F1 2010 Steering wheel for F1 2010 and other racing games

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

A few questions for you guys with a lot of experience in steering wheels:

Firstly, is the clamp easily loosened, so the wheel can be moved aside when doing things like typing? It would be a real chore to have to remove the damn thing every time you need to type something and the arrangement of my desk means if the wheel is in place, it's going to get in the way all the time - so an arrangement where it can be easily loosened and slid to one side is essential.

Secondly, could I get a wheel for £50 that has decent pedals (not spongy, but not too hard to press down either) that grip the carpet properly, has decent force feedback/rumble and has a gear stick as well as a couple of paddles? If not, how much would I have to pay? I don't see the point in spending £30 or so on something that breaks in two minutes, and have to spend an additional £50 - £100 on a decent one.

Thirdly, are PS3/Xbox 360 wheels compatible with the PC? If the wheel's wireless, does it have a charging dock?

Finally, can you get replacement parts for them if say the gearstick goes wrong? Especially if you end up spending more than £100, you don't want to have to buy a new one every few years - after all, it's just a video game peripheral - and a very specialised one at that.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chris Marshall]

Of course they do, spending 1000+ on a pc is viable and can be defended, but 200+ on a peripheral? not sure I would, If I was to get one it would have to be the G25 but as they dont sell them anymore I will have to settle for the gt or thrustmaster.

And judging by the pm's I have been receiving regarding the 27 the price wont be dropping for a long while to come.

Hmm i would hate to think how much i have spent on my pc over the last year, constantly upgrading, thinking that ''yes 1 Gcard isnt enough, it will be so much better with 2 -3 and 3 screens'', i stopped adding up when it got past $3000.

But !!! im am quite sure that spending a good amount of my hard erned cash-ola is justified on gaming periferals, spending $400 on a G27 was a good investment and i probaly wouldnt be still playing the game if i didnt....Hell i have a Glass Mouse Pad, apperently with my mouse its sooo much better, and the logitech super dooper keyboard is another thing i love. I do make use of all the Marco settings and the nice little lcd screen is quite useful.

I would say to all out there, bite the bullet and spend a few more dollars on a great piece of kit, its worth it. Besides my wife would preffer that i spend my cash on crap like that (her words) than going to the Pub 3 -4 times a week and getting **** faced, i just do it at home in the safety of my office where i can still look at girls wobbly bits and fights all combined with a few glasses of Vasse Felix Shiraz and enjoy driving where i wont wipe out mrs Bollenger's kids on the way home in a real car. Not that i drink drive, but you get my drift - no pun intended.

For me, i often wonder when i drive around the world with work and i pass someone sat in the drizzle on the side of a river bank, why would someone do that. I did talk to one that got his car bogged on the side of a river bank and i pulled him out, and after spending 20 mins reloading his fishing gear back into his pathetic excuse for a car, he told me he has spent around $10,000 on his kit in the last 4 years. i recon i have done the same, so my point of all this, is becasue playing PC or consoles isnt tangable and we are considerd as geeky to some people. And some of us cannot bring ourselves to spend good earned money on something we enjoy so much 3 -4 times a week, like the fisherman does.

Think of it when you need a new bit of kit for the work shop, that 100 buck drill will not be as good as the 300 dollar one because it has a lazer on the end and comes with a iphone attachment to use the level app on. You will allways go for the more espensive drill ect because its a man or some woman thing. My wife however understands this and again doesnt complain, she owns over 250 pairs of shoes, and quite a lot of them are still in the box and only get used once or twice a year,,,,,,,,,,Just like the drill you bought a year ago.


Chris Marshall, sober and in deep thought.............

