Glossary
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Added by Claude on 2026-10-09. Not in the original site plan. Keep, edit or delete.
Hardware
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | The motor unit the steering wheel attaches to |
| Rim | The steering wheel itself, often swappable |
| FFB (force feedback) | Motor forces in the wheel that copy steering load and grip |
| Nm (newton meter) | How strong a wheelbase is. Entry 2 to 5, mid 8 to 12, high 15+ |
| Gear drive | Motor to wheel through gears. Cheap, notchy, loud |
| Belt drive | Motor to wheel through a belt. Smooth, mid-range |
| DD (direct drive) | Wheel bolts straight to the motor. Strongest, most detail |
| QR (quick release) | The coupling that lets you swap rims |
| Ecosystem | One brand's family of bases, rims, pedals, shifters that work together |
| Bundle | Wheelbase, wheel and pedals sold in one box |
| Paddles | Shifters behind the rim |
| Potentiometer | Old contact sensor that reads pedal position. Wears out |
| Hall sensor | Magnetic position sensor. No contact, lasts |
| Load cell | Brake sensor that reads pressure, not travel |
| Elastomer | Rubber stack in a brake pedal that sets stiffness |
| Active pedal | A motor creates the pedal feel and can change it per car |
| Pedal haptics | Small motor on a pedal that buzzes for ABS, lockup, wheelspin |
| H-pattern | Manual shifter with a gate, used with a clutch |
| Sequential | Push or pull lever for up and down shifts |
| Handbrake | Lever that locks the rear wheels. Rally and drift |
| Rig / cockpit | Frame that holds seat, wheel, pedals |
| Aluminum profile (8020, 4080) | Slotted aluminum beams. Stiff, adjustable, anything bolts on |
| T-nut | Sliding nut that fits the profile slot. How everything bolts on |
| Wheel stand | Folding frame for wheel and pedals, no seat |
| Bass shaker / tactile | Speaker-like puck bolted to the rig. Vibrates with engine, kerbs, shifts |
| Motion platform | Actuators that move the seat or the whole rig |
| DOF | Degrees of freedom. How many directions a motion platform moves |
| 3DOF | Pitch, roll, heave. The usual home motion system |
| 6DOF | 3DOF plus yaw, surge, sway |
| Traction loss | Motion axis that swings the rear out (yaw) |
| Belt tensioner | Motors that tighten the harness under braking |
| Button box | Extra panel of switches and knobs |
| DDU | Dash display unit. Small screen showing gear, speed, lap times |
Screens
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FOV (field of view) | Angle of the game world shown on screen. Should match your real viewing angle |
| Ultrawide | One 21:9 or 32:9 monitor |
| Triples | Three monitors wrapped around the driver |
| VR | Headset. Full depth and head tracking |
| Base station | Tracking box on the wall that some VR headsets need |
| IPD | Distance between your eyes. The one setting a VR headset needs |
| VRR | Variable refresh rate. Stops tearing when frame rate dips |
Settings
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clipping | Game asks for more force than the wheel has. Detail is lost |
| Damping | Setting that adds resistance to wheel movement |
| Deadzone | Input range that reads as zero, or as full |
| DOR (degrees of rotation) | Total lock-to-lock steering angle |
| Soft lock | Game stops the wheel at the real car's steering limit |
| Telemetry | Live and recorded car data: speed, inputs, tire temps. Drives shakers and motion |
| SimHub | Free PC app that runs dashes, shakers, wind and LEDs from telemetry |
| Crew Chief | Free PC app. Voice spotter and race engineer |
| Setup | Car configuration: tire pressure, wing, suspension, gears |
Driving
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Racing line | Fastest path through a corner |
| Apex | Innermost point of that path |
| Threshold braking | Braking at the limit of grip without locking |
| Trail braking | Easing off the brake while turning in |
| Lock-up | A wheel stops turning under braking |
| Understeer | Front loses grip first. Car runs wide |
| Oversteer | Rear loses grip first. Car rotates or spins |
| Weight transfer | Load moving between tires when braking, accelerating, turning |
| ABS | Anti-lock brakes |
| TC | Traction control. Cuts power to limit wheelspin |
| Slipstream / draft | Less drag when following another car |
| Hot lap | One flat-out timed lap |
| Stint | A run between pit stops |
Online
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Simcade | Between arcade and sim: GT7, Forza, F1 25 |
| iRating | iRacing's skill rating |
| SR (safety rating) | How cleanly you drive. Unlocks license classes |
| Split | One of several races run at once, grouped by skill |
| LFM | Low Fuel Motorsport. Free ranked racing for several sims |
| League | Scheduled community championship |
| Fixed setup | Everyone runs the same car setup |
| BoP | Balance of performance. Evens out different cars in a class |
| GT3 / GT4 | Common classes of production-based race cars. GT4 is slower and easier |
| Blue flag | A faster car is about to lap you |
| Dive bomb | Late lunge up the inside that usually ends in contact |
| Alien | Slang for extremely fast drivers |