Time to increase the immersion level of your sim racing pc or console game! It is common for people who are not sure what they are seeking to spend too much time looking for the sim racing gear that is ideal for them. When it comes to choosing a sim racing cockpit for direct drive, you cannot just make an investment on any of the available ones out there. It has to offer you an immersive sim racing experience, along with featuring a secure mounting system, expand-ability, robust build quality, lumbar support, adjustable and ergonomic seating, and high-quality materials. It should cater to both the practical side of sim racing as well as comfort.
Which is the Best Sim Racing Cockpit for Direct Drive? Products reviewed
Ever since direct drive wheelbases and wheels have emerged into the sim racing world, the everyday cockpits have started being pushed into obsolescence as the realistic and powerful hardware can shake it to their breaking points. For this reason, any and every sim racer that wants to experience the true sim racing experience needs a cockpit that is sturdy enough to handle direct drive. In this article, we will take a look at the three best racing cockpits that are specifically designed for direct drive. Which is the best among the three? We leave for you to decide. So let us get throttling towards them, shall we?
Next Level Racing GTtrack Racing Cockpit
Whether it is the wheel stands or the full cockpits of Next Level Racing, new as well as professional sim racers swear by it. The development of the GTtrack cockpit has been going on for over 8 years, but it was not until now that a version of it came that was specifically designed to handle the power of the direct drive technology.
Since the Next Level Racing GTtrack cockpit was born, it has been accruing extremely positive professional sim racer feedback. The racing cockpit was built to deliver seamless compatibility with direct drive base and wheels as its primary inspiration. For this purpose, they equipped the cockpit with a reinforced pedal plate that is robust enough to handle the heavy and even the most sophisticated professional-grade pedal sets.
The GTtrack can be installed as the prime sim racing design condition on a motion platform. This signifies that the cockpit was made with hardcore enthusiasts and professional sim racing personnel as its target audience. Its sim racing seat is a classic ‘bucket,’ offering not only comfort but enhanced immersion as well. The inclusion of racing harnesses with quick-release buckles means you can get yourself firmly positioned and enjoy your racing endeavors.
The frame of GTtrack is made of laser-cut carbon steel. This means that it has immense strength and durability along with perfect and total precision that provides you with the ability to adjust extremely smoothly. The pedal plate and wheel mount are fully adjustable, offering top-notch effectiveness.
One thing that not all of you might find attractive about it is its high-density foam padding. It gives off a specific kind of rigid feeling that some sim racers prefer. The padding is also covered in a composite material that is made of leather. The cockpit features a gear shifter mount that can house a handbrake as well as a shifter. This truly ergonomic dual-purpose mount is a huge space saver.
Next Level Racing GTtrack offers compatibility for potential upgrades and additions of several different things, such as non-slip mats, mouse and keyboard stand, motion gaming platform, a three-monitor stand, and more. The sim racing cockpit offers high-end immersion, stability, and durability at an affordable cost. Many reviews recommend this product.
Sim-Lab GT2
The Sim_Lab GT2 facilitates direct drive wheelbases and wheels like a pro and without flex. It offers a driving position that is highly adjustable and comes with a versatile pedal tray. The overall compatibility of the product is great as it can be attached with various high-end or custom-made pedals and direct drive wheelbases and wheels. It is an extremely rigid platform but has a small and concise form factor that allows space-saving.
The latest GT2 version is notably enhanced and improved by the manufacturer. Sim racers can easily get in and out of it with its inclined uprights. Its front mount has several slots that you can use to mount whatever you like and is made of strong and durable aluminum that is 15 mm thick.
The GT2 sim racing cockpit for direct drive provides its users with adjustability and flexibility. The 8 mm anodized slots run along all profile sides to allow racers to adjust their seating positions in accordance with their preferences.
It not only handles direct drive but enhances it with its comfort and immersion. It is specifically designed to maximize the rigidity of the materials used in its production. Regardless of how strong your steering wheels are, the wheel mount of GT2 is reinforced to cope with the force it produces.
It also has a highly versatile pedal deck. You can alter its support bars’ position to suit most of the pedals out there. The cockpit has a total weight of 45 kgs and comes packaged in two separate boxes that include a pedal tray, a front type wheel mount, rubber feet, bolts for mounting peripherals and seats, and other mounting materials and aluminum profiles.
Extreme Sim Racing Cockpit P1 3.0
P1 3.0 is a direct drive-ready sim racing cockpit that comes with a reinforced and fully adjustable wheel deck. It is more than capable of holding direct drive wheelbases and wheels and up to 100 kgf of load cell pedals. The pedal plate it features allows users to adjust its distance as well as angle. It is also equipped with two front wheels that make it easy for the rig to be moved.
It has a carbon steel chassis that is no-flex and precision manufactured for top-notch performance. The rugged wheel deck P1 3.0 features is fully adjustable with respect to its depth, tilt, and height. While you adjust any of its components, you will not experience metal-on-metal sticking as it has non-stick Polyurethane bushings. The hardware used in its production is durable and high-quality.
The seat mounting of the sim racing cockpit is also adjustable, and its racing seat is wide and thickly padded. The ESR advanced sim racing rig is truly stable and immersive. It also allows for an organized sim racing setup and is sturdy enough to tackle hard racing abuse easily.
A cup holder, as well as a shifter mount, is integrated into P1’s wheel deck while its seat is equipped with sliders. A mouse tray is also integrated into its hand brake, and the cockpit comes with an additional gear shifter mount. To keep your belongings and items within reach, it offers a trinket holder as well.
The P1 3.0 sim racing cockpit for direct drive comes with a manual, hex key and bolts, nuts, and screws for assembly, articulated keyboard tray, trinket tray, additional shifter mount, TV stand with back tray, mouse tray, and of course, the ESR Advanced Cockpit with racing seat.
Conclusion
As different sim racing enthusiasts prefer specific features over others, you can pick and choose from the three racing cockpits mentioned above. Of course, not everything existing in the market nor all brands and manufacturers are covered here, but you should now have some options worth considering. All of them effectively and efficiently support direct drive wheelbases and wheels and are equipped with features that are required to enhance your sim racing experience. No matter which sim racing cockpit for direct drive you go for, make sure to perform proper research on its offerings before buying it. The price of the product is important, but you also need to make sure that you are getting a quality product. Unfortunately you can not rely on the reviews on Amazon – but we would not dive too deep into this topic here.
Combine your racing simulator cockpit with a nice Direct Drive sim racing product, get a nice racing wheel and you should feel the excitement with your driving simulator on a new level!
