What is force feedback fidelity in sim racing?

The steering wheel and the entire steering system are the components that connect a race car driver to the front tires and, consequently, act as the conduit for all the sensations coming from the asphalt. A pothole, crossing over a curb, the understeer that occurs when the front end becomes lighter, or the amount of grip on a dry or wet track—all of these factors are managed by the driver through the steering system.

In sim racing, there is no direct physical contact with the track surface. This element is simulated by the motor base and its management software, which processes data from the simulation and translates it into effects and impulses that reach the wheel base directly.

These "elements" make up what is commonly known as "Force Feedback". Force Feedback is crucial for understanding what is happening to the car’s front axle, but it goes beyond that: a well-tuned wheel base allows you to sense when the car is about to oversteer and to take all necessary actions to manage or counter it. A sim driver can fine-tune their wheel base to stay on the edge of oversteer at all times! This is the ideal condition for lowering lap times without destroying the tires.

Good Force Feedback (FFB) in a driving simulator depends on various fundamental key elements that work together to recreate the real sensations of driving such as:

Wheel Base and Motor: The type of motor used in the wheel base is crucial. Direct Drive (DD) systems are considered the best because they provide a direct connection between the motor and the steering wheel, without belts or gears, enhancing the FFB’s precision and power. For Example, the ClubSport DD+ wheel base features the latest hardware and Software solutions for an improved and more detailed Force Feedback.

Force Feedback Management Software: The software that processes the FFB form the game to the hardware, both in the wheel base and in the simulator, has a significant impact. Good software allows precise customization, including settings like feedback intensity, filters to reduce noise, and response speed.

Refresh Rate: The FFB refresh rate, expressed in Hz, determines how many times per second the system can update the feedback. A high refresh rate (1000 Hz or more) means that the many info are shared in a small amount of time, allows for more responsive and precise feedback.

Structural Rigidity: A stable and rigid wheel base avoids unwanted vibrations and allows the FFB to convey only essential information without losing details due to unwanted movements. This mandatory factor can be extended to Sim Cockpit as well! A rigid and stable sim cockpit is the first step for proper sim racing.

Simulator Parameters: The simulator must be accurate and offer well-defined parameters to faithfully replicate track sensations, such as asphalt resistance, curb impact, grip loss, and weight and balance shifts. All these elements can be set in the Fanatec tuning menu.

FFB Calibration: Force Feedback calibration is essential. Adjusting the FFB’s intensity, auto-centering, and tuning the damping and inertia parameters provides feedback that is better tailored to the driver’s preferences and track requirements.

Newton-Meters (Nm): The Nm values indicate not only the maximum torque force of the wheel base but also how detailed the FFB can be. High Nm values in a wheel base help prevent "clipping," which is the saturation of information within the wheel base. We explored this specific topic in this article: What does Nm represent when selecting a wheel base for sim racing.

Together, these elements create a Force Feedback that allows the sim driver to realistically feel the variations in the track and car, enhancing both driving precision and lap times.

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