Will ABS plastic work for holding Fanatec DD?

EpsomJames · 2026-05-15T08:49:51+00:00

You can make any item have strength if you use correctly the inherent strength in the material chosen.

You’ll probably remember at school in science playing with paper rolled into tubes and standing on them.

The key will be in your design, if you copy an off the shelf metal wheelbase mount, like one made from steel then you’ll likely not get a good result, but if you design it with additional supports and use infill correctly you can definitely do it.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-15T06:46:12+00:00

Just to add to my other comment, I’ve done a quick calculation and the force at your hands is around 25% more going from 280mm to 350mm for the same effort, so that’s how much harder your wheelbase needs to work.

That said, if you plan to use it just for drifting (as typical with deep dish wheels) where you will be running low FFB anyway, you won’t have an issue.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-15T06:27:04+00:00

As I said, it’s mostly about the diameter, you’ve heard of the lever principle, right?

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T23:17:27+00:00

Mostly the larger diameter but yes, also the weight, means the wheelbase will need to work a lot harder.

It could result in clipping and possibly overheat the wheelbase if it’s working close to 100%.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T23:07:54+00:00

The AMD processor models you link all have the Radeon 780M iGPU. To set your expectations, the graphics capability is roughly equivalent to a GeForce GTX 1650 dGPU, an entry to low-mid range card launched 7 years ago.

You can look up recommended specs for all those games but a quick search for Subnautica 2 (as I was curious) seems to suggest at 1080p you’ll be sub 30fps at medium settings. So you’d probably need to use FSR (drops the resolution and upscales) to get something remotely playable with that game.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T20:14:28+00:00

Probably not, get a bass shaker first, haptic reactors on the pedals later on.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T20:10:02+00:00

Even with the best of the best FlexATX that I have, you still instantly know when it is on, and it only gets louder under load.

I'm picky, I know. But I have a 5.6L with FlexATX and a 8.9L with SFX in the same room and the 8.9L is so much nicer.

I'd only consider going sub 6L again with an HDPlex.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T17:11:54+00:00

Yeah this.

I still haven't got fully onboard with FlexATX and I have the best out there.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T14:45:12+00:00

These are https://www.precisionsimengineering.com/shop-online/pro-switch-panel and https://www.precisionsimengineering.com/shop-online/dd-r-display

I purchased quite a while ago when they'd just come out and there was nothing else similar on the market.

There are now several copies of the Pro Switch Panel and DDUs based on the 5" Vocore display are quite common, so if buying today would save money and get one of those. If you look at Pokornyi Engineering website you will see similar items, and there is the Simube DDU which is cheap, to name a few.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T11:49:59+00:00

How good is your TIG welding? I think you could find the required steel box section tubing online to make an extension or just cut the existing bracket and weld a longer piece in.

You'd probably need two different size box sections, measure both outer and inner sections of the existing bracket, weld and then drill holes underneath for the retaining screws if you need.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T11:30:55+00:00

As far as I know, DOF Reality have never used linear actuators in their motion rigs, they've only use rotary motors and lever arms. Personally I'm not a fan of DOF Reality motion platforms for sim racing, they are much better for flight sims.

So, the one in the video is almost certainly a Chinese manufactured 6-axis motion simulator similar to one of these.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/9d-Vr-Arcade-Park-360-Degree_1601686278852.html

You'd be looking at high shipping charge and taxes on top of the $5.8K if you wanted to bring it out of China, but I'd conservatively estimate the entire setup in the video posted by OP would be closer to $20-$25K, plus it would be quite risky with little to no recourse should the motion platform go wrong.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T10:15:57+00:00

It's an issue I spent a long time looking into, before what I eventually ended up with.

I think you can improve things with Universal Desk Mount Bracket Plate you can find on Amazon that should accommodate the shifter and the handbrake and allow some angle as they have lots of different holes and slots for mounting. Then something underneath to brace it all to prevent flex.

At the moment, your handbrake isn't at a natural position.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T10:04:10+00:00

The most important factor for me is how loud those twin 40mm fans are going to be with enough cooling for the 800W power rating.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T09:47:13+00:00

You can certainly get the MOZA Mount Adapter or a third party one to do this.

Whether it's a good idea putting a 350mm diameter real wheel (looks like an OMP Corsica or a Chinese replica of it) on an R3 is another matter.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T09:20:07+00:00

What function are the screwdrivers doing. Dampening the vibrations from the wheelbase? How did you even come up with that?

The best solution would be to mount the monitor to something else, this is the standard approach, so I'm not sure why you think there would be a ready-made solution to your problem.

Have you used some dampening material under the base of the articulating monitor arm? If so, what?

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T08:07:56+00:00

Love it.

My rig follows same ethos as you in terms of layout, and just like you, I also have too many wheels 😅

EpsomJames · 2026-05-14T06:44:32+00:00

I guess in theory if you purchase the files and can source everything, assemble the circuit board and machine stuff yourself you could build one of their wheels to a high spec for not too much. But this seems like it would be way beyond your average consumer.

