Xtreme Gaming Network
General Category => Hardware & Reviews => Topic started by: Wally on April 22, 2022, 12:37:27 PM
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I've taken the plunge to DD and ordered a Fanatec CSL DD (8 Nm) and McLaren GT3 wheel.
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Let us know how it goes, my poor old G27 is starting to show signs of the years of abuse :(
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Hey Wally, got mine a few weeks ago. I don't think you will be disappointed, and I doubt you'll ever need anything more powerful, I know I won't, but I guess never say never. But of course I was coming from a G27, so the bar was set pretty low.
I haven't been enjoying racing for a while so my thought process was that a new wheel would be much cheaper than a new pc and much easier to sell if I have lost that love of racing.
Unfortunately my old pc means that I will still miss most XGN races as most 3rd party tracks and cars will still slow down my pc and take away any enjoyment. But on the plus side I am now going though all my historic cars and tracks off line and have never enjoyed AC more.
Hope you enjoy your DD.
rob
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Good to hear, Rob. We miss you on Tuesdays :(
I expect to be 3 seconds a lap faster ;)
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Yeah I miss Tuesdays too (and Thursdays of course), but being uncompetitive because of really low FPS really sucks. It just saps the joy out of racing.
I don't think the wheel has made me any faster (well at least not any slower) but my consistancy has improved, and enjoyment of course. And for me, that's what its all about, FUN.
rob
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I have had the base and the wheel for a few days, but frustratingly still waiting on the doodah that connects them together.
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I have had the base and the wheel for a few days, but frustratingly still waiting on the doodah that connects them together.
If you can't get the doodah you can always try a thingamajig, or a doohickey...... ;D :P ;D
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;D
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I've got my CSL DD set up now (coming from a Thrustmaster T500RS). It makes ACC in particular feel quite different - you get a lot more feedback from the road. You feel all the bumps, and it feels like the onset of understeer is more noticeable through the wheel. A tightly sprung car like the Porsche Cup car becomes quite a violent experience now, even at reasonable FFB levels, which makes it even more immersive. There is constantly something happening to the wheel, and you really feel it if you hit a higher kerb and the car bounces.
AC on the other hand - well, it highlights how much more lively the FFB is in ACC. In AC, the FFB just feels... stronger. I would have to try more cars in AC before really forming an opinion about how different it feels there.
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First race (ACC) with the new wheel - nice improvement in consistency.
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Nice one Wally.
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Some more feedback: I can now feel the vibration of the ABS kicking in, in ACC, which I couldn't feel before. And it's easier to feel what the back end is doing on throttle, you can feel the onset of oversteer more.
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What was the cost, if you don't mind me asking?
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$1300 with the 8 Nm boost kit and 1 extra year warranty. Base 5 Nm unit and without the extended warranty is $950. That's including a McLaren GT3 wheel. Maybe your existing rim would fit the base? The 5 Nm base alone is $600.
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Maybe your existing rim would fit the base?
No, my wheel is one unit, not a rim + base.
I think that's one of the reasons it's hard to find info about it on the net (I'm the only clown that bought it :-[ )
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$1300 with the 8 Nm boost kit and 1 extra year warranty. Base 5 Nm unit and without the extended warranty is $950. That's including a McLaren GT3 wheel. Maybe your existing rim would fit the base? The 5 Nm base alone is $600.
Might be an obvious answer, but if going to this from a G27 your going to need a trick set of peddles to go with it??
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You can get Fanatec pedals as part of the ecosystem, or you can use independent pedals. I would say pedals are a completely separate proposition.
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They are but you can't use g27 pedals on their own the wheel base has to be plugged in. You could technically have both bases plugged in to use the g27 pedals. I went for load cell pedals before I did a wheel upgrade as they make quite a difference.
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They are but you can't use g27 pedals on their own the wheel base has to be plugged in. You could technically have both bases plugged in to use the g27 pedals. I went for load cell pedals before I did a wheel upgrade as they make quite a difference.
I did the same - pedals first. I agree, good pedals make a huge difference. A DD wheel is just icing on the cake, really.
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Hey Wally,
I thought I might pose the question as you have spent a little more time with it.
I have a t500 as well and Im deciding between the Fanatec DD or the Cammus
Upgrade wise, worth the money to go direct and is that much better than Belt?
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Hey Wally,
I thought I might pose the question as you have spent a little more time with it.
