PT Actuator TensionR Belt Tensioning System Review

Intro: 0:00
Closer Look: 0:50
Mounting: 15:13
Look Inside: 30:10
System Calibration: 40:01
Live Tuning Session: 43:39
Driving Thoughts: 57:54
Final Thoughts: 1:07:46
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MOBO: MSI Z390 Tomahawk
CPU: i9-9900K Clocked to 4.9ghz
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING 24G-P5-3987-KR
RAM: 64gig
Monitors: 3 27" Asus ROG PG279Q IPS panels at 144hz. 4th
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Side monitors are at 60° angles.

[@mohammadkhalil8553]

Have been waiting for this for a long time. Thanks! I wish they have included those ptfe rolls so we install them somewhere.

[@GoldenRetrevFam]

Just purchased this because of your review. Thank you for your endepth, meticulous review.

[@bertram-raven]

FYI - "Void if removed" stickers are not only legally unenforceable, they are illegal in Japan, UK, Europe, and most of states in the USA. (California is the exception)

[@henrik1743]

How are they illegal if Sony has this on the ps3 ps4 and ps5?

[@BGR_33]

Great review. I didn’t realize this unit has heave & sway which makes it totally worth it for me on my static profile rig.

[@aeiouxs]

Great review as always Barry, hope you made a mental note after watching your video that your hair could possibly be trapped in the rollers/mechanism behind the seat. This whole system does worry me a little from a Safety POV, but would love one. Thanks as always!

[@jacobcisco7059]

First review in awhile that I really wanted to see bad from the srg!!!!

[@GrantMerle]

Very neat, I didn't even know something like this existed

[@motionsimroom6085]

Amazing! I see, you can also use this method to create the illusion of gravity. I'd like to add this to my motion sims someday. I've also recently started streaming driving videos on this account.

[@d3tach3d]

id love to see some trophy truck or rally type racing with your motion system and products like these to see how dramatic things can get

[@TraumaTeamRacing]

An awesome review. Thank you very much🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@Raceeverything]

This actually looks so Good

[@damiengvideos4337]

Just got my Gbelt from SimXperience up and running and it’s interesting how different these two are. The Tension R the belts are wrapped around the motors basically but the Gbelt uses arms attached to the motors to push against the belt causing tension. I think the Gbelt is a much simpler, compact system and has plenty of power. Although the Gbelt does not come with belts…a plus and minus. Good if you want custome belts bad if you don’t want to spend the extra $$$

[@Gorilla_Jones]

Lol Barry's hair. Good review

[@jeelux]

Was für ein cooles Teil 💪

[@michaelpickford7298]

Have mine fitted to a trak racer tr8 and works great with a static rig and they made brackets to fit.

[@mickyzzzeee]

I’ve just bought a TR160 man so they come with brackets with the package?? How you finding them? I have a TR8 now

[@kolbinator8882]

Hey Barry, really nice Review, you made me order this thing to add it to my Rig 😂 One question: I am running a SimExperience DIY 2 DOF (Seatmover) and I am going to attach the belt tensioner to the frame: would you suggest to run the heave effect with a Seatmover because I have no heave on my motion? Thanks in advance for your advice. Keep up the great work!

[@black7rc720]

Could you mix brackets for 120 channel? (1/2 of 160 plus 1/2 of 80)

[@AdamsSIMporium]

Is your noise gate more aggressive than it used to be?

[@OhItsThat]

Wonder how well this would work with a NLR V3.

[@nanoby]

Excuse me friend, I have some questions that I would like you to answer, I have a g27 and I would like to have more power on the steering wheel, my question is in some way, you can remove the ones that the logitech g27 has as standard and put bigger and more powerful ones or to put a motor of a washing machine and if it is possible I would like to know how

[@rickygreene3205]

Nice one 👍

[@imagebuff]

You should raise the rollers even higher to get the highest belt attack angle possible on your shoulders

[@minirc87]

could you share the intro rsr sample?

[@mikethrash2287]

@simracinggarage the belt stops working over settings of 10 in Sim Racing Studio. Upgraded to 24V 10A Power supply. Still Not working. Calibrating and then after First braking it shuts Off completely. Super annoying.

