When you start out in Sim Racing, you can quickly become completely overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of equipment available on the market. And if this is your first experience and you’re unfamiliar with the terms and codes associated with this universe, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with very average equipment.
Between marketing campaigns that are all about smoke and mirrors, and brands that display prices while deliberately omitting VAT… the novice rider is often treated like a cash cow to whom brands are quick to pass on whatever equipment they still have in stock. So much for the player’s enjoyment as long as the sale has been validated. The problem is that simracing is an expensive hobby!
So let’s take stock together and find the most cost-effective simracing bundle for players. We’re going to take a look at the complete bundles available for under €400. Then we’ll take a quick look at the €400 to €500 bundles to see if we can do much better. And you’ll see that you don ‘t necessarily have to spend more to get quality equipment!
What should you budget for?
But before you head off headlong into the manufacturers’ shelves, you need to know exactly what you’re looking for. So here are the components you’ll need to create a complete simracing bundle:
- A wheelbase: this is the block containing the motor, onto which the steering wheel itself will be grafted. Some models offer detachable bases and steering wheels. Being able to detach the steering wheel allows you to change it if you want to vary the pleasures, for example by having a round wheel like in a standard car. But also a Formula-type wheel that could be used on Formula 1 or prototype races, for example.
- Steering wheel: That’s easy, it’s what you hold in your hands. In simracing, steering wheels come in all sizes and with a wide range of functions. Depending on the model, you’ll find more or less buttons to set parameters. Shift paddles of varying quality, and sometimes even LED displays or a screen to give you information while you’re riding.
- Pedals: to go fast, you need to know how to brake! That’s true on the real track and just as true in simracing. In my opinion, having a good pedalset is even more important than having a very good engine base. It’s your braking that will have the greatest impact on your lap times and consistency. Especially when you’re just starting out! The pedalset is therefore the position on which I would urge you to be vigilant from the outset.
Bundles under €400
Now that you know what you need in your simracing bundle and what your budget is, it’s time to take a look at the models available to you. Regular readers will notice that I haven’t listed the entry-level bases such as the Thrustmaster T128 or the old Logitech G29/G920. The idea is to find the best models for your budget. If you’re looking for the cheap stuff, there’s the video game aisle in the supermarkets, where you’ll find something to suit your wallet… but certainly not your simracer senses.
Torque: 3.5Nm
Steering angle: 900°
LED display and small screen on the steering wheel.
3 pedal pedalset
Very toy finish.
No detachable steering wheel (a shame for this brand!!)
Torque: 5Nm
Steering angle: 2520° (adjustable via software)
Scalable base with the booster Kit to bring it to 8Nm of torque.
Scalable pedalset to install a Load Cell sensor and a clutch.
Access to the entire Fanatec ecosystem (steering wheels, pedals, gearboxes, handbrake, etc.)
Torque: 2.2Nm
Steering angle: 900°
Steering wheel quite pleasant in the hand.
3 pedal pedalset
Very limited feeling of force feedback
No detachable steering wheel.
Torque: 5Nm
Steering angle: 2340° (adjustable via software)
Very small size.
Few details in the force feedback.
No detachable steering wheel.
Be careful of the very high shipping costs from China (around €105)
This is the way the motor force is transmitted from the base into the flywheel. For nearly 20 years, to save money and make their models accessible, brands used low-power engines. To compensate for this very low power, they used belts or gears to increase the force of the engine.
It was an ingenious solution but it brought limitations. For example, all the fine details sent by the clearances in the steering wheel force feedback were “eaten” by the belts and gears.
Belt and gear models are also relatively noisy. You can hear the mechanisms turning when you turn the wheel. And when you turn the steering wheel you can also feel all the notches of the mechanisms running in the background.
With Direct Drive we forget all these problems. The motor is directly connected to the steering shaft. Hence the term “Direct Drive”. We gain in precision, responsiveness, comfort, silence… But as there are no gears or belts to multiply its force, the motor must be more powerful.
The best simracing bundle for under €400?
With no real competition, the Fanatec Ready2Race pack with its CSL DD reigns supreme when you’re looking for a simracing bundle under 400€. But why this clear-cut victory?
The first answer is its CSL DD base. With its servomotor, this direct-drive base boasts the most precise and responsive control system in its price range (by far). And over the past few days, Fanatec has decided to hit back hard, since if you buy a Base pédalier roue bundle, the CSL DD base will cost you just €199.95, i.e. €129 less than its Moza R5 competitor… Which, as a result, can’t even pretend to fit into our criteria for this article.
In terms of driving feel, the CSL DD base model also proves to be the most competent of the bunch. Fanatec has a long track record of producing good force feedback, and this is no exception with this small base. As for settings, the Fanalab software lets you configure your Fanatec hardware and adjust the base’s force feedback. It’s by far the most complete and powerful in this price range.
See also : Complete tutorial on using Fanalab software!
