RDTV: Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 Direct Drive Wheel Review

[Paul Jeffrey]

We get some time behind the wheel of the Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 direct drive wheel.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had plenty of experience with direct drive wheels in my time, in fact I’ve got the SimCube OSW device attached to my rig right now, but I’ve never had the opportunity to spend much quality time with the Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 wheel... until now.

Having taken hold of the most current in the range of direct drive wheels from Leo Bodnar just prior to Christmas, I was excited to get it bolted to my rig and put it through its paces in a number of both old and new racing sims. From golden oldies like Race07 by SimBin, right the way though to the latest and greatest on offer from Kunos Simulazioni, the benefits of the DD really did shine through right from the very start.

Immediately before one even spends any serious time within your sim of choice, you are struck by the simplicity of setting up the wheel software. Unlike the OSW devices of which I’m more familiar, the SimSteering2 presents the user with a relatively sparse amount of customization opportunities within its own software. Initially this caused me some concern, as I understandably feared that lack of options would equate to minimal opportunity to tweak the wheel to my liking within my sim of choice - however these fears would prove to be unfounded once I took to the virtual circuit, and very quickly the minimal amount of tweaking and editing required would become one of the strongest features of the wheel. Without having to spend hours making adjustments and researching on the internet, I found a very solid and satisfying experience almost straight out of the box. Anyone reading this who’s gone down the rabbit hole of wheel adjustment testing with other manufacturers, will no doubt share my beliefs that driving is far more fun than near endless tweaking and testing...

With setup now quickly and easily taken care of, it was time for the fun to start. As I said earlier, I’ve given this a good test in many of the key sims, and in each and every one the improvements were noticeable and impressive, none more so than with rFactor 2, where using a DD wheel like this lifts the simulation into a brand new range of greatness... pretty much reason enough to go out and join the DD bandwagon all on its own...

Now I’m not going to spend time here discussing the wheel in more detail, you can check the video out at the head of the article for that, but what I will end on is this:

The Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 is very expensive, but cash is all relative to your own situation and expectations. After all, what price can you put on love at first sight?


Find out more about Leo Bodnar SimSteering2 Direct Drive wheel HERE.

For anyone who is interested, you can find my personal in game and on wheel settings for a bunch of sims HERE (as of Nov 2019)​

 

[GuitarTech]

Bingo!

I've seen a $16,000 RC jet come down in a fire ball. The owner wasn't happy, but you don't fly anything you can't afford to lose. He had others and his next was even more expensive.

RC helis are a weird sport like auto racing where you expect to crash and rebuild periodically. It's just part of the game.

I know people who race real cars out of their own pocket without sponsors. An expensive D-box, Leo Bodnar setup doesn't scratch the surface of the costs involved.

EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE.

Tell me about RC Heli flying: the last time the weather allowed me to fly, I did €150 of damage with an "alternative" landing ( crash ) Parts ordered, re-build and wait for flying weather. And repeat...

 

[RCHeliguy]

Tell me about RC Heli flying: the last time the weather allowed me to fly, I did €150 of damage with an "alternative" landing ( crash ) Parts ordered, re-build and wait for flying weather. And repeat...

You got off cheap!. I only fly 700's and larger. My last crash required ordering parts from Germany and new blades for my TDR.

I think I tend to average about $350 a crash, but it's been as high as $800.

 

[GuitarTech]

You got off cheap!. I only fly 700's and larger. My last crash required ordering parts from Germany and new blades for my TDR.

I think I tend to average about $350 a crash, but it's been as high as $800.

Chapeau I have a Blade 230S trainer and a Walkera V450D03. And a Walkera V120D02S that I don't fly any more. (for sale)
I've been searching for a used 600'er for some time, a 700'er is too big to fly here in Germany
(land of rules and regulations) And most of the used stuff is with flybar, old and tired. I'm looking for one with an FBL system, and ideally with a belt drive tail. They're cheaper to repair than a shaft driven when you crash
I only have a licence for up to 5kg start weight , and building a 700'er with 12S batterys that doesn't weigh more than 5kg is difficult, when not impossible. To fly over 5kg I need special permission from the German flight authority, and I have to fly in a club. But I'm a free-flyer, no time for all that club nonsense. The search goes on....

 

[Furnace Inferno]

So let me see if I understand this thread.

If someone can afford a Ferrari, I should make fun of him for being a fool since you could buy an upcoming mid engined Corvette much cheaper and is should be as good?

We all have a financial pain point. I'd love to have a Tesla Model S right now, but I work from home and only put about 8K miles a year on my car and I'm waiting for battery technology to both improve and drop in price. I can't justify it for myself yet.

I have friends who own Tesla's. Do I tell them how stupid they are not to wait like I am? No, I'm very happy they are keeping Tesla in business so they can continue to evolve the cars until one day I decide it is the right time for me.

It sounds like there are a lot of jealous people who just want to feel better by tearing others down.

I tend to just ignore such comments now, there’s is no reasoning with such people and if someone truly believes a G27 is as good as it gets and can simulate a real car as well as a DD then I feel it’s better to leave them be. Ignorance is bliss as they say, the upgrade bug when something isn’t quite as good as you were looking for isn’t exactly a fun thing!

