simucube setup

Setting your Simucube Profiles for iRacing, Assetto Corsa and more 5

One of the most exciting parts of direct drive wheelbase ownership is getting the FFB set up correctly. Or, in Simucube terms: the profile.

Force Feedback (FFB) is a subjective thing indeed. Most drivers have their own, carefully tweaked profiles, uniquely tuned for the sim racing software they’re using and the car itself. Some drivers like a smoother level of FFB and others like a grainier feel, with all the little bumps and vibrations of the track details felt through the wheel.

Kit list: Ascher Racing F28-SC, Simucube 2 Pro, Sim Lab P1-X (source)

 

Personally, I like FFB set at around 13 to 15Nm, with an emphasis on track detail and those all-important opposing forces to tell me when my car is rotating.

Learning about Force Feedback effects

We’ve already covered the process of setting up the Simucube 2 Pro, from installation to profile setup in our guide to the product. In it, we cover installing the excellent TrueDrive software (get the latest version at Granite Devices here), updating your wheelbase firmware and getting started with profiles.

But it does help to understand what Force Feedback actually is. For an explainer on what FFB is, how it works and a useful approach to setting it up from scratch, try this post about FFB at simracingcockpit.com.

I say “advanced” because TrueDrive has a simple mode too, which for 95% of situations is absolutely enough for you to tune your FFB profile.

Simple vs Advanced mode in TrueDrive

Simucube TrueDrive software has a useful “simple” mode, which as a beginner is more than enough to get started. In simple mode, you have Overall strength which controls the maximum torque in Nm, Steering Range, the total allowance for rotation of the wheel, Smoothness (Reconstruction Filter and Slew Rate Limit combined) and Damping (a setting that affects Damping, Friction, and Inertia filters together).

TrueDrive in Simple Mode
TrueDrive in Simple Mode

Adjusting Overall strength

With higher torque wheels, it’s almost a given that you won’t want the full 25Nm of torque to contend with at every corner. Further, high torque levels can come with consequences for the beginner when there is an incident. A good mantra for setting up a DD wheelbase is to get the settings right in your sim software first, and fine-tune in the wheelbase settings after. In the case of setting overall strength, I tend to use 15Nm max.

Adjusting Smoothness

The smoothness settings reduce the graininess and noise of the Force Feedback feel. A smoother setting will take away some of the smaller details, but your wheelbase will work quietly and (as the setting implies!) will feel smoother. A lower smoothness setting gives you much more track and kerb detail but it will make the wheel more active and can show non-ideal FFB effects such as a grainy feel and even audible sound from the wheel in various simulator titles. Personally, I like a little bit of that grainy feel, particularly in GTE class cars like the Porsche 911 RSR in iRacing.

Adjusting Damping

The Damping setting changes the amplitude of the overall FFB effect produced by the sim software. It also controls the feeling of weight in the steering rack. By increasing the damping setting, you’ll get less of an effect intensity and you’ll dial out any unintended oscillations. Reducing the damping will result in more track feel but can make the wheel feel, busier. I like a lower damping setting!

Advanced Mode Profiles

If you’ve done your homework, read the FFB setup article and watched Will’s video, you should probably feel ready to tackle an FFB profile setup in Advanced Mode. Like everything in sim racing, there’s an approach to getting your settings right which can take time. Here are a few options for you to get started.

Start with the default profile and tune it

Here’s an example of all of the tuning variables in TrueDrive, and my Simucube profile for the global Mazda MX5 series in iRacing. My approach was to create a copy of Simucube’s default iRacing profile and tune each setting individually:

iracing MX5 profile for Simucube 2 Pro

There’s quite a lot to take in here – and what I found is that starting with one of the Simucube default profiles for iRacing means you’ll quickly progress in finding the right settings. Generally, the defaults tend to be set to a low overall strength setting.

GheeD’s settings

These settings from Finish sim racing champion GheeD work well in most situations for iRacing:

Simucube FFB profile

Note that he sets iRacing’s Max force very high, and dials down that FFB level in TrueDrive to give 15Nm of torque max. The approach here is to let iRacing’s FFB do all the work and use very little additional signal processing via the Simucube. You may need to tune the overall strength of your car, as some forums mention these settings can feel a little light with some cars. But that’s very much how most Pro sim racers have their setups!

Revan’s profiles for GTE / GT3 Porsche Cup and F3 in iRacing

If you’re looking for profiles for GTE endurance cars, GT3 Porsche Cup cars or F3 in iRacing, then take a look at this post on the Granite Devices forum. Here is the GTE / GT3 Porsche profile for Simucube:

Simucube FFB settings Porsche GTE rsr

With a corresponding setup in iRacing for the Porsche GTE rsr:

iRacing FFB settings Porsche GTE rsr

On the forum link, there are also profiles for Ferrari GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Porsche Cup, Dallara F3 or download the entire .ini configuration file at this URL. There’s also a recommended Bumpstop setting:

bumpstop settings simucube

Modified profile collection by LatvianResistance

I came across this Reddit thread with a collection of modified profiles for rFACTOR2, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Dirt Rally 2, Assetto Corsa and iRacing.

The collection is contained in this downloadable .ini file and is ready to import into TrueDrive via Import in Management.

Simucube profiles online

Any day now we’re expecting a TrueDrive production release to contain the new online profiles feature, with Simucube FFB profiles from professional drivers and sim racers from around the world. Here’s the preview:

All TrueDrive updates are available via Granite Devices, although it’s smart to follow Simucube on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

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