Any iRacing People Here?

[wagner]

Since we can't race our full-size cars still for some unknown reason anybody iRace?

 

I built a computer for it last weekend and started. I'm going to do mostly dirt oval, paved oval, and offroad I think.

 

So far I'm learning more each time I fire it up but I haven't entered any official races yet. I want to be able to get around the track more than a few laps without piling the car up.

[SRTurbo04]

Did u have to build a crazy computer setup?

[Richard Cranium]

I'll be starting soon, once I get my wheel back from a friend I loaned it to.

[wagner]

Did u have to build a crazy computer setup?

 

Not really. There's a lot out there on different builds. You can probably get by with a $500 build if the specs are right.

[AudiOn19s]

I was into it a good bit about 8 -10 years ago and when my old gaming computer got to be obsolete I let it fall to the side, put the setup in storage and focused on “real” racing.

 

When isolation started I thought it would be fun to build a computer to get back into it and it’s considerably more entertaining than I remember. Since building the PC I decided to upgrade the screen I’m playing on, then got better pedals, then added better wheel base and wheel and finally just yesterday I added a bass skaker to the setup. The cockpit itself is the glaring weak link in my setup right now. I’ll prob wait until winter to mess with the rig. The only other development I’d like to mess with is possibly triple monitors but a single ultrawide is just fine for right now.

 

It’s been a good escape during these times.

[C-Mart]

Is there a huge difference between using a PC and console (PS4)?

 

In terms of quality, races, hardware, etc?

[wagner]

Is there a huge difference between using a PC and console (PS4)?

 

In terms of quality, races, hardware, etc?

 

Quality is based on your rig and how high you can crank graphics up. I would say so far it's on par with a console. The physics and racing is where I think it's better.

 

So far I've had a blast with it, very challenging for sure.

[AudiOn19s]

The physics in iRacing are superior to anything I've ever played. That said the latest tire model is a bit challenging and not very forgiving, but its still much better than anything else out there.

 

Also, from a "racing" perspective iRacing is pretty serious about what it's client base is there to do...which is race. You can't go out and drive over your head without penalty. There's a "points" system during each race. car contact can be from 0-4 points. wheels off the track is 1 point, loss of control is 2 points. You accumulate too many points and you are disqualified from the race. It creates a situation where people are more likely to drive within their means and skill level, instead of taking risks that might not pay off. That doesn't mean people don't do stupid stuff...but it's pretty limited. There's a licensing system and iRating system that rank you as a driver and when fields are bigger and need to be split for races you are placed with racers of similar skill to make for better racing.

 

I think it's the best thing going, but it's not without it's challenges. Included content will get you through being a rookie and through your "D" license. Beyond that tracks and cars can start to add up. My best advice is get through the beginner stuff on the included content...pick a car or two to purchase that you want to race for a good while and try not to wander just to try different cars out.

 

The good / bad thing about iRacing is the graphics are good, as good as they need to be anyhow, but you don't need a $2k PC to run them. I spent about $950 this go-around and have plenty of overhead to last a few years. Graphics card will be the next constraint in my system but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

 

Assetto Corsa is an interesting competitor but one I haven't bothered trying yet. Graphics look much better, physics are supposed to be pretty good, it's a cheaper overall platform even with add-ons. I've heard it requires a pretty stout PC to run it with any detail though, the minimum specs don't seem to really fall in line with that but everything I've read is that it's much more taxing on equipment, esp graphics card, than iRacing.

[BIGGU]

I was into it a good bit about 8 -10 years ago and when my old gaming computer got to be obsolete I let it fall to the side, put the setup in storage and focused on “real” racing.

 

When isolation started I thought it would be fun to build a computer to get back into it and it’s considerably more entertaining than I remember. Since building the PC I decided to upgrade the screen I’m playing on, then got better pedals, then added better wheel base and wheel and finally just yesterday I added a bass skaker to the setup. The cockpit itself is the glaring weak link in my setup right now. I’ll prob wait until winter to mess with the rig. The only other development I’d like to mess with is possibly triple monitors but a single ultrawide is just fine for right now.

 

It’s been a good escape during these times.

 

 

out of curiosity what wheel/pedal/shifter pedal did you go to? I know you had the g27.

[AudiOn19s]

out of curiosity what wheel/pedal/shifter pedal did you go to? I know you had the g27.

 

Fanatec CSL Elite Load Cell pedals

Fanatec CSL Elite steering wheel base

Fanatec Clubsport BMW M3 steering wheel

 

It's funny because I'm not any faster with the new stuff, but it feels sooo much better :-) (at least that's how I justify it). Also easier to be consistent lap after lap on the load cell brake pedal.

[wagner]

Fanatec CSL Elite Load Cell pedals

Fanatec CSL Elite steering wheel base

Fanatec Clubsport BMW M3 steering wheel

 

It's funny because I'm not any faster with the new stuff, but it feels sooo much better :-) (at least that's how I justify it). Also easier to be consistent lap after lap on the load cell brake pedal.

 

I have a Logitec G920 I got off Coaster. The only thing I don't like is the brake pedal, I had to make some adjustments in the game to account for it.

 

I wanted to go with Fanatec but just can't afford it right now.

 

I'm still trying to get out of the Rookie class right now. I've been just racing as clean as I can, but not hanging back in the pack. I want to get some good experience along the way.

[Robochan]

Everything fanatec I have gotten has broken. 3 wheels, shifter and club sport pedals. I’m going with something else if I buy again.

