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!

 

[glight]

Roman, that is a good video those guys know what the are talking about. The lap time test they did was kind of silly, although I get they were trying to empirically measure the wheels' performance. The best part is when they are talking about their favorite wheel(s) and why they are their favorite.

Darin picked the GT3 RS
Shaun picked the G27
Thierry picked the GT3 RS

All three mentioned the Turbo S is great because it works with xbox too, but I guess they didn't pick it because they don't care about xbox and therefore the turbo s has less value.

The main negative about the F430 is the 270 degrees rotation
The main negative about the DFGT is the huge deadzone

Both don't have the best pedals. But I have found that a couple bungee cords have helped breathe some life in to my DFGT pedals, so I can still race while I wait for my Fanatec GT2 and Clubsport Pedals.

Speaking of pedals the guys all used the clubsports in the video so they did not talk about pedals, probably because that requires a separate video? I think pedals are just as important as the wheel, and really factor into a purchase recommendation.

 

[Dylan Hember]

Steering Wheels

I am just starting to play f1 2010 with all aids off. O am doing ok but not that condifdent on accelerating out of a corner. So i thoink its time to buy a wheel. But i need some help.

Things i would like is a good wheel that works well with f1 2010. Pedals and forcefeedback.

Can you guys give me some names and i check them out please?
Thanks

 

[My993C2]

Steer wheels were recently discussed in this thread:

http://www.racedepartment.com/f1-2010-game/44743-steering-wheel-for-f1-2010-other-racing-games.html

I have the G25 from Logitech (predecessor to the G27) and I am very happy with it. Only downside to my G25 is that there are only two buttons on the wheel. But it does have paddle shifters that will probably never break under normal usage.

 

[Dylan Hember]

Is it very responsive? i want one that is responds fast to your input

 

[Dylan Hember]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xbox-360-Wi...WLGK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1295819622&sr=8-3

Do microsoft/Xbox still make and sell this wheel???

If so anyone know a good place i can buy one from?

 

[My993C2]

Is it very responsive? i want one that is responds fast to your input

Yes my G25 is very responsive. I don't think you can buy then new anymore. I think the G27 has replaced the G25 in the stores. But the fact that my G25 is still holding up after several years use should mean that a G27 will also holdup to a good "normal usage" beating.

 

[Jon Hallett]

I have an F430, and i can say for the price i payed its been a proper bargain. I don't have a single bad thing to say about it. Everyone goes on about the 270 degrees of rotation, but that hasn't been a problem at all. The FFB is great and the build quality is excellent. Even the clamp is robust and sturdy, as this is my first "proper" wheel i feel its been great and if i continue to play race games i may upgrade in the future. To possibly a G25/27. The only reason i didn't get one first of, was the fear of it collecting dust in the corner.

 

[David Kaye]

I just got an F430 as well and agree with nukey, it is fantastic value for money I feel it is my first wheel so cant compare but did my research and am glad it paid off . The FFB is really strong when you whack it up it is like this fella pulling you around by the arms !

I can highly recommend it and am about to map my Manettino button

 

[Paul Lock]

The 430 was gonna be my choice, but xmas came at the right time, so told the parents and missus to combine forces and get me a G27 rather than socks, aftershave and assorted junk that wouldnt see the light of day after boxing day.
If i had been buying, i had picked out the 430 as a decent wheel at a decent price. If you are on a budget and not bothered about not having a stick or clutch then its a sensible choice.

 

[David Kaye]

Exactly the selling point to me I am not a "hardcore" racer so don't need the clutch nor stick shift, also on a budget plus it is cramped in an F1 cockpit

 

[My993C2]

If you are on a budget and not bothered about not having a stick or clutch then its a sensible choice.

Even though it would be interesting to try it, I can NOT imagine driving on a real world track with paddle shifters. I am too afraid I would think I was in a game and over drive a corner. So I am perfectly happy lapping my '97 Porsche 911 the old fashion way of heal-toe'ing with a stick. But when it comes to these computer sims/games who needs to worry about the clutch, heal toe'ing using a stick (it just takes too long and there would be tons of wear and tear on the stick shift). When I am playing these games, it's much better to be using the paddle shifters. So even though my G25 does have a clutch pedal and a stick shift, I never use them.

 

[Dylan Hember]

I just got an F430 as well and agree with nukey, it is fantastic value for money I feel it is my first wheel so cant compare but did my research and am glad it paid off . The FFB is really strong when you whack it up it is like this fella pulling you around by the arms !

I can highly recommend it and am about to map my Manettino button

ill take a look at this wheel, btw is that Giant Haystacks??

 

[David Kaye]

Yes indeedy it is, he and Big Daddy were my Saturday and Sunday entertainment (maybe explain's my violent streak ) I was lucky enough to catch their last and greatest moment's and when they took American wrestling by storm (the picture above is in America) they had to be banned I believe in the US as they did not follow the American "Wrestling" script and just really had a fight so they were deemed too violent for American wrestling lol , a bit like American football, pansies wear body armour so as not to hurt themselve's, try rugby you big babies (no offence my American friend's) and getting a 17 stone blokes boot on your mouth while he is running and you do a diving tackle, I didn't notice until I saw blood down my shirt, oh well, it was a successful tackle I might add about 30 yds from the line it was a close call but I got him (The bloke was my teacher and I was 14 yo at the time) but still I got him I hope you are reading this Mr Bellamy.

Anyway mapped the Manettino button for pit in and pit limiter it is great twist and click twist and click weeeeeee I was shocked when I saw FFB was at 100% and can go up to 150 % I tried and really was surprised my little table was creaking in displeasure !