 

[WestDiscGolf]

I've been reading this thread with great interest as I want to get a wheel, however all the recommendations have been for ps3/pc wheels and I'm looking for one for xbox 360. Does anyone have any recommendations for xbox? Has anyone tried one with a converter? As I'm currently looking at getting a Logitech Driving Force GT with a converter (http://www.consolesandgadgets.co.uk/catalog/ps2-ps3-to-xbox-360-controller-converter-p-3556.html). Any help/pointers would be great

 

[Jason Dewhurst]

Hmm i would hate to think how much i have spent on my pc over the last year, constantly upgrading, thinking that ''yes 1 Gcard isnt enough, it will be so much better with 2 -3 and 3 screens'', i stopped adding up when it got past $3000.

But !!! im am quite sure that spending a good amount of my hard erned cash-ola is justified on gaming periferals, spending $400 on a G27 was a good investment and i probaly wouldnt be still playing the game if i didnt....Hell i have a Glass Mouse Pad, apperently with my mouse its sooo much better, and the logitech super dooper keyboard is another thing i love. I do make use of all the Marco settings and the nice little lcd screen is quite useful.

I would say to all out there, bite the bullet and spend a few more dollars on a great piece of kit, its worth it. Besides my wife would preffer that i spend my cash on crap like that (her words) than going to the Pub 3 -4 times a week and getting **** faced, i just do it at home in the safety of my office where i can still look at girls wobbly bits and fights all combined with a few glasses of Vasse Felix Shiraz and enjoy driving where i wont wipe out mrs Bollenger's kids on the way home in a real car. Not that i drink drive, but you get my drift - no pun intended.

For me, i often wonder when i drive around the world with work and i pass someone sat in the drizzle on the side of a river bank, why would someone do that. I did talk to one that got his car bogged on the side of a river bank and i pulled him out, and after spending 20 mins reloading his fishing gear back into his pathetic excuse for a car, he told me he has spent around $10,000 on his kit in the last 4 years. i recon i have done the same, so my point of all this, is becasue playing PC or consoles isnt tangable and we are considerd as geeky to some people. And some of us cannot bring ourselves to spend good earned money on something we enjoy so much 3 -4 times a week, like the fisherman does.

Think of it when you need a new bit of kit for the work shop, that 100 buck drill will not be as good as the 300 dollar one because it has a lazer on the end and comes with a iphone attachment to use the level app on. You will allways go for the more espensive drill ect because its a man or some woman thing. My wife however understands this and again doesnt complain, she owns over 250 pairs of shoes, and quite a lot of them are still in the box and only get used once or twice a year,,,,,,,,,,Just like the drill you bought a year ago.


Chris Marshall, sober and in deep thought.............

You make some good points and maybe if I had a spare 400 I would probably get a g27

I am just saying not everyone does.

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

I only upgrade my PC when it really needs it. I only have one monitor - even if I wanted a three monitor setup, there's just not enough room on the desk. I'm someone who will upgrade when games have started running at an unacceptable level (by my own standards), even when settings have been turned down - these days, games look very good even on medium or in some cases, low settings). So the upshot of all that is I only really upgrade my PC every two or three years.

One other thing, I never get a top of the line GPU; at release, there's simply never anything out there that needs that much power - and I've found that if you hold fire for a few months, the price can drop through the floor. I once saw an ATI card for around £350 - might have been the X1950XT, I can't remember. Few months down the line and I picked one up - brand new and still a damn good card - for £115. It's best to go for midrange, you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. Of course, that doesn't apply to peripherals, but I still wouldn't spend £200+ on a gaming controller. That's just me.

If we're talking a 'few more dollars/pounds', that's one thing but we're talking about £130 more - that's almost double what I'm going to pay for the F430 (£80). If you're someone who plays racing games and only racing games, then it's probably worthwhile - but I don't just play racing games.

 

[Andy_J]

Same here. Sensible post.

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

Does anyone know of stores in London UK that sell keyboard trays that can be fitted to your existing desk? If I could find one that's height adjustable as well, so much the better - it would make the fitting of the wheel a whole lot easier. It'll fit right now as it is, but being able to slide the keyboard under the desk will make things easier and if I could find a separate tray, I wouldn't have to get a whole new desk.

