Marvin’s Awesome iRacing App (MAIRA) – Introduction and first impressions
In the eyes of many sim racers, iRacing is currently the most complete simulation. The incredible competition, the selection of vehicles and tracks and the simulation itself are regarded as the benchmark in sim racing. The situation is different when it comes to force feedback, where opinions differ greatly between users. While some sim racers are completely satisfied, there is always criticism and terms such as ‘Iceracing’ do the rounds. This is where the new app MAIRA (Marvin’s Awesome iRacing App) comes into play, which makes the FFB of the simulation customisable and also offers some new effects.
Das Force Feedback in iRacing – status quo
As already mentioned in the introduction, the impressions of many sim racers on the subject of iRacing FFB differ greatly in some cases. Many users report problems with being able to intuitively feel the behaviour of the vehicles through the force feedback output. In the eyes of many (not all!) users, titles such as Le Mans Ultimate, Automobilista 2 and AC EVO are more sophisticated in this respect and provide more feedback to the driver. In addition, users currently have hardly any options for adjusting the force feedback in the simulation to their own preferences. The only options available here are smoothing (smoothes FFB peaks over curbs etc.) and additional damping (implemented as artificial friction), but there are no further options.
Marvin’s Awesome iRacing App (MAIRA)
The recently released MAIRA app has been made available free of charge by iRacing user Marvin Herbold since December 2024 and is constantly being developed further. The exchange with the users of the software takes place via the iRacing forum, and a separate Discord server is also planned for the future. Anyone wishing to support the creator of the app can do so via a voluntary donation link. The following features, among others, are currently supported:
- 62.5Hz to 500Hz frequency range
- Separate controls for overall strength and detail strength and parked strength
- Oversteer and understeer effect generation (sine wave, sawtooth wave, constant force)
- Soft lock
- Crash protection
- Wheel auto centering when not on track
Download and installation
The download and installation are very simple and can be completed in just a few minutes. The software can be downloaded via the link below and then installed like a normal programme. The latest version and an overview of all previous versions of the app are available for download. No changes are made to iRacing or the Wheel Base software during installation.
Configuration
The app can also be configured in a few simple steps. Firstly, force feedback must be deactivated in the simulation. This may seem counterproductive at first glance, but it is important to prevent overlapping with the actual FFB and thus uncontrolled behaviour of the base. This should therefore be strictly followed. You can then open the MAIRA app and select the wheel base used under Device. Click on ‘Test’ to check that the app is functioning correctly. If the base does not give any haptic feedback, a restart may help. In the troubleshooting section of the website (link) there is also some help on various wheel bases where additional things need to be considered.
Settings
What really sets the app apart, however, are the numerous setting options and features relating to force feedback:
Force Feedback
The main window is also the “star” of the application and offers various settings as well as a graphic visualisation of the changed force feedback:
- Wheel Max: The maximum available force of the wheel base is set here. It is recommended to set the wheel base in the driver to 100%, but you should always bear in mind the potential risk of injury.
- Overall Scale: The strength of the force feedback is set here, whereby 100% corresponds to an unchanged output of the data from iRacing. In addition, an auto function can be activated to set the strength automatically.
- Detail Scale: Probably the most important feature is the option to set the details of the force feedback separately. This allows, for example, bumps, curbs and grip losses to be reproduced in much greater detail without increasing the overall force feedback. At 100%, the force feedback is output unchanged; at values above 100%, it is amplified according to the selected factor. Weak wheel bases in particular can benefit greatly from this.
- Parked Scale: Reduces the overall force feedback up to a speed of approx. 20 km/h according to the selected factor.
- Frequency: A frequency between 62.5 Hz (16 ms) and 500 Hz (2 ms) can be selected here. The software uses cubic interpolation (Hermite interpolation), whereby no aliasing occurs. Most modern wheel bases support the full 500 Hz (not to be confused with the 360 Hz compatibility in iRacing).
- Graph: An FFB graph can be displayed at the bottom of the window, which shows the FFB modified by the app in addition to the FFB specified by iRacing. Any clipping can also be detected here, which is indicated by a warning message.
- Button mappings: To change the overall scale and the detail scale, buttons can be mapped in the app to a button box or the steering wheel used, for example. This means that both settings can be adjusted while driving without having to navigate to the app.
Steering Effects
Two additional artificial effects can then be added:
- Understeer: Depending on the yaw rate, a range is set here for the lower and upper yaw rate factor (yaw rate factor = SteeringAngle x CarSpeed / YawRate), in which the understeer effect is active.
- Oversteer: Here, it is not the yaw rate that is decisive for the effect, but the speed in the Y direction, which determines when the desired effect occurs via the selectable range.
Four different effects can be set for both situations:
- Sine Wave Buzz
- Sawtooth Wave Buzz
- Reduce Force
- Increase Force
By default, a vibration is configured for understeer and an increase in the FFB for oversteer.
Both effects currently have to be configured individually for each car. To do this, you have to get out on the track yourself to find the right point at which understeer or oversteer kicks in. A graphic aid for this can be found under ‘Skid Pad’.
Low Frequency Effects
Another additional effect option is realised by installing the Virtual Audio Cable software. This interface then outputs the LFE (Low Frequency Effects) from iRacing as FFB, which are normally intended for use with bass shakers. SimHub can also be used to realise your own custom effects, which theoretically opens up completely new possibilities.
Other effects
But that’s not all. In addition to the main effects, there are a number of other features that may well be helpful for some users. These include, among others:
- Soft Lock: Enables the steering wheel angle to be limited
- Auto Centering: Centring of the wheel outside the simulation
- Crash Protection: Limitation of the maximum FFB from a specified G-force value during crashes.
- ABS Sound: Sound when ABS is active
- Spotter: Custom spotter (WIP)
Driving impression
Conclusion
Marvin’s Awesome iRacing App (MAIRA) is a wonderfully easy-to-use software that allows you to enhance details of the force feedback or even add completely new effects with just a few mouse clicks. Even though the topic of force feedback is very subjective, the first few hours of testing definitely made you want more. The more perceptible details make the feedback on the steering wheel seem much more lively and you can (at least it feels like it) get a much better sense of the car’s behaviour. Of course, the additional optional artificial effects are not to everyone’s taste, but you can simply switch them off if you don’t like them. Especially users with wheelbases in the entry-level range should benefit from a detail boost, as otherwise you would inevitably find yourself in the clipping range with comparable FFB detail reproduction.
In addition to the main effects, the software offers a variety of useful little things that either make life a little more pleasant or enable interesting options such as the use of SimHub parameters to output force feedback.
Overall, the app has already become a product with real added value for many after only a short development time. It almost makes you wonder why many of the features have not been natively integrated into iRacing for years. It is therefore highly recommended that everyone try out Marvin’s Awesome iRacing app for themselves. Because it costs nothing to try it out and if you don’t like it, the app can be deactivated again with a click of the mouse.
