Way to state your opinion as fact......
Fact is: the benefit is smoother force feedback
Fact is: that makes the wheel feel different than one using gears
Fact is: that may or may not make you faster, but that's down to personal preference, the wheel is in no way shape or form BETTER for simracing whether its belt or gear driven.
Fact is: There are drawbacks to belt drive, which have already been mentioned in the thread.
Question is: Where's this "marketing" that you claim will waste his cash?
Whether someone wants to spend €1000 on a wheel then I don't see why they shouldn't, it WILL give them a different experience than a €300 wheel does, there's no denying that, ever. It won't make you faster per se, but upgrading from a Logitech Momo to a Fanatec GT3 improved my times a lot, not from being a better wheel but because I was enjoying my racing that much more I was spending much more time practicing.
well i didn't bother giving details to back up my opinion coz the guy was just asking around, and i didnt want him to think that expensive = better. Also someone had already explained the drawbacks to belt drive.
but okay.
the benefit is smoother force feedback
why is that a benefit? Smoother doesn't necessarily mean its better or more useful.
if you've ever driven a race car, or even watched any onboards - the feedback that comes through the steering column is instant, sometimes violent.
Yes the Gear drive gives a 'crunchey' sensation when you turn the wheel, but it more than makes up for that with much quicker response time when turning left to right, or when feedback comes through.
I wouldn't call smoother force feedback a benefit - its just different sensation - but ultimately -
how it delivers that smoothness is what makes it worse, unfortunately.
The smoothness of the GT3 wheel dulled/muted the vibration and force feedback coming back through, and actually makes you more disconnected from the game.
Thats why a servo drive wheel is amazing, it won't have that 'crunchey' sensation when turning the wheel, But it will have the instant response and super strong feedback.
that makes the wheel feel different than one using gears
yup this is true.... i never said otherwise.
There are drawbacks to belt drive, which have already been mentioned in the thread.
exactly - which is why i didnt bother going into detail.
Question is: Where's this "marketing" that you claim will waste his cash?
well a brief look around the simracing world and the community and you clearly see how much people automatically assume a T500 or a Fanatec wheel is better - brainwashed by the feedback and power.
What the g25/g27 lacks in power it more than makes up for in response time, which is so important in simracing and to be able to control the car quickly.
You see stuff sponsored by fanatec or thrustmaster everywhere - you hear the guys at inside simracing going on about the 'amazing power' of these wheels and how they are quality products. Which is all true, but in terms of what is required for simracing, that doesnt necessarily make them better wheels. But people read/hear this and think its true without thinking about it.
but upgrading from a Logitech Momo to a Fanatec GT3 improved my times a lot, not from being a better wheel but because I was enjoying my racing that much more I was spending much more time practicing
i used to have a MOMO, can't really remember what it felt like now - got many hours out of it though playing the first GTR.
Yeah fair enough - I'm not denying that the wheels provide different experiences, but ultimately - the GT3 Fanatec wheel is simply awful compared to a G25 - I know, because I got a GT3 in 2012 Jan and returned it immediately - it was so so sluggish compared to the G25 and had so much standing resistance.
I ended up doing the exact same thing with the T500, earlier this year, returning it.
you should switch to a g27 lol - your laptimes will improve again.
i was being a bit toungue in cheek when i said 'fact. end of'. I should have put an emoticon next to it
I'd just like to add that my opinions on belt drive however DON'T apply to the CSW - mainly because I haven't tested it - and also because it seems to have enough power to counter the resistance of the belt drive.
Skeijmel's graphs show that with the F1 rim at least, the CSW's response time seems to be as good as the G25/g27's, but worse with the heavier BMW rim.