What's the Best Wheel for under $800?

No need to keep using the G27 base since you can get USB adapters for the G27 shifter and pedals from Leo Bodnar. That's what I did with my old G25 gear when I got a Fanatec v2 base in 2015. Of course the G25 pots have eroded after over a decade of use and I moved on to Fanatec shifter & pedals about 6 months ago.

 

As a longer term solution, yes. But as a stopgap the existing base is free

 

Oh really? That's really cool. So there's no need to spend that extra money on a shifter. Honestly, the pricing for these shifters sold separately are a f*ing rip off and a half, Fanatec charging almost 300 euros? For a shifter? ... You can get a whole G29 setup for that. It's just a stick which clicks buttons when you move it, come on... :|

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Dunno, sort of tossing up between a CSL Elite or a T300. Both have their pros and cons. If I get a CSL Elite I'd have to buy pedals separately because I refuse to get anything which doesn't come with a clutch pedal. Which ends up being 819.85€, or $1299 AUD (but I get paid in USD from Advertising networks on my PayPal so it's $923.77 USD. Plus I'd want to get another wheel, a full circle one for rally or drifting, another 99 euros. Expensive hobby. It'll take me another month to put enough money aside. Hopefully it's worth it and super reliable like my G27 has been?

Seen some posts on Reddit saying the Fanatec is a million times better, smoother, quieter, etc. So I guess I'm saving up $1,000 :|

But I'm enjoying reading all your feedback, folks. Thanks for the replies!

Edit: Done currency conversions and everything between the Fanatec Euro store, Australian store, and US store and just noticed it's cheaper to buy it off the US site... Wonder if I can do that and ship it to Aus.

 

By the time the feds get their cut it may not be the cheaper option, GST will be applied to base price + freight cost and if the cost is over $1000 AUD then you’ll be up for customs duties as well.

 

Oh they changed it didn't they, you can't just buy something from overseas and just pay shipping anymore.

Bloody government always ruining anything and everything. Thieves.

Australian warehouse it is then...

 

He might be using it there but I doubt it is his, he looks to have pretty funky gear in his own home. Have seen photos or video recently.

 

Since I seem to have inadvertently started a 'what's wrong with my wheel' discussion, I'd like to clear something up: I wasn't saying "why would anyone buy a G29". I was suggesting the OP wouldn't gain much from doing so; his G27 is still working fine, albeit perhaps not feeling quite as 'tight' as it was at first. In that position I don't see any reason to spend money on a new wheel and basically get a replacement.

Anyone who took that out of context was mistaken.

 

Yes & no. The G25/G27/G29 shifter is actually a pair of potentiometers with a stick. No buttons involved. Potentiometers are wear items. What makes it feel like a gearshift is a detent spring with a ball that clicks into a hole smaller than the ball.

The Fanatec shifter is in an industrially strong metal housing, far more robust than the Logitech shifter. I don't know whether it uses switches or pots or optical transducers, but it is definitely another level or two better in quality.

 

Yes, I agree with your point and I was thinking the same thing myself. That's exactly why I want something different. I want a different experience. If I was going to get a G29, I may as well keep using my G27. Sure it feels a bit loose and numb, not as strong and tight as when it was new, but it still gets the job done and a G29 wouldn't be much different. However, I want to experience a different brand of wheel to see the differences and bring new life into my sim racing (and occasionally arcade racing).

I've made the decision that I am buying a CSL Elite with the F1 wheel. Then the next month I'll save up more and then I'll buy pedals, a circular wheel, and possibly the gear stick. Then I'll be complete for the next 6 or 7 years.