Oh my... yet another thread about what wheel to get :)

Hey peeps!

So I've been without a wheel for quite a while now ever since my (ok, my friend's) G27 broke down completely. I had been using it without FFB for long too, so yeah... time to get something working. So, let's break it down shall we?

1) My budget is about 300-400 euros (or dollars, prices are about the same I figured).

2) I want a servo based wheel with little or no dead zones if possible.

3) I want an H-shifter and pedals that have a clutch, preferably something that has a more realistic brake pedal without needing me to mod it.

4) It should be compatible with some kind of stand like the wheelstand pro.

I've read most of the threads regarding wheels but I still can't make up my mind and there's newer models coming out. I know many will tell me "the G27 is just fine, just grab another one or get the new G29", but fact is I want something that feels a little better quality wise and frankly I don't want to buy pretty much the same thing I had. I've been eyeing the T500RS, but that would need me to buy a separate set of pedals and h-shifter (althought the TS pedals that can be arranged in two positions are totally badass) and it gets a little expensive. I'd surely love to play with some fanatecs, but that's pretty much completely out of my budget right now.

So what do you guys reccomend? Is the T500RS a good choice? Is there anything else along those lines?

 

Personally, I'd just get a new G27, but get a better shifter and better pedals... If you really want something different, might be worth looking at Fanatec ? Wheel doesn't matter too much. Pedals tho are a pain if you want a load cell... Fanatec is the only real choice if you don't have a stupidly big budget, but it's very hit and miss.


P.S. inb4 lock....

 

No please don't lock! Heh. Thanks for the reply mate. But yeah, I just want something that feels a little better than the G27. It's a fine wheel, but it has a horrible dead zone at the center and its motor feels like I'm about to break it at any moment (well I did). Fanatecs are still a bit too pricey for me, but I guess I could look into pedals/shifters. Would they work with a wheel of other brands? I'm clueless.

 

I would go with the Thrustmaster.

 

Yes, they have a standalone USB wire to plug directly in your PC.

Also, it's not normal that your wheel broke... How strong do you run your FFB ? Maybe what you think is good and strong ends up just being a clipping fest. Consumer wheels can't handle too high forces, so you have to "force" yourself to lower it. It's much better anyway, since you actually feel what's going on. The deadzone really isn't that bad, it might have been due to your settings.

 

400 is a tight budget for what u want, a "one level up" wheel from the G27 will get u there, already. Thrustmaster T300 is the best wheel in that range (brushless and strong), T500 RS the best package (pedals!!!) but already exceeding your budget. I don't know why you would want to get another set of pedals along with the T500RS...they are good and come with a "realistic brake mod" that makes the brake progressive and works fairly well.
Another option would be to go for the T150 which will come soon for 200 €. But then you still need a pedal set and shifter so you're looking at more than 400 again.
So what you want is not possible, to put it in a nutshell. T500 set and shifter for christmas is the closest you can get.

 

I would go for the R500RS. It also comes a with good set of pedals. Just put a BasherBrakeMod on (no big deal to accomplish, and it's very inexpensive) and you have a decent muscle memory brake. The wheel itself is the upgrade step you are looking for. No dead zone, no notchyness, and it's much quieter. Decent strength and smooth working FFB. Leaves alone a TH8A.
Done the change myself some time ago and never looked back.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Erm, okay I wasn't too clear about it. The wheel was already malfunctioning when I got it (no idea what my friend did to it) and that's why I got it for free. The FFB was completely broken, but it would still have force when counter steering etc. In the end one day it just broke. Perhaps the dead zone was also because of it being faulty, but I've read other's having the same problem with it. Not sure.

I thought the pedals that come with the T500RS were basic and didn't have a clutch, where they sell another model with a clutch, 2 positions and the 'realistic brake mod'. I could be mistaken. How far do you think I should stretch my budget to get that 'one level up' then? I might be able to get it in the 500 zone, but not much more than that.

