What to buy first for your sim racing setup
Pedals, base, cockpit, rim: the order that returns the most performance per euro spent.
The most profitable buying order is not the order of desire. The ranking below returns the most gain per euro spent.
1. The pedals
You brake in every corner. A load cell pedal set makes braking repeatable and brings consistency immediately. It is the only purchase whose effect shows on the stopwatch from the very first session.
2. The rig
A rigid rig is not exciting, but it conditions everything that follows. As long as the base and the pedals move, part of what you paid for dissipates into the structure.
3. The wheel base
Only then. And at this step, the technology matters more than the torque: moving from gears to direct drive brings more than moving from 9 to 15 Nm.
4. The rim
This is the most visible purchase and the least decisive for performance. It becomes relevant when your discipline calls for it (a formula rim for open-wheel racing, for instance) or for comfort on long stints.
5. Everything else
Shifter, handbrake, telemetry display: only if your discipline actually uses them.
A reference split
| Item | Share of the budget |
|---|---|
| Wheel base | 35 to 45 % |
| Pedals | 25 to 35 % |
| Cockpit | 20 to 30 % |
| Rim | 5 to 15 % |
A split where the base takes more than 60 % of the total is almost always an unbalanced setup.
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