupin

Just bought a Playseat a Logitech G27 and dedicated computer for iRacing.

Just trying not to spin the MX5 Cup at Lime Rock... I might need some help tuning the steering wheel to get the perfect specs... (ffb, #of degrees for rotation, damping etc...).

It is much easier to drive the Spec Racer Ford at WGI, or the Skippy at Road Atlanta...

I like the game a lot!


Rick, a friend that races with me on I racing uses his 944 seat, so you can surely use the cayman seat. But the Playseat is much easier to set up as it comes with the pedal and steering holder...

Eifeler

I've been researching this for a while as well. Have been using a Logitech Driving Force Pro, with it's accompanying pedals, since GT for PS3 came out long ago. The wheel is force feedback with decent feel but the pedals are really bad. Summary research notes:
- Fanatec turns up mostly high marks for quality and customer service.
- Fanatec CS V2 pedals will work with other manufacturers wheels (in most apps & games) and have good feedback.
- Thrustmaster seems to turn up a fair amount of negative feedback on quality and customer svc. When working, customers like product.
- Fanatec CS wheel had issues when new but seem to be addressed.
I plan to order the CS V2 pedals in the next few days, then the CS or GT3 wheel in a month or two. Can’t make to many changes as once or the boss will notice. 

User 52121

Search the forums (the iRacing forums) for wheel setup advice. There might even be a sticky at the top of the hardware section.

From memory, most of the Windows controller settings are at 0 (centering spring, etc.) with force strength at 100. In the sim itself, I have my force strength around 15 IIRC. This one, just tune to your taste. Cars with real-life power steering will have a "lighter" wheel than others. I always set the wheel rotation to 900. iRacing will keep your game controller at a 1:1 ratio with the actual car's steering so long as there is room (in other words, if the real life car's max steering rotation is 400 degrees, as long as your wheel can turn 400 or more, it will be 1:1. Anything beyond 400 will just be ignored).

JustinL

I think this is why our races against each other are so good. We both take the same approach. I'll go off track before trying some impossible save that puts other drivers at risk. Hence my penalty at Spa, and T1 at lime rock a couple weeks ago. It is amazing how emotional I feel when someone is filling the mirrors, or when I manage a great pass on another human. It really can be an exercise in emotional control and maintaining focus.

As far as hardware. I had a G25 for the longest time 5+ years and it still works, but was just getting worn out and weak. I still use the pedals, but the potentiometers are getting pretty dodgy in the gas and clutch. I upgraded to a "load cell" really a FSR resistor brake pedal and burned through one of those. I was able to replace the FSR, but I am getting tired of opening up my logitech gear to fix things. My next purchase will be a really good pedal set.

For the last year, I've been using a Fanatec GT3RS wheel and it's better than the G25, but not by leaps and bounds. It has some funny behaviors with the cooling fan and I lost the click from one of the shifters, but otherwise it has been good.

ProCoach

Great discussion! I'll look out for a PM first from Rick, then go down the list for my G27. Probably has fewer than two hours on it.

I remember when ECCI and BRD (Ball Racing Developments) were the only high end wheels... Also, when Barry Waddell and Dale Junior turned me on to my first set of good pedals, built by Todd Cannon many years ago. That's when it started getting good. Next step for me is probably D-Box actuators for the VisionRacer VR3 platforms I use (have two of those and two Fanatec Rennsport Cockpits <grin>), we'll see.

I think when you have good pedals, which are a MUST to practice good braking (unless you drive in your socks on the sim, and that's no fun), you NEED a way to attach the seat to the pedals so they don't slip away. My pedal pressure for lockup ranges from 40-75 pounds, so that's pretty serious! The Obutto is good, cheap and workmanlike, I like the VisionRacer and the Human Racing option looks good, but is not yet available in the US, IIRC.

I'll be making recommendations to a PCA Club Racing client that I'll be working with at Road Atlanta and the Glen, and he suggested space (and spouse-mandated aesthetics, most likely) was an issue. I'll recommend the VisionRacer and, failing that, the Fanatec wheel stand for something that isn't too large. Part of our prep together will be working together on the sim in iRacing for both tracks, something we're both looking forward to!

User 52121

Some sort of pressure-sensitive setup is key IMO.

And a short funny story... up until some friends and I formed a Lemons team, all my racing experience was on 2 wheels, and any track time with 4-wheels was DE only. So my first "race" in the Lemons car, pouring rain, first lap, turn 3, tip-toeing around Autobahn North (first time ever running that track), watching the car next to me slip and slide and hoping he doesn't slide into me... the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Huh... this feels a lot like an iRacing rookie race."

ninjabones

Here's my rig:

Logitech G27 wheel and pedals. I use a wheel-stand pro (pushed up against the wall gives it extra stability). I have two spare seats mounted on seat-stands (used by the shops to demo the seats... thank you very much mark francis). Most important is a decent processor and a good graphics card (recently upgraded to a 2 gb GTX 770), and then you can really push the graphics settings.

This set-up is nice and flexible (as I can use the seats for guests in the game room, and can collapse the wheel-stand pro and get it out of the way). A dedicated rig takes up a lot of real estate (plus my kids can use the same monitor for the wii)



my mother-in-law kicking it on a circle track

RickBetterley

Which stand should I go for? Looks like there are 2 that I can consider: Playseat (which 1?) and Obutto (is there a choiceof models?).
I will be using a LogiTech G27.
Thanks

Gary R.

Rick - For Obutto - http://www.mainperformancepc.com/cat...ming-cockpits/

Playseat - http://www.playseatusa.com/

LostSouth

Here is a US company that carries the Human Racing. Pretty pricy stuff.

www.sigmatimeattack.com

RickBetterley

Thank you, Gary - do you have a preference (I think you use Playseat)?

Gary R.

Not me, I use an office chair on a 5' runner (rug) with a 27" Samsung flat screen! IF I were to buy one it would be the high end Ubotto as it has a lot more flexibility (I do flight sims also).

My computer specs, OTOH, are up there:
Antec Performance One P180 Tower/Rosewill RBR1000-M 1000W PSU
Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3
Intel i7 i2600k Sandy Bridge at 4.5gz w/Noctua NH-D14 cooler
8GB Mushkin Silvermine DDR3 1333
Crucial M500 960GB 2.5-inch Internal SSD
2-Gigabyte GV-R7970C-3GB in Crossfire
CH USB HOTAS
Logitech G25

007DT

I have the Vision Racer seat and stand.

Fanatec GT3 RS Wheel and ClubSport Pedals.
http://us.fanatec.com/index.php?rout...product_id=144
http://us.fanatec.com/index.php?rout...product_id=255

Pretty Sweet set-up. Not a gamer but I play a little on it. Mainly the kids play it..

Cyril

Wow, very nice set-up Dave!