Good to know that you are liking this wheel, as that might be what I'll be able to get in the end.

 

G27 or R500RS, nothing more to say. best to go in that budget range and regarding costs/benefit.

 

You confused it with the 300 possibly, which has two pedals. The T500RS comes with these pedals

They sell for just above 400. Get one and use the G27 shifter for the time being (so connect faulty G27 as second wheel, throw it under the table and assign gears in AC). Or get this 3D-printed SHH-shifter...it's pretty cheap and quite good I heard.

 

Oh yeah, I was mistaken. These pedals look badass. Meh the website appears to be having problems. What do you think of the TH8 shifter? Is it any better than the G27's? Also, throwing the G27 under the table isn't really an option, heh.

 

There are a few guys I know with G27, T500RS and one that has the T300 (or is it T350, not sure of all the silly numbers). I like my G27 but I know it is rather poor in comparison to the T500, all Fanatec stuff but one guy went for the T500 and could not get on with it. Went to the T300 (or whatever it is called) and never looked back. So a very personal thing, which should not be a very big surprise. What I would advise is if it is possible buy it from an online store that allows returns (Amazon are good for this) then if you do not get on with the wheel you can send it back and not lose anything, most times without the need to pay for the postage either.

Personally I would go T500 as I have heard nothing but good reports of how they work and one of the guys just paid £100+ for a brake mod and went even bloody faster! Don't you just hate technology LOL. Then again it is not the controller but the ability that shines through the more advanced tech you use. As for the deadzone in a G27, I'm with William on this as I do not have anything close to what I have read here and elsewhere and think it is a settings issue like most things PC based.

Anyhow, have fun choosing and enjoy your review reading, video watching and then the opening of the box when you have finally chosen your new best friend.


Edit: Post arrived before I finished.

Or buy the Bodnar USB thingy stingy wingy and then just plug the shifter into that and no need for wheels all about the place.

 

The TH8A (or RS) shifter is pretty good. I used to have one until I broke it using too much tension on the stiffness spring, lol... Got one of these as replacement:
http://www.shiftershh.es/en.html

 

It's in German but T500rs is 420 euros on amazon.de it's slightly over your budget but it's a pretty darn good deal if you ask me.
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00..._rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=585296387&pf_rd_i=desktop
T300rs is 299 euros on amazon.de but you will need other pedals with that so you'd be spending at least € 120,- extra after that.
http://www.amazon.de/Lenkrad-TM-T30...8&qid=1443170736&sr=1-3&keywords=Thrustmaster

 

As you see in my sig, I run exactly that combo with the TH8A and what can u say...it's great I think. It's heavy, feels like value and has a hall effect sensor that is practically non-wearing. I opened it because it needs a little mod (1 nylon screw) to stabilize the latching mechanism and the material in use is top notch. The G27 shifter feels very cheap compared to it.

 

Great, thanks everyone for the replies.

Very nicely put, that's exactly what I'm doing

EDIT (again, wrong quote):

That shifter looks really nice and well built. It seems to be a nice combo with the T500RS with those pedals it has. And about 500 total.. Hmmmmmmm

 

I'd be holding off for this: http://www.virtualr.net/thrustmaster-t300-ferrari-integral-alcantara-edition-revealed

I was looking at the T500RS, but the thing I really, really, really don't like about it is the paddles shifters don't rotate with the wheel. Unless that has changed recently???

 

Nop, but if you get one of the other wheels (Ferrari GTE, F1, 599, ...) you can take the big shifters off and use the ones that come with the other wheels.

 

I can't count how many times I have upshifted when I wanted to downshift thx to the shifters that rotate (g27) it's so annoying

 

Yes, both concepts have advantages and disadvantages. When u spun out or are in massive trouble and need to get the right gear going rotating paddles are confusing. The fixed paddles are a problem when u need to shift at a 90 deg angle when both hands are just in between the paddles. But if you repeatedly mess up because of either phenomenon you simply need to get practice with the track/car ;-)