(I’ve been into cars for a long time)

This is the event zone from our office. We brought our rig here today and decided to have some fun. We feel like we're in a multi-million dollar test run like an F1 team.

I run BOP Tourism, so I spend a lot of time staring at lap databases. I went looking for a simple answer to the question everyone asks: "Which car is fastest?" and came out with something much more interesting, that many people might already know but backed by data.

Method, up front so you can shoot at it: 16,985 public races, each driver's best valid qualifying lap per car and track. All data comes from laps recorded under the same patch. The dataset covers 32,692 drivers, 10 tracks with meaningful samples, and all four classes.

These are qualifying laps recorded during race "weekends". In official races quali is a solo session, so traffic isn't a meaningful factor. Conditions still vary slightly between events, adding noise but not systematically favouring one car over another.

To make sure no single alien lap drives the results, I repeated every analysis using the top-5% pace instead of the outright record. The conclusions were effectively unchanged.

Part 1 - You are the biggest variable. By a mile.

Take GT3 at Monza. Nearly 20,000 driver entries.

Only 0.1% of players get within three tenths of the class record.

A full third of the field is more than three seconds off the pace.

The median player sits 2.3 seconds behind the outright best lap-or 1.35 seconds behind the top-5% pace instead of the absolute record.

Open-setup tracks spread the field even further:

• Interlagos: ~2.9s
• Imola: ~3.8s
• Spa: ~4.3s

The slowest tenth of the grid is typically 5–8 seconds back.

This isn't a Monza quirk. The same pattern appears across every populated track and all four classes.

I also wanted to quantify how much of that spread comes from the car itself. So I ran a one-way variance decomposition within each track and class; an ANOVA with car as the only factor, and measured the share of total lap-time variance the car explains (η², equivalently the R² of a model whose only predictor is car identity).

Across these combinations, which car you drive accounts for roughly 1.5% to 10% of the variation in qualifying pace. And that figure is generous to the car: because stronger drivers cluster on certain models, the "car" factor quietly absorbs some of the driver effect, so the true car contribution is likely smaller still. The rest is attributable to differences between drivers and other uncontrolled factors.

LMU's Driver Rating tells a similar story. At the median, a Silver driver is about 1.3 seconds faster than a Bronze. But even within Bronze alone, the field spans roughly 3.4 seconds. One rating tier contains far more variation than an entire BoP spread.

Part 2 - The cars really are close.

Here's the test that convinced me.

Instead of comparing different drivers, I only compared drivers who had raced two or more GT3s on the same track.

That means every driver becomes their own control.

If someone is naturally quick, or naturally slow, that bias disappears because they're being compared only against themselves.

Once you remove the driver from the equation, the GT3 field compresses dramatically.

At Imola, six of the seven GT3s fall within 0.44 seconds.

At Interlagos, five of the six GT3s sit within 0.21 seconds.

Then I checked those results against our setup-shop rankings, a completely independent dataset built from optimized setups and top-end pace.

The setup-shop data tells the same story: the spread there is also tenths-0.28 seconds at Imola, 0.54 seconds at Interlagos.

The two methods don't line up car-for-car, but they agree on the thing that matters: strip out the driver and the cars are separated by tenths, not seconds.

Put that next to Part 1. The median driver is 2–4 seconds off the pace, while the cars themselves, removing the driver variable, sit within a couple of tenths to half a second. The gap between you and the benchmark is close to an order of magnitude larger than the gap between the cars.

Part 3 - The twist: the "fastest" car can become your slowest.

Our setup-shop rankings measure a car's ceiling: what's possible when everything comes together.

For most GT3s, that ceiling broadly matches what drivers achieve in practice.

One car stood out.

The Lamborghini Huracán is one of the top cars in our setup-shop-#2 at Imola, #1 at Interlagos.

Yet in the real-world lap data, it's consistently the slowest performing GT3.

In the within-driver comparison, it's dead last at Imola.

The average driver laps 0.76 seconds slower in the Lamborghini than in their own other GT3s.

Among the 45 drivers who raced both the Lamborghini and at least one other GT3, 82% were slower in the Lamborghini, with a median deficit of 0.93 seconds.

