FM5 Thrustmaster TX - Hacked Already lol

[Mark Reynolds]

Well my TX lasted about 24hrs before the screw drivers came out.

The standard 458 wheel is really really really nasty, and the 458GT wheel is ok, but too small for me to enjoy properly or take seriously.

So I ripped the TX and the GT rim apart to create my new love

Here we have a TX running my Sparco Mugello and SLI-Pro, the SLI provides all the buttons and rotary etc on the front with functionality etc, also using my T500 pedals which plug straight into the TX, never even tried the TX pedals I must be honest.

Ripped the shifter paddles from my T500 and hard wired them into quick connectors soldered to the guts of the 458GT main board, I need to keep the 458GT core like it is for now so I can retain functionality of controller being identified by the Xbox One.

I could hard wire all those controls through to my Mugello but seems rather pointless as none of those controls are required for the actual racing, all I needed was the shifters, which I already took care of as you can see. The SLI runs through the centre axle of the wheel as well so there is no nasty flappy cables around the wheel, and the wheel remains fully quick release as per the original, and also lets me swap out with any of the other T500/TX compatible wheels I have already or may come out in future, I have the best of both worlds for what I use it for at the moment.

Using this wheel in FM5 now it is properly setup is just sublime, only scratched the surface of FM5 but some of the cars in that game are very very seriously SIM when you take away all the aids and plug in a decent wheel like this, and I mean seriously sim, and seriously awesome.

I am a vet from the days of Indy 500 right through every sim / race game worth playing ever made, I run very serious stuff including regular serious racing on Iracing the lot, and let me tell you, this is up there with the best of them in many many ways.

I could sit and pick fault with many things in FM5, and probably lament about many many quirks of some of the cars and some of the tuning combinations, but sometimes you hit the right car with the right package and the game comes alive, and in that light the game a sure fire all time great for me.

As a game providing entertainment and excitement FM5 is delivering over and above much of what any other platform has to offer currently, and for me makes it a keeper and a winner so far, I have already splashed out with no reservations for the car pack pass without even batting an eyelid.

Anyways, a quick and dirty pic of the TX

 

[Peter Evans]

Holy ****!! What a rig. Love it

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Thanks Peter

 

[Rob]

Anyone know if the Thrustmaster is being shipped with the right firmware v.45 or v.47? I got mine from Newegg specifically. Should be here tomorrow. As a Mac user it's going to be difficult to update the firmware.

Also, does anyone know if the Forza5 settings override the wheel settings? The guys on Inside Sim Racing seem to think so, and would this then, if true, make it irrelevant what firmware you have when playing FM5? Thanks.

 

[Blkout]

Anyone know if the Thrustmaster is being shipped with the right firmware v.45 or v.47? I got mine from Newegg specifically. Should be here tomorrow. As a Mac user it's going to be difficult to update the firmware.

Also, does anyone know if the Forza5 settings override the wheel settings? The guys on Inside Sim Racing seem to think so, and would this then, if true, make it irrelevant what firmware you have when playing FM5? Thanks.

I would imagine that would be entirely dependent on how recent the stock at Newegg. If the wheel had been sitting on the shelf for a month or two or more, its not going to have the most recent firmware. I would also say that you probably should have bought one from Amazon, not Newegg unless you're a Premier member. These wheels as you may know, have had a higher than usual defective rate and Newegg's return policy is just not good compared to Amazon. I certainly hope you don't get a bad one, but I wouldn't want to deal with Newegg for a return.

If I was a betting man though, i would say its not going to have the most recent firmware since firmware v47 was just released a few weeks ago. v45 is possible though.

FM5 overrides any degree of rotation settings you have set on the wheel unless you change it manually while playing FM5. FM5 has an in game controller menu to adjust the wheel settings. I strongly encourage you to try these:

Adjust all deadzones to 0, min at 0% and max at 100%.

Vibration 100
Strength 60-65
Degree of rotation 540

That feels pretty good to me for FM5 other than a slight FFB deadzone around center which you can't completely remove regardless of how much tweaking you do, but lowering the degree of rotation does seem to help some. 900 degrees of rotation by default has a large FFB deadzone around center making the car feel completely lifeless until you rotate the wheel about 40-50 degrees in either direction.

If you don't like the way the FFB feels on most cars without any tuning, I strongly suggest you buy the race differential and tweak the deceleration settings. Lift throttle oversteer is very strong in this game with a wheel and tuning your car with that setting makes a world of difference in how the FFB feels, decrease this setting on rear diffs, increase it on front diffs. Also, most cars with stock tires handle pretty poorly, even the street tire upgrade makes them much more controllable. Tire upgrades go a long ways in FM5.

