Before you Start Racing

Hardware Checkup  

Consistency is very important to get a good result while racing. One of the less looked at issues in lap times is the hardware that you use to get around a track, pedals, wheels, and PC performance. Faulty hardware can and will hurt your racing experience and lap times. A weekly hardware checkup is recommended or before a race if necessary.

Pedals

Your pedals must be in good working condition, the outputs must be smooth with no glitches at all, no stuttering, and must be linear, you can check your inputs using the software that comes with your hardware, but it is recommended to do that checkup at the game/sim that you are going to use.

Make sure you can achieve 100% brake and throttle while racing, if you are using a load cell for your brake pedal, make sure you can reach 100%. One mistake some sim racers make is setting up the load cell too high or stiff and never reaching 100% while racing. Adjust your load cell settings stiff enough to build your muscle memory and soft enough that you can press the pedal at the maximum point in any situation.

Race Driving position

Free movement is important while steering and actuating the pedals, racing drivers have a very specific position that allows them to reach the wheel, buttons on the steering wheel, and pedals at all times. This is also true in Sim Racing.  It is recommended to have your arms bent at 45 degrees, and your legs not fully stretched with pedals pressed to the maximum point, your feet should be resting on the pedals, adjust your pedal dead zones accordingly. The top of the wheel should be at the same level as your shoulders. 

Using a wrong or uncomfortable sitting position, can delay your inputs and hurt your lap times and consistency. Also, an incorrect posture can hurt your joints.

Monitor

If you are racing with a monitor/s, the center of the screen should be at eye level and as close to the wheel as possible.

FOV (Field of view)

The Field of View determines how you perceive the sim world, the position of your monitor, and your seating position should match the game/sim FOV. There are FOV calculators online that you can use to set it up correctly. A correct FOV will help you perceive the virtual world in a more natural way.

Eyes

One little detail that we sometimes don’t pay special attention to, is where to look while driving/racing.
Your sight will determine where to go.

 One bad habit is looking not too far from the front of the car. The further we look ahead, the more “time” we have to react or be prepared for the next corner or situation we are heading to.

Having the wrong settings or hardware malfunction can really hurt your consistency and lap times overall, a quick weekly or pre-race checkup can save you from a mid race headache.

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