Sunday, September 23, 2018

ProtoSimTech PT2 Pedals Mini Review


I've received my PT2 Pedals from ProtoSimTech and after building myself a new mounting box for them, setting the mechanical config and then calibrating the pedals using DIView, I've had the chance to turn a decent number of laps and can share my thoughts.

From the moment I bolted them onto the mounting box, I attempted to set my expectations with regards to how long it would take for me to adjust to them and get back to the pace and consistency I had previously with my Fanatec CSP V1's......

Amazingly it only took 2 laps before I was matching my previous times.

I'm seriously stunned. I'm no alien, but I'm pretty quick in a few different cars and found that I was right back on pace.

The brake is just incredible. I quickly realised that I was no longer even thinking about "how much to brake", just 100% instinct of edge of traction, and no thought required on "how" to react... just "react". It made me think that maybe I never had the setup of the loadcell in my CSP v1's dialed in correctly... because I still had a fair bit of travel with them; I had them rigged up such that my initial braking was movement + pressure, then I'd ease off the pressure for threshold braking. With the PT2's I have very minimal travel, just pure pressure.

The clutch is magical. Being able to configure it so that the bite point in sim is matched up with the change in tension in the pedal is just incredible.

I knew ProtoSimTech had a great product from the reviews I'd seen, and the build quality really lives up to the high standard which everyone raves about. Yet even with my high expectations I'm still stunned. Zero "buyers remorse". I can tell these pedals are going to deliver me many many years of joy.

Pro Mazda @ Road Atlanta

Saturday, September 1, 2018

ProtoSimTech PT2 Pedals

Stage 1 of my "this is getting serious" sim racing upgrades was a new PC built around an Intel i5 8600k and Nvidia 1080ti, which I've been running for a few months now. Stage 2's purchase has just been made; a set of the amazing PT2 Pedals from ProtoSimTech.


The fact that this latest batch of 46 sets sold out in under 2 minutes clearly explains how quickly these pedals have become well known for their quality. I can justify handing over a pretty decent chunk of cash because these should be the last pedals I ever need.

Next on the list is a direct drive wheelbase. I'm edging closer and closer to pre-ordering a Fanatec DD1....

2018 Season 3 and Le Mans 24hr

I had grand plans of really focusing on the Pro Mazda for iRacing 2018 Season 3, and did a decent job for the first half of the season..... then... not so much. Due to a number of factors I wasn't finding the time required to put in enough practice to give me the confidence to jump into races.

One thing which took my out of my usual practice schedule was the Le Mans 24 Hour event, which my team entered two cars in. I took the leading role in preparing our HPD entry and spent the two weeks leading up to the race putting in 16 hours and 370 laps of practice, building the setup for the team.

I ran the opening 4 stints of our team, having an excellent 3 hours of fun. I worked my way from our starting position of 7th up to 4th in class before making a stupid mistake and disabling the pit limiter as I left the pit box at the start of my final stint. I had to return to pit lane and serve the 15 second penalty for speeding. This dropped us back to 10th in class. I hustled our HPD back up to 7th before handing over to the rest of the team.

Alas about midway through the race an LMP1 car ran us over and we needed a tow and 15 minutes of repairs. This lost us 4 laps and any hope of fighting for a podium. Still, the team had a blast and it was great to finish the race, even if it was down in 13th.

For me personally it really highlighted how much I enjoy these endurance events. Not just the actual race session, but the focused preparation and practice involved too. The Petit Le Mans event is up next on October 7th, I think I'll be running in the Ferrari 488 GTE.