Sim-Lab is well known within the sim racing community, with a great reputation for creating some of the best sim rigs and sim racing cockpits. Based out of the Netherlands, Sim-Lab has produced a comprehensive, yet not too bloated ecosystem of sim rigs, cockpits and accessories.
Each of their products slots nicely into a target market that allows their sim racing cockpits to be competitively priced and offer good value along with outstanding performance. In this guide, I’m going to take a look at Sim-Lab’s ecosystem, I’ll recommend which of their sim racing products I think offer the best value and performance. And I’ll round things out by taking a look at the best Sim-Lab deals and discounts currently available.
What sim racing products do Sim-Lab sell?
In comparison to some sim racing brands, Sim-Lab has a relatively small array of products in its ecosystem. Currently, they have just four different sim racing cockpits combined with a range of racing seats and accessories. The sim racing cockpits are Sim-Lab’s area of speciality, and each of their four sim rigs covers a different part of the sim racing market.
Recently, Sim-Lab has also branched out into additional sim racing hardware. They’ve released a set of sim racing pedals, the XP1 Load cell pedals. They also have a load cell handbrake, a button box and an additional paddle shifter. Sim-Lab also owns GRID Engineering who make some extremely high-end steering wheels.
Below are each of the Sim-Lab cockpits that are currently available, along with their price. As you move up through the price range, the cockpits become sturdier and capable of supporting more premium equipment such as powerful direct drive racing wheels.
Product | Price |
---|---|
GT1 Evo | From £346 / $449 |
GT1 Pro | From £519 / $649 |
P1X Pro | From £692 / $849 |
X1-Pro | From £1298 / $1599 |
Which sim racing cockpits are the best pick?
You can see from the table above that each cockpit that Sim-Lab produce slots into a vastly different price point. There is generally a £150 / $200 increase in the price between each sim rig as you move up the range. Although the mighty X1-Pro cockpit commands a much steeper price increase of around £600 / $700 over the P1X Pro.
Despite the price increases through the product lineup, you may think that from the outset, each sim racing cockpit looks rather similar. So what is the real difference between the GT1 Evo and GT1 Pro for example, and do you need to step up to the P1X Pro?
GT1 Evo vs GT1 Pro
Over the past year or so, Sim-Lab has been updating its product lineup. They updated the design of the GT1 Evo and released the GT1 Pro. And they did the same to the P1X by releasing the P1X Pro. These iterations looked to improve the performance, aesthetics and rigidity of their sim rigs.
However, the GT1 Evo is still available to purchase and has had a rather big price cut since the launch of the GT1 Pro. This makes the GT1 Evo cockpit a fantastic choice for a budget 8020 sim rig.
(8020 is the term given to aluminium profile sim rigs due to the 80x20mm size of aluminium extrusion. Even though some aluminium profile sim rigs now use thicker pieces of extrusion up to 120×40 and even 160×40. They’re still widely referred to as an 8020 sim rig.)
The GT1 Pro does improve on the overall stability of the GT1 Evo and it certainly looks more modern, contemporary and sleek in its appearance. The downside of this update is that the GT1 Pro now costs around £150 or $200 more than the GT1 Evo. And that is a pretty big price difference.
If your buying decision on your new sim racing cockpit is heavily influenced by your budget, the GT1 Evo is a fantastic cockpit. However, if you can stretch your budget, the GT1 Pro does offer more of pretty much everything.
It has a better overall design, improvements to the shifter arm, the pedal deck and a much-improved wheel mounting deck. All of these updates lead to a vastly better sim racing experience and allow the GT1 Pro to be more compatible with mid to high-powered direct drive racing wheels.
GT1 Pro vs P1X Pro
If you do have a slightly larger budget, you may be considering opting for the premium P1X Pro cockpit. This is a big step up from both the GT1 Evo and GT1 Pro due to the much larger aluminium profile that is used in its construction.
While the GT1 Evo is an incredibly versatile sim rig that can compete with sim rigs that cost more. It certainly doesn’t have the rigidity to compete head-to-head with the P1X Pro sim racing cockpit.
GT1 Pro | P1X Pro |
---|---|
Looks great due to slanted design. | Follows a similar design philosophy to GT1 Pro. |
Capable of supporting mid-range direct drive wheel bases up to around 20Nm of peak torque. | The large frame is capable of supporting the most powerful direct drive racing wheels. |
Sim-Lab used a similar design concept when designing the P1X Pro to the design of the GT1 Pro with the use of slanted uprights. This allows Sim-Lab to not use corner brackets which are a common weak point for 8020 sim rigs. Corner brackets also add to the complexity of construction and assembly, so removing them is good all around.
The P1X Pro utilises much larger strips of aluminium profile than the GT1 Pro, and this allows for much better rigidity. If you are using a direct drive racing wheel capable of 20Nm+ of torque or if you’re looking for ultimate performance, the P1X Pro is the clear winner. However, at a mid-range price point, the GT1 Pro does offer a lot of bang for your buck.
Below are a couple of reviews of both the GT1 Pro and the P1X Pro. These two cockpits are the two standout products in Sim-Lab’s lineup, and these reviews highlight the differences between the GT1 Pro vs the P1X Pro.
Where to buy Sim-Lab products?
Sim-Lab is a brand that doesn’t overly rely on a reseller network. Instead, the main place to purchase Sim-Lab products is their website. They have regionalised stores within their website, allowing sim racers to purchase their products no matter where they are around the world.
You will always find the best prices and availability through Sim-Lab’s website. As a bonus, Sim-Lab offers fast shipping and delivery worldwide. They have the infrastructure in place to fulfil American, European and Asian orders pretty rapidly.
Shop Sim-Lab products on their website, or view the latest Sim-Lab deals.
Where to find Sim-Lab deals
Sim-Lab does run promotions and sales events throughout the year at different times. These normally coincide with sales periods such as Black Friday and December, however, they do also discount their products at different times of the year.
Rather than constantly checking Sim-Lab’s website to see if a new sale has been announced, you can view all of the latest Sim-Lab deals and discounts on our deals tracker.
Cheap Sim-Lab deals
Below are the latest Sim-Lab deals and discounts. These deals are updated regularly throughout the year as Sim-Lab announce new promotions and sales events.
You can view all of their discounts and deals by checking out our Sim-Lab deals page.
Frequently asked questions
Below are a few common questions that we get asked about Sim-Lab as a company and their sim racing products.
Does Sim-Lab still sell a wheel stand?
Sim-Lab used to sell the WS Pro wheel stand. However, this was discontinued in 2023 and removed from their website. It is unknown whether Sim-Lab will produce another wheel stand moving forward.
What is the best sim racing cockpit from Sim-Lab?
Sim-Lab’s absolute best sim racing cockpit is the X1-Pro, however, this is extremely pricey and designed mainly for exhibitions and as a podium-style cockpit. I would recommend the P1X Pro for most home sim racers as the best cockpit you can buy.
Does Sim-Lab still sell a wheel stand?
Sim-Lab used to sell the WS Pro wheel stand. However, this was discontinued in 2023 and removed from their website. It is unknown whether Sim-Lab will produce another wheel stand moving forward.
What is the best sim racing cockpit from Sim-Lab?
Sim-Lab’s absolute best sim racing cockpit is the X1-Pro, however, this is extremely pricey and designed mainly for exhibitions and as a podium-style cockpit. I would recommend the P1X Pro for most home sim racers as the best cockpit you can buy.