Sim racing seats are a vital part of any sim rig. Some sim rigs comes with a seat included, but many don't. This guide will run through the best budget sim racing seats for 2024.
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If you are building an aluminium profile sim rig, you will almost certainly need an additional sim racing seat. The same is true for some non-aluminium profile rigs. If the frame of your rig doesn’t include a seat as standard, then yes, you will need to purchase a seat separately. This guide will run you through the best budget sim racing seat options.
Many sim rigs such as those from PlaySeat and Next Level Racing come with a seat included. However, when you start looking at more premium sim rigs such as aluminium profile rigs from sim racing companies like Sim-Labs, seats are almost always seen as an additional item.
But just because you are putting together a decent sim rig, you don’t necessarily need to spend the earth to find a good quality sim racing seat. This guide is designed to run you through the best budget sim racing seat picks in 2024.
If you’re building a sim rig and you have chosen a rig that doesn’t include a sim racing seat then you will need to purchase a seat. You don’t necessarily need to buy a racing seat from the same company you have purchased your sim rig from, as most rigs can accommodate a wide range of racing seats.
All of the racing seats in this budget guide feature universally placed side mounting points allowing them to be attached to most sim rigs.
You may need to purchase some seat mounts if your rig doesn’t include them, but these are a relatively low-cost addition.
When it comes to choosing a sim racing seat, there are a few key points you should look out for as not all are the same. These points are usually construction, design, mounting points and price.
The construction of the seat, meaning whether it is constructed from steel, fibreglass or carbon fibre. Steel seats are generally heavier, with carbon fibre being the lightest and fibreglass sitting in the middle.
The design of the seat and its ergonomics. Most FIA-approved racing seats will feature a very snug fit allowing for little movement during racing. This is great for racing on the track, but can sometimes compromise your comfort when sim racing, especially if you are taller or larger. Some budget sim racing seats that are designed more for sim racing will feature extra padding, wider ergonomics and adjustable cushioning.
You will also find a wide selection of racing disciplines represented when it comes to buying a sim racing seat. Some sim racing seats are designed for rallying, others for GT racing or Formula 1 racing, while some are a combination or allow for adjustment to suit all disciplines.
The mounting points of your sim racing seat are crucial. You need to ensure that the seat you are buying will be mountable to your sim rig. All racing seats in this budget seat guide feature side mounting points which are universal across many sim rigs. And some even feature bottom mounting points for added flexibility when designing your sim rig.
The price is one of the most important factors when looking for a budget sim racing seat. A full sim rig build can start to become expensive. Especially if you are looking at aluminium profile rigs or higher end direct drive racing wheels. Read our best direct drive racing wheel guide here.
So ensuring you keep the budget down with a cheaper racing seat can be very important. However, it is also the part of your sim rig which will most heavily impact your comfort while racing. So keeping one eye on price, while making sure comfort is prioritised is key. All of the sim racing seats in this budget guide are comfortable to sit in during long race sessions.
If you don’t have much time, the below table will show you our top 3 picks for the best budget sim racing seat in 2024. If you want to find out more about each seat, continue reading below where I’ll cover each sim racing seat option in more detail and provide a few more options.
Best Budget Bucket Sparco Sprint | Best GT Seat OMP Racing TRS | Best Higher End Seat Sim Lab SPEED3 |
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The other seats that I’ll look at and recommend in this budget sim racing seat guide are;
The Sparco Sprint is a fantastic place to start if you are looking for your first sim racing seat. And, this seat is fully FIA-approved, meaning if you fancy swapping your sim rig for a race car, this seat can in theory come with you!
The Sprint is constructed from a steel frame making it extremely sturdy and is finished in soft upholstery. In fact, the latest models of the Sparco Sprint feature improved and revised upholstery.
As with most sim racing seats in this guide, the Sparco Sprint features side mounting points allowing you to attach it to a sim racing rig via side mounts. This is the most common way of attaching a sim racing seat to your rig. There are also bottom mounting points.
