Sim Lab P1-X not shipping to US... Alternatives?

[athomas625]

Hey guys, I am new to sim racing... haven't even put down a lap yet. Just ordered a bunch of stuff and am gonna dive in head first!

I am in the United States and unfortunately it seems like I can't get the Sim Lab P1-X due to the recent coronavirus stuff. I'm anxious to get started racing so I don't want to wait weeks to order it, but I also don't want to settle for a rig I won't be happy with.

I bought the Fanatec DD2 wheel base and I plan on getting some decent pedals. I want the best experience possible (short of buying a motion simulator) and don't want my rig flexing or wobbling at all. I was going to get the rSeat S1 but it looks like that won't fully be able to handle the DD2? From what I'm seeing, it looks like options are much more limited for us over here in the states.

Anyone have any suggestions? -- Thanks!

 

[Fennario]

After sitting in several buckets to see which fit me the best, I purchased an Evo XL. Unfotunately, I was unable to get the sliders I bought from Sim-Lab to work properly, so ended up attaching the brackets directly to the rig. No problem getting the Sim-Lab brackets to fit/work with the bolt holes on the seat. The cheap seat sliders are the only dissapointment/complaint so far.

 

[CC]

After sitting in several buckets to see which fit me the best, I purchased an Evo XL. Unfotunately, I was unable to get the sliders I bought from Sim-Lab to work properly, so ended up attaching the brackets directly to the rig. No problem getting the Sim-Lab brackets to fit/work with the bolt holes on the seat. The cheap seat sliders are the only dissapointment/complaint so far.

I used my playseat sliders on my EVO2 fit to like -2mm but I managed it

 

[Chrhun]

The sliders are kind of wonky, they take a bit of bending and forcing to get installed, but do work okay.

 

[TedBrosby-]

I'd love to see that "cheaper" calculus, and how all these custom machined pieces like pedal tray, wheel deck, shifter mount, uprights mounting plates, etc. get fabricated.

Using front wheel mount on SC2 and thing is rock solid, not sure how one can have "flex" on it.

This is my first comment ever so I hope this isn't out of line, but why are you shilling so hard for Sim-Lab?

It's not calculus, it's something simple called "cost on delivery".
Sim-Lab's price depends entirely on where you're located. Someone in this very thread said they can't even get it shipped to them in Ukraine, but instead of offering solutions, you just double down on "Sim-Lab or get out". It's not helpful and to be honest, I consider your behavior to be quite rude and the opposite of helpful.

Someone even offered a solution that could be built sourcing 8020 directly and you dismissed it because of custom parts that you haven't shown a single piece of evidence to claim are more stable and yet you said that they're more stable.

Sim-Lab didn't invent the idea of using aluminum extrusion for Sim Rig and they certainly didn't invent aluminum extrusion at all.
In my opinion, if you're not going to listen to what people are asking for help with, it's a better idea almost universally to just not offer an opinion at all.

diablo2112 is actually an engineer too. And I think he didn't want to get into an unnecessary debate with you, but I trust his structural engineering over just claiming parts are more stable or more convenient when the majority of arguments about 8020 is that the free sliding mounting system gives it unlimited options on mounting dimensions...

For reference, a Sim-Lab P1X shipped to Japan would cost around 1100 USD but Japan has a local aluminum extrusion manufacturer that lets people order online and an open sim rig using even 80120 would be about 500 shipped. I seriously doubt a P1-X is 600 USD "better"... So at the end of the day, maybe let's find out if someone can actually get a P1-X for a reasonable price before stone-wall dismissing any alternatives?

Just build your own from 8020 parts. They're easily gotten in the US (8020 has a huge eBay store). It will be cheaper, and your rig will be more sturdy. As nice as the P1x is, it's still got a tiny bit of movement in the wheel deck. You can purchase 8020 articulated joints, and build a rig with a triangulated wheel deck that's as solid as an anvil. Looks good, too.

 

[Ruttman98]

Just build your own from 8020 parts. They're easily gotten in the US (8020 has a huge eBay store). It will be cheaper, and your rig will be more sturdy. As nice as the P1x is, it's still got a tiny bit of movement in the wheel deck. You can purchase 8020 articulated joints, and build a rig with a triangulated wheel deck that's as solid as an anvil. Looks good, too.

