My first impressions of the Fanatec Clubsport BMW GT3 Wheel, Base, and V2 Pedals.

Well....

..This is my first impressions of this setup and the second time I have wrote this all down because I just hit the back button on my mouse by accident and it wiped it all. OMG the tears!! No seriously I am getting all emotional.

Lets begin again....(I could be racing you know!!)

After over a month since I decided to upgrade I finally have some top shelf gear arrive. I did originally order the T500 but 2 weeks later with promises still coming in I got cold feet and cancelled the order and decided to get the Fanatec Clubsport range at double the price (hahah wtf.. lol so stupid). I ordered them 11 days ago and then for the first time ever I complained about 3 public holidays. I would never thought I would ever be annoyed with public holidays... never!

And then the day came..... boom!

Happy happy joy joy and we get unpacking..

I knew from research that the documentation is crap but I will say it anyway. The documentation is crap. I mean for $1277 I think I should get some form of manual. A next to useless quick start guide? What's the oil for? How would I know it is better to plug the pedals straight into a USB port? If I had not have found the stuff online previously I would have been at a loss to start with.

What are my impressions at this point in time? Cool bananas, that's what my impression is. This stuff looks pro. The boxes don't look like your run of the mill gamer toy crap. They look hardcore and then you open them. It's metal hardware, really nice hardware.

I mean I pulled the wheel out and for all intent and purposes I could be holding a real racing car wheel someone just stole from a BMW GT3. It is that good. The Alcantara leather is a nice to hold, the buttons don't seem cheap, it's all metal, it's just gorgeous.


A similar story to be had with the base. It is just sweet to look at with the clear panel on top. A real nice bit of kit, you could nail it to the wall and be happy just looking at it. Hardware porn.


The the pedals. I get to work and start with adding the oil as per this video..


Once that is done I just look at them for a bit (more hardware porn baby). They really are some boss stuff. My G27 pedals do seem like the poor second cousin at this point in time.


I get to work mounting it on my NLR Steering Wheel Stand V2. It is much bigger then the G27 and weighs a lot more so it is not so easy to move around now. The price we pay aye? A couple of things to note.

1: When I bolted it on I went to plug in the USB cable and my first thought was where?? When it is bolted down they are under the back of it. Not impossible to get to but not the most convenient either. Not a show stopper by any means but I didn't find it the best.

2: The Clubsport wobbles forward and back a lot more then the G27. In fact I never noticed the wobble at all on the G27. With the leverage you can put on the Clubsport it is easy to move it up and down. Initially I was concerned about this but in practice it isn't even noticeable.

I think it is a combination of the stand and the Fanatec angle mount. I have seen in reviews that the angle mount allows forwards/backwards flex where if you mount it flat it doesn't move but I wanted that angle. There is zero lateral movement so it doesn't matter at all but was worth noting as I have said previously it didn't move.

3: If you bolt the pedals down you better have the cables plugged in before else you are going to have to unbolt it again. I don't have mine bolted down. The rubber feet are extraordinarily grippy and I have a bracket to ensure they do not move back at all. Worth noting about the cables tho if you are going to bolt them down.

We are all done, a joy to behold! I sit down in front of it and check out what it feels like. It feels good ladies!!.. It feels real good. About now I think I should stop stuffing around and plug the damn thing in.



I have 3 plugs to attach the way I have set this up. 1 power and 2 USB. I have done it this way because I have read that you get more resolution in the pedals if you go direct to the USB port and not through the wheel. I have also read that the pedals need to be through USB for the Fanaleds to work (More on that later).

There is no documentation to speak of but I have already downloaded the drivers and the firmware update so I install the drivers and plug in the pedals. Bing Bong. Right it sees the pedals. Then I plug in the wheel. Nothing...

Oh ok turn it on and then we hit our first blond moment. When you turn it on you just press the button and a second or so later it turn on. I didn't know that so I press the button until something happens. Something happening was that it turned blue and flashed. That I did not expect so I googled it up and found that I had set it into the mode for updating the firmware. No biggy. Pulled the plug and restarted. A quick press and release and then a second later it starts up.

I then updated the firmware (Hey press and hold idiot) and almost ready to go. I just have to calibrate it which I learned from this video.



Right we are all good to go!!!!! Let's rock this house so I fire up AC and go in and set up the controls. Wheel, check. Pedals, check. Paddle shifter.... wtf. Interestingly both of these failed first click to be recognized. Maybe something to do with storage?? After first click they then worked perfectly.

Ok Ok lets get racing. I enter my first race with $1277 worth of gear and my first impression can be summed up in one single word.

Underwhelmed

Are you kidding me? This thing is rubbish. My g27 felt better then this. Someone close the gate because there is a sad panda stampede coming. Patience dumb *** I say to myself and set this thing up properly before I go crying to my mother.

