Sim racing is getting more popular over the past few years. Following its increasing popularity, the world of sim racing is getting much more competitive, with high level racers coming from all over the world.
Avid racers are always looking for ways to improve their record and performance, which can be done by simply practising or upgrading their racing setup.
In the highest level of sim racing, every single detail matters, and it might just be the difference between you winning or losing the race.
One way that you can improve in sim racing is actually by using proper gloves.. Of course, this only applies when you are using a steering wheel instead of a joystick, keyboard, or any other controllers.
Table of Contents
- Why Do Sim Racers Wear Gloves?
- Better grip control
- Reduce sores and fatigue
- Maintain your steering wheel
- Do You Need Gloves For Sim Racing?
- What Gloves Do You Use For Sim Racing?
- RaceQuip Outseam Race Gloves 359
- Features:
- K1 Race Gear RS1
- Features:
- Sparco Martini Racing Land gloves
- Features:
- Freem SimRacing Gloves SIM21
- Features:
- Alpinestars Tech-1 Start v2 Gloves
- Features:
- Sim Hound Gloves
- Features:
- SR2 Sim Racing Gloves
- Where to buy:
- Features:
Why Do Sim Racers Wear Gloves?
If you are a racing fan, you may be familiar with real life racers who always wear gloves when racing. After all, it is essential to prevent the hands to sweat on the steering and boost their performance too.
In sim racing, it is clear that there are no risk of accidents that will harm you in any way, but gloves are still very useful for the following reasons:
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Better grip control
You can see with any type of fast paced games including FPS and MOBA games that control over the mouse, keyboard, and any other controllers that they use is very crucial.
Same goes in sim racing where you need to have a sensitive grip control in order to carry out smooth rallies during the race.
Since you will not be moving at a real-time speed it will be much easier for you to control your grip over the steering wheel, and just like sim racers use racing shoes to improve their pedal control, using a pair of racing gloves will drastically improve your grip control.
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Reduce sores and fatigue
Racing simulators are now getting very realistic.
Not only are new software and games being developed as you are reading this article, today’s simulation racing setup has managed to replicate real life racing down to every detail, including the vibration on your steering wheels.
You may not realize it at first, but holding on to a constantly vibrating steering can cause fatigue and hand sores.
With a nice racing glove, your skin will be protected from the friction caused by the vibration, and your wrist will be covered in order to reduce any potential risk of hand/wrist sores.
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Maintain your steering wheel
We always like to remind our readers to preserve their racing setup, including the cheaper hardware such as your steering wheels. When you are racing with bare hands, not only will it be less comfortable for you, it will actually wear your steering wheels down faster.
By simply investing in a decent pair of racing gloves, you will be able to maintain the condition of your steering wheel.
Those are the reasons why you should consider wearing racing gloves when sim racing.
Additionally, wearing racing gloves will make you look much more professional and just cooler in general, so why not give it a try!
Do You Need Gloves For Sim Racing?
For the reasons that we mentioned above, we can conclude that yes you will need gloves for sim racing if you want to improve your overall performance. However, it is definitely not a necessity.
Obviously, you will not need to use racing gloves when you are using other controllers such as joysticks and keyboards, but it is also possible to race with steering wheels without wearing any racing gloves.
What Gloves Do You Use For Sim Racing?
You can find some gloves exclusively designed for sim racing, which usually include convenient features such as touch screen compatibility. However, most sim racers opt to go with real racing gloves that racers would wear in real life racing.
Any kind of racing gloves would actually be fine, but keep in mind that some racing gloves are designed to be thicker/heavier as additional security measures for racers, so you might want to go with the lighter option to make it more comfortable when using it only for sim racing.
When compared to other sim racing hardwares, racing gloves are nowhere near as expensive, but you can always buy karting gloves if you are looking for a cheaper alternative.
Unfortunately, some karting gloves do come with a downside which usually are less circulation and a slightly tighter fit, which not everyone finds comfortable for sim racing.
In the list below, we have compiled the 7 best sim racing gloves to buy in 2022, make sure to check each option out and buy one that suits you the most!
RaceQuip Outseam Race Gloves 359
Price:
$69.95
Check it here on Amazon
We are closing off this list with the RaceQuip Outseam Race Gloves 359, a pair of premium racing gloves produced by one of the best racing equipment manufacturers, RaceQuip.
