SIM Cockpits: rate your rig

Help.

I'm looking to buy a cockpit for under $1000 including seat. what do you have that you like, what did it cost and please include a picture. Also what do you wish it had that it doesn't? (Price should not include wheel, pedals or electronics.) I'm just starting to get into SIM racing and don't want to make a mistake on a cockpit. I'm going to get Fanatec CSL Elite wheel and pedals. 

thanks.

Hah.  I think you came to the wrong forum for recommendations in that price range, but I'll play to humor you.

Cockpit 1: MDF junkpile

Budget:  ~$100

Good: 

• Solid
• Good ergonomics

Bad:

• Heavy/impossible to move
• Requires dedicated screen
• Too large

Cockpit 2: Poang Challenge

Budget:  ~$50

Good: 

• Cheap
• Not terribly difficult to move

Bad:

• Not terribly easy to move
• Ego was tolerable, but questionable (too much back angle)
• Flexible

Cockpit 3:  Playseat Challenge

Budget:  ~$270

Good: 

• Easy to move
• Good (enough) ergonomics
• Can fold up to stow if I need to

Bad:

• No shifter mount included (this can be fixed)

Stock photo, I'll replace with my setup when I get a chance to take a pic.

if this is the wrong place to post this, where should I do it?

thanks.

Just to clarify, its perfectly ok to ask here, but you may want to check sim-racing forums, reddit, etc.  You will get some helpful feedback in your price range.

https://www.reddit.com/r/iRacing/

https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/

etc.

Since the topic came up, I thought I'd ask... Would this be a terrible start to build on? Saw it on the FB Market for $100. I think it's from an old driver's ed trainer.

The only reason to buy that is to say you bought a $100 S2000

Nothing is going to carry over to an actual sim cockpit

gutenberg918 said:

if this is the wrong place to post this, where should I do it?

thanks.

It is the right place I think he was just commenting on the fact that we all tend to be cheap so a budget of $1,000 is not what many here work with when building sim rigs. 

Now that said mine is in the $500 range for the basic seat.  Add in a couple options and it starts creeping yp to the $700 mark.  My wife got it for me as a birthday gift years ago so I dont know exactly waht she paid but it was the fully optioned out setup.  It is very nice.  Great driving position comfortable for long sessions.  I put it on a small carpet that does not have a no slip backing so I can slide it around the room and out of the way when not in use.

It is a nice place to be when racing.  I use it with a 65" plazma wall mounted TV and my PS4.  

The one BIG anoying problem I have with it is the center post that holds the steering wheel.  This has to go between your legs / feet and interferes with realistic foot work of the peddles.  If I was to do it again I would make sure that what ever rig I get does not have a center post.

Mine is the Playseat like this one. But not branded for Grand Turismo.  Min has gold lettering and just has Playseat on it. 

I have the GTR Simulator GTA model.  I bought it at least 5 years ago and it's still going strong, and at $389 it's actually about $10 less than what I paid.

GTA simulator

When I bought it, I liked the fact that it had the same chinese seat I had in our NA Miata at the time.  The Miata has moved on to a real race seat, but the one on the sim is holding up fine.

I had to repair one weld when I unboxed it, but other than that have had no issues.  

I'm using it with Fanatec wheel and pedals.

Cockpit 3:  Playseat Challenge

Budget:  ~$270

Good: 

• Easy to move
• Good (enough) ergonomics
• Can fold up to stow if I need to

Bad:

• No shifter mount included (this can be fixed)

(Same post as above but I'm including a pic)

3a - slide seat up to desk, slide monitor back and forth.  Showing with a G29

3b:  not pictured, but its between a anc c.  Slide seat up to desk, monitor mounted on pivot arm that I can extend out in front of playseat

3c:  Moved seat to right of desk, now I can easily swing monitor between standard desktop position and "race" position without moving the seat around.  Have an external keyboard w/ trackpad to use while I am sitting there.  Shown with Fanatec CSL Elite pedals/wheelbase, the cheapest Fanatec wheel I could get, Fanatec shifter and handbrake.  The ergo of the last two is soooooo much better than the G29 shifter clamped at the same height as the wheel.

