I’ve been sim racing for 3 years — these are the 15 Black Friday deals I’d buy to get a competitive edge

When it comes to cheap sim wheels, there are many brands that do one specific thing well. But for a good balance of wheel aesthetics, performance, button placement and detail of force feedback, I loved the Logitech G29 for all of this when I first started.

At $199, this is an impressively versatile chair for small home dwellers. The seating position is comfortable, and the screw-on plate fits all kinds of wheels from the G29 above to more expensive Direct Drive options, and it can be conveniently folded flat for easy storage.

I’m not saying this is a racing sim that is just for beginners. Intermediate and advanced racers alike can really make the most of Gran Turismo 7. But from auto drive functionality to the visual aids like braking zones and a racing line, this is certainly one of the most accessible games in terms of teaching you the fundamentals of good racing.

Yes, there are sim shoes and sim socks aplenty, but at this level, they’re a waste of money. You’ll get far more usage out of just buying a cheap pair of grippy socks. These are the ones I used for well over 2 years.

So far I’ve raced around 500 miles with the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race wheel, and for this new low price, it’s an easy upgrade. The direct drive force feedback has a nice level of detail, the pedals feel great (shout-out to the load-cell brake pedal for more nuanced control), and the included control unit gives you many more switches for changing your car’s performance mid-race.

Whether you are a rally enthusiast or are looking for a cheap way to get into the Fanatec ecosystem, this is a great way to go! The CSL DD wheel base packs 5nm of torque, which brings plenty of strength along with attention to the finer details of car feedback. Plus that full circular rally wheel is essential for wrestling a Ford Focus around the dirt tracks of Monte Carlo.

After my time with Gran Turismo 7, I stepped up to ACC. The difficulty curve can be brutal but rewarding, while the multiplayer lobbies take this stuff seriously. So be prepared for a real challenge in some incredible-sounding machinery from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

At this point, relying on just your hands may prove to be problematic — especially in the sweatier endurance races that can leave your mitts slipping all over the wheel. My personal choice for grippiness and breathability of materials are the Sim Hound Gloves or Sparco Meca 3. Since the former is $7 off right now, that would be my go-to recommendation.

If you tried to fix a super strong direct drive wheel onto the PlaySeat Challenge, the force feedback ends up rattling the entire chair. Instead, you need something far sturdier. For the price of PlaySeat Evolution, this is a great option to get for comfort over long races and durability against even the strongest forces of wheels.

In my Logitech G Pro wheel review, I called it the best driving experience. The 11nm of direct drive torque is pretty much 1:1 in racing realism, the button placement is so effective for getting into the detailed controls of your car without looking, and the granular detail of that force feedback gives you every single indication of whether you’re oversteering or understeering. To finish the set, the G Pro pedals (especially the load cell brake) feel phenomenal.

iRacing is the top of the mountain when it comes to racing sims (in my opinion). It is truly punishing, and you’ll spend the first few hours questioning whether racing is really for you. But once you get into the flow of it and join some competitive leagues, you’ll never look back. Oh, and making it a subscription service means that you will very rarely meet a bad egg on the racing servers. This is nothing but pure professional racing in the most enjoyable way possible.

Motorsport shoes are essential at this point for one key reason — heel protection. During endurance races, if your heel is constantly at an awkward angle against the pedal without any support, it can cause fatigue. My go-to favorite shoes for this are the Puma Drift Cat Decimas, which are dirt cheap right now.

OK, so here’s where we get into the big ticket items. That price may be big, but trust me when I say you’re getting some real bang for your buck. Asetek is one of the big names in sim racing tech, and the La Prima hub is arguably one of the best in the business with 12nm of torque with a 22-bit encoder to detect even the tiniest of inputs. Make sure you pair this with the Formula Steering wheel (which is $33 off right now).

What good is a wheelbase and wheel without pedals? Asetek’s Forte Pedals are compatible with the La Prima wheelbase, and they bring some incredible tech for racing realism — including a mechanical load cell pedal system for ultimate immersion that simulates the sensation of a real car without the need for hydraulics.

With a low seating position that is comfortable for even the longest of endurance races, this low profile seat takes up minimal room while being a flex-free frame for even the strongest of direct drive wheels and pedals. It has been developed in conjunction with F1 drivers and teams for the perfect posture, and the seat itself is made from a high quality leather-like vinyl.