 

[Dylan Hember]

Yes indeedy it is, he and Big Daddy were my Saturday and Sunday entertainment (maybe explain's my violent streak ) I was lucky enough to catch their last and greatest moment's and when they took American wrestling by storm (the picture above is in America) they had to be banned I believe in the US as they did not follow the American "Wrestling" script and just really had a fight so they were deemed too violent for American wrestling lol , a bit like American football, pansies wear body armour so as not to hurt themselve's, try rugby you big babies (no offence my American friend's) and getting a 17 stone blokes boot on your mouth while he is running and you do a diving tackle, I didn't notice until I saw blood down my shirt, oh well, it was a successful tackle I might add about 30 yds from the line it was a close call but I got him (The bloke was my teacher and I was 14 yo at the time) but still I got him I hope you are reading this Mr Bellamy.

Anyway mapped the Manettino button for pit in and pit limiter it is great twist and click twist and click weeeeeee I was shocked when I saw FFB was at 100% and can go up to 150 % I tried and really was surprised my little table was creaking in displeasure !

sorry for being off topic but, when Giant haystacks was wrestling this was all real?


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Xbox-360-Wir...5819622&sr=8-3

Do microsoft/Xbox still make and sell this wheel???

If so anyone know a good place i can buy one from?

 

[David Kaye]

Yes it was all real here in UK at least, when they went to America Big Daddy came back as he would not follow American scripted wrestling rules (that is how I discovered it was scripted, I was young okay) but Giant Haystacks (booooo ) stayed on for the money he said, at least he was honest and a bad ass !

No don't know where you can buy one I am afraid !

 

[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?

I know this is an old thread now, but I though I'd round it off with my thoughts on the F430 USB Wheel after having it for a couple of months.

Note: this is my first ever wheel and I paid around £80 for it from play.com.

OK, to start off with, I thought I'd wasted my money! I was spending more time off the track than on it - I thought I would never get the hang of it, even after altering the settings, but after a day or so, I was really getting into it and carving huge chunks out of my gamepad laptimes. So persevere with it even if you too feel like that at first, it's well worth it I assure you.

The wheel itself looks gorgeous clamped to your desk - it's a nice size as well, so you feel as though you're using a real steering wheel and not some toy. The wheel can't be spun round and round like a real steering wheel, but that doesn't bother me at all - full lock on this wheel will get you round the hairpins, so that's all that matters.

There is no gearstick, only flappy paddles - but for F1 2010 that's authentic - imagine driving an F1 car with a gearstick!!! Besides that, with my new desk's configuration, it would've been simply impossible to change gears - the stick would end up being too high and too far forwards, so I am not fussed at all about not having a gearstick; the flappy paddles work fine.

The clamp is excellent - once the wheel is fitted and properly tightened, it is going nowhere, even under the extreme force that it is subjected to during a long session of DiRT 2 - and that involves a lot more rough handling than F1 2010 does. However, as others have noted, the clamp's tightening bolt will cause issues with keyboard trays. When I bought my new desk, I was worried as to whether the tray would be low enough for the wheel to even fit, never mind the tightening bolt, but all was well in the end. This is my new desk (the steering wheel is fitted to the main desk top).

Although it was only £35, it's a solid little desk with room for everything you need. The keyboard tray was too small for my liking and meant typing involved putting the keyboard on my lap, as with the wheel in the way, typing was difficult - almost impossible. I got round that little issue by using a piece of wood from my old desk and having it made into a deeper tray - as I speak, both wheel and keyboard are in their proper places - on the desk - and typing is fine.

OK, back to the wheel. :wink:

It has many buttons on the face, as well as the flappy paddles, and a couple of buttons on the sides. It also has Ferrari's 'Manettino' switch, although I'm not sure what the applications for it are in F1 2010. The build quality seems solid - this feels as though it will last for a long time (hopefully).

The pedals are great. No clutch, but I couldn't care less. The resistance of both seems just right, with the brake having considerably more resistance than the accelerator of course. However, when braking, the pedal unit will move forwards even on carpet. I got round that issue by popping it on the bottom shelf of my desk (where the scanner is in the image) and placing a box behind it - now when I brake, the unit goes nowhere, as it has nowhere to go! Like the wheel, the pedals feel as though they will stand the test of time - unlike the DFGT's pedals, they're metal and there's a decent space between them to avoid pressing the wrong one.

The forcefeedback can be as violent, or as gentle as you wish it to be - once the drivers are installed, there are easily configured options for all the buttons, pedals and so on, as well as the settings for the forcefeedback - experiment until you find your ideal setting. I wouldn't recommend driving without forcefeedback, as the handling ends up feeling somewhat sloppy.

This is my first wheel as I said and the difference it makes to racing games has to be experienced to be believed (I'm sure the same can be said of other decent wheels of course). Whereas with a gamepad, you have to make these little tiny adjustments with the sticks, with the wheel you can just grab it and, y'know, drive the bloody car! And with time, you will be destroying your gamepad laptimes. I ain't ever going back to playing any racing game with a gamepad!!

I would heartily recommend the Thrustmaster Ferrari F430 USB Force Feedback wheel to anyone looking to increase their enjoyment when playing racing games - yes, there are more expensive wheels (and possibly better ones) out there, but unless you're a real hardcore racer, I would look no further than the F430 - and that's only because of the reduced turn angle of 270 degrees (as opposed to 900 plus on wheels such as the G27) and the lack of a clutch - these two omissions might put off real hardcore racers.

 

[F1 2011 Rocks!]

Double post, sorry.