Which Wheel do you have?

One major improvement is the same as the addition of several little improvements.
Then the biggest ones should come from the pedals, not really from a DD wheel.

 

Forgot to add, I bought it for $100 CAD off a friend.

 

I agree that better pedals (brake) make a big difference in lap-times. The big difference with wheels tends to be more about immersion (for me, worth every penny).

 

I think it all depends on who is driving. I watched Jimmy Broadbent with his direct drive wheel and load cell pedals go up against Super GT with his xbox controller, and although Jimmy edged him out it was not by very much a tenth or two. Fanatec sent Super GT a wheel with all the trimmings, it will be interesting to see how he does with that over time.

 

I suspect someone going from being quick with a gamepad will take a bit of time to get to the same pace with a wheel. In the end they will be a bit faster but its a pretty big change, basic higher range of motion in a wheel setup vs gamepad is clearly and advantage.

It will depend on the sim and car more so a gt3 car with some built in electronics and possibly some steer assist built into gamepad control gives them more chance.

If they were to drive an old school car in AC with no assists, manual shifting with no auto clutch or auto blip they would pretty much have no hope on a pad.

Also the immersion from using a wheel vs pad is a pretty big thing even base model ffb wheels vs a pad is a huge upgrade in that area. Being very quick on a pad however is a proper skill and would take some time to perfect, I know I would really suck with it.

In terms of performance there is no real advantage or strength over a wheel, but obviously cost and space requirements are a huge point of difference. Many sim racers will start with pads but once they get their first wheel they are often hooked for life.

 

I'm still rocking the Formula Force GP. I really want to upgrade but the quality of this wheel is so good I can't stand to put it away.

 

Another AF2 user here, love it.

 

Just went from a Thrustmaster TMX to Fanatec DD1 with csl elite pedals. Much better force feedback and strength.
I am no faster with DD1 than I was with the TMX-proof that it doesn’t matter what gear you have.

 

I have old Logitech Formula Force Ex, which doesn't have working flappy pedals and doesn't go straight Still getting nice times, but hopefully soon will buy proper wheel

 

It does matter what gear you have, just not that decisive with wheels.
Much more on pedals though.
At least you’re an alien. Those can run WRs on a Logitech Driving Force Pro...

 

I got a question to you guys running a CSL Elite or a wheel with a compareable torque and also a load cell brake pedal.

I am racing with a normal gaming chair (DXRacer) were I blocked the chair wheels to keep it fixed while using wheel and pedals.
I currently use a G27 with a stiffer brake pedal spring.
I have plans to upgrade to the Fanatec CSL Elite/PS4 with the load cell pedals later this year.

Now I am not sure if I could use the new wheel and pedals at my desk with the gaming char.
Could the bigger torque of the wheel and the bigger force needed for the load cell pedal become a problem?

Unfortunately I am using my computer also for work and other games and beside that I do not have enough space for a fixed racing rig.

Is there someone using this kind of wheels mounted on the desk with success?

 

It's not the best option but it's still possible.
I used csw2.5 with csl load cell pedals on desk (which is far to stiff) and weak chair with wheels. Actually, now the same weak chair is just settled to my rig, but in the past I just blocked chair wheel via a small cushion.
Pedals leant on the wall and forces on wheelbase and loadcell were decreased a bit.

 

It probably will become a problem. Before I had my rig I would push an armchair up to my PC table and put bits of yoga mats under the feet to get it to stick more. I had the pedals up against the wall. It would work fine but at some stage I'd push too hard and the chair would move, usually to one side and it would basically be like a mechanical failure as far as my race was concerned. Sometimes I'd push the chair away from the table and the wheel would come with me. I was also getting all kinds of shoulder pains as over the course of a race the chair might start slowly rotation leaving me sitting at an awkward angle.

I bought a rig (GTomega) and it's improved things no end. I am finding the limits of this set up though, there are loads of vibrations going through the rig (which isn't too bad, feels like a bit of a motion rig) and where it joins in the middle needs to be monitored because I'm pushing it apart by braking too hard. So I'll avoid anything that separates the wheels from the pedals in the future, although I do put my rig into storage when I'm not using it so being able to break it down is essential at the moment.

 

Thanks guys!
The Clubsport 2.5 is even stronger than the Elite base as far as I know. And I always have the option to reduce the force a bit.
But a fixed racing rig would be of course a big improvement.
But then I would need more space, a second PC and monitor.
Or get used to do everything else as well from the fixed rig.

 

I've got a wheelstand pro. Kind of in the middle of having a fixed rig and racing on a desk
Fairly cheap, compared to an actual rig.

 

I don't think there's a huge difference in force between the two, for the most part I think the extra cost of the clubsport is the housing being all metal. I bought it for that reason.

 

I use a thrustmaster T150. Seems to be fine, and it was a huge upgrade from my old driving force pro, however I can never escape the feeling that I could use an upgrade for some non-specific reason

 

I have a rather hopeless setup with my new Clubsport 2.5 base and v3 pedals. The base is fixed to my IKEA elevation desk and at full force the whole table is vibrating violently. Luckily my weak geek arms do not tolerate the full power of the force (wink wink), so with my preferred FFB level it actually works.

The pedal setup is even worse. I have a rolling office chair which I put on top of a round carpet, that has a slightly larger diameter than the chair wheels circumference. This works - mostly anyway. The real messy part is the pedals. Even with the default break force (i.e. no break mod) I have had to improvise a bucket with 15 kg of sand (I kid you not) behind them to avoid sliding.

Just standing on the floor, during hard breaking the pedal fixture can sometimes lift at the front side, which is of course disaster. So I have developed a technique where I press my speeder foot heel down to the fixure plate during breaking. This also works - mostly.

Bottom line: I can live with this setup for now, but in time I will surely end up with a rig of sorts. I am considering if this wheel+pedal stand can fix the issue. It is compact and can possibly fit under my desk since it can be elevated. Perhaps it is compact enough for your needs as well?

PS: to everyone, please don't mock my ridiculous setup

 

30NM DD with Simucube and Sincost. Customer Ferrari 488 GT3 wheel made my OpenSimRacing.

 

Thrustmaster T300 + Fanatec CSL Elite Pedals LC.

Coming from a G27 i'd say the T300 belt driven wheel is as sturdy, yet much more comfortable ( no rattling and less noisy, except for those fans ... ).
Pedals are simply better, while the G27 ones were just ... ok in comparison.

Performance-wise for nothing changed for me after the change from Logitech to Thrustmaster/Fanatec.
I needed some time to get used to LC pedals though.