Sim racing upgrade

The1nonly1

The1nonly1

The1nonly1

Associate
Joined
24 Jul 2009
Posts
2,287
Location
-
I currently have a G29 wheel and pedal and looking to upgrade. I've seen people mention I should upgrade the pedals first? I can't afford a direct drive wheel yet so the pedals seem like a good idea. Should I go Fanatec pedals?
 
Fanatec are releasing a more budget friendly direct drive system soon, however pedals are the best place to upgrade. A good load cell brake such as the Fanatec offerings are a huge improvement for consistency. But you can just mod the G29 pedals with a spring swap. I did in on my G27 which made a big difference to braking feel.

Don't be under any illustration on being faster with new gear, it can help obviously but it's more about the experience and authentic feeling. A lot of "Aliens" in the sim world run cheap gear but if you're after upgrading for quality and feel then Fanatec isn't a bad place to start over the Logitech gear.
 
Dup said:
Fanatec are releasing a more budget friendly direct drive system soon, however pedals are the best place to upgrade. A good load cell brake such as the Fanatec offerings are a huge improvement for consistency. But you can just mod the G29 pedals with a spring swap. I did in on my G27 which made a big difference to braking feel.

Don't be under any illustration on being faster with new gear, it can help obviously but it's more about the experience and authentic feeling. A lot of "Aliens" in the sim world run cheap gear but if you're after upgrading for quality and feel then Fanatec isn't a bad place to start over the Logitech gear.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll take a look at different springs instead of going straight for Fanatec pedals. Where did you get your spring from?
 
Fanatec have really been working on the gateway drug system this year, they have some very interesting stuff in the pipeline with their new upcoming CSL line of loadcell pedals and direct drive wheel… when those are out they will really up-end the mid range segment of the market.

Another option of course if you are DIY inclined is to build your own kit!
 
The1nonly1 said:
Thanks. I'll take a look at different springs instead of going straight for Fanatec pedals. Where did you get your spring from?
Click to expand...

I have the Nixim springs. The G29 has a rubber insert that the G27 doesn't, I think there are guides out there for better brake feel.

Also look into setups for your favourite games, you can make a big difference trying recommended wheel settings.

One improvement was getting a Playseat (the folding one). I used to desk mount with an office chair and things just kept moving which was distracting. A fixed rig would be even better if you have the space but I'm a poor man with a G27 and no space!
 
Dup said:
One improvement was getting a Playseat (the folding one). I used to desk mount with an office chair and things just kept moving which was distracting. A fixed rig would be even better if you have the space but I'm a poor man with a G27 and no space!
Click to expand...

I recommend the playseat too - folds flat, takes up very little space when folded, but is remarkably stable when setup.

I've got a G29 mounted on it, and bought a custom metal mount for the gear shift off ebay. The feeling of immersion when playing on this setup in VR is incredible.
 
If it helps, I have the Fanatec Clubsport V3 pedals. Quite heavy and a little expensive (Some pedals hit 6k though) I paid about £300 for them from Fanatec direct.

Great motion on all the pedals, very stiff brake pedal that be adjusted as well as the others with a twisty knob round the back.
 
The1nonly1 said:
I currently have a G29 wheel and pedal and looking to upgrade. I've seen people mention I should upgrade the pedals first? I can't afford a direct drive wheel yet so the pedals seem like a good idea. Should I go Fanatec pedals?
Click to expand...

heres the honest truth. why do you want to upgrade ? the biggest mistake many people make with upgrading wheels pedals and the like is to get better at a game. or cause some streamer youtuber says this or that is better. in reality you wont be any faster than your g29. infact id say the g29 is probably the best wheel for the money and even under £1000 to buy and not worth upgrading to anything unless its for realism. for times . nothing will get you any faster.

many people go fanatec. i was sponsered by them. if it suits the game you playing they well made and okayish. expensive for what they are. peddles are okayish. heusinkveld peddles if...you going higher end id recommend.

so basically budget and what you actually want from a wheel will tell you if its worth upgrading.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct.../sim-pedals/&usg=AOvVaw1HQMQDuJEhHZ2fQdnaF6UQ
 
Don’t go for Fanatec wheel base. I have a dd2 and csp pedals v3 honestly the hardware is great but the firmware is shocking we are in a constant beta. We have issues with intermittent jolts when on certain screens on the OLED display been waiting nearly a year and a half for a fix for features we were promised. At this point I’m considering getting rid of my wheel and going to simcube instead.
 