[@yytubeaccount]

@simracinggarage I would like to see something that offers 3 motors to pull on the waist belts also.....

[@simracingeric3410]

Does this work well without a motion platform

[@jeremymartinez6024]

Can I use SimHub for this system if I use it to control my Buttkickers? Or would I need to run SimHub and Sim Racing Studio simultaneously?

[@douglasingram8881]

I own both the G-Belt and this system, and one is going up for sale. Your now thinking which one, well, it’s not the one reviewed here. I’ll be keeping this system.

[@-Ola-.]

Would love to hear youre comparison Douglas! Love my TensionR as well.. Are you using rollers through the holes? Makes it even better ! Found stl’s for Sparco on thingiverse 👍🏼

[@ericbarrabino2880]

Hi, Very nice presentation. Question : is the system able to partially release the belts tension if on the breaks you lock wheels (asseto corsa)? Thanks Eric.

[@driflysh4597]

I hoped to see Barry hit the brakes to lock up, but unfortunately he didn't. I would expect the system to release tension but who knows...

[@jamfirst3156]

I have just taken delivery of mine in the uk. The strap pads have been now made independently. My only main gripe with the whole system and it's a small thing that's easy to remedy, and that's the usb cable is just too short. They could include a 3 or 4 meter cable.... I had difficulty getting it to talk to the pc it didn't recognise the usb, after shifting ports a bit. They also changed the usb A to usb B so a bit more robust. I've not yet really tried it out but it does look quality and the little I have used it it feels fantastic. I'm hoping to use your video to help me tune it. Keep up the good work SRG.

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

Any problems with it disconnecting?

[@lipsucant]

Not really. Occasionally the program shuts down. But they also advise you to use a usb voltage stabiliser.

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

@@lipsucant ok cheers I'm trying to trouble shoot mine it's not working consistently

[@FULLNinja69]

@@soundscaperecordings1111 I'm having the same issue USB disconnects. I do have it connected through a USB isolator that was recommended. I plugged the USB isolator directly to the USB ports on my motherboard rear panel and then connect the tensionR USB to that. I've tried different USB ports but still get the disconnect when simucube wheel base and transducers are under heavy load. I grounded my wheel base to my PC and that seamed to help a little bit but when under heavy load it will still disconnect. I've confirmed the power outlets are grounded with a tester. I've try hooking everything up to the same power circuit so they all use the same ground and I've tried the rig on one power circuit and the tensionR on it's own power circuit but it still disconnects. I heard from some different forums that it is a grounding issue and I'm currently trying to find some documentation showing the best way to ground the tensionR. Were you ever able to solve your issue?

[@JoseFerreira1983]

22:03 Hey where did you buy these rollers?

[@RAYJMEIER]

Good review Barry, I own the unit, have done so for a couple of months, there is no noise. I believe it is the way you have mounted the belts Barry and the rig is making the noise as it flexes The buckle is junk and has failed already. Also, if the holes where your belts go through the seat and over your shoulders are wider than where the belts exit the unit, they are at an angle so the belts fray badly at the unit entry point. My seat is a Cobra, the shoulder belt holes are 10cm apart but the units belt holes are 6cm apart, the resulting angle causes the fraying. Otherwise, the system is great.

[@MAMAMA341]

As the belt seat on the bottom of the rig I was wondering if you feel some small delays effect?

[@RAYJMEIER]

@@MAMAMA341 No delay, it adds the to simulation a great deal.

[@gyujinyang2680]

Thank you for awesome review sir. Would you Kindly let me know where did you get the rollers for belt booster? 40:37

[@simracinggarage3026]

www.amazon.com/Skelang-Sliding-Rolling-Bracket-Assembly/dp/B08JCJ4XQB/ref=dp_prsubs_2?pd_rd_i=B08JCJ4XQB&psc=1

[@vassilnikov6814]

Nice review, as always. However for the sake of being thorough you should also have tested without the additional rollers for the belts. No matter that you think it would be incorrect, most people would use it without rollers. If you have tried it that way at least you could have confirm your opinion that it is not recommended.

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

Anyone had any problems with it disconnecting?

