I’ve been following every form of motorsport since … forever, and while I still love the raw noise and smells of being trackside for real, online racing is getting bigger and better. But this is more than just sitting on your La-Z-Boy with standard controller in hand, the fast drivers are all using dedicated setups – some of the best racing simulator cockpits have been made for this purpose, and this purpose only.

With some famous race drivers seeing the benefit of sim racing (such as Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa regularly honing their skills via sim racing), you have to think that this is more than just a few buddies getting together online and racing for bragging rights on the next big night out – this is serious competition.

With that said, these race simulator cockpits that I’ve reviewed are priced well enough for those guys and gals (definitely aren’t talking professional monies), but still offer a genuine level of ‘simulator experience’ that a gaming steering wheel attached to your desktop via little rubber suckers just can’t.

Different Types

Before going too far down the rabbit hole of online racing and gaming, it’s important to understand that what we’re talking about, isn’t the full professional setup that you’d find in the headquarters of Rousch or Ferrari (or whatever team and series you follow) – this is purely about a setup for your home entertainment, using a gaming system such as the Xbox One or PlayStation or a PC.

With that in mind, you need to think about whether it can be a permanent setup that’s never moved, or has to be something more practical that can be brought out or put away easily, to an extent, this also means the choice between something with a seat, or without.

Even after thinking about that, there’s still further choices – do you want one that folds up? Or just slides out of the way? Is space that limited that you might need something that could easily fit under your bed? Or in a cupboard?

While I’d managed with just a wheel & pedal combo thing for race games where I’m racing the game system AI rather than online competitors, when I finally made that transition to racing other real-live humans, I found that I really needed a simulator setup (or at least that’s how I justified it to myself!).

I’ve spent plenty of hours in a race car, so my priority was to feel comfortable, I didn’t want to be overstretching for anything, and I wasn’t going to ‘make do’ with a slight annoyance, because that would be a major hindrance over time. Finally, the most important factor for me personally, stability – you don’t want to feel like you’re teetering on the edge of falling over.

The Best Racing Simulator Cockpit

I’ve labeled these as the best sim cockpits, but the reality is that your needs may be different from mine – I have the space to have a dedicated setup, no one else uses it – what works for me might not be so good for someone that’s a bit more svelte.

With that said, there should be something in this list that will work for you.

1. OpenWheeler GEN2 Racing Wheel Stand Cockpit

Like all the other cockpits here, this does not include any game wheel, pedals, shifter etc, this is for the stand only.

It’s available in a number of different colors – the base color being black, but you can have that with red, blue, green, orange, yellow and black, and it will fit nearly all of the most popular makes of wheel and/or pedals – like the Logitech G29 or G920, all Thrustmaster setups, same with the Fanatec, and of course it’s completely independent of the system or console – it doesn’t matter if you have a PC, PlayStation or Xbox.

It’s a sturdy metal frame, with an almost limitless amount of adjustment, the platforms the pedals, wheel and shifter mount (which can be mounted on either side) to have multiple positions, which means you’ll easily find a position that suits your driving style and gaming system setup (whether that’s low down, laid out like an F1 car, or something more upright like a WRC car).

Along with the usual wheel & pedals combo, you can also fit a shifter and a handbrake, together – there’s space and mountings for both (particularly hand for rallying games). There’s also a couple of other important factors – this thing is stable – no rocking or teetering, and there’s no weight limit capacity – many setups have a maximum weight limit, which is fine in most cases, but start looking at 250lb + and choices are limited.

The OpenWheeler GEN2 is been completely designed, built and even packaged in the USA, and aside from mounting the gaming peripherals, it’s ready to use out of the box, and it does come with everything needed to make adjustments.

If you’re looking for the all-in-one, that’s a little more permanent, this is it.

2. PlaySeat Challenge Simulator Cockpit

Let’s just get this out of the way before going in to details – this has been wrongly criticized as ‘an over priced lawn chair’. Yep, it does have a similar style in that it collapses in to itself for storage, but that’s where the comparison ends – it’s well made and pretty heavy duty, unlike a cheap lawn chair.

Besides, with drivers such as Sebastien Vettel choosing PlaySeat for his sim racing (although not this particular model), you just know that the quality has to be there.

The patented collapsible design makes storing this sim easy. The seat itself is covered in a suede alcantara fabric, which is what you’ll find in a number of proper sports or race cars – so it gives it an extra dimension of reality. Despite having a strong, powder coated steel frame, the chair will only support weights of up to 200lb, and it will fit people from 4’ 7” thru to 7’.

