Community Question | Keeping Your Cool In Sim Racing

Paul Jeffrey · Aug 3, 2020

Summer is (allegedly) here folks! At the time of writing this piece, the north of England is enjoying something of a heatwave - which led me to wonder - how do sim racers keep their cool when the weather is hot?

It's all fair and well opening a window or losing some layers in the privacy of your own home, but I'm sure many ingenious members of the community have a few cool solutions to the heat problem (ha! see what I did then... ).

If it's hot outside do you give sim racing a miss? Use a fan? Drop some layers? What do you do to keep the temperature down, and do you have any tips for our other sim racing community members now the weather is (theoretically) getting warmer outside?

Let us know your thoughts, comments, tips and tricks in the comments section below!

(image credit: Insert Coin)

Fonsvinkunas · Aug 3, 2020

When it's really hot (like 30+ degrees celsius) I just have a cold drink (not alcohol) next to me, if I need it I can drink while on the straight or during pit stops. Otherwise, I just focus on driving, not heat.

Zhabik · Aug 3, 2020

I may only have a G27 wheel bolted to a table, while my driving seat is only a corner of the sofa, but I do have air conditioning!

Deleted member 197115 · Aug 3, 2020

Air conditioner + ceiling fan, sometimes additional floor fan.

Michel Forest · Aug 3, 2020

We had a torrid month of July in Montréal, with temperatures above 30 Celsius almost every day, so the AC was very useful. I think that air conditioning is much more common in North America than Europe, at least based on my traveling experiences.

As we like to say around here: there are two seasons in Québec, winter and July!

sentry87 · Aug 3, 2020

An air conditioner.

Peter van de Kolk · Aug 3, 2020

Basement. Stays pretty cool all through summer, even in June I still had to wear a sweater cause it was too chilly in there

Michael Payne · Aug 3, 2020

I have just ordered a Wind Simulator from Sim Racing Studios. I looked at the DIY option but needed some 3d Printed Components and I don't have a 3d Printer or know anyone with one. I find playing in VR in anything over about 20 degrees Centigrade is just too hot for all but the briefest of sessions, even with the windows open. But don't tend to play too much during summer, if its sunny in the UK, you have to make the most of it.

BrainsBush · Aug 3, 2020

Portable airco and it blows to the back of my rig and the wind generator blows the fresh(er) air into my direction. You have to take the faster cars or tweak the percentage levels of the simdash to get the max result.

Sit on a bag of ice cubes helps against the heat but then you have a "chair fit" like Hulkenberg.

Cote Dazur · Aug 3, 2020

Robes · Aug 3, 2020

I do all my sim racing in a small box room with no ventilation for a completely authentic experience. I race fully equipped with VR, gloves et al. Anyone who isn't struggling with stinging sweat dripping into their eyes is, in my opinion, simply not taking this seriously enough and needs a new hobby.

paracletus · Aug 3, 2020

Yeah no, the times I played online there were one or two plonkers yelling when others make a mistake or some contact. Calm done it's only a game.

turbo86 · Aug 3, 2020

Michel Forest said:
We had a torrid month of July in Montréal, with temperatures above 30 Celsius almost every day, so the AC was very useful. I think that air conditioning is much more common in North America than Europe, at least based on my traveling experiences.

As we like to say around here: there are two seasons in Québec, winter and July!

AC is as common in EU as it is everywhere. It's just that most people don't use it that much. In northern Europe it's rarely needed at all. For southern Europe anything below 30 is quite COOL. A normal summer is between 30-35. Hot is considered anything above 35 and "torrid" is those few days that reaches 40+. But even 35 feels quite nice when there's a lot of wind and low moisture.
Of course there are those few weird people who crank up the AC as soon as the thermometer reaches 25. I simply can't understand why.

Ushuaia23 · Aug 3, 2020

I put an opened fridge in my back instead of a boiling F1 engine...

TShrimp · Aug 3, 2020

Fonsvinkunas said:
When it's really hot (like 30+ degrees celsius) I just have a cold drink (not alcohol) next to me, if I need it I can drink while on the straight or during pit stops. Otherwise, I just focus on driving, not heat.

I wish it was 30c here. I live in an area where over 38c is common during the summer.

Keeping cool with central AC, fans, and Ice Tea.

Andy-R · Aug 3, 2020

I don't, I just suffer. I think AC is fairly uncommon here in the UK and I certainly don't have it. I have a fan that I aim at my head about 45cm away which stops me from passing out with the Rift and headphones on but it certainly doesn't keep me cool! In longer sessions I have to keep lifting the headset as it is pretty unbearable.

For some reason racing makes me warm up a LOT, even in winter I can be cold with a jumper on and if I start racing before long I'm in a t shirt and warm.

UMC 22 · Aug 3, 2020

Andy-R said:
I have a fan that I aim at my head about 45cm away which stops me from passing out with the Rift and headphones on but it certainly doesn't keep me cool! In longer sessions I have to keep lifting the headset as it is pretty unbearable.

You're aiming your fan at the wrong place. Have the fan situated somewhere below your head, preferably around waist level, and point it at your torso. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps your upper body cool, which is the main source of heat anyway. Second, because the fan is below you, the air hits your body and is directed upwards towards your head. Some of it gets into and under your headset, helping not only to keep your head cooler, but also to prevent the lenses steaming up as much. Double win!

Works for me.

JohnnyH3 · Aug 3, 2020

I have central air in he house, basement is at 19c for the renter, it's 22c on the main floor and 25c on the second floor. When your almost 51 years of age, 5'7", 250lbs & strapped into my GTRacing gaming chair with an OMP 4 cam belted harness - I'm going to sweat! Where my desk is in the front bedroom (gaming room) the floor vent blows the cold air up, it hits the bottom of my desk and directs it straight to my crotch (the last part is not fun). I keep the bedroom door open. I used to have a 12" fan that I would place ontop of the box it comes in and have it blow at my chest on a LOW setting (off to my right)...but "Someone" gave it away to my nephew, oddly enough the exact same time as my DANBY (medium sized) fridge for BEER disappeared!!! Somehow...the beer was left in a neat pilled up little pile where the fridge was. Needless to say, the fridgewas replaced with a brand new DANBY (large sized) fridge the very next day! Oh, back to the question...I wear a tight fitting Hugo Boss short sleeved black t-shirt, moisture wicking black UA underwear, black UA ankel sox, black SWAT gloves & a black UA tennis headband. I have a bottle of Grape flavoured Gatorade G2 that I sip on, time-to-time.