While most sim racing seats that are designed to FIA standards will be a tight fit, the Sparco Sprint does come in two sizes.
This sim racing seat is one of the cheapest FIA-approved racing seats you can buy, meaning it deserves a strong recommendation from us!
The OMP Racing TRS Seat is very similar to the Sparco Sprint in many ways.
Just like the Sparco seat, this OMP seat also features a strong steel frame at the heart of its construction. It is also FIA-approved and features 5 harness slots allowing for a 6pt. racing harness to be used. Handy if you’re looking to add motion to your sim rig!
The OMP TRS seat differs from the Sparco in its design. It features more pronounced side bolsters allowing you to fit snugger into the seat. It also has a completely different leg rest design.
The leg rest on this OMP TRS is removable, allowing you to adjust your levels of comfort, even more, depending on your seating position.
There are also side and bottom mounting points giving you flexibility when deciding how to mount this seat to your rig.
The last seat in this budget sim racing seat guide is the Sim Lab SPEED3 bucket seat. It is the last product on this list, not due to performance reasons, as it is an incredible sim racing seat. But purely because it is the most expensive.
The SPEED3 has been my go-to sim racing seat for a while now, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
It is designed to not just look like an FIA racing seat, but also perform as well as one. It isn’t FIA-approved but features a fibreglass construction much like the OMP Champ. It also features slots for a 5-point racing harness.
The Best F1 24 Racing WheelsThe seat padding is made using high-density foam, which makes it easily the most comfortable sim racing seat on this list of budget seats.
Being non-FIA approved does come with some benefits. It allows Sim Lab to include some extra features which really elevate this sim racing seat above the competition. It features much comfier cushioning throughout while ensuring a snug fit. And it also includes a phone pocket, meaning you can check your phone in between sessions, or browse car setups while in the pits.
Much like all other sim racing seats in this guide, the Sim Lab SPEED3 features side mounting points allowing it to be mounted to almost any sim rig.
The OMP Champ racing seat is essentially an upgraded version of the TRS seat above. It features a more slim-lined design, but still includes the 5 harness slots and the removable leg rest that is featured in the TRS seat. With this Champ racing seat, there is also a removable back cushion giving you extra flexibility when it comes to comfort.
The main difference with the Champ, when compared to the TRS seat, is in its construction.
The OMP Champ features a full fibreglass construction which is then coated in gel and finished in a velour upholstery.
Being fibreglass as opposed to steel comes with a few benefits. The main benefit is the weight. Fibreglass seats are lighter than steel-constructed seats, and they occupy the spot right between steel and carbon fibre construction. Fibreglass is also extremely rigid, ensuring that you won’t have any flex when applying full force to your brake pedal mid-race.
Much like the Sparco and OMP TRS seat above, the OMP Champ is fully FIA-approved.
The Next Level Racing ES1 seat is the first racing seat on this list that is designed entirely for sim racing. While the three options above, the Sparco and both OMP seats are all FIA-approved race seats, this NLR ES1 seat isn’t.
Instead, the ES1 sim racing seat is designed specifically to give sim racers the best comfort while racing. It features a completely different design from the FIA-approved seats above as it isn’t constrained by any design forms.
You can see it has a much more reclined approach, with a wider space between the side bolsters to ensure maximum comfort. There are still harness slots although the ES1 sim racing seat comes with seat belts already included.
The construction of this sim racing seat is in the form of a moulded polymer shell, with foam suede cushions to ensure comfort when sitting for extended race sessions.
This ES1 sim racing seat is specifically designed with the Next Level Racing F-GT Elite sim rig in mind. It is also fully compatible with other sim rigs on the market. This allows you to mount this sim racing seat to almost any sim rig giving you complete flexibility.
This sim racing seat offers a slightly different approach to the other racing seats in this guide but is an approach tailored specifically to bring comfort to sim racing.
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Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
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