Edit: Just found this:

Ideally though, I'd like to see it 'in the flesh' before buying it - but the dimensions certainly work well for me and it appears to be installable at different heights as well - maybe one of them will allow installation so that the tray can easily slide in and out below the level of the wheel - that would be perfect.

Part of the Office Suites range designed to help boost personal productivity. Tray installs at three different heights. Mouse tray mounts to the left or right and slides under the keyboard tray for easy storage. Built-in keyboard stop holds keyboard securely in place. WxDxH: 784x357x63mm.

 

[glight]

Not sure if the OP made up his mind but here are my 2 cents for everyone reading:

I have used both the G25 and Driving Force GT, but I own the GT. I managed to pick it up for $70 from a sale online.

G25/G27
- COST
+ Strong Force Feedback
+ Solid Construction
+ Great Materials (lots of metal, very minimal amounts of plastic)
+ Great Pedals (able to feather throttle & do threshold breaking)
+ clutch and gearshifter

Driving Force GT
+ CHEAP
+ Solid Construction (not as good as G25 but not going to fall apart)
- Materials are all Plastic
- Force Feedback exists, but not nearly as good as G25
- Pedals offer next to no resistance (can be remedied)
- No gearshifter (just a up/down knob & paddles)

All the people saying the G25/G27 is worth the cash are 100% correct, if I had to buy a new wheel today I would choose this one. If you are on a budget, you will not be disappointed with the GT just don't expect the world from it. I own the GT because $300+ was a lot to put down on a gaming controller and the GT was so much cheaper (in my case). My opinion has changed since the time I bought it but I will live with my choice. I am fine with the force feedback as it is good enough for me and will have to figure out how to modify the pedals with foam padding as they are way too loose.

At the end of the day we are still all just playing a game (even if we are playing rfactor) so keep in mind a better wheel doesn't make it less of a game.

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

That's one of the reasons why I turned away from the GT - that and the fact I can't find it anywhere and the F430 has gained favourable reviews, is about £20 cheaper and the pedals have a decent amount of resistance judging by the videos I've seen. I have made up my mind about the F430 - I just have to wait for the issues with my card to be sorted out so I can buy the damn thing!!

 

[glight]

I know this thread is a bit old but figured I should post since it makes more sense to have 1 thread discussing racing wheels.

I have changed my stance a bit on this issue and now I agree 100% with the people saying to just get a G27 or similar. If you buy a crappy wheel like the DFGT you will become frustrated with it and end up buying the G27 anyway so just save your dosh for a bit longer and buy the damn G27.

I am considering skipping the G27 for (what I think is) the grandaddy of all racing wheels: The Fanatec 911 GT2 with the clubsport pedals and 6+1 shifter as well.

This totals around $560 (yikes) however I don't think I will ever have to buy another wheel ever again because it works on PC, PS3 AND Xbox360. So I can play F1, GT5 and FORZA3 (and eventually 4) with a clutch and shifter ON ONE WHEEL.

I just want to ask if anyone here has used this wheel and if they would recommend I go for it?

 

[Paul Lock]

I know this thread is a bit old but figured I should post since it makes more sense to have 1 thread discussing racing wheels.

I have changed my stance a bit on this issue and now I agree 100% with the people saying to just get a G27 or similar. If you buy a crappy wheel like the DFGT you will become frustrated with it and end up buying the G27 anyway so just save your dosh for a bit longer and buy the damn G27.

I am considering skipping the G27 for (what I think is) the grandaddy of all racing wheels: The Fanatec 911 GT2 with the clubsport pedals and 6+1 shifter as well.

This totals around $560 (yikes) however I don't think I will ever have to buy another wheel ever again because it works on PC, PS3 AND Xbox360. So I can play F1, GT5 and FORZA3 (and eventually 4) with a clutch and shifter ON ONE WHEEL.

