Sim Racing Setup Build: The Ultimate High-End Sim Racing Setup | Full Build, Spec & Price

You may have seen our last sim racing setup build video, which focused on building an entire setup using mid-range hardware. While that build is ideal for those looking at upgrading from a budget sim racing setup to something with a bit more kick, this high-end build is for those who really want to level up their sim racing setup.

In this sim racing setup build, I’m going to be showcasing how to build the ultimate setup using a high-powered direct drive racing wheel, ActivePedals, one of the best aluminium profile sim rigs, and some cool accessories that really elevate your immersion.

Once again I’ve partnered with MOZA Racing for this build video, and they have provided the hardware for the racing wheel, pedals and a few accessories here and there.

Watch our complete sim racing setup build video

Complete hardware list

I don’t want to waste any time by jumping straight into this build, and it all starts with the hardware. Below is a complete list of all sim racing products and hardware used in this ultimate sim rig build.

The sim rig

I have chosen the Next Level Racing F-GT Elite 160 as the cockpit for this build. I’m a huge F1 fan, meaning any time a sim rig promises a formula-driving position, I start paying attention. Our previous build utilised the GT Omega PRIME with a few F1 upgrades, and that allowed us to achieve a more reclined driving position, but this F-GT Elite 160 gets us a step closer.

Also, I’ve been meaning to try out a Next Level Racing sim rig for a while, since I really enjoyed their budget-friendly Formula Lite Pro when I reviewed it last year.

The racing wheel

Next up, we have our racing wheel, and this is the first part of our MOZA Racing hardware. I’ve chosen the R21 wheel base which is the most powerful direct drive wheel that MOZA sells currently. If the name hasn’t given it away, the R21 produces upto 21Nm of peak torque, positioning it firmly as a true high-end racing wheel.

Steering wheel

With MOZA Racing’s wide lineup of different steering wheels, I had a lot of choice, from the original GS GT wheel to the quirky Vision GS. However, I’ve chosen the updated FSR2 wheel as it features a large touchscreen display on the front to give us an F1-style experience.

I recently reviewed the FSR2 wheel, and spoiler alert, I loved it. So I’m excited to use it once again.

Pedals

When it comes to pedals, Simucube make some of the very best, high-end pedals available with their ActivePedals. They offer incredible force feedback, giving a truly impressive experience. You may need to take out a bank loan to buy them though, and that is the reason I’m not including them in this build.

Instead, MOZA Racing has released its own ActivePedal, called the mBooster pedal. This offers a similar feature set to the Simucube ActivePedal, at over half the price. With that much of a saving, I want to try them out in this build. I’m pairing the mBooster pedal with my CRP2 pedals, and simply replacing the brake pedal with the stand alone mBooster.

Immersion mods

If you’re striving for the ultimate sim racing setup, a racing wheel and pedal set isn’t going to cut it. Instead, adding extra immersion to your sim rig and your racing experience is key.

I have a whole host of additional hardware that I’ll also be using for this build to do exactly that, increase our immersion. I’m using a few MOZA accessories such as the E-Stop, just in case things get a bit hairy. I’ve also got the CM2 digital dash which will be mounted to my wheel base, along with two MOZA shifters and a MOZA handbrake. These will all be connected to my PC using the MOZA Universal Hub to help keep cables a little tidier.

I have a range of hardware from 3DRap, much like our previous build guide. In that mid-range build, I tested out 3DRap’s pedal haptics, but this time around I’ve gone much bigger.

3DRap themselves sent over wind generators, additional rumble motors and this VIRI dashboard. All of these items will be added to our sim rig to let us feel the wind in our hair, and engine vibrations in our bum.

Button box

I’m also going to be using an Elgato Stream Deck Mk2 as a centralised control point for our setup. This adds a huge number of inputs that I can configure both in-game for controls such as engine starter, wipers etc. And, I plan on configuring a few of the buttons to control my sim rig, turning on and off the various accessories.

I have also got the Elgato Key Light Mk2 as well, which I’m going to try and mount on or near my sim rig as a way of lighting various aspects throughout this video.

Monitor

Finally, I have gone big with the monitor, choosing a 49inch ultrawide gaming monitor from UK-based AWD-IT. These guys produce a range of PCs and hardware at pretty great prices. Much like our mBooster pedals, this 49inch monitor features all the functionality of monitors from Samsung and LG, with a much lower price tag.

