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How do you find the best home racing simulator?
Well, if you are looking for a new home gaming system that will provide hours of immersive fun and entertainment, then we have just the thing, a sim racing rig or Home Racing Simulator.
With our expert guide, sourcing and assembling your home racing simulator is simple, so you will be sim racing in no time.
The starting point is deciding do you want a moving or a static home racing simulator?
Motion Simulators
Motion simulators are one of the most popular choices for home racing simulator or sim racing enthusiasts as they offer a truly immersive experience.
Motion simulation rigs usually comprise a powerful PC or gaming console and an ultra-high-resolution display to provide motion feedback from the onscreen car via steering, engine sounds etc.
These Home Racing Simulators can be quite expensive but will deliver incredible sensations that make the experience visceral.
Broadly speaking motion sims or Home Racing Simulators can be separated into two categories and they are:
Motion SIMs with three degrees of freedom
Motion sims with three degrees of freedom are where the motion sim moves in three different directions; pitch, yaw and roll.
Motion SIMs with six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom is where the motion sim moves in six different directions; pitch, yaw and roll along with surge, heave and sway. See diagram below.
A motion SIM that used six degrees is very immersive and they feel just like a real car hurtling around a racing track. Our racing drivers have compared the two and commented that they feel exactly the same as the real thing.
Static SIMs
These do not move and they rely much more on immersing your senses rather than using motion to mimic the actions of a racing car.
In our opinion they a great starting point for sim racing because they are less costly and usually easier to set up and configure.
It’s decision time
Once you decide between the static and motion options you’ll need to think about where to start sourcing the hardware.
Where to buy your SIM
The problem with that is there are not many companies that will sell you all of the parts that you need and they provide very little support with assembly, particularly for consumers.
Blue Box SIMS are here to help you
The founders of Blue Box SIMS were in exactly the same position as you and that is why they founded the company; they realised there was a gap in the market for them to provide a complete solution.
The founders of Blue Box SIMS know that sourcing all of the components for your home racing simulator is a daunting task and don’t want you to have to worry about it, they will take care of everything.
More than that they are actually racers; their son regularly competes in the club and national championships such as the British Karting Championship, LGM and Ultimate Karting Championship.
That was where Blue Box SIMS began.
So when it comes to sourcing either a static or full-motion racing simulator Blue Box SIMS have you covered.
Read on for our complete guide.
Assembling Your Home Racing Simulator – The Basics
When assembling your home racing simulator there are some important things that need to be taken into consideration.
A quality motion simulator will also have a custom-built racing seat and an ultra-high-resolution display to provide feedback from the onscreen car via steering, engine sounds etc.
Static Simulators
In many ways, static home racers offer an even more immersive experience for sim racers than their moving counterparts as there is much more of a focus on immersing you in the race.
Sim racing rigs use ultra HD screens with high-end PC’s capable of ray-tracing and rendering high-resolution graphics like a “next-generation” console.
Then there are the fans they simulate the wind speed of the car, as you speed up so do the fans.
Also, you can opt for speakers like the SRS ShakeKit they recreate the vibrations of a racing car – engine sounds, gear changes and rumble of the track to complete the immersion.
See more here
Let’s say that you want to recreate an open-top cockpit racing, well they can help you with that too.
There’s the SIM Racing Studio “Double-the-fan” it comes complete with straighteners so that you direct the airflow, so sim racers have lots of options.
Motion Simulators
A home motion racing simulator or sim racing setup will typically come with either three or six degrees of motion.
A racing simulator will come with a very big screen. You can see the onscreen car and the sounds coming from it. The seat is designed to make you feel comfortable behind the wheel when you are using it.
3 Degrees of freedom
Let’s start by looking at motion sims that use three degrees of freedom.
sim rigs with three degrees of freedom operate in the same way as a joystick for flight simulators. The three degrees of freedom are pitch, roll and yaw – these represent how your car moves up/down, left/right, and rotates around its axis respectively.
Also included is a high-end VFE Hurricane PC, Blue Box SIMS experts have compared its performance to its namesake aircraft.
The best sim racing rigs feature realistic racing with customisable options.
One of which has been included and is DOF reality dampers, these are important if you want the rig or simulator cockpit to move smoothly.
There’s the DOF Reality home motion simulator rig or platform, it’s designed to move not only your seat but all of your simulator controls such as steering wheel, joystick, pedals, throttles, etc., which are mounted to the motion platform.
