Which Fanatec DD are you buying and why?

[White Hawk]

I couldn’t see this type of post anywhere and as I’m undecided on a DD1 or the PS4 version for extra compatibility right now thought I’d put this up, forgive me if it’s already been done.

 

[Thomas Satherley]

Wait, what? Whats the point in the DD1 having an overkill motor? I understand they couldn't get the cheaper one going... but. Are the driving electronics in the DD1 limited too? Or is it simply a firmware setting?

 

[Deleted member 197115]

The most bizarre engineering decision ever.
PSU is the same, not sure about electronics though.

 

[Thomas Satherley]

crazy, just had a look at the virtualracing forum. Had no idea simracing was so huge in germany... 300+ pages for simucube and fanatec posts. I'm waiting for the reviews.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Here's an initial review of the DD2. He ran it at up to 50% power.

At the end he said that he didn't regret getting it and that it was precise and fast, but he also said he expected to feel more of a difference over the CSW 2.5 and didn't think it was $1000 better.

Obviously with anything after a certain point you start paying more for incremental improvements.

My question is how the CSW 2.5 would feel to him after he's spent a few weeks using the DD2. Sometimes you notice what you miss more once you get used to something.

He also said it smelled like new electronics, hot electronics.

 

[EsxPaul]

Here's another review to add to the general impressions:

 

[RCHeliguy]

As was mentioned there are a lot of posts over here and so far it seems like a lot of positive reactions and some setup frustrations which I would expect at launch.

BTW if you use Chrome and have auto translate turned on, it's all pretty readable.

https://forum.virtualracing.org/sho...um-Wheel-Base-Direct-Drive-Erfahrungsberichte

 

[RCHeliguy]

Here's another review to add to the general impressions:

He seems very happy with it, but he did say he was coming from a T500 wheel as a reference point.

I will say that mounted on his rig it does not look huge or out of proportion in any way.

 

[EsxPaul]

Another setup and first impressions, this time for the DD1:

 

[OZ67]

When I opened the box and mounted the DD1 to my rig , I just wondered what all the talk was, about it being large . It's a little longer than my T300 base but that's about it. Loving the DD1 (Mclaren GT3 rim) in F1 2018 with the stock Fanatec settings from their blog, Going to take some days setting up for all the sims but I think it was time and money well spent imho.

 

[RCHeliguy]

When I opened the box and mounted the DD1 to my rig , I just wondered what all the talk was, about it being large.

All that talk was generated by one person who owns another DD wheelbase and has made it clear he doesn't like Fanatec. I'd call that someone just looking for things to complain about. OMG!! It's rectangular and not round!!!! What were they thinking! Mine is round and that is clearly how they are supposed to be.

To be fair he is also bitching about things on the Simcube 2 thread he started.

 

[TheSMPC]

I went from a CSW2.5 to a DD2. Not sure if im eventually going to throw up a full review but I can tell you it made a huge difference to me. I like running pretty moderate FFB. So in iracing I was constantly clipping. On high speed corners with alot of holding torque the 2.5 would feel dead to me. Just resistance fighting me and to me it felt like it was belts doing the job. But I would not feel the bumps or kerbs. Now with my DD2, holy sheit i had no idea how much detail I was missing. That fact that its holding torque is fighting me on corners yet still providing me the small details impresses the hell out of me. Im loving it so far. Ive already put up my 2.5 for sale with a few wheels. And the best part for me is that the DD2 just feels like resistance. It doesnt feel like belts or gears are fighting me. But like I said on the comment section of one of those vids. Everyone sensitivity is different. What might be enough FFb for me might be way to much for another.

 

[EsxPaul]

Shaun just confirmed that he has experienced grounding issues that were caused by his DD2. It might be just one of those rare cases though as most people seem to have no problems at all in that regard.

 

[RaceNut]

Ideally, any metal race-frame structure should be directly grounded, in addition to each electrical device.

Results can vary, even when things are grounded (partially) vs fully. For example: Over the winter, we had a storm that caused a tree-limb to break off and sever the main ground cable leading into our home. We could run certain devices in the house based on what the ground-status was; some lights, fridge, TV but, the system was too unstable to run our furnace, microwave, computers, etc. It was actually a very dangerous scenario that could have resulted in a fire.

