What to upgrade next ?

My computer needs updating more than anything tbh but I will have to wait until GPU prices are sensible again, and not a rip off.
That being said, I do use my 1070Ti and Rift S for VR racing and I love it !

Note, I play mostly offline (as I've no idea where to start online), and I use sim racing as a tool to help me improve on the track with my own car.
And of course it's good fun !

So going onto the hardware side of things:
Thrustmaster TX Base + 599FX Wheel
Thrustmaster T3PA Pro pedals with BBJ SimRacing springs on the clutch/gas + their blue conical rubber stopper
Thrustmaster TH8A shifter (which is used as a handbrake)
SSH NEWT Shifter
BBJ Button Box
Playseat Challenge

I can't pull the trigger on any upgrades yet as thanks to C19, I was made redundant.
Hopefully going back into my old job in March, and of course I keep an eye on the market place, so it doesn't HAVE to be brand new.

I'm not entirely sure what to upgrade because the next leap tends to be pretty costly.
And since I'm rebuilding my track cars engine at the moment (in my living room!), I've got to be sensible until things get back on track so to speak.

I really appreciate any thoughts on this !
 
Online racing:
Go Premium over here, take part in on of the Club races... Best way to start online I promise...!

Hardware:
Why upgrading?

First to upgrade imo is the pedals. Loadcell brakes for improving consistency in braking... This said, to handle loads you may need a different rig. On step causes another... Be careful LOL
 
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I had T3PA s for a few days before scoring a T3PA pro with ricmotech loadcell.
Loadcell makes a difference, should be the logical next step.
These days with the T-LCM for around 200Euros all the Loadcell Kits are obsolete, the conversion doesn´t make any sense any more.
(financially and technically)
The T-LCM comes with different springs, so you can use it on the playseat and go stiffer when upgrading to a more solid rig.
( both highly recommended)

MFG Carsten
 
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Cheers for the input guys !

I'm really happy with the seat, and due to space I can't change that any time soon. I have everything I need connected to it, and it's easy to shift it around. When we sell and move, yep I'll upgrade but won't be happening for a couple of years.

Daniel R.
I take heed of what you say about 1 step etc (that's what happened with my 350z!)
I guess everything I have now is functional, and I'll just get quicker with practice. So it's more about feel, whether its the pedals, shifter or wheel base.

There's a 20kg load cell mod for my pedals that's £81, so a lot cheaper than Ricmotech but a less pressure req (theirs is 30kg). And it means my other spring mods will still be of some use, rather than going to the T-LCM.

I see the Fanatec v3 pedals are around £325 + postage, and whatever addons are worth it ?

I've not tried any other wheels before either, so I have no idea what a more fancy belt base is like, nor DD (which is definitely out of price range for now, need to feel a bit more secure about work).
 
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Basically, the Playseat works fine with LC pedals. But in my case one day the two nylon brackets holding the pedal tray gave up under hard braking.
I contacted Playseat via facebook and told them about the issue, and they sent me a bag of 5 or 6 new brackets for free.

Since then I'm using three brackets and never had issues again.
 
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I had T3PA s for a few days before scoring a T3PA pro with ricmotech loadcell.
Loadcell makes a difference, should be the logical next step.
These days with the T-LCM for around 200Euros all the Loadcell Kits are obsolete, the conversion doesn´t make any sense any more.
(financially and technically)
The T-LCM comes with different springs, so you can use it on the playseat and go stiffer when upgrading to a more solid rig.
( both highly recommended)

MFG Carsten

Or for pedals there's the Fanatec CSL load cell version, love them.
 
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My computer needs updating more than anything tbh but I will have to wait until GPU prices are sensible again, and not a rip off.
That being said, I do use my 1070Ti and Rift S for VR racing and I love it !

Note, I play mostly offline (as I've no idea where to start online), and I use sim racing as a tool to help me improve on the track with my own car.
And of course it's good fun !

So going onto the hardware side of things:
Thrustmaster TX Base + 599FX Wheel
Thrustmaster T3PA Pro pedals with BBJ SimRacing springs on the clutch/gas + their blue conical rubber stopper
Thrustmaster TH8A shifter (which is used as a handbrake)
SSH NEWT Shifter
BBJ Button Box
Playseat Challenge

I can't pull the trigger on any upgrades yet as thanks to C19, I was made redundant.
Hopefully going back into my old job in March, and of course I keep an eye on the market place, so it doesn't HAVE to be brand new.

