ARC_Team Carbon Shifter Review

ARC_Team, the Italian manufacturers of high-end sim-racing equipment, have kindly sent over their new Carbon Shifter and handbrake for review. I haven’t managed to fit the handbrake to my rig yet so I thought I’d do a review of the Shifter unit by itself for now...

ARC-shifter-552x411.jpg


The shifter unit is housed in an aluminium casing that is also available, for a few extra euros, in anodised black and grey. It has a very functional appearance, no frills apart from an engraved plate on the top.

It can be bolted directly to the rig or mounted using the included table clamp, which is the route I went, as the holes on the unit don’t match up with my GTOmega stand. The table clamp is very secure and stable.

The Carbon shifter is available with either just a cable to connect to any existing joystick controller board you may have, or for an extra 40 euro with a USB board and connection. So when I received mine with neither of those, but instead a RJ-11 cable I was a bit confused...but eventually worked out that I had to connect the Shifter to the handbrake which has a USB output on it.

Initially I have to admit to being a bit underwhelmed by the gear knob supplied as standard. There are optional Sparco ones that can be purchased from the ARC_Team webstore but, having used the shifter for a few weeks now, I really like the feel of the standard one, it is easy to grip and feels solid in the palm of the hand.

A gear lever extender is supplied and when screwed on adds a couple of centimetres. I still haven’t decided which I prefer, the shorter option where you almost flick the shifter to change gear, or the longer lever with that little bit of extra travel.

The other configurable option is the resistance which is adjusted by tightening or loosening the spring plungers on each side of the unit with an allen key. It can be adjusted to require real pressure to shift gear or just a gentle nudge. I’m somewhere in the middle, and close to the default setting.

I’ve only driven a couple of cars in real life with a sequential shifter and I remember them being stiff, and even missing quite a few shifts in the Porsche GT3 because I wasn’t giving the gear stick enough of a shove. And that is how the Carbon Shifter feels to me. There is an initial resistance, but then you give it an extra push, and you feel a satisfying, loud click – word of warning...if like me you are set up in the lounge there is a chance that the wife won’t find the click so satisfying! I’m back to using my paddle shifters when the Mrs is trying to watch TV.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the Carbon Shifter. In the past I have tried other (admittedly cheaper) shifters that offer the sensation of reaching for the gear knob - which definitely adds another level of immersion - but without really having a satisfying feeling when you move the shifter. And that is where the Carbon Shifter shines through...it feels good when you reach out to grip it, and even better when you get the ‘click’ and a perfectly timed gear change.

ARC_Team website - www.f1driving.it
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I have this shifter and it really is fantastic. Even when I'm not racing I can just sit there pushing and pulling it. I loosened the tension a tad but it still requires effort to shift it.
I've used the Fanatec shifter and recently the TH8 RS but this feels so much better. I know it's only got sequential but it does it brilliantly.

Highly recommended.
 
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So there is a threshold that you can feel when you pull the lever?

I mean, can you preload the lever, take the slack off and then pull/push it through to finish the shift. For example TH8RS has just one constant spring force that gives you no feedback when you are actually near the "click threshold", so you can't preload it at all.

I'm looking for a shifter that allows me to feel the shift engaging, not just random spring feel.
 
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You can definitely feel the threshold. I can put a reasonable amount of pressure before it clicks, and it is adjustable if you want it stiffer or looser.
There are other set up adjustments that Arc_Team can make to the shifter if you get in touch with them.
 
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Sorry Anthony, been away.

It feels a lot better than the stock one. Saying that I never used the stock one enough to get friendly with it. If you can find the Sparco one for what I got it at, it's a must buy. It feels really good in the hand and raises the height a bit which is ideal for me as my box is quite low.
 
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How does this compare to the DSD sequential shifter, I like the fact that this has to be pushed into each gear rather than just moving the lever until it clicks, even with a stiff spring that setup never feels great. Does this system eliminate "false shifts" ie being able to drop two gears without moving the lever fully back into the zero position in between? Todd Cannon previewed a shifter which did this a few years ago but as far as I know it never went into production. (this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8R27VkRG1 )
 
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Hi David. I haven't tried the DSD shifter but I definitely haven't had any issues with double shifting.
Arc_Team use an analog input filter which apparently keeps a nice clean signal and allows for smooth, fast shifts.
A month later and I'm still really enjoying using the Carbon Shifter :)
 
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Sorry, I didn't mean double shifts as in accidental double shifts. I meant can the microswitch for downshift (for example) be activated twice without returning the lever to the centre? I have a a DIY sequential made from a BMW shifter and thought the action is good, I can "cheat" and shift gear without going through the whole motion of the lever. Its a minor thing but for me its annoying. I really want something that replicates the mechanical action of pushing the gear through as found in real race sequentials.
 
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