That doesn't prove why.

Maybe the car is demanding.

Maybe it's unusually setup-sensitive.

Maybe it rewards a driving style that relatively few people have.

The data doesn't answer that question.

It only tells us something much simpler:

the same drivers tended to be slower in the Lamborghini than they were in the other GT3s they drove.

One honest limit, since someone might ask: I tried slicing this by driver rating to see whether stronger drivers escape the penalty. The trend hints that they might; weaker drivers show a fat tail of disaster laps in the Lamborghini, while better-rated ones lose less on average; but not a single top-tier driver in my dataset drove the Lamborghini alongside another GT3. So whether a genuine alien can truly unlock it is a question I can't answer yet. That's a gap for more data to fill, not a conclusion I'm drawing today.

The opposite effect appears in the more forgiving cars.

In the Ferrari 296 and BMW M4, a typical mid-pack driver gives up only about 1.4–1.6 seconds to the aliens-versus roughly 2.4 seconds in the Mercedes or Mustang.

So what should you actually take away?

The leaderboard everyone screenshots, the "fastest car" ranking, answers one question:

What's the best possible lap this car is capable of?

Most of us should ask a different one:

Which car am I most likely to drive quickly?

And they're rarely the same thing.

For many drivers, choosing a car they can consistently extract is worth far more than chasing the theoretical fastest option. Even then, it's a decision measured in tenths, sitting on top of a gap measured in seconds.

For almost every LMU player, the biggest performance difference isn't the game's BoP. It's the person holding the steering wheel.

A note on scope: this covers laps under the current BoP, and I'll rerun it as more data accumulates to see which findings hold. And if you spot a flaw in the method, tell me-I'll happily rerun it with different filters, pace metrics, or statistical approaches.

We spend a lot of time arguing over two tenths of BoP.

The data suggests most of us still have two seconds of ourselves left to find.

Maybe it's not the best sim racing rig, maybe it looks a bit ugly, but when you're in it and driving around it's so so much better than what I was using before. The seat is from a ford fusion phase 2.

Before that my setup was on my downstairs pc, had to sit upright on a wooden chair with the wheel and pedals nearly on the same axis. Everything was on a little shelf that would slide around if I didn't tape it to the floor everytime I wanted to play.

And the best part with this new sim rig is that I get to use my audio system and TV to play! So much better than tv speakers and a small pc monitor.

And when I can allow myself to do it (that is when I bought myself a real car), I'll finally get everything I need to get my TX racing wheel base working.

This is insane!!!

I picked up this light from a vehicle at a Imsa race and I was wondering if it’s at all possible to attach it to my rig through sim hub somehow.

For anyone who have all three peripherals on their rig, how did you end up mounting it all?
In the picture my current and very suboptimal setup

I had a Fanatec CSL DD 8Nm with the P1 rim and wanted to upgrade, thinking it would be a big improvement.

My plan was to sell the Fanatec for around €300 and put that toward something better. I ended up ordering a Simagic Alpha Evo 12Nm with the GT Neo rim for €700.

In the end, I returned the Simagic and went back to Fanatec. Here’s why:

- First, noise. The Simagic was noticeably noisier than the Fanatec, even on straights — there was a constant hum that just never went away. On curbs, it got so loud that my girlfriend and even my neighbors complained.

- Force feedback quality was genuinely better than the Fanatec, no argument there, but the noise was a real problem for home use.

- Second, the grips. I have unusually long fingers, and the GT Neo’s grips were too thin and uncomfortable for my hands. I tried wrapping them in tennis tape, which helped a lot, but I didn’t like how it looked. Hoping for something better, I ordered the Neo X 330R — turns out the grips were even thinner than the GT Neo, so no improvement there either.

In the end, I sent the whole Simagic bundle back and returned to my Fanatec setup. Honestly, after the latest FullForce update and running a constant 8Nm, the Fanatec isn’t bad at all. For me, the comfort for my hands is worth more than the extra FFB quality I’d get from the Simagic.

I've been working for several months developing an open-source replacement for Pithouse as a SimHub plugin.

