Ideas in making Fanatec's McLaren GT3 wheel stiffer?

Hiro Abe · Jul 9, 2018

I'm an incessant tinkerer which goes hand-in-hand in being a little bit OCD. I really like Fanatec's latest wheel - the McLaren GT3. A small niggling thing about it though is because it is plastic there is some flex. In watching SRG's review of the wheel where Barry has it apart, I can see the gusseting employed to help stiffen the unit. I'm wondering if I fill the various pockets with epoxy, if it would noticeably stiffen the wheel without adding much weight or would the results be negligible.

Wondering if anyone with a structural engineer background or penchant for these things have any opinions/suggestion.

Hiro Abe · Jul 9, 2018

Here's a screenshot from SRG's review. My thought is to fill the voids with epoxy to add stiffness. I would remove the main board as well and fill voids under it as well.

Pär Öqvist · Jul 10, 2018

I use it on my osw and there is hardly any flex at all.
I guess it will either hold or break in half but guess its designed for the podium series. Doesnt mean its designed for 20 nm but use it pretty hard and feel no flex at all.

It may just be the prolongued axis but flex is if any only up and down. But may be my mige.

Hiro Abe · Jul 10, 2018

Interesting! And good to hear since I'm considering Fanatec's new dd if it is received well.

You can feel the flex if you twist at the grips in opposite directions. Not a lot mind you but its there. I would also like to get the wheel to feel a bit more solid. During rapid fire ffb - say, going over the rumble strips in kerbs - it just sounds/feels a bit... um... plastic. Hard to describe. When I had their F1 wheel, it just felt solid thru and thru. Again, I realize the GT3 is plastic. I'm just seeing if I can "tighten" it up a bit.

Pär Öqvist · Jul 10, 2018

Ah well never do that twisting motion while racing or using the rim normally but yes I started to hear some plastic cracking noises doing that

As for sound I use headphones but you don´t think it´s the top two lsb and rsb rattlesnake buttons that make the noises? When dry simming with the wheel in the air they did make some noise. Also remove the piece with the bolt adapter or what it is it rattles. I have never heard any sound from the mclaren wheel beside the top buttons once removing that.

Hiro Abe · Jul 10, 2018

Didn't take me long to get that bolt adapter out!

I was trying to pinpoint the rattle. I will see if it is those two buttons on mine as well.

Hiro Abe · Jul 11, 2018

Actually, it's not a rattle I have but a squeak during severe ffb. If I can make the wheel more solid, I think it'll take care of it.

anton_Chez · Jul 11, 2018

I just run the FFB a little lower than I would with the BMW rim. I am on OSW 20nm. I don't like heavy FFB anyway, so for me it's OK. I do feel a little bit of movement, very very slightly. But with FFB low enough it never bothers me at all. With earbuds in I probably wouldn't even notice it at all.

Paul Mullins · Jul 11, 2018

Here's the inside of the McLaren...

Hiro Abe · Jul 11, 2018

Paul Mullins said:
Here's the inside of the McLaren...

Did you try this?! Or are you just teasing me!

Thanks for the pic either way. It is basically exactly as I imagined after watching SRG's video. Basically, my plan is to maybe not completely fill but hit each void with epoxy starting outside working in. I figure I will use up one or two of the plastic epoxy syringes like the one shown in your pic, let it fully cure and try it out.

Hiro Abe · Jul 11, 2018

As I continue to think thru this - I think it will be a bit of a challenge to do this neat and clean. I would love to be able to mix the epoxy and pour it in but these types of epoxies tend to be pretty thick. I'm wondering if the epoxies used for filling voids in wood for, say, table tops would work. Those are much thinner and are meant to be mixed in a cup then poured into a void. I'm just wondering about the bond. I'm assuming those epoxies formulated for plastic will partially melt the plastic to adhere to it.

Or am I overthinking this?

GEO147 · Sep 3, 2019

Did you ever do this?

My grips have worn a bit and I'm trying to get replacements so will have to do a full transplant of internals so might do this at same time.

Apparently the grips are part of the backplate so it looks like a big job?

Hiro Abe · Sep 3, 2019

I did. I opened it all up and poured in epoxy in all the cavities. I've actually been thinking of opening it back up and A) seeing how things held up, and B) to put more in since i was pretty conservative and didn't completely fill all the cavities. Did i notice a difference? Once it cured, when i would try to twist flex the wheel it was stiffer. Did i notice a difference while driving? Some though i have to be open to the possibility it may have been a placebo effect. Which is why I've been thinking of going back in and pour in some more epoxy. I've been using my Formula 1 v2 rim which is rock solid but have been missing some aspects of the GT3 wheel.

GEO147 · Sep 3, 2019

Cheers for the info Scott.

Boyso · Mar 18, 2020

Sorry for the necro on this, but just wondering if you found it helped to pour epoxy in it? And did you use the JBWeld in that picture or something else? Thanks

Hiro Abe · Mar 19, 2020

It did feel stiffer just holding the wheel and trying to twist it. I figured, if anything, I provided more support to the interior structure which might help in quelling possible failure points.

I used West System's epoxy. I used small cups to control the pour which worked a charm.

Boyso · Mar 19, 2020

Thanks bud, appreciated.

And you only applied it near the bottom of the rim, where the plastic casing holding the set screw sits or pretty much everywhere in the backface?

Hiro Abe · Mar 20, 2020

Oh, I put some in every "compartment" I could. There's a grid of plastic walls to provide strength so I scuffed up the inside of each one - a tad time consuming - and filled them about halfway. Basically, I was trying to make the whole rim solid with about an inch of epoxy. I always meant to open it back up to see how things were holding up and possibly put in more but I have since sold it off when I got my SC2 and AR rim.

super_gt · Mar 20, 2020

Hiro Abe said:
Oh, I put some in every "compartment" I could. There's a grid of plastic walls to provide strength so I scuffed up the inside of each one - a tad time consuming - and filled them about halfway. Basically, I was trying to make the whole rim solid with about an inch of epoxy. I always meant to open it back up to see how things were holding up and possibly put in more but I have since sold it off when I got my SC2 and AR rim.

Have you measured how much it weighs after this modification?