So you’ve been around the Sim Racing world a little bit now, enjoyed a couple of racing platforms/games and you feel it’s time to dig deeper and see what you can really push yourself to, and to do this you want to get off that computer chair, get the right posture and generally make it feel more like a drive/race. Well if this is the case, there will be no doubt that you’ve come across the term 8020,right?But what does it even mean?Searching brings back some great options of 8020 rigs, but if you’re anything like me you want to know why the name 8020 and what are the benefits. This article will hopefully help provide the insight you want and need.
What is an 8020 Sim Racing Rig?
The term 8020 refers to the type of aluminium framing that is used to create the rig framing and particularly the profile that is embedded into the aluminium. The oddest of things about this though, is that it’s rarely an 8020 profile on the frames any more, because as the sim racing has developed so has the framing and profiles embedded into the frames.
Why use an 8020 rig?
I can only imagine if you’re anything like me, the first wheel you purchased ended up destroying your desk. Did it come apart at the joints from the rapid left and right turning, or maybe if the desk wasnt strong enough, it may have even cracked the mdf/timber. The floor pedals where sliding all over the place as you stamped on the brake for that hairpin that just came out of no where, and the chair sliding across the room as you want more and more pressure on the accelerator.
If this sounds anything like you, and you’re thinking how much better can you get, well the performance gains you can make by not having a desk vibrate, pedals shifting and seats that seem to migrate away from the wheel and accelerator, then imagine it all being perfectly static. An 8020 rig, will most definitely have it’s benefits.
Benefits
So what are the benefits of having an 8020 sim racing rig?Strength has to be the first benefit, these rigs are built to last. They’re made from aluminium, and when used correctly this can be incredibly strong. Whether you do 10mile a year in your sim racing gear or 100,000 mile a year, an 8020 sim rig will last you a lot longer than any desk setup you can creatively put together.
They just look great! Showing off to a friend, imagine them coming over and you have a wheel attached to your desk where you’ve spilt orange soda and have a bunch of discs lying around, or have them come over and see a full sim racing rig? It has that curb appeal that says, get out and let me try.
Now touching on that movement we mentioned earlier, about seats sliding, pedals shifting and desks vibrating, well with an 8020 sim racing rig the equipment is really mounted on to it. There’s no way for the seat to slide back and you can configure a really good position for your racing equipment to be placed. It’s like a real car, once you have everything adjusted you don’t need to do it every time you get in, you just jump in an drive. Things just remain static, they don’t slide and slip, which I think is the biggest benefit of a good 8020 sim racing rig.
Costs
There are obviously some costs involved with this and therefore you either have to be very loose with money or be at the stage of wanting to really invest in your performance and fun. The costs can be measured in two ways, the financial one and the storage one. These things don’t simply fold up and get tucked away in the corner, they’re permanently on show, so having a garage, a man shed, large bedroom or a general recreation room is probably what’s going to be needed. There is no getting around this, mum doesn’t want it in the dining room and the wife doesn’t want it in the living room, so really factor in where this will live before you invest.
Below are some great examples of what can be purchased regarding the 8020 sim racing rigs.
PRIME Cockpit
https://www.gtomega.co.uk/products/prime-cockpit?variant=33509572804696
TR8020 Sim Rig
https://www.trakracer.co.uk/product/tr8020-black-tr80-simulator-kit-aluminium-profile-not-included/