First Setup
NEW PAGE
Added by Claude on 2026-10-09. Not in the original site plan. Keep, edit or delete.
The two free wins
- Correct field of view (FOV)
- Force feedback that does not clip
Seating
| What |
How |
| Wheel distance |
Shoulders on the seat, arm straight, wrist rests on top of the rim |
| Elbows |
Bent ~90 to 120° at 9 and 3 |
| Wheel height |
Top of the rim around shoulder height |
| Pedals |
Knee still bent at full brake |
| Office chair |
Lock or cup the casters before anything else |
| Position |
Use |
| GT: upright, pedals low |
Start here. Works for everything |
| Formula: reclined, feet high |
Only if you drive formula cars only |
Screen and FOV
- FOV = how much of the world is squeezed onto your screen
- Game defaults are far too wide: everything looks slow and far, braking points are wrong
- Correct FOV depends on two things: screen width and eye distance
| Step |
Do this |
| 1 |
Move the screen as close as possible, right behind the wheelbase |
| 2 |
Screen center at or just below eye level |
| 3 |
Measure eye-to-screen distance and screen width |
| 4 |
Put the numbers in an FOV calculator, enter the result in the game |
- The calculator converts for each game. Some want degrees, some a slider value
- Correct FOV feels zoomed in at first. Give it a few sessions
| Screen |
Eyes at 60 cm |
70 cm |
100 cm |
| 27" |
53° |
46° |
33° |
| 32" |
61° |
54° |
39° |
| 34" ultrawide |
67° |
59° |
43° |
| 49" super-ultrawide |
90° |
81° |
62° |
| 55" TV at 2.5 m |
27° |
|
|
- Table: side-to-side view angle on a flat screen
- A 27" monitor at arm's length shows twice what a 55" TV across the room does
- VR: no FOV setup. Set eye spacing (IPD) instead
Wheel rotation
- Set the wheel software to its maximum (900° or more)
- Let the game match each car automatically (iRacing, ACC, Assetto Corsa, Le Mans Ultimate do)
- Wrong if: the on-screen wheel does not match your hands
Force feedback
- Force feedback is information about front tire grip, not a strength contest
- Clipping: the game asks for more force than the wheel has. Everything strong feels the same, detail vanishes
| Step |
Where |
Do this |
| 1 |
Wheel software |
100% on Logitech and belt wheels. Direct drive: a comfortable peak, often 5 to 8 Nm |
| 2 |
In game |
Lower gain until the heaviest corner stops maxing the meter |
| 3 |
In game |
Turn off fake effects (kerb, engine, road rumble), add back to taste |
- Arms ache after 20 minutes: too strong
- Change one setting at a time
Brake and pedals
- Calibrate in the maker's software first, then in each game
- Load cell: set 100% at a force you can repeat for a whole race, not your one-time max
- Beginner range: 20 to 40 kg
- Small deadzone at the bottom so a resting foot does not drag the brake
- Pick socks or shoes and stick with one
First weeks
- Slower than a controller for days to weeks. Normal
- First car: Mazda MX-5 or any slow rear-wheel-drive car, short track
- Consistency first, speed later
- Sessions of 30 to 60 minutes
- ABS and traction control are not cheating. Use what the real car has
Comfort
| Problem |
Fix |
| Motion sickness on a screen |
Usually wrong FOV or uneven frame rate |
| Motion sickness in VR |
Start with 10 to 15 minutes, stop at the first nausea, use a fan |
| Heat |
A fan aimed at you. The cheapest upgrade |
| Noise |
Rubber mat under the rig, headphones for sound |
Free software worth installing (PC)
| Tool |
Does |
| Crew Chief |
Voice spotter ("car left") and race engineer. Free |
| SimHub |
Dash on an old phone, drives bass shakers. Free, license from EUR 8 |
| Maker software |
Moza Pit House, Fanatec app, Simagic SimPro, Logitech G HUB. Update firmware first |
Related pages