I just want to ask if anyone here has used this wheel and if they would recommend I go for it?

Thats a great looking wheel, but does it have any buttons at all for in game controls? I looked on your link and couldnt find any reference to them in the description. You can probably get around this as long as you have your keyboard handy on a PC, but how does that work on consoles where you need the native 'keypad' functions?

My opinion when chosing a wheel would be based on amount of use you will get out of it. For the casual driver probably a GT Force / F430 or similar would be fine - £100 max. If you plan on spending most nights doing some serious driving, and want to have a fantastic experience while doing it, then put some investment into your equipment, spend the extra £100 on a G27.

Fortunately christmas (and Logitechs 20% discount trade in offer!) came at the right time and I bagged a £200 G27 (direct from Logitech) courtesty of the GF and parents so it didnt cost me a thing.

 

[Peter Hooper]

The feature comparison table says that it has 14 buttons on the wheel rim (the same as all the others they do) so my guess is that it does have all the buttons required for a console.

I am on the Xbox and would love to have a decent number of affordable wheels to choose from. Not in any kind of position to be able to afford the sort of money these units cost

 

[Paul Lock]

The feature comparison table says that it has 14 buttons on the wheel rim (the same as all the others they do) so my guess is that it does have all the buttons required for a console.

I am on the Xbox and would love to have a decent number of affordable wheels to choose from. Not in any kind of position to be able to afford the sort of money these units cost

Doh! Oh right - my bad! If you need a decent wheel that does all 3 platforms, then that looks to be the one.

Taxi....!!!

 

[glight]

Thanks for the replies guys, are any people who have used this wheel able to comment on it?

Edit: I did a bit of reading around the internet today and it looks like I am correct saying that this wheel is the bee's knees. Henceforth I have put down $540 of my hard earned money for the wheel, clubsport pedals and 6 way H shifter. Seriously looking forward to using this bad boy in Forza (with clutch and gearshift!), GT5 and F1 but looks like I will have to wait until February sometime since they are on back order! :|

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

I know this thread is a bit old but figured I should post since it makes more sense to have 1 thread discussing racing wheels.

I have changed my stance a bit on this issue and now I agree 100% with the people saying to just get a G27 or similar. If you buy a crappy wheel like the DFGT you will become frustrated with it and end up buying the G27 anyway so just save your dosh for a bit longer and buy the damn G27.

That's the first time I've ever heard the DFGT wheel called 'crappy'. It's widely regarded as one of the best 'midrange' wheels out there!

Edit: Can anyone out there who has the F430 wheel post a closeup picture of the clamp? I need to get an idea to see how low the keyboard tray needs to be on my new desk that I'm getting, to avoid it stopping the keyboard tray moving in and out. I'm not going with the keyboard tray I mentioned above, because the wood my current desk is made from isn't designed for drilling into - it'll just weaken it.

 

[glight]

OK, well for me I consider the DFGT a crappy wheel because I have raced with a friend's G25 and the difference is HUGE especially in the level of force feedback, quality of the build, and the PEDALS. After you try a set like the G25 or better you never want to go back!

Elcheapo grade: Mad Catz, Microsoft wheel
Mid Grade: Driving Force GT, Ferrari F430
High Grade: G27, Fanatec GTRS, Fanatec Carrera, Thrustmaster T500RS(seems to be a good wheel but PS3 ONLY? wait for reviews on this one I guess)
Very High Grade/ Top of the Line: Fanatec GT2, Clubsport pedals

As others have commented, if you are just casually interested in using a wheel, don't play the game a lot or are just not that into racing games (and F1 is the only one). It might make more sense to go with a Mid or Cheapo grade wheel, because why would you spend $300-500 on gear to play one game that you play once or twice a week? It is also understandable if you have a sub $200 budget. I would recommend the DFGT or the F430 (haven't used it but seems to have good reviews) and will admit that the DFGT is a Decent wheel but will forever curse those pedals!