[@spybaz]

I don't see how I would connect this to my H3 rig....

[@Leynad778]

I was curious what my G-Belt looks inside and there are some similarities like the motor-size (might be bigger in the G-Belt), some differences. The G-Belt only lift leverage arms, which is about 40 mm of pull and you want a tight harness to get 'enough' out of it. No warranty void for opening it and it's rather made for 3 inch belts that you also need to buy elsewhere. G-Belt comes with a controller box (fan inside, but not as noisy as other SX-boxes). This thing is 65 mm wider in size, but the gap between the belts are too close together for the typical racing-seat (10 cm), so you can't mount it very close or onto the seat itself, which I think is the biggest design-flaw. Mounting it on the bottom adds belt-flex and rubbing, so lag to the effect.

[@myweirdtaste8090]

That the entry/exit points are so close together is really bad design. I hop they change it.

[@Leynad778]

@@myweirdtaste8090 Agree and those rollers would be unnecessary since you could fit the tensioner where the roller are in this build. With the G-Belt the belts are hanging under the motors on the leverage arms making it more compact, but 40 mm max is a bit short. The best concept would be the GS-5, but instead of the arm going up and down it's rolling by a simple gearing.

[@matthewscarborough4920]

I’m lost here i was looking at the g-belt, but now seen this one. What would be the better buy? I do also use an nlrv3 any comments with pros and cons on both I’ll be thankful. Ps I understand the g-belt may have to be drill mount and dose not come with a belt etc

[@netlawman2001]

This is the first SRG review I felt was flawed. Given the flex in that back pillar supporting the rollers, I have to imagine it is having a huge impact to detail and performance. That said, glad to see the review as I am in the process of ordering this unit.

[@matta2738]

Why would you buy something that you say looks faulty

[@BASHERSKINZ]

totally agree, i was wondering what the hell was going on

[@netlawman2001]

@@matta2738 the pillars are not part of this product. That’s the point.

[@gamingerald1992]

It looks like the nylon rollers have a lot of grip on the seatbelt, perhaps metal rollers will slide more easily and not bend the backpillar as much ?

[@jacobcisco7059]

Yikes how to mount this to my r seat p1 cockpit ughhh..why didn't I just get the p1x :(

[@Wodz30]

P1X ftw. Profile allows us to mount anything on the thing. Sell whatever you have and buy the P1X when you can. It is amazing

[@Simracing25]

Anyway I can buy this. i need a plug and play version

[@diegostalder9663]

my pt actuator belt tensioner is not working properly. i can operate it at maximum half the power, otherwise it just drops out after a couple of minutes. extremly annoying. pt actuator support is a joke. i am in contact with them back and forth over weeks, without any helpful clue what the problem might be. ridiculous.

[@mikethrash2287]

Same issue Here. Upgraded to 24V 10A Power supply. Still Not working. Calibrating and then after First braking it shuts Off completely. Super annoying.

[@FULLNinja69]

Same and frustrated. Ever find a solution?

[@diegostalder9663]

@@FULLNinja69 dont get me started. I got a replacement, worked well for about 2 Weeks. Then one motor stopped working, wasnt able to fix it. I wasnt in the mood for another ever lasting back and forth with PTs support, so frustrated as i was, i put this nightmare to an end and threw the damn thing into the trash. That was my last product from this company, thats for sure !

[@diegostalder9663]

I forgot to mention, the shipment for the replacement cost me another 300 USD or so.....

[@pstoppani]

The SimXperience G-Belt is silent. For a similar price I’d say it is the better system. Their mounting solution is better in the sense that the unit moves with the seat and is universal across sim rigs.

[@douglasingram8881]

Wrong. I have both. This system is far more reactive.

[@anthcesana]

The G-Belt is absolutely NOT silent. It’s the only thing I don’t like about mine but when using earbuds, I can’t hear anything. But it’s most certainly not silent.

[@pstoppani]

@@anthcesana odd because the only sound I hear is the fan. The belt system is nearly silent for me.

[@pt-actuatorukltd1118]

@@douglasingram8881 wow, Doug where did you get yours from?

[@WhiteHawk77]

Well, I would hope it isn’t louder, this thing is just far too noisy.

