Getting into the sim racing scene can be tricky if you don't have the space for some of the best steering wheels and the accessories that come with them. Plenty of wheelbases come packaged with desk clamps, but if your setup is too high or low for proper ergonomics, the thrill of virtual driving becomes less fun overall. Graduating to a dedicated cockpit setup is a daring move, too, especially if you don't have enough room for it to be a realistic option.
Luckily, Monoprice has added the GT foldable racing wheel stand to its Dark Matter gaming subbrand, looking to fill the in-between niche for gamers who want a more convincing sim experience. I'm in no short supply of wheels and pedals, so I jumped at the chance to try a sample and determine if it's worth your money.
GT foldable stand: Price and availability
Monoprice sells the Dark Matter GT foldable racing wheel stand through its official store and third-party retailers, including Amazon, for $170 MSRP, reduced to $150 at the time of writing. It's packaged with a wrench, hex key, plastic caps to cover the hinges, and clip-on cable grips, but you'll need to provide a screwdriver to attach your wheel, pedals, and an optional gear shifter.
Available for purchase now, Monoprice provided a sample unit for this review but did not see the article's contents before publishing.
GT foldable stand: Setup
More than anything else, the most striking first impression is how heavy this stand really is. It's shipped in a box weighing a touch over 14kg, most of which is polystyrene padding, so that's ultimately the minimum heft you'll be lugging around before adding any pedals or a wheel. However, there's hardly any construction needed out of the box outside of attaching some plastic caps to cover the hinges. Easy.
Convenience is the name of the game, as Monoprice highlights in its marketing for the GT stand, promoting a quick fold-away for storage. Sure enough, the whole unit is closed on arrival, with only the feet to attach that eventually obstruct a completely flat fold. Still, the feet rotate and adjust to ensure a sturdy placement on practically any floor surface, so I don't mind them bulking out the unit a little.
There isn't much need for instructions, considering mounting specifics relate more to your chosen sim racing peripherals. The GT foldable stand has enough cuts, grooves, and holes to fit the bolt placements of my Logitech G PRO pedals quickly enough. They'll be somewhat of a semi-permanent feature, though. Fixing a pattern of M6 screws into a pedal base doesn't exactly resemble a quick-release setup, so choose your hardware wisely.
Anything you attach to the stand will obviously increase its overall weight, so lighter sets will fare better if you aim to fold it all away. Carrying the entire thing back upstairs to store it was a challenge worthy of recognition from World's Strongest Man, but I'll settle for the convenience of moving one unit rather than a collection of parts. Bear in mind; this was before I'd even chosen a wheelbase to attach at the top end. Eat your spinach, Popeye.
A simple thumbscrew controls the height adjustment for the pedal base, which falls into one of three hooks further down the frame once you've removed a single metal pin holding it to the folded frame. It's a good solution and more than some other sets can offer, but I'd have much preferred a sliding, spring-loaded bolt to shift between the hooks even faster. Still, it's better than nothing, and I comfortably settled on the most shallow setting anyway.
The GT foldable stand includes two mounting plates separate from the unit on delivery, one for a wheelbase and the other for optional gear shifters. I've always opted for flappy-pedal gear changes or fully automatic vehicles in my favorite simulators, so I didn't need to keep the shifter mount. Neither are difficult to fit, but some mounting holes are noticeably obscured once on the frame, so consider attaching your wheelbase or gear shifter beforehand.
Two plastic twist-grip screws hold the wheelbase crossbar in place, allowing further height adjustment, this time with a smoother action. Loosening screws on either side of the mount gives a small amount of room for tilting, so you can adjust your wheel to a more ergonomically-friendly angle.
Perfect placement will depend on your preference, but I found anything besides the tallest setting wasn't worth it as I regularly scuffed my knees on the mounting plate when I quickly moved my feet between pedals. Once you've found the right height, you'll unlikely need to change it again.
If you consider your pedals a permanent part of the GT foldable racing stand, the necessary storage space doesn't change. Rather than leaving mine on the floor in the corner of the room when I don't need them, they're essentially wall-mounted on a collapsed stand, neatly squeezed behind a cabinet. However, if you leave a wheelbase screwed into the mounting plate and a gear shifter alongside it, the convenience drops slightly as it becomes bulky and awkward to carry once constructed.
GT foldable stand: Impressions
Most of my sim racing has taken place directly in front of my desktop PC with a desk-clamped wheelbase and pedals slipping around on the floor, so I've been craving a convenient cockpit solution for a while. Building the Dark Matter GT was straightforward enough, despite its immense weight, but not everyone can take proper advantage of this foldable stand.
Although a decent amount of articulation is available with height-adjustable pedals and options for angled wheelbases, a lot is riding on your chair placement. My gaming chair doesn't go quite low enough to feel comfortable with the GT stand, so I opted for my living room sofa instead. Undoubtedly comfortable at first, having practically no firm back support in a typical racing position felt strange, and I soon felt odd in this setup.
It's tricky to find the perfect position without clashing your knees into the mounting plates, and heavy braking still causes the entire stand to shift, even with the rubberized feet. For all of its conveniences, it's easy to see how a fully-fledged cockpit with a built-in bucket seat outranks any foldable stand. Weighing down the unit with the player's chair allows you to drive as rough as you like, but that's not an option with the GT.
Still, with my Thrustmaster 248X wheel and Logitech pedals attached, the entire unit becomes more feasible to set up on a whim. Previously, if I felt like a day of sim racing, I knew I had at least a half hour of setup looming ahead before I could even launch a game. The Dark Matter GT foldable racing wheel stand might lack some premium extras, but it's affordable for those who can benefit from it. Folding cockpits can't hide an entire seat, but you'll still need one to play with the GT, so consider your options.
GT foldable stand: Should you buy?
You should buy this if ...
- You're bored of racing at your desk with wheelbase clamps.
- You crave a convenient way to set up a sim racing rig.
- You have a suitable, height-adjustable chair.
You shouldn't buy this if ...
- Your wheelbase exclusively uses a desk clamp.
- You have mobility restrictions or issues lifting heavy objects.
- Your chair doesn't sink low enough to a proper sim racing position.
Monoprice has served me well when I've needed an affordable alternative to the premium options in a few categories. Now they've entered the sim racing space with an admirable folding stand under the Dark Matter subbrand, and it's priced well enough that I'm happy to overlook some minor design missteps. Without a chair, it'll struggle to compete against the best racing simulator cockpits, but you're saving cash without one.
Still, it's only suitable for a specific setup reliant on a chair capable of dropping to a proper height, and its weight becomes an issue once your peripherals are attached. If you plan to keep the GT foldable stand in the same room you play, it won't be too much trouble to drag it out for a quick setup. However, if you're moving up or down a staircase for a day of racing, you'd better apologize to your spine in advance.