Also worth noting, this wheel and the XBO are quirky, you don't want to connect the wheel to the XBO until after you've powered on the XBO with a controller first. in fact, I would even encourage you to wait until you launch FM5, then connect your wheel and let it calibrate itself. You can then turn off your standard controller if you want, which I usually do. For some reason, the XBO will not recognize or calibrate the wheel if its already connected to the XBO before you power it up. If for any reason, the wheel doesn't calibrate after the XBO is on and you've connected your wheel, you can try to disconnect the wheel and then connect it again, that usually works.

One last thing to note, FM5 saves all of your custom wheel controller settings after you leave the game, but for some reason, the degree of rotation always defaults back to 900 degrees when you launch the game again which is a little irritating because you have to go back into the controller menu and change it back to whatever you prefer, but all other settings will stay the same as they were when you left the game before.

 

[Rob]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm still okay with v45 I believe. And if really desperate, i can run windows on the mac, but it's just a pain in the ass. I hope either Thrustmaster or Newegg will deal with a broken wheel though. That's just common sense and their written policy, not to mention the law. Being in the U.S. it's easy to go down to the magistrate and sue them for judgment, and I'll not hesitate if they both balk. I guess then I'll do what I should have done and order through Amazon. But it would suck to have to waste that time.

 

[Blkout]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm still okay with v45 I believe. And if really desperate, i can run windows on the mac, but it's just a pain in the ass. I hope either Thrustmaster or Newegg will deal with a broken wheel though. That's just common sense and their written policy, not to mention the law. Being in the U.S. it's easy to go down to the magistrate and sue them for judgment, and I'll not hesitate if they both balk. I guess then I'll do what I should have done and order through Amazon. But it would suck to have to waste that time.

Thrustmaster will certainly deal with a defective wheel, I just wouldn't want to go through the warranty process if the wheel dies within the first 30 days. Amazon's return policy within 30 days can't be beat anywhere on the internet. They even pay for your shipping. Newegg however has been to known to make you pay return shipping even on a defective item which I think is simply stupid.

 

[Rob]

Anything is an upgrade with the name "Thustmaster" or "Logitech" after playing with a piece of crap Fanatec for two years. One wheel and two pedal sets broken IN warranty and they blame it on the user. Going for treble damages against them. That won't be tough, the collecting will. I'll have to find some assets here int eh USA ans seize them. lol.

 

[Rob]

Well, got my wheel. When you press the start engine and "mode" button, the red light blinks from once up to four times, then back to once, and repeat cycle. So I think this means I'm v.45 at least?

 

[Peter Evans]

Well, got my wheel. When you press the start engine and "mode" button, the red light blinks from once up to four times, then back to once, and repeat cycle. So I think this means I'm v.45 at least?

You got a TX Robert? How are you finding it?

 

[Rob]

It would be difficult to put into words. All I can say is that I'm having flashbacks to my driving days at Road Atlanta. I owe you an apology. This is definitely not Forza 4. This feels almost too real to be legal. Not much of a racing SIM still, but I could (and might) be on it forever. I have not even tapped the surface yet. I bout the value pack xbox one so I didn't get a Kinect (no recording) but one day I'll get a Roxio. I love the fact they have fixed the body damage repair (or lack thereof) when you pit. With a creative mind (like yours Peter) a league could be run, but it would take a lot of work. Many things the game does not do for you (yellow flags, no tire wear, no gas consumption to speak of, no penalty system, etc.) but the core of virtual reality and racing have come together, short of hydraulic simulators. I finally got into the Lotus at Road Atlanta and used a loaner and set a top 1% time in my second lap. I think I'm better the closer to SIM the game gets and this is real close, from what little I know. Plus I know Road Atlanta like my backyard. I had to quit for fear of withdrawal symptoms. Is there any way to use DRS or KERS?

 

[Blkout]

No DRS or KERS in FM5.

 

[Rob]

Thanks, I suspected same. When I ran the F1 car, it almost felt like I was speeding up the film. lol. Maybe that's what it should feel like.

 

[Peter Evans]

It would be difficult to put into words. All I can say is that I'm having flashbacks to my driving days at Road Atlanta. I owe you an apology. This is definitely not Forza 4. This feels almost too real to be legal. Not much of a racing SIM still, but I could (and might) be on it forever. I have not even tapped the surface yet. I bout the value pack xbox one so I didn't get a Kinect (no recording) but one day I'll get a Roxio. I love the fact they have fixed the body damage repair (or lack thereof) when you pit. With a creative mind (like yours Peter) a league could be run, but it would take a lot of work. Many things the game does not do for you (yellow flags, no tire wear, no gas consumption to speak of, no penalty system, etc.) but the core of virtual reality and racing have come together, short of hydraulic simulators. I finally got into the Lotus at Road Atlanta and used a loaner and set a top 1% time in my second lap. I think I'm better the closer to SIM the game gets and this is real close, from what little I know. Plus I know Road Atlanta like my backyard. I had to quit for fear of withdrawal symptoms. Is there any way to use DRS or KERS?

