Are there any sim racers on 986? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I have been following this hobby without actually jumping on board for some time now. The cost ($3k and up) for a PC set up have put me off but it seems like the hardware and programs like Assetto Corsa and iRacing are really making some big leaps forward as far as realism. Do any of you have rigs to show off?

Iracing can seriously suck away at your wallet, you are better off to put the money towards a few real DE events. However I do quite enjoy gran turismo and other console sim racers. I have a g25 wheel. Wouldn't mind the wheel with clutch but for the little amount of time I put towards "gaming" I don't need much more.

I have done some iRacing for a while and even with a lowly 21" monitor on my regular XP generation PC its remarkably accurate and actually difficult to keep up with the experienced racers. Actually the trick is not to follow and keep up with others but to run at your own pace, which will soon enough get you going faster as you learn a course and check your lap times. To keep the crashing down you are heavily penalized for hitting another car, but there is a practice mode you can run where crashes don't count against you, and you will have your share of spinouts, crashes etc as you learn. Its quite challenging which will make it a SIM that you will keep on trying to improve on, rather than just game. The Only thing I would change to my setup is to make the center monitor a bit bigger, say 25" and add two side monitors as well so all your peripheral vision is also filled like a regular car. You certainly don't need to spend $3k on all that. You could probabley get all of that including PC upgrade, extra dual head video card and the wheel/pedals for under $1500. The rig to host the whole setup is not something I'd spend too much money on as you could position your stuff fine in a Den or garage, or perhaps a dedicated shed from Home Depot. No pictures since mine is a simple setup at this point. I got into it to help decide if I wanted to ever do wheel to wheel racing. The game is scary enough, I can't imagine the real thing, perhaps I need more desensitizing on the game still. Have to disagree with Jake on cost. iRacing was $49 for the 1st year and a bit more for the following years ~$75?

On a level (several levels down) I have been playing Forza 3, since it has a 986 Boxster S. I used it to learn Road Atlanta, and am learning Sebring on it. I recently scored a good deal on a Fanatec GT2 Wheel and CSR Elite pedals (the one with the load cell, but not the top of their line clubsport pedals) and am using it on their Wheelstand along with the 6 speed shifter (again not the "clubsport" one but the regular one). The stand just came in this week so I only have a few sessions on it. It has helped me to learn the tracks, but I am not sure how accurate the rest of it is. I can tell you that I am faster with the wheel/pedals than I was with just the controller or the "U" shaped wireless wheel, with autobraking off. I still have a few ghost laps where I ran with all the aids on, basically you can run at WOT all the time and it will brake and shift for you, and if you stay on the line it shows you it does a good job. I am getting close to those with the autobraking off using the wheel/pedals. Now I leave the line off as it seems to favor more of an earlier apex than what I am comfortable with (maybe the difference between a real racing line vs a safer late apex DE line? I am unsure. It may be that I need to work on my sim skills more) I have a PC I could probably dig out and use for iRacing, but they don't have the Boxster and I don't have tons of time so for now it has just been the Xbox. I have Forza 4 and Forza Horizon and they are a lot of fun as well, but I have mostly been playing 3 since it has the Boxster. There is a thread on rennlist for folks that do iRacing and they get together every week and race I believe. Steve

I have an XBOX 360 with a Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Racing Wheel and the ClubSport V2 pedals. It's in a custom (ugly) wood frame I built with a racing seat and a 50" screen and surround sound. I play Forza 3 (which has a 2003 Boxster S), Forza 4 (there's a huge Porsche Add-on set) and Horizon, as well as F1 2012. While it's not the most realistic sim, it's pretty damn good and FUN to drive. The wheel also works with PC, but I haven't had the time to build a system yet. My goal is to get R Factor up and running in a three screen setup, and ultimately run the Targa Florio in a Porsche (yes, some nut re-created the 72 kilometer course) https://youtu.be/yMKffOQGtCA?t=666 Unfortunately my wheel does not (and will never be upgraded to) work with my XBOX One, so for now I cannot play Forza 5 or Horizon 2, which are awesome. (there are some other XB-ONE wheels but reviews are not that great). I am waiting on the new Fanatec wheel, which will hopefully be released sometime in late fall. (the $1000 wheelbase setup should be available in May, but that's a bit too much for me at this point) Vesaro has the ultimate three-screen setup....but I think I'd buy a 911 before I spent that much on a sim.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OvTHfDyt6c

Not seriously sim racing, but it is fun once in a while (Need for Speed "PORSCHE unleashed" (PC) ...a classic) Assetto Corsa (PC): Nordschleife - RUF CTR Yellowbird - no assists - 8:34...world record is 1 minute faster ... still waiting for the FANATEC clubsport V2 + Porsche 918 RSR to be shipped and the world record will be mine ...lol

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That might be the first time I heard someone say that DE will save your wallet pain over playing on the computer. DE's are like pringles. Once you pop open the can, you're going to lose track of that lid.

These Oculus Rift type headsets are really what I've been waiting for. I used one for a flight simulation and it was INSANE. Using it for auto racing seems like it will be a big hit, well if they can manage to get the total cost to set up an OR rig down. But they're really taking their time to get a consumer grade OR unit to the public..

My home-built rig: Games played: Forza 3, 4, and Horizon, F1 2012, CM Dirt Mounted a 12V transformer under the seat so that the power recline would still work. The wheel adjusts up/down and forward/back. The pedals have 3 positions to vary the angle and reach. I've had many hours of fun with it.