REVIEW - Next Level Racing F-GT Elite Sim Racing Cockpit & ES1 Seat
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Founded in 2009, Next Level Racing are an Australian Simulation Hardware Brand well known for a wide variety of rigs and accessories which they sell in over 40 countries. They're also one of the few brands within the simulation space to sell in mainstream retail stores.
Next Level Racing have recently introduced their new "Elite" series of Sim Racing products, including a range of accessories and add-ons and hinging around the F-GT Elite Cockpit.
The F-GT Elite boasts a range of adjustability between Formula and GT seating positions, high levels of rigidity and relative ease of construction, so let's dive in and see how the Next Level Racing F-GT Elite and ES1 Racing Seat stack up!
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TIME STAMPS:
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0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Pricing
2:26 - Unboxing & First Impressions
5:30 - Profile Comparison (Simlab & Trak Racer)
13:20 - T-nuts
15:25 - Assembly
21:24 - Assembly Impressions
27:36 - ES1 Seat Unboxing & First Impressions
29:25 - Seat Installation
31:15 - Seatbelt Installation
36:32 - Wheelbase Mounting
46:28 - Wheel Deck Flex Tests
47:56 - Pedal Deck Mounting & Flex Tests (GT Position)
54:34 - Shifter/Handbrake Mount
1:01:00 - GT Position Driving Tests
1:05:15 - Switching Driving Positions
1:11:30 - Pedal Deck Flex Tests (Formula Position)
1:13:07 - Formula Position Driving Tests
1:15:25 - Conclusions
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#nextlevelracing #fgtelite #simracing - Наука та технологія
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Boosted Media is almost entirely funded by community support. If you're looking to buy some Next Level Racing products and would like to help support Boosted Media at no additional cost to yourself, the following affilaite links will send a small comission our way which helps keep the review videos coming. Thanks very much for your support!
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Is it worth upgrading from GT Track to F-GT Elite?
I’d say so. It’s far more rigid.
fyi your discount code does not work 12/6/22
They currently have the cockpit on sale so they aren’t offering a further discount. It will start working again when their existing discount ends.
@@boostedmedia ok so I bought.....no seats.......will the width of a Sparco EVO QRT XL Fit the frame?
Awesome video and review. I'm so glad you are not afraid to make these indepth type of videos which people can use to determine whether this is the right equipment for their circumstances.
I love that you are incredibly fair to the product comparisons and very detailed leaving no questions asked. Earned a subscriber!
I know this video is old, but seeing you do flex test where other UA-camrs seem to by pass it, really shows how true or legitimate your reviews are.
Another excellent video covering every bit of this cockpit. You even covered using the NLR t-nuts in place of the Fanatec for compatibility with the 8mm low profile bolts; simple enough but very helpful when I was assembling mine!
thanks for the review. helped me decided what aluminum profile rig to go with. Just ordered mine & saved nearly $100 thanks to your link and coupon
This review answered all the questions i had with regards to this cockpit and seat combo. Thank you so much!
Great review Wil, outstanding effort, honest, detailed review. We have this exact setup ordered and look forward t building a customer base with NLR!
Thorough run through and proper testing. You sir, have earned a sub.
Just ordered this today! And used the “Boosted” discount. Thanks for your help
Great review, just what I was after having already pre-ordered this. Thanks for your thoroughness Will!
Hi Ross, do you still own this? I am looking to order one would you recommend it? :)
43:47 "Quiiick" 😂 You guys are an amazing team!
Amazing video as always. Sadly not really multi-sim compatible but for pure racing definitely an interesting pit.
I was told by sales staff on the 9th of June 2022 that the FGT ELITE will possibly have flight simulation parts inbound either late 2022 or early 2023 at NLR/Pagnian sim HQ @ Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. When I went to have a closer look into a Flight simulation rig, but whatever I do purchase will have to be dual purpose for my liking.
lovely review of this simrig! beautiful video!
You could spin the rear cross plate around then the mecca cupa could be mounted flat without the spacers mate. Awesome video as always Will and Tom. 😁👍
Thanks for the review. and the discount code, just ordered the rig and chair, they also have a special on monitor stand and keyboard tray.
