Sim Lab P1 Review and build

[ceso_fd]

Just wanted to share my review and build of the Sim Lab P1. Don't mind the Super Street game

Coming all the way from the Netherlands, the P1 rig arrived in 3 nicely packaged boxes. The system lacked an instruction manual and the only thing I could find from their website was the schematics sheet which had the breakdown of all the parts. Despite the lack of detailed instructions, I found that it was nice to have their website open at times to reference during assembly. Before building this rig, I'd never worked with 80/20 profiles before. In addition, I planned to install Fanatec ClubSport V2.5 Wheels, pedals, shifter, and handbrake.

Once all of the parts were laid out and organized, it was time to begin the assembly of the Sim Lab P1 rig. Here you can see the base of the P1 frame and seat support is bolted together.

 

[ceso_fd]

Next step was installing the horizontal uprights. This will mount the wheel deck, which will hold the Fanatec ClubSport Wheel base V2.5, and the integrated single monitor mounts. The horizontal uprights are attached to the base of the frame with these customs black anodized sandwich plates.

Moving to the front of the rig I installed the pedal tray, which can easily slide forward and backward, has up to 19 degrees of inclined angle, and is secured tightly with locking levers on each side.

The side mount will hold the Fanatec ClubSport V 1.5 shifter, handbrake, and mouse plate. It can be mounted to the left or right side of the rig, with the adjustability to your desired position.

Next on the list was installing the integrated single monitor mount to the chassis, which allows height, forward and backward adjustment. I currently have a '49 TV and will probably upgrade it to a "34 ultrawide monitor instead.

 

[ceso_fd]

The second to last step of the P1 rig assembly involved installing the seat with the sliders, the Fanatec ClubSport peripherals, and the T.V.

Assembly of the Sim Lab P1 rig took about 3 hours, along with another 2 hours for the accessories and cleaning up the wires neatly. Add to that about an hour of minor fine-tuning the rig to dial it in. I was left with a good amount of extra nuts and bolts which will come in handy as I plan on adding surround sound speakers and a butt kicker system at a later time. All in all, taking a step back, I would have to say that I’m very impressed with the Sim Lab P1 rig. Before I wrap things up, let’s take a look at the pro’s and con’s

Pros

• Looks cool! In black it looks even better.
• Solid as a ROCK! Both wheel deck and pedals had no wobble whatsoever.
• Absolutely NO flexing.
• Infinitely configurable & adjustable. You can add to it and configure it to fit your liking.
• Ergonomically correct.
• Supports all wheel and pedal sets currently available on the market.

Cons

• Expensive. Depending on how many options you add to the rig, also, shipping can get pretty pricey based on your location. However, I believe you get what you pay for. and I think it's worth the price.
• Heavy once it's built.
• A more detailed instruction manual is needed.
• 4-6 hours of your day.
• Takes up a good amount of space in your home.

Building the rig, I have to say it’s easy once you understand how the 80/20 profiling works. The quality and design of the P1 is really second to none. Not only does it look fantastic, it's as solid as a rock and exactly as you would expect. I would highly recommend the Sim Lab P1 system if you’re in the market for a sim racing rig, looking to either upgrade or move into the higher end of sim racing chassis. Tune in next time, I'll be adding the Fanatec Direct Drive wheel and much more to this rig.

Sim Lab P1 Specification:

• Aluminum profiles and mounting materials
• Base frame consists of 40×160 mm profiles
• Steering wheel uprights 40 x 120 mm profiles, length 780 mm
• Aluminum profile type: Item 40 mm slot 8
• P1 chassis dimensions: 1400 mm x 580 mm (length x width outer dimensions)
• Wheel Deck (Pictured) or Front Wheel Mount
• Steering wheel height adjustability: 0 – 700 mm
• Suitable for +200cm body length
• Total weight 55 kg.

Not included:

• Seat
• Seat bracket
• Seat slider
• Fanatec ClubSport Shifter Side mount with tilt adjustment
• Keyboard tray
• Mousepad
• Integrated single monitor mount

Fanatec Specification:

• ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5
• ClubSport Brake Performance Kit
• ClubSport Pedals V3
• ClubSport SQ V 1.5
• ClubSport Handbrake V1.5
• ClubSport Steering wheel Formula Black

PC Specs:

• Node 202
• i7-7700K
• Intel i7-7700K
• Asus ROG Strix Z270I LGA 1151 mITX
• Asus GeForce GTX 1070
• Corsair SP120mm case fans (2)
• Corsair Vengeance LPX 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200
• Samsung 850 PRO SSD
• Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B

 

[Adam Levitt]

Thanks for the great post.
My P1 should arrive Sunday. I hope my build goes as smoothly as yours.

 

[paulbee058]

@ceso_fd thanks for taking the time to post your build. I've been looking at this kit for a while, I appeciatap it might be difficult to guage, but would the setup comfortably adjust to someone over 6ft tall?

 

[Petey Spangles]

It says suitable for +200cm body length, so I guess it is. I hope so, as I'm 6'5" and looking to get one too

 

[ceso_fd]

@ceso_fd thanks for taking the time to post your build. I've been looking at this kit for a while, I appeciatap it might be difficult to guage, but would the setup comfortably adjust to someone over 6ft tall?

I think you should be fine, I'd highly recommend getting seat sliders, pain the ass to put in but worth it in the long run. Also keep in mind I have the wheel deck and not the front mount. I sometimes occasionally hit my knees getting in or getting out, but that's just due to the angle I currently have it at. And the only reason why I decided to go with the wheel deck is because I will be upgrading to the Fanatec DD drive when it's available.