Building the sim rig

With every sim racing setup build, we need to start with our sim rig. That means unboxing and assembling the Next Level Racing F-GT Elite 160. This is an 8020 aluminium profile sim rig, and is one of the sturdiest cockpits you can buy.

Assembling any aluminium profile sim rig is a long process. The cockpit comes essentially in bits, making this process a bit cumbersome at the best of times. This style of cockpit is incredibly customisable and adjustable, so after you have spent half a day assembling it, you’ll probably spend another hour or so loosening and readjusting elements to find the perfect fit for you.

After assembling the cockpit, installing the racing seat is the next job, and I have the ES1 seat from Next Level Racing, which is the bucket seat that is shown in all of the promo material for this F-GT Elite sim rig. This seat is pretty unique in that it comes with racing belts, which I guess could come in handy if you have a motion platform, but in this build, they’re there purely to look the part.

Installing our racing wheel

After a good few hours of tinkering, we have the rig set up and configured for my lanky body. There’ll almost certainly be some more adjustments to be made once I install the rest of our hardware. And talking of that hardware, the first piece of this sim racing setup is the racing wheel.

This is comprised of the MOZA R21 wheel base along with the FSR2 steering wheel. The wheel base is MOZA’s top of the range wheel, capable of 21Nm of peak torque, giving us plenty of headroom to fine tune our force feedback.

I opted for the front and side mount edition of the F-GT Elite cockpit, and this allows me to mount the wheel front the front using the MOZA front mount.

This preference just gives us a little more flexibility with the placement of the wheel compared to mounting from the bottom to a standard wheel deck. There are also some nice pre-drilled holes across the side mounts which I’ll use later to mount other hardware.

After mounting our R21 wheel, we can attach our FSR2 wheel directly to the wheel base using the in-built quick release. You can use a wide variety of steering wheels from various third-party brands, or pretty much any of MOZA’s steering wheels for direct compatibility.

Installing the mBooster pedals

Next up, we have the pedal installation. I have been sent the mBooster pedal for this build, and this active pedal comes as a single unit. This means, we’ll also need a throttle and a clutch to go with it. I’m pairing my mBooster with the CRP2 pedals which I have been using for some time, as they include the baseplate and a perfect slot for the mBooster to mount to.

This means I do have to remove my brake pedal from the three-pedal set I have, and replace it with the mBooster. Once its installed, I can then mount the entire pedal set to our sim rig. There are plenty of adjustments I can make with the pedal positioning, including the forward and back position as well as the angle and mounting height.

I’ve mounted the pedals a bit higher than what would typically be normal, as I’m hoping to achieve that Formula 1 style driving position, or as close as I can get with this hybrid sim rig. Unlike other MOZA pedals which simply connect to your PC or wheel base via a data cable, the mBooster pedal also needs a PSU to power the motor. This does add to the headache of cable management, and you know just how much I love me some cable management!

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Mounting shifters and handbrakes

With our pedals and racing wheel installed, we could technically start racing. However, we have some extra touches for this build. These include two shifters, both MOZA, and a handbrake. While I spend most of my time sim racing in GT or F1 cars, these will come in useful for when I fancy diving into a road car in Assetto Corsa Evo, or a rally car in WRC.

Thanks to the included shifter mount that comes with the Next Level Racing sim rig, both of our shifters and the handbrake can be mounted directly to our side. I have also mounted the MOZA Universal Hub which means I can run all MOZA accessories directly into it. And I’ve set up the emergency stop button as well, just in case!

Attaching our dashboards

The next peripherals to mount are the two dashboards I’m using. The MOZA CM2 dash is the easiest to mount. Normally this can mount on top of the R21, however, when using the MOZA front mount, the attachment points are then blocked. I ahve instead mounted the CM2 Dash off to the side of the wheel to use as a secondary display.

The VIRI dashboard has a variety of mounts to choose from, so you should be able to find the perfect one for you. I’ve chosen to mount this on top of my wheel instead of the MOZA dash, as the VIRI dash can be attached directly to the MOZA front mount.