It fits with most of the regular pedal and wheel sets – Fanatec, Thrustmaster, Logitech and MadCatz for example, and of course works with all consoles and PCs. Most users of the PlaySeat say that it’s super comfortable, and very stable, and given that it’s a foldaway chair and mounts, that’s quite surprising – you’d normally find that temporary setups aren’t that stable (or comfortable).

If you’re looking for a hybrid type arrangement – a chair that’s stable & comfy but still easily stored, the PlaySeat Challenge is the one you want.

3. APIGA AP2 Foldable Racing Simulator Stand

The Apiga setup is purely for the pedals, steering wheel and shifter – there is no seat, and no accommodation for one either – you’ll need something like a computer chair to make this work for you.

Ordinarily, the separate wheel & seat combination doesn’t make for a great racing experience – it feels quite disjointed (which of course it is), but obviously there is a need for that sort of setup for some people – maybe space is tight and they simply don’t have the room. One thing’s for sure though – this isn’t down to pricing – this is the second most expensive system in the list, and not far behind the OpenWheeler GEN2.

This driving simulator is a foldable stand, very stable & sturdy, and they say that it’s the ‘world’s first dual pole design’, although I’d have to question that I think – seems like a pretty simple ‘A’ frame stand to me. They do say that it’s height adjustable, along with the angle, but there’s only two angle changes, and they aren’t that different to be honest – it really needs more adjustment on the pedal mounting plate.

The APIGA AP2 racing simulator will hold all the regular wheels & pedals, with pre-drilled holes for most of the popular makes, and it can also hold a shifter (which can be mounted left or right). There’s no tools needed to set it up or adjust. It uses non-slip runner feet to stop it moving along the ground, but thanks to the design and weight, it can be a little top heavy, which means if you’re getting a little vigorous, you’ll start lifting the front up as you pull on the wheel.

Unlike other racing sims using this sort of design, there is an accommodation for a racing seat (which is sold separately), but for a few extra dollars you can buy the GEN2 that comes with a seat.

If space is tight, or you just need a simple stand to mount your pedals and wheel to, rather than a desktop, then this could be the racing simulator for you.

4. Next Level Racing Steering Wheel Stand

This is a patented design, and they make a big thing of ‘no annoying pole between your legs’, but as far as I can see, a great many of these racing sim cockpits have a similar feature. I like this sim cockpit because it’s multi-adjustable, which means you can pretty much place everything as you would in a real race car – you can mimic a realistic racing driving position.

Same as the others, it’s compatible with most of the gaming wheels and pedals, and you can also mount a shifter on either side. Once everything is mounted correctly, the adjustment is fantastic – find your position and keep it – it all folds up neatly and securely for easier storage.

The Next Level steering wheel stand will accommodate anyone from 4’ right through to 6’9” (it doesn’t specify a weight limit). The real diamond feature of the Next Level setup is customization and accessories – you can buy everything from a racing seat mounting, monitor stands (to hold either 1 x 55” monitor or 3 x 30” monitors) gaming desktop, flight pack, floor mats (much needed) and a motion platform.

Despite the base system being a little … basic, the fact that you can add on the other bits makes this system great. You can effectively build a complete race simulator as you may find in more professional gaming arenas, or perhaps even in a car manufacturers test facility – almost an entirely self-contained simulator experience – if you could wrap it in bodywork, this thing would be awesome.

If you’re looking to the long term, and want an almost standalone platform simulator, then the Next Level pack should be looked at. The unit is fully customizable, fits with all systems and accessories and offers you an incredibly ultimate racing experience.

Conclusion

Knowing what space you have will help to make the decision, as will knowing what you actually want to achieve. Showing your buddies a clean (virtual) tailpipe is one thing, but if it’s semi professional racing you want, then you need it to be as close to a race environment as possible, and for me, that means a fully adjustable setup, with seat.

You should also consider that most drivers using this type of setup can instantly produce quicker lap times. Thanks to better controllability and finer inputs – controlling a bit of oversteer is easier with a proper wheel, and of course, the pedals give you much better refinement for inputs. Despite being a digital speed control, the standard controllers can steel feel a little like an on/off switch, a pedal allows for much more control – you can actually feather the throttle as you would in a real car and let’s not forget, many of the newer race cars use a drive by wire system now – just like you get here.

I loved playing with RC cars when I was younger (OK, who am I kidding, I still love playing with them), but sometimes … sometimes they weren’t that great; too slow, short run times, not enough power … and that’s before we get to the endless search for batteries to power them. But these cars here … these are some of the best RC cars that are available right now.

