Kit or DIY shakers?
KitShaker, amplifier, cables and a mount in one box. Plug it into your PC and set it up in SimHub. Costs more per shaker, but nothing to match. Examples: ButtKicker Gamer PRO, Trak Racer V2 kit.
DIYBuy shakers such as the Dayton BST-1, a multi-channel amp, speaker wire and a USB sound card. Cheaper for two to four shakers, and you choose where each one goes. You do the wiring.
A bass shaker (also called a tactile transducer) is a speaker with no cone: it shakes whatever it is bolted to. SimHub turns game telemetry into low-frequency signals, so you feel the engine, gear shifts, kerbs, road surface, ABS and wheel slip through the seat and pedals.
The best bass shakers for sim racing
Power, impedance and frequency range come from manufacturer pages or retailers' spec sheets, linked as "Spec source" on each pick.
Choosing an amp for bass shakers
- One amp channel per shaker if you want separate effects (seat and pedals, or left and right). Two shakers in one channel play the same effect.
- Match power and impedance. Use an amp whose power per channel at the shaker's impedance is close to the shaker's RMS rating: around 50 W at 4 Ω for a BST-1 or AST-2B-4, much more for a BST-300EX. An underpowered amp or power supply gives a weak, muddy effect.
- Use a separate sound card. A cheap USB sound card (or an amp with USB audio built in) keeps shaker effects apart from your game sound and headphones.
- Examples: the Trak Racer V2 amp gives 2 × 100 W at 4 Ω; the ButtKicker BKA-PRO gives 150 W at 2 Ω for its own transducer; the Dayton SAB-1060 board has ten 60 W channels and a 7.1 USB sound card built in, which suits four-corner setups (power supply sold separately).
How many bass shakers, and where to mount them
| Setup | Where | What you feel |
|---|
| 1 shaker | Under the seat | Engine, gear shifts, kerbs and impacts. The biggest jump in immersion per dollar. |
| 2 shakers | Seat + pedal deck | Adds ABS, wheel lock and slip through your feet. Most sim racers stop here. |
| 2 shakers | Seat left + right (or seat + backrest) | Side-to-side kerbs and road surface; good if your rig has no pedal deck. |
| 4 shakers | Four corners (seat front/back, left/right) | Each wheel's kerbs, bumps and slip in its own corner. Beyond four, returns drop. |
- Bolt shakers to something solid: the seat frame, seat brackets or the pedal deck of an aluminium profile rig. See our cockpit guide and seat guide.
- Avoid desk mounting: a shaker under a desk shakes the monitor and PC too.
- Test before mounting: play bass-heavy audio through each shaker to check the wiring, then mount.
- Rubber isolators under the rig or seat keep vibration in the seat rather than the floor, which also helps with neighbours.
How to set up bass shakers in SimHub
- Connect the amp to your USB sound card (or the amp's own USB input) and wire each shaker to an amp channel.
- In SimHub, open ShakeIt Bass Shakers and pick that sound card as the output.
- Set each channel's position (left, right, front, rear, pedals) so effects go to the right shaker.
- Use the test buttons, then enable effects one at a time: RPM/engine, gear shift, road and kerbs, impacts, ABS and wheel slip.
- Keep the amp gain moderate and fine-tune each effect's level in SimHub. Low-pass the signal at about 80 Hz or less if shakers sound buzzy.
Do bass shakers work on PS5 and Xbox?
Yes, two ways. The simple way is the game's audio: an HDMI audio extractor or headphone splitter feeds the amp, so the shaker reacts to bass in the sound, as ButtKicker describes for the Gamer PRO. The better way is a PC running SimHub: games such as Gran Turismo 7, F1 25 and Forza send telemetry over your network, so SimHub can drive the shakers from real car data while you play on the console. Check SimHub's game list for yours.
Bass shakers vs pedal haptics
Pedal haptic motors (for example Simagic's P-HPR, or the haptics on the SimNet SP Pro and Simsonn pedals in our pedal guide) vibrate one pedal for ABS, lock-up and wheel slip. A bass shaker shakes the whole seat or deck for the engine, kerbs and road. They do different jobs; most people add a seat shaker first, then pedal haptics. Neither replaces a good wheel and pedals, so buy those first.
How we chose
We have not lab-tested these shakers. We picked the shakers and kits sim racers recommend most, covering plug-and-play kits, DIY shakers and a small shaker for pedals, and checked power, impedance, frequency range and what is in the box against manufacturer pages and retailers' spec sheets. Where a maker does not publish a figure, we say so. We left out the ButtKicker Mini LFE because it was sold out on ButtKicker's store when we checked.
FAQ
What is the best bass shaker for sim racing?
For plug and play, the ButtKicker Gamer PRO kit. For the best value, two Dayton Audio BST-1 shakers with a two-channel amp, one under the seat and one on the pedal deck.
Are bass shakers worth it for sim racing?
Yes, once you have a solid wheel and pedals. They add engine, gear shift, kerb and slip feel that force feedback and sound cannot, and a single shaker under the seat makes a big difference.
ButtKicker or Dayton BST-1?
The ButtKicker Gamer PRO is a complete kit with one strong transducer and an amp. Dayton BST-1 shakers are cheaper, so the same money buys two or more for seat and pedal effects, but you add the amp, wire and sound card yourself.
How many bass shakers do I need for sim racing?
One under the seat is a good start. Two (seat and pedals) suits most people. Four in the corners gives each wheel its own effects; more than four adds little.
What amp do I need for bass shakers?
One with a channel per shaker and power close to each shaker's RMS rating at its impedance, such as about 50 W at 4 Ω per BST-1. Run it from a separate USB sound card so SimHub can send effects without touching your game audio.
What is the best budget bass shaker setup?
One or two Dayton BST-1 shakers with a small two-channel amp and a cheap USB sound card, set up in SimHub. The Trak Racer V2 kit is a simple budget kit with room for a second shaker.
Can I use a home theater bass shaker for sim racing?
Yes. Home theater shakers like the ButtKicker LFE range or Dayton shakers work the same way; for sim racing, feed them from SimHub through a separate sound card instead of the movie's bass channel.
Do bass shakers work on PS5?
Yes, from the game's audio with an HDMI audio extractor or splitter, or from telemetry through SimHub on a PC for games that send it over the network, such as Gran Turismo 7.
Sources: manufacturer and retailer spec sheets linked on each pick; Flow Racers: bass shaker setup and amp pairings; Simufy: haptic reactors for sim racing; Dayton Audio SAB-1060 specs; SimHub wiki: ShakeIt for bass shakers. Last reviewed October 2026.