Flight & Racing cockpit recommendations?

[Crowgasm]

Hi Chaps,

 

 

I currently have an Obutto R3volution racing/flight cockpit [https://www.obutto.com/gaming-cockpits/] and all in all, I'm quite impressed with it. While it's great for sim racing (very stable, lots of configuration flexibility) the one problem I have with it is it's a pain to convert from racing with a Fanatec wheel/pedals/shifter set to setting up my VKB or Virpil rudders and stick sets. Between the way the R3volution is built, cable routing, bolt access, it's a headache. The pedals in particular are a real pain to swap out.

 

 

Given I'd ideally use both very regularly, I'm looking for a more permanent solution that's super convenient (yes, lazy). I'm also moving house relatively soon so have a good opportunity to rework my setup. At $1300 it's also pushing the envelope a bit to add a whole second Obutto unit. I'm curious if people might have some experience-based recommendations for a flight cockpit that also functions as a racing cockpit with an easy way to swap out controllers, or as a plan b, recommendations on a flight only cockpit that will hard mount pedals, stick, throttle, etc. I have space for two dedicated cockpits but in an ideal world would love to find something that works well for both. Any ideas?

[RogueSqdn]

I’ve been very happy with my Monstertech rig (I created a thread a while back). However if cost is your concern, you may need to look elsewhere. This rig was about twice the cost of the Obutto (which I’ve also used).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Crowgasm]

Rogue,

 

Thanks for the recommendation. That looks like a nice setup. How would you rate it versus the Obutto R3volution? Is it easy to adapt? It looks like it has relatively smooth adjustments built in. Any problems with the pedal tray angling or other issues you'd like to see improved?

 

The cost isn't too bad/off-putting. I'd rather pay a bit more for a long term solution I can get just right and leave alone.

[Crowgasm]

Potentially stupid question - it looks like that sim rig does not come with the actual seat part, just the frame. Was that your experience? If so, what did you add to it?

[RogueSqdn]

IMO, the best thing about the Obutto is the keyboard tray. That’s something I had to overcome in choosing MT. I keep my keyboard on the left side and put it in my lap when typing. I bought a small lap desk in the event I need more stability. I may scrap using the MFDs and ICP (difficult to hit in VR) and mount the MTX desk in its place. That would require unmounting my center stick grip and extension when using it, so I’m hesitant.

 

If you only have one set of controls, the Obutto may well be ideal, and for sticks it was. Throttles were a different story. The only throttle that would work without modifications to the mount was the Cougar throttle... all others were ergonomic problems (WH and VPC throttles). This matter became worse when Winwing came along as I had to design my own mount from wood, and then later tried making my own cockpit. Neither were satisfying.

 

Another ergonomic issue for me, especially since I have a bad knee, was the low height of the Obutto. The MT cockpit is noticeably higher and therefore easier for me to enter and exit.

 

The pedal tray is very adjustable, but for my comfort I had to raise it up about 100cm in front (I want to rest my right forearm on my thigh when using center stick). The back portion raised higher without issue, but for the front I had to jury rig it with longer bolts and some spacers. I have a few 100cm profiles I ordered from 8020.net, and plan to put them in place the next time I need to adjust anything.

 

Adjusting the position of any component of the cockpit is fairly easy, just loosen a bolt, adjust position, and tighten back. This customization is the main thing that sold me on MT. While the Obutto can customize control positions, it’s very limited and outclassed by MT.

 

As for the seat, yes I purchased it on my own. The one I chose was made by Bestop for a Jeep Wrangler. I wanted to avoid racing seats because I find the shoulder bolsters to interfere with movement in VR, especially when trying to flip switches at the rear of the cockpit with PointCTRL. I found it on Amazon for around $340.

 

 

The cost isn't too bad/off-putting. I'd rather pay a bit more for a long term solution I can get just right and leave alone.

 

 

That right there is why I wanted to stop having to build stuff to adapt my controls, whether for the Obutto or a homemade cockpit. I was spending more time in the garage than in the man cave.

 

I hope I helped you.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[VpR81]

I own the RSEAT S1 and can highly recommend it. Not the cheapest solution, but from outstanding quality. Can be upgraded with flight mounts, keyboard tray, buttkicker, tablet/button box mount and more. It's highly adjustable and can be easily customized by drilling a few holes for center mounted stick and mfd mounts. And if you don't like racing seats, it can also be purchased w/o seat. I've got the slightly more expensive alcantara version, as i'm often playing topless during summer and i don't like the touch of artificial leather.

 

https://www.rseat-europe.com/RSEAT-S1-Gaming-Seat/RSEAT-S1-Alcantara-Gaming-Seat/RSEAT-S1-Black-Frame-Alcantara-seat

 

And this is what i made out of it:

 

 

Cheers

Edited September 24, 2020 by VpR81

[metalnwood]

I use an 8020 pit and very happy with it. So easy to add things/remove things and move them about.

 

 

Last post on my thread shows how I currently move from racing to flying etc with a video

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4469207&postcount=128

[Crowgasm]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I now have too many choices. Putting together builds in each to compare features and costs.

[Crowgasm]

@MetalInwood... With the 80/20 system, am I correct in thinking I'd need to design the pit layout and build from scratch? I haven't had time to look at it in detail yet but the http://www.8020.net site seems to have all the various adaptable parts but no pre-built configurations? Do you know of any good resources where someone had put together plans for cockpits for racing/flight sims that I might use as a starting point? Trying to get a sense of what the cost is on this versus RSEAT and Monster Tech.

[metalnwood]

You can build one yourself or you can buy them as kits, i.e. all the parts and you just assemble them.

 

 

I have a simlabs p1 and locally I bought some extra profile to use for other bits and pieces I wanted to attach, like the throttle , stick.

 

 

Here are some of those and when you look at their site you can see some of the other addons you can get for it

 

 

https://sim-lab.eu/shop/category/cockpits-3

 

 

trakracer in the states has some options

https://www.trakracer.com/product-category/tr160-cockpit/

https://www.trakracer.com/product-category/tr80-cockpit/

 

 

You could look at say the manual for simlabs and get the dimensions and order direct from 8020 if that is a lot cheaper.

 

 

I think a lot of people in the us prefer motedis to get their profile. They even have a kitset on their site as well

 

 

https://www.motedis-usa.com/shop/Sim-Racing:::999991169.html

 

 

I dont like it though and would just clone the simlabs one.

[Crowgasm]

Very helpful. Thank you!