Thankfully, unless you’re really a gearhead, RC drones have become the new, favorite, must have toy, and that means that prices for the cars are getting lower, all the while the specification is higher – things such as brushless motors mean more power, more speed and crazier stunts, and yet the prices just keep on falling.

That’s not to say that you can’t buy a really high-end model, but first you need to understand what you want from it. I’ve got all the answers you need, … let’s start with the basics.

The Basics

My first ever RC car was a jet-black Porsche 911, it struggled to ride over any surface that wasn’t almost marble-like, and turned by reversing in a circular motion, it wasn’t great. With that said, it was the 80s, and I was only about eight-years-old. I didn’t need hi-tech.

In the intervening 30-odd years, things have got much better: full 4-wheel drive, disc brakes (yes, really), enough power to tow you along, proper suspension, aluminum chassis’ … almost a very real, miniature car. So ask yourself … what are you going to do with it?

You want to just bash around for a bit, putting it away when you’re done and forget about it? Learn a bit more about setting them up and rebuilding them? Customize it? Race it?

For what it’s worth, putting aside the toys, I’d always look at what accessories come with it, and how easy it is to get spare parts (forget customizing for the minute). Any RC car that has a halfway decent turn of speed is going to get crashed (and trashed), without fail. But breaking components isn’t the end of the world, providing you can buy replacements easy enough.

You don’t want to be stuck without a car thanks to a five-dollar steering knuckle.

Customization

Many standard cars are great fun, right out of the box, but the problem with that is that everyone thinks the same … ‘straight outta the crate’. Half the fun with sporty RC cars is making them faster, look better, stop better … just everything better.

But if all you can get is just standard parts, then the fun can soon go … especially if it’s a bit down on power – controlling a drift or 4-wheel slide is just as entertaining with an RC car as it is with the real-life version.

From body shells, through to suspension, motors, faster servos, chassis’ and even wheels, a decent RC car should be capable of switching them all out for an upgrade.

Radio Gear

What could be another expense, or something else to think about is the radio gear – the actual ‘remote’ part of the remote control. Some of the high-end cars sell the radio gear separately – most serious RC users have their preferred brand, and usually a fair bit of spare gear that can easily be transferred from a boat or whatever else they use.

You also need to be able to switch out the frequency of the radio, usually done with swapping a crystal in the radio – two cars using the same frequency will run haywire, or at best, run together, which means bashing around with friends just doesn’t work. Of course, if all you’re doing is scrapping about in the yard, that doesn’t matter so much, but for anything else, make sure the frequency can be changed.

The Best RC Cars

Traxxas 37054-1 Rustler

Traxxas say they’re the #1 name in ‘RTR’ – Ready to Run RC cars, and the Traxxas 37054-1 is certainly well-specced up. This is kinda the middle of the road RC car, we’re not talking ‘toy’ cheap, but certainly not high-end (wait until you see the Traxxas XO-1).

Straight from the crate, it will run at around 22mph, and swapping out the pinion gear from the standard 16-tooth to the (included) 28-tooth gear will give you a top speed of around 35mph – it’s no slouch, that’s for sure. It’s also rather unique in that it has a ‘training mode’ which basically cuts the power in half, but keeps all the other functions (like brakes) the same. A useful mode for those that aren’t used to RC cars, or a bit out of touch.

All of the electronics are waterproof, so the car can run pretty much anywhere without fear of damaging anything, or worse still, losing control. A 3,000mAh battery gives a relatively long runtime, and the smart rapid charger (as much as 10x faster than some of the competition) are included.

There are some limited tuning options – the shocks are oil filled, so by changing the oil viscosity you can change the suspension, of course steering and geometry are tunable, but this car is aimed at the people that just want to bash around, rather than getting in to full tuning setups.

My number one choice for the all-rounder.

Redcat Racing EPX Drift Car

This is purely about drifting – this isn’t an all-rounder, although with some work and different tires it could be setup for just about anything, don’t buy this car unless you specifically want to get in to RC drifting.

It has a poly-carbonate body (great for taking the odd knock or two), a completely waterproof ESC (Electronic Speed Control) and all-wheel drive. The tires have been specifically made for drifting – they do offer limited grip, but they help to control the car when you finally manage to perfect the full four-wheel drift round your furniture or yard.

Could do with a slightly bigger battery – it’s just 2,000mAh as standard, however as with most of these cars here, it’s all upgradeable, in fact, the Redcat comes with a complete catalog of fully upgradeable brushed aluminum parts.

