Buy a cockpit simulator to race the ultimate driving simulator

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welshgtlover
Hello chaps, I'm quite keen on the "GT2 gamepod" from ash, have any of you guys bought this one or now if its any good, it looks good enough on their website, but would like some nuteral feedback before forking out £350.. :)

Well, I know this probably isn't the type of feedback you were looking for, I just thought I should bring a few points of interest to your attention. :)

I had once strongly considered purchasing one of those at one point in time but from the look of how it is designed and after getting a not-to-clear-email from their support dept., I wasn't comfortable about the fact that the steering wheel shelf wasn't adjustable. For me, I want to be able to adjust the pitch so regardless of the wheel being used, I can have the wheel be almost straight up & down, which is pretty much how I like my setup to be.

Here are two pics of what I mean:
Pic 1

And

Pic 2

Now, I know the angle of the wheel shelf on my Race Frame Pro in Pic 2 is quite severe, it does show how far one could go with it.

You should also consider (since it's pretty much designed to be used in front a good size television set) how high you'll be sitting in that chair in comparison to how high the TV is that you'll be using with it...So, basically you want your eyes to be focused on the middle (Equator) of your TV set, or just below it, and not above this point, as to have your eyes looking down to the TV.

So, regardless of any good feedback you may come across, you still have to consider what you're looking for and what will accommodate your current race surroundings!
(Example: How big or small is your current TV? Do you plan on getting a larger TV set later down the road? Will you have room in your house/apartment/flat for such a purchase, etc, etc.)
 
Hi,
I built a set up for my Logitech DFP using a modified version of the plan I found at this site http://www.firetooth.net/ and it came up pretty well and only cost me about $45.00 AUS.
There is a pic in the forums somewhere but I can get a couple more if anyone would like to see it.
Cheers,
Dave.
 
This discussion has inspired me to BYO myself. This is a quick and crude sketch of my idea. Basically a chassis enclosed in a plywood box, with a hatch that slides backwards to get in. Then pull it forward to close you inside, you are then fully immersed. Fans mounted in front to keep you cool and the wind in your hair, Klipsch 5.1 Multi Media Surround Sound. The 400Watt Sub pounding your back. This maybe overkill, but so is Gran Turismo. This the only reason I own a PS2, GT4 has my nipples hard! I will be building and refining this idea, I’ll keep you posted.
WallyWorldEntertainment

Oops!, I made a drawing using Corel Draw 11 but did not paste. What did I do wrong?
 
lol that would be awesome. I had the same idea..an enclosed chassis..What about those enclosed car chassis's at the arcades..I wonder what they do with them when they break.. If they throw them away maybe you could get one to use for GT4 :)
 
But that would take all the fun out of it. I can see myself prying my fingers off the wheel after a session in it and opening it up emerging like a mole! It was night time when I started, oh S*^t! I gotta be at work! LOL!
 
But that would be awesome to get one of those 2 player car chasis's, you know with the 2 seats 2 screens, etc. and then you could connect 2 ps2's together and lan.. oh man that would be sweeeeeeet
 
This is my terrible powerpoint blueprint of what I am going to build. I have a 27" LCD that I am going to mount right behind my DFP. I am building it out of 2x4s and I have it designed so that the seat is adjustable for taller people (I'm only 5'6"). I decided the best way to do this is to let the seat move back because then both the bedals and the steering wheel will be farther away for tall people like in a real car.

Have you guys thought about how uncomfortable race seats are? They are designed to help you counter g-forces, not for comfort. I'm going to be putting in a comfy chair because I won't be experiencing g-forces while playing GT4.
 
I beg to differ, my Datsun 510 has a pair of racing seats that are the most comfertable I have ever used. My 510 is a SCCA legal, my SaBelt seat harness on the other hand are not. FYI, Gran Turismo has helped my skills greatly! The GT4 car list has a 69 Bluebird 1600SSS listed, Thank you Lord!
 
wowitfoth
I beg to differ, my Datsun 510 has a pair of racing seats that are the most comfertable I have ever used. My 510 is a SCCA legal, my SaBelt seat harness on the other hand are not. FYI, Gran Turismo has helped my skills greatly! The GT4 car list has a 69 Bluebird 1600SSS listed, Thank you Lord!

I guess not all driving seats are terrible, but if I am sitting down in something for 2 or more hours, I want it to have decent padding. My STi seats are comfortable, but they are too heavy and don't have large enough side bolsters to be decent for racing.