[l36tols1]

I'm on Project Cars 2 and Forza pretty heavy on Xbox.

 

I have a Thurstmaster TX racing wheel.

[AudiOn19s]

Everything fanatec I have gotten has broken. 3 wheels, shifter and club sport pedals. I’m going with something else if I buy again.

 

I'm concerned about failures based on feedback I've seen from many that had similar experience to you. That's exactly the reason I went with the CSL elite pedals vs. the clubsport pedals because the clubsports seem to be more delicate than the CSL's.

 

The problem for me was...I found local people with several setups that I tried before I pulled the trigger on upgrades and in that "middle market", there's nothing that comes close to the fanatec lineup from a feel perspective.

 

I had the pleasure of driving a rig with Heusinkveld ultimate pedals and a direct drive setup and it was AMAZING...but also 3x the cost of the gear i ended up going with not to mention there's no way my chassis would support a direct drive wheel.

[BIGGU]

Fanatec CSL Elite Load Cell pedals

Fanatec CSL Elite steering wheel base

Fanatec Clubsport BMW M3 steering wheel

 

It's funny because I'm not any faster with the new stuff, but it feels sooo much better :-) (at least that's how I justify it). Also easier to be consistent lap after lap on the load cell brake pedal.

 

 

 

 

Good deal, I really liked my Fanatac gear that I had. Next rig is going to be direct drive with Heusinkveld pedals probably a fanatec SQ shifter.

[Miller]

I'm on. I race anything but primarily focus on the FR500.

[AudiOn19s]

I'm on. I race anything but primarily focus on the FR500.

 

I personally feel like that's one of the most entertaining cars in iRacing. Sad that it's fallen off in popularity but when I used iRacing back in the day to learn new tracks before I went there in real life the Mustand was the closest in speed to my real car and provided me with the best comparison of timing for driving the tracks ahead of time. Also one of the few cars you can drive with a ton of slip angle and get away with it.

 

I've been spending all my time racing the 718 clubsport and 991 Cup lately. As cool as the IMSA / GT3 and open wheel cars are, they're soo far detached from the reality of what I'd have the opportunity to drive in real life that i have a hard time getting too interested in them.

[Miller]

I personally feel like that's one of the most entertaining cars in iRacing. Sad that it's fallen off in popularity but when I used iRacing back in the day to learn new tracks before I went there in real life the Mustand was the closest in speed to my real car and provided me with the best comparison of timing for driving the tracks ahead of time. Also one of the few cars you can drive with a ton of slip angle and get away with it.

 

I've been spending all my time racing the 718 clubsport and 991 Cup lately. As cool as the IMSA / GT3 and open wheel cars are, they're soo far detached from the reality of what I'd have the opportunity to drive in real life that i have a hard time getting too interested in them.

 

Exactly, I drive the fr500 because it shares a ton in common with the new CMC build I have for this year.

[zeitgeist57]

Cool thread to read, as I've only played iRacing a few times but was seriously impressed when I did.

 

My 8-yo son spends much of his non-school time playing Forza 3 and 4. I got him a G920 setup but need to do a chair/wheel mount, and at his skill level I think he'd get a kick out of iRacing.

[Richard Cranium]

Cool thread to read, as I've only played iRacing a few times but was seriously impressed when I did.

 

My 8-yo son spends much of his non-school time playing Forza 3 and 4. I got him a G920 setup but need to do a chair/wheel mount, and at his skill level I think he'd get a kick out of iRacing.

 

I helped Wags with a wheel mount a little while back. If you want we could probably whip something up. Could even make it short so it would be his size.

[Richard Cranium]

I finally got my setup back from the friend I loaned it to. Since he was giving it back he was also interested in selling his Oculus Rift, so I picked it up cheap. I had no idea how old my wheel was until I started looking around. Mine is a logitech driving force GT. It predates the G25 setups even. That being said for how old it is I'm pretty impressed with how well it has held up and it's working just fine for a gear drive force feedback model. Since I already have it I'll keep using it. The only thing expensive in my whole rig is the PC, and I built that for gaming anyhow. Next up I need a much better way to secure the wheel and pedals. I'll probably build a dedicated stand for the whole thing.

[TurboRust]

A good friend of mine won the spec miata series on iracing a couple years back and got him into the spec miata championship shootout. Freaking awesome experience for him.

[greg1647545532]

Late to the party but I finally set up a rig about a month ago to stop my friends from pestering me. Now I'm hooked. It's fun and nerve-wracking and frustrating just as advertised.

[cstmg8]

Late to the party but I finally set up a rig about a month ago to stop my friends from pestering me. Now I'm hooked. It's fun and nerve-wracking and frustrating just as advertised.

Have any pics? Sounds interesting, what is the gameplay like?

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[greg1647545532]

This me trying to spend as little money as possible:

 

 

Playseat Evo from CL, "gaming computer" I built 2 years ago for the kids with a "friend price" 1070 from an old friend who was upgrading, cheapest 144Hz monitor I could find, Logitech G920 on sale from Amazon and the cheapest, Chinesiest headphones I could find. Built the monitor stand myself. Still way too much money for yet another toy I don't need.

 

I've got a contract to have a 16x20 finished room built where this sits right now, should be done sometime in February. My wife has been asking for it for years so the kids have somewhere to watch TV and play xbox out of our hair. I've procrastinated on cleaning out that part of the basement and I swear the fact that I finally did it is because I'm a good husband and the timing of me building a sim rig and having no place to put it is entirely a coincidence.