Braking too early, or does 200 km/h feel like 120? Then your FOV (field of view: how wide the sim draws the picture) is probably off. In iRacing you can fix that in a few minutes, for a single monitor, an ultrawide or triple screens. Here is how. Want the number first? Use our iRacing FOV calculator.
Why the right FOV makes you faster
When your FOV matches what your screen really covers from your seat, you see the track at true size. According to iRacing, the view then changes just like it does in a real car.
Set the FOV much wider and everything feels faster. iRacing adds: not in a good way. Corners look smaller and further away, so you judge your braking point and the gap to the car ahead less well. With the right FOV your brain helps you judge those things instead.
A correct FOV often feels narrow and slow at first. iRacing's advice is to simply drive a good number of laps. Also map look left and look right to buttons on your wheel, so you can still check your mirrors and the car alongside.
Where do you set the FOV in iRacing?
Start a session (a Test Drive is enough). In the sim, click Settings in the top right corner, choose the Display tab and scroll down to the Monitor section. That is where iRacing's Field of View Calculator lives: pick your monitor type, enter your screen width and viewing distance and click Compute. iRacing then sets the FOV for you.
Fine-tune it in the car:
- [ and ]: narrower or wider FOV.
- Shift + [ and ]: move the horizon up or down. A red bar appears. Look straight ahead and put that bar at eye level.
- Ctrl + [ and ]: driver height. Put the virtual wheel roughly where your real wheel is.
Horizon and driver height apply to every car. Sitting too far forward or back in one car? Select the cockpit camera, press Ctrl+F12 to open the camera menu, adjust the X, Y and Z offsets and save with Save Car (file name car.cam).
Want to calculate first? Want to know your FOV before buying a monitor or moving your rig? Use the FOV calculator. It gives the horizontal FOV for iRacing, including bezel and angle for triples.
Single monitor
- Sit in your normal driving position and measure the shortest distance from between your eyes to the screen.
- Measure the width of your screen, with and without the bezel (the frame around the panel).
- Select 1 Flat Screen (or 1 Curved Screen), enter the measurements and click Compute.
- Then set the horizon and driver height with Shift and Ctrl + [ ].
The maths behind it: FOV = 2 × arctan((screen width / 2) / viewing distance). A 27-inch 16:9 screen is about 59.8 cm wide. At 60 cm that gives roughly 53°, at 80 cm only 41°.
That is why iRacing says your monitor needs to be close to your face for the calculated FOV to be worth using. If your monitor sits far behind the wheel on a desk, the correct FOV becomes very narrow. Move the screen closer rather than turning the FOV up.
Ultrawide (34" and 49")
In iRacing an ultrawide is set up as one screen: 1 Flat Screen, or 1 Curved Screen for a curved model.
- 34 inch, 21:9: about 79 cm wide. At 70 cm that is roughly 59°.
- 49 inch, 32:9: about 120 cm wide. At 70 cm that is roughly 81°.
Note: at about 34 cm, a 49-inch super ultrawide is roughly as tall as a 27-inch 16:9 screen. You see much more to the sides, but the vertical angle stays the same at the same distance. That matters in ACC and Le Mans Ultimate (see below).
The Render scene using 3 projections option is meant for three screens. You don't use it with an ultrawide. For a curved screen, the FOV calculator has a curvature setting.
Triple screens
First the three screens have to form one picture. iRacing describes two ways: stretch the sim window across all three screens (usually the easiest), or use NVIDIA Surround or AMD Eyefinity to create one large virtual display (true full screen). Then, with three identical screens:
- Go to Settings > Display > Monitor and set Monitor Type to 3 Flat Screens (or 3 Curved Screens).
- Monitor Width: the width of one screen, edge to edge including bezels. Don't measure diagonally.
- Bezel Width: the bezel on one edge, not both edges added together.
- Enter the distance from your eyes to the centre screen and click Compute.
- Enable Render scene using 3 projections. Each screen then gets its own camera and the view becomes more realistic. With an NVIDIA card, also enable Nvidia Simultaneous Multi-Projection for better performance.
- Angle between center and side screens: the angle between the centre screen and a side screen. Set both side screens at the same angle. With curved screens iRacing asks for the Radius of curvature from your monitor's manual instead.
- Click Compute again.
Without 3 projections, the angle does not change the picture. Then put the horizon at eye level: according to iRacing that is essential to minimise warp between the centre and side screens. The FOV calculator shows your setup from above.
In short: ACC and Le Mans Ultimate
Assetto Corsa Competizione and Le Mans Ultimate use a vertical FOV: the angle from the top to the bottom edge of your screen. In Le Mans Ultimate the setting is even called Vertical FOV.
The formula is the same, but with the height: 2 × arctan((screen height / 2) / viewing distance). A 27-inch 16:9 screen at 60 cm comes to roughly 31° vertical, against 53° horizontal in iRacing. The FOV calculator gives you both values.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good FOV for iRacing?
There is no single good value. It depends on your screen width and viewing distance. A 27-inch 16:9 screen at 60 cm comes to roughly 53°.
Can I use a wider FOV than calculated?
You can, with [ and ] in the car. You see more, but according to iRacing everything then feels faster in a way that doesn't help your judgement.
Do I need to set the FOV per car?
No. FOV, horizon and driver height apply everywhere. Only your seating position is adjusted per car, via Ctrl+F12.
Why are my side screens warped?
Check that 3 projections is enabled, that both side screens stand at the angle you entered and that the horizon is at eye level. Then click Compute again.
Sources: iRacing Support, How to Configure Your Seating Position; iRacing Support, Setting Up Three Monitors; iRacing Support, iRacing Camera Tool; iRacing Support, iRacing Setup: A Beginner's Guide.
Still working on your setup? Read building a sim racing rig, or start with getting into sim racing.