That said, I would rather sit for 2 hours in a la-z-boy than any car seat.
 
Hi
I sorted out some pics of the setup I made. It is unbelievable the difference that this type of control system can make to the 'enjoyability' of a game, however it doesnt pack away as neatly as a DS2.

Cheers,
Dave,
 

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Thought I would throw these pics up too for others to see my cheap, easy setup. The seat is an AK Rocker available at BestBuy and Cosco in the US for only $70~80.
 

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Davejmac Nice job, HOLY SHYTE!!!!!!
Sorry I am typing and watching Speed Vision, Alan deCadenet just did a drift in a Porsche at probably 120! It looked like the Nurburgring, just had the tires roasting all the way through! The show is called Victory by Design "Porsche." Anyways back to your skills, seriously you can see pride in ones work immediately. I just have a wheel mounted to piece of wood that slides onto the coffee table and use the couch. But even that helps precision greatly; well GT4 looks like it's time to step up and forget reality all together. Kazunori Yamauchi is alright with me, he understands us, he makes quality product and has topped each sequel. So unlike Mr. Gates, he earns his wealth!
 
boostman
Thought I would throw these pics up too for others to see my cheap, easy setup. The seat is an AK Rocker available at BestBuy and Cosco in the US for only $70~80.

Sold, going to Costco Sun. and getting one. I really miss having a garage, I even designed and built my PC Speakers. Man theory of sound is overwhelming! I mean I read and learned speaker building and all that frequency and cubic volume junk. There not to bad and look damn good. But I am going buy the Klipsch Pro Media. I love all things mechanical like my dad. Must be my heritage, family migrated from Germany. But I will build my coffin mark my word's, just shut it, fire it up and drift away.
 
My setup can be used sitting on the couch as well which is why the pedastal that the seat is mounted to is quite high when compared to other setups. The pedals are also movable with a set of locating pegs that slot into holes in the angled mount and into the pedal base itself this can then be easily removed so that the pedals can be moved for my kids to play too (4 and 8 years old).
The unit cost around about $45 AUS to put together. I just tend to get a bit carried away (FUSSY) with things hence it has tow rings on the front and aluminium mesh in the seat mount, not to mention the braided brakelines......................... :scared:

Cheers,
Dave.
 
Hi all,

I'm based in the UK. I was wondering if anyone from the UK has bought the Game Chopper? Is it any good? More importantly, is it strong, as it does look nice but a little flumsy?

Any info - advice would be great - thanx.
 
Nice setup dave, looks really awsome and comfortable too. 💡 👍

MY setup idea i came up with during gt2. Find an old "pole position" arcade game console box and mod it w/ play station compatable stuff (steering ,pedals and tv) add some speakers for sound effects and you have yourself a really neat driving station. :sly:

Just need to make it so that the steering wheel and pedals could be adjusted to your liking.

Need to take some time to look at those sites to compare usability and cost.
 
Wow, nice collection of links. But I've already bought a racing set for 39.99 & $10.00 of scap metal to build my own.
 
Hey gang,

Check out the Monoposto Driving seat for sale on ebay right now. It's the best seat for the money. It's comfortable the price is right. It is also very sturdy, stiff and won't flex like some designs.
 
trancer
Hey gang,

Check out the Monoposto Driving seat for sale on ebay right now. It's the best seat for the money. It's comfortable the price is right. It is also very sturdy, stiff and won't flex like some designs.

Just a FYI...But you may want to let everyone know how to find it over on Ebay there Trancer, as I just tried to search under Monoposto Driving seat and found nothing....

Thx-

SimRaceDriver
 
SimRaceDriver, search for I think its called, Force Dynamics.
Probably great amount of cash, but its pretty sweet.

A thought. 💡
 
hi
where does every one get those seats that are a racing seat but they also apperar to be a rocking chair i realy want one (you can see one in boost mans post further up the page)
 
YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT IF YOU NEED A STAND FOR YOUR DFP WHEEL!!!

This stand is the best one on the market for the DFP Wheel. It is small, storable, cheaper than cockpit sims, and great to drive with. They are sold on ebay or at web site www.xlstands.com . Please check out the feedback on ebay for this stand.
The stand adds so much to the driving experiance. It is very stable and users have said they feel like they are realy in a 4000lb race car.

BEST STAND ON THE MARKET!
 

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Its called an IKEA rocker.
r34jse
hi
where does every one get those seats that are a racing seat but they also apperar to be a rocking chair i realy want one (you can see one in boost mans post further up the page)
 
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