How do you drive?

  • Thread starter Bopop4
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Bopop4

Bopop4

8,100
Canada
Guelph, Ontario
As the title suggests, how do you race in your cockpit? Do you wear gloves or shoes? Do you race in an F1 position or upright?
I wear old kart shoes when I race so because G25 pedals hurt my feet to push down and slippers are too wide. I also drive in a slight laydown position with the wheel close to me, and the shifter is close to the wheel.
So, how do you drive?
 
Slight laid back. Using a kirkey cart full bucket seat from my old mini sprint. Wheel sits so i have a slight bend in the elbows. Shifter near thigh, socks on my feet with inverted csps. ( considered my old fireproof racing shoes) No gloves, alcantara feels nice!

Actually considering converting my old minisprint into my cockpit and scraping my plans.
 
Gloves
Puma Speedcats
GT seating position

Caz: Consider wearing gloves if you want your Alcantara to last more than a few months without getting hard and rough. The oils that are secreted from your hands are bad for the fabric.
 
superbike81, do the gloves help your driving and if they do, then how so? I also just put a small piece of yellow tape in the centre of the wheel to keep track of it better.
 
How do i drive ...Badly lol

I use piloti prototipo driving shoes as the CSP used to make my feet hurt in my slippers. I have GamePODs so sit upright touring car style.
 
Bopop4
superbike81, do the gloves help your driving and if they do, then how so? I also just put a small piece of yellow tape in the centre of the wheel to keep track of it better.
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I like endurance racing, so a typical race for me is 90+ minutes, so the gloves help keep my hands from slipping due to sweat.

But they do have benefits for short races as well. You get much better grip with a good set of gloves. Even some basic "Mechanix" gloves will help a lot.
 
That is true superbike.
Its been a while since i raced, been catching up on some other games. i used to run 4 hours or more pretty much daily for about 8 months and the alcantara has been holding up well so far. Then again, it was for hours or more with small breaks in between. ( dont smoke in the house) so i never ran into much of a sweat problem.

Mechanix gloves are nice. I have several pairs laying around from my families old track days. ( dad my niece and i at one point were all in the same kart class. ) but would never let those touch my wheel ;)

Soon enough ill be back at it again. And am strongly considering getting some new racing or wrestling shoes. I keep tearing through socks ;)
 
superbike81
I like endurance racing, so a typical race for me is 90+ minutes, so the gloves help keep my hands from slipping due to sweat.

But they do have benefits for short races as well. You get much better grip with a good set of gloves. Even some basic "Mechanix" gloves will help a lot.
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That sounds like a good idea, I should try it tonight. I don't race online right now and so my hands rarely sweat. The additional grip sounds nice though. I started using some Impact kart shoes 'cause the bunny slippers didn't quite cut it lol. Where do you guys find the best shifter position to be? Mine is in a normal GT spot but it feels weird having to reach down to get it.
 
with my GT2 and standard pedals, I used an old pair of karting gloves and driving shoes. I have since lost the driving shoes and the gloves don't work very well with the standard CSR E rim though, so I've been using bare hands and slippers on me feet with the CSR E wheel and pedals. I've also got quite a nice aftermarket bucket seat that was in an E39 M5 for about a month until the driver decided he wanted the stock seats back. I've got an old helmet that I want to fit surround sound headphones into as a next step.
 
Wow, you are actually going to wear a helmet?

I'll admit I've taken things pretty far with my cockpit and the money I've spent, but I never considered wearing a helmet.
 
A pillow on the seat because it's hard, uncomfortable plastic (unless I'm wearing pants) with the wheel pretty close. No shoes.
 
Occasionally my shoes, but I got a pair of Loafer Slippers for Christmas(think Aryton Senna's Heel Toe NSX video) and now I use those, it's awesome!
 
i need to get some nice driving shoes because heel toe on those CSP's hurt.

i dont use driving gloves, FFB even at max settings isnt that bad, especially with those nice alcantra leather, theres no need!
 
I just thought of something. You could get fully dressed in a race suit, helmet etc, and then use a heater beside the rig to make it 30 degrees Celsius and then race for an hour. Wouldn't that be fun?
 
Since I upgraded to the CSR Elite pedals, I use those ''water'' shoes. They work really well, rubber sole, lightweight and got mine for $10, Body Glove is the brand. As for gloves, sometimes I use weight lifting gloves to help ''preserve'' my CSR wheels alcantra.
 
swiftwilly
i need to get some nice driving shoes because heel toe on those CSP's hurt.

i dont use driving gloves, FFB even at max settings isnt that bad, especially with those nice alcantra leather, theres no need!
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There is a need, if there was no need, racing drivers wouldn't wear gloves with their Alcantara wheels. A nice set of suede/Alcantara/or other similar material glove with an Alcantara wheel will provide grip like no other. It will also make your Alcantara fabric last much longer.
 
superbike81
There is a need, if there was no need, racing drivers wouldn't wear gloves with their Alcantara wheels. A nice set of suede/Alcantara/or other similar material glove with an Alcantara wheel will provide grip like no other. It will also make your Alcantara fabric last much longer.
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most of this is true, but it's also worth noting that drivers couldn't take their gloves off if they wanted to. otherwise they'd risk catching on fire in a particularly nasty wreck.
 
Well, yeah, I was leaving fire safety stuff off the table since it's a given. Safety is #1 of course, but the grip gained by using gloves with Alcantara/suede is amazing.
 
I found that I had more grip on the leather wheel without gloves. I actually like the softer feel though, so I will continue to wear gloves.
 
I like mechanix gloves with my elite because yes it really helps grip the alcontera better but if i'm truely honest woth myself here, dont laugh, but i just love putting them on- it increases immersion for me. i picture myself as michael schumacher getting behind the wheel and sliding his gloves on as he's in the garage ready for his first practice session. I still find myself with a boyish smile from time to time when i first plug everything in, put my puma ferrari shoes on, go through my equipment check and then slip my gloves on and wait for the lights to go out... :)
 
^ Same here, immersion is one of the fun parts of sim racing. That's why people buy tachs and TrackIr. None of it helps but it just makes everything so much more immersive.
 
If i had a helmet i'd wear one too! although i you probably wouldnt want your girlfriend to catch you playing video games with it on... Just better to wait till shes gone to bed
 
Bopop4
^ but wouldn't the howl of Group C prototypes just wake her up? :dopey:
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Oh that reminds me of the other piece of important equipment you "wear", the senheiser rs160 wireless headphones - THEN crank it uuUUUP^^^^^^ !!
 
I sit in my theater chair in my man cave in front of my 60" tv with a pillow behind my back to push me forward a little. Have my CSR Elite wheel and Clubsports mounted to a Rennsport wheelstand, just pull it up tight to the chair. Whole setup weighs 44 pounds so it stays put on the carpet. Socks on feet, no gloves, and most importantly a beer in the built in cupholder of the theater chair.
 

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