hello there and welcome to your new hobby. just saw your post.
few things depend for you.... 1st budget? any budget?
budget wheels in order (wheels i have owned)
black momo cheap (im selling my old one too) around 50 dollars
driving force pro - not sure if you can still get them (but there great wheels i know Gregor huttu used one for years and he is thought of as one of best online racers) 50-100 dollars
[driving force prt gt - my personal favorite http://sites.google.com/site/myvracelog/About/g25-vs-dfgt
50 to 150 dollars
thomas super wheel (also would like to sell this one too) expensive
If money is not a problem buy a g27. Or fanatec.
games -
rfactor - can be alot to swallow for someone new to racing because imho rfactor is the ultimate racing tool sim. with that comes a lot of unpolished, because of its overwhelming amounts of customization it could be a frustrating thing for someone that justs wants to get on and race. but has a million free tracks and mods and everything you are asking for. just be ready to sink a lot of time in getting it to feel like you want it to feel.
pappy games n2002 2003 also known as a Sim game BUT to me if your road racing is not the way to go. even with the mod GTP IT still fails to give me the feeling of a real car suspension under me that GTR2 /GTREVO/ RACE O7 and even believe it or not shift gives me. I played pappy Sims for many many years some of those years i played every single night for hours.
GTR i own i don't recommend/ gtr2 is way better.
GTR2 some say the ultimate road racers game ... basically it is rfactor polished and buffed tot he max. amazing amounts of POLISH MODS from rfactor and other game modded into this game. cars all feel different and there are a million free tracks and plentifully places to download those tracks and car. It has a great racing school built into the game. to many features to list............best PART IS FOR A NEW DRIVER IT IS EASY AND READY TO GO WITH OUT HAVING TO MAKE A MILLION ADJUSTMENT like you have to do with rfactor.
GTREVO and race 07 and race on......... all pretty much interchangeable and you can get by with only buying one of them because there are modded versions of each one as well as a full version of GTR2 CAR livery you can import into any one of these titles.
I personally have n2003/2002/ n4/nascar heat/rfactor/ race on /w the add on games / race 07 /gtr2 / gt legends/ gtr/ shift / gp legends. those above i consider part of the Sim tree of games out there. then i have ton of other titles i really consider fun but not sims imho (at the time i was convinced they were Sims but some of the new stuff gives you a more lifelike feel to the car driving experience, much more immerse.
Consoles have come along way and people that sub there nose at it will dissuade you, put down console racing with never even trying it.
more then willing to help anyone out if they act mature.
Best bang for the buck for me is go to steam ......
http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=SimBin
download or start a steam account and download demo's to your hearts content.
I hope this was helpful and welcome to the hobby of race sim driving.
Sincerely,
MyVRaceLog
________________________________________________
Driver Guide
Driver's Generic Handbook
rules and procedures:
- Do you know them? Have you checked everything that is not clear to you? Feel free to ask the admins, that's what they are there for.
- Do you know the procedures? Do you know what to do / how to behave in the situation you might find yourself?
physical fitness:
- Be physically fit, not tired / hungover / sleepy / etc.
- Take care of your biological needs. You don't want to be hungry / thirsty or have to use the bathroom during the race.
mental fitness:
- Expect the worst. That's how I approach the race aswell as other things. If you don't expect anything then you won't be disappointed. Don't let it get the best of you. Try to be cool and not let it get to you too much.
- Try to focus on what you are doing and not loose concentration. This often costs people the race.
disturbance:
- Try to not have anyone or anything distract you during the race. I always put a sign on my door that says: "RACING - DO NOT DISTURB". Check the people living with you, your pets, alarms, etc and make sure they won't disturb you.
- Software and hardware all ready? Any problems with the wheel, the pc parts, windows poping up during the race, rFactor minimizing, Windows restarting itself (you better turn autoupdates off).
- Reboot your internet connection hardware!
- Anyone else using the same connection? Let them know that they must not cause problems during the race. Remember that a high ping can get you blackflagged or disconnected in the first place.
- Only have the software running that you really need.
comfort:
- Are you sitting comfortably? Is your room temperature, air and lighting ok? A 500 mile race is quite a journey. You want to have the comfort you need to race without problems.
- Do you have everything you need in your reach? Drink, food, hardware, etc.
1 hour before the race:
- Do you have the setup prepared?
- Are rFactor, your steering hardware and software, your communication hardware and software working?
- Is your hardware and software set up the way you want it to? Can you communicate, adjust your strategy, etc?
- Anyone talking too much? Let him know. Last thing you want during the race is someone annoying you with his babbling.
the driving conditions check:
- Can you see around you? Are your mirrors and side view set up? DO NOT RELY ON ANY SPOTTER!
- Do you know how track and car feel in various situations? Do you know how to react? What about bugs like rFactor resetting the damage repair selection or the track's "invisible hard objects"?
in the car (at the start and during the race):
- Have you kept calm and not lost your mind when you got in the car or when the race started? This can easily happen to any driver. Don't let anything get you out of your coolness.
- Are you risking unnecessarily or are you being cool and not risking to ruin your and other's race by unnecessary behaviour (avoid getting in situations which might end bad)? Are you checking your side and your mirrors constantly and before making any moves?
- Are you monitoring everything? Map, fuel, tires, etc.
- Are you letting pepople know when you pit? Are you checking the map when yellow flag is shown?