So when you move everything moves, while you are in the perfect racing position.
Click here for more.
6 Degrees of freedom
SIMS with six degrees of freedom (DOF) give you the most realistic racing experience possible.
SIMS with six degrees of freedom operate in the same way as they do in real life.
In other words, at any given time your car is able to rotate around three axes and move forwards or backwards on two axes (the third axis being noted for rotation).
This means that you can tilt left and right about a horizontal axis; lean forward or backward along a vertical
That’s because they account for each of our six natural body senses – so we can feel what it feels like to be driving in a car or flying an aircraft by controlling how it moves and reacts according to your movements.
It also features variable resistance settings which are great especially if you’re using it for home exercise.
The best way to compare the difference between a SIM with six degrees of freedom and one without is by watching this video that compares them side-by-side:
DOF Reality H6 Home motion racing rig and with this simulator cockpit, you can recreate any motion.
With the H6 you get a Typhoon high-end gaming PC built especially for simulators by VFE.
Assembling the rig
Mount your screen on the wall. It needs to be at least four feet high and wide. Use two or more brackets to secure the screen to the wall so that it stays put.
This article will cover everything from sourcing the components for your rig, or simulator cockpit assembling them together and getting up and running with all of our expert advice in one simple guide!
Racing Cockpits
A racing simulator cockpit is the central point of any home motion simulator.
The best cockpit for a home simulator has seats that can go up and down, tilt and lean back. It also has a steering wheel and pedals. And it should have good visibility to the screen.
Blue Box SIMS offer both motion and static simulator cockpit options so we’ll take you through all of the available options, so you can be sim racing at home in no time.
Recommended components
Our team can supply you with all the recommended components, everything from selecting the right type of upgrades to minimise the noises from your rig to ensure you have the right accessories fitted to your simulator cockpit.
Our team of experts are here to help you get exactly what you need to start sim racing, as well as supplying the best sim rigs available.
Assembling a static sim platform – tips from our experts
A home racing simulator is a huge investment so it’s important to get everything right and that’s where our expert team of staff come in. We’ll guide you through sourcing the best rig for your sim racing needs as well as provide all these components at the most competitive prices possible.
Tools required for assembling a static SIM
Before sim racers start sim racing you have to assemble the frame, you will need a hex key set. Hex keys can be used in conjunction with other tools like socket wrenches and screwdrivers. You may also need an Allen Key Set for more detailed work. You may want help from another person to hold the pieces while assembling them or moving them around.
Expert step by step guide for assembling a static SIM
Before sim racing, sim racers have to start with assembling the simulator platform or rig.
This is done by screwing together your frame with a few bolts, and then adding support legs for added height if required.
The next step would be connecting the steering wheelbase and pedals in front of your seat before attaching them securely into place on top of your frame.
Assembling a motion SIM platform – tips from our experts
The motion simulator platform, also known as sim rigs are made up of three essential components: the frame, the seat and the control hardware.
Before sim racers start assembling their rig it’s important to get as close a copy of what you want from your final product in terms of comfortability and positioning. This is known as the sim racing setup phase.
Tools required for assembling a motion sim
– Bolt cutters
– Screwdriver set
– Tape measure or ruler, level and spirit level.
For the frame: The frame of the sim racing setup is made up of two parts and needs to be joined together by bolts (that come with your kit). Sim racers should always use a bolt cutter to make sure you don’t strip any threads, as the manufacturing process may mean they have paint on them.
Expert step by step guide for assembling a motion SIM
Assemble all these parts together with the supplied bolts or screws that are capable of withstanding a large amount of force, some may need to be changed, and our full sims come with these changed.
Attach the frame to the base according to your own preferences and tighten it into place with screws or bolts.
The seat is then inserted into the holes on both sides of the platform before being secured by means of rubber washers and nuts.
Finally, attach the supplied pedals in front of you.
Configuring the software for a motion sim
Blue Box SIMS can help you play racing games with movement. They use a program called SRS to translate the data from the game to your seat for movement. It can work with most simulators, and you can customize how it moves.
Conclusion
We hope this article has proved helpful to you, and we’re excited to have helped. If there’s anything else you need help with feel free to ask us in the comments below or email [email protected]
There are a lot of different types of sims out there – most importantly, what type would YOU like motion or static? Let us know!
