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

G

Glastolover

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Apologies if this should be in an Off Topic sub forum, but there isn't one!

I have a Microsoft Sidewinder FFB wheel. Very old, but I think it is not too bad. Others will probably disagree!

I am considering upgrading. Can anyone point me to any good reviews of the options out there, or offer their own advice?

A friend of mine has a Logitech G25, back when he got this a year or two ago it seemed like this was the best wheel out there(?). Seems now that arguably some others (Fanatec? Thrustmaster?) may have taken this crown?

If I want to spend around £150, what would be the best option? I could get a 2nd hand G25 for this. Possibly a 2nd hand Fanatec Carrera 911 GT3 (the one with belt drive FFB) with G25 pedals.

Any other wheels people would recommend?

PC Gamer roundup recently said the Thrustmaster F430 was 2nd best (to their v expensive T500) and is only £80 new, how would that compare to a G25/G27/Fanatec?

Tis very tricky assessing the state of the sim steering wheel market! Any advice or links to good reviews/roundups appreciated!

Thanks a lot for any thoughts...
 
How much are you willing to spend?



I have a fanatec setup and been having problems with their crappy firmware. Fanatec cannot write the proper software to go with their products if their lives depended on it.
 
Aren't all Fanatec wheels belt driven?

But anyway, from what I've read Fanatecs are mechanically better than Logitech wheels, and if you can get everything working right they are indeed better, but more people experience problems with drivers and game compatibility with them, so Logitech products are an easier solution. The better products from other companies also tend to be noticeably more expensive than the G25/G27.

G25 is by no means a bad wheel (I use one myself), but it's not the best anymore. It is the most affordable of the top of the line wheels, and problems with it are rarer than other wheels from smaller manufacturers. But I'm not going to tell you what to get, because it depends on what you're looking for.
 
Fanatec CSR Elite, not cheap but worth the money. My first wheel was the Microsoft Xbox FFB wheel, I did the bearing mod which helped it a lot. Then moved on to a Fanatec CSR wheel and still have it as a backup for my CSR elite wheel, if you get a Logitech G25/27 or a Fanatec CSR wheel you will be very happy.
 
LoPaN said:
Fanatec CSR Elite, not cheap but worth the money. My first wheel was the Microsoft Xbox FFB wheel, I did the bearing mod which helped it a lot. Then moved on to a Fanatec CSR wheel and still have it as a backup for my CSR elite wheel, if you get a Logitech G25/27 or a Fanatec CSR wheel you will be very happy.
Click to expand...
He only wants to pay £150 for a wheel
 
LoPaN said:
Fanatec CSR Elite, not cheap but worth the money. My first wheel was the Microsoft Xbox FFB wheel, I did the bearing mod which helped it a lot. Then moved on to a Fanatec CSR wheel and still have it as a backup for my CSR elite wheel, if you get a Logitech G25/27 or a Fanatec CSR wheel you will be very happy.
Click to expand...
Yeah, definitely a great wheel, but a bit overpriced for what he was asking. =)

The ClubSport wheel will be maybe a bit better, but I'm fairly certain the CSR Elite will be my next wheel, especially when they release a replacement wheel for it, not a fan of plastic surfaces on my wheels.
 
I'd save up, pay the extra and go for Logitech. Had my G25 for about 5 years now and used it for PC and PS3 racing games. Any other wheel I had before tended to break pretty easily, either on the pedals, gearshift, or wheel itself :)
 
BTW, I endorse the G25 even if I'm one of the few that had real problems with them. I've had them for around 5 years now, and am on my third one. With the first one the left paddle gave constant double shifts and in the second one after a while the sequential mode went screwy. With the stick centered even a light touch or nudge would trigger it (sometimes even the table shaking a bit due to FFB was enough). Warranty covered both though and the H-shifter mode always worked perfectly. The third one has been going strong for a bit over 3 years now, no appreciable wear or tear.
 
After 4 years of hard use my G25 R/H paddle shifter has started doing mis-shifts and double shifts. Last night I stripped it down, did some minor "modifications" with a pair of pliers and it's all good again.......for now. The writing is on the wall and I'm researching for my next wheel/pedal set already. G25/G27 is still the best "value for money" wheel on the market in my humble opinion......not the best wheel but best bang for your buck. Anything appreciably better is twice the money.
 
Wow i see alot of g25's and g27's out there, I too use a logitech but an old Logitech Force Feedback Pro GT. And I brought it second hand off an auction site and have used it for going on 5 years and havent had any issues with it, unlike a Logitech Momo that I won off my local sim racing site and I couldnt get used to it as it was not anything like my old wheel and I ended up selling it after using it like 6-7 times. Im sticking with my Force Feedback Pro my old faithful until I can afford a G27 or something better.
 
G27 here too, relatively new (2 months). I'm very happy with it. I used the original LWFF for 11 years before buying this new one...and I won't go back again.

At the same time, I do also run with my own DIY USB interface pedals...(loadcell type), so I can't actually comment on the G27 pedalset from personal experience--I do own them but haven't even tried to use them (I've used only the wheel itself).

So I might also suggest looking at commercial loadcell alternatives to the standard G27 set. Fanatec "Clubsports" are one such alternative, I think. I believe these use a dry loadcell brake, and can be used independently from any other wheel or shifter solutions.

There are also one or more loadcell "refit-kits" for G27 pedals out there I think too. Google/hunt/ask around. Someone will know.


CS
 
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