Thanks for the support Craig. Enjoy it :)
I was skeptical when I first saw this - and I don’t find myself a fan of the use of angle-cut pieces for the wheel uprights and shifter assembly, it all seems like form over function - but the quality of life additions (ruler markings and slot cutouts in the end caps) are a welcome addition and I look forward to seeing who adopts these kind of ideas as well! Solid review as always Will and Tom
so im building my f-gt elite now..i've never built a cockpit before, so it's been a real learning joy.. i have loved at how well the T-nut and bolts go together so easy they are really easy and haven't had a single issue with a cross threaded bolt....the hardest part for me thus far is the actual amount of adjustability, it's a bit overwhelming ..im going for a hybrid position and im about your size so im kinda using your wheel position to get closer to final..but ya wow is there a truck load of adjustability options very daunting due to never putting a rig together before..thanks for the tips and other video's with tips they have been helpful ..wondering where the best place to really start from for making the adjustments..im thinking the seat then wheelbase....like i said hard and doing whole build by myself..(because im a sim racer now and l never see all my friends anymore..LOL JK)..any suggestions on a good place to start the actual fitting is..like start at wheel uprights or seat?.... oh did get the free standing monitor and actually built that first due to space, wouldn't have been able to get that in after rig is built..my space is quite limited ..thanks for your content learned alot watching over the last year n half...cheers mate
What a nice review and unboxing to watch! 😎
what I call , high-quality review vid. Thanks!!
Awesome review, very in depth! Think I'll be getting this. Thanks!
33:00 the seat belt is for another attachment. It's compatible with motion platform, it's 3K but makes the game way more immersive.
I understand are alot of people complaining the price but let's be fair. You can see that they have poured huge amounts of development and effort into this product. All this doesn't come free.
To put it in a formula position you need to raise the entire pedal tray up, keep that flat and tilt the pedals themselves down otherwise it's really tiring on your legs plus you need to then move the wheel forward and down which requires a proper side mount. Frankly you really need a proper formula seat to do it properly which means these two in one solutions never really work. I like the tilt mechanism for the wheel base. Simple but really effective solution. Reminds me of the simcore one.
Edit should have waited till the end of the video lol
The seat belt has a mount on the underside of the seat that tightens up the lap belt
Great Review as always Will. When are you planning on reviewing the d-box motion? and will you use this rig?
@34:03 I got the impression that the mounting plate for the seatbelt is bent inwards around the top. Flip it 180° so that the bend faces outwards and you're good to go. Not sure about this, might be the camera angle. Edit: @34:56 you can clearly see it.
Great video, very comprehensive and useful. For the CSL DD would you get the front/side mount edition with the workaround solution or would the wheel plate edition be a better option? Thank you!
Thanks for doing such an in depth and exceptional video on this I truly appreciate the effort. Man I just bought this entire set up and THEN looked at videos- Typical me. I hope they did a better job with the bolts and washers etc for mine. Drives me a bit batty when they don't do the quality control. This rig cost more than the first car I bought as an adult actually several times more (LOLz) You'd expect better QC. Also I am 6'4 I hope I can adjust it out enough.
Will, could you post some measurements? I'm interested in the maximum and minimum height of the entire rig with the provided feet
With your wheel height matching the in games wheel height in cockpit view, do the aluminum uprights get in the way of your monitor at all? Are they just there peripherally, maybe blending into the cars dashboard and not a visual annoyance? I'm not on a 65" set up, just getting started and will initially be on a 43" monitor, if that measurement has any bearing to my field of view question. Been REALLY enjoying all of your videos! Your rig is AMAZING!
Do you think they'll be an aluminum profile version of the GT Track at some point or do you think this will remain as the premium option from NLR?
Another great vid. thanks!
Nice review man. I'm looking at getting something from Next Level. I'm interested to know what this seat would be like with the F-GT cockpit? I've got budget, space and comfort to take into consideration.
Thanks for the review! I hope Track Racer sends you their new TRX Alpine to review!
Which sim rig chassis is the best? I can’t decide which one either NLR FGT Elite, Trak Racer TR160 or Simlab P1X
Will, did you ES1 have any issue lining up with the bolts? I noticed with using the seat mount from NLR there is a bolt on the bottom where the seat goes. That bolt raises the seat just enough so it's not lined up with the holes on the side of the chair mount. Then, I had to raise the chair a bit, but then the chair is suspended.
Is there less flex here than in the trackracer 160 sidemount for the fanatec DD do you know?? Also is this an overall better rig than the trackmaster 160? Like are the seating options better for a smaller person of like 5.5." And 120 pounds and does it recline into different positions better than the trackracer rigs?? Thank you so much for the help if you respond, im ordering one or the other as soon as I determine which ones better.. money's not a problem between the two I just keep getting mixed reviews for both so it's hard, i can afford either one now but not both so I want to get the right one for me as a smaller racer that may need to adjust seating or switch styles just for better comfort...
Thanks Again!!
Hey Will, Looking at a new rig What would you recommend the TR160 , or this F- Gt Elite?
