4 Play Racing 80/20 vs. Custom Build Price

[BluePotato00]

4 Play Racing runs an Ebay store where they sell the (unassembled) parts and instructions for 80/20-based sim racing rigs. Like this one here for $449 shipped in the USA (also pictured below).

My question: How much would this cost for me to purchase the materials myself?

If it's a massive savings to purchase the materials myself, I'll go that route, but the convenience of the Ebay option is compelling.

Thank you to the community for your help and advice.

 

[wajdi]

I have it and it’s really a great cockpit. Very stable and sturdy and adjustable.

 

[Goes To 11]

From what I've heard, it is cheaper to make it yourself but not as much as you'd expect. Apparently, the price of the hardware is more expensive than you'd think. I'm considering getting this one: https://sim-lab.eu/product/sim-racing-rig-gt1/
It is more expensive than the 4play especially with shipping but I think that it looks better. Maybe more stable if I add motion in the future?

 

[rikirk]

Rock solid and great customer service. Got the HD version just 3 months ago specifically for a dd wheel. No regrets, although Sim lab offers more optionals.
You can also consider opensimracing that can supply you some custom design and parts with the shopping list for the profiles you source locally (tnutz).

 

[Mascot]

Before I bought my Sim Lab P1 (highly recommended, BTW) I priced up buying the materials from an extrusion supplier and there wasn't a lot in it, especially once I'd negotiated a discount with Sim Lab . Add in the faff factor, design, cutting the extrusion, specifying and sourcing fixings, getting it wrong etc etc and I decided it simply wasn't worth the risk or the bother. My P1 feels like it's carved from granite, even with a motion platform mounted.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

I already own a 80/20 Sim Lab rig and if I were to want another rig I would certainly look at building from scratch as an option, now I'm comfortable with the material and having made a few modifications to mine. You should be able to save at least 25% by building your own, aluminium extrusion is an inexpensive material. Costs rise with the connecting parts, but it's still cheaper to build your own. But would I build one without prior familiarity with this material? Personally no.

 

[Dan Shearer]

I purchased my rig from him. Although not absolutely necessary, if you are using a direct drive wheel think about an upgrade to the HD version for added stability. Will take some time to assemble but it is really solid/stable. I went with them (him) because I liked the idea of the parts being pre-cut and all hardware along with wrenches to assemble were included. I would likely forget something if I planned one on my own and would be ordering miscellaneous parts multiple times.

 

[Turk]

You can buy that aluminum extrusion in a number of places, like local building suppliers and probably certain types of hardware stores that service any automation market, I don't know that it's got a patent on it. Looks like it's about €50 a meter in Ireland, that's from a B2B supplier, I'd imagine you can get a much better price in the US. I remember working with it decades ago making jigs for an assembly bench. We dropped it because it would just rattle itself to pieces, over time the bolts and fixing would just come lose. The pieces weren't as wide as those in the picture though. It's probably improved a lot since then.

The extrusion are obviously kind of expensive, but as long as you can cut the aluminium there's no reason why you couldn't prepare those parts yourself. The fixing could be a bit of a hassle to get right. You'd be surprised the difference a purpose built piece can make. Maybe they will sell just the fixings? I think if it were me, I would seriously consider going with the sim specific supplier. You get specific parts you know work, you have a guarantee should something go wrong, you've someone else to blame, less guess work.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

I purchased my rig from him. Although not absolutely necessary, if you are using a direct drive wheel think about an upgrade to the HD version for added stability. Will take some time to assemble but it is really solid/stable. I went with them (him) because I liked the idea of the parts being pre-cut and all hardware along with wrenches to assemble were included. I would likely forget something if I planned one on my own and would be ordering miscellaneous parts multiple times.

The risk of reordering parts would definitely eat into any savings as the shipping costs on this stuff isn't cheap. It's one of the reasons why I wouldn't build one of these without having good knowledge of using aluminium profile to begin with. Especially all those connector parts. But once you've had some experience you realise there's not much to it.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

You can buy that aluminum extrusion in a number of places, like local building suppliers and probably certain types of hardware stores that service any automation market, I don't know that it's got a patent on it. Looks like it's about €50 a meter in Ireland, that's from a B2B supplier, I'd imagine you can get a much better price in the US. I remember working with it decades ago making jigs for an assembly bench. We dropped it because it would just rattle itself to pieces, over time the bolts and fixing would just come lose. The pieces weren't as wide as those in the picture though. It's probably improved a lot since then.