RaceQuip gloves are known for their beautiful design and great functionality. For instance, the 359 race gloves have a double layer outer seam design that maximizes comfort when you are gripping on to the steering wheel.
Features:
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Soft, Supple, and Comfortable leather grip
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Reverse Seam for Superior Comfort and Feel
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Extra Long Angle Cut Gauntlet
K1 Race Gear RS1
Price: $39
Check it here on Amazon
Coming from the world of karting is the K1 Race Gear RS1.
Regarded as one of the most comfortable karting gloves, the K1 Race Gear RS1 is equipped with plenty of features suitable for sim racing, such as vented finger space and abrasion resistance fabric.
K1 Race Gear RS1 is also a great option for kids as it is available in both adult and kids sizes.
Features:
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Reverse stitched to maximize comfort
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Vented finger space
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Abrasion resistance fabric
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Padded leather palm to enhance grip control
Sparco Martini Racing Land gloves
Price: $139
Where to buy:
https://www.sparcousa.com/product/martini-land
Racing enthusiasts are most likely familiar with both Sparco and Martini Racing. Together, they have collaborated with some of the best racers from different generations.
Sparco Martini Racing Land glove is another result of their collaboration that we highly recommend you to use.
With a classic Martini Racing design, this glove is engineered to be as ergonomic as possible while providing extra support for your grip control and hand positioning. It is available in 2 colors including navy and red.
Features:
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Martini Racing embroidered patches
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Ergonomic palm design
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Suede grip for finger tips and palm
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Elastic wrist support
Freem SimRacing Gloves SIM21
Price: $51
Where to buy:
https://www.freem-simracing.com/product-page/simracing-gloves-sim21
One of our favourite gloves that are specially designed for sim racers is the Freem SimRacing Gloves SIM21.
Made in Italy, this pair of gloves by Freem weights only 32g, which really is one of the lightest gloves you can find anywhere on the market.
Since it is made for sim racers, Freem focused more on convenience and performance enhancing features such as the usage of L-grip fabrics.
Both the thumb and index finger area of this glove is also covered by fabrics that are compatible with touchscreens.
Features:
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weight only 32 gr
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Compatible with touchscreens
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L-grip fabrics for exceptional grip on your steering wheels
Alpinestars Tech-1 Start v2 Gloves
Price: $99.95
Where to buy:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Alpinestars-Tech-1-Start-v2-Gloves,403988.html
Some racing gloves may seem stuffy and uncomfortable. In reality, most manufacturers are very aware of this issue and have come up with different solutions to keep their glove breathable and comfortable, such as the Alpinestars Tech-1 Start v2 Gloves.
Alpinestars Tech-1 Start v2 Gloves has an innovative design that maximizes the racers movement through breathable fabric and light fabric material.
Each grip is also covered with high quality silicone to ensure that you have a perfect grip control over your steering wheel.
Features:
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Alpinestars cuff opening design with a 180° elasticated wrist
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Close-fit and breathable design
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Ergonomically positioned silicone to enhance grip control
Sim Hound Gloves
Price: $28
Where to buy:
https://simhound.com/collections/gloves/products/sim-hound-gloves-black
Other than the design which is usually lighter and more comfortable, gloves that are specially made for sim racing are usually made with less materials, which make it much more affordable than real life racing gloves.
Take the Sim Hound Gloves as example, a comfortable sim racing gloves with microfiber suede palm to improve your grip control.
Additionally, extra measures are taken such as a specially designed wrist fastening strap to prevent irritation or wrist restriction.
Features:
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Microfiber suede palm for convenient grip
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Wrist fastening strap
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Touchscreen sensitive tip at the index finger
SR2 Sim Racing Gloves
Price: $28
Where to buy:
https://www.f33l.gg/shop/sr2-sim-racing-gloves-new
Light and robust, those are the best way to describe SR2 Sim Racing Gloves.
Available at such affordable prices, SR2 Sim Racing Gloves is highly popular amongst sim racers around the world, it has a rubber grip design that allows ergonomic grip control over your steering wheels.
The material itself is very lightweight and durable, making it the perfect choice for sim drivers.
Features:
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Rubber patches and velcro strap to support your wrist
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Lightweight and breathable design
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Ergonomic rubber grip
That ends our list of the 7 best sim racing gloves to buy in 2024.
If you are still confused on which pair of gloves to buy, you can always try buying more than one pair to find out which one matches your hands the best.