First I consult this video again



and as well as this review...
http://ravsim.com/2012/10/04/fanatec-clubsport-bmw-rim-and-formula-rim-review-part-one/

From those 2 I learn all about how to set things on the wheel and more importantly what the abbreviations mean. Once I knew what the wheel controls are I found them very intuitive to use and can be changed on the fly. There is also five presets I can store so win++.

The FFB I have set to 100% and I can set the power up to 400% but that seriously is too much. Not only will I be forced to cut my arms off after a while but I could also strain my delicate lady like fingers if I hit the wall so I leave that at 100%. Seems to be the best feel as well as giving me the ability to spin the damn thing fast if I need to. I killed the dampers while I was there and left the fake effects like ABS and rumble on 100%

In AC I set 10% dead zone on the Clutch and the Brake to try and replicate what I would expect on a real car. The gain I set to 75%, filter zero, damping zero and Kerb, Road and Slip Effects I set to 100%

Yes I know they are not real but news flash, neither is the cars I am driving so as a personal choice I want to feel that stuff. I just spent a small fortune on a wheel that would do that for me better

Ok we are all set. Drivers installed, firmware updated, AC settings all good to go. Lets race!!!

Underwhelmed

WTF!?!??!?! This is just garbage. I am serious that my G27 felt better. Right about now I am thinking about all the bad things I could do to my X that would make me feel better. I am all set to go crying to Mumma after a cash outlay like that with this garbage to show for it. This is no fun at all.

One sad panda. The world... she has ended.

So just as I am about to commit Seppuku it occurred to me that there was one last bit of software that I had downloaded but not installed yet. Fanaleds. They did something or other but at this point in time I am good to try anything.

http://www.fanaleds.com/

So I install that software and set it to AC and my pedals and wheel just shimmied. They what now? That's interesting. There is 2 motors in the wheel rim and 1 on the brake pedal for "effects". I fired up AC again and I find myself sitting in my beloved Mclaren GT3 and I give it a rev. The LED rev indicator on the wheel arced across in super bright lights (these didn't work before) and flashed screaming at me not to be retarded and the wheel vibrated to this torture as well.


LOLCats!! I click it into first and leave vast amounts of virtual rubber on the road, the LEDS are frantically flashing at me to change gear and the wheel bucks and vibrates and the pedals do as well......

Sad Panda has left the building. In his place is a Cheshire Cat smiling like he just ***** slapped Alice.


This thing has taken on a whole new life. I can feel vibrations from heavy braking and skidding in my feet!! There is a bit of adjustment time involved because while it is still a mouse trap it is a better and different mouse trap and one needs to acclimatize to.

For a start the wheel is bigger, heavier and way way faster then a G27. I went ripping into a turn, lost it and caught it much easier then I ever have before with the old wheel. I have to learn to NOT try and spin it to catch the slide like I did with the 27, it will spin itself. I just have to catch it. I power slid A Ferrari 312T around the last corner on the classic Monza and made it... I didn't crash horrifically.... that's new! It wasn't the fastest way around the track but I am sure all the virtual ladies were swooning over that one. Hell I was! High five !!! Cheers and stuff!!

The more I drive it the more I like this gear. I have spent 6 hours on it now and absolutely love it. I seem to have more subtle control then I did with the G27. I could do burnouts before but keeping control is much easier with the Clubsport Wheel, very realistic is the word I would use. I can catch slides that would have been difficult for me in the past to catch and even when I do completely lose it the way the wheel carries on is how I would expect it to carry on. It's a great feeling.

The pedals are even better. I can heel/toe properly with them and they feel fantastic. I brake with pressure, not how far I push the thing down and I have noticed immediately that I lock the wheels far less then I did before. I can do that lovely braking where you can hear the wheels struggling but not losing it far easier then with the G27 and that is much fun indeed.

Downsides? Price. They are a lot of money. Worth it? To me yes they are because I had the money available to do such a thing and they ended up doing exactly what I hoped they would do in a way I just couldn't get with a cheaper wheel. They make my experience racing much better and I am hoping to combine all this with the Oculus Rift when it comes out to get as real as I can get it.

The only thing I miss at the moment is a slush box. I don't have a shifter yet and they won't be in Australia until at least the end of next month so I am stuck with paddles. Great for some cars, horrible immersion killing crap for others. Some cars you just want to heel/toe and stir that stick but with paddles.. "click"... soft-on!

The best indicator I have to if I made a good choice is do I have "Buyers Remorse" from blasting away that much cash?

No. No I don't.

I simply love it and am now very glad I did buy it. The sequential shifter and the formula wheel are next.

Reliability? I have heard and read many stories so that one is yet to be seen but I will post in this thread if I do have any problems. So far so good and so far very very happy. It's boss gear

 

I'm a bit confused, installing Fanaleds turned the wheel from crap to excellent? Fanaleds only adds the gear lights and brake lockup vibration.
Also check your belt tension, I found mine too tight from factory and adjusting (moved bolts on front of base about 2mm to the left) the wheel felt better.
Also with the brake pedal I adjusted mine to a higher pin notch which made it stiffer and feel much closer to a real car.