Yeah you don't need the Kinect. That being said, you don't need it for recording or uploading now as far as I know.

I've organised loads of races.. I stopped doing it as everyone kept bitching about my conditions, but I have a few friends who race daily and do organised racing on weekends. Add me and we'll have a mess around some time
Re what the game does and does not do. Anything goes with crashing.. If you run on full damage you'll pay the price if you're rash with other vehicles. If you did a league you'd have to implement rules, but most of the guys I race with understand to race as if its F1 and not touring cars
There is tyre-wear and fuel consumption, but you only really notice it on long races

Very impressive RE the Lotus time.. Its fun to drive, it handles really well and the brakes are insane.. But as you intimated, its difficult to know whether or not that is realistic without having a go in an F1 car. What I do know is the sensation of speed seems a lot more compared to the codies offerings

Hopefully we can catch up soon anyway. One oversight is that the wheel doesn't give you the chance to voice chat. Doesn't matter though. Most of the dudes I race with a pretty quiet during races anyway

 

[Rob]

I have a feeling I would like your conditions. I race with everything off but the tach on and even there, in most of the cars you wouldn't need it. No assists, except the "clutch" that's automatic, which is not really accurate to call an assist in many cars. Always cockpit view...how could you not, they are so gorgeous. That's one thing Forza really has nailed...the position in the car and the view that you actually see. In the Lotus, it could probably even outdo my time IRL, since some of the ALMS cars approach that speed at Road Atlanta. And yes, the brakes are insane, which only highlights how arcade CM's F1 really is. I hope they get all the new power unit changes down for the new release.

I'm finding I'm a lot more competitive in this game than Forza 4, which may come down to it's being closer to what it's really like out there. I usually race the A.I. on unbeatable unless I'm on really unfamiliar territory, which many of the tracks are, but it's nice to finally have a go at Long Beach! You could get a pretty good IndyCar Series out of this game, but for the lack of ovals. I got the DLC with the Indy Lights car in it and it's a nice steady open wheeler. it would make a good car for a series like that. So far, I've tried out the MINI, the DTM car, the Mazda MX-5 Cup car, the Lotus, and a few others. With the wheel, getting a handle on the torque-steer and grip levels is a whole new skill set that you need, especially with the powerful sedans, but it sure does add to the realism.

And yea, the mic is a drawback with the TC. I've though about trying to hook up the headphone that came with the unit to the controller, but I'm not sure the wheel would like that too much. Apparently I got a new back of wheel, since it came with v.45 installed. I went ahead and upgraded to v47 since they claim there were some optimizations with the xbox.

This all has me dying to get my hands on ProjectCARS.I don't see anything else really in the pipleline except for F1, but I have a sinking feeling that Codemasters will not pump out their best title in 2014. Still, it will be a great ride, regardless. I think you can set gas consumption and tire wear in CARS, and if they'd come out with some sort of penalty system, that would be a wrap. Reports are good so far about the handling. and they are 1080p/60fps on the xbox, so graphically, it should be solid.

I'll keep an eye out for you. What was your gamertag again? Id love to pick your brain and maybe get some races together.

 

[Blkout]

Kinect does head tracking in FM5 if you choose to use it.

 

[Peter Evans]

Well we run no assists, cockpit view. We also allow clutch as a) most wheel users do not have a clutch pedal and b) it holds no advantage; in fact I think manual shifting is faster.. Also, most of the faster cars don't even have a clutch.. As I'm on the pad I use the clutch, love blipping the throttle on downshifts

We've tried loads of things. We used to run two races in a row, 15-20 laps, in different cars on different tracks every week. I know some people who do indy racing if you're interested. I'll get you in touch with one of my friends if you like as he is always running no assist cockpit races. Unfortunately I never make them as he's over the pond and the race times aren't good for me, but you'd be fine
I've got most of the DLC's. I bought Forza and Fifa on day one and haven't bought anything else yet, so I feel okay spending a bit extra on this game.
I have a bunch of guys who race that indylight car.. They're over the pond too. If we get some time to race, I'm sure a few of those guys will be on too.
Set-ups are obviously useless. I generally do pretty insane upgrades (add power,, not grip), so I have to do my own set-ups, but there are plenty out there if you're having trouble with the handling of certain cars.. Some of them are practically undrivable though, and I enjoy that challenge

