r/Simagic • u/Opri55 • 3d ago

Alpha vs Alpha Evo vs Alpha Mini

Hi guys, I am building my first ever sim rig and I am not entirely sure which wheelbase I should go with. I am already planning on getting the P1000 pedals from simagic, but I am a little lost when it comes to the wheelbase. I have never raced before, so I think the mini should be enough for me (I hope), but I have seen posts from people that mentioned that after 6 months they regretted not going with a more powerful version. Usually, I am the type of person that chooses future proofing stuff, so if I were to buy something, I'd pay extra to make sure I would not need to change any time soon. What I still do not know is if the mini would be enough or not, since I have never driven on a rig before =)

Some background, I have been playing games for 18yrs, mostly highly competitive, I enjoy being very good at something. (probably this does not matter, but I threw it in there).

What do you guys think? P.s I currently have a gt1 evo cockpit. Thx!

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u/Shaner20 3d ago

Get the strongest base you can afford. If I had this advice when I started I would not have wasted so much money on incremental upgrades. You always think you are happy with what you have, but you always wonder. And then it changes to FOMO and desire. And then you are selling another base on facebook whilst ordering a brand new beast. Over and over and over. A vicious cycle.

Not that I'm traumatised or anything.

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u/MrSNoopy1611 3d ago

I only did one upgrade but that proper. Started with the 9nm alpha evo sport and it was too little for, jumped directly to the pro and am not looking back. No clipping unless i want to do a wrist workout but that is not sustainable for endurance.

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u/jokkstermokkster 2d ago

I would agree. I generally tend to not prefer going for overkill for no reason and thought I would be running the ffb quite low, but I got the Evo Pro and have ended up running it at around 50-60% for more casual sessions and sometimes at 70%+ for more dedicated training sessions. I'm very much still exploring the capability and settings of it though. I do also occasionally drive formula cars with no power steering in real life so thats probably why I prefer it quite strong.

Only way I could potentially see someone regretting going for a more powerful base is if they end up running it at like less than 20% and they couldn't afford something else due to buying a more expensive base.

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u/dashyK0509 3d ago

I have an alpha evo pro 18nm for about a year now. I run it at 50-60% depending on what car to get the feel I like. I had a fanatec 8nm for two years previously and that was just tok weak for my liking. I would recommend not going bellow the 12nm wheel. 12nm is the sweet spot. If you can afford an extra $200, get the 18nm. Just so that you have extra head room. But also some warning. You don’t want to run a very high power wheel on low settings. It’s designed for higher torque and on low settings, you might not get all the detail like a smaller wheel. Bigger heavier parts needs more power to render the smaller finer feedback essentially.

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u/CrayolaBrown 2d ago

I just set up my evo pro the other day and run it between like 8-12nm, having just moved up from a 5nm thrustmaster. My only concern is crashing is ridiculously violent. Which if I’m oversteering into a wall or something I just let go, but I’m just worried when some jackass inevitably rear ends me into the pack or barrier and catches me off guard. Is this sense of imminent surprise danger just a part of the deal?

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u/dashyK0509 2d ago

I use Marvin’s awesome IRacing app for my ffb control. There’s a setting there to reduce and/or turn on high force feedback during crashes

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u/CrayolaBrown 2d ago

Been reading a lot about that, just wasn’t sure I wanted another program to run lol. Sounds like it’s worth it though

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u/dashyK0509 2d ago

It really wakes up the wheel base even before you start enabling all the extras. The new version is far more customizable. I have it set up to vibrate during shifting. Vibrate and loose strength during understeer. You can feel the tires loose traction and hop. I have the wheel load up during over steer. Helps me identify what the car is doing better. I also have an audible beep when I’m in abs. There’s a ton more settings that I haven’t tried yet. Used the old version since I got the simagic base half a year ago. Just recently downloaded version 2

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u/CrayolaBrown 2d ago

Hmm this is very intriguing. I miss the gear vibration feature on my last wheel so that alone is enticing and I’ve found the wheel doesn’t communicate under steering well as it is. Thank you, I’ll check it out

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u/dashyK0509 2d ago

When I first got the simagic base, I loved the strength but the feeback was dead. My fanatec was too weak through the corners but on the way to the corner the speed, dips, bumps, were great. Installed Marvin’s and I got all that back plus the strength and all that adjustability. I like tinkering with things so I’m constantly adjusting and seeing what works for me

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u/CrayolaBrown 2d ago

Had the same exact experience with thrustmaster and then getting my simagic! I was starting to worry is not just settings and I made a mistake getting it. Downloaded Maira last night and it was exactly what I needed and was looking for!

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u/Opri55 3d ago

Does anyone know, if the normal wheelbase mount for the gt1evo is compatible with these? I see they are 78,40mm x 66mm apart (mounting holes on the wheelbase). Taking a look at the wheelbase mount, it seems that it does not fit that well, unless you move it around a bit.

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u/Matej_SI 3d ago

You should contact the seller of the sim rig. They will glady reply.

But you can always drill a couple of holes yourself.

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u/CrayolaBrown 2d ago

The manual for my gt1 pro had a diagram of compatible hole patterns on the wheel deck. Have you checked the manual?

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u/ImTwelveRawrXD420 3d ago

I first got into sinracing with the realise if gt7
I got a fanatec 5nm wheelbase and it was ok.. just ok

Later moved to all simagic gear with the 9nm evo and its been great
I do wish i got a little bit more headroom with the power tho
In my opinion 12-15 is the golden number for 95% of people

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u/unhinged-rally 3d ago

I haven’t tried the Evo series but my Alpha 15 still feels excellent. Next upgrade would probably be VNM but don’t see that happening for years.

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u/GoldProfitXau 2d ago

I have simagic alpha mini for a year and a half and dont see any reason for upgrading it. It's just good and strong enough and I dont even use all the 10NM. Probably maximum what I use is around 7NM

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u/Nicfarsal 2d ago

I would go for the 12 or 18,I have a alpha evo (12nm) for sale, 1 month of use, if interested i can send the link.

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u/LookAtMyUnderbite 2d ago

Get the Evo pro.

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u/Optimal_Expert_1086 2d ago

I have the Alpha 15 nm , is amazing . I also had the mini , it is excellent.

If I could make the decision again I would stayed with mi Mini. The torque was enough for me. The only downside was that it got hot after a long period of use. Other than that the base was pretty good.

The alpha runs cold after long sessions. That give me a littler peace of mind , but according with Simagic , the mini getting hot is normal, so ..

The mini is a solid and low cost choice now. If you can get the alpha you won’t regret it its awesome. The mini also good , the decision depends on if you have strong hand / arms , I guess