[@giogamer4825]

Hey Barry, just wondering, how come you did not do a review of the Fanatec CSL DD or the GT DD Pro yet?

[@GrantMerle]

Its up to the manufacturer to send him a unit for review which they haven't done

[@giogamer4825]

@@GrantMerle ok, clear 👍 You would wonder why not!?

[@CortMarshal]

Sending a product is not a paid review. Do you think Barry actually has personal interest in buying a csl DD when he has 8+ way better wheels already? The wheel has no monetary value for him, and actually the labor required in the review process is worth more than the cost of the wheel itself.

[@jacobcisco7059]

One hour of his time is worth more than what the csl dd is worth with the boost kit lol

[@SingleRacerSVR]

Wow, this video had real........................................................................................... tension (Dad Joke 369 in the Big Book of Dad Jokes 2002 Edition ; )))

[@mercenarysaw]

Waiting for sim racing studios to shoot smoke from your rig when loose traction. Why not someone would but it 🤷

[@AdamsSIMporium]

Oh no, is Barry about to make me spend more money...?

[@slappomatthew]

the price of this is mental. and for the price you get usb micro.

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

Why does it matter if it's micro usb or usb c? You only plug it in once

[@regibson23]

Omg how would anyone want to race with that horrific sound?

[@f1ag48]

I think with a 6dof Motion System this is unnecessary

[@strikkflypilot927]

Actually, with a 6DOF system, this is really easy to install and adds a ton. I installed it on my NLR Motion Platform v3 rig and had to mount it on the back of my seat. I tell You, quite the job, but MAN was it worth it!!!

[@Gorilla_Jones]

Wrong

[@garyrato5938]

@@strikkflypilot927 with your nlr V3. IS tension R efficient and gives u more immersion ?

[@strikkflypilot927]

@@garyrato5938 In my setup it makes a huge difference. In this review, the belt system is mounted very loosely and will not be felt much. I have mounted the unit at the back of my seat at about TH7 level with a rolling pin on top to make the forces go down across my clavicles. It works awesomely. Driving Radillion gives a real sense of compression! Also, it makes even less noise than the NLR V3, so I dont understand wheee the noisiness comes from.

[@johnathanmoyer2375]

A 6DOF motion system is incapable of providing the sensation of extended G-Forces. A belt tensioner can.

[@imagebuff]

FYI SRS has decided to purposely cripple DIY belt systems by not providing heave and sway input to these tensioners. Very bad move by SRS. I assume they think they need to artificially limit other tensioners in order for their TensionR to better compete.

[@imagebuff]

@@MarceloManzo Sway on two doesn't really add much more than one. Sway on one just tricks the mind that something is going on. Must use lightly. and.. there are 2 motor DIY systems as well.

[@shawnyerxa9632]

@imagebuff You know SRS doesn't make nor sell the TensionR product right?

[@imagebuff]

@@shawnyerxa9632 They are business partners with PT Actuator. This limitation on DIY tensioners comes from the mouth of SRS's owner.

[@howster34]

It’s a shame this channel isn’t the same as it used to be :(

[@mohammadkhalil8553]

Why?

[@reptilexcq2]

It sounds pretty noisy. I'll buy it for $100, not $1,000.

[@Wodz30]

You will get nothing and be happy about it. The unit is quite. There is a secondary MIC on the camera aimed directly at the tensioner causing it to sound loud. Owners repeatedly reporting the unit is quite silent

[@matta2738]

So give the heave the good old heave ho

[@imagebuff]

Too bad it's SRS only

[@Jay-zc7iq]

Keep spending thousands I’d still beat you with my Walmart control pad 😅 Buckle up kids , let’s pretend

[@Wodz30]

Immersion is the goal here mate, not winning races. 6DOF, wind, tensioner and throw on VR. Point is to be immersed and enjoy. No one is suggesting this all makes you faster to win races. Why is everything about BEATING someone in a race? Salty af

[@Jay-zc7iq]

@@Wodz30 1.definition a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, etc. to see which is the fastest in covering a set course. Then build a train set ….

[@soundscaperecordings1111]

Go back to playing with ya toy planes mate 😂