 

[RCHeliguy]

Chapeau I have a Blade 230S trainer and a Walkera V450D03. And a Walkera V120D02S that I don't fly any more. (for sale)
I've been searching for a used 600'er for some time, a 700'er is too big to fly here in Germany
(land of rules and regulations) And most of the used stuff is with flybar, old and tired. I'm looking for one with an FBL system, and ideally with a belt drive tail. They're cheaper to repair than a shaft driven when you crash
I only have a licence for up to 5kg start weight , and building a 700'er with 12S batterys that doesn't weigh more than 5kg is difficult, when not impossible. To fly over 5kg I need special permission from the German flight authority, and I have to fly in a club. But I'm a free-flyer, no time for all that club nonsense. The search goes on....

Henseleit actually has a new ultra lightweight 700. I'm talking crazy light weight for low head speeds. The TDF is already below the German limits and is typically 7S to 10S.

Mikado's 600SX is a great flier. I have a Mikado 550Sx I sometimes use to warm up. It's also a great flier.

 

[GuitarTech]

Henseleit actually has a new ultra lightweight 700. I'm talking crazy light weight for low head speeds. The TDF is already below the German limits and is typically 7S to 10S.

Mikado's 600SX is a great flier. I have a Mikado 550Sx I sometimes use to warm up. It's also a great flier.

Henseleit actually has a new ultra lightweight 700. I'm talking crazy light weight for low head speeds. The TDF is already below the German limits and is typically 7S to 10S.

Mikado's 600SX is a great flier. I have a Mikado 550Sx I sometimes use to warm up. It's also a great flier.

Here in Germany, a new 600SX v2 costs around €500 as a kit. Then I need 4 Servos, FBL, reciever etc etc. Ready to fly you're looking at maybe €1000?, too much for my situation at the moment. And my wife would kill me
I'm trying to find a used 600'er for €400-500 tops.
Otherwise I'll just keep on flying my trusty V450 until something turns up

 

[RCHeliguy]

Here in Germany, a new 600SX v2 costs around €500 as a kit. Then I need 4 Servos, FBL, reciever etc etc. Ready to fly you're looking at maybe €1000?, too much for my situation at the moment. And my wife would kill me
I'm trying to find a used 600'er for €400-500 tops.
Otherwise I'll just keep on flying my trusty V450 until something turns up

Keeping your wife happy is always the smart move, and it never makes sense to spend money on RC Helis that you are not comfortable flushing down the toilet. They are not an investment and right now the market is shrinking.

That said Helifreak has some good deals on used helis these days because the market is shrinking.

 

[metalnwood]

Nm is a measure of torque.

If you increase the weight of a wheel or the diameter which increases the lever arm of the weight than you need more torque or Nm to keep up everything else being equal.

Torque is all about acceleration or the ability to change direction quickly. More Nm equal more fidelity to the signal.

Newtons is work done.
Nm is the second order of N or the ability to change. N * m

I think if you look at the original question is wasn't as simple as this. It is true that 1Nm is 1Nm and it doesn't change based on the diameter of the rim. A small rim with 1Nm will be harder to hold than a large diameter rim with 1Nm but it's true that it is still 1Nm of torque being applied.

The question was asking if the system, servo drive in this case, may deliver more power to make up for a heavier rim and the answer is that it could depending on how it is implemented. A system that just says deliver 1Nm force to either rim may not, one that is asking it to accelerate at a specific value may need to provide more power to the motor for it to achieve that with a heavier rim.

 

[T_rac3]

We are ready to pay for the illusion more than for real things

simulation equipment price are equal to prepare a real car for the race

I think you are completely wrong here. What is the cost of real life racing? It is not just the car you have to prepare it once!!!! You have to work on car after every race. You need team. And even you work yourself to the car, you need to go to the race tracks, you need fuel, you need tires, you need ... a LOT of stuff which cost a LOT of money. If you want, I can calculate how much will cost for me to go to Nurburgring with a race car to spend there 2 days. I guarantee is more then LB Simteering2 wheel, and just for ONE real life experience. If you want to do this for a regular basis at least every weekend you must be very very rich. Of course no job, to have time to prepare the car by yourself, no team, remember?
So this is nonsense. Simracing it is much cheaper then real life racing. And the most important: YOU CAN'T DIE OR REMAIN WITHOUT LEGS ONLINE

 

[homecalendar]

I think you are completely wrong here. What is the cost of real life racing? It is not just the car you have to prepare it once!!!! You have to work on car after every race. You need team. And even you work yourself to the car, you need to go to the race tracks, you need fuel, you need tires, you need ... a LOT of stuff which cost a LOT of money. If you want, I can calculate how much will cost for me to go to Nurburgring with a race car to spend there 2 days. I guarantee is more then LB Simteering2 wheel, and just for ONE real life experience. If you want to do this for a regular basis at least every weekend you must be very very rich. Of course no job, to have time to prepare the car by yourself, no team, remember?
So this is nonsense. Simracing it is much cheaper then real life racing. And the most important: YOU CAN'T DIE OR REMAIN WITHOUT LEGS ONLINE

I understand you. And your position is typical for simracer. But this