The different steering wheels available in Fanatec Ready2Race bundles
When you choose your Ready2Race simracing bundle, you have a choice of different steering wheels. The CSL Steering Wheel P1 V2 is the least expensive, but if you’ve got a few euros more, there are alternatives. For example, the CSL McLaren GT3 V2 steering wheel is well worth a look!
Finally, the CSL Universal Hub V2 gives players a hub on which to mount any steering wheel rim, as long as it has 3x50mm or 6.70mm mounting holes.
Of course, you can also plug in any Fanatec steering wheel (and there are lots of them!). Be careful, however, if you play on XBox or want to buy other steering wheels. You’ll need to check that the steering wheel you choose is also X Box compatible. This is always shown on the product page on the brand’s website.
Booster Kit
Offered as an option, the Booster Kit is in fact a larger power supply for your CSL DD. It increases the base torque from 5 to 8Nm. This increase in power is very interesting for experiencing more road detail and having a more realistic force in hand. If you purchase the kit at the same time as the Ready2Race bundle, it will be offered at 99.95€ instead of 149.95€.
Load Cell kit for pedals
As I mentioned at the start of this article, in simracing, your brake is a MASTER part. If you’re looking for realism and performance, a Load Cell sensor is a must. At Fanatec, you can upgrade your CSL Pedals by adding the CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit.
A Load Cell senses the force you apply to the pedal, just as a brake would in a normal racing car. These sensors allow you to be much more precise and consistent in your use of the brakes.
If, after a few weeks or months, you feel you really want to go further in simracing, this is clearly a must-have. The option is available on the Fanatec website for 139.95€!
Thrustmaster T248: from €282.99
The T248 model from the French brand came as a surprise to many of its fans. The cause? A positioning that sets it back from its predecessor, the T300, released almost a decade ago. Less powerful than its big brother, with only 3.5Nm of torque instead of 3.9Nm. It also prohibits access to Thrustmaster steering wheel wheels, as it is not equipped with a wheel release system (the famous Quick Release). The finish is rather simplistic, with plastics that immediately put us in a “toy” mood
To make up for these shortcomings, there’s a small display screen for race info, 3 force feedback modes to find the feel that suits you, and an LED bar to spot when you’re shifting gears. The motor is a good old-fashioned belt-driven model, smoother and more flexible than geared motors, but far less powerful and precise than Direct Drives.
The T3PM pedalset features 3 pedals, a plus for H-box addicts! However, its brake sensor is magnetic and not Load Cell. This means that instead of sensing the force you apply to the pedal, you’ll need to change pedals. So you’ll need to change pedalsets later if you really intend to make simracing a serious hobby.
Logitech G923: from €317.49
The Logitech G923 may have a very low power output of just 2.2Nm, but it’s never had trouble finding its audience. The brand enjoys a reputation for sturdiness and can rely on its huge distribution network to be visible to all new players in store.
For a long time, Logitech and thrusmtaster were the undisputed masters of the new simracer market. But since the arrival of low-cost Direct Drive bases, the situation has changed dramatically.
What complete SimRacing bundle at €500?
Let’s see how much better we can get by adding a hundred euros to our selection criteria.
Torque: 3.9Nm
Steering angle: 1080°
Access to the Thrustmaster ecosystem (detachable steering wheel).
3 pedal pedalset.
Not PlayStation compatible. (See the T300 for the Sony console
Torque: 8Nm
Steering angle: 2520° (adjustable via software)
Scalable pedalset to install a Load Cell sensor and a clutch.
Access to the entire Fanatec ecosystem (steering wheels, pedals, gearboxes, handbrake, etc.).
The only challengers in this price range are the Thrustmaster TX and Fanatec CSL DD 8Nm. And it’s fair to say that the soon-to-be 10-year-old Thrustmaster and its geared transmission are no match for the CSL DD. The Fanatec has twice the torque and a much finer feel. A knockout in the first round!
Don’t forget to check the compatibility of your simracing bundle!
In case you haven’t noticed while we’ve been looking at the different models, please keep an eye on bundle compatibility! All are PC-compatible. However, some will not be compatible on consoles. Others are only compatible on XBox or Playstation.
Here’s a point on which some brands tend to turn their heads “out of the blue”. It has become commonplace for certain manufacturers to present prices exclusive of tax. The aim is clearly marketing, even if it means playing with the limits of honesty… They want a hard-hitting figure to make a better first impression.
The problem is when you end up filling your basket, paying the amount… Then, a few days later, you receive a letter from customs asking you to pay VAT if you want to receive your steering wheel. These are the kind of details that make for a bad weekend! You lose time and you spend money you hadn’t planned to spend. All the more so as these brands are often based in Asia, and shipping costs easily top the €100 mark.
Fanatec strikes hard with its SimRacing Ready2Race bundle!
It’s already been two years since the German brand turned the tables by offering the very first Direct Drive to the general public. And despite the arrival of numerous competing brands in this sector… Fanatec always seems to be able to maintain control, whatever the conditions.
So much for this overview of complete simracing bundles under 400€. And for those who’d like a helping hand in finding their ideal Assetto Corsa Competizione setting, I’ll leave you the link just below 😉
