For Those with "Swappable" Rims......

[newbert]

Just wondering how many rims you own and how often you swap them out? Do you swap the rim out every time you switch sims and/or car type?

And do you do this even if racing in VR (where you can't see the rim as you're racing)?

Just curious, Thanks!

 

[Daniel R.]

Hi newbert,

i own a T300RS as you might know from older posts.

I use different wheels on it and i always swap them depending on what cars i´m driving.
It´s basically a immersive thing mainly, especially in VR.
Following wheels i use:
Stock Thrustmaster T300RS wheel of course and the Ferrari F1 wheel.
In addition to these two i use two aftermarket wheels with a 3d printed adapter.
It´s a deep dished rallye wheel and a rather small, formula wheel.

The stock T300 wheel i don´t use that often.

For LMP and GT3/GTE cars i use the F1 wheel. It features 20+ buttons and is really close to real life wheels of those type of cars (especially very close to the Cosworth LMP2 used in the Oreca 07) with it´s huge amount of buttons in general.

The Rallye wheel i use for old touring cars or Nascars.

The small formula wheel i use for classic F1/F2/F3 cars or other small formula cars like the skip barber or "Radical" alike racing cars.

As i wrote it´s mainly a immersive thing. It´s for example really cool in a old touring car to hold a proper wheel in your hands. Same with the other wheels i mentioned.

Obviously all the wheels feel different when driving due to there different diameters. The small formula wheel is for example very "nimble" while the big rallye wheel feels, well, big and fits touring cars of older age quite well.

See the pictures for detail.

Since i own a 3d printer i made myself simple mounts for the wheels to put them at my wall when not using them. (see picture)
If you wanna print these also somewhere just leave me a PM and i send you the data for it.

The adapter to use aftermarket wheels on your TM base can be downloaded here:

RamjetX Thrustmaster T300 T500 TX TSPC 70mm Hub Adaptor Kit by RamjetX

Hi Internet Sim Racers, After doing a final test print of my Thrustmaster Txxx 70mm hub adaptor kit... I feel it's ready for public thrashing. Ok, so whats in the pack I hear you ask... through some form of audio bug I have in your room... don't worry about it.. just let it happen... anyway I...

www.thingiverse.com

i printed it via

Online 3D-Druck Service | i.materialise

i.materialise ist ein online 3D-Druck Service, Community und Marktplatz: Lade dein 3D-Modell hoch und wähle aus 100 Materialien & Veredelungen.

i.materialise.com

If you do not want to print it yourself, there is also some available in different shops. I just wanted to print them myself since i wanted to use a special process and material (Process called "SLS", material called "Alumide") for them.


The downpoint with aftermarket wheels is, that they don´t feature any button.

But...

There is a cool guy that developed a DIY solution for that. Since the original TM wheels have implemented electronics for their buttons that communicate with the base via a small plug in the center, he created the possibility to emulate a TM wheel with a arduino nano. So the Arduino beeing the wheels electronics.
So therefore, if you want, you could even built button boxes for a wheel yourself.
Link:

Thrustmaster T300RS steering wheel Arduino emulator | My techy life

So that´s all i have to say about this, if there are questions, feel free to ask!!

Cheers Dan

 

[newbert]

Wow, Daniel! You have really taken it to another level!

I'm pleasantly surprised that you feel that a custom wheel adds even more to the immersion in VR, since you obviously can't see the wheel. But I guess that the feel is what really counts.

Is that Ferrari F1 wheel compatible with the TS-PC Racer as well?

Thanks for the lengthy response to my post!

 

[Noahbet]

Hey,

I'm owning a T300 wheelbase. I used the stock Ferrari Rim for About 1 year and just bought a used Speedmaxracing F1 Hamilton Wheel. Since i own the F1 Wheel, i never changed back on the stock rim. I enjoy driving GT3, DTM, LMP and F1 Cars with it.
I'm using a 3D Printed Adapter aswell. Printed it myself, works great.

#EDIT
Buttons are connected via. USB and LCD Display with an HDMI Cable.

 

[Emery]

I have a Fanatec base with quick swap, but in 5 years I have not yet paid for a second rim. Current rim is mostly round (BMW) and I'd like a butterfly (formula car) rim to swap with it.

 

[Daniel R.]

Wow, Daniel! You have really taken it to another level!

I'm pleasantly surprised that you feel that a custom wheel adds even more to the immersion in VR, since you obviously can't see the wheel. But I guess that the feel is what really counts.

Is that Ferrari F1 wheel compatible with the TS-PC Racer as well?

Thanks for the lengthy response to my post!

Well, I wouldn't consider it next level... There are more extreme things there...
But I make good use of the quick release feature and I love it.

I think all add on wheels from TM should fit on yours I'm sure. But on their homepage you'll surely find out.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

I have 7 different wheel rims, and I will swap them out to at least match the form factor of what is realistic to the car. It's not about seeing the wheel. As my wheel rims are different sizes and shapes, each has a unique feel and this adds to the realism.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I use two wheels for everything and I only play in VR.

I have a single 310mm PSE GT3 wheel for everything except rally and rally cross. It is still a closed rim but in is flat on the bottom and a bit lower on top. Based on a Sparco P310. This wheel is great for VR and I know where everything is and can easily feel for all the buttons and knobs.