How far do the seat brackets move inward on their slots? I am considering this with a different seat.
Excellent video. Thanks for going into great detail.
I do have a question, or even a video suggestion: What would you consider to be a smart upgrade path, for people getting into sim-racing, that can't afford to drop 5-10k for a complete setup all at once?
What I mean is: I'm just starting and am still on a desk-mounted setup with a G29, but I've been looking at the ESL-DD, accessories and cockpits etc, but there's just no way I can do multiple things at once, financially. I'd need to do things one at a time obviously. So, what would you say is a smart order in which to prioritize your upgrades? Would a better wheel-base (etc) be the most important? knowing that you'll be desk-mounting and sitting on an office-chair on wheels :D , or would a cockpit first be more beneficial? I'm already reasonably certain, tripple-screen setup, would be one of the last steps, but I just can't figure out how else I'd structure my upgrade-path. Even ESL-DD hit the wallet pretty hard when you're not already in the Fanatec Eco-system. You'd also need pedals and at least one wheel, at the very least, and I'm sure I wouldn't want to spent money on the entry pedals, knowing I'd have to upgrade later anways. I'm sure you get my meaning. Hoping you got some insights.
Keep it up. Love your videos.
I'm quite late here but I would recommend for an upgrade path to DIY a rig out of wood if you have some tools.
I started with a cheap Thrustmaster wheel clamped to a coffee table, eventually I moved to a new place and upgraded to clamping my wheel to a desk, but at least this time I had a chair haha. Then I bought a direct drive wheel and load cell pedals, but obviously this wouldn't work with a desk. So I built a rig out of wood. Depending on wood prices in your area (lumber looks like it's going crazy again!), this can be done for $100-$200. Mine was nearly $200 but I bought more material than I needed, and I also bought extras like a drawer slide to put my keyboard on, and metal brackets to reinforce it. That also includes the $35 I paid for a passenger seat I pulled from a 1996 Toyota Celica in a junkyard. Contrary to popular belief, a wood rig absolutely CAN handle the strength of a direct drive wheel if it's well-built. But I have learned the hard way not to mount anything important to MDF (my pedal area flexes too much, I should've mounted it straight to 2x4s), and that car seats, while comfortable, also flex too much if you want to have a stiff brake pedal.
All this to say that the best upgrade path for you is probably: load cell pedals w/ wood rig, then eventually a nicer wheel. The Logitech is a good wheel, good enough that I recommend holding onto it until you save up enough for a direct drive wheel and skipping belt drives entirely. Like that old saying, "buy once, cry once". After that, you're basically set unless you want to go for very high-end pedals like Heusinkveld Ultimates, and at that point you're gonna want an 80/20 rig with a proper seat in it to reduce the flexing.
If you don't have tools and/or don't want to DIY, then I say buy a cockpit and then buy load cell pedals. Next Level Racing also makes a pretty good cockpit for half the price of this one, and it's probably good enough to serve you for a while. I say this because in terms of performance, the single most important upgrade to make is good pedals, and you need to have them mounted to something solid to see any real benefit. High-end wheel bases are nice and can help you as well, but they're nowhere near as much of an improvement as the pedals are.
Personal favorite Will. This NlR or P1X? Doing an upgrade right now and think I would chose P1X but like to hear your thoughts. Mostly drive on iracing GT cars
Very nice review
What is the overall length of it with the foot pedal base sticking out? They dont give dimensions for that!
You talked about planning ahead, would you not mount the seat FIRST, then mount EVERYTHING else relative to the seat?
I've had two NLR rigs so far, the GT Ultimate V2 and the GT Track and I learnt after the GT Ultimate, do the seat first and then as you mount the rest, sit in the seat and gauge positioning.
We followed though in the same order as the instructions, but generally yes I’d agree. On this particular rig it’s not so important as the whole seat assembly slides and it only takes a minute to adjust the position of the wheel deck.
I'm a new subscriber to the channel. And also new to NLR products. I can't seem to find a single monitor solution to mount a Samsung Odyssey G9 directly to the NLR F-GT Elite Cockpit frame. Does NLR not have this mounting product for sale?
Love to see a 6’3+” person sit in the rig to test its limits. Great video!!!
Thanks for the feedback Killerbob, we will pass this on to our team to make videos to show adjustability options to suit users upto 6ft 6 to assist. Just like how seats with conventional seat sliders slide back and then overhang, by adjusting our sliding system and NLR seat brackets the F-GT Elite cockpit can do the same however it's more rigid due to the aluminium profile sliding method and use of 5mm seat brackets rather than 2/3mm brackets that flex
Hi guys, great video. Just a question why not buy a 4 or 5 point harness if you're spending that kind of money on all the equipment, e.g., rig, seat, podium base, wheels and etc, what's the difference of another $150-$1000 depending on brand or place of purchase for the 4 or 5 point harness for full immersion plus the ease of adjustment in the belts. Don't take this the wrong way it's not a dig it's a genuine question.
