Today, JM Navarro, one of the brightest collaborators on our YouTube streams, review and analyze what a foldable cockpit can do for you. Next Level Racing‘s GT Lite is the chosen one.
We, simracing fans, tend to pay attention to the high-end products when talking about hardware. These are sometimes unreachable for many pockets: hydraulic pedals, direct drive wheels with rims that are no longer a replica, but original versions of its racing car counterpart, chassis with movement, the top-notch products. However, this is just the end of the road, the goal desired by every fan. And that road is long, it has many stops, and also, it is not necessary to travel it completely to enjoy this hobby. Because if a few weeks after trying your first racing game you already have an aluminum chassis, load cell pedals and a direct drive steering wheel, I congratulate you, but that’s not usual. Today I am going to talk about an accessory that belongs to the “beginning of the road” stage. For those simracing fans who are just starting out looking to improve their experience, but don’t want to go crazy on budget, Next Level Racing presents us their GT Lite cockpit.
To enjoy the current driving simulators properly, you must get rid of the console control and switch to a set of steering wheel and pedals. This raises an important question: “…where should I install them?” The immediate solution is to place the pedals on the ground and fix the steering wheel on a table or desk with the provided clamps. This setup is functional, but has some drawbacks. First of all, we cannot exert much force on the pedals, because they can be lifted off the ground as they are not anchored. On the other hand, the steering wheel may bother the daily usage of the table or desk where we have it fixed. For this reason, many times these devices must be mounted and disassembled, with the corresponding adjustment of all the elements each time we are going to sit down to drive. The solution proposed by Next Level Racing is a folding tubular structure that contains a seat, steering wheel support and pedals, at a price of €229.
Packaging
Next Level Racing have kindly sent us one of these models, so I am going to tell you about the assembly process and the impressions I have had using it. The product comes packed in two boxes, a thicker cardboard outer box, and the inner box of the product that appears in the image above. The model I received had some flaws in this second box, as if the cockpit legs had hit the inside of the box during transport. However, all the bars were in perfect condition, since the tubes include protections at all their open ends. When we open the bag we see that the chassis comes partially assembled, with three separate blocks: seat, steering wheel support and pedal support.
To finish assembling the cockpit, it will be enough to complete the chair assembly, this is, the head and rear legs, join the steering wheel support on one side and the pedal support on the other. The instruction manual that comes in the box shows each of the steps to carry out the assembly with explanatory diagrams. The manual also includes a link that takes us to the video section on the Next Level Racing website, where assembly explanations of its different products are included … but the GT Lite is not among them (!?). I wonder if they have not included it yet, or simply missed that link when copying the manual for the “brother” product, the F-GT Lite, of which there are videos. However, on the YouTube channel of Next Level Racing you can find the assembly video of the GT Lite, which you can access by following this link:
Mounting
Both the instructions and the video clearly explain all the assembly steps, so I will not describe them one by one. However, I will tell you some details about the process. First of all, there is a screwdriver in the box to tighten all the screws, which is nothing more than an Allen key with a screwdriver tip carved into one of the ends. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, so I used a regular screwdriver instead. On the other hand, the alignment of the tubes in my model was not ideal. In the images below you can see how the holes in the upper part of the seat were misaligned, and the difference that there was in the alignment of the tubes of the rear legs when mounting my model. With a bit of patience in the first case, and applying some force in the second (if you have an assistant, as in my case, it will be much easier), you can align the tubes to insert the screws.
The bars that come into contact with the ground (front and rear legs and pedal support) are covered with hard plastic grips, so it is highly recommended to use a mat or protector to avoid leaving marks on the floor. Once the set is assembled, we must get our weapons ready for the battle on the asphalt. The GT Lite box contains the necessary hardware to anchor all our devices to the chassis. For this test I used the Logitech G29 steering wheel and pedal set, a classic for those initiated in simracing. As I did not have a shifter, I did not mount the accessory that is included for this purpose. If you also use a handbrake regularly, I have bad news for you, because at the moment it is not possible to install both accessories simultaneously in this cockpit.
At the junction of the seat with the front legs there is a plastic roller, with multiple winding cut sections, which are key to the assembly, adjustment and folding of this GT Lite. These sections can be moved independently, thus modifying the relative angles of the front legs, steering wheel and gear stick with respect to the seat. To fix this section there is a lock on each side: first the red part is screwed on to load a spring inside it, and finally the black plastic lever is closed. The first time it was a bit difficult for me to move these sections without fully spreading the cockpit’s legs, but after a few repetitions you will be able to quickly manipulate the roller.