I run a blank wheel for rally which is round and 330mm.

Both have comfortable indentations for my thumbs with my hands at 9 and 3.

I won't use an open wheel ever now that I have a direct drive wheel. I have no interest in getting hammered by the edge of the wheel.

People have different thoughts on this, but I'm perfectly happy with two wheels for everything I do. I have no interest in having a pile of different wheels. I'd rather get comfortable with a good wheel and call it done.

I have motion and tactile and very realistic controls. The immersion is great. For me personally a pile of wheels would be a PITA that I don't want to deal with.

Not a popular opinion with some, but this is a hobby and there is no right and wrong. There is just what makes you happy.

 

[diablo2112]

I have an old-school OSW, upgraded to a 4.2M cpr encoder and Simucube 1 firmware. I custom built this a few years ago in order to hot-swap rims (via Fanatec QR with custom through-hub wiring for shifters/buttons).

Details on the wiring here:

OSW Wheel & Fanatec Rim Integration: How to Guide

Edit #2: Ive added a part 2 to this guide, which explains how to integrate non-Fanatec rims. See Part 2 here. Edit: Ive found that a shorter 30mm spacer will also work in the application, see added pics, below. ______________________________ I thought some here might appreciate a how-to guide to ...

www.isrtv.com

I swap them pretty frequently, picking a rim to match the car I'm driving. Works and feels great, especially old-school thin wooden rims on vintage classics. No need to remap any buttons when swapping, just plug and go, literally takes about 2 seconds total.

 

[metalnwood]

I use a formula rim for almost everything I do which is mostly formula and GT3 style cars. most of what I drive never has me taking my hands off the rim with input never needed past a couple hundred degrees.

I do have a 320mm rim which I used for everything before my formula rim. I race in VR and my brain is easily tricked because I have found both wheels worked equally well in VR for the cars I was driving (as far as immersion) but I like the smaller diameter rim as I am mostly in formula.

I am lazy and could probably not be bothered to change my rim unless I needed more steering lock where the formula rim would not be good.

 

[Beef36]

.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Somebody posted this on Granite Devices forum

 

[Jeremy Ford]

Somebody posted this on Granite Devices forum

Is this some kind of wheel breeding farm. Remember a wheel is not just for Christmas.

 

[Moxley6969]

Im Proud to have more than a few of my builds in the Biggest and Baddest collection that EVER WILL be, Jazz's collection is By far the best that ever was and ever will be. Ridiculously impressive to say the least.

 

[Miguel Batista]

I have a fanatec McLaren rim for formula cars and cars that use that style of rim and a CSL P1 for the others. I swap them depending on the car though lately I have been driving DTMs in raceroom so the round rim is pretty much not used.

 

[Kek700]

These forum posts sometimes never cease to amaze me,
All I have is two wheels. Not really worth mentioning in this company.

 

[BluePotato00]

I have two rims.

• Fanatec Formula Black (formula form factor) and
• Fanatec BMW GT2 (D-shaped)

The Formula rim stays on most of the time because I like the button layout much better. I put on the BMW rim when I drive anything with the H-pattern shifter or when guests use it (as much as I tell them they should not "hand-over-hand" to turn, it's hard for them to break a decades-long habit).

The BMW rim is solid, strong, quality, and heavy, but I don't like the shifters even with a magnetic mod (the paddles are too far from the rim) and of course the button layout.

The DD1 quick release is less "quick" than when I had my CSL Elite wheel base, so I don't particularly like changing rims.

I did pre-order the new Fanatec Porsche Podium rim (offsetting the cost with the $350 voucher I got for pre-ordering the delayed DD1). I think the button layout and shifters will be better on that one.

 

[anton_Chez]

I have an OSW and recently got rid of all my Fanatec rims and conversion hub for some standalone rims. I bought the SRC GT-1 with button box, and the bare Cup rim, which is completely round. The button box can switch between the two of them and so only bought a single one. Then I bought the OSR AM Vantage GTE replica which takes care of any car that uses the new GT style rim (330mm diameter, I think).

So in my thinking, those 3 rims would have taken care of every car you could hope to drive. GT-1 for supercars and any cars that have the flat bottom, the Cup round rim for rally and maybe older cars that don't have the paddle shift, and the Vantage rim for GT3 / GTE and formula cars. But then......

I watched the Chris Haye review on the Turn Racing R20 open top rim. It's a very nice looking rim and I can only image how nice it would feel. The fact that it supports the use of the GT-1 button box I already own made it super tempting. I fought for a couple of months to not buy it, but today, I've bought myself a Christmas present and pulled the trigger.

So hopefully it gets here before I get a couple of weeks off from work and I can have a play with it properly. So I know will have 3 rims that share the same QR and button box (slightly annoying to have to change it all out per rim but I've saved like 1000 dollars by not rebuying everything 3 times) and the Vantage replica that I never touch the QR on and doesn't have an interchangeable button plate.

I race exlusively in VR and will ALWAYS use the correct rim and shifting method matched to the car I am driving.

 

[HoiHman]

I have 14 different wheels.

Sometimes i'm not using a particular wheel for months, but depending on the car i'm driving every wheel gets its turn.

I just can't drive a GT car with an F1 wheel or even worse the other way around.

Replicas are just great, especially in VR so you just know where the right button is by looking down in VR.

The collection from Jazz is just crazy