Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “I Raced in Real Life vs Gaming”.
I love racing games, but how close is a controller compared to this or that ( car engine revs ) (, catchy music ). Today we are testing to see if a racing sim can hold its own against an actual car on a real racetrack.. So to kick things off, we are here at our fine sponsor Micro Center Tustin location to actually acquire our sim racing gear., So Micro Center. They have massively improved the amount of stuff that they have here.. I mean they have aisles of gear that you can go everything from a very basic first time, simulator setup to something which is honestly like this., It’s $ 7,000.
But it’s gon na give you a fairly close representation of what it’s like to drive an actual race car on a real track. For years now Ken has been pitching me on why we should build a high-end racing, simulator setup.. Now I’m a huge fan of track days where they’re, expensive, they’re time-consuming. I always break something..
So if you could build something which could largely emulate that experience, except from the comfort of your own home and with zero of the danger of ( throat, clears ) wrecking your wheels again well boy, oh boy, would that be a great idea? Micro Center does have a premium sim racing bundle. I mean this is too good of a deal not to get right. I mean we’re doing the video.. We got ta see how realistic a multiple thousand-dollar simulator setup is compared to the real thing..
I kind of got ta go all out right, Wow, what an experience just jumping into something like this., Now mind you, I’m going on a fairly slow race car and what I’m feeling through the actual steering wheel, the amount of like force I have to put on The brake pedal as I hop on the brakes. It’S like I can actually feel like the car getting loose in my hands., Okay. I got some practice to do, but I’m totally sold man..
This is absolutely it., ( Ken laughs ) After spending days to build test and tune our setup. It’S time to take this entire rig to the racetrack, to see how well that performs against the real thing.. Welcome to Big Willow at Willow Springs International Raceway., So Ken and I have been here many many times, but across that side to Streets of Willow and up the hill with Big Willow, which we shot a video last year..
This is our first time ever on the big track: itself., It’s all ours for the day.. So today we’re going to be taking my Audi RS 3 head-to-head with the RS 3 in “ iRacing”. Now it’s not exactly the same thing.
The car in “. Iracing” is a legitimate race car which is going to be lighter. It’S gon na be faster in the corners, but importantly, I have significantly more power. We’re talking like 350 in the game. I’m pushing about 500 to the wheels..
I still think the race car will be faster, but we might get kind of close. Core takeaway is Austin, has done a lot of practicing regardless to get the layout of the track.. So now, let’s actually see what the differences are. And not wreck my car’cause.
I don’t have a reset button in real life. ( car engine, revs ), Oh geez, your launch control is oh Jesus.. This part. I love this part., It’s so like wonderful, sweeping., [ Ken ].
The road car is definitely not as grippy, and you definitely No. feel the weight, but it is holding its own though.. I think your power advantage might actually help even things out a bit. Here’s. The thing, though, I don’t have the bravery., I’m going so much slower right now than I am in the sim.. I can already tell.
Ooh. ( car tires screech ) Yeah. Those Cup 2s are definitely complaining. Yeah yeah yeah.
versus the racing slicks on the “ iRacing” car. [, Austin ]. Now that I’ve done my first practice laps, it is time to jump on the simulator and see how well it compares. Funny enough the setup, ( laughs ) is right.
Here. All right. My friends welcome to our racing simulator setup at the actual racetrack.. So let me walk you through it real quick before we actually jump on. Because we’re using “ iRacing”, you actually don’t need an enormous amount of horsepower, but this is a very high-spec pc. So it’s all-AMD.
So we’re using a Ryzen 9 7950X, as well as our Radeon 7900 XTX., We’re also using an LG UltraGear 45”, which is a terrific curved OLED display that runs at 240 Hertz., Something we can easily hit in “ iRacing”. As far as the Micro Center premium sim bundle itself, it includes a lot, including the Simucube 2 Pro Base paired with the GSI Formula Pro Elite Wheel, which these two together are a ton of the actual functionality and specifically the feel of the car.. And on top of that is paired with the Heusinkveld Sprint 3 Pedals, which are phenomenal. The TK Racing P1 Pro chassis.
And we’ve opted to add a Pista Gaming Racing Seat, specifically the Tony Kanaan Edition.. So I know that there’s like a huge amount of customization that we can do on the sim. Like what do you think we should be doing to try to get more out of the sim so that we can actually do the one-to-one with the actual car? I mean a lot of. It is like actually now that you have your car here and are driving it back to back with the sim little things like seat position or like pedal placement.
And then obviously there are settings in the game and the individual software. For our wheel, our base, and also our pedals, to kind of fine-tune all that as well., I actually have a couple of ideas on how I can tweak the sim to be just a little bit more realistic.. Let’S start off by putting a few laps in with the simulator., I’m also going to try with an Xbox One controller, since it’s just simply the thing I’m most comfortable, with.
And then we’re gon na go out on the actual track.. I’M gon na put a real lap time down in my car to see how realistic this entire setup is.. So you know what back to back first impressions are, is that it actually is relatively close.. Now the race car has a lot more grip than my car..
Like not even close at how much more speed I can take to a lot of these corners, but I will say that the feedback and game from the wheel is surprisingly better than in my actual real car, which is not something I expected., I will say, “ Iracing” does a terrific job of modeling this track., Like it, really feels exactly like the actual real track.. One of the things I have a problem with is, I have a tendency to push really hard in the sim because I know I can but in the real world. Obviously I don’t want to wreck my car or break anything right. So it’s actually a really interesting balance of how both of these combined actually kind of make me. I think, a better driver realistically., Like I’m glad that I’ve actually had both of these.