#1 for simple drifting.

EpochAir Wall Climber & Stunt Car Toy

This is a novelty, a toy, and I’ve included it here as A) it’s very cheap and B) it climbs walls, hangs on to ceilings and rides on glass … this isn’t your average RC car. The design is simple – a small vacuum and almost sealed underbody means it can suck itself to the wall (providing it isn’t too bumpy), but should you just want to drive it normally, you can switch between wall or floor mode.

It can be charged either through the remote control with the built-in lead, or through a separate USB point (like on your computer). EpochAir also say that it does ‘stunts’, in reality what this means is that it can rotate through 360 degrees at the push of a button. It also has LED lighting at the front and rear, which changes depending on which way you’re driving.

All in, the kids will love driving it on the ceiling. This has to be the best choice for the little‘uns.

Traxxas XO-1 AWD Supercar

This just has to be the daddy of all RC cars, and not just because of the pricetag.

100+ mph performance.

Yes, you read that right, and it isn’t a typo – one hundred miles per hour. I feel like I need to say that again … ONE HUNDRED MILES PER HOUR. Oh, and I haven’t finished … it does that in UNDER 5 seconds (4.92 to be precise). To achieve this, Traxxas have fitted the XO-1 with all manner of cool stuff, including telemetry with real-time data sent to the specially developed ‘LINK’ app on your phone or tablet.

The app can show speed, battery voltage, RPM and temperature. Not only that, but it’s fitted with the Traxxas Stability Management system (believe me, you WILL need), a cush drive (for gentler starts), reinforced steel-gear differentials (which can be tuned through the use of different viscosity oils), steel CV driveshafts which are splined, aluminum C-hubs / steering knuckles / axle carriers and shock towers, and the biggest ‘big block’ brushless motor ever fitted to one of their cars.

Definitely, without doubt, my number one choice for … speed, technical gizmos, coolness … anything.

Traxxas 83044-4 Mustang GT Electric Racecar

Everything will seem a little … meh … after the XO-1, but the Mustang by Traxxas is still a pretty handy RC car, and it’s officially licensed by Ford, which means a lot of the details are correct … it’s more than a toy.

Still capable of 30+ mph (which is fast for an RC car, but … 100mph?), and uses the all-new 4-Tec 2.0 chassis which helps to keep the center of gravity low, and coupled with the aggressive street tires, this makes for a great all-rounder.

If you’re a Mustang or Ford person, then this is the must-have RC car, also add a few bucks on to the price because it doesn’t come with any battery or charger.

EXCEED-RC Electric Brushless Drift Star

Another drifter, and watching the videos about it will make you smile … the slo-mo, full opposite lock action is incredible.

Another RTR (Ready to Run), but that has lots of setup opportunities and customizable parts – the shocks for instance are threaded, which means you can adjust them just as you would a real set of coil-overs, the camber and toe are easily adjustable for the perfect handling, and the suspension arms are all lightweight – this has one purpose only – styling out those corners and bends.

It has purpose made, solid compound drifting tires, full four-wheel drive and high power brushless motor, with an extremely low center of gravity, this would definitely be my choice for a drifter.

EXCEED-RC MadDrift Limited Edition

Similar to the Drift Star, but just more … more power, more tuning, bigger and plenty of opportunity for setup; changing the oil in the differentials (which are easily reached) changes the entire nature of the car, full aluminum chassis, and brushless ESC (Electronic Speed Control) and motor.

The 3,300mAh battery gives plenty of run time, but EXCEED-RC have pared back the price a bit by not including any type of charger.

For me, I prefer the larger size, and like the fact that you can really change the setup, almost to a professional level, however, that could be the problem for the more inexperienced driver.

Prextex RC Police Car

Again, similar to the EpochAir, this really is just a toy, aimed at small children. The fact that the ‘siren’ wails about as loud as a genuine police car makes for great fun for the kids, not so much for their parents. Thankfully, the sound can be switched on or off from the remote control.

Has plenty of flashing lights to go with the siren, and by all accounts, it can take some pretty heavy abuse without breaking … a prerequisite for any children’s RC car.

So … Which One?

For me, of course I’d pick the crazy fast XO-1, but only if I had the room to use it … it’s not going to be something that you could max out in your yard, and even then, with plenty of room, I’d be very wary about driving it hard if there were people around – hit someone at 100 mph, and you’re facing legal action. Should also consider that it will easily go from 1 to a million pieces in the blink of an eye – get plenty of spares!