The Sim Racing Force Numbers
The Sim Racing Force Numbers is Sim Rig Lab's normalized reference dataset for the force figures that actually decide how sim racing hardware feels: drive-type torque bands, torque tiers against real-car loads, pedal sensor force ranges, and mount clamp-torque ceilings. Every figure below is an approximate band drawn from manufacturer specifications (Fanatec, Moza, Logitech, Thrustmaster) and community/vendor discussion — never an in-house instrumented measurement, and never a price or star rating. The full machine-readable dataset is available as force-numbers.csv.
How to cite this: "The Sim Racing Force Numbers" (Sim Rig Lab, v1.0, 2026-07-30). Figures are approximate bands, not laboratory measurements — see Methodology below before treating any single number as precise.
Drive Technology: Torque, Detail, Noise
Normalized comparison of the three drive mechanisms by torque band, detail/fidelity class, and noise class.
| Drive type | Torque band | Detail / fidelity class | Noise class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gear (helical reduction) | ~2.2–3 Nm | Lowest — inertia scales with ratio² | Audible gear mesh under load |
| Belt (toothed belt & pulley) | ~3–6 Nm | Better than gear; compliance blurs finest detail | Quiet, slight damped hum |
| Hybrid (belt + gear stage) | Entry–mid | Grainier than pure belt (e.g. Thrustmaster T248) | Between belt and gear |
| Direct drive (1:1, no reduction) | ~3.9–32 Nm | Highest — no reduction stage to filter | Near-silent; cogging felt at rest only |
Full mechanism explanation: Direct Drive vs Belt vs Gear.
Torque Reality: Game-Supported Tiers vs Real-Car Loads
What sim rigs actually support versus what a real steering rack transmits. Manufacturer ratings often mix peak and sustained torque — treat every figure here as a band, not a guarantee.
| Tier | Torque | What it feels like / caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Entry DD | 3.9–9 Nm | Every physical cue already present |
| Mid-range DD | 9–12 Nm | 12 Nm is the practical clamp/stand ceiling |
| High-end DD | 15–18 Nm | Aluminium-profile or steel rig becomes required |
| Flagship DD | 20–32 Nm | Dynamic range, not usable strength — most run 60–80% |
| Real car: power-steered GT3 | ~8–12 Nm avg at rim | Community/vendor discussion, not instrumented telemetry |
| Real car: unassisted steering | 20–30+ Nm | Can exceed sim flagship tiers under load |
Full explanation: How Much Torque Do You Actually Need?. Safety note: high-torque direct-drive bases (15 Nm+) can injure hands or wrists if a car or FFB effect self-oscillates or slams to a stop lock — always keep the emergency stop reachable and start new hardware at reduced strength.
Pedal Technology: What's Measured
Potentiometers and Hall-effect sensors measure travel (position); only a load cell measures force (pressure).
| Sensor | What's measured | Wears? | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potentiometer | Travel (position) | Wiper contact wears over time | N/A — not force-rated |
| Hall-effect / magnetic | Travel (position) | Contactless — does not wear | N/A — not force-rated |
| Load cell (brake) | Force (pressure) | Minimal | ~20–100 kg sensor range (not required effort) |
Full explanation: Load-Cell Pedals: What Actually Changes.
Mounting Requirements: Clamp Torque vs Desk Rating
A desk's advertised static weight capacity is not a clamp-torque budget — a wheelbase clamp puts lock-to-lock torque through one edge point rather than spreading weight across the desktop, so the two specs must be read separately when sizing a rig.
| Mount type | Approx torque ceiling | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Solid desk clamp | ~5–8 Nm | Beyond this it crushes laminate and progressively flexes, not snaps |
| Tubular steel stand/cockpit | ~12 Nm | Typical failure mode is fore-aft rotation about the front feet |
| Aluminium profile | 15 Nm and above | Preferred rig class once torque climbs past mid-range |
| Sit-stand desk static rating | 150–400+ lbs (static, centered) | A separate spec from clamp-torque — not interchangeable |
Full explanation and the desk-clamp-vs-weight-rating fact: Do You Need a Rig? and the maintained Key Facts mounting section.
Methodology & Versioning
Version 1.0 — published 2026-07-30. All figures are approximate bands compiled from manufacturer specifications (Fanatec, Moza, Logitech, Thrustmaster) and recurring themes in community and vendor discussion. This dataset is explanation-first and research-based, not an in-house instrumented test bench — treat every number as a reference band, not a laboratory measurement. No prices, star ratings, or review counts appear anywhere in this dataset.
Correction policy: if a figure is shown to be wrong or out of date against current
manufacturer documentation, it will be corrected and the version and "dateModified" above will be updated
accordingly. The version history is tracked at the top of this page and in the dataset JSON-LD's
version field. Report a correction via the contact route on the
Sim Rig Lab hub page.
Related reference: the maintained Key Facts: Sim Racing Hardware page restates these figures in prose with fuller context and citations.