Looking for the best gloves for sim racing? Sim racing gloves are far from essential. Although depending on the material of your steering wheel they may well just be worth purchasing.
One of the reasons for your rig set is to replicate a real life experience. So helmet and overalls aside (that’s a bit extreme) why not dive into this review and consider as to whether some quality sim racing gloves might benefit you.
Why do people wear gloves in sim racing?
The are a number of factors as to why people wear gloves in sim racing. However the most prevalent of reasons is down to the grip and the protection they provide. Dependant on the type of material used on the wheel, lets say for instance alcantara. Without using gloves racers may find that the material becomes slathered in sweat, bacteria and other unwanted waste material dependent and that persons non existent hygiene.
There are a number of criteria to identify as to what may be the perfect gloves for your sim racing experiencing. These things may include comfort, control, durability, protection, design.
What gloves do you use for sim racing?
Although Sim racing gloves would be the obvious pick in glove choice there are many racers who actually use gloves from different genres. For example these may be gloves from the field of gym, cycling, karting and mechanics.
Although they may not be sim specific gloves it does not mean that they don’t do the job. In fact they may potentially outperform sim specific gloves in some areas.
Are sim racing gloves worth it?
When you think about the investment you have made on purchasing an expensive wheel then you would think that it makes sense to protect it. By wearing gloves this essentially is what you are doing. On top of this your own health is also paramount in addition to the level of realism and immersion you wish to experience.
For instance direct drive wheels can be demanding on your arms and most notably your hands where you grip the wheel. If you’re an individual that enjoys the rough and tumble of cranking up your force feedback to it’s highest settings then it would make sense to invest in some quality gloves. This will protect your hands from the vigours of the forces your hand receives.
Sparco hypergrip plus
Sparco have a rich history in designing top quality racewear and have brought their expertise to the gaming market. The Hypergrip plus have been designed with a superb print that looks and feels like a true race glove.
elastic cuffs – tight at first, originals had a velcro strap but the mechanism didn’t agree with many users. snug and flexible – tricky getting them on at first but loses up after time
Perforated palm – microfibre material
grippy surface on the heel of the hand
fingertips have the same material for gripping
padded area in upper palm – firm
The top of the glove has a Stretchable and breathable mesh material Comfortable and very little sweat, fit hands perfectly sp comfortable
Feel SR2
The SR2’s are the second instalment from Feel and have upgraded features from the first gloves to hit the market.
Materials used on the SR2 gloves appear to be of a lower grade in comparison to other gloves you may find on the market.
On the upper side of the glove there is a lack of air escaping the glove which means the gloves are prone to a build up of moisture. However on the palm side of the glove you’ll find a huge surface area of material that provides excellent grip.
A good looking pair of gloves along with good grip and durability however the SR2’s do fall somewhat compared to the other gloves on the list.
OMP KS4
The OMP KS4’s really look the part and for good reason too. The KS4’s are usually worn in real world racing, used by kart racers.
These gloves offer a real authentic experience. However due to this you may find that the gloves are not efficient in the summer season. Unfortunately the gloves are not machine washable. Therefore premium care or attentive precaution is required with their use.
in terms of durability the gloves are be pretty robust and importantly have an excellent level of grip in particular on suede and alcantara.
Sparco Meca III
Alternate to sim specific gloves are the Sparco Meca III. These gloves are actually, mehcanics gloves.
What you will find is a nice quality pair of gloves for sim racing which offer good grip for certain wheels and comfortable around the hand.
Due to there being no grip pad this is a con for slippery wheels. However there is a good maneuverability around wheels such as alacantara and suede.
There is no no touch pad material on the gloves however they still offer some ability to be used on a but can use them on a screen.
Abruzzi
Abruzzi are the diamond in the pack when it comes to sim racing gloves. This is due to the ability to custom design your own gloves. In addition there is the option to choose the stitching internally or externally.
The Abbruzi gloves are a fairly decent all round glove. They are built reasonably well and have a nice secure velcro grip.
The material that is supposed to grip the wheel is slightly underwhelming and can feel a bit slippery.
The top surface of the glove feels quite rigid which can lead to a lack of breathability.
The gloves do come with a Touch sensitive material on the index and thumb pad.
Freem
Another quality glove to take note of. Freem may not be widely known commercially but in the racing seen they are highly respected.
The glove compromises of a the thumb and index finger padding for touch sensitivity for devices.
On the palm there is a sticky mesh type material that grips the wheel.
The gloves are perfectly light and Thin which excels for lighter wheels but may not necessarily be adequate for more powerful wheels or force feedback at its peak settings.
There is a nice feel to the gloves with a good measure of breathability meaning very little issues when it comes to sweat. no issues with sweating
And to top it all off the gloves have a unique design in comparison to a lot of the gloves reviewed which is pretty cool and comes on various colours.