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cynan
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PC racing wheel recommendations?

Sun May 04, 2014 7:19 pm

Recently I've been considering trying out some casual sim racing on the PC. As such, I'm on the look out for a wheel and pedal set.

What seems to differentiate a lot of wheels out there is compatibility with consoles. However, this will only be used for PC games.

After doing a bit of research, it seems that the best option for someone not wanting to spend much over $500 on a pedal and wheel set is either a Logitech G27 for around $250, or stepping up to a Thrustmaster T500rs which goes for almost $600 at the moment.

The Fanatec clubsport wheel looks interesting, but at >$800, not including shipping, for a basic clubsport pedal and wheel set up, this is getting a bit pricey. The lower-end Fanatec wheels (ie, the Porsche GT3 V2) seem to offer much better value (you can currently grab an entire set for $300 with the CSR elite pedals, plus shipping) but there are some reliability concerns. Plus this wheel, as with the G27, seems to be getting a bit dated.

The most interesting new wheel in the sub $500 range is the Thrustmaster TX. But at almost $400, with no included shifter, clutch pedal, load-cell brake, and a whole lot of plasticky parts, it seems like you are paying through the nose just to have something that's compatible with the Xbox One (which I have no interest in). The TX, along with Forza 5 is supposedly pretty great though.

So, any semi-serious wheel users here that can offer a recommendation? Is the G27 "good enough" to offer a no-compromise introductory experience to sim racing? If not, T500rs? Something else?
 
vargis14
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Re: PC racing wheel recommendations?

Mon May 05, 2014 8:31 am

Unfortunately once you get into custom racing wheels for the PC they are quite expensive. When I used to race online with Nascar Racing 2003 and older I purchased a Act Labs Force RS wheel the upgraded pedals and the shifter and it was around $500 but it was worth it. It has a belt driven force system that worked fantastic. Along with the shifter and upgraded pedals that had the correct feel to them. The brake pedal was the most important pedal and it had a spring setup that gave it some resistance and returned it to the off position, but the real resistance was provided by a rubber ball that the brake pedal arm pushed against giving the brake a realistic feel and very much helped you from over braking. Braking is one of the most important racing skills to fine tune. If not for the rubber ball giving substantial resistance that grew over the pedal travel I would have been locking up the brakes like crazy.

If your just starting out it can become addictive and I think the g27 is a good beginners wheel to get since it has all the bells and whistles you need to start racing competitively. IRacing bought the code from Papyrus that made mascar racing 2003 and the previous nascar games for the PC. It had very realistic driving models. Also when it comes to online racing not much comes close to Iracing. For online play you actually get a license and as you get better at not causing accidents and become a better racer your license gets upgraded to different levels. Its graphics are good but it's the feel of the game that matters most. You can always get a better wheel down the road once you are into it.
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Jon1984
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Re: PC racing wheel recommendations?

Mon May 05, 2014 9:04 am

Thrustmaster's GT Experience is good enough for less than 50$. But for the money the quality is really good. But it's nothing pro, just good for beginners.
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integer
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Re: PC racing wheel recommendations?

Tue May 06, 2014 12:32 am

I use the G27 for playing Euro Truck Simulator 2. No complaints so far.
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