The one recommendation I would make to anyone considering a playseat is to print a set of these:  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5403030

The stock pedal -> seat attachments will easily slide to one side over the course of a session and its not good.

OP needs to protect and / or restore their virginity:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ip_5t_4-SuaMiB2mOniNVusnN4vSiYn3vwEiPNUSXrA

I put about 460 hours on this rig in 2023, it is solid and fully customizable. 

In reply to red_stapler :

How much did it cost all in? Thinking of building a cockpit out of aluminum profile because my current one has too much flex

gixxeropa said:

In reply to red_stapler :

How much did it cost all in? Thinking of building a cockpit out of aluminum profile because my current one has too much flex

I haven't researched pricing in about a year, but it is listed on the google doc.  If you bought everything listed it's just over $500.

I built like 6 of them out of wood, steel, or buying prefab. Finally went extruded aluminum, and have no regrets. It cost around $500. The seat is out of an E46 bmw. Mainly because my son and I both use it, and we are different sizes.

My rig has evolved a bit in the last 4 years... some of the Fanatec stuff got updated (load cell pedals, shifter), and I upgraded to triple monitors on a Trakracer stand.

While the GTA rig was fine for the older wheels, I'm finding it's marginal even with my non-DD Fanatec Clubsport Elite.  I'd like to update to a DD wheel eventually, so the next step will probably be a Trakracer frame, and an old Corbeau out of my Miata.

After the load cell brake pedal, the triple monitors were best thing I've spent money on so far.  They provide better peripheral vision, as well as allowing you to look further ahead into corners (by turning your head as you would IRL)... makes it a much more engaging and realistic experience.

In reply to Rodan :

I need to find a fix for my Load cell pedal. Thing feels like I'm pushing a solid wall, no feedback or "feel".

Blackhalo said:

In reply to Rodan :

I need to find a fix for my Load cell pedal. Thing feels like I'm pushing a solid wall, no feedback or "feel".

What pedal is it?

I built one years ago out of angle iron salvaged from a set of shelves, using a seat from a Miata. Dead simple. I don't have a lot of pictures of it, but here's a national level autocrosser playing GT4 on my PS2 using it.

red_stapler said:

Blackhalo said:

In reply to Rodan :

I need to find a fix for my Load cell pedal. Thing feels like I'm pushing a solid wall, no feedback or "feel".

What pedal is it?

The brake load cell.

Blackhalo said:

red_stapler said:

Blackhalo said:

In reply to Rodan :

I need to find a fix for my Load cell pedal. Thing feels like I'm pushing a solid wall, no feedback or "feel".

What pedal is it?

The brake load cell.

Sorry, I meant "What make and model is your pedal set?  Is the load cell original or a modification?"

red_stapler said:

Blackhalo said:

red_stapler said:

Blackhalo said:

In reply to Rodan :

I need to find a fix for my Load cell pedal. Thing feels like I'm pushing a solid wall, no feedback or "feel".

What pedal is it?

The brake load cell.

Sorry, I meant "What make and model is your pedal set?  Is the load cell original or a modification?"

Sorry. Fanatec CSL load cell.

Couple "fixes" out there, but haven't ordered anything yet.

Blackhalo said:

red_stapler said:

Sorry, I meant "What make and model is your pedal set?  Is the load cell original or a modification?"

Sorry. Fanatec CSL load cell.

Couple "fixes" out there, but haven't ordered anything yet.

I'm less familiar with those, but it looks like there aren't any springs or elastomers?  That would certainly make it stiff!  I'd probably give one of the etsy 3d printed elastomer mods a try.

I'm just going to leave this here since the topic floated back to the top.

I actually started following this guy because he also has a series on building a DIY 1000w fiber laser. You know, just in case any of you haven't had a visit from the bad idea fairy lately.