New wheel buying tips for an Aussie Racer.

[millen]

Hello everyone, I am posting here to tap into the knowledgable people on this website to help me to purchase my next Racing Wheel.

I currently have an old Thrustmaster Ferrari Force Feeback wheel, in my homemade cockpit, and while this provides me with enough realism to have fun, I feel that wheels should have advanced in the last 10 years, and upgrading should up the realism factor by a fair bit, not to mention being able to drive proper manual and not just paddle shift. I currently race on the PC, RACE series, F1 2010 etc. but would also like to race on GT5 on my PS3, which my current Thrustmaster won't allow me to do.

Here is Australia, I am finding myself quite limited in where I can buy my wheels from, and only recently have the new Thrustmasters shown up in online shops.

I am currently looking at 3 wheels, as follows:

Logitech G27 - $449 AUD

Thrustmaster T500RS - $699 AUD

Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Clubsport Edition Bundle - $699 AUD

I really like the look of the Clubsport pedals, but I am not sure if the Turbo S wheel is comparable to the T500RS or even the GT2 from Fanatec, but I can't find the GT2 available over here.

The G27 is probably not up to either of the other wheel standards, but it is cheaper and has great modability.

So to stop me from rambling anymore, I will simply ask, out of these 3 wheels, for the prices they are, which is the best option to go with?

Cheers guys.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I purchased my third Logitech wheel in a row.

Started years and years ago with the black momo. Followed by the G25 that i have used for almost 5 years and replaced it with the G27.

Top quality for a good price. Perfect service from Logitech. Can't go wrong with it

 

[Warren Dawes]

I've had my G25 for at least 5 years, used it heavily, and it has never let me down. The strength and reliability has been faultless, and I have found it to be very good to drive with as well.

The G27 should be at least equal, so for those prices, it stands out as a good buy compared to the others.

 

[Jeremy Loveland]

well as with the above posts i would go with the logitech wheel, i will admit im a bit of a logitech fan boy and most my stuff is logitech and ive never owned any other brand of wheel, i started with a Momo wheel and moved upto the G25 and love it.

as uve mentioned it has a great modding comunity and theres so many options with improving any of the periferals should you feel there not up to scratch.

I myself have added a hand brake to my G25 a larger (35cm) wheel, the perfect pedal, and a digital dash.
Ive noticed that the G27 doesnt have sequential but there are a few mods out there to fix that problem.

unfortunatly i cant coment on the other wheels pros or cons but you could watch a few episodes of insidesimracing where they do reviews on the wheels and that might help you decide. heres a link http://www.insidesimracing.tv/

hope that helps

 

[Hiroshi Awazu]

One more G27 owner here. Had it for two months now. Great wheel!. Also still have my DFPRO. The t500 is a great wheel too. never tried a Fanatec. As for build quality, G27 is right there with the other wheels. just doesn't look as fancy.

 

[George Pilkington]

G27.

 

[Senad Subasic]

I've had a G27 for 2-3 months now. The H-shifter doesn't really ooze quality, but the rest of the wheel is a decent and robust piece of hardware.

I have however been drooling over Fanatecs ever since I saw them. Some people have had issues with their wheels, so keep that in mind.
As far as Clubsport pedals go, seems like you can't go wrong with those, they are on my wish list

 

[Alastair Walker]

You can get the Fanatec GT2 from Next Level Racing Pagnian Imports on the Gold Coast with free shipping Australia wide. I got my Fanatec GT3RS wheel, Club Sport pedals and GT Extreme V2 cockpit from Hess at Pagnian and I'm very happy with them and the service I received.

Cheers Al

 

[millen]

Awesome, thanks guys. Seems to be a lean towards the G27, and as it's the cheapest, I am quite happy with that. :tongue:

I am not quite ready to buy just yet, few weeks away, so will keep an eye on whats available for me and prices. But you all seem to think the G27 will serve me well and provide me with the boost in realism from the old Thrustmaster Ferrari, so at the moment, G27 it is.

Thanks for the link to Next Level, Alastair I knew someone would import them, just couldn't find it myself. Will keep an eye on their site too.

I look forward to purchasing and getting on and racing.

Cheers

 

[Alastair Walker]

Cool, just a heads up he announced a sale today on the GT2 so it might be worth having another look.

 

[Hiroshi Awazu]

OK this is gonna sound silly but the fanatec wheel is a Porsche endorsed wheel right? well I like the G27 for the fact it doesn't have a specific car manufacturers name on it. Kinda wierd driving a WTCC 320i and seeing Porsche on wheel Like I said silly me :wink:

 

[Alastair Walker]

Fair enough , there is nothing wrong with the G27 it's a great wheel, just wanted to let you know about the alternatives in the same kind of price range you were asking about.

Cheers Al

 

[millen]

Is $449 for just the GT2 wheel and $799 for the GT2 bundle the sale price or regular? I can't remember what they were the other day.

Also, as far as warranty and support goes, any idea if Pagnian will help out there? As I've heard that Fanatec can be pretty slack with customer support.

 

[Alastair Walker]

Think that's regular, best to give Hess at Pagnian a call, I got a bundle including the GT3RS wheel , Clubsport pedals and a GT Extreme V2 cockpit for $1100.00. I found him happy to answer any questions when I dealt with him and I even drove down to the warehouse / office on the Gold Coast to test one out and pick it all up and meet him, the place was full of the Next Level Cockpits and a half pallet of the GT3Rs wheel all being ready to be shipped out. When I bought my GT3RS from him I asked about warranty and he said that he carries stock to replace any warranty claims so you do not have to wait for it to go back to base to be repaired.

Again I would ask him personally but I am not worried if something goes wrong, I'll just take it into him. I've had my rig since December and have had no problems at all. If you're in Brisbane you're welcome to drop round and try it out.

Cheers Al