 

Yeah, the "fake effects" didn't work, adding the effects and the gear lights changed it all for me. It was just a big expensive hoop until then. Now it is a big expensive pretty vibrating hoop. Makes all the difference bro

 

What effects? Fanaleds far as I know only add the brake lockup vibration, it doesn't effect FFB in any way.

 

My T500 didn't get delivered at first either. Phoned up after four weeks, tosspots didn't bother to tell me it'd gone out of stock when it said it was in on the website. So I ordered it from Overclockers instead and it was sitting in front of me in two days. I know how you feel about not "throwing" the wheel to catch slides as well, experienced the very same when I moved from Driving Force Pro to T500. That BMW rim looks phenomenal, too. Quite jealous of that aspect. Glad you're happy, nothing beats the feeling of a brand new setup!

 

Sounds like your having a blast Shrubbo ! Quality gear is great isn't it ? !

Great write up by the way

 

Awesome write up!!!! I can only imagine how nice the Mclaren and the 458 must feel.

 

As i mentioned in your previous thread, well done good choice.

 

There was nothing in the wheel either except for the pure FFB, well that was my impression anyway. Had I set up wrong? Didn't notice? Does it matter? My post is about my first impressions and what I wrote was my first impressions and the wheel was dull and completely underwhelming to me when I first fired it up. I expected and wanted more. I knew there was more there but that would be a pretty dull *** story if I just wrote.... "wheel is win" after I had done everything so I wrote "my impressions" and what I felt as I went along which I gather is what some people were asking for.

So that's why it reads as it reads. The Fanaleds did in fact completely transform the impression I was getting from underwhelmed to "Yeah BABY!! What they actually did doesn't really matter, just the impression

I love this thing

 

The Mclaren all by itself sold the Formula wheel I hope to get next month

 

Good write up bud.
The fanaleds totally change these wheels I agree just to make yo aware that you can set each cars degrees of rotation individually I.e 360 on the tattus 670 on the lotus gtc it really makes the cars feel better. All you need to do is alt-tab to fanaleds with each car loaded and set it ..
Try it you won't regret it
Oh a list of each cars steering rotation is on this site..
I don't have your wheel I have the CSR but fanaleds does the same job albeit not as well in respect of the rpm and colour led..

 

Thanks for the tip. I will try it

 

A very good and informative "First Impression" you wrote.
I'm sure many ppl. can use this for making up their decision what to buy.

 

Excellent write up fella !
I`m going down that route eventually ,had Fanatec stuff before but I like the idea of switching rims and there pedals are bloody good !

 

The car selection seems to be greyed out. It can see AC and can see when it is running but the car selection stays grey. I even tried it in window mode so I could see what it was doing with no luck. I did some googling but no fix seems to be popping out at me. I assume when I get this working and set up it will automatically set the wheel rotation limits for each car so I don't have to set it manually via the wheel correct?

 

Yes bud it will, You have to load each car type up into any track and just leave it then alt-tab out to fanaleds then advanced tab and a drop down menu will say car settings click that,so now once you load the arbarth say you can click on the car and at the top row it will appear you will see wheel angle just put the desired number 830 in this case and save ..
Just repeat for all cars and differently tuned cars and your done will take 20 mins tops..
Hope this helps some..
This is my already made profile it should be quicker for you it goes into C:\Users\<your_username>\AppData\Roaming\FanaLEDs.
Make sure hidden files and folders are enabled to be seen first ..

 

Thanks for all that mate. This is awesome. I had a problem getting it working until I found out that I had to the wheel set to 900 and that seems to override Fanaleds. I have set it to off and it is working as it should. Is there a way to get the virtual wheel to sync with the real movements? It is no big deal at the moment as I can just turn it off but when VR comes out I will need to have virtual wheel and drivers arms on and they don't match what I am doing.... I recon that will mess with my brain a bit

Edit: Actually it is more then just the virtual steering wheel turning too quick, the wheels turn to quick as well. I am missing something.

Edit2: Using the Lotus Exos for example Fanaleds set the rotation to 360 and I get 360 on the Clubsport but it turns the ingame wheel way too fast. If I go into AC setup and set the wheel range to 360 everything behaves as it should. What am I missing to not have this do it automatically? Clearly I am missing something.

 

Thanks for the tip but I forgot to ask. How do you know if the belt is too tight?

 

Hi bud I have been setting the in game rotation at 40 and it all seem to match up fine make sure the Lin part on the" wheel" settings menu is at 0 and wheel sen should be off
If the belt is too tight you will hear it squeal or the wheel will be very tight without power..

 

Curious, if I set it to 40 in game then the rotation is 40 and that is what I would expect. Hehhe stuff it have to go out for a while. Thanks for the info tho mate. One day I may just get there.