 

[bavomeister]

Nice review! I'm soon building my own Simlab GT1 build (cheaper than ordering the full package at Sim-lab) and have a question about the length of the profiles. The P1 is 1400mm long, the GT1 is 1350mm and they are both compatible with people at around 200cm tall. I'm only 165cm so will a length of 1200mm be long enough?

I'm looking for a Sim-lab-esque layout but want a footprint that is as small as possible.

 

[Darren Byrne]

Nice review! I'm soon building my own Simlab GT1 build (cheaper than ordering the full package at Sim-lab) and have a question about the length of the profiles. The P1 is 1400mm long, the GT1 is 1350mm and they are both compatible with people at around 200cm tall. I'm only 165cm so will a length of 1200mm be long enough?

I'm looking for a Sim-lab-esque layout but want a footprint that is as small as possible.

Hey, Im nearly completed my own custom simlab gt1 build. Just a few more additions and it will be done.
I too seen that it was shorter than the P1. I ordered two 1400mm base lengths. Im 6ft 2 inches or about 190cm and it fine for me in a gt postion. I have my wheel quite close but I were to advise for taller people, the two lengths of profile for the pedal mounts that connect to the wheel upright and pedal upright... i would make this longer as gives taller people extra room to extend their legs without having to move the wheel deck further away from the driver

 

[ChrisTurbo]

Thank you for the post.

My GT1 EVO with integrated monitor mount arrived today and I will be constructing it later on this week.

Question: How did you construct the seat slider mechanism and attach your seat brackets and seat to it. Any tips? I'd rather not learn the hard way and take lesson learned elsewhere! (born and bred project manager!).

It looks great - you must be happy.

 

[ceso_fd]

Thank you for the post.

My GT1 EVO with integrated monitor mount arrived today and I will be constructing it later on this week.

Question: How did you construct the seat slider mechanism and attach your seat brackets and seat to it. Any tips? I'd rather not learn the hard way and take lesson learned elsewhere! (born and bred project manager!).

It looks great - you must be happy.

The seat slider was the pain in the ass. I highly recommend to keep everything loose! Get the seat brackets sliders installed first, then install the lever. Getting the lever (the bar to adjust the seat forward or backward) was the most difficult part.

 

[ChrisTurbo]

The seat slider was the pain in the ass. I highly recommend to keep everything loose! Get the seat brackets sliders installed first, then install the lever. Getting the lever (the bar to adjust the seat forward or backward) was the most difficult part.

Thanks. I did it last weekend and it was the worst part of the build!

 

[GEO147]

Howdy. My P1 is ordered , can I ask what seat that is and where you got it?

 

[GEO147]

Thanks for the great post.
My P1 should arrive Sunday. I hope my build goes as smoothly as yours.

How did you get on Adam?

 

[Adam Levitt]

Thanks for asking!
Built went great, it’s amazing how much spare hardware they supply.
Loving the rig.

 

[Phil Mann]

Fully agree with the pro's and con's. I had a GT1 turn up last week. The lack of instructions would be ok if they had them on their website or had a build video somewhere.

How easy was it to mount the V3's to the rig? I'm waiting on some sort of Fanatec black friday deal to treat myself again. Mounting the 2 front bolts of the Fanatec elite pedals was the worst part of the build for me.

 

[anton_Chez]

The TV you mounted is HUGE. Looks awesome. I use a 35" monitor for when I don't get to use VR but I have a 49" a couple of feet away in the room and would love to try it out. It's probably too big to leave it mounted where my rig currently sits but would be nice to see how it changes the experience.

How did you mount it? I use the 100mm VESA mount for the monitor, I'd take it that the TV is too big to use VESA mounts?

 

[Mascot]

The TV you mounted is HUGE. Looks awesome. I use a 35" monitor for when I don't get to use VR but I have a 49" a couple of feet away in the room and would love to try it out. It's probably too big to leave it mounted where my rig currently sits but would be nice to see how it changes the experience.

How did you mount it? I use the 100mm VESA mount for the monitor, I'd take it that the TV is too big to use VESA mounts?

My TV is a 50", @anton_Chez. I could have mounted it solely with a VESA mount but wanged some spare extrusion together so the TV rests on the horizontals and is held in place with a cross-brace and VESA plate. It works a treat and the positioning is perfect. I just take the 918 wheel rim off with the QR when I'm doing non-VR non-racing gaming in 2D.

 

[anton_Chez]

Hey yeah you're right. I've never really paid attention to the TV in your pics @Mascot, it might be the way it's a little chopped off at the top that doesn't make it stand out as much. That VESA mount is a bigger on though yeah? Looks a lot bigger than the one than I have my monitor mounted to. Probably the bigger screen has bigger holes and a stronger mount inside that allows the use of larger screws, too?

 

[Mascot]

Hey yeah you're right. I've never really paid attention to the TV in your pics @Mascot, it might be the way it's a little chopped off at the top that doesn't make it stand out as much. That VESA mount is a bigger on though yeah? Looks a lot bigger than the one than I have my monitor mounted to. Probably the bigger screen has bigger holes and a stronger mount inside that allows the use of larger screws, too?

Yeah, I think it's a 200mm x 200mm VESA pattern. I mentioned this to Darko when ordering my P1 monitor mount and he included a larger VESA plate with hole patterns for every possibility, rather than the smaller standard one. Any bit of plate with some holes frilled in it will do, though.
On my old Playseat rig I used two bits of wood that I pulled out of a rubbish skip to mount my old 32" screen. It looked like hurricane damage from the rear but was only supposed to be a temporary solution. It was never normally seen and worked a treat so I ended up leaving it.