Tag: Wheel

Final thoughts on the Prime Cockpit from the GT Omega Racing. This is the first cockpit from GT Omega that is constructed mostly from
aluminum profile. Once I had it built, it was time to mount some Sim Racing hardware to it and conduct the usual testing method I use at the SRG. The wheel deck holes mounted to my Podium DD1 with no issues. I was able to use all 5 M6 bolts. Which gave it a nice solid feel when using the DD1 at the full 20Nm of torque that it can reach. Also allowing the DD1 to deliver its peak level of FFB details. I would like to see GT Omega develop some other wheelbase mounts for the Prime cockpit. A side mount for the Podiums and a front mount plate for the
Mige, Kollmorgen, and Simucube motors. The shifter mount performed as expected. It is a familiar design that is used successfully on other
available aluminum profile cockpits. The heavy Pro-Sim H pattern shifter I used felt the same as when I have I mounted to my P1X cockpit.
So no complaints here. The seat mounting solution provided a nice flex free place to mount my Sparco side bracket equipped Prisma seat. I could feel no flex when using a very stiff brake pedal. There are two areas hear I would like to see better solutions implemented. The main
one is the pedal tray unit. It is made from 3mm steel plate with only one support under it. This causes the tray to flex under braking pressure. I was able to mitigate the flex a bit by mounting the plate directly between the two side 40×160 profiles. But it was still very
noticeable. While their at it, they should incorporate some kind of adjustable height solution. If they can get that done. They will have a cockpit that compares with some of the best available.

Final thoughts on the GT Omega Prime cockpit. This video is part 1 of a 2 part review series on the Prime cockpit. In the second video I will be mounting sim racing hardware components and testing under real life SRG
conditions. Here we have another cockpit made from aluminum extrusions. Using 40 series profiles. The base is made up of 4 pieces of 40×160 profile. Which has a heavier core than the rest of the profiles used here. These profiles do have a deeper channel than what I would call industry standard profiles. This allows the use of t-nuts that have a metal spring spot welded to the side. This spring helps the t-nut stay in place. These t-nuts do not operate as smoothly as spring ball t-nuts used in standard 40 series profiles. But they are less expensive to make. Which can keep cost down. And they do get the job done. They can be inserted from the profile ends or directly into the profiles channels. All the assembly hardware and fasteners were present so now trips to the local hardware store required. The assembly process is pretty straight forward with no surprises or issues. The specialty mounting brackets are well done in 10mm thick aluminum. The wheelbase upright brackets look to be clones of another cockpit manufactures brackets. Which are known to work very well. As they do in this cockpits construction. The wheelbase mount is a one piece welded aluminum unit that seems to be very solid once all the bolts are cinched down. The pedal plate is made of 3mm stamped steel. It has a steel
tube spot welded to the plate for added support. It has long slots cut into it that should accommodate the most common pedal sets out there. It has an angle adjustment that gives a good range. The pedal tray seems to be a bit flexy. And has a rattle to it when thumping it with your fist. I will have to wait for a final verdict once I can get a proper, stiff brake pedal under foot. The shifter mount is a very solid unit. I’m sure it will be able to handle anything you can mount to it. While the design of this cockpit looks to be a copy of other available cockpits. I think one has to consider that there are not many options when it comes to building a rock solid cockpit using aluminum extrusion as a material for construct. So, I expect to see more familiar looking cockpits from other manufacturers in the future. Now it’s time to fit out the Prime cockpit and see how if performs under the stress of SRG testing.

2019 Season 3 Build is LIVE!

June 4th, 2019 by
Chris Leone

The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here… Season 3 content is officially LIVE! We’ve got an entire fleet of new content for the new season—check out some of the highlights below:

Final thoughts on the new, version 2, McLaren GT3 wheel from Fanatec. Out of the box the GT3 exactly like the previous version. Which in no surprise because it is an officially licensed wheel. I have always like the way
this wheel feels in hand with it’s molded rubber grips. It also feels stiffer that you would think a wheel from the elite line wheel would. But it does have a very wide plastic frame that helps give the GT3 that stiff feel The button layout is the same as the old one so nothing new to talk about here. With the good feeling 7 way funky switch the user does have enough inputs here for most to get what they need done. Most of the buttons are easy to reach from the grip position. The biggest changes on this new version to the GT3 wheel are on the back. With the older metal band cinching system being replaced by the new and much better tool free quick release system. Even though it looks like the same rocker styled shifter setup, it is now a magnetic unit that has better tactile feedback when actioned. The dual axis paddles have good spring tension and Fanatec has made it a very easy process to chose how you would like to employ them. From dual clutch to mappable axes they can meet most racers needs. I had no issues quickly setting up a proper bite point when testing. I also took a shot at using the paddles for a throttle and brake instead of my feet. Now Fanatec states on their website that this GT3 can be used on their direct drive podium wheelbases without any problems. But if you want to use it in this way you will need to swap out the Elite QR assembly for a club sport QR. Or you could just cut the small pole off the Elite QR, so it will not action the torque limiter element on the wheels circuit board. Once I was up a driving I liked the way this new version reacted to the 20nm of torque I was running. It didn’t feel like it was being pushed beyond its limit. There was some felt flex or softness when compared to podium level wheels. But again not anything that gave me concern that the wheel could not handle it. Overall I think the GT3 is a good wheel design that can cover a lot of different cars without it feeling out of sorts when you are using it. Of course, you would need a proper round top wheel for any dirt driving activities. At around 200.00 I think this is one of Fanatecs better values.