Now if you play more than one racing game eg. GT5 and F1 and play them regularly then I would strongly recommend the G27. Reason being that if you buy the DFGT and plan to upgrade later then you will regret it and eventually spend more money in the end (like me). Meaning you will spend $150 for the DFGT and then upgrade to the G27 (for $300)when you realize that the pedals are crap and the force feedback is weak. (PS3/PC owners only)

If you play a lot of Driving games on PC or PS3 and DONT own a 360, then the High Grade Fanatec's with clubsport pedals are a good choice. The wheel is not a HUGE improvement (compared to the G25/27) but the pedals are a great value (do not shy away at the price).

If you play on PC and Xbox 360 (or 360 only) you are left with 2 choices, ElCheapo or Very High grade. Either the MS wheel/Mad Catz or the Fanatec GT2 since it is the ONLY wheel to have Xbox compatibility and great quality. You can cheap out and buy the standard Fanatec pedals for $50 to offset the $250 of the wheel but just like buying the DFGT with the intention to upgrade you will spend more money in the end when you buy the clubsports (not to mention pay twice for shipping).

If you play PC X360 and PS3 (F1, Forza and GT5 like me) there is only one choice: Fanatec GT2 with clubsport pedals! Because you obviously have an addiction to these racing games and need the best.

Yes I have suggested that people spend more money, but the results speak for themselves. Much like PC parts you should never buy these things with the Intention to upgrade later, you will spend more money in the end. So just save your pennies a little longer and spend the money to get a quality wheel like a G27 or Fanatec GT2.

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

I've finally got my F430 FF USB wheel and it's great with DiRT 2. With F1 2010, I'm having a bit of trouble finding settings that work with the more subtle control inputs required in F1, as opposed to DiRT 2's rough handling. Could you guys post your settings?

 

[Roman5]

glight, my old thrustmaster wheel has tons of FF but I turn it down a lot (I have each FF in F1 2010 around 30 to 40% FF for environment, wheel weight and the other one) because high FF makes steering correction more difficult. If you go over a bumpy section like too much rumble strip/curb, it could potentially slow you down even more or throw you right off the circuit if FF is too strong. Some people just want a solid enough wheel to get the fastest laptimes or win races. There are loads of players with the DFGT who get faster times than those with more expensive wheels, as well as the other way round. If you're looking purely for nicer build quality, then that's a good reason to spend more. I'm not really sure a Fanatec or G27 would give that much of an advantage though when it comes to doing well in the game. I just bought a DFGT and haven't opened the box yet. I may love it or hate it, but my main goal is doing well in the game, even though the G27 appeals to me more aesthetically. I'm going to put a sock or a squash ball behind the brake pedal since this seems to be a tried and tested trick to add more pressure to it.

 

[Tomás Lagos]

Everybody should listen to Bram. Of course it's tough for everyone to own the best steering wheel system, but i can guarantee it's worth over the years. I've owned 100€ wheels and always after some time they're not the same anymore. Either it doesn't accelerate full speed or some other malfunction. G25/G27 will make you faster and in the long run save you money.

And Bram, game less, work harder, then go pro

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

Maybe so, but I've read lots of comments about calibration problems and so on with the G25/G27 - I haven't read anything like that for the F430 - indeed, many people are saying its performance is comparable to the G25/G27. I don't know how accurate that is, but I'm impressed so far.

I mean, I don't know about you, but if a wheel costs £220, it should be verging on perfection - calibration and centring issues shouldn't even get a mention!

 

[Roman5]

Check this interesting review of 5 wheels, skip to 23:30. They give ratings and laptimes on the G27, DFGT, two fanatec wheels, and the F430.
But of course, take with a pinch of salt. It's down to driver preference and skill mostly. However, overall, they are all very close and highly rated wheels. You can also find part 2 where the guys talk more about their personal favourites of those 5 wheels.