Trak Racer TR160S - Review

The included tools were quickly retired for the trusty Ryobi power drill, longer set of Allen keys and a small shifter. Bolts for the main cockpit were all presented on cardboard backing covered in transparent plastic with markings denoting the difference types allowing you to easily identify the correct size and head to use for a specific section of the build.

Manuals are all easily accessible under the track racer support section of the website which opens a PDF to guide you through the build process. The manual look well-presented and professional, I did however get tripped up on a few steps which I will discuss further into this review.

NOTE: As I will be adding a motion system that attaches to the outside of each corner and must be in perfectly square, so I inverted the extrusion on the left and right sides of the rear to allow for easier mounting of the motion system. This step is unnecessary if you will be using this cockpit without motion or a motion platform that does not have similar requirements about placement and alignment.

Given the cockpit would temporarily live on the RGB floor mat, I also elected to not install the rubber feet that are also included.

The rear of the cockpit is where you begin your journey and in just over an hour with the help of a well laid out manual, you’re easily through steps 1 to 7.

Going rogue from the manual and splashing out on 2 extra bolts finished off the last of step 11. It was however at this point that I ran into my first “oh crap” moment with bolting on the front-end plate. To this point I had built the cockpit on carpet in my living room and given it was not a hard surface allowed for some movement and misalignment as things were getting tightened down. It was at this point that I remembered a great video by Will (HERE) on steps to take when building these types of cockpits and I recommend this to anyone looking to build a similar cockpit.

Resolute in my bolt choice, it was time to move onto the assemble of the seat itself. The manual has sections for each of the Trak Racer seat types and on Page 22 I found mine. In the past I’ve always struggled with getting seat backs attached to the recliner metal arms of these types of chairs. It was reassuring that yet again I faced a similar situation with this build. By this stage of my life, it’s clearly not the creators of these, it simply must be me!

Similar to the seat rails, my bolts were preinstalled into the base of the seat ready for me to remove and mate the two halves together. Upon unscrewing the bolt by the reclining mechanism, I noticed it to be twice as long as the other bolts. I imagine this is due to the stress on that corner however while it came out easily, I had a lot of trouble trying to screw it back in. It was so tight that I thought I’d either strip the bolt head or break it. Luckily neither happened and after my usual 10 minutes of practising my robust language skills got it all aligned and together.

Once joined together, there are some simple plastic covers that go over the top to hide the mechanism magic beneath, these really do add to the looks of the chair and make it feel more upmarket and premium. Closing out the install was the mounting of the seat to the frame which was without issue or swearing.

Pedal Mount:

Similarly to the seats, several options are available for the pedal choices. The TR180S comes with the TR80-PBAL streamlined rudder pedal plate which is fairly limited when you compare it to the TR80-PBPL model. Given my rudder pedals have 4 large holes, mounting them should be relatively easy using the extrusion.

Installation was straight forward despite encountering a similar issue I’d faced with extrusion not aligning. Simply letting off more bolts and some light jiggling had everything slot into place. The rudder plate had a well manufactured heel plate which allows you to comfortably place your heels on the plate with your foot resting on the rudder pedals.

Yoke/Wheel Mount/ Vertical uprights:

Lastly, we arrive at the vertical uprights to mount the yoke and throttles. The TR160S does come with 2 x 160mm uprights however does not come with the linking extrusion for where a joystick or throttle may go. For this reason, I ordered the TR80-2SMEX-FS-AU which consists of 2 x Side supports and joystick/throttle mounts.

Mounting the 2 large vertical uprights was easy enough but the horizontal yoke plate proved difficult to install by myself. Given the plate needs to be aligned with 4 x T-nuts has a solid heavy construction, an additional member of the safety team was needed to assist. They simply held it in place while I bolted it in underneath.

Similarly to other parts, the fit didn’t quite come together first go and some slackening of the vertical mounts and twisting of the horizontal frame allowed for everything to line up.

Accessories

Transducer Mount

Continuing the haptic feedback I’ve had on previous builds, I was keen to install the Buttkicker Gamer Pro and was glad an option was available to mount this in multiple locations. Given the flexibility in this cockpit you have several options from side seat mounting to mounting front or rearward of the seat.

Tablet Holder

Additional displays while flying is helpful and whilst flying I’m never very far away from my iPad. While version 3 of the TR Tablet and Button Box holder Upgrade Kit works well, it’s not without what I would call a fairly large flaw. By design, the tablet will sit completely upright leading to a risk of the device falling forward and facing a similar fate as most of my landings. Hard and in a million pieces. As a mad 3d printer enthusiast, I took up the challenge of designing a small part to create an angle so I would be able to have the tablet fall back onto the mount and reduce the risk of falling forward. It also had the added benefit of being the exact angle pointed towards me whilst flying.

With the addition of the tilt bracket I was able to tilt my iPad back on a 30 degree angle allowing for the perfect position without risk of it falling forward.

Trak Mat

While definitely not required for either dodging missiles or shaving milliseconds off your lap times, the Trak Mat once powered on does bring about adding another level of refinement to the overall aesthetic. Made of neoprene it does a great job of absorbing vibrations from haptic feedback systems and can even be lit in red, and red cars go faster right?

The rigidity observed throughout the build is evident once you put the cockpit to use. Once flight controls are on and you’re really throwing it around I observed very little movement throughout the cockpit. However, the real test for me would be the addition of a motion system such as the Sigma Integrale’s fantastic DK2+ system. I will cover the specifics of this motion system in a separate review however given the power this has, I was very interested to see how the TR160S held up under some extreme conditions such as every one of my landings.

Thanks to some decisions made earlier in the build, mounting each of the DK2+ 4 actuators was done with ease and within just a few minutes I was ready for a shakin’ good time.

A few sessions of DCS (Digital Combat Simulator) in both helicopters and the F18 Hornet resulting in many moments of extreme violence and shocks being sent through the TR160S. After many weeks of bumps, bounces, shocks, explosions and a few hard landings I’m happy to say that the cockpit has shown no signs of coming loose or failure. Comparatively to other simulator cockpits I’ve owned, this is a very sturdy well-designed cockpit.

Is it comfy?

Well I’m 6ft, 85kg (80 if anyone asks) size 32 waist (heading to 34 if I have that chocolate in the fridge) and I sit comfortable in the chair and have good overall support and the movement of the seat along the rails is solid and feels well-constructed. I do find however that the seat could benefit from a few additions.

I’d like to see a cushion offered standard like others in this market, to help push the bottom of your back out as I did find over time I would get a stiff lower back (My landings might of played a role in this however). Additionally, given the nature of use for this cockpit being primarily flight orientated, I’d like to see the exact same seat with a cutout between your legs to better aid in mounting centre sticks. None in the range have this and you must mount your stick high enough to clear the seat when you pull it forward. For sticks with relatively tall bases this can lead to have the stick higher than what you would otherwise have it that could impact comfortability.

Conclusion

Overall, the TR160S from Trak Racer is a robust and well-constructed cockpit option for anyone looking for a home flight cockpit. It’s versatile, made of high-quality components and is easy to build.

Despite a few minor marks on the extrusion and the odd inconsistences in the manual, if its your first time building these cockpits or you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll have an easy time following the instructions and getting this built over a day or two.

While the seat is comfortable most of the time, some additional padding of cushioning and some design considerations for flight simulator users would be appreciated. The TR160S is a premium product that delivered on the promise of strength and quality making it an excellent contender for anyone considering one of these home cockpits. I have little doubt that it’s not up to the task of either being used trackside or airside as you take the battle to the virtual track or skies.