Customizing
I’ll be honest: I was skeptical about this cockpit when boxthislap.org offered me the possibility of trying it. A few metal tubes, a chair like the ones we see on the beach these days… Besides, I was especially afraid of the chair’s stability due to my size: 92kg weight and 1.91m height, which is not a “standard” measure (203 lbs and 6 feet 3 for those who still stick to british units. For those of you: please become international!). All that said, I was very, very positively surprised by the Next Level Racing cockpit. The fabric chair is comfortable, and the meshed pattern on the back prevents us from sweating in driving sessions with high temperatures. It is a pity that the fabric cannot be removed for washing, but I understand that this would bring complications in the design, and it has been sought to adjust the cost of the product to the maximum.
There are several options to regulate the position of the cockpit as we wish. First of all, we can modify the height of the front legs (with the typical adjustment used in crutches) and rear legs (these with a screw / nut connection that is somewhat cumbersome to modify). In this regard, the setups with the longer front legs were uncomfortable for me, I felt my thighs were digging into the crossbar of the seat. The steering wheel tray can be adjusted both in angle and depth. For this last adjustment it is necessary to change the holes in which the plate is fixed to the bar. The depth range is wide, and allowed for a comfortable posture. Finally, the pedals also have two adapting features. The stand can be set in either a fully horizontal position or one with a slight slope, and the plates where the pedals are bolted to can be slid away and closer to the chair.
To check the comfort of the cockpit and its adjustment ability, I asked three more people to try and seat in the GT Lite, with heights between 1.65m and 1.91m. We have all found a configuration that gave us a comfortable driving position. In the following image I show you my position after adjusting the cockpit to my needs. In my case, I can only have the pedals in completely horizontal mode (tilting them made my legs too shrunken), and without being uncomfortable, I would have moved the pedals even further if I could to stretch my legs more (the limit is the closure connecting the bracket to the end L-shaped bar).
Stability
So, what about stability? This cockpit passes the test with merits. As I said, the chair’s appearance reminded me of those typical beach hammocks, but the resemblance does not go beyond aesthetics. And this is noticeable from the moment you sit down. The bars did not make any creaks, the steering wheel bar is stable when turning and making wheel corrections, and the pedal support also remains firm during braking, which is when we apply the maximum force on the pedal board. Two notes to improve the stiffness of this cockpit. First, don’t forget to tighten the belt between the front and rear legs of the seat. The assembly video does not include this part, but it does appear in the paper assembly manual, and it improves the stability of the seat especially as the weight of the user increases. And second, tighten the velcro strap between the seat and the steering wheel bar before closing the base of the steering wheel over you to fix it more firmly.
Having said that, the stability of the cockpit is clearly less than that of an aluminum one. However, the difference will be noticed the greater the force transmitted by the pedals and the steering wheel, and this is more or less proportional to the price (more expensive pedal / steering wheel, higher force). So, what hardware would be the limit for this cockpit? The most affordable load cell pedals, such as the T-LCM from Thrustmaster or the popular Clubsport V3 from Fanatec, can easily be installed in this cockpit without compromising the stability. Beyond these models, I have my doubts about the durability of the pedal support. As for the steering wheel, I think that everything that is not a direct drive base has a place in the GT Lite. Perhaps in the high-end Thrustmaster models you will notice some movement when doing the typical extreme steering wheel corrections, but nothing that compromises the stability. In a video on the Next Level Racing YouTube channel, they suggest using the black belt between the front legs and the steering wheel bar to give it more rigidity. It would be better if you can get an additional one, and thus maintain the original belt between the legs of the seat.
Final Thoughts
To finish this review, we must talk about an advantage that this cockpit presents with respect to the steel / aluminum models: mobility. The chassis can be folded in a few seconds thanks to the roller that joins the seat with the front legs (again, the operation seems complicated the first time it is done, but it is learned quickly), without having to modify any of the driving position adjustment features. This can be very interesting for all those with little space at home, and who cannot keep a space in the house exclusively for simracing. Yes, you could tell me “hey, but then there we go again mounting and dismounting stuff…”. Just a relevant difference: now the assembly and disassembly is a single operation, and after that, no additional adjustment is needed. The chair will be at your optimal height, the steering wheel will be centered and at the correct distance, the pedals also with their correct position. I think this already represents a significant leap forward in comfort in the simracing experience, even though we have to keep folding and unfolding our “office”. And if you have a place to permanently establish your cockpit, and you have no intention of buying high-end hardware, this GT Lite represents an interesting economic alternative to aluminum chassis. As I said before, I opened this cockpit for testing with a bit of skepticism, but it has greatly surprised me in all respects, always taking into account the price range in which this product is found.
The simracing path is arduous, full of hours of training, small wins and big accidents. And expenses, it is also full of expenses. Steering wheel, pedals, lever, chassis, seat, PC … all this without having virtually started our car’s engine. But beware, although an initial budget is surely needed to have a minimum setup, the relationship between spending and enjoyment is not linear, that is, spending triple on a steering wheel will probably not get triple the fun in your home races. See you at the track.
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