Community Question | Keeping Your Cool In Sim Racing

[ivanalesi]

Lol man, I dont think its just the minimal physical activity required to control a simulator that gets people sweaty.. I think a huge factor is the excitement, the intensity, the adrenaline that does it. Add that to the few degrees over your comfort level and you get, well, this topic...

If you have a high aerobic fitness level you won't be sweating easily because of the excitement. Both your base heart rate/resting heart rate will be lower and you'll be used with the high physical/mental strain at high heart rate. But if you're obese or inactive... then sorry
Even FE drivers, who don't experience any high G-forces are quite fit and train extensively because the mental stress is quite high...

 

[Wieloimienny]

Portable air conditioner.

 

[Emery]

My solution was to move where it rarely goes above 80F/27C.

 

[LibranRabbit]

We had 47c in Adelaide, South Australia, so Sim Racing is just not feasible throughout Summer. Other seasons for Sim Racing.

 

[Michael Krone]

If you have a high aerobic fitness level you won't be sweating easily because of the excitement. Both your base heart rate/resting heart rate will be lower and you'll be used with the high physical/mental strain at high heart rate. But if you're obese or inactive... then sorry
Even FE drivers, who don't experience any high G-forces are quite fit and train extensively because the mental stress is quite high...

Of course if youre obese or inactive youre gonna have trouble in this situation. I dont think specifically thats who this topic is aimed at helping however. Just keeping cool in general is the topic. Its not as black and white as youre making it out to be. Everybody is different.

Take me for example. Im 170ish 6ft and extremely active/very healthy. After about 10-20 minutes im reaching for my towel between laps. I can go run a mile in warmer temperature than my house and sweat very little.

 

[ivanalesi]

Of course if youre obese or inactive youre gonna have trouble in this situation. I dont think specifically thats who this topic is aimed at helping however. Just keeping cool in general is the topic. Its not as black and white as youre making it out to be. Everybody is different.

Take me for example. Im 170ish 6ft and extremely active/very healthy. After about 10-20 minutes im reaching for my towel between laps. I can go run a mile in warmer temperature than my house and sweat very little.

No, my point is that you should embrace the hardship and use it for development. Because if at your home is i.e. 30C and you're in short/t-shirt, but you need cooling... well, that's nothing even compared to "competitive" rental karting where you have to be suited with a helmet in the heat. So, it's all an opportunity really

Patrick Head in a recent Motor Sport mag podcast said that Alan Jones never run or had seen the inside of a gym, but was naturally very tough with extreme grit. Yet, Derek Daly who was supremely fit and training all the time had much tougher time sweating out in the car, because he was bracing for it and he wasn't relaxed. While Jones was relaxed... so it's both physical & mental. If you're sweating because of stress, then learn to manage the stress and relax. Again, even in a kart, it's much tougher
I can do 300 laps in a rental kart, while some "tough" bodybuilder guys can't do more than 30-40 laps because they're gripping the wheel, like trying to squeeze juice from it

 

[Fireball_Ryan]

My sim rigs (2 complete, 3rd WIP) sit in a 32' long race car trailer which is also unfortunately used for storage and office space as well. I'm running 2 honda generators to feed the 13,500 BTU roof A/C which keeps my insulated metal box on wheels cool in Florida in August (Fortunately it sits in the shade under trees, so I just have to fret about branches or a tree coming down every time theres a T-Storm or hurricane). To circulate the conditioned air from the front, I have 3 12v marine bilge blowers running through 3" and 4" duct. It sounds completely ridiculous typing this...
Plan is to build an 18' diameter geodesic dome to house the Racing Sim Problem/Obsession.

 

[Rick K]

Honestly, if you need cooling while sim racing, you must take your fitness level very seriously!

OK, if at your home is 30C - that's understandable. But still, you're better off skipping the next big rig update for an air conditioner
But if it's normal room temperature and you need cooling, then your fitness must be terrible and if you improve your fitness, then you'll improve your lap times too.
Reflexes and concentration levels are improving massively with good cardio
IMHO, the coach potato fitness level of most "aliens" is what prevents them from excelling when they're given a chance in a proper racing car.
Racing drivers are all very, very lean! Even in GTs where their weight doesn't matter!!!

Not totally true, I'm riding my racing bycicle for approximately 150 to 200km per week, but as I'm just a heavy sweater, with temps around 30 degrees outside, and say 27 inside I'm sweating like a mad man while racing. I really need some fans pointed at me and a towel to keep it some sort of fun. This weekend it will be 35 degrees here and I already know I don't even have to try to start up my pc for some action. I'm not really made for these temperatures.

 

[ivanalesi]

Not totally true, I'm riding my racing bycicle for approximately 150 to 200km per week, but as I'm just a heavy sweater, with temps around 30 degrees outside, and say 27 inside I'm sweating like a mad man while racing. I really need some fans pointed at me and a towel to keep it some sort of fun. This weekend it will be 35 degrees here and I already know I don't even have to try to start up my pc for some action. I'm not really made for these temperatures.

OK, but this doesn't qualify as normal room T, so it's understandable. Still, skip the fans - air conditioning is the best

 

[Fireball_Ryan]

For you poor people without air conditioning -

The Icebox Portable Air Conditioner Standard Packages | Aircraft Spruce

The Icebox Portable Air Conditioner Standard Packages For Pilots: No more flying in a scorching hot cabin! Turn ON the IceBox during preflight and cool your cabin down.

www.aircraftspruce.com

or if ya don't have 4 benjamins you need to spend, make one :

 

[Ben Lee]

I got an air conditioner during the summer of 2003 (it was roasting in Europe). Cost me £200 but it was worth every penny.

 

[MetalMania]

When I saw the title of this post I thought it was about not getting angry during sim racing!

Anyway, my computer is set up in a basement room that usually stays reasonably cool in the summer. I do run a dehumidifier most of the time, and have one of those tower type fans in the room. AC would be better, in general I prefer cooler temperatures anyway, but it's usually good enough with the fan and keeping the humidity down. It always amazes me how many buckets of water just get pulled out of the air in the room.

 

[Ruttman98]

When I saw the title of this post I thought it was about not getting angry during sim racing!

Ditto!

 

[Jack Sargent]

I wear sunglasses and smoke cigarettes to stay cool.

 

[amsterDAN]

Kind of a strange strategy here, but since I am such a dreadful sim racer I often use autoclutch which means my unused clutch pedal's metal stays cool to the touch, so if my feet are starting to feel a bit hot and sweaty I just stick 'em on my ice cold clutch! I've definitely done some straights late in races completely crosslegged so that I could quickly cool off my throttling hoof.

 

[stigs2cousin]

When building my simrig i salvaged the Recaro Sportster CS drivers seat from my old BMW.

Today i connected the electrical controls to a small powerunit und now an hour later i still have
a (mostly) dry back.

A friend with a faux leather seat always crawls out of his simulator with his back drenched in sweat.

But still, im contemplating doing a wind simulator mod, its getting warmer in Germany.

MFG Carsten

 

[Monkified]

i just drink plenty of cold beer when driving, works great for me and improves my cornering

 

[VALLE51]

Just pure heat, like in a real racecar here !