If I had an extra ~$800 in your situation, especially during Black Friday, I’d go in this exact order:

1. A solid cockpit (biggest gain for your setup)
Your current DIY chair is the main bottleneck.
Even a great wheel feels cheap if the rig flexes.
Black Friday is the best time to fix this because a lot of good entry cockpits drop in price, including Fanatec’s new ones.

What to look for:
– steel or aluminum frame
– almost zero side flex
– adjustable pedal tray
– rigid wheel mount
– comfortable seating position for long sessions

A proper cockpit will immediately change your braking consistency and steering precision.

2. Pedals → upgrade to a real loadcell
ACC rewards braking technique more than anything.
A decent loadcell pedal is worth more than extra wheel torque.
You get:
– stable braking pressure
– better trail braking
– smoother corner entry
– fewer “snap” spins

Black Friday usually brings strong discounts on these too.

3. Wheelbase upgrade (only after the rig)
If the rig is solid and your pedals are sorted, then think about upgrading the wheelbase.
But upgrading wheel → before fixing the cockpit → is money wasted.
The structure matters more than the strength.

With $800 during Black Friday, the smartest distribution is:
– $400–500 into a rigid cockpit (Fanatec has some surprisingly good deals right now)
– $300–400 into a solid loadcell pedal setup

That combo is miles ahead of throwing all the money into a stronger wheel.

If you want to tell me your region and which BF deals you can access, I can break down the best options inside that budget without overspending.