Advice needed due handicap

Hi Guys,

need some advice due a handicap on my right knee and right wrist , its little limited in movement and cause after few minutes driving a problem in focussing and driving "normal"

got an g27 and got the feeling the wheel is to "small", or my hands are to big, but its like i have to squeeze all time and nerves and mucles are fast tired , so i cant drive long or due race sessions anymore.... the knee well same issue , very fast tired , but got the feeling maybe a seating change or pedal mod, like i read to change the pedals like a real car,

anyone have some experience with thoose things..? reading on internet and real time experience is still a big difference,

found online different setups of race seats sims, i dont mind the price (in future) but i still have the feeling i need a custom sim rig build around my "handicap" limits

wanna back enjoy racing , i life for that

Greetings ,

Dave

 

If money isn't a problem, there are hundreds of solutions for you to look into that should help you out. Everything from a fully adjustable cockpit to Fanatic pedals to a Thrustmaster or Fanatec wheel base with a real steering wheel attached.

In the meantime try to loosen your grip on the wheel, maybe even lower the FFB gain if needed.

 

If your hands are super massive maybe use some foam tube and give the wheel a little more thickness.



This kind of stuff. You can get it in various thicknesses.

P.S. As for the knee the only thing I can think of is maybe some pressure bandage or a **** load of beer/wine/spirit (other illegal substances are available).

 

Gloves can help a lot with the hands, too. I figured that out while karting, and it is nice in simracing, too. Both share relatively small wheels usually, and especially there, combined with bigger hands, gloves can give you a benefit, in the same way as the foam tube posted by Horus would do.

Maybe figure out something like that for the feet, too. I have some slippers my mom made me, with a very soft sole and some woolen softshell concept, they are utterly comfortable and precise for simming.

For the feet some custom flipped pedal DIY solution might be better, too, with the pedals hanging from above. I haven´t used my G25 pedals in stock mode, as I got it used and for a very good price, but without the stock pedal housing. A search for G25 / G27 inverted pedals will come up with loads of solutions. I think with the flipped pedals you can work with your foot more than with the whole leg on the stock setup. And if your left leg gets tired, create yourself a footrest next to the clutch, where you can put your clutch foot when not in use, like in a real car, very nice to have, too.

This is how I built it, got the plates allready cut from the department store, assembly was like an hour in total, and about 30$. Could give you details if interested.

 

Regarding your wrist, you can drive effectively with reduced pronosupination if you handle the wheel at 9:15 with the tumbs on the cross section and move it like you wipe up a plate. That's how we are supposed to drive anyway.^^ Reduce the FFB especially if you reduce the steering ratio. Perhaps a strapping may help with the fatigue; better ask a physio about that.

 

I`m using fingerless gloves that are thicker on palm areas (for cycling or fitness) and that helps

For pedals perhaps try to experiment with pedal position and angle ... with my setup my legs are more extended

like this but my butt is higher than my legs and it is more comfortable and puts less stress on my body

 

To me with really bad knees, due sports injuries, it was essential to find a good position for pedals. Not too close or far so I can keep my legs as relaxed as possible. Luckily I don't like strong ffb as that would be a killer for my shoulders and upper back.

But in any case I can't drive more than an hour in one go without risking to be totally f'd up for days.

Edit. Forgot to mention that starting to use gloves was really good decision to me as I can maintain the grip of the wheel with the less strenght.

 

Hi Guys,

in advance many thx for the tips, will try thoose out, went allready to a bike shop and have some gloves with extra gel inside for the hand palms, helps allready the grip on the steering wheel, not 100% but much better, will try also the foam , to see or feel a difference
about the leg part, well i noticed also more and more the F1 driving position is more relaxed than just "normal" sitting in a car... (or simrig) so i tried that yesterday and felt better, but have to build a custom pedal set like Mr.Mugel,

my question about the pedals, did someone swapped them , like brake and clutch, i know its strange question, but i give me a little more relaxing in the legs and more reaction speed, right foot GAS, left foot BRAKE, and left foot for the CLUTCH, which i hardly use....just for a race session to start at the light, so its a small compromise or is everyone still using it like a car pedal setup? or did you guys adjust the space between every pedal, ? the heal toe stuff isnt for me (yet)

