It’s no secret that if you’re in the sim racing world it’s a goal to have a full sim rig setup with a built-in racing seat, but due to budgets or in my case, space, that’s not always possible. I’ve raved about how the Extreme Simracing SXT V2 Wheel stand expands into a partial or a full sim rig for those with limited real estate in our gaming rooms. The problem now is the chair.
There are a variety of desk and gaming chairs out there of various sizes and comfort, but if you’re going to build out a sim rig, do you want a generic gaming chair? Of course not! We want to make the experience as authentic as possible. The other fun part is that you can’t bring your permanently mounted sim rig chair to your desk. Having the double functionality of using your chair for gaming and also for working at the desk doubles the fun!
Keep in mind this is not an inexpensive upgrade. It’s not a practical upgrade, but it adds to the immersion aspect of your sim racing experience despite not having a full sim rig!
Parts
What do you need to build your custom bucket racing seat desk chair?
- Racing Bucket Seat
- I ordered this one from NRG Innovations via Amazon. We do not have any affiliation with NRG Innovations. ($288 USD as of this article)
- An Old Desk Chair
- Just the base, wheels, and lift. Most gaming chair-type bases or decent-quality office chair bases will be sufficient.
- Bracket Adapter Kit
- I ordered this one from TrakRacer which fits perfectly but is expensive ($109 USD as of this post) and you only need the two cross brackets from the kit unless your bucket seat does not include them. I’m sure you can find a less expensive way to do this. We do not have any affiliation with TrakTracer.
- Wheels /w locks or Extreme Simracing’s Wheel Lock Kit
- The chair will slide around unless your wheel has a lock, I upgraded my chair wheels with this kit from Amazon, but if you don’t want to use the Extreme Simracing wheel lock kit
- With most SXT V2 wheel stand purchases, a pair of wheel locks are included!
Assembly of the Racing Seat Desk Chair
Step 1 – Disassemble the Old Chair
The first step is to disassemble the top of your desk chair by removing the bolts holding the chair to the base using a hex key wrench (available at any hardware store, Amazon, etc). Unless you’re upgrading the wheels or making another change to your chair, do not modify the base. DO NOT tamper with the gas lift part of the chair. The gas lift is pressurized and if handled improperly could cause serious injury or death. There’s no reason to tamper with it anyway.
Step 2 – Attach the Mounting Brackets to the Seat Base
Take your mounting brackets purchased from TrakRacer or elsewhere and attach them to the base of the chair as seen below. The necessary nuts and bolts hardware is included with the TrakRacer kit. Ensure both brackets are lined up, otherwise, your seat will not attach properly.
You could attach the brackets to the seat first and then attach the brackets to the base, but I found it easier to mount the brackets to the base first. Do what works best for you.
Step 3 – Attach Bucket Seat
Next, tip your bucket seat over and line up the side mounting brackets with the base of your chair. Try to center your chair as best as possible to prevent the chair from tipping over on its own and use the included hardware from the TrakRacer kit to connect your chair to the base. Note that if you have a very flimsy chair base, the chair could feel top-heavy and tip, so be careful when testing. Most gaming chair-type bases or decent-quality office chair bases will be sufficient.
Step 4 – Adjust and Enjoy!
Finally, make it work best for you! The mounting settings that work for you may be different from what I used. Adjust to what works best for your comfort. Sitting for 2-3 hours during a race in an improperly adjusted chair is not comfortable.
