I’m the lucky owner of two rigs. The first is a GT Rig which is equipped with the ECCI 7000, CST F1 pedals, Butt Kicker 2, Fanatec CSL base with custom mounting for UltraForce GS-4 driven by Sim Commander 3. It is completed with 3x27” screens.
My newest one is a Formula Rig which is a custom designed MDF cockpit that simulates an open wheeler seating position, Fanatec CSR Elite wheel & pedals, 2x- (2250i) D-Box actuators and completed with a SFOV screen from a projector.
I’d like to focus on comparing my GS-4 and the 2x D-Box and in using them in the iRacing world. Over the past 2 years I’ve been lucky enough to also try other motion setups including DIYs and 4x actuator d-box systems. I will (try my best) to refrain from saying ‘this is better than that’ but rather comment on what I think which motion system is more suitable for what type of experience and user preference. In the end I will say what I prefer and why.
I’ll structure my writing by going over questions that many of my friends and fellow sim-racers have asked me as I think it’s the best way to describe the comparisons. I won’t go into technical details of the GS-4 and the D-Box as those info can be found plentiful on the internet. Lastly, please keep in mind that this topic is a very subjective matter, what one person calls beautiful the other could describe as ugly
Before I begin it might be helpful to describe myself. I’ve been sim-racing since the late ’90s and have tried most mainstream race simulations. In real life, I have competed in amateur kart races in various tracks across Asia. I have also experienced sitting in race-ready street cars driven by professional drivers on circuit tracks and off road.
Now, let’s being with some pictures:
Then let’s get onto the questions:
How does my UltraForce GS-4 compare to my 2x D-Box system?
I describe the GS-4 as a system that simulates how my body feels when being in a car and the D-Box as something that simulates how the race car reacts in its interaction with the road environment. In the GS-4 when going around corners the back and bottom panels pushes my body in a sustained manner that I feel the G-force present throughout the entire corner. Same thing during acceleration & braking and other forces. The D-Box on the other hand gives a very clear feeling of how your car’s suspension moves, how the tires rub against the track surface, how the car chassis rolls and bounces during over and understeers. When the gear changes I feel a thump, the RPM rumble of the car vibrates my rig impressively, and yes when I go off track and hit a wall I hold on for dear life. I’ve coupled my GS-4 with BK2 so that I feel additional effects of the car but the D-Box has this excellently built-in.
Where does the GS-4 outshine the D-Box and vice versa?
The G-forces that I feel on my body is where the GS-4 shines. I do not get this with the D-Box. On the GS-4 I also still feel the bumpiness of the track surface and the effect of the gear changes, etc. but where it lacks the most is in feeling connected to the 4 tires of the car. This is where the D-Box shines. The D-Box lacks providing me with the sustained g-forces so when going through corners, for example, I simply feel my body tilting in one direction. Recalling back when I was still using my fanatec wheel on my GS-4 GT rig and comparing it with my setup now where the GS-4 is coupled with the ECCI 7000 I have to say that I’ve had more of a workout in the GS-4 than in the D-Box. In other words the GS-4 it takes more energy on my body than my D-Box. (I will make a different statement later on when I describe 4x D-Box systems).
If I only had to buy one today, which one will I choose?
This is a hard one! The GS-4 was my first motion system (my first baby) so I have sentimental feelings about it. If I were rational, and the leading factors in my consideration are price and compactness then I’d still choose the GS-4. The D-Box is expensive, takes a much bigger space and more tricky to mount. But the motion systems is (oh so much) more complete despite the lack of sustained g-force because I can feel exactly what the car is doing. I can even say that the physics of iRacing really comes alive and really makes a lot of sense with the D-Box. It is almost like iRacing was meant to be experienced with a D-Box. Maybe this says a lot about how realistic iRacings physics is, and perhaps it may even be ‘too realistic’ that if you only experience it with a wheel and pedal you are only ‘seeing the tip of the ice-berg’. In hindsight this analysis makes sense when looking at the endless debates about ‘how realistic is iRacing’s physics’.
How do I compare 2x D-Box and 4x D-Box?
This is an interesting and highly subjective topic. Let me first state my personal opinion and preference. Taking away the consideration of price, and only focusing on the motion immersion, I prefer the 2x instead of the 4x. Why? Firstly in my opinion the 2x gives enough accurate cues to what the car is doing like what I described above. The 4x gives me ‘too much’ sensation that my brain and body can’t process it fast enough to handle it. Bear in mind not only would I have to process the motion effects, at the same time I have to also manage what the wheel FFB is doing, visual cues from the screens and the audio effects from the speakers. But this is not the failing of the 4x D-Box system but rather the failing of my lack of focus to be a real life racer. The reason I say this is because the 4x is as realistic as it can be, it really is. If you want a complete immersion experience and the ultimate setup and to feel what it really feels like to drive a real race car, then the 4x is the (only) way to go. A 4x D-Box system is the cheapest way to get a real (insert your favourite race car name here) inside your living room! But you also have to have the focus and skills of a real race drive in order to tame the beast that is 4x D-Box.
Where do both my GS-4 and my D-Box lack?
To this day I’ve yet to experience a motion system that gives me the sensation of the elevation of a track. Consider tracks like Brands Hatch, Spa, and Suzuka where in certain sections of the track goes steeply uphill like Eau Rouge or downhill like the last corner of Suzuka. Although these systems are advertised as being able to give you these sensations I still maintain that they do not. Even the 4x D-Box system does not do this, or maybe it did but as described above there were so much coming out of the 4x that I probably could not notice it.
Both also still lacks a clear sensation of 2 other things: traction loss and slip angle loss. I did an experiment where I turned off the FFB of both my wheels and if I were to close my eyes I wouldn’t be able to tell. Maybe it has to do with fine-tuning the software side of the systems but so far I’m led to the conclusion that traction loss and slip angle loss come better simulated through the wheel and the visual cues.
How loud are they?
Easy question. D-Box is much quieter. The GS-4 squeaks audibly when the panels move.
Others points?
Achieving an equilibrium balance of how strong your wheel is in combination with the motion system and others such as how strong your audio is is paramount. I’ve experienced setups, including my own when it was not yet properly configured, where the motion system overpowers the strength of the wheel (imagine combining a D-Box with a G27 wheel). The key to getting the maximum benefit is to ‘orchestrate’ all the components so that they all play a beautiful symphony.
The D-Box is heavy duty. It will break your rig if yours is not a rigid heavy duty rig. My formula rig is constructed out of MDF but they are properly secured at the joints with industrial bonding adhesives and reinforced with bolts and nuts. I then connect the rig to the D-Box using 80/20 frames to achieve the desired rigidity. I’ve set the D-Box software to be just slightly above default (around 35-40% strength) but I suspect if I go beyond 65% my rig will simply break.
I’ve ordered the DK2 Oculus Rift and I’m curious and excited to try it on both of my systems. I wouldn’t be surprised if I arrive at slightly different conclusions when I’m completely inside a virtual world and where I’m not ‘planted’ to fixed references around my rig, i.e. the wall, the door, the windows, etc.
What would my ultimate motion setup be?
If money, space & time weren’t an issue I’d combine a stripped down GS-4 and install only the panels onto a seat then onto a compact no-flex rig (preferably formula-type) and then mounted onto a 2x system. And then all then mounted onto another axis which could simulate the elevation of tracks.
Well, thanks for reading. Feel free to comment, agree, disagree, or ask other questions.
