And how are you finding it...?
been following this as in same position as you (were!).
Wanted Newbie wheel / pedals setup (UK)
- Thread starter Mike_J_Smith
- Start date
been following this as in same position as you (were!).
It’s pretty awesome to be honest. The wheelbase is strong and seems accurate and fast to respond. I don’t have much previous experience so can’t compare but I am very happy with it. It adds massively to the driving experience, even if I haven’t matched my best controller times just yet; but I can feel that I’m getting more in tune with it every use.
One thing that’s clear is that the desk clamp set up is far from ideal, both in use and also practically as the unit is heavy and awkward to fit every time. The pedals are no good on carpet, so I had to DIY a solution. So now I’m looking at sim rigs, triple monitor set ups etc .
I had some issues with the setup as it kept on dropping the drivers, but a wipe/reinstall and some messing about appears to have sorted it. I had a scare the second time I used it as the force feed back stopped working in game and from the Fanatec software. I thought I had been sold an eBay dud but it was just the firmware.
Otherwise; the pedals and wheel are good; although I would say aren’t in the same league as the wheelbase. The pedals don’t have much feel compared to the force feedback of the wheelbase, so it feels a little imbalanced in my view. I don’t think they need to be changed any time soon, but are probably first on the upgrade list. The wheel is fine, just not as cool as some others!
Overall I’d recommend it completely. EBay always feels a bit of a gamble, but you’re pretty well covered as a buyer.
justageezer
Premium
Good to hear the setup is working OK Mike, it took me a while to match my gamepad times with a wheel, but as you get used to it you get quicker.
The CSW 2.5 is probably the best belt-drive base that ever was or will be made - Direct Drive units do have advantages (which is why that's all anyone makes above a certain price now), but not enough to justify the current price difference IMO, what with CSWs being so cheap.
The weak spot is Fanatec's software - every driver / firmware release fixes a list of bugs for some uses - and seems to introduce a bunch of new ones for different users
This is pretty common across the hobby, AFAIK no manufacturer has perfect software, but it can obviously suck if you're the one with the currently unfixed bug - hopefully your setup will be stable.
If you have room for a permanent setup there are some amazing rigs to choose from - as I use a homemade fold-up rig I can't advise specifically, but probably the most important feature is rigidity, as you'll be bolting what is effectively a shake-engine to it A rig can't be too sturdy.
Re pedals I think you can get a load-cell upgrade for the CSL brake pedal, but if you can find some CSW v3s then you get a clutch as well, and they're pretty bullet-proof - though unfortunately rarely cheap. Playing on PC you're not limited to Fanatec stuff, but I can't think of any pedals of comparable quality that you're likely to find for about the same price.
Happy Racing,
Paul
The CSW 2.5 is probably the best belt-drive base that ever was or will be made - Direct Drive units do have advantages (which is why that's all anyone makes above a certain price now), but not enough to justify the current price difference IMO, what with CSWs being so cheap.
The weak spot is Fanatec's software - every driver / firmware release fixes a list of bugs for some uses - and seems to introduce a bunch of new ones for different users
This is pretty common across the hobby, AFAIK no manufacturer has perfect software, but it can obviously suck if you're the one with the currently unfixed bug - hopefully your setup will be stable.If you have room for a permanent setup there are some amazing rigs to choose from - as I use a homemade fold-up rig I can't advise specifically, but probably the most important feature is rigidity, as you'll be bolting what is effectively a shake-engine to it
A rig can't be too sturdy.Re pedals I think you can get a load-cell upgrade for the CSL brake pedal, but if you can find some CSW v3s then you get a clutch as well, and they're pretty bullet-proof - though unfortunately rarely cheap. Playing on PC you're not limited to Fanatec stuff, but I can't think of any pedals of comparable quality that you're likely to find for about the same price.
Happy Racing,
Paul
I’ve just ordered a GT Omega Prime Lite! And a 34” monitor; depending on how that goes if I swap to triple screen, large widescreen or VR then it can become my desktop monitor so won’t be wasted money.Good to hear the setup is working OK Mike, it took me a while to match my gamepad times with a wheel, but as you get used to it you get quicker.
The CSW 2.5 is probably the best belt-drive base that ever was or will be made - Direct Drive units do have advantages (which is why that's all anyone makes above a certain price now), but not enough to justify the current price difference IMO, what with CSWs being so cheap.
The weak spot is Fanatec's software - every driver / firmware release fixes a list of bugs for some uses - and seems to introduce a bunch of new ones for different users
If you have room for a permanent setup there are some amazing rigs to choose from - as I use a homemade fold-up rig I can't advise specifically, but probably the most important feature is rigidity, as you'll be bolting what is effectively a shake-engine to it
Re pedals I think you can get a load-cell upgrade for the CSL brake pedal, but if you can find some CSW v3s then you get a clutch as well, and they're pretty bullet-proof - though unfortunately rarely cheap. Playing on PC you're not limited to Fanatec stuff, but I can't think of any pedals of comparable quality that you're likely to find for about the same price.
Happy Racing,
Paul
I tried the Oculus Quest for VR. No motion sickness or dizziness and I loved be able to look around freely. I wasn’t keen on the resolution or focus though; perhaps a different headset would be better for resolution and for focus maybe I need to adjust them a bit more thoroughly. I definitely have one eye that’s not so good at close focussing - perhaps some prescription glasses could help there. There is definitely potential there though so it’s definitely something I’ll keep in mind.
justageezer
Premium
The Quest 3 and Pro both have much better lenses than the v2, clear from side to side instead of blurry around one clear sweet spot. (IPD adjustment on the 2 is vital). The Pro also has more room for glasses, and you can even get prescription inserts for it if needed.
You can pick up new Pros from eBay for about the same price as a new 3 (£500ish), no warranty unless the seller has the original receipt, but Pros were £1500 new a couple of months back so if you prefer that design (or need the extra features like eye-tracking over the 3) they're a decent if admittedly not cheap option.
And when you start pricing up three decent monitors and a sturdy stand to hold them up then a decent VR headset can actually be cheaper, as well as much easier to store Also cheaper to run, if that's important to you.
With a decent-ish PC* I can run every VR sim I've tried with Good to Ultra settings (depending on how recent the game is) at a solid 90 FPS on the Pro or 120 on the Quest 2 (the max each headset supports), at the native 4k per eye resolution or higher. It's not quite as pretty as e.g. a recent Forza running at 300+ FPS at 144 Hz or more on a decent 4K / 8K monitor, but more than pretty (and stable) enough for very enjoyable racing.
There a re a ton of guides for VR settings in every game - I'd just recommend using the Oculus debug tool to actually monitor in-game FPS and adjust your game and graphics settings to give you your preferred mix of FPS and eye-candy.
*FYI I'm running an i9-11900f / RX6800 / 32Gb RAM, so not exactly cutting edge these days.
HTH,
Paul
You can pick up new Pros from eBay for about the same price as a new 3 (£500ish), no warranty unless the seller has the original receipt, but Pros were £1500 new a couple of months back so if you prefer that design (or need the extra features like eye-tracking over the 3) they're a decent if admittedly not cheap option.
And when you start pricing up three decent monitors and a sturdy stand to hold them up then a decent VR headset can actually be cheaper, as well as much easier to store
Also cheaper to run, if that's important to you.With a decent-ish PC* I can run every VR sim I've tried with Good to Ultra settings (depending on how recent the game is) at a solid 90 FPS on the Pro or 120 on the Quest 2 (the max each headset supports), at the native 4k per eye resolution or higher. It's not quite as pretty as e.g. a recent Forza running at 300+ FPS at 144 Hz or more on a decent 4K / 8K monitor, but more than pretty (and stable) enough for very enjoyable racing.
There a re a ton of guides for VR settings in every game - I'd just recommend using the Oculus debug tool to actually monitor in-game FPS and adjust your game and graphics settings to give you your preferred mix of FPS and eye-candy.
*FYI I'm running an i9-11900f / RX6800 / 32Gb RAM, so not exactly cutting edge these days.
HTH,
Paul
A quick update of where I am now; a new (to me) Fanatec Formula wheel, GT Omega Prime Lite rig and Dell 34” monitor.
I’ve moved my office around a bit and now have lots of space if I decide to change to triple screens in the future
I also got a micro wireless keyboard so I don’t have to try and stretch my neck using the rig screen from my main computer desk.
This was my son’s room before, hence the dark blue walls, ceiling and woodwork! It’s so dark in there that even with the light on I can hardly see in that corner, will have to paint at least the ceiling at some point
I’ve moved my office around a bit and now have lots of space if I decide to change to triple screens in the future
I also got a micro wireless keyboard so I don’t have to try and stretch my neck using the rig screen from my main computer desk.
This was my son’s room before, hence the dark blue walls, ceiling and woodwork! It’s so dark in there that even with the light on I can hardly see in that corner, will have to paint at least the ceiling at some point
wow that escalated quickly.... great setup and similar to what mine will be once funds permit. Enjoy
Yeah I went for it! Need to stop spending for now though! I sold a few bits from other hobbies to fund it.
The set up is great. Mainly playing ACC and mainly at Monza; trying out a few different cars. Also had a go at Dirt 2.0 which is great fun but really hard as a novice to work out how to drive.
I’ve changed the positioning of everything on the rig over the weekend and it all feels a bit better now.
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