Wheel recommendation

[Joseph Maxx]

Hi guys (and gals)

I'm looking to pick-up a wheel and pedal set to use with AC. I've been using a keyboard but have reached a point where my driving will not improve without the ability to make proper steering and throttle/brake inputs.

So my question is... without getting into crazy $$$$$$$$ what wheel and pedal set would you recommend for the sim. I'm willing to consider a separate wheel and pedal purchase if a wheel set (like the G27) is not sufficient.

Thanks.

 

[Jorge Alves]

Jorge, the only thing I might disagree with your statment is the maintenance in regards to the TH8RS shifter since you said it should apply to other brands. The TH8RS is pretty solid and I haven't really run across too many people that have issues with it. Its incredibly well built at its price point.

+120 euros for a h-shifter box ... i will never buy that unless they put some very very good ffb on it ... its too much money ... my modded g27 shifter feels good enough and i will only spend more money for a ffb gearbox

In over a year I've had the wheel I had no problem at all, didn't have to do anything with it and it had absolutely no maintenence. I'd play with it about 5-10 hours per week. The base is very solid and the pedals are quite good in my opinion.

sometimes i play that time in 1 day only and i only started having problems after 2 years of really very intensive use ...

and felt no need to mod it because I didn't feel the need to

i didnt feel the need either on my 1st year but after that YES ... i cant imagine me driving now with the non-moded pedals or non-modded shifter ... pedals lack precision (especialy on brake) and shifter is just too soft (i used to change gear with 1 finger only) ... i think the more you drive the more you need the hardware to become more realistic ... or at least not so fake

 

[Blkout]

+120 euros for a h-shifter box ... i will never buy that unless they put some very very good ffb on it ... its too much money ... my modded g27 shifter feels good enough and i will only spend more money for a ffb gearbox

Its a really great shifter Jorge. Unless you've actually tried one, I think you might not see the value in it but I'm betting if you had one to use for a day, you would never want to give it back. That being said, I didn't hate the G27 shifter as much as many people do. Sure its mushy feeling, but I loved the leather wrapped knob, low height and short throw. The only thing I did to mine was place some small pieces of velcro around the inside of the base to soften the clacking sound from the plastic on plastic when shifting gears. I can certainly understand not upgrading when it gets the job done, but the TH8RS is a pretty big step up if you ever try one.

Oh and 120 euros is steeper than what I paid. I bought mine from Amazon for $118 US.

 

[Jorge Alves]

i believe you man ... many people told me the same but ... its just too much money for it ... half price or ffb on it and i will consider it ... another thing against is that i will loose all the buttons on shifter box that are so preciouse to me on ETS2

 

[Blkout]

i believe you man ... many people told me the same but ... its just too much money for it ... half price or ffb on it and i will consider it ... another thing against is that i will loose all the buttons on shifter box that are so preciouse to me on ETS2

Understood.

 

[Stuart Whitehead]

i believe you man ... many people told me the same but ... its just too much money for it ... half price or ffb on it and i will consider it

I have to agree...the TH8RS is very expensive for what it is, but it's a very nice shifter indeed. I certainly wouldn't have purchased one at full price, but i was lucky that i got one when Amazon had mispriced them at £59. At that price it became the best value for money sim racing purchase i ever made

 

[vee10]

I went for the G27 shifter which at £30 is a bargain. As soon as it came through the door i did the clacking sound mod and added a weighty carbon knob all for about £45 and it feels pretty damn good to me (also i like cracking items open and voiding the warranty).

 

[Joseph Maxx]

Been doing more reading and have come across some comments that the buttons on the Thrustmaster TX wheel tend to feel cheap and plastic - anyone care to comment on this? I have no issue with them being plastic as I'm sure that plastic use on components that don't undergo sever stress helps to keep costs down but I don't want them to feel cheap.

Thanks.

 

[Georg Siebert]

The guys at Inside Sim Racing came to the same conclusion:
Search "Inside sim racing thrustmaster tx" on Facetube
At 9:40 they tell about the wheel quality and feel

 

[Paul Lock]

Depends what they are comparing it to.
You obviously did some reading up and got recommends for the wheel and this is the first ive heard about the quality of buttons.
The buttons on my G27 arent the best buttons ive felt ever but neither wheels are attached to an actual luxury car, its a mainstream wheel.
As such they will be durable but arent gonna be knitter quality style buttons at that pricepoint.

All this talk of wheels makes me want to invest in a 'Simsteering' servo base and a killer rim before life removes all my disposable income

 

[Joseph Maxx]

I know what you mean. I've found some absolutely incredible hardware in my research but OMG the $$$$$$$$$$$. I could easily buy a brand new car for the price of some of the hardware I've found!!!

 

[Blkout]

Been doing more reading and have come across some comments that the buttons on the Thrustmaster TX wheel tend to feel cheap and plastic - anyone care to comment on this? I have no issue with them being plastic as I'm sure that plastic use on components that don't undergo sever stress helps to keep costs down but I don't want them to feel cheap.

Thanks.

Have you already read this thread?

http://www.racedepartment.com/forum...heel-ferrari-458-italia-edition-review.80000/

I'm sure its been mentioned already by others and myself, but the stock Italia wheel is almost completely plastic, it flexes slightly if you're really hard on it but the flip side is that its really light weight so the FFB is very quick. I actually like the button layout and the amount of buttons to use, but I would be lying if I said the rim feels expensive, it just doesn't and its one knock against the TX. That being said, the add-on GTE rim which sells for about $110-120 feels like a tank. Its very strong, mostly metal, but heavier.

 

[Blkout]

Depends what they are comparing it to.
You obviously did some reading up and got recommends for the wheel and this is the first ive heard about the quality of buttons.
The buttons on my G27 arent the best buttons ive felt ever but neither wheels are attached to an actual luxury car, its a mainstream wheel.
As such they will be durable but arent gonna be knitter quality style buttons at that pricepoint.

Exactly. The buttons on the TX feel like a mass production wheel, not like a Sam Maxwell custom $800 rim. That being said, I don't feel like they're going to break or fall apart.

 

[Blkout]

Just an update JJ, I do highly recommend the GTE rim though. I recently switched back to the stock Italia wheel a few days ago to run some FFB tests for someone that asked for them with the stock rim and I thought I might leave it on for a while and see if I missed using that rim. Having been using my GTE rim for the last week or so before that, it felt like a step backwards. The stock rim is mostly plastic and feels like it if you touch it anywhere other than the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and the flexing of the plastic does sort of take something away from the feel of a high end wheel. The GTE rim fixes this entirely, its just so damn solid. Even though I miss the extra buttons and the button layout of the stock rim, I don't think I will take the GTE rim off again. I like it that much.

 

[Joseph Maxx]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I would really love the F1 rim but again the $$$ makes it impractical. I will have to add the GTE wheel to my upgrade list once I have the pedals and shifter

 

[Blkout]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I would really love the F1 rim but again the $$$ makes it impractical. I will have to ass the GTE wheel to my upgrade list once I have the pedals and shifter

Don't get me wrong, I'm being as picky as I can be. Its entirely possible the stock rim won't bother you at all. Everyone is different. At least you have options though to upgrade in the future if you so chose. I do feel the TX base is just too good to pass up though. Its super smooth and quiet.