Glad you upgraded. I started playing Forza, and wasn't too keen to carry on with the 360 having gone back to it a few times.. Needless to say its gone in the loft with the Sega Master System and the likes
I already added you. I'm not up late in the week due to work, sometimes I am on the weekend. I'm sure we'll bump into each other soon

Peace

 

[Peter Evans]

And also, there was an upgrade today, which was a car pack. But, they also made some changes to the wheel

"Although not mentioned in the actual presentation, Turn 10 Studios also revealed later via the official website that there would be a number of improvements for the current Thrustmaster and MadCatz steering wheels that are available for the Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5. The improvements aim to increase the feel and the performance of both these wheels during the game."

 

[Blkout]

And also, there was an upgrade today, which was a car pack. But, they also made some changes to the wheel

"Although not mentioned in the actual presentation, Turn 10 Studios also revealed later via the official website that there would be a number of improvements for the current Thrustmaster and MadCatz steering wheels that are available for the Xbox One and Forza Motorsport 5. The improvements aim to increase the feel and the performance of both these wheels during the game."

I read that on the Forza 5 forum but I didn't notice any difference in my playtime yesterday after the update.

 

[Rob]

Well we run no assists, cockpit view. We also allow clutch as a) most wheel users do not have a clutch pedal and b) it holds no advantage; in fact I think manual shifting is faster.. Also, most of the faster cars don't even have a clutch.. As I'm on the pad I use the clutch, love blipping the throttle on downshifts

We've tried loads of things. We used to run two races in a row, 15-20 laps, in different cars on different tracks every week. I know some people who do indy racing if you're interested. I'll get you in touch with one of my friends if you like as he is always running no assist cockpit races. Unfortunately I never make them as he's over the pond and the race times aren't good for me, but you'd be fine
I've got most of the DLC's. I bought Forza and Fifa on day one and haven't bought anything else yet, so I feel okay spending a bit extra on this game.
I have a bunch of guys who race that indylight car.. They're over the pond too. If we get some time to race, I'm sure a few of those guys will be on too.
Set-ups are obviously useless. I generally do pretty insane upgrades (add power,, not grip), so I have to do my own set-ups, but there are plenty out there if you're having trouble with the handling of certain cars.. Some of them are practically undrivable though, and I enjoy that challenge

Glad you upgraded. I started playing Forza, and wasn't too keen to carry on with the 360 having gone back to it a few times.. Needless to say its gone in the loft with the Sega Master System and the likes
I already added you. I'm not up late in the week due to work, sometimes I am on the weekend. I'm sure we'll bump into each other soon

Peace

Well that's good to know, and yea, that's exactly what I'd be looking for in a league -- i.e. no assists, cockpit view, etc. The shifting I agree 100% with you. Forza even calls it an "assist" for some reason, but it's only true for the cars that have no paddles. And high-level paddle shifters shift so fast I'd be willing to bet that no human could beat it.

I'm actually better off racing within the typical U.K. time-frame, as I work night shift and usually don't go in until 5-6pm and get off anywhere form 10pm-1am, so from 10pm or earlier your time (days vary) I'm usually available. Sunday nights are good too. Saturdays we still have the GRID league and I still like the 360 for certain titles, since I know all the guys and some of the racers I still love, like Autosport and F1.

I'm really surprised that noting has formed formally here. Forza 5 is so night and day (handling-wise) from Forza 4 (and I was the biggest critic as you know), that it seems the other failings could just melt away if you did the league right. I noticed that you have tried to spark some interest. Truthfully, the open wheelers are a blast, but I think the best range is class A-R sedans. A series that doesn't pit maybe, like WTCC, BTCC, or FIA GT. But the V8 Supercars, DTM and Brazilian or Asian stock cars come to mind too. I'd go for an Indy Series, but I think (sadly) they dropped the ball again by not including enough ovals and street courses. I will give them props for the tracks they do have, because when you have Spa, Bathurst, and Road Atlanta, that's THE triple play in my book, for road racing. Have they added any track besides that god-awful Nordschleife? lol. I don't know why I hate that one so much. It seems you either love it or hate it. Clarkson is hilarious when he talks about it.

I got that update too regarding the wheel and I didn't notice much either. I'll go back and drive the MINI to see if it feels any better, but I need to take it back down to stock to be fair. I did what you do Peter, and powered the hell out of it, so the balance and go-cart like feel was gone. Needless to say, that more of a disaster for me than a challenge.