Using the Stream Deck on our sim rig

I’ve also added a Stream Deck Mk2. This has been simply attached to our wheel plate with 3M tape. The positioning of this makes it incredibly easy to interact with while racing. In games such as iRacing, ACC and AC Evo, this is invaluable as I’m going to be using my Stream Deck to control various parts of our car.

Installing 3DRap mods

We also have some additional mods to install, and these are all from 3DRap. I’ve got the Feeling Pro mod which I used in our previous sim rig build video. This time around, I’m using it to add rumble to my seat and sim rig rather than the pedals.

The rumble motors themselves mount via 3M tape to whatever part of our sim rig we want them on. I’m going with the seat so I can feel the car vibrating as the engine revs and as we ride kerbs and bumps. All haptic motors then connect to the Feeling Pro control box, which then connects to our PC via a single cable.

The wind generators need a little more work when it comes to mounting, although not much. They come with a t-nut build in, so we simply have to slot them into our sim rig wherever we want them. Then run the cable back to the Feeling Pro control box.

Mounting the gaming monitor

The final installation job is mounting the gaming monitor. This time around I’ve chosen a huge 49inch ultrawide monitor, and this is possibly the cheapest 49inch you can currently buy.

It has the catchy name of the X= XEXUL49V2, which simply rolls off the tongue. This is a 1440p 144Hz Nano IPS display. It comes with both FreeSync and G-Sync included, making it ideal for most PC setups. There is a slight R3800 curve, which is less of a curve than say the Samsung G9, but we’ll see how it compares when we jump into a race session.

Mounting is very easy using the Next Level Racing monitor mount, and we have a fair bit of adjustment over the height and distance of the monitor. I’ve set the monitor back just towards the back of my wheel base, using the slant of the base to drop the monitor into.

Setting up our software

With almost all sim racing hardware, there will be some software setup required. After all, its the software that transfers data to and from your PC and the device. All of our MOZA hardware is controlled via Pit House, which is MOZA’s free app.

We can update the firmware for all devices, as well as fine tune the settings in Pit House. With the mBooster pedal, there are a few new settings that we can play with that we haven’t seen with previous pedals. These affect the motor and the force feedback that we feel through the pedal itself.

We also have to configure our 3DRap hardware, the VIRI dashboard, wind generators and Feeling Pro mods. These can all be controlled via SimHub, which is a one-stop app for controlling many sim racing peripherals. It is a shame that MOZA doesn’t currently support SimHub, meaning we can’t combine inputs across our racing wheel and 3DRap hardware just yet.

Despite this, in SimHub, you can see I’ve added all 3DRap goodies, and we can set up various profiles, settings and control points for all devices. I’ve used the Elgato Stream Deck, which is controlled via its own Stream Deck software, to control various parts of our rig. We can use the Stream deck inputs to start our car in-game, turn on the wipers, or even turn on and off the 3DRap hardware.

When you jump into any sim racing title, you’ll need to go through and assign all of your inputs across all devices. This in itself can take some time, especially if you have multiple inputs like I have here. Although, setting this up properly once is certainly worth it.

How this sim racing setup performs

Now we can hit the track and really start to test out this sim rig. The first job is to buckle up. Safety first. Then, we can load into our sim of choice, in my case, I’m hitting up Assetto Corsa Evo first so I can utilise our full setup including the shifters.

I’ve used many sim rigs over the past decade, with some performing better than others. I have to say that the F-GT Elite 160 is certainly up there as one of the best. This rig utilises large 160mm wide pieces of aluminium profile, and this ensures extreme rigidity.

With my R21 dialled right up to 21Nm of peak torque, my wrists give way before the rig flexes. With such a widescreen monitor that is hardmounted to the rig, we’d notice flex in that before anything, and we can see that it stays practically still.

I mentioned at the start the desire to create a Formula-style seating position, and I’ve almost achieved this thanks to the seat recline and the high pedal placement. We aren’t quite 100% there, but its certainly closer than I’ve achieved with any other sim rig to date.

Racing wheel performance

Having upgraded from the R5 to the R21 for this build, the step up in force feedback performance is incredible. I’m typically only running the racing wheel at around 12Nm of peak torque, which is just over 50% of what this R21 can produce.

