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Trak Racer RS8 Review – Part 1 – Unboxing The Rig
Most of the sim racing community members started out their hobby using a wheel and pedals clamped to a desk. Sooner or later, a majority of passionate Sim Racing enthusiast starts to think about how to upgrade their racing environment. Often this results in upgrading their basic wheel/pedal desk setup to a dedicated self-build or commercial Sim Racing chassis.
Not only will this result in a more comfortable sim racing experience, but it will also provide you with a better environment to set up or lock down your addon peripherals such as the racing wheel, pedals, shifters, handbrakes and more. Of course, also being worth a mention is the added immersion factor and the overall coolness of a dedicated racing rig. For most rig owners, the personalization of their chassis rapidly becomes an integral part of the hobby.
I personally have been happily using my current racing rig since 2007. While it has served me well for more than 10 years, it became apparent that the humble cockpit from yesteryear developed some issues and is not fully equipped to handle the stresses introduced by today’s modern sim racing peripherals.
It all became clear when I fitted my first SimXperience AccuForce Direct Drive Wheel. The Wheel platform part of the rig started to flex, quiver, and shake when the Direct Drive feedback was used to its best potential. The pedal platform also suffered when I mounted modern pedals with a high-pressure brake pedal. Last but not least, the Gear Shift mount was far too brittle to handle the onslaught of my latest sequential shifter and handbrake. I literally broke the shifter mount in half while testing out the rallycross part of Pcars2.
So it was about time to start looking out for a suitable modern-day racing rig that is able to withstand the abuses of the ever more realistic sim racing peripherals. To find the perfect rig for my personal use, I had made up a small list of requirements.
- First of all, the rig should be build strong enough to accommodate my direct drive wheel, high-pressure pedals, heavy-duty sequential shifter, and handbrake.
- The new racing chassis should also come with its own comfortable racing seat, and have the option to easily fit a real-world aftermarket version should I want to at a later stage.
- It should be as compact as possible while being big enough to accommodate an adjustable comfortable sitting position.
- The rig should look good. Let’s face it, we do not always say it out loud, but we all like a bit of bling.
- Last but not least there is the price. Quality comes at a cost, but in the sim racing hardware marked it is pretty easy to get lost in the hype. Therefore I wanted to get as many boxes ticked for an honest price while not having to compromise on features and build quality.
After carefully examining all the available options and checking out the abundance of cheap and expensive rigs on the market, I decided to go for the Trak Racer RS8 Mach5 in Shelby® GT shiny Blue.
Being on sale for 600.51€ / £526.35 / $699, instead of its regular 729.38€ / £639.30 / $849, it seemed to be my favourite choice. In the coming weeks, I will post a few articles sharing my personal thoughts on the Trak Racer RS8 racing chassis starting with the unboxing. Later on, I will document the assembly and perform the first hands-on tests.
The Unboxing
3 days after I ordered the Trak Racer RS8, the doorbell rang, and a friendly but tired man from the DHL delivery service asked me to help carry in a rather big box. (W-100 cm x D-62 x cm H-55 cm.) There it was. My new rig arrived! Because my older rigs still take up the real estate in my sim room, I decided to drag the box to the living room as that was the only place in the house with enough room to spread out the box content.
While the box was fairly big, it was hard to imagine that this package contained all the necessary parts to make up a full Trak Racer RS8 Mach5 racing simulator chassis. When I opened the top-lid of the box it became apparent that the people at Trak Racer took good care of the packaging. The first item visible was the Blue/racing striped fiberglass bucket seat neatly packed in bubble wrap.
The Racing Seat
So let’s remove the racing seat and have a look. The seat is pre-assembled. It features a fiberglass back and is already padded with high-density foam. To accompany the Blue design of the chosen frame, the fiberglass bucket is also painted in a matching shade of blue with painted white racing stripes.
The foam is lined with a sturdy black fabric and is detailed with a bright red striping design. The Trak Racer logo and brand name are embroidered on the seat cover. The Trak Racer seat also comes with two lumbar pillows and a back support pillow which can be attached/detached by means of a Velcro strip. Four big mounting bolts are pre-fitted with a big screw knob for easy mounting when adjusting the seat position.
The Chasis Front
The next parts visible in the box is what looks to be the chassis front and steering wheel arm topped with a carton box that contains all the smaller parts. The blue powder coated chassis front is also detailed with a matching white racing stripe on either side. It also housed the black powder coated pedal stand which is already pre-assembled.
