FAQ
Are Simulators all the same… no!
Buying the most expensive, famous or on trend components does not guarantee a good simulator. The combination, timing and most importantly the fine tuning detail is what separates a gaming rig from a simulator.
Our simulators are built for one purpose only, to help our customers be better, faster, safer drivers by delivering genuine logical feedback from which you can only gain... just like a real car but without the consequences!
Is delivery, installation and training included with complete simulator purchases?
Subject only to a pre-agreed mileage fee or international travel costs, the answer is yes, delivery and installation are included in the price. No extra labour or transit costs.
Our simulators are not toys, they are purpose built training tools. Yes, your children and friends can drive on them, but we need to be sure each one is installed correctly and set up for your expressed use.What level of support do I get?
We are a small business and as such our future relies on reputation and recommendation. As such we will help and advise accordingly on any products purchased through Sim Dynamics. If you purchase a PC we will support you through set up with hardware and ongoing use, if you purchase a piece of basic hardware we will guide you through installation.
For customers of our complete simulators support extends to online remote PC support for 12 months from purchase and in particular cases we will even revisit. Servicing our simulators is charged at £350+VAT per visit after 12 months and for DIY or other built simulators the fee is £450+VAT and parts.
What is the difference between your standard and option hardware?
The option hardware is about personal choice. Some people do not have space for triple 32” monitors, some people do not need what the ultimate pedal sets offer and so on. The options allow personalisation based on budget and objectives. Customers are advised to contact us to discuss details.
Why should I buy a ready built sim PC or simulator?
A simulator is a highly complex combination of hardware running through Windows software. Whilst most parts will plug and work, very few elements of a simulator are literally plug and play. The internet is overflowing with problems and solutions for simulators. We have built identical hardware that have required different solutions
Buying ready built saves you time and guarantees a simulated experience not a gaming rig that constantly takes up research time and still doesn’t feel good.
What if I want to upgrade hardware in the future?
In essence you can change anything you want in stages!
We only use modular products from the likes of Fanatec, Scan, Heusinkveld and rSeat. So the steering wheel your simulator comes with can be changed from an F1 style rim to a GT style rim of varying designs and then those same rims can be used on upgraded steering base units. We can even upgrade your existing PC, we start with a high end motherboard for this reason!
Everything can be upgraded other than the base chassis although this can have items added. We do however use one of the strongest chassis designs on the market so it is a very good base for anything, even Direct Drive steering.
If you choose to change a wheel, wheel base, pedals or even convert from monitors to VR in the future we can supply the hardware which would automatically include our support for this to happen cleanly. You are welcome to source these parts yourself although we cannot support customers who have upgraded privately without consulting and agreeing support with us first with confirmation from us via email.
Tax and international sales
All prices quoted include UK VAT at 20%
For European business purchasers please contact us and we can amend your invoice accordingly.
International sales are subject to import duties and the prevailing tax laws.
What do I need to own a Sim Dynamics Simulator?
You need a dry clean environment (dust and damp can cause long term issues).
You will need a minimum of 6ft x 6ft of space, a minimum 6 pin multi plug with power surge protection, mains power supply and either WiFi or LAN for internet connection.
The perfect setting has a solid non-carpeted floor, no direct sunlight onto the simulator and the ability to make the room dark.
Will it make me feel motion sick?
Typical causes of nausea from a simulator are visual related. If you have an inner ear condition that can affect your balance or an eye condition beyond normal distance requirements then yes, you may experience nausea with any monitor type. Typically though there is a solution for most people.
The most common nausea-inducing media is a Virtual Reality setup. VR can make experienced drivers feel very ill but there are no pre-use signs that this will affect you until you use it.
They are not like the real thing!
A simulator requires pure clean driving. There are no costly consequences and no seat of the pants additional warning. As a result simulators highlight how much a driver uses the thrills and fear of speed to dictate their driving approach.
A professional driver gets a thrill from control over the car, timing their driving inputs with focus and feel, controlling their environment. A simulator requires exactly this adjustment in approach.
Some very fast "old school" drivers don't get on with simulators, but the fact is the drivers that always deliver in any car do use simulators! The difference, the very best drivers are pure and clear in their driving focus not just brave and experienced!
What about Virtual Reality (VR)?
VR is simply amazing and is clearly the future of simulations. However, it is still in the early stages of its development by the manufacturers and that means we must highlight a few thoughts for your potential ownership.
1. Yes it is ultra-immersive and in certain car types will feel like you are actually there, particularly in open top car races. However, the image in the VR head set is much more obviously pixilated than on a monitor.
2. The pixilation of the image (put your eye right up against a TV for an idea of what we mean) ultimately reduces the depth of the image. You won’t be able to see apexes in VR as early as you will on a monitor and some written words can be harder to read.
3. VR can be a little fiddly to use particularly when trying to set up a car.
4. VR can make some people feel nauseous. A lot of this can be managed by using VR correctly but it still affects some people.
5. The PC needs to be much more powerful to run VR than 3 monitors and this increases the cost significantly. Plus of course a decent monitor is still required for normal use.
We have done a lot of work to simplify and perfect the hardware but the above compromises still exist.
HOWEVER, the plus side to VR is less space is required for the simulator and if you can set aside the pixilation with vision depth loss and the fiddly nature of some of its use, VR becomes a very exciting tool to use.
Why don't you supply motion simulators?
We can offer motion and it is very impressive, however, the cost increase is very significant and relative to value as a training asset is actually a hard one for us to justify to any customer. Lewis Hamilton as you can imagine has access to the best simulators money can buy, yet even he concurs motion is not offering any real world value.
Motion is nice for a game seat and perhaps to impress friends and people who don’t actually know what race cars feel like on the limit, it adds very little to the value of simulators as it simply cannot replicate sustained G force or yaw. All motion can offer is another immersive dimension which is why it will feel impressive at first. Within minutes of use, any experienced driver will report back that they are not using the motion to give them the feel for the simulated car, they are using the controls.
What software do you use?
We only use simulation titles that are focused on real world feel that we can adapt to make the cars feel correct. Like any product software writing is a balancing act, there is only so much information, money and time that can be spent on development so it needs a direction in build. Some titles are focused on amazing graphics and some on amazing physics. We choose titles focused on physics.
Our choices in no particular order are Assetto Corsa, rFactor2 and if online racing is your thing, iRacing. We do however regularly review other options.
The title we supply with your simulator is based on your request or our experience of achieving your goals. No one title does everything brilliantly but with experience one of the three will deliver.
We only supply a maximum of two titles based on your goals, although the PC can easily handle all of them!
Can I get into eRacing with my simulator?
Absolutely you can! Our simulators will have you ready to go competitively from the start!
Sim Dynamics will be running some customer race and test rooms in the near future in addition there is a huge choice of online racing leagues.