Three two one We’re ahead by 1/100th of a second.. Let’S go Wait! That was a 1:26. That was a 1:26.1.. That’S my fastest lap. I’Ve ever done in “ iRacing”, With my lap time set in the simulator, I’m curious.. How fast am I with the controller? Now I will say the Xbox controller might have an actual decent shot here.
Mostly because I spend a lot of time playing, “, Forza” and “ Gran Turismo” and the vast majority of my racing games have been using the controller. Dude. It’S really hard to be as precise with the controller. Like, I feel, like I’m sawing back and forth on the wheel, so much.
What’s going on is basically when I overcook it, then I’m having to like get way off the throttle and the brake to kind of Compensate which is losing me so much time., No, no, no, no, no (, laughs, ), I’m like two seconds slower with the controller. For me. Personally, I think the wheel is faster, which it shouldn’t be a surprise..
Obviously this is an expensive setup, but it’s not just this sort of the detail that you get with it.. It’S also just the fact that I’ve got that feedback and that it sort of really engages my brain in a different way when I’m having to physically fight the wheel and really stomp on the pedal., Like it’s sort of it’s hard to describe it., It really sort Of engages my brain in a way that the controller is almost a little bit like autopilot., But in a more realistic simulator like “ iRacing”, you do need that level of fidelity and detail’cause. It’S not doing any of the assists for you. Like you’ve got ta drive the car yourself, which is a great segue to me, driving my own car and trying to beat a 1:26 or a 1:28 or a 1:35. ( upbeat music ) All right, my friends. It is time to hit the track for real. [ Announcer ], Five, four, three: two One. ( car engine, revs ), [, Austin ].
That was good. That was good.. I like that. I like that., The tail does not wan na stay tight, that’s fine. Hard break! Now shift to fourth.
– Oh God, I’m so slow, Oh, my God, I’m so slow.. That was a 1:40.8. I’m over 10 seconds, slower Ugh.. I know I can get closer than that.. Let the tail come out.
Power, power, power, baby. Swing, wide, again., More power through here way, more aggressive, line. Brake get down. Where’s the apex Where’s, the apex – I probably missed it back there somewhere. All right.
I’M gon na slow down a little bit., I’m gon na. Just be ballsy., I’m gon na be ballsy. ( car engine, revs ), There’s more time., ( tense, music, ) And where’s. My apex Where’s, my apex, There’s the apex Woo All right. That was a lot faster.. Ah I could shave more time..
I know that. [ Ken ] How’d. It go 1:38., (, laughs, ) 1:38., I’m 12 seconds slower than the sim and 10 seconds slower than the controller.. I will say, driver error is part of that.
But the bigger thing is how much more speed the race car can take.. I guess I went into this thinking that the car was gon na be a way better experience.. I knew that the race car was gon na be faster..
I thought it was gon na. Be maybe a little bit more competitive with the car., But in reality, while I still if everything else was equal and I had a track and everything all day long, I would still wan na do the track., But this is expensive not only for track time. Also for tires. Like this is a very, very expensive hobby. And when you look at a sim setup, it actually kind of justifies itself a little bit if it means that you could be better prepared for your actual track days or maybe prepared for your first one.. I’M gon na do a couple more laps see if I can get any closer’cause.
I did only two hot laps.. I did 1:40 and then I did 1:38. Well there.
He goes. The boy racer himself, Austin Evans., One more time. One more shot at this.. I can do this., I’m not gon na end up in the dirt either. (, steady, music, ), ( car engine, revs ); Oh, come on. Grip, up grip, up grip, up grip up grip up grip, up., Woo, (, laughs; ), I’m cooking it., I’m cooking! It man.! No, no no.
Abort abort.. Okay, that’s fine! That’S fine. Too fast, too aggressive, not smooth, enough., I’ve cooked it too hard.. I was just overdriving the car.. I need to be a little bit calmer, but I have one lap.. This is it.
All right. Let’S go.! Let’S smooth it through here. Get down a little bit..
No, that wasn’t great. Whoa. That’S not it! That’S not it. ( car engine, revs )! I did another 1:38 ( laughs ). I did another one., Oh my God. Dude I’ve done four fast laps, two of which are the exact same.. No, No, Ah, that’s it. It’S a wrap.! That’S the end of the day.. I noticed that the tires were warm right Like definitely the tires have not been able to properly cool off, but that that’s not an excuse.
Like I was overdriving the car. I mean look. This is incredibly cool.
Like it is incredibly cool to be able to have this opportunity, and it really gives me the motivation to be better. Like I’m not trash, but I’m just not where I should be. Look.
I did not do as well as I had hoped today, but on the bright side I was able to go onto a track for the very first time. And with the learnings I had from the simulator. I actually give myself a pretty good sort of basis to start.. I am really impressed with how far sim racing has come in the last few years. Since I built my last setup., I mean this stuff is so incredibly high-end and detailed., But the great thing is Micro Center. Is your number one shop for everything racing sim-related., Whether you wan na go with the premium bundle like this or you wan na get something? That’S a little bit more entry level. Micro Center is absolutely your one-stop shop. And speaking of being a one-stop shop they’re. Also opening a brand new store in Charlotte North Carolina early 2024.
So definitely be sure to keep an eye out for that.. They also have some other deals. You’Ll have linked in the description, including the Ender, 3 3D Printer for $ 100 or $ 99. If you wan na be specific available only if you’re a new customer., But thank you very much for watching.. Thank you very much to Micro Center for sponsoring this video.
And if you’ll excuse me, I’m gon na get some seat time in the simulator at home. So next time I come to the track I’ll be better’cause. I need to be faster.. I am speed.
( car engine, revs ) .