 

[Mr Latte]

Ive not watched all of the videos yet, query I have though is for months I have read from DD owners of the detail increase felt from the wheel input. On these Fanatec models compared with other DD models. Can we apply settings to increase the felt details independently to the force output?

Or are these connected and determined by the strength setting applied for the wheel and based on the settings each Sim offers?

I had CSW1, CS Elite and T500RS so yes of course this would be a major upgrade for me but my perspective is not so much how better the Fanatec DD is to these type of wheels. Paying £1000 more for a Fanatec DD wheel to a 2.5 is maybe hard to justify as one guy commented in his video. Yet he was only using 50% strength in the limited time he has used it. How much is that limiting the potential of the wheel if at all?

However for me the question is not if its worth the extra over a 2.5 Its more about, is my extra £1000 better spent on a Fanatec DD wheel than a different make/model DD wheel.

 

[RCHeliguy]

However for me the question is not if its worth the extra over a 2.5 Its more about, is my extra £1000 better spent on a Fanatec DD wheel than a different make/model DD wheel.

This is a tough question.
On the one hand, Fanatec will likely be a standard and their wheels work and it will probably be very good and improve over time. Whether they will have a new version like the CSW 1, 2, 2.5 before they get it where they are happy is another story. The wire free is very nice and the power supplied to the wireless is nice.

A SimCube 2 Pro OTOH requires no cooling and they have been at this a while, so likely there won't be as many issues to work out. However with encryption coming you would likely be blocked from further use of Fanatec wheels.

 

[RobertR1]

This is a tough question.
On the one hand, Fanatec will likely be a standard and their wheels work and it will probably be very good and improve over time. Whether they will have a new version like the CSW 1, 2, 2.5 before they get it where they are happy is another story. The wire free is very nice and the power supplied to the wireless is nice.

A SimCube 2 Pro OTOH requires no cooling and they have been at this a while, so likely there won't be as many issues to work out. However with encryption coming you would likely be blocked from further use of Fanatec wheels.

You’ll also have a large selection of high end and custom wheels to choose from in the OSW/SC2 ecosystem.

One of the reasons I initially went straight to an osw for my first rig was due to my research on wheels.

 

[Tom E]

I couldn’t see this type of post anywhere and as I’m undecided on a DD1 or the PS4 version for extra compatibility right now thought I’d put this up, forgive me if it’s already been done.

I have decided against buying or recommending any more Fanatec purchases until they get their act together on customer service. I have over $2500 worth of their products and can't get them to respond on my latest purchase which has failed.
I can't even imagine being the test guinea pig on a $1000+ plus product....
If you do. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

 

[EsxPaul]

There's a live test stream featuring the DD1 going on at the moment if anyone is interested. The fella is cranking up the ffb quite hard whilst monitoring temps which is something I haven't seen done elsewhere till now:

 

[bluepeter]

In hindsight, I think I got a steal with my DD1 preorder for ~$1,020 shipped. I got the higher spec motor. On top of that I also have a $350 Fanatec loyalty reward as their apology for the delayed release that I can spend on anything they sell. The code expires in December 2019 and I've yet to decide. I am waiting to see if they release a podium circular rim this year with better button layout and paddle shifter position than their BMW GT2 rim.

I totally agree with you Blue. I won a DD1 in the auctions, paid 970euros and with the voucher for 350 I treated myself to the Formula V2 rim, stunning by the way.... Don't listen to those who believe the thumb rotary encoders are too weak, perhaps they have hands like a gorilla .... If the Podium proves to be reliable, Fanatec have a real winner on their hands......... I am really impressed with mine, it arrived Wed & I can't leave the frigging thing alone.... The only comment the wife made was ..... "Do you really need another black box" - lol... If only she knew.

Fanatec could really knock it out of the park when they release of the new software... let's see eh!!!!

 

[bluepeter]

Besides that, there are real issues reported.
- PSU catching fire
- noisy fans in wheel base and PSU
- buzzing noise, coil whine on PSU (the stuff Mika commented before)
- malfunctioning LED on wheel base
- QR (more like SR) issues
- Wheel hub not recognized by base
- Software still not available
Not a pleasant read for sure, I certainly wouldn't call it "overwhelming positive feedback".

Give it a break mate, why you so worried?.... enjoy the wheel you already own, there's no need to feel so threatened by Fanatec's offering.

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No, on second thoughts..... yes you do.lol.