Did you use 40-series or 15-series? Which manufacturer's "open" corner brackets and positionable angle brackets did you use? I ask because the 80/20 15-series gusseted brackets are not always optimal, but I would like greater strength than the L-brackets offer. Additionally, I do not believe the profile end tap-style angled connectors are available for 15-series.

Can you please clarify? Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 197115]

This is my first comment ever so I hope this isn't out of line, but why are you shilling so hard for Sim-Lab?

Shilling? You must be new here.
If there is some secret vendor nobody knows that provides similar design and quality build at a cheaper price with the same or better customer service, please do share with the rest.
The only similar rig I've seen was HE, but it was priced significantly higher.
If you look closer at both designs, they use custom machined pieces that you won't get with off the shelf profile, the reason diablo used that creative but complicated and bulky solution to keep rig stable.
People looking at the price of the profile alone forgetting that biggest portion of the cost comes from fasteners.
I have built some custom 80/20 add ons for my previous rig and recently was ordering extra pieces for new rig from 8020.net. Things ain't cheap there, so at least for us US folks, sim-lab can be actually more cost effective than DIY route.
Doesn't mean that it's the only way, DIY can be a hobby on its own, just perhaps not for everyone.

 

[TedBrosby-]

Shilling? You must be new here.
If there is some secret vendor nobody knows that provides similar design and quality build at a cheaper price with the same or better customer service, please do share with the rest.
The only similar rig I've seen was HE, but it was priced significantly higher.
If you look closer at both designs, they use custom machined pieces that you won't get with off the shelf profile, the reason diablo used that creative but complicated and bulky solution to keep rig stable.
People looking at the price of the profile alone forgetting that biggest portion of the cost comes from fasteners.
I have built some custom 80/20 add ons for my previous rig and recently was ordering extra pieces for new rig from 8020.net. Things ain't cheap there, so at least for us US folks, sim-lab can be actually more cost effective than DIY route.
Doesn't mean that it's the only way, DIY can be a hobby on its own, just perhaps not for everyone.

Why are you making the assumption people need SimLab's custom brackets to have an 8020 rig? That's just not true at all. There isn't wide reporting of flex or lack of stability with standard 8020 rigs.
And diablo2112 did not use "complicated and bulky" solutions. He used standard rotating corner brackets which can be purchased by any 8020 distributor.
Here they are for around $4 each:
https://fa.sus.co.jp/service/catalog/SF101_220.pdf
Even if you only used 4 for the wheel base and 4 for the pedal mount you'd be out a whopping $16 if you bought them in Japan and you could have them delivered, along with the water jet cut 8020 pieces (even in black if you wanted to pay extra for it) within a few business days.
Whereas Sim-Lab isn't even accepting orders right now...
Please stop making huge assumptions about how difficult or expensive something is. Not everyone lives in the US.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Custom brackets simplify design, a lot, accessories like pedal plates, shifter, handrake, wheel, monitor mounts, plates for uprights mount, etc, etc. All that make build simple, effective and elegant.
I do not assume anything as I use that rig, and have no idea about situation in Japan as myself as well as OP are from US.
For us DIY is not only hassle but also not a cheaper way, plus you won't get the same design rig due to missing custom pieces.
Your situation may be different, not arguing that.

 

[Goes To 11]

4play Racing makes great 8020 rigs which, at least when I bought mine, are considerably cheaper than SimLabs if you are living in NA. Despite being downplayed earlier in the thread, they are well respected in the community. My Integra seat has a non-standard bracket which 4play was able to adapt to while SimLab did not have a good solution. The only down side is that they don't look as slick since they don't have custom wheel and pedal decks and use imperial 8020 which isn't as clean looking as the metric versions.

 

[diablo2112]

Did you use 40-series or 15-series?

Can you please clarify? Thank you!

My rig is 40-series. The articulating angle brackets are from 8020 and available on Amazon. I'm US based.

 

[diablo2112]

the reason diablo used that creative but complicated and bulky solution to keep rig stable.