I'm not entirely sure what to upgrade because the next leap tends to be pretty costly.
And since I'm rebuilding my track cars engine at the moment (in my living room!), I've got to be sensible until things get back on track so to speak.

I really appreciate any thoughts on this !

Personally after I got my VR headset + load cell pedals I went upgrading my shakers kit right away for even more immersion.

Cheers!
 
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Again, many thanks for the input guys!

I guess the cheapest route is a loadcell mod, I found another one, 50kg from Australia but comes in around £100 inc shipping. No big deal BUT that's half way to going to the T-LCM pedals, however I don't like the flimsy plastic pivot points on them. I can see the pedals move with some flex.
Perhaps someone can chime in on how that feels ?
Then the CSL Elite LC pedals are basically £200-ish + postage. (needs the USB adapter too?)
They certainly look better built but I also want some force in the clutch pedal, which is why my one is modded with a couple of springs too. So I don't know really how the gas/clutch feels on that either.

In regards to my seat, yes I can see where the problem is likely to arise. However, I'm not afraid of some temp DIY to secure things a little better before I can update that side of things. TBH even 50 zip ties to secure the outboard bit where the pedals sit to the main frame would do the trick :D

I'm not sure I can justify going to DD base, even the idea of going with Fanatec, looking at the prices new and USED(!) is a bit scary.
Please realise that I also am in full n/a engine rebuild, with a lot of track work ahead again. So in comparison, yes sim is far far less but I'm in a rabbit hole now!

Depending what I do, I guess selling the TM pedals, wheel, base at some point will help a bit at least.
 
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When I was buying my sim rig I went for the CSW simply because it had more metal in it. You may well run into issues modding plastic parts as they just aren't designed to take much abuse. I'd be pretty apprehensive about putting load cells into a plastic pedal setup.

There's a hole you have to avoid falling into when you try and cut costs, cut too much and you end up spending more replacing the broken cheap stuff, then learn you should have just bought the expensive one from the beginning, because it was fit for purpose and the cheap stuff never was.

I was pretty shocked by the jump in quality of FFB in the CSW2.5, the DD was an option at the time but I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. I haven't felt like I made a huge mistake, the CSW 2.5 is good enough.

It may be worth saving the money for something better rather than trying to get the cheaper stuff to out perform itself.
 
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stigs2cousin & ao1977

So I ended up with...

DSC_0269.JPG


In super short:
Brake feel, after a little twiddling with the software is excellent (set at 80% currently).
Gas/Clutch will need stronger springs, far too soft.
Build quality is excellent, no flex or any concerns I initially had.
With the standard Playseat strap over the pedals it's absolutely fine, doesn't lift up. However I also put a few zip ties around it in a loop just to help a little more.

AC required a change in the brake gamma setting.
PC2 was fantastic immediately (with PopsRacer ffb).
Haven't tried the others yet.
 
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Welcome to the club, glad you like it. :)

With the standard Playseat strap over the pedals it's absolutely fine, doesn't lift up. However I also put a few zip ties around it in a loop just to help a little more.

I use these brackets instead of the strap: https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...r-pedals-to-your-playseat-challenge-….188306/

AC required a change in the brake gamma setting.
Yeah, as you don't need to emulate brake forces anymore, gamma goes all to 1.0.
 
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Cheers for the link, no issues so far, I can't feel it with my shoe's, however it's good to see there are options for mounting :)

AC was the first game I tried, and I didn't even know about the gamma setting. Trust me, it was a horrific mess of driving, I wondered what the heck was wrong hah.

I'm very, pleasantly surprised at the difference.
I'll make a separate thread for whatever springs I can find for the gas/clutch.

I think I'll be revisiting this thread in a couple of months time to ask about the wheel base next. Hah
 
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Crap, now I'm really thinking about the wheel base.

TS-XW £374 (easiest, cheapest solution for me)
CSL Elite €499 + shipping/tax stuff (seems very much like the above though)
CSW v2.5 €849 (I'm not sure I can do that kind of money for belt driven)

I drive in VR, and don't care one bit what anything looks like, and have ZERO loyalty to brands.
More that I'm looking for something a step up from my TX.
Yes, with Fanatec I could look at used as well, although they seem to hold their value.
And my gut tells me, if I'm spending near £900, why not get an M10/Simucube 2 Sport or something like that.

Anyway, this is plaguing my mind at the moment. I'm still having a lot of fun with what I have though, so nothing is desperately required.
:O_o:
 
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