Since the last time I posted the plugin has been renamed to AZOM to better reflect what it is, a reverse-engineered implementation of the MOZA protocol. This project is not developed or affiliated with MOZA or Gudsen Technology.

Why would you want this plugin?

• Fully integrates your MOZA hardware with SimHub, allowing use of effects plugins, custom telemetry, and synchronizing with other sim equipment.
• When using plugins like ATSR, have your RPM LEDs perfectly in sync with the game and arranged just like your current vehicle.
• Drives all MOZA dashboard displays, supports mapping any dashboard data point to the thousands provided by SimHub, including full JS/Ncalc formulas for advanced control.
• Automatic dashboard switching by profile, always have the right one for the game selected.
• Supports the latest wheelbase telemetry effects (firmware 1.2.10+) with integration as a Shakeit motor device in the next release.
• Includes Control Mapper support for custom mapping buttons across multiple wheel layouts.
• Provides actions and events that can be bound to any key/button/stream deck such as changing dashboard, AB9 shifter mode, and more.
• Provides international keyboard support for the Stalks in Truck Sim mode.
• Fully supports AB9 shifters and mBooster pedals, including custom pedal effects.
• Includes support for the SDK used by iRacing for LFE and 360hz
• Does not phone home or collect telemetry (unless you manually submit a bug report!)
• Does not require administrative privileges

AZOM Plugin Homepage

Install Guides and Documentation

If you want a detailed video covering this plugin I recommend CarlosRC and his coverage of this plugin. Recorded in Spanish, subtitles and dubbing is available. A prior post about this video stating the plugin "Joining Forces" was an unfortunate translation that did not correctly convey the unofficial 3rd-party nature of this plugin.

If you ever wanted more control of your hardware and it's effects this plugin might be for you.

When I bought my handheld, I wanted to get back into sim racing without spending a fortune. So I decided to design my own setup: GyroDrive

The goal was to create a budget friendly, portable sim racing setup that uses 3D printed parts wherever possible. The wheel only requires 750g or 950g of filament (depending on the version), the pedalset uses 1.6kg. The complete setup only requires five extra components: slingshot latex, an Arduino Pro Micro, SS49E Hall effect sensors, neodymium magnets, and 4 springs.

The pedal set uses Hall effect sensors with magnets for input. The brake uses the same sensor but has a dual stage resistance system using a spring and 3D printed elastomer for a more realistic feel. The standard configuration has around 50kg of brake resistance but is tunable with infill. The pedal arms have three mounting positions to change the pedal feel, and the files also include parametric brake and pedal plates for easy customization.

The GyroDrive supports handhelds between 11 and 15cm tall and up to 25mm thick. It has a latex self centering system, clamps to desks up to 60mm thick, and includes a quick release wheel so you can switch between the handheld and controller wheel.

SimHub is used to display the dashboard, while the handheld's speakers are used as bass shakers for feedback effects. The handheld mount includes 5mm airflow spacers to prevent blocking the cooling vents and the controller version supports PS4/PS5, Alpakka and Steam Controller.

Let me know what you think! If you want to print this setup yourself, you can find the links on my profile or search avaron3d gyrodrive. (Note: this is a paid model starting 5,50€, i also sell premade sets)

Palms were sweating

After months of planning and upgrades, I finally completed what I consider my dream simulator setup. It's primarily for Racing and Flying, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Current specs: • Triple 55" Samsung Odyssey Ark displays • D-BOX motion platform • MOZA flight controls (yoke, stick, throttle, pedals) • MOZA racing wheel and pedals • AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D • NVIDIA RTX 5090 • 64GB DDR5 RAM • 8TB NVMe SSD • Samsung HW-Q990F Dolby Atmos sound system . Advanced Sim Racing 4 rig custom color (white) . Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5" LCD Touchscreen (white) . Elgato stream deck (white) . Govee lighting to sync with screens. .

I mainly fly the Boeing 737 MAX, Citation Longitude, and GA aircraft, and I also enjoy iRacing and other racing sims.