The beauty of detuning a racing wheel though, is that you get access to the wide range of detail that the motor is capable of producing. While I love my MOZA R12 wheel base, there is certainly an argument that the force feedback quality and detail is better in this R21. MOZA upgraded the FFB algorithm last year I believe, allowing you to feel extra rumbles and vibrations through the steering wheel. These even resonate through the rest of the sim rig.

I’ve loved the FSR wheel since it launched a few years ago. This is the upgraded FSR2 which includes a touch screen, and I do have to say it remains one of my favourite and most raced with wheels. To be fair, I even race with this FSR2 when using my Fanatec ClubSport DD+ wheel thanks to the Universal Hub.

The ergonomics and the quality of the inputs position this as a truly mid to high end steering wheel. With the large touchscreen, it also has much more functionality than any Fanatec wheel at this price range.

mBooster pedal performance

One of the biggest upgrades over our mid-range sim rig build is with the pedals. In that build I used SR-P Lite pedals with some haptic motors. While they felt good, they pale in comparison to the MOZA mBooster pedal.

This is a true force feedback pedal with an internal motor that can send real-time FFB effects to the pedal. This provides resistance, rumbles and vibrations on a scale that a haptic motor cannot compete with.

I’ve used the Simucube ActivePedals since they launched, and absolutely love the appeal of a force feedback pedal. The extra layer of information has certainly helped me improve my driving, as I can feel exactly when the ABS is about to kick in as well as when grip is about to break.

This mBooster pedal is a true competitor to the ActivePedals, and at half the price, this is going to have a big impact in the sim racing space.

Other peripherals and immersion

I do want to touch on immersion, as this is increasingly important, especially as you increase your budget. The whole point of buying sim racing hardware is to improve the performance and immersion you have while on track.

Peripherals such as the wind generators, various dashboard and controls all add to this immersion. The more we can simulate the feeling of being in a real-world car, the more immersed we become within the sim.

I love the extra details that the 3DRap immersion mods bring to the party. Wind generators can be active while racing any car, but come into their own when racing an open wheel car. When paired with the additional haptics that you can feel through the sim rig and seat with the Feeling Pro rumble motors, the immersion level is starting to head off the chart.

The VIRI dashboard is another element of immersion. I have mine mounted off to the side of my racing wheel, and have customised it to feature a Racelogic style timer interface. You can download plenty of dashboard layouts, simulating various DDU designs, and this can be controlled via SimHub alongside our 3DRap mods.

Finally, the inclusion of a button box is possibly one of the most practical upgrades you can make to a sim rig. The additional inputs are often a lifesaver, especially if you’re using an aftermarket wheel with limited buttons on the wheel itself.

If you’re streaming, or recording, you can also use the Stream Deck to control various elements of your Stream via your PC. Available in various forms, for prices between £100-£150, a Stream Deck is almost a must-have addition to any sim racing setup.

Monitor performance

Finally, I have to touch on the monitor. I said earlier that this is the cheapest, or one of the cheapest 49inch gaming monitors available. Despite this, it looks stunning while on track. There are various options that you can configure through the menu, which admittedly does have a rather cheap looking UI.

Despite that, you can control the refresh rate, HDR, colour modes, latency and more. Plus with G-Sync and Freesync built in, screen tearing shouldn’t be an issue. I have iRacing and ACC both fully utilising the 144Hz refresh rate, and they look silky smooth.

One downside of the monitor I received is that there is a single green dead pixel just off from my eyeline. This dead pixel wakes up after a few minutes so isn’t an issue while racing on track. However, having this dead pixel right away out of the box is worrying for the longevity of this monitor.

Is this high-end sim racing setup good value?

This entire sim racing setup costs around £6,700, meaning it is no small investment. Much of the cost is divided up between the racing wheel, pedals and sim rig, which is what you really want to aim for. Having all parts of your setup performing well is key to a truly unique experience.

Of course, you can add or remove various aspects of this setup, and the overall experience would still be incredibly good. But the immersion and wow factor really comes together when you do start adding each peripheral and accessory.

It may have cost a lot, but I’ve ended up with a sim racing setup that can do almost everything. This is an incredibly immersive setup that puts a huge smile on my face everytime I literally strap in for a race. The only real element left to conquer is motion, however, I’ll save that for another day.

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Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer 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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