That allen key holder is a nice touch
Good flex testing, super useful thanks.
It’s on par with the Simlab front mount if you go and watch my review of that. Neither have noticeable flex when driving. Better than TR’s front mount.
@@boostedmedia Thanks for the comparison. I don't have good experiences with front mounts when running high torque, perhaps a little bit of flex (not significant when using the wheel) is unavoidable given that geometry.
I would also like to ask about the ES1 Elite armchair. If I am 180 cm tall and weigh 73 kg, am I slim, will it not be too big or wide for me?
Can a racing seat (sparco omp etc) be used instead of the NLR seat?
A couple of questions, how well would this transfer, or incorporate a fighter sim rig? And how well would a 6'5" person fit into it?
He mentions in the video about his thoughts on height. Around 1:04:00
This looks brilliant! Suppose I pick up one of these and want to add extra mounting points for accessories - where would I source profile and extra t-nuts that work for this rig in Aus?
There’s a few different places. NLR sell some accessories, as do Trak Racer and Simlab via HRS. I normally get my profile through Simcore.
Anyone no if you could put any seat with the Cockpit (i.e. could you buy one from another SIM retailer, say the Rally seat from Trak Racer) or is the ES1 seat the only one you can sue?
Hello, can i mount another Seat? If Yes do You recomment one for long races? Thank You
I'd like to buy it, but I wonder what about these vertical profiles - is there any issue with them being in the player's fov?
Any update on the seat comfortability?
does this come with the sim cube style front mount ?
Is it possible to add another seat on the base? Or does it needs to be from next level racing?
Hey Will, any chance you have a Simlabs triple monitor stand standing around and can verify whether that will fit around the F-GT elite? The NLR triple screen setup is CRAZY expensive.
I don’t have one built but I can’t see it being an issue.
Problem I read w/ the F-GT elite was more with shorter people (around 5' 7-1/2"), where even at the rearmost seat position and the pedals moved back the most by the slant bar, the wheel is still too close to the torso.
Would anyone know what the driver weight limit would be on this?
You mention a link to the square you are using - do you have that?
How would this go using inverted pedals have the club sport v3 on order
I eant a know if we had hydraulic seat on this setup how much more it will cost you think guys ?
Would the GT Omega XL-RS Simulator Seat mount on this?
I watched the whole video lol. Will take me a year to save for this haha but worth!!
Can you just remove the shifter plate entirely and side mount the Fanatec shifter directly to the upright? So its lower basically.
Yes
Hi, you made a video with F-GT lite playseat, where the playseat jumped up and down in formula position, during braking time. You said, you will try it with the load cell pedal.
Today my custom dd pro arrived, and I look for a foldable playseat. Is the F-GT Lite worth it, with load cell pedales? Or can you send me a link, if you have a video about it?
Now I have a homemade playseat, but I would like to change it, because price/quality settings seems to be a good choice, to buy that one... for a low price 😁
New drinking game . . . Chug every time Will says “FLEX” . . .
Is the F-GT elite compatible with third party seats like Trak Racer?
The lateral bars should be inverted with the highest height in front of the seat so you can incline the seat backward more.
Which model will it be that there is no flex in anything? The Pro Elite GT Professional Plus GT ? Great video and review like always.
😂😂
Hi may i know what the diff between F-GT Elite and F-GT Elite 160?
For the money, with a CSL DD and Club Sport pedals, would you say the F-GT or F-GT Elite is a better value? Do you think the ES1 Seat is worth it over the base seat for the F-GT?
F GT is worth it more from my experience, I have a F GT with a CSL DD and clubsportpedals, it works really good
@@traizzplays2038 is the f gt seat comfortable? i cant really tell based on what I've seen
@@isaalamond I would like to know that, too
@@isaalamond I've had no comfort issues with mine. I've enjoyed it so far (had for about 2months now)
Got the fgt never had a problem had it with a g29 a v2.5 and now a dd2 works great the only thing I don't like is the monitor stand but the rig it's self is great
Will third party seat sliders work with this or no?
Well Thanks to your review I just went all in and bought this the seat handbrake and a few other bits and pieces, let’s not even go into the total price 🤐😂
There is Drum and Bass in this video so i approve it.