Mr Mugel, if you want i like that you share your pedal custom box system setup, like it very much and can use this as a very good base...

the ffb i adjust now with the app for it , dont kike it yet, cuz less ffb give a spongy light weight steering wheel in center but it helps the reduce pain in the wrist, and like a tip im using a bandage for the wrist ,but than the thumb is in the way to shift lol because it keeps that finger very stiff , but the mountainbike gloves with gel helps a lot , ow 1 thing, how is the baseplate and wheel angle for most of you ? if i put just the steering wheel and clampt it on the desk, the angle is more looking to hte screen and feels like the wrist is a little unnatural , any ideas of this or a tweaking advice, tried to put some stuff underneath so the seering wheel in more straight from top to bottom if you look from upside... hopelly i described it correct ....

greetings Dave

 

I've found that with more practice muscle fatigue becomes less of an issue. There's a certain amount of the body adapting building up muscles and so on, but I also found the better I get, the less overdriving I do. I did a 2 hour endurance race recently and it was no harder than the usual hour long race because I'd gotten into zone and every lap was the same as the last, my turning was smoother which meant less countersteering and rapid corrections which just make arms dead.

Using sequential gears there's no reason why you couldn't swap the clutch/brake as the clutch isn't used. You could flip the clutch in AC settings (so fully pressed is actually off) and tape it down out of the way.

 

Turk, if you do not want to use the clutch you can clear the setting in game and then the pedal is not recognized.

 

The physical clutch might get in the way though which is why I said it might be worth tapping it down. Or switch to a fanatec set and take it out completely. But ya, just clearing it would probably make more sense.

 

Well, as you wanted more info, here you go. There are lots of alternatives though, some look nicer, some are even sturdier (haven´t had issues there, though), but I wanted it in a simple way as I have almost no power tools or room to work here in my single room appartment.

Spoiler: Building instructions, click me!

What´s needed:

Plates (Used 16mm chipboards):

1x 650 x 460mm (floor plate)
1x 350 x 300mm (left side)
1x 350 x 200mm (right side)
1x 250 x 460mm (cover plate)
1x 350 x 428mm (pedal plate, instead 428 you can use 460-2 x t with t being the thickness of the plates, it needs to fit in between)
1x 120 x 270mm (footrest)

Take the baseplate and screw the sideplates on with woodscrews from below. Make sure they do not stand over the wood or it will scratch your floor. For sensitive floors, it would be best to apply the little protective woolen patches. The shaded part on the right might need shortening later, depending on how far from the wall you want the pedals to be placed. Got a new chair this week and need to shorten mine now.



Now that the sides are standing on the baseplate, you can mount the pedal plate and footrest between them. First the pedal plate, I have mine with an angle of about 65° and am quite happy with it. Maybe apply some clamps first and try out different positions, should be comfortable for yourself. You can even mount the pedals allready if you want to, to be able to try it better. Than when you are happy, use woodscrews from the outside of the sideplates again to mount the pedal plate. The footrest is slightly more tricky if you want to stabilize it with an extra hinge at the top between the footrest and the pedal plate. If you want to do that, do it first, because you won´t be able to drill there later. I have a hinge at the top, with 2 very short (10mm) woodscrews, attached to the footrest first, and than, attaching it to the pedal plate with 2 more 10mm woodscrews. If this is hinged, apply longer woodscrews from the outside of the left plate into the footrest. Should give you something like this:



Now, if you haven´t done before, drill the holes and attach your pedals, try out different combinations and gaps between the pedals but don´t sweat it, you won´t probably be comfortable with the first setup, had to redrill mine twice to make them fit in a way which I like.
Finally apply to top plate, that one isn´t really necessary, but I wanted it to mount a cushion ontop so I can rest me feet up there when not driving. Applied some general black paint, some cut-out carpet pieces and there I was, ready to race.



If there are more questions, ask me here, or shoot me a private message. You need some simple craftmenship skills, but it´s definitifely not rocket science.

 

thx Mr Mugel