~>Dg<~ said:
heres the honest truth. why do you want to upgrade ? the biggest mistake many people make with upgrading wheels pedals and the like is to get better at a game. or cause some streamer youtuber says this or that is better. in reality you wont be any faster than your g29. infact id say the g29 is probably the best wheel for the money and even under £1000 to buy and not worth upgrading to anything unless its for realism. for times . nothing will get you any faster.

many people go fanatec. i was sponsered by them. if it suits the game you playing they well made and okayish. expensive for what they are. peddles are okayish. heusinkveld peddles if...you going higher end id recommend.

so basically budget and what you actually want from a wheel will tell you if its worth upgrading.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone who has sim raced for more than a few weeks would think more expensive gear will make them faster. It's about increasing immersion, this is why I race in VR, I'm not faster than when using a single monitor but it's a lot more immersive. My TS-PC broke and for a bit I was running a G29, pace was the same but it doesn't feel as "nice". Feels notchy compared to better ones and the dead zone in the middle was a bit off putting.
 
I've decided that upgrading isn't the best option for me at the time and going to look into getting a playseat challenge. I m going to change the spring in the G29 to one from MVH studios to get better control over braking. (I already have the F1 wheel from them for better immersion).
 
Can definitely confirm that, I recently upgraded from a T300RS to a VRS Direct Force Pro and I’m no faster… it’s a lovely wheel though and a joy to use.

I think the one thing that did actually help times for me was the loadcell brake as I found it much easier to manipulate the balance of the car and more importantly with some consistency too.

But ultimately as above, the nicer gear just tends to give you a more more enjoyable and immersive experience rather than making you any faster.
 
Actuator (is that the word?) pedals to load cells is one upgrade that will probably improve your driving. Fastest laps might not change but consistency might as it's a lot easier to be consistent on the brake.
 
Zeeflyboy said:
Can definitely confirm that, I recently upgraded from a T300RS to a VRS Direct Force Pro and I’m no faster… it’s a lovely wheel though and a joy to use.

I think the one thing that did actually help times for me was the loadcell brake as I found it much easier to manipulate the balance of the car and more importantly with some consistency too.

But ultimately as above, the nicer gear just tends to give you a more more enjoyable and immersive experience rather than making you any faster.
Click to expand...

Agreed on this. I recently upgraded from a desk mounted T150 to the Playseat Challenger, T300 and Thrustmaster TLCM pedals. The wheel and seat have made me more consistent, but its the load cell brake pedal that has really improved my racing. I can brake later and have more control when trail braking allowing more cornering speed and faster exit. Finally managed sub 2:20 at Spa in ACC this week.
 
For me the reason I want to upgrade is not about getting faster but more realistic experience, I.e. gears/cogs vs direct drive system etc....
Fanatec seems to be a little thin in terms of available solutions today.
Whatabout the thrust master series? what type of system do they use?
 
Fanatec is launching their new entry level DD wheel soon. They have nuked their entire belt drive line up in the time being.

Thrustmaster is belt driven as well, they very quite a bit. The lowest TM wheel is worse than a G29 but their higher end stuff like TS-PC is pretty decent although the aforementioned CSL DD wheel from Fanatec should blow it out the water (if you can get one on release) The high end TM pedals are better than G29's but no close to Fanatec's Clubsport v3s.
 
Ah thanks Mike, I saw the article on the new CSL DD and also the new pedals I believe from Fanatec?
Whatabout wheel wise in your opinion?

How can I preorder the DD?
 
I don't think you can pre order the CSL DD yet but Fanatec did post a video of it today. I think it's available to buy June/July. They are refreshing their pedal line up as well, the quoted entry price of £80 doesn't have a load cell so I wouldn't get them. (not sure if a load cell is an add on or separate pedals)
Thing with you having a G29 currently, a lot of thrustmasters line up is kind of a side grade and not really worth the money. IMO the T300 is not really worth it(over the G29), you at least want to go the TS wheel base route.
The problem you have now is to get a worth while upgrade from G29 your going to be spending £500+ from here. I would probably wait and see what the situation with the new CSL DD and pedals before making a decision.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom