G27 holding back my enjoyment?

[dcully]

Hi all, im a long time simracer since back in the GPL VROC days.
Ive always considered myself a casual simracer but i have played them all,i never had a proper cockpit setup just a desktop with wheel attached, it suits me as i play a lot of other types of games on PC.
My sims of choice are R3E,ACC,AC,AMS [iracing if it ever drops in price] but lately im just not getting the buzz i once had and i find myself playing other types of games even more and the wheel detached from the desk more and more.
This got me thinking is my cheapo sim gear ie G27 partly to blame, i look on with envy at all the amazing quality sim gear available but i always find i put my money into the PC hardware for top performance with all games and just buy a cheapish wheel to scratch that simracing itch again mainyl because i play all sorts of games not just racing sims.
The net result is im considering a more expensive wheel if there really is a huge difference say compared to a G27?
DD wheels are just out of the question but im thinking something around the €500 mark might not be a bad choice, again if its a big difference compared to a G27?
Thought appreciated, thanks for reading

 

[Jeremy Ford]

I went a different direction, and I also have driven since the GPL days. I went the TSW route with no Force feedback. It mounts to my desk, and my pedals are setup upside down under my desk with them hanging down like in a normal car. I also built up a small wooden stand to put them on so they don't move at all.
But the small approx. 180 rotation is what drives me crazy. I've had the setup for probably 15 years or more. Its gone from analog to digital USB hookup.
What would be my best upgrade to get to a better more rotation wheel ?
I don't need Force feedback just more rotation and durability>
Any suggestions ?

TSW produce a 720-degree version now, that may be your best option. Every other wheel on the market has force feedback. Any non-FFB wheels are cheap plastic kids toy constructions with restricted rotation.

 

[smasha]

I can’t fit a big Thrustmaster or Fanatec on my desk so I have kept my g27 which I have used for 7 or 8 years with no issues.

I usually bump up the minimum ffb a notch or two but limit the overall gain to 80 percent and turn down the superfluous fx like surface ffb which can cause rattling,I just want to feel the steering ffb and when dialled in right,the g27 still provides a great driving experience.

I tune my ffb like a compressor that is used for music,turns the soft bits up while turning the loud bits down,that way I can feel ffb all the time and it feels more stable to drive without any looseness,g27’s haven’t got the strength of the more expensive wheels so for durabilty sake ,I turn the gain down to around 80 percent overall gain in sim,in the Logitech Profiler,I leave the ffb at 100 percent,spring and damper at 0 percent.

Of course I would love a dd wheel but haven’t the space here.

 

[dcully]

Well im still simracing more than i have for a few years so im very much considering an upgrade from G27.
Im not looking to spend an awful lot , i was thinking of a fanatec csl elite v2.5 but with pedals its working out more than im comfortable spending.
How does the standard csl elite stack up?

The T300RS GT edition its not overly expensive, is it a big upgrade from a G27?

 

[newbert]

For simracing I have used most Logitech wheels, from the MOMO Force, to the G25 and G27, so I am very familiar with these wheels.

Finally this weekend my Thrustmaster TX arrived. I am simply blown away by the force feedback experience. The force, the smoothness and the level of detail. I am still getting adapted to it and I am currently a bit slower, but I have to say that is considerable easier for me to catch slides and feel the limit of grip.

I believe the G27 is still a decent wheel. It provides some good force feedback, but requires a bit of tweak on some sims (like the use of LUT on AC and ACC), while the TX seems to be just straight plug and play.

At the moment I am using the G27 pedals. Did not bother to try the horrible pedals the TX comes with.

I have similar experience as dcully and bsmooth, having started with GPL way back in the day. I moved from a TSW wheel and peds (solid as hell) to a Logi Momo because I wanted FFB.

Fast forward to today - I've been using a G29 wheel and just upgraded to Fanatec pedals. Now this thread has got me thinking about a new wheel. (It never ends, does it? ) But, like dcully, I'd rather not spend the big bucks. (My wheel is mounted on an old desk and that's what I expect to continue to use as "sim furniture".)

Fernando, your enthusiasm for overall improved experience of the Thrustmaster TX over the G27 has me thinking about rying one now. Would you have a link to what you bought? (Amazon seems to have a number of wheels called "Thrustmaster TX", so I'm a bit confused).

Thanks!

 

[Chrhun]

I found that when switching to VR I needed more convincing gear to match the experience. I went from G29 to full CSW kit and I've been very happy with it and it has indeed made racing much more enjoyable experience.

 

[Fernando Deutsch]

I have similar experience as dcully and bsmooth, having started with GPL way back in the day. I moved from a TSW wheel and peds (solid as hell) to a Logi Momo because I wanted FFB.

Fast forward to today - I've been using a G29 wheel and just upgraded to Fanatec pedals. Now this thread has got me thinking about a new wheel. (It never ends, does it? ) But, like dcully, I'd rather not spend the big bucks. (My wheel is mounted on an old desk and that's what I expect to continue to use as "sim furniture".)

Fernando, your enthusiasm for overall improved experience of the Thrustmaster TX over the G27 has me thinking about rying one now. Would you have a link to what you bought? (Amazon seems to have a number of wheels called "Thrustmaster TX", so I'm a bit confused).

Thanks!

Yes, the naming of Thrustmaster products is kinda confusing and you could end up with the wrong product.

This is exactly the product I acquired, on different places.

http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products/tx-racing-wheel-ferrari-458-italia-edition
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1008762-REG/thrustmaster_4469016_tx_racing_wheel_ferrari.html
https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster...ateway&sprefix=thrustmaster+tx,aps,240&sr=8-2

Pedals are HORRIBLE. I am currently using my G27 pedals while keeping the G27 connected. There is an adapter you can use to connect directly from the TX wheel to the G27 pedals without requiring the test of the G27 wheel connected.

 

[ThugUK]

I was in a similar boat to you.
I had the G27 but was losing interest in racing.
When I bought my Playseat it all changed. I then realised it wasn't racing I was losing interest in it was setting up my wheel and putting it away again. I just couldn't be bothered. Also the lack of 'feeling' being actually in a car, rather than sat at my desk.
When my Playseat was up and running I then became more interested in sim racing.
When I went VR I was even more hooked.

I now have a full motion rig, with Accuforce V2 DD wheel, Fanatec v3 pedals, gear shifter, hand brake, CV1 VR, a ButtKicker and now I cant get enough.
I'm still not very good at it, but I do enjoy it.

 

[Miguel Batista]

I think the first thing to do is make sure your G27 is setup properly. I recebtly tried my dfgt again coming from a ts-pc racer and once it was properly setup using AMS (min force 65% ffb -100% and 110% ffb on logitech profiler) and without a dedicated rig (usually use playseat challenge, used living room table and chair) I had quite a solid experience! I could feel wheel slip and self aligning torque and generaly knew what the car was doing (it was also quiter!). Biggest problem was the screen (15.6 inch laptop screen) and the dual pedal system (best dual pedals but that brake is just aweful). The wheel itself provided quite a nice experience. When i first picked plugged it in, it was all over the place and really not nice. Too ratty and no decent ffb at all.
I recently tried a T150 which was poorly setup. The experience was a lot worse than the one I had with the dfgt to the point where if that had been my first sim racing experience I would've thought it a fun gimmick but not worth a penny.
You need to make sure your wheel is properly setup!

Second, your driving position! This is, after wheel setup, the most important thing. As i mentioned, I wasn't using my playseat challenge with the dfgt but the chair I was using with the nice table height meant I had a comfortable and quasi realistic racing position which helps tons. And the table is heavy so it doesn't move about!

If your desk is not very good, consider trying setting up the wheel somewhere more solid that provides a better position. If you find that it changes things, consider getting a playseat challenge you can just pop out and play and keep the wheel attached to it. I have space issues at home and the challenge provides an amazing cheap and reliable solution to it. It is very good with my TS-PC although sometimes i can feel the slightest longitudinal flex so your G27 should feel right at home!
A CSW 2.5 could work too I believe but anything DD is a no go for the challenge.

Finally, after setting up your wheel properly and getting a nice driving position where pedals don't move about and the wheel is in a solid place, see if your enjoyment increases. If it doesn, then a new wheel might be the next step (though having a proper setup might make you feel like you already have a new wheel). If it doesn't, then chances are a new wheel is not going to make much of a difference.

 

[dcully]

My desk is really heavy its rock solid, driving position is very nice too and pedals do not move..
Really tempted to go with the CSL elite, my desk should be able for it.

 

[Miguel Batista]

My desk is really heavy its rock solid, driving position is very nice too and pedals do not move..
Really tempted to go with the CSL elite, my desk should be able for it.

And are you sure it is properly setup? Another thing worth considering if you have the computer for it is VR. For me VR gave me more immersion than any wheel.

 

[dcully]

Yes its setup correctly as per recommended settings per sim.
I have a very good PC 8600K @ 5ghz and 1080TI , i never considered VR as one of my eyes is very weak, not sure how it would work in VR.

 

[asteroulis]

i never considered VR as one of my eyes is very weak, not sure how it would work in VR.

I do too have a weak eye and I drive exclusively in Vr for the past 3 years. Its the same as in real world. You have stereoscopic vision and just one eye is weaker.. Go for it.

 

[Miguel Batista]

Yes its setup correctly as per recommended settings per sim.
I have a very good PC 8600K @ 5ghz and 1080TI , i never considered VR as one of my eyes is very weak, not sure how it would work in VR.

Recommended settings might not be the best. In my dfgt it feels much better with 110% on the logitech profiler with a 60% min force than 150% on logitech profiler and 40% min force.

 

[dcully]

I agree but ive grown to hate the notchy feeling from my G27.
I found a T300 with Ferrari alcantara wheel and t3pa pedals new for €369 , i dont think i will get better value anywhere else yet im still hesitating.

 

[Miguel Batista]

I agree but ive grown to hate the notchy feeling from my G27.
I found a T300 with Ferrari alcantara wheel and t3pa pedals new for €369 , i dont think i will get better value anywhere else yet im still hesitating.

Pedals are functional with the conical mod but I think the logitech 3 pedal set is better with the nixim mod. You can use yours I suppose.

The alcantara rim is amazing on a T300. Used to be my setup before upgrading to a ts-pc and it was almost as good. Super smooth ffb. Truly the bang for your buck king atm. For that price it is reasonable. You also have your g27 gear stick which is good. That price is really good for bew gear though so definitely go for it. Just remmeber to upgrade firmware to latest version so the fans are always on. Also consider removing power brick from inside case to increase longevity.

 

[dcully]

Pedals are functional with the conical mod but I think the logitech 3 pedal set is better with the nixim mod. You can use yours I suppose.

The alcantara rim is amazing on a T300. Used to be my setup before upgrading to a ts-pc and it was almost as good. Super smooth ffb. Truly the bang for your buck king atm. For that price it is reasonable. You also have your g27 gear stick which is good. That price is really good for bew gear though so definitely go for it. Just remmeber to upgrade firmware to latest version so the fans are always on. Also consider removing power brick from inside case to increase longevity.

Thanks for that, only thing holding me back is reliability, should i be worried?

 

[Miguel Batista]

Thanks for that, only thing holding me back is reliability, should i be worried?

With the latest firmware, not really. Fan will always be on. And after warranty is over, highly recommend removing power brick from inside the case as that will drastically lower temps! It will last a while if you take care of it imho. Mine broke after 2 years of non use and a borked driver installation. I reset it and brought it back to life a couple of times but I think it needed a new memory chip or something. It was a good wheel.

 

[RasmusP]

Thanks for that, only thing holding me back is reliability, should i be worried?

Look for the forced fan mode and if should be fine. From what I've read and heard basically every t300 fail was because of heat problems.
With the stock configuration the ffb might fade away or shut off but if you force the fan to always be at 100% (quite a bit annoyingly loud imo), it should last you very long

 

[dcully]

Thanks guys i just bought this.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/thru...ara-edition-pc-ps4-ps3-4168055-gc-069-th.html

 

[Miguel Batista]

Thanks guys i just bought this.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/thru...ara-edition-pc-ps4-ps3-4168055-gc-069-th.html

It will serve you well! Are you keeping the g27 shifter?