After removing the cleverly placed wheel arm that kept all parts neatly in place, the blue rear part of the chassis is revealed. It is packaged in Styrofoam with the Seat Slider mechanics and seat mounting plates already assembled. Let’s get it out of the box.
A big smile appeared on my face when I noticed that the steel tubing is way heavier and thicker than I expected. This rig will be one sturdy piece of sim racing equipment.
The Smaller Parts
After removing the rear chassis, I can see the included Single Monitor Stand Mount with Console Holder. Opening up the smaller box that was seated above the sliding mechanism revealed some careful foam packed parts that make up the adjustable Wheel-mount, Shifter arm with extension tubing, and the lower part of the height adjustable Monitor Stand. Furthermore, the box also contains an assembly plan and small toolkit.
The whole Shebang
There you have it. All the box content neatly laid out on the floor. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Trak Racer has already done most of the assembly for its customers before packaging. I was expecting an IKEA type package but this was certainly not the case. From what I can see now, it should be pretty straightforward to get the Trak Racer RS8 Mach5 assembled. It should not take me more than 30 minutes.
From what I can see now, I am pretty pleased with the content and build-quality of the parts. If everything fits nicely together, this should become a pretty solid and sturdy racing rig that does not flex under load. I will let you know and share my findings in an article of the assembly soon.
Trak Racer RS8 Mach 5 – Shelby® GT Blue Racing Simulator
- Product Code: RS8-05-LB
- Price: 600.51€ / £526.35 / $699.00
- Available colors – Black, Shelby GT Blue, Red, and Stainless Steel.
Trak Racer RS8 Mach 5 Upgrades
The Mach 5 has the following upgrades as suggested by industry professionals and Trak Racer fanatics:
- Enlarged Pedal Location and Mount for greater compatibility with larger pedals including Thrustmaster’s T3PA 3-Pedal Wide Pedal Set add-on.
- Shifter height adjustment depending on your preference.
- Greater precision of parts for both easier assembly and precise design.
- Thicker and stronger race seat with two centimeters increased width.
- Improved seat slider for smoother adjustment.
Trak Racer RS8 Mach 5 Key Overview
- Compatible with all gaming consoles (PS2, PS3, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, PC, Mac etc).
- Compatible with all popular steering wheel and pedal sets on the market (Logitech, Thrustmaster, DSD , Fanatec and more).
- Adjustable Left and Right Side Gear Shift mount with pre-drilled mounting points.
- Adjustable monitor/console stand enables the RS8 to also be a TV Stand as it swivels away from the driver’s seat.
- 2-Point Unique adjustable steering wheel mount (adjustable up and down).
- Superior build quality, stability, and comfort.
Adjustable Wheel Mount Features
- Solid construction.
- Pre-drilled mounting points for all major brand wheels.
- 2-Point Adjustment allows you to adjust the height and angle of the mount.
- Cable concealment facility.
Monitor Stand Features
- Adjustable monitor and console stand for dual use (simulator and TV stand).
- Supports up to 50″ monitor (VESA Mounted).
- Built-on game console mount.
- Pre-drilled for all major brand television mounting holes.
- Mount for larger mounting points (200mm x 200mm also available – Part number: TM-80).
* Trak Racer accept no liability for damage to personal property.
Race Car Seat Features
- Premium race-ready high-grade seat with fiberglass back.
- Adjustable driving position seat.
- Ergonomically designed for extended periods of use.
- Adjustable seat slider.
- High-density foam construction.
Frame/Chassis Features
- Compatible with all gaming consoles (PS2, PS3, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, PC, Mac etc).
- Compatible with all popular steering wheel and pedal sets on the market (Logitech, Thrustmaster, DSD and Fanatec).
- Adjustable Left and Right Side Gear Shift mount with pre-drilled mounting points.
- Adjustable monitor/console stand enables the RS8 to also be a TV Stand as it swivels away from the driver’s seat.
- 2-Point Unique adjustable steering wheel mount (adjustable up and down).
- Superior build quality, stability, and comfort.
What’s Included
- High-Quality Steel 2” Chassis
- Single Monitor Stand Mount with Console Holder
- Premium Seat Sliders
- Left/Right Mounting Gear Shifter
- Fiberglass Race Seat
- Angle and Height Adjustable Wheel Mount
- Bracket if you do not wish to use the included monitor stand – (Optional: Triple Monitor Floor Mounting Stand)
Official Webpage – www.trakracer.com