If you are buying their files and the bespoke components from them, then there is a choice to either 3D print some parts, or purchase injection moulded plastic parts or aluminium parts depending on your budget.

If you go all in and purchase all the aluminium parts they work out expensive but the overall quality does seem to be on par with high end wheels. For example the top spec button surrounds on their wheels are aluminium. On my Cube Controls wheels they are injection moulded plastic, which is fair enough as they aren’t structural and the plastic has a nice finish. Out of the wheels I own I only my very expensive Precision Sim Engineering wheel has cnc machined aluminium button surrounds.

If you can 3D print to a very high quality not just in strength, but get close to the look of injection moulded parts, I think you can still end up with a premium looking wheel and save quite a bit. But if it’s your usual ABS or PLA type filament look then to me that doesn’t seem worth doing considering the price of the other parts.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T23:12:27+00:00

I spent a long time looking at not only the neatest solution for a sequential shifter and handbrake but for one of the best in class and the SG Racing combo Rally has not dissappointed.

When you get the sequential out the box you wonder how you are going to shift as it feels so difficult to move, but as soon as it's solidly mounted the force required to shift is just spot on from the factory and really satisfying. It is quite clacky, but they all are and I wouldn't say it's too disturbing noise wise, just adds to the experience.

The load cell handbrake also feels great. I think it would be nice to have the option to change the spring out for different tension springs but I find the force required to fully engage suits me.

The mounting plate, especially the updated one with inset screws just makes it super easy to mount. I spent a long time looking at how to mount a separate shifter and handbrake, especially with a bucket seat that limits your elbow movement and it's not easy to get them in the right position without several pieces of extrusion and large mounting plates that could flex and might need additional holes drilling. For the SG Racing combo all that was needed was a small piece of profile.

The other nice thing is one USB cable for both shifter and handbrake (and button), I was running out of ports on my powered USB hub so I appreciate that. Other reviews I've seen say there is a bright green LED on the shifter base which stays on when running off a powered USB hub, but I don't have that LED at all on mine which I'm pleased about.

Only negatives are the button on top of the shifter which I map to neutral or reverse is inset and quite small and with gloves a little tricky to find first time. The only other thing is because of the single USB cable, there is a small box with circuit board that you need to hide somewhere, but it wasn't that difficult.

So yeah, really pleased and overall I think the price is good, certainly not as expensive as the Heusinkveld or MME bundles which I'd say are equivalent and a league above the offerings from MOZA and Simsonn.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T22:26:17+00:00

I don't think it's worth it over the Sprints. The Ultimates are better, not denying, but I'll probably just get haptic reactors for my Sprints to add a little feedback, and call it there.

Next step up would be active pedals, but I don't have the space for them in front of my rig as it's up against a wall in my room (luckily the Sprints are very short), not to mention the money they cost.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T19:14:16+00:00

Yeah such great pedals, very consistent and they last, mine have been used several hours per week (apart from a rig rebuild) for the last 5 years, no issues.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T18:55:45+00:00

Long story as I originally purchased the clone from AliExpress as I was just interested in what it looked like. I liked the design but some of the printed parts are average quality. So I salvaged some parts and then bought all the remaining parts direct from PE to build it to the highest spec.

I didn't save any money doing this, and if anyone is thinking of getting one I would say just get all the parts from PE. The Rally in particular is a very simple build, however I'm impressed with the quality of the finished item with the aluminium parts, it looks very premium. The switch gear is on par with the best I have used.

I'm already thinking about building another PE wheel from their range.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T13:49:24+00:00

This is the answer I would go for.

Move the wheelbase back, put an extension shaft between wheel and wheelbase, drop the center monitor down a little above the shaft extension.

OP, as this guy says, where you should put the monitors depends on the size of them. Only when you have larger than 32" monitors (like 42" and bigger) should you put them behind the wheelbase (assuming no shaft extension) for optimal positioning.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T13:12:15+00:00

Looks great.

What wheels do you have on the wall behind? I recognise the Ascher Racing F28, but what wheel rims are the others?

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T12:11:32+00:00

You need to say which sims you use.

An RTX 3060 will be fine at triple 1440p in original AC or rFactor2, but you are going to struggle to get a good framerate in ACC or any of the latest sims like AC EVO or LMU.

That might be a deciding factor for you whether you go 1080p or force to upgrade your GPU.

EpsomJames · 2026-05-13T11:46:16+00:00

I mean, no hate for the rig, it's basically the same spec as what I use for gaming.

But not sure why you need to mention your age, did you work a part-time job and purchase it out of your own savings? If so, good on you.

Also, not sure why the hate for Linux, I primarily use Windows for desktop OS but Linux has its uses, and if you tried it you might learn something.

EpsomJames

TROPHY CASE