Sim Racing Garage – Sim Steering FFB System V2 Review

Barry Rowland of the Sim Racing Garage reviews the second generation Sim Steering FFB System by Leo Bodnar Simulator Electronics. The Sim Steering V2 is a high-performance simulator steering system for professional use.

The Modular system allows you to connect the majority of standard motorsport steering wheels or your own steering column. Leo Bodnar Simulator Electronics also retail a range of their own simulator steering wheels that do not electronically connect to the SimSteering system but are connected to the PC separately. Pedals are also treated as separate devices.

Back to the review. For over two years, Barry had been using a Sim Steering Version 1 Direct Drive Force Feedback Wheel for all his sim racing and now decided to upgrade to the new Version 2 of the product. There are three versions of the V2 Sim Steering System available. The standard and most popular 52, The 53 and 54.

Barry will be comparing the new version 2 system against the older Version 1, and will talk about the differences and similarities between the two. Barry also explains the existing upgrade path for current Version 1 owners.

As usual, Barry will be going over the details of the product, and disassembles the product to show us the inner workings and build quality. After sharing al the technical info, it is time to mount the steering system on Barry’s racing rig and get to the virtual track do some hands-on testing.

All of this sim racing magnificence does not come cheap and it is not likely to fall within the budget of the average sim racer.

The Sim Steering FFB System V2 is on sale for prices between €3711.50 and €4175.50 excluding shipment. ( That’s between $4178 and $4700.00) depending on the version. Also, keep in mind that these prices are just for the steering system. An additional wheel rim is optional. Leo Bodnar has wheels available in the €430.00 / $500 to €2700 / $3150 price range.

For those out there who are on the lookout for a somewhat more affordable high-end Direct Drive wheel, there are some great alternatives out there, such as the SimXperience AccuForce and the OSW Open Sim Wheel.

 

Typical applications of the Sim steering system include:

• Race car training simulators
• Road car and HGV training
• Public display simulators (such as static F1 show cars etc)
• Off-road and military vehicle training

Key Features

High precision and strength industrial grade brushless servo motor (53)
Smooth, precise, reliable and compact, the high-quality servo motor provides up to 20.5Nm of torque and has an incredibly high-resolution feedback system. Real world steering forces can be translated to the driver in a powerful yet controlled way. A higher and lower strength motor are also available.

Plug and Play

The system may look complicated but it is in fact very easy to setup and use. Once the motor is mounted and all the cables are plugged in you can switch it on and use. No drivers or plugins are required. The system is a generic force feedback device working through DirectX so if a game outputs force feedback there is a very high probability that it will work straight away.

A huge adjustable steering lock range
The design of our system could allow almost any amount of lock imaginable however we have set the maximum limit in the firmware to 1500°. If your application requires a higher amount of lock than this please contact us.

Modular system

The standard motorsport bolt patterns featured on our shaft clamp adaptor allows you to attach almost any steering wheel or adapt a steering column to fit.

Versatile mounting

The compact servo motor is separated from the power/control box by two 2 metre cables allowing it to be mounted remotely at the end of a cockpit or frame with the box hidden away from view. We also provide an optional adjustable mounting bracket which may be suitable for certain applications. A 3d model of the motor is available in the Product Downloads tab to assist you in integrating the motor into your own mounting solution.

Standard (53) Kit Components

• SimSteering Control Box
• High precision and strength 53 servo motor
• 2m motor cables
• 3m USB Cable
• Choice of UK, US or EU power cable
• Emergency Stop Button