what Wheel should i get?

Discussion in 'Hardware Building/Buying/Usage Advice' started by Johnzy, Sep 28, 2013.

  1. Johnzy

    Johnzy Registered

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    hi im looking to get a wheel, gear stick and pedals. but i dont know much about them and i thought that this would be the best place to ask. i would like to mount the wheel and gear stick on my desk because i dont have the room for a cock pit :(
     
  2. Guy Moulton

    Guy Moulton Registered

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    The g27 is the all-in-one solution and the price is good too. It seems to be the most popular wheel for sim racing right now. I have a T500RS and I recommend it highly. The FFB is among the best for rF2, customer support has been excellent and the brake pedal is every bit as good as the loadcell I used to have with the CSP's these replaced. You'll have to buy a shifter with it- avoid the ACT-Labs shifter- it is very cheaply made of plastic. I have a Lightning SST which has been awesome, I have heard good things about the Thrustmaster TH8RS too.

    Fanatec has several wheels, but read around for long-term reviews and read about the customer service too. They are not renown for making quality wheels and their customer service record is poor. I have personal experience with them and I would not buy anything from them again. I have heard from some people who have had good experiences, but those people I have heard from never had a tech support issue.

    There are some other lower-end wheels, and of those, the Driving Force Pro and DFGT are very popular. Also Thrustmaster makes some lower-end wheels but I have no experience with any of the lower-end wheels.

    There are much higher end wheels that go for $1000+, I WISH I HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THOSE LOL, but you'll have to read around for reviews.
     
  3. coops

    coops Banned

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    To start off with go str8 out and buy a logitech g27 on ebay. i have used the g25/7 but not owned 1. But so many ppl use them and say they are great and for the price they all say you cannot go wrong using this wheel.
    i personaly use a fanatec CSW wheel.
     
  4. Johnzy

    Johnzy Registered

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    thanx for getting back to me. i did see the g27 on pc case gear for only $300 i was expecting that i would have to pay a lot more to get the wheel gear stick and pedals. i looks like i will have to get it :cool:
     
  5. ACSmall

    ACSmall Registered

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    check newegg they had some for less then 3 I think 250 + shiping
     
  6. Guimengo

    Guimengo Guest

    You should invest on a good set of pedals. Fanatec has cables to have their pedals work with G27s, I think.
     
  7. Johnzy

    Johnzy Registered

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    im in Australia so i might go with pc case gear but cheers anyway
     
  8. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

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    I you have enough money, go for T500RS + TH8RS. The wheel is like another league compared to G25/G27 (personally, I put it even above CSW, for a few reasons). Its pedals are better too, than G25/G27 (but that's my personal opinion). TH8RS is much better too, but not THAT better like the wheel. There is still some room for improvement for the shifter but it's very good (and, like in G25, it's also 2-in-1).
     
  9. datanode

    datanode Registered

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    I have a fanatec gt3 rs v2, had nothing but excellent support when things have gone wrong. I also have the CSPs V1, all brought about 3 and a half years ago.

    I think in that time I have had a non support question seemingly go in answered, it was relating to a sale ... So found that odd.

    But I have nothing but respect for the help I have had, yes I do get the feeling they are not the biggest corporation (that has its own set of problems), but they do care about their products and that is the feeling I get. I have heard bad things about every single company, nature of the internet. Do as much research as you can, read through to try and make sense of what will be best support wise.

    I would choose Fanatec again, but then I know what I am getting and have had good support :) everyone has their own experiences.

    To be honest, I would find out which support will be best in Australia, if it is logitech then get that wheel :)

    I have also heard good things about the the t500rs, I don't think you will be disappointed with any of those three, so look at support, because each can go wrong and hours of use will mean at some point you will probably need to use it / rely on it.

    Sorry to hear you had a bad experience guy...
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 29, 2013
  10. nipzon

    nipzon Registered

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    I have a T500 at the moment with CSP V1 pedals. Both are about two years old and I now have a CSP V2 arriving tomorrow. I am also considrering ordering the CSW in a week or so due to the fact that I want the best.

    The T500 is an excellent steering but a couple things annoyed me like the steering rim becomes loose every so often and need to be tightened. Also one of the four little screws snapped off so now my steering is held on with only three. I hate the fact that I can feel a play in the rim while racing. About a month out of warranty the base lost its ability to centre on startup, so now I have it on slow calibrate but still need to reset it every now and then. I would probably buy another T500 but thought for a couple bucks more get a high end steering. Hope I am not wrong.
    Bought the F1 rim six months later and have used it once. Was hoping it that it would fool me into thinking it is a real F1 rim, but IMHO a big disaster. Total plastic feel, fake dials and rocker padels was a big disapointment for me.

    So far ordering the CSP's was a pleasure with plenty of response emails from Fanatec. Only disappointment I found that Australia does not get the colour options for the pedals like the US and EUR. Why the hect not! Very strange.
     
  11. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

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    Well, don't expect CSW will be that better (although YMMV). It has its own issues like problems with loosing its center position. Also some belt slippage but that is part of the design. Its FF is weaker. If you plan to use the Formula rim then that's fine but with GT rim...CSW is not so fast anymore (that's one of the reasons, why I prefer T500RS).
    Here's me driving on T500RS (with 32cm OMP Supertourismo rim):

    http://youtu.be/ko9NkCS9rOw?t=2m32s

    Notice at 2:39, how wheel turns itself because of my spin...I didn't help it at all. CSW is nowhere near that fast.
    But CSW with its V-belts is smooth and out-of-the-box gives a better impression and as a default package, might be better if you don't plan to modify it.
     
  12. Guy Moulton

    Guy Moulton Registered

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    Are you sure you have a T500rs? My wheel is held on with 6 screws, not 4.
     
  13. Jamie Shorting

    Jamie Shorting Registered

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    I'd stay away from the Logitech wheels because the gear driven ffb is old tech.
     
  14. nipzon

    nipzon Registered

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    Yep. When you remove your wheel you will see four 3 mm Philip head screws inside.
     
  15. Caterham_Super_7

    Caterham_Super_7 Registered

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    I like my G-25 which Ive had for 4 years now. No complaints at all.
     
  16. kaptainkremmen

    kaptainkremmen Registered

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    Bought mine when they were launched and have had a wire come off inside the shifter. Other than that it's been great.
     

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