When you plan on taking your sim racing experience to the next level, gloves are a great addition. Not only will they help you enter the mindset of a true sim racer, but they’ll increase your precision and minimize catastrophic slips. In this guide, we’ll walk through 6 of the market’s best products.
The Best Sim Racing Gloves
| Editor's Pick | Gloves | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pick | Sparco Meca 3 Mechanics Gloves | 90% |
| Runner-Up | Alpinestars Tech 1-K Race Gloves | 88% |
| Budget Pick | Alpinestars F-Lite Gloves | 81% |
| Luxury Pick | Sparco Arrow Evo 7.1kg Gloves | 92% |
| Multi-Purpose | Seibertron Dirtpaw Unisex Cycling Gloves | 80% |
| Honorable Mention | Sparco Hypergrip Gaming Gloves | 80% |
Top Pick: Sparco Meca 3 Mechanics Glove
- Thin but great quality
- Won’t sweat
- Excellent grip
If you are looking for gloves solely for sim racing then the Sparco Meca 3 Mechanics are a great option. The material is of high quality, as expected from the Sparco brand.
These gloves are marketed towards mechanics, which is why the material is quite thin. This will allow you to pick up smaller objects more easily, without coming at the cost of grip. As an added bonus, the thinness allows for less heat to build up, meaning that wearing them for extended periods of time will still be comfortable. Speaking of comfort, these gloves are well sized and easy to take off thanks to the velco strip.
Runner-Up: Alpinestars Tech 1-K Race Gloves
- Very good grip
- Moulds to user’s hand
- Durable core
If you’re looking for gloves which will stick to the wheel for unparalleled control, the Alpinestars Tech 1-K Race Gloves these are a safe bet.
While the first impression of these gloves isn’t great, the stitching softens within a week or two of use, moulding the gloves to the shape of your hands. The result will almost feel as though you’re wearing nothing. The suede material will help you hold on to your wheel, not letting it budge a single inch without your input. These are a working man’s gloves: not meant for beauty or showmanship, but pure accuracy and results.
Budget Pick: Alpinestars F-Lite Glove
- Affordable
- Second-skin like
- Good grip
You don’t have to spend a fortune in order to purchase great racing gloves, what with the Alpinestars F-Light Glove. These thin and breathable gloves function as a second skin, gripping your hands tightly but comfortably. The external grip is also excellent, aided by the suede material on the palms, allowing you to hold on to the wheel even when force-feedback (even that of a direct drive wheel!) tries to push you off. These gloves aren’t as durable as others on this list, but the very accessible price means that you’ll be able to replace them as needed. An added benefit is their appearance, with twelve different colour schemes to choose from.
As a last note, in order to make sure that you purchase the right size, we recommend you check Alpinestars website for fitment. This is generally a good rule of thumb regardless, but with second-skin like gloves it is extra important.
Luxury Pick: Sparco Arrow Evo 7.1kg Gloves
- Unmatched grip
- Carpal padding
- Touchscreen compatibility
The Sparco Arrow Evo 7.1kg are the highest quality gloves you can find for not only sim racing, but use in the real world. The rubber patches printed on the palm grip the steering wheel like glue. Other than being the gold standard in terms of quality, they also have extra padding on the carpal area. This means that extensive racing with a force-feedback wheel will not take its usual toll on your hand. An added benefit is that of the touchscreen compatibility on the fingers tips of index finger and thumb, meaning that you won’t have to take the gloves off in-between races to use your phone. Their quality is excellent, providing a comfortable fit and soft texture.
Of course with all these features comes an (expected) drawback: the price. These gloves are expensive, almost reaching the price of some cheaper wheels and pedals.
Multi-Purpose: Seibertron Dirtpaw Unisex Cycling Gloves
- Versatile
- Good price-quality ratio
- Very aesthetically pleasing
If you’re looking for affordable, multi-purpose gloves, the Seibertron Dirtpaw Unisex Cycling Gloves are a great choice. The grip is solid, offering much better control over your sim rig than bare hands. The material is not as high quality as that of others gloves on the list, but considering the very approachable price tag, it’s impressive these gloves don’t more. Visually, these gloves are also quite striking.
The fact that the manufacturer offers a 30-day full refund return policy, followed by a one year replacement warranty for any manufacturing defect, shows how confident they are in their product.
Honorable Mention: Sparco Hypergrip Gaming Gloves
The Sparco Hypergrip Gaming Gloves are a natural choice if you’re looking for an affordable sim racing glove. Unlike some of the other picks on this list, this is a dedicated gaming glove. As a result, it’s thin, breathable, and provides good grip. Not to mention, it won’t damage your PC controllers, steering wheels, and other accessories.
Unfortunately, there are some complaints as to the quality of these gloves. Some users say they fall part in the wash and even during intense gaming sessions. As always, though, reviews are mixed, and some users do love these gloves for sim racing.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t need gloves for sim racing. As with most racing accessories, though, they have benefits to both performance and immersion. They may also prevent your steering wheel (and hands!) from unnecessary damage. As a result, we would absolutely reccommend them if you are an aspiring sim racer.
The main benefit of wearing gloves while sim racing is performance, since they allow you to better grip the steering wheel. Gloves also protect your equipment, since sweaty hands can wear down alcantara or suede steering wheels. Similarly, gloves prevent hand fatigue, blisters, and rashes.
There are three things to look at when purchasing sim racing gloves: grip, comfort, breathability. Good grip will improve your precision with the steering wheel, and thus performance. Comfort will allow you to race, well, comfortably for long periods of time. Finally, breathability will prevent your hands from sweating too much.
Last Updated on May 4, 2022