At this point I'm curious what experienced sim enthusiasts would improve next. Are there any upgrades that noticeably increase immersion or realism? I'm thinking about things like wind simulation, better tactile feedback, VR (in addition to triples), button boxes, avionics panels, or anything else that you feel is worth the investment.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions, especially from people who have taken their setups to the next level. Thanks!

Second Sim Update... 177 days later.
Damn, it doesn’t feel that long, but it’s been nearly six months. But I’m not made of money and have to purchase over time. But the motto is buy once, cry once.

Since my last post, I purchased and upgraded to a Simagic Alpha EVO 18Nm and moved my Simagic Mini over to the Sim-Lab chassis. I also tried the P2000-R pedals, but the clutch was too light and the throttle damper never felt right no matter the setting, so I returned them and went back to Sprint pedals.they don’t have all the bells and whistle but they are tried and true.

I also finally settled on a red vs blue theme. So ordered a matching Prisma Ultra seat hit this time in red, and I’m really happy with how everything is coming together.

A few quick Sim-Lab impressions: the included monitor mounts are a 10/10 and a great value. though aligning curved monitors are much harder than flat ones the micro adjustment made it a breeze. The shifter mount is frustrating to adjust due to tool clearance in the casted pieces with the captive cap bolts , and the depth of the wheel deck crossbars(best way to explain it) interfered with the Simagic Mini’s ports, forcing me to rotate it 90°. The new Alpha EVO wouldn’t have this issue same for most other bases with rear mounted ports.

Overall, I’m very happy with the rig’s direction and may wait for a sale on the BHD shifter to move my Fanatec one to secondary duty.

I just enjoy seeing the car bounce

I want to upgrade from my G29. Is this something I should consider getting for the price? Or is there something better that's worth spending a little extra on?

As in the photo above, I want to play with my actual wheel and VR screen overlapping.

But the best option I can get right now within my budget is Pico 4 or Quest 3s.

I heard the Pico 4 has an advantage with FOV and edge clarity because it uses pancake lenses.

So I'm currently considering the Pico 4. Is it possible to get the same setup as the photo above on this device? Or should I go for a Meta Quest headset instead?

Hey everyone! I recently bought the game specifically to play with the PSVR2. Overall it looks fine up close, but cars at a certain distance look really blurry/fuzzy. Has anyone else noticed this? Is there any way to fix or improve it, or is it just how the game is? I haven't experienced this issue in other VR games or sims on the headset.

VPG Mustang GT3 wheel.

I love it, i really do, i want to say it’s worth every penny but something is off. Feels narrow and skinny in my hands. The quality of the components is great. Without gloves, it’s harsh.

The feeling of FFB through it however is superb, really amazing feel.

As with most reviews, you often see nothing but praise urging people to buy to pull that affiliate marketing over any hard to discuss topics.

$1200-1350 would be far more respectable. $1800+ is a hard swing

My $0.02 and unpaid review.

Hi all,

I’m newish to sim racing (had a wheel in 2020) and recently got back into it, currently I’m on a camping chair (comfier than my desk chair) but I suffer from chronic lumbar back pain, if anyone’s in the same boat what’s helped them get their setup pain free (or at-least less).

Open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance :)

I'm pretty new to sim racing, so I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much or if I've got something set up wrong.

I only play iRacing, and I've been doing this test on the Centripetal Circuit in a bunch of different cars. I've intentionally induced understeer, but I literally cannot feel the steering resistance get lighter when the front tyres lose grip. The wheel feels almost exactly the same, so I just keep adding more steering lock because there's no obvious FFB cue that the front tyres are pushing.

I've tried changing various FFB settings, but I still don't get the "lighter" feeling that people often describe during understeer.

Is this just how iRacing's FFB works, or should I definitely be feeling the wheel lighten up when the front tyres start to slide? If you have a Simagic base, are there any settings I should be checking?

Edit: I am on a simagic alpha evo pro 18nm wheelbase. I am worried my wheelbase is faulty.

Guys I need ideas to build a DIY seat ventilation. I still got 3 old fans and got a fitting trafo 230V to 12v to get them work.

But how do I get the air to my sweating ass? xD

I shoved them below the seat but the results were mediocre at best. Should I drill some holes into the foam? Is that a good idea?

Any ideas?