What clipping in sim racing is: understanding the hidden limit of force feedback (FFB)
When racing virtually, precision is everything matters, every fraction of a second counts.
One of the most misunderstood—but critically important—aspects is what clipping in sim racing is.
It’s not just a technical term buried in the settings menu—it directly affects how well you can control the car, respond to changing track conditions, and maintain consistency over a race distance. Many racers unknowingly compromise their performance by driving with a clipped force feedback signal, losing valuable tactile information that helps them stay on the edge of grip.
In this blog post, we’re going to demystify this subtle but impactful phenomenon, show you why it’s a silent performance killer, and provide practical, easy-to-follow tips to eliminate it—so you can extract every bit of realism and performance from your setup and get one step closer to that Formula 1 experience you've been chasing.
What is clipping in sim racing?
Imagine pushing your wheel to its limit during a high-speed corner only to feel the same dull resistance whether you're losing grip or going over a curb. That’s clipping — and it’s something every sim racer should avoid.
Clipping occurs when the Force Feedback (FFB) signal sent from the simulation software to your steering wheel exceeds the maximum output your wheelbase can deliver. When this limit is surpassed, the signal gets "clipped" or flattened, meaning the wheel can no longer translate subtle differences in force.
The result? A loss of precision, feeling, and critical feedback that can dramatically impact your driving performance.
What Is Force Feedback (FFB)?
Force Feedback (FFB) is the technology that transmits physical forces from the virtual track to your hands via the steering wheel. These forces simulate road texture, tire grip, cornering load, and collisions.
A well-calibrated FFB system helps you “feel” the car’s behavior and make precise, split-second decisions.
Most modern sim wheels use either belt, gear, or direct-drive mechanisms to deliver FFB. The signal is generated by the game’s physics engine and translated into torque commands. When those commands are too strong and exceed the wheel’s max output, they’re clipped — and that's when realism and control take a hit.
Why clipping is bad for your sim racing experience
Clipping may sound technical, but its impact is very real and immediately noticeable when racing.
The history of sim racing, teaches us that there are three main consequences of clipping:
1. Loss of Precision
When your FFB signal clips, your steering wheel can’t differentiate between medium and maximum forces. This results in a "flat" feeling during aggressive inputs, such as hard cornering or quick corrections — robbing you of the nuanced feedback that’s vital for reacting instinctively.
2. Missed Vehicle Cues
The ability to feel understeer, oversteer, tire slip, and traction loss is essential, especially in competitive scenarios like a virtual racing championship (LINK). Clipping cuts off these cues, making it harder to anticipate or respond to critical changes in car behavior.
3. Reduced Immersion
For many, sim racing is about realism — the thrill of a Formula 1 experience from the comfort of home or at a dedicated venue. Clipping breaks that illusion by flattening the realism into a single, unchanging force output.
How to avoid clipping in sim racing
Now that you know what clipping in sim racing is and why it’s a problem, here are practical steps to avoid it and get the most out of your setup:
1. Calibrate FFB Gain
Start by lowering the in-game FFB gain until you no longer see clipping indicators. Many racing sims, like iRacing or Assetto Corsa, include telemetry or force meters that show when clipping occurs. Keep your force outputs within safe margins to preserve detail.
2. Use Third-Party Tools
Software like FFBClip (for Assetto Corsa) or WheelCheck can help you fine-tune your wheel settings and optimize FFB curves, ensuring strong forces don’t overshadow smaller, critical cues.
3. Adjust Wheelbase Settings
If your wheelbase software allows it, adjust torque limits and linearity to reduce the chance of signal overload. For direct-drive systems, use dynamic force filters to maintain fidelity during intense driving moments.
4. Tune Per-Car Settings
Some cars in sims generate higher FFB outputs than others. Tweak per-car FFB values to strike the right balance between realism and responsiveness.
Join the fun at our sim racing lounge in Europe
Understanding what clipping in sim racing is is essential for serious sim racers. It’s not just a technical quirk—it’s a barrier between you and peak performance. Clipping dulls your senses, blurs crucial feedback, and holds back lap times.
At Nürburgring eSports, we live and breathe precision. Our simulators are meticulously calibrated to eliminate clipping and deliver the purest force feedback experience. When you visit our simracing lounges in Europe, you’re stepping into a world where every nuance matters—from peak braking forces to minute tire slips.
Want to level up? Visit our lounge, feel the difference, and experience sim racing the way it was meant to be
