Need help making the best choice in hardware

[RikoF1]

Hi everyone,

Firstly,

I'd like to introduce myself so that way you can understand and have a better comprehension of how my situation is right now.

I'm a part-time student/part-time worker, and after working with my father this summer he's going to pay me a good amount of money. I've always had the dream of being a F1 driver but obviously I know that is impossible right now due to my age (18) which is super late to get somewhere near.

Since I got my car driving license, I find myself willing to enjoy this "talent" that I might have of driving cars fast but that's where things start to fall apart.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm finishing my last year of High School and hopefully in the space of a year I'll be moving to the mainland to continue my education, therefore I cannot take any hardware with me.

So, let's start with the games first:

Right now, I own a medium range desktop which can play almost every game at a modest framerate, but if communities are bigger in the console environment I wouldn't mind buying one but that would definitely hurt my wheel budget.

I'm a huge fan of F1, and last year I bought F1 2016 and I played it for about 70/80 hours. I'm looking forward to buying F1 2017 but not right now because it's still quite expensive for my student wallet... I own Project Cars and Dirt Rally too, both which I didn't play much because they're quite hard to play with a controller.

If I enjoy using a wheel, I might buy PC2 and/or Assetto Corsa to play but I'm more of a Multiplayer guy.

So, if someone could suggest me any game that I can play "competitively" and/or "jump right in, play a quick race online and leave" I'd be grateful. I just want something that I can feel an improvement in playing or somewhere I can play in a League at any hour and have fun, or a game that has a big community to play with like F1 in PS4.

Now, onto the hardware:

I'm looking at a wheel that has FFB because everyone says it's a better option but I don't want to spend all my money on it. The features that I'd like "my" wheel to have would be:

1. 900 degrees of turning.
2. A clutch, although I'd only use it for drifting or in Rally games.
3. A gear stick but I think this one is completely optional right now.

My choices would be the T150 (RS?), G29 or a Thrustmaster equivalent, although I'm open for suggestions under 400€ preferably.

The T150 is the cheapest one and has a good look and good reviews, although I'll be missing the clutch pedal and the gearstick.

The G29 is kinda the next best thing and I think a clutch would be fun to drive as in real life but it's not required to play F1.

TLDR: Student, in a year moving out, looking for a (half)sim racing game that has a good community and looking for help buying a wheel to have fun.

 

[WPxNJ]

Good luck young man.

I'm 3 times your age and also seek value in new wheel.

The holidays are coming. Let everyone in your life know what they'll be buying for you.

Too much hotlapping fun with the AMS Caterham Superlight Standard has blown out my G27 shifter.

 

[RikoF1]

Good luck young man.

I'm 3 times your age and also seek value in new wheel.

The holidays are coming. Let everyone in your life know what they'll be buying for you.

Too much hotlapping fun with the AMS Caterham Superlight Standard has blown out my G27 shifter.

I've made up my mind and I'm taking the T150 Pro so I can get a shifter at a later date.

 

[ricerracer]

I've made up my mind and I'm taking the T150 Pro so I can get a shifter at a later date.

Pedals, pedals, pedals, sim racing is all about the pedals. Do not hold out on crappy ones and make the same mistake I did when I first started, buy some decent ones because with decent pedals you have way more control over your car.

 

[RikoF1]

Pedals, pedals, pedals, sim racing is all about the pedals. Do not hold out on crappy ones and make the same mistake I did when I first started, buy some decent ones because with decent pedals you have way more control over your car.

This pack comes with the T3PA pedals, aren't they good?

 

[RasmusP]

I have a G27 and with a little sponge for more progression inside the spring they are pretty good.
The g29 pedals are slightly modified and better afaik.

The order goes like this:
Logitech dfgt pedals - thrustmaster cheap pedals - T3pa pedals - g29 pedals - T3pa pro pedals.

It's always a pain with these cheap simracing things.
The t150 with the T3pa pedals will be good and enough for you I think. It's jo crap, but not enough metal to be really good.
The ffb is a bit better than at logitech!

The g29 has the benefit of nice buttons, leather, metal, better pedals but the ffb lacks behind!
From what I read over the last years thrustmaster has some quality issues but better ffb, logitech is indistructable but rattles and has a little deadzone at center position.

Not easy to decide, but if you like the thrustmaster more just go with it!

 

[ricerracer]

This pack comes with the T3PA pedals, aren't they good?

Personally I do not like them they measure braking force by distance (and the distance the pedal moves is little) and not by the pressure you yourself put on the brake, I could never get my head around that was very hard to trail brake.

 

[RasmusP]

Personally I do not like them they measure braking force by distance (and the distance the pedal moves is little) and not by the pressure you yourself put on the brake, I could never get my head around that was very hard to trail brake.

I agree but the logitechs or the t3pa pros are nothing different.
He wants to stay below 400 with wheel and pedals, I don't think a loadcell is in this range

But in general: loadcell all the way! Will be the first thing for me to buy when I have the money to spend!