Sim racing cockpits

Not sure which one is yours? Let us help you choose.

Find your cockpit
A SPEC 282 in a living room with a white brick wall and a tall window, a small dog walking past
A 282 in an owner's living room.

Find your sim racing cockpit in five questions.

Where will your rig live?

  • 282 It stays set up and ready, in a room that's yours.

  • 177 When you're done, the seat comes out and the rig tucks into about 600 × 800 mm.

  • 177 When you're done, the seat comes out and the rig tucks into about 600 × 800 mm.

How committed are you to sim racing?

  • 282 The rig becomes a project you keep refining, like a modified car.

  • 177 Sit down and drive. No rig to look after.

  • 177 A pro driving position at the entry price.

Would you consider adding motion in the future?

  • 282 only The 282 is tried and tested to withstand motion platforms. The 177 can't take one.

  • 282 only The 282 is tried and tested to withstand motion platforms. The 177 can't take one.

  • Both Both drive well static. If motion ever happens, it goes on the 282.

  • 177 The 177 is built static and doesn't take motion.

What are you racing on now?

  • 177 Buy the rig once. Upgrade the wheelbase and pedals, keep the chassis.

  • 177 Buy the rig once. Upgrade the wheelbase and pedals, keep the chassis.

  • 177 Buy the rig once. Upgrade the wheelbase and pedals, keep the chassis.

  • 282 Step up to a system: triples, shifter, handbrake and motion bolt on, in matching colors.

Who else is in the picture?

Pick any.

  • Both The 177's seat reads as a chair and comes apart. The 282 takes two colors picked for the room.

  • Growth Kit The Growth Kit bolts on, and lifts off when it's your turn. It fits the SPEC 282 (540 mm inner width).

The SPEC 282 and the 177.

Photo: a 282 by the window.

SPEC 282

From $1,299

Your two colors, on a system that grows with you.

Fits you if you want motion, a room just for sim, or a setup that keeps growing.

Build your 282

Render: a 177 in Linen. Final finish shown at launch.

SPEC 177

From $299 · $599 complete

The chassis you buy once. It steps aside when you're done.

Fits you if it shares a room, or you'd rather buy the rig once and just drive.

See the 177

Sharing the room: the 177's seat reads as a chair and comes apart to store. The 282 takes two colors picked for the room.

SPEC 282 vs 177, at a glance.

SPEC 282 vs 177, at a glance.
SPEC 282Your pick SPEC 177Your pick
PriceFrom $1,299Set by your color pair $599 completeRig or seat alone from $299
IncludedFrame Frame and seat
SeatingGT · Formula GT · Formula · Euro truck
Not racingStays set up Seat comes out, rig tucks into about 600 × 800 mm
MotionTested with motion platforms Not for motion platforms
Grows intoTriples, shifter, handbrake, motion, in matching colors The same chassis, with a new wheelbase and pedals
Colors
  • Abyss Black
  • Frosted Silver
  • Titanium Mist
  • Heritage Green
  • Circuit Green
  • Amber Drift
  • Spectral Purple
  • Klein Horizon
  • Golden Apex
  • Obsidian Red
10 × 10, matte anodized
  • Indigo
  • Linen
Indigo or Linen
Wheelbase deck Same on both Fanatec · MOZA · Simagic · Simucube 3 · Asetek · Conspit · PXNSimucube 2 Sport, Pro and VRS: 282 only, with its front mount.Check your wheelbase

Sim racing cockpit questions.

What is a sim racing cockpit, or sim rig?

A sim racing cockpit, also called a sim rig, a racing sim cockpit or a racing simulator cockpit, is the frame that holds your wheelbase, pedals and seat in fixed positions, so the torque from the wheel and the force on the brake pedal go into the structure instead of a desk or a chair. SPEC makes two: the 282, an aluminum profile rig, and the 177, a compact sim racing cockpit with its seat included.

How much does a sim racing cockpit cost?

At SPEC, the 177 is $599 complete with its seat, or from $299 for the rig or the seat alone. The 282 frame starts at $1,299, set by the two colors you pick. Across the market, price mostly follows the frame material, the torque it is built to take, and what is included: a seat, mounts, a monitor stand.

Is it cheaper to buy or build a sim rig?

Building from raw aluminum extrusion can cost less in parts, if you have the tools and the time to design it, cut it and square it yourself. A finished cockpit arrives with that work done: a wheelbase deck, pedal and seat mounts that fit your hardware, and positions you can set again. The 282 sits in between. It is an aluminum profile rig you can keep adding to, with the design work already done.

What makes a good sim racing cockpit?

A frame that does not flex under a direct drive wheelbase or a load cell brake, a wheelbase deck that fits your base, a seating position that matches how you drive, and a footprint that works in your room. Both SPEC cockpits take direct drive bases of 27 Nm and more. The 282 adds motion and a system you keep building. The 177 adds its seat, a Euro truck position, and a smaller footprint when you are done.

How much space does a sim rig need?

The 282 frame is 641 × 1300 × 760 mm (25 1/4 × 51 3/16 × 29 15/16 in), not counting the monitor mount. Add the depth of a free-standing monitor stand if you run one. In use, the 177 takes about the same floor. When you are done, its seat comes out and the rig tucks into about 600 × 800 mm.

Do I need a cockpit for a direct drive wheelbase?

In practice, yes. A direct drive wheelbase puts strong, fast torque into whatever it is clamped to, and a desk or folding stand flexes under it. Both SPEC cockpits take direct drive bases of 27 Nm and more.

Can a sim racing cockpit take a motion platform?

The 282 can. Its extrusion is tested to withstand motion platforms, with double T-slots and two center bores that carry direct drive loads beyond 30 Nm. The 177 is built static and does not take a motion platform.

Which is better for a small room, the 282 or the 177?

Usually the 177, if the room is shared. When you are not driving, the seat comes out and the rig tucks into about 600 × 800 mm; in use it takes about the same floor as the 282. The 282 stays set up: its frame is 641 × 1300 × 760 mm (25 1/4 × 51 3/16 × 29 15/16 in), not counting the monitor mount.

Pick the one that fits your room.

Or see The 282 System