Hey Will, I’m thinking of getting the Sparco GP seat for this rig, do you think I’d likely have any issues with the verticals getting in the way of the triples or other positioning issues in a properly laid back position?
I’ve never worked with a Sparco GP seat so can’t really say. Sorry.
@@boostedmedia no worries, thanks for the reply!
This is my next rig!
Can I mount the shifter on the left side?
Can this seat be retrofitted onto the GT- track?
Bought this rig. Used your code also. Thanks for that!
Not too happy with the wheel mount slider on the side posts. I put the felt pads on but felt like it was all too tight. Couldn’t even get the screw in.
I’ve had to take out the felt pads.
I might look at buying longer bolts
Thanks for the support. Are you sure you used the right length bolts? We didn’t have that issue.
@@boostedmedia I was sure I did. The m8 16mm.
@@boostedmedia did you use the full width T-nut? A few people had the same issue as me. One of them said to use the full width nut and that worked.
Yes we did.
How do you find the seat?
The GtTrack seat can be monted on this cockpit?
Wil the moza r16 or r21 fit on the side mount?
Shifter mount is on the wrong side ??
Hm should I have bought this instead of a SimLab GT1 with Sparco Grid Q? I think the price actually works out the same.
Another review discussed long stint comfortability of the seat not being good due to lack of padding. What are ur thoughts?
maybe look into buying a sparco gp gaming seat since the rig and seat are sold separately, it will cost A LOT more though ;)
Wondering about that too, and also cooling. I am surprised none of these seats seem to take that into account. I have two small fans going and a ceiling fan and if the race is over 30 minutes I’m going to have a sweaty back when you add in the practice and qualifying efforts and post race quick review of the replay.
I personally didn’t have any problems but this seat has more padding than the seat I’m used to.
A miss for me here with this review is that you didn’t use a monitor stand hovering over the complex pedal box area. That was my biggest concern when looking at this rig initially and you mentioned it during the formula seating position being a potential issue but really would like to have seen it here in this review. Otherwise great job as always, and amazing piece of kit.
Hard to cover when we don’t have the stand it’s intended to be used with. Ultimately whether it’s an issue or not will be determined by how you position the monitors though and it wouldn’t be possible to cover every scenario in a review.
@@boostedmedia Thanks for the question Charles and agree with Will it's hard for him to know without reviewing. The good news is the monitor stand was specifically designed and engineered to be adjustable in the base and uprights to basically mean you could have your monitor stand wide enough to go around any cockpit, even wide enough to go around the traction plus system and have your monitor positioned exactly where you like without any interference so you won't have any issues there
Those shoes, Legend
should I get this or the gt omega art?
PLEASE dont disassemble until you put it on a motion platform. I want to see the adjustment range with the NLR seat motion. As you know that really made the GT track seat several inches higher.
Aslo do you think its heavier or lighter than the the GT track?
Would most seats fit onto the rig Will?
Have a GT art and am looking to upgrade to this or the TR but can’t justify the $ for the seat. Would use my current seat with it as it’s pretty comfortable
Should do but will depend on the location of the mounting points.
it's a profile rig, and the fact that it comes without a seat probably means u can fit in whatever seat u desire
Great review. The angles are dumb. If you just want to lower or raise the wheel/shifter/pedal positions, you can't. Height adjustments affect the front to back positions. This contraption is form over function.
I sorted finances and bought one. Got the wheel plate edition and the front and side mount as an accessory. Also got the triple monitor stand and the Keyboard and mouse stand and of course the seat. Arrives in 24 hours or so. Will update on how I find it. Its all coming on a pallet its so much gear lol. The vendor I used in New Zealand (Speed Nation) even put a pic up on their Facebook page of the order all loaded up as it's a whole lot of kit. I'm a little anxious that I have spent so much on my sim racing in one go but after using a DXRacer chair with an NLR wheel stand and battling with flex and seat moving etc I am glad to spend the money on something that I want to last a very long time. It seems quite a shame that I will be putting a Thrustmaster T150 on it with the infamous t3pa pedals but my CSL DD is on preorder and the great freight wait of 2021!!
You made a good investment the other parts you can buy down the line
Hows the seat?
@@zachmcgroin4769 It's no Lazy Boy but I can sit in it for hours without going numb. I am average height and weight
An inch wouldn’t bring that wheel close enough to you for a comfortable f1 seating position, you need to move seat toward wheel then move pedals further away , you’ll find this much better for comfort and control
You may have mentioned...but would it suit someone 6'6"?
Thank You Will
Can anybody recommend another seat that would fit with this cockpit please? cheers ;)
Wi are there any other seat options