Steering Wheels - Which is Best for PC Sims? (!!!)

I have a Logitech G25 myself with 5 years and its fantastic , but I am going to change it soon. I am torn between a Fanatec CSR or T500RS. The CSR Elite is a bit too expensive though. I would love it , but I want better pedals. I have never used the clutch in my G25 set and want pedals that are adjustable. Hell I just want new pedals and wheel.

 

Well, since i bought my Thrustmaster T500RS and the Ferrari Addon + the Thrs-Shifter ,my SIM Life completely changed. After some tiny setuptweaks Rfactor 2 comes absolutely to life, you`ve never feel a game like this before ,and IF then you got a Frex for sure. If played also on a G27 and a Fanatec but honestly they cant compare to the T500RS, in NO way.
I know its more expensive but you but its worth every penny!!
PS: Im not a Fanboy, just absolutely Impressed about the Build Quality and Feeling in Games. And its JUST the T500RS, all other Thrustmaster products are more like Toys.

A short Pic of my WIP SIM:
(Added a D&W Wheel with Derek Speare Adapter)

View attachment 906

Greets Modmate

 

I got my t500rs a few days ago and its made my DFGT look like a toy which i heard is the same when you move up from a g25/27 too.

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But if your going to spend 150 quid you might as well spend 50 quid more and get the g27
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002PHN5...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B002PHN5W6

 

Plenty of advice and it sounds like you've already taken it, but really it comes down to money. If you take money out of the equation it becomes a pure "which wheel is better" discussion, and those arguments literally never end.

So I'd say just work out what you can spend and get what you can for it.

From the sidewinder all the suggested wheels are a massive improvement, but the pedals (assuming you're using the ones that came with it) are going to actually give you the most gain. Just be prepared to spend a week or two adapting to the new wheel and pedals.

 

When choosing a wheel, you have to consider your budget first, then you have to consider what you want to do with the wheel. If you are not planning on being competitive, but immersion is key, then you are looking for a whole different set of features. If you are looking for raw speed and you plan to compete, then your needs are different.

Some people swear by a gamepad and say that they are like a cheat and are faster. If you are looking for pure performance, that's an option (and the cheapest). I've raced against game pad guys and a gamepad is like a cheat. But I assume you are looking for a wheel.

For performance, the MOST IMPORTANT thing is the brake pedal. A load cell brake is the single greatest upgrade option if you are looking for speed. period. The pedals make the wheel setup. For performance, an adjustable wheel rotation is good to have and LOTS of buttons are important. A large wheel rim is important too. The only significant performance control option for shifting are paddle shifters. Everything else is slower.

For immersion, the most important factors will be controls (for historical sims, you want a h-shifter, for moderm sims, you want a sequential and paddle shifters). FFB is your next consideration- good FFB is not a performance consideration, but it does put you in the game. Adjustable wheel rotation is also a must as you want what the real guys use.

In either case, a clutch is important. Performance or immersion depends on how you use it really. The wheel is less important than the pedals in either case. A G27 with the nixim mod is a good option for both perf and immersion. A T500 is another good option paired with a h-pattern shifter. Fanatec makes pedals that are a good performance option. I have never played around with the Fanatec wheels so I don't know how they are. The low end wheels I also don't know about. Read up reviews armed with knowing what you want in a wheel.

 

@Guy Moulton

I`ve got a full modded G27 also here, but to be honest,even the stock t500rs is much better in any way. Add the INCLUDED brakepedal mod and its absolute fantastic. The Thr8s-Shifter can be used as a H and as a Sequential shifter as well. Its also sold seperately and for that price the best you can get.(im not alone with that opinion,check out the reviews.)
For the wheel i guess the 1080 degress Thrustmaster offer is the most you can get. So overall there are maybe 2 options:

1. I wanna race, but wont spend that much money on a wheel. Also its ok to get more like a toy?
Then go with the g27 and like Guy Moltoun said add the Nixim Mod at least. Its a really good feel then.

2.Serious Racer with amition for maybe league racing. Want the most realistic wheel out there but under 1000 $?
Then serious go with the T500RS and maybe add the the Th8rs shifter also.


Greets Modmate

 

I have an F430 wheel and I really like it. It has a little selector switch on the wheel and that makes a HUGE difference in how it feels. On some settings it is undriveable so it takes a little experimenting. For a fairly low cost wheel I think it is very good.

 

Why is the MOMO not mentioned in this topic?

i bought the momo because i thought it was the secend best thing after the g25 and it was half the price, €125,00 for the momo and €250,00 for the G25.

why does nobody recoment it?

 

Because like the f430 wheel, it doesn't offer that much over the first posters MS Wheel. The MOMO is now dated. It doesn't have a clutch, shifter or decent pedals. It lacks the FF feel of the G25/27 and doesn't do 900 degrees of rotation. The jump from a MOMO to a G25 is pretty big. Plus it's been discontinued.

