Sim Racing is a fun way to enjoy the thrills of the racetrack from the comfort of your own home, but the fact that they’re used by Formula 1 racing drivers, means that they can also help you enhance your real-life driving skills, both on and off the track. However, while they are fun and realistic, they are a big investment, and there are a few things you’ll need to consider before deciding whether to buy a Sim Racing rig.
Assembling your rig
When you purchase a Sim Racing Rig, you’ll need to put together all of the different parts with the angles, bolts and nuts provided, and this will require a few basic tools that you may well already have in your garage or shed. Depending on what you’ve bought, which might include a monitor, Heusinkveld Sim Pedal Sprint and a steering wheel, you might also need to pop to your local hardware shop to pick up a few parts.
Deciding whether you’re a gamer or a driver
In many instances, people who start off as Sim Racing gamers, soon become fully fledged Sim Racing drivers! That said, it isn’t for everyone, and it’s recommended that gamers try out a rig before buying one.
With low end gear to help a gamer decide if they want to pursue Sim Racing, many end up wanting to evolve their skills as they grow in confidence, and adding high-quality accessories is the best way to do that. With extra gear, your rig can soon start to feel like a Formula 1 racing car, and as any Sim Racing enthusiast will tell you, that feeling is hard to beat, and before you know it, you’re driver not a gamer!
If you’re at the stage where you want to buy some new gear and enhance your rig, here is some brief guidance:
Wheels and brackets
Knowing the kind of wheel you want is one of the first decisions you need to make as a Sim Racer, to ensure that the right kind of bracket can be fitted to the rig.
Your driving position
Your next choice is to decide between a high, medium, or low rig, and as you may correctly assume, the low rig is most likely to give you the sensation of sitting in a Formula 1 car. On the other hand, if you want to feel as if you’re behind the steering wheel of a GT car, select a high rig.
Floor
It’s important to also think about what surface your rig will be standing on, and whether it’s uneven or flat. For an uneven surface, it might be worth purchasing adjustable feet so that you can stabilize the rig for a better racing experience, or a specialized floor mat that you can buy from Sim Racing sellers may be sufficient.
Accessories
There are a whole host of add-ons and accessories you can buy to further enhance your racing experience and rig-feel, such as side mounts, PC tables and keyboard trays among others.
Screen stands
There are typically, light, heavy, single and triple options for monitor screen stands, and many advanced racers opt for a triple screen to get a truly immersive racing experience. However, for beginners and amateurs, a single screen setup is likely good enough, and then you can upgrade as and when you wish.
Your seat
Seats come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and you can also add-on items such as loose brackets and cupholders, among others.
When buying your accessories and add-ons, always make sure you deal with reputable sellers such as an official Heusinkveld reseller, so that you can be sure what you’re getting is the real deal, and not a rip-off black market version.
While simulated racing rigs may seem complicated, for anyone starting out as a sim racer, you need only buy a basic rig to begin with, and as you become more confident and start having more fun, you can invest in accessories and add-ons as you see fit, and as your budget permits.