Sim racers - what are you running?

swannyUK

swannyUK

swannyUK

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Joined
20 May 2009
Posts
246
I've been sim racing for around 14 years and always used low to mid range wheels. My current being the trusty old Logitech G27.

Lately though I've been longing for the next level and weighed up between the Fanatec CSL range or the Thrustmaster TS-XW. In the end I went for the Thrustmaster as it was a bit cheaper and I could get it from Overclockers and have UK help if it went wrong....well it did. Straight out the box I noticed the downshift paddle wasn't clicking at all until I tried it 3 times and after that it was intermittent. Asked Thrustmaster for a replacement rim but just got a generic check your ffb email. So it's going back to OC for a refund. Uterlly rubbish for a wheel and pedal set that cost over £550!

Have to say in the hour I played before giving up I wasn't blown away with the wheel as much as expected. It was good but not the massive leap I've heard others talk about.

I've come away wondering why I would ever need to move away from a working G27 tbh.

What are others running?
 
That's interesting to hear, I'm on g29 and looking to upgrade to the fanatec elite soon.

Interested to hear that you thought it wasn't a huge upgrade as everyone else says the difference is massive.

The g29 is fine and surprisingly quality feeling but I have to have the ffb very low so it doesn't clip and make noise as I play it at night with baby in the next room. So really need more headroom in the ffb.
 
markoboyo11 said:
That's interesting to hear, I'm on g29 and looking to upgrade to the fanatec elite soon.

Interested to hear that you thought it wasn't a huge upgrade as everyone else says the difference is massive.

The g29 is fine and surprisingly quality feeling but I have to have the ffb very low so it doesn't clip and make noise as I play it at night with baby in the next room. So really need more headroom in the ffb.
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Identical to me then, we have a little dude who is almost 2 now and I was looking for something quieter. The belt system is definitelty quieter but you still hear the noise of it turning.

From my very limited time with a "higher end" wheel I'd sum it up as follows

Pro
Feel of an alcantara type wheel was great.
Force feedback does seem smoother with more detail.
No clipping or vibrating

Neutral
Doesn't feel like it would make me quicker or that I'm missing any extra info with the G27 that would aid laptime
Build quality was good but when using it I felt it wasn't as rugged or up to a beating like the g27.

Negative
Pedals are horrible on this model. Don't even care about the lack of load cell - they were just lifeless.
The violence with which the wheel hits the stops when callibrating is ridiculous. I don't know how any wheel could survive this long term.
The price - really not worth over £500.

All this is just my personal opinion and if I had the confidence to buy higher again I'd probably go Fanatec but I've heard too many horror stories about their reliability and returns that I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money and take the risk again.

My G27 won me 3 online championships and it's a case of it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
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Cool thanks for you're insight.

I think I will still get the csl elite at some point but will have my expectations in check.

The rattling of the g29 clipping is really annoying, but since getting the loadcell mod the pedals are excellent.
Just can't sell the wheel on by itself and fanatecs good deal on wheel plus pedals make no sense to anyway.
 
What load cell mod are you using?

I like my g27 pedals so a load cell would be great.

Did you see the simpit review of the CSL base? It has some ffb rattle but not sure if it's loud enough to bother you.
 
I'm something of a serial wheel buyer. Started on a DFGT, then G27 was on sale 3 months later. Used that for 5 yrs or so, then 1 day a T500 on gumtree at a bargain price. Have to say I notice the difference from G27/G29 (I bought the G29 for PS4 use before realising the T500 worked doh!). I managed to mess up the wheel fitting a new 599 rim so the base and wheels had to go back to TM to be fixed, used the G29 while it was away. Doesn't make any difference to laptimes, and the G29 works fine, for me the T500 is just smoother and a better experience overall.

If you have the money you could go with sim-plicity 7nm+ setup. You'd need pedals and shifter as well with that though. Not that much more than Fanatec kit.
https://sim-pli.city/products/sw7c-plus-7nm-direct-drive-wheel
Not a lot to go wrong as it's just a mige motor. I have a FeelVR wheel on order (can't decide if I'm brave, stupid or both), otherwise I'd be getting this myself.
 
Currently using a logitech G920 on a wobbly desk but if/when funds allow i do plan on upgrading to something like ::

80/20 alu profile rig - Very rigid and easy to expand.
DD wheel OSW/Accuforce - Not so much for the strength more the feel.
Heuskinveld Pro pedals - Should be as good as i will ever need.
Fanatec shifter and handbrake - Shifter for ease of use between H pattern and sequential.

That would be my dream setup with some shakers and vr. Then maybe down the line butcher a mobility scooter and DIY a 3DoF rig.
 
swannyUK said:
What load cell mod are you using?

I like my g27 pedals so a load cell would be great.

Did you see the simpit review of the CSL base? It has some ffb rattle but not sure if it's loud enough to bother you.
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Yeh i seen the review and not sure if it was before the firmware update that seems to resolve the issue for most people. But yeh that amount of rattle would be completely a no go for me.

I use the 3d rap it mod for gt3 off eBay, so not actual load cell but the difference is dramatic.
Works on g27 too and can definatly recommend it if you are keeping the g27.

Has anyone used the csl elite pedals without the load cell?
It would be a good saving on the initial cost for me to add the load cell later but not sure how usable the brake is on it?
 
Born2BSlow said:
@danoliver1 can I ask what the gametrix seat cover is like for sim racing please. Do you know how it compares to transponders/buttkickers?
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I had a buttkicker gamer 2 but sold it because the gf could hear it in the room below. The jetseat is a lot better not just because its a lot quieter but because it has 8 transducers built in. Which means you get positional effects so for instance when you go over curbs you feel the effect on the left or right. Or when you change gear you get a thump in the back. Or when you hit the red line in rpms you get a higher pitch rumble so you know to change gear. Plus theres other effects like g force, wheel slip and road noise. It really is excellent especially with vr. Only down side is you have to buy a €10 piece of software called simshaker wheels for it to work.
 
Born2BSlow said:
I already run 4 transducers in chassis mode (using simcom4 software), do you think getting the jetseat will add anything to the experience?
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Depends on how well your transducers transmit the feeling through your rig. The big advantage with the jetseat is that the transducers are touching your body so you can feel everything.
 
Fanatec all day

I’ve been sim racing since it all began and I wouldn’t got back to Logitech etc.

At the moment I’m on V3i pedals, CS2.5 base bolted to an Obutto rig.
 
here is the simple answer. what do you want from sim racing ? fast times or realism. if its fast times .your logitech set up is the better option. most of the world records are done on cheaper mid range set ups. mainly by logitech wheels.across the board.

if you want realism then you get what you pay for. there is quite a few decent companies .

my racing rallying is mainly about top times. i was given a free fanatec store and choose what i want.picked all the gear tested it.sent it back.the reason is for top world record times its too realistic so slows you down.too mechanical so slows you down. so i stick with my trusty logitech DFGT modded and smash world records.

so top times keep your logitech gear . realism pretty toys well made. pick high end sim gear.
 
I've read that before DG, people who set top times sometimes switch off FFB completely... not saying all do, but I've read that some do. I'm not competitive enough, it's about realism for me. I just enjoy racing virtual cars around virtual tracks, more often than not just hot lapping on my own. I have a spare DFGT that I used for 3 months before upgrading to a G27. Very notchy and toy like compared to the T500 I have now. I could use it if I needed to, but I prefer my T500.

Each to their own as DG says, what do you want from sim racing and how much can are you comfortable spending? Realism can be a slippery slope of spending on bigger shinier toys, I've got my eye on a full motion setup.
 
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