To be clear, my rig weighs less than a P1x, and I don't find it bulky at all. Triangulated bracing with 4040 profile looks pretty good, at least thats what everyone that's seen the rig in person says. The complexity in my photos is more due to the large number of peripherals I've mounted. The base rig (frame+wheel deck) is fairly simple, actually.

I do agree with your comment that fasteners are a big expense. With a bit of foresight, you can order large (1000+) number of t-slot nuts and 8x16mm and 8x20mm bolts from suppliers for fairly cheap. Buying 8x16 bolts 20- or 50- at a time can get expensive. I happen to have huge bins of metric hardware for my hobby/auto shop. The number of nuts/fasteners you'll use in building a rig is astoundingly large.

Just this week, I've been modifying my setup for triple monitors (again). With the Thanos spike filters, and the wonderful custom Simlab monitor mounts, I can put a beefy triple mount on the rig (32" MSI monitors incoming). I've no issue with Simlab, they make fantastic stuff. I've modified their heavy-duty triple monitor mount for on-rig triple screens. Solid as heck.

 

[Ruttman98]

My rig is 40-series. The articulating angle brackets are from 8020 and available on Amazon. I'm US based.

Thank you for your reply.

I wish 80/20 would make those brackets available for 15-series to use on my rig--they are literally a more flexible alternative to the 45-degree angle braces 80/20 offers and also much cheaper.

I have on occasion mixed some 40-series profiles and brackets with 15-series with success, so I might gamble on using the 40-series angle brackets for support.

 

[TedBrosby-]

Just build your own from 8020 parts. They're easily gotten in the US (8020 has a huge eBay store). It will be cheaper, and your rig will be more sturdy. As nice as the P1x is, it's still got a tiny bit of movement in the wheel deck. You can purchase 8020 articulated joints, and build a rig with a triangulated wheel deck that's as solid as an anvil. Looks good, too.

Is it possible to get dimensions of the wheel deck with articulating mounts?
I'm designing my rig right now, planning vertical 8020 posts about 66cm high and a general width of 65cm across (for cross braces and pedal/seat support).

Is it a general cross brace with the triangulated front brace for stability?

 

[2020 Supraman]

Woke up at 4am this morning and fought with "404 Not Found" errors for over an hour (their site isn't setup to handle that much traffic all at once I guess). But I finally got the order in!

Please tell me if I missed anything. View attachment 371554

where do you plan on putting the single buttkicker? I've been researching and it looks like a lot of people actually do 4 buttkicker minis in the 4 corners of the rig.. obviously that's an added cost

 

[Deleted member 197115]

where do you plan on putting the single buttkicker? I've been researching and it looks like a lot of people actually do 4 buttkicker minis in the 4 corners of the rig.. obviously that's an added cost

The best place is bolted to the seat. Corners installation is useless as they don't have enough power to rock the heavy rig, all you get is some buzzing.

And my personal opinion but tactile on solid rig like P1-X with strong DD wheel is not really needed as strong feedback is already making most effects felt through the frame.

 

[2020 Supraman]

The best place is bolted to the seat. Corners installation is useless as they don't have enough power to rock the heavy rig, all you get is some buzzing.

And my personal opinion but tactile on solid rig like P1-X with strong DD wheel is not really needed as strong feedback is already making most effects felt through the frame.

Where exactly on a P1x with a sparco or other standard race seat? Drill into the bottom of the seat?

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Where exactly on a P1x with a sparco or other standard race seat? Drill into the bottom of the seat?

That's one option. My Corbeau FX had some mounts at the bottom that I could use.
And then come all other issues like isolators, etc.
There is a huge thread on tactile. Thing is overrated for investment and results, nowadays I just keep it off to fully enjoy good force feedback from SC2 Pro. YMMV.

 

[2020 Supraman]

That's one option. My Cobeau FX had some mounts at the bottom that I could use.
And then come all other issues like isolators, etc.
There is a huge thread on tactile. Thing is overrated for investment and results, nowadays I just keep it off to fully enjoy good force feedback from SC2 Pro. YMMV.

Yeah... I was just reading through some of that stuff on the thread. Over my head. May just go without them... put that money toward a motion platform down the road