The extrusion are obviously kind of expensive, but as long as you can cut the aluminium there's no reason why you couldn't prepare those parts yourself. The fixing could be a bit of a hassle to get right. You'd be surprised the difference a purpose built piece can make. Maybe they will sell just the fixings? I think if it were me, I would seriously consider going with the sim specific supplier. You get specific parts you know work, you have a guarantee should something go wrong, you've someone else to blame, less guess work.

€50 a meter is very expensive. It's around £10 a metre in the UK for standard 40/40.

 

[Turk]

€50 a meter is very expensive. It's around £10 a metre in the UK for standard 40/40.

The stuff in the picture above isn't 40x40 though, I was looking at 45x90. I don't think the square profile will work to well in a sim rig, you need the added width of the 90 for more rigidity. It was the square stuff I had worked with in the past. It could be used in some sections maybe but I wouldn't use it for mounting, you only have either one attachment point or attachment points on the same plane.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

The stuff in the picture above isn't 40x40 though, I was looking at 45x90. I don't think the square profile will work to well in a sim rig, you need the added width of the 90 for more rigidity. It was the square stuff I had worked with in the past. It could be used in some sections maybe but I wouldn't use it for mounting, you only have either one attachment point or attachment points on the same plane.

Sim rigs are usually a mix of 80x40 and 40x40; as is mine. 45x90 is completely unnecessary. I have a direct drive wheel and NLV3 motion added, it's more than adequate. You need to actually sit in one and you'll see it's fine.

 

[Mascot]

Sim rigs are usually a mix of 80x40 and 40x40; as is mine. 45x90 is completely unnecessary. I have a direct drive wheel and NLV3 motion added, it's more than adequate. You need to actually sit in one and you'll see it's fine.

Reason I went for the P1 with its ma-HOOSIVE chassis sections is to ensure it's 100% future-proof for anything I can throw at it. I want this to be the last cockpit I ever buy so it needs to be able to cope with the twist from a D-Box actuator in each corner, and whatever anti-gravity motion systems our new alien overlords bestow on us when they invade in March 2022.

 

[Turk]

Sim rigs are usually a mix of 80x40 and 40x40; as is mine. 45x90 is completely unnecessary. I have a direct drive wheel and NLV3 motion added, it's more than adequate. You need to actually sit in one and you'll see it's fine.

80x40 then, I don't think there's going to be a massive difference in price. Also bare in mind we pay more for stuff in Ireland, we're an island at the edge of Europe and don't have much buying power having a population of less than 5 million, so I do expect people can get better prices most other places. I do think you need that rectangular profile for the frame and stressed members, IE: the piece that will hold the wheel. I think the square could twist and you'd get a much better fixing off the rectangular profile. Attaching a plate to the 40 square would only give you two mounting points on the same line, whereas on the rectangular you could have a point at each corner of the plate. Like I said, the only experience I have with this stuff is the square, and based on that experience I'd avoid it, but I think the rectangle could make a big difference.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

Reason I went for the P1 with its ma-HOOSIVE chassis sections is to ensure it's 100% future-proof for anything I can throw at it. I want this to be the last cockpit I ever buy so it needs to be able to cope with the twist from a D-Box actuator in each corner, and whatever anti-gravity motion systems our new alien overlords bestow on us when they invade in March 2022.

That's fine as you have an intention of bigger and greater things. I've even considered the D-Box path too but I think I can resist. That's one step too far into this madness for me! BluePotato's situation from the tone of the post is looking at a budget 80/20 build so that would require different considerations.

 

[mkel1966]

I have it and it’s really a great cockpit. Very stable and sturdy and adjustable.

Hi..did you purchase yours at their website? I just created an account there just now but when I logged in I couldn't see anything on their site.

 

[wajdi]

Hi..did you purchase yours at their website? I just created an account there just now but when I logged in I couldn't see anything on their site.

Hi
I did the purchase in their EBay store.

 

[BluePotato00]

Thanks for the great and helpful replies! I've been in contact with John at 4Play Racing and he's answered my inquiries to my satisfaction and I will be ordering with him. The potential ~25% cost benefit of designing/ordering my own separate parts wasn't as compelling as ordering with 4Play. If I want to add additional hardware to the rig, I'll purchase my own separate aluminum extrusion.

 

[mkel1966]

Hi
I did the purchase in their EBay store.

I sent an email to 4Play Racing about it and John responded right away. He is updating his website and sent me some pics of his builds. I liked one of them and asked him about some revisions. Hopefully everything works out and if the price is right I'd buy it from him.

 

[Goes To 11]

I sent an email to 4Play Racing about it and John responded right away. He is updating his website and sent me some pics of his builds. I liked one of them and asked him about some revisions. Hopefully everything works out and if the price is right I'd buy it from him.

Would he let you share the pictures?