Final thoughts on the newT1000AL Cockpit from the guys at Prosimu. I did a review on the older all steel T1000 cockpit when I reviewed the Prosimu P5MP platform a few months ago. I found it to not be as strong and as easy to adjust as I would have liked. The new T1000AL addresses most of these concerns. With a base made from 45 series aluminum profile it is noticeably stiffer than the original T1000. The pedal tray, wheelbase mount, and shifter mount are all made from plate steel. Which complements the stiff aluminum frame. When driving the cockpit I did not notice any flex in the wheelbase mount sections. Nice and solid feeling. While the pedal tray also provides a very solid place to mount your pedals and has good angle and reach adjustments, I would have liked to see a way to adjust the height here. The shifter mount uses 4 corner brackets at its
mounting point. But there is no other support at the other end of the profile. While is does get the job done, I think it would be much better add a perpendicular piece of profile at the back to make it as strong as some
other cockpits I have tested. Of course being made from profile, you could always add this yourself. The seat side mount brackets have a good range of adjustment in them, I was able to easily mount my NRG Prisma seat.
I did remove the 45×90 profile pieces under them to lower the seat for a better ergonomic seating position. I tested the T1000AL as a motion solution using some updated parts and Prosimus PRS200 150mm travel actuators. You can order your T1000AL in this configuration. Posimu has improved the controller box by ditching the glass door on the old one for a solid metal door. This should help mitigate EMI interference. They also increased the motor power cable shielding to a 12mm thick unit over the older 7mm ones. Good to see Prosimu making some improvements to their product. The PRS200 actuators didn’t need any improvement as they already deliver great performance. Once I had everything mounted and cabled it was time to have some fun. I used the latest edition of Sim Racing Studios Tuning software. Which is a great alternative to Sim Tools. It did not take much time for me to dial in a good setup. Once I was driving at speed this system came together to deliver a very good motion experience. With a good feel for road surface and bumps. When driving circuit cars
I don’t feel the need for the full travel that the PRS200’s can deliver. But when it comes time for some dirt action, the extra travel capabilities come into their own. I always try to push hard on any systems I review at the
SRG. And the iRacing Lucas Dirt Trucks are a great way to do that. Just a huge amount of fun on this T1000AL 4M setup. Even though I don’t show it on my reviews, this amount of actuator travel is also great for flight
simulation. Overall the new T1000AL cockpit makes a great improvement to the feel of Prosimus motion systems. I think they made a wise move going with aluminum profile for their  cockpit solutions.

Final thoughts on the new GT4 racing wheel from the guys at Simagic. Out of the box the GT4 has a quality feel to it. The grip design fills my hand in a way that feels comfortable to me. When you hold the GT4 it feels light
yet very stiff. Which makes sense when you see that it has an aluminum housing and a 5.5 mm thick carbon frame. Which is the thickest carbon frame I have ever had on a wheel here at the SRG. The GT4 has two 7 way
joysticks that give the driver 14 different inputs from only two locations. Good to see more wheels coming to market with this much utility. The push buttons on the wheel have a good tactile feel in them and have colored LEDs that allow to you to change the color of each individual one. And you have a total of seven different colors to choose from on each button. Or you can just turn the LEDs off. There are 2 rotary encoders that have what I consider very good detent feel in them. They also have a push button feature. Except for these encoders, all the controls were easy to reach with my thumb from the grip position. The shifters on the GT4 are made from
aluminum with adjustable carbon paddles. They are contactless units that use an infrared sensor. I found them to have a very good tactile feel. And were a pleasure to use. The clutches are made the same way as the shifters. With good spring tension. Setting up the bite point on the clutch was easy. Without any dramas getting a good launch with no wheel spin. I used the GT4 as a USB wheel and connected to the Simagic M10 wheelbase. For USB use it comes with a very nice coiled cable and remote mount solution. With excellent cable connectors installed on the wheel and cables. It performed well in both setups. Just one of those wheels that feels right when using it. If you are looking for a GT styled wheel that has a lot of available functions and a very sturdy build. I would have the GT4 on my list of ones to consider.

Final thoughts on theUD1-J Dashboard from the guys at SimCore. From the moment you take this dash out of the box, you know you have top flight piece of kit in you hands. The machining and finish are very good. You can tell that SimCore is a detail oriented company. The UGT dash fits the front of the machined enclosure perfectly. With every led hole centered on its led. Sometimes I can find a hole or two that are not perfectly aligned when looking at wheels or dashes that have them. Not on this one. I like the way the enclosure has a visor element machined into it. This can help keep stay light from interfering with the dashes readouts. Most enclosures you will see out there today are just flat at the top. The back panel is made from carbon fiber. Which fits nicely in the recessed lip around the edge of the enclosure. Once we had the enclosure open you could see the theme of quality kit is also present inside. About as neat and tidy as you can get. The USB connector is a quality unit that reminds me of some audio headphone connectors I have used. A nice spring tensioned collar that allows it to snap securely around the enclosure mounted connector. There are plenty of mounting options available when ordering the dash from Simcore. And I was able to demo several of them here. I did have to use spacers on two of the mounting solutions to clear the rear carbon plate bolts. Using the UD1-J was pretty straight forward. There a lot of features available with the Ultimate Game Tech display used in this unit. Although some may not work depending on which game you are using. I spent a few weeks using this dash on a Mige motor mount and a Kollmorgen motor mount. I found that you can use this dash to your advantage to develop or tweak your race strategies during the event. This is a very nice display that has clear and crisp fonts. Easy to take a quick glance and get the data you are looking for. At around 600.00 this is one of the most expensive I dash solutions I have ever tested. But also the nicest I have
tested.

Final thoughts on the VSR 6 Cockpit from the guys at Advanced Sim Racing. This is part 2, called “The Setup”, of a 2 part video review series on this cockpit. In part 1 went through the complete build process. In this video we will be attaching racing peripherals to the cockpit and testing them in our driving segment. Attaching hardware to the ASR 6 is a pretty straight forward affair. The seat rails are mounted in a perpendicular arrangement and getting my seat bolted to it was quite easy when using my set of side mount seat brackets. The wheelbase mount is a massive piece of steel plate that held a 20nm Mige servo motor with no problem. It is a bit of an effort to get it attached to the ASR 6 wheel uprights. But this was mainly due from the over 36Lb or 16 Kilos combined weight that had to be supported during the installation process. Another set of hands would be very helpful in this situation. But this also makes for a very solid wheelbase mount result. The pedals I used are the type that have a mounting flange with long slots on each side.  A common style these days. This made quick work of getting the pedal set mounted. I did have to use some extra pieces of 40 series profiles and fasteners to get the shifter mounted. But this was because of the shifter I had chosen to use in testing. And also highlights the ability of the 15 series style profiles to use 40 series hardware. Once everything was mounted, it was time to stress test the cockpit with some heel and toe H pattern shifting. This is a very solid cockpit. Exhibiting no weak points or flex what so ever. It truly is a pleasure to drive a cockpit like this. All mounted controls were able to transmit their maximum tactile feedback when using them. Unlike when you mount them to a section of cockpit that has some flex in it. The guys at Advanced Sim Racing have done their homework and have delivered a cockpit that would be on the top of my list when looking for a buy it once and never regret it platform that is pretty much future proof for your Sim Racing Duties.

Final thoughts on the QRX Quick Release system from the guys a Cube Controls. Out of the box like most gear I have, received from Cube Controls, this kit has a professional look, feel, and finish to it. Just a pretty
piece of kit here. It has some nice styling queues in the flanges which conveys a stylish but functional intent. And of course these design queues match perfectly with hubs on all Cube Control wheels. This unit uses a cable pass through function moving the USB cable connection to the wheelbase or spigot side of the QRX’s assembly. That allows you to use Cube Control wheels as a wheel side wireless solution without relying on a
wireless signal. I had no problems with cable clearance when installed this way on my setup. The QRX uses a wheelbase side shimming system to create a very solid feeling connection to the wheel side assembly. Using different thicknesses of metal shims in a stack secured by a top aluminum plate. My QRX was properly setup out of the box. I did experiment with some other stack configurations but came back to the original one from Cube Controls. I did state my concerns about how the shim system was implemented on the wheelbase or spigot side of the assembly. This will require some very close tolerances in the manufacturing process to
ensure a flex free fit between different wheel side QRX assemblies. When I asked Cube Controls about why they decided to go this route, I was told that they have developed their manufacturing process to a standard that there will be no difference in size between different wheel side assemblies. And that they have tested no less than 50 wheel side units on the same wheelbase side unit with no perceivable difference in fitment between them. Of course, I could not put this to the test, as I only have one wheel side assembly. I can say that while using the QRX system I didn’t perceive any flex in the connection between the two sides. Driving the QRX is a non-eventful experience. Which I consider a good thing. It just gets on with the job of providing a solid flex free connection between wheel and FFB motor. Allowing all the FFB tactile queues to flow freely and accurately from the FFB motor to your hands.