Should I but the Fanatec shifter?

Scott Patterson · Jul 21, 2011

Should I buy the Fanatec shifter?

Hi all,
If I pull the trigger on a new Fanatec Porsche 911 GT3 RS V2 Wheel - Clubsport edition - US [PWGT3RSV2CSU] should I also get the shifter?

I'm running an SST Lightning but have given up on using my G25 shifter for sequential shifts. Seeing as how my SST came at a fairly hi price I can't see how the Fanatec shifter at $29.95 is a quality piece of equipment. Or my SST was grossly overpriced. :tongue:

I am hungry for a sequential shifter, and most other products are equivalent or far more costly then my SST was.

I've also seen discussion of people mounting the Fanatec shifter to a Playseat Evo (my rig) requiring an extra cable from Fanatec.

Is that correct?

Sean Cebron · Jul 21, 2011

I haven't tried the SST shifter, but you can't expect current Fanatec shifters to be comparable when you get 2 for 30$

Sequential shifter is quite good for the price in my opinion. Very simple design, little movement in front-rear direction to make a shift (I don't know if that is good or bad, I'm trying to describe it) and makes a clicking sound when you shift.
I almost never use it (I either use H-shifter or flappy pedals), but it does not feel like it would break easily. Anyone using it regularly?

If you buy the Clubsport edition and plan to have Clubsport pedals connected via USB, you don't need to buy any extra cables, because Clubsport pedals come with a long USB and a long PS/2 cable, that can also be used for the shifter.

ReDi · Jul 21, 2011

IMHO for the price you get two very decent shifters. I rarely use the sequential shifter but it works how you would expect it to work. I almost exclusively use the H-shifter and I really like it. It feels quite sturdy and makes solid gear transitions without feeling cheap/plastic. You shouldn't buy them for their design, but they're very functional and solid shifters.

Alexander Rhodes · Jul 31, 2011

Well, for 30 dollars you can't complain if it's poor, but you could spend 10 dollars on materials and modify it. Therefore still being cheap and built to your own standard.

paddles and stick shifters are only 2 momentary micro switches, which you can buy 50 of for about 2 dollars. add some wires, solder, a little bit of plexiglass, a solid axle and a real gear knob from a breakers are all you would need. From scratch I bet anyone could build a fantastic sequential stick for less than 30 dollars. It's even better if you have an Sli-M or something similar, just wire it straight in, if not, wire it to the G25 shifter board.

So if it's the cheap price thats putting you off, think about how much it would cost you to build it, then remember they buy materials in bulk, and you can work out how good it will be. I bet they're making them for less than 15 dollars considering the bulk prices of circuit materials in the UK.