The Logitech Driving Force GT would be a good starting point, should be in the right price point range too. It does have 900 of rotation, but lacks an H-shifter and clutch.

I like most people would say used G25, G27 (seen refurbished ones go for around $200 cnd) or save up for a Fanatic or Thrustmaster T500.

 

The second best from the G25 would have more likely been the DFGT, which trumps the black MOMO in just about every way imaginable, and still costs only around 100€.

 

I upgraded from the G25 to the T500RS and the TH8RS shifter.

The G25 shifter is a toy compared to the TH8RS, no comparison there.
The pedals have a lot sturdier feel to them as well and more precise.
The T500 wheel itself is a lot smoother, has none of that deadzone the G25 had for me and very good FFB.

The G25 wheel itself is still excellent but if you are getting into these type of sims then the T500 is that bit more of an investment but one you will get a return on for sure, I'd argue it's the new baseline wheel for serious simracers and here's hoping that Logitech will come up with something to match or better it.

 

The Momo is a good beginner wheel but is not a good option for performance or immersion. The pedals are all very squishy and the brake is exceptionally poor. It lacks a shifter and a clutch.

The DFGT suffers the same problems.

these wheels are better than nothing, but do not come into any conversation about the best wheels for racing.

 

My times, especially in GT Legends (where feel under brakin is so important when on the limit) were absolutely destroyed when I went from the "cheap crappy" Momo Racing wheel to the G25. The fact that all FFB is completely shutoff in the centre and a bit to each side of centre meant that underbraking I couldnt feel **** with regards to tyre slippage.

Consistency suffered too, as changing grip conditions due to tyre wear, fuel usage etc meant I didnt have enough feedback feel from the FFB.

 

The FFB is wayyyy smother, quicker, and way more realistic feeling on the G25 than the Momo Racing dont get me wrong, but maybe it was the cheap knotchy but obvious ffb that allowed me to seperately feel the grip of each 4 tyres, from grip, to threshold grip/slight slipping to locking.

 

I bought the G27 late last year from currys online for £169 so keep an eye out coz every now and again they drop the price for a week

 

the prices the original poster quotes seem to be really high??

i assume you live in the UK, hence the £.
You can't really get a g25 brand new anymore here, there are tons on ebay going anywhere between 100-140.
Mine cost 140 brand new and that was back in 2006 when it first came out.

your only option therefore is a g27. it will do everything you need it to do. they were 170 in the build up to xmas and a few weeks after - but now they are 220+ again.

the alternative is the gt3 fanatec which is 170 all in, and the clubsport pedals which is another 130 odd.
i didn't like the gt3 compared to my g25, it was not as free rolling and did not allow you to react quickly, as i described in my review:
http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/2620-Rfactor-2-Beta-A-comprehensive-constructive-review.

logitech also come with excellent customer support and will send out a replacement with no quibbles.

the clubsport pedals haven't made me any quicker, as you simply adjust to any game controller, but i find braking with them more intuitive as you stamp on the brakes (load cell).

the CSR elite is a silly amount of money and definitely won't make you any faster. it would make sense if you were going all out, spending a few grand and building a proper simrig. i hear the thrustmaster T500 is excellent, and it looks like it has brutally strong force feedback which is very important - but its very pricey. i would get it but its 300+. Also, critically, the shift paddles are fixed and do not move with the wheel - which is useless for me as i mostly play single seaters, and i need to be able to downshift mid-steer sometimes.
the only solution is to get the thrustmaster ferrari wheel to add onto it, which is another bucket of money.

therefore my advise would be to get a g27 and the clubsport pedals.

 

I've got a second hand G25 (previously had a DFP) and its great, only two buttons on the steering wheel is a slight downside so therefore I'd say go for the G27 but apparently it has not Sequential Shifter (!?!), I maybe wrong on that though.

 

G27, all others are far too pricy.. club sports pedals = 200€...

 

Personally I HATE the G27 with a vengeance, just because they removed the sequential mode. =)

 

Quote Originally Posted by robert View Post
Why is the MOMO not mentioned in this topic?

i bought the momo because i thought it was the secend best thing after the g25 and it was half the price, €125,00 for the momo and €250,00 for the G25.

why does nobody recoment it?
The second best from the G25 would have more likely been the DFGT, which trumps the black MOMO in just about every way imaginable, and still costs only around 100€.

As I said in an earlier post my Logitech Force Feedback Pro GT is way better and was oringinally more expensive than a new MOMO piece of *%&^, thats why i went back to my Force Feedback Pro from the Momo as it actually had a more realistic feel to it. And it cost me 37.50NZ with a force feedback flight sim joystick from a local auction site. I would have liked to have spent more $ on a g25 or g27 but as long as your not using a keyboard or a contoller pad then sweet as.