I have a t500 as well and Im deciding between the Fanatec DD or the Cammus
Upgrade wise, worth the money to go direct and is that much better than Belt?
Hi there lurker Glen!
Yes, I think it is well worth the upgrade. I'm very pleased with it. You get a lot more detail, more so than the strength, I think. I've never liked really strong FFB. You probably can go a heap stronger with DD if you want to, but that's not where I see the benefit. It's the finer, more consistent detail you feel. Especially in ACC - the wheel is constantly moving a bit with road effects (pure, not canned), and for the first time I could feel the ABS vibration in the wheel, for example. AC feels a little different, it just sort of feels "cleaner". Hard to describe a feeling. Maybe it's because there's next to no damping in the wheel, so the FFB just kind of feels crisp.
The only downside so far, which a lot of reviews mention, is that I occasionally feel a tiny bit of a slip or a clunk in the wheel when the FFB changes rapidly from one side to the other. Apparently that's something to do with the quick release mechanism, and an easy fix is to put a bit of tape on the wheel shaft inside the release, but I haven't even bothered with it.
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.....Hard to describe a feeling.....
Like trying to smell the colour 9? :P ;D
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.....Hard to describe a feeling.....
Like trying to smell the colour 9? :P ;D
It smells different to a prime number - does that help?
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Hey Wally,
I thought I might pose the question as you have spent a little more time with it.
I have a t500 as well and Im deciding between the Fanatec DD or the Cammus
Upgrade wise, worth the money to go direct and is that much better than Belt?
Hi there lurker Glen!
Yes, I think it is well worth the upgrade. I'm very pleased with it. You get a lot more detail, more so than the strength, I think. I've never liked really strong FFB. You probably can go a heap stronger with DD if you want to, but that's not where I see the benefit. It's the finer, more consistent detail you feel. Especially in ACC - the wheel is constantly moving a bit with road effects (pure, not canned), and for the first time I could feel the ABS vibration in the wheel, for example. AC feels a little different, it just sort of feels "cleaner". Hard to describe a feeling. Maybe it's because there's next to no damping in the wheel, so the FFB just kind of feels crisp.
The only downside so far, which a lot of reviews mention, is that I occasionally feel a tiny bit of a slip or a clunk in the wheel when the FFB changes rapidly from one side to the other. Apparently that's something to do with the quick release mechanism, and an easy fix is to put a bit of tape on the wheel shaft inside the release, but I haven't even bothered with it.
Yes starting to lurk ;)
Thanks for your feedback Wally, good to see so much activity at XGN. I miss the sim racing community.
I think choosing brands isn't going to be whats best, but more of whats available :(
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The only downside so far, which a lot of reviews mention, is that I occasionally feel a tiny bit of a slip or a clunk in the wheel when the FFB changes rapidly from one side to the other. Apparently that's something to do with the quick release mechanism, and an easy fix is to put a bit of tape on the wheel shaft inside the release, but I haven't even bothered with it.
I had that problem too Wally. I may be a bit more anal than you but it was spoiling an otherwise immersive experience so I tried the tape fix. Took about 10 seconds and so far has worked a treat. I used about 4 windings of "plumbers tape" so may have to apply some more if it wears/compresses.
Well worth the effort.
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There's a good chance if I get $1200+ tax return I'll be going down this path.
Eventually, I checked the Fanatec website and the base is sold out atm.
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The only downside so far, which a lot of reviews mention, is that I occasionally feel a tiny bit of a slip or a clunk in the wheel when the FFB changes rapidly from one side to the other. Apparently that's something to do with the quick release mechanism, and an easy fix is to put a bit of tape on the wheel shaft inside the release, but I haven't even bothered with it.
I had that problem too Wally. I may be a bit more anal than you but it was spoiling an otherwise immersive experience so I tried the tape fix. Took about 10 seconds and so far has worked a treat. I used about 4 windings of "plumbers tape" so may have to apply some more if it wears/compresses.
Well worth the effort.
I spose I should do that too. Thanks Rob.
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Bacchulum, the dimensions of the base are 16cm width & height, 15 cm deep. The front face of the wheel (McLaren GT3) is 17 cm from the front face of the base.
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Bacchulum, the dimensions of the base are 16cm width & height, 15 cm deep. The front face of the wheel (McLaren GT3) is 17 cm from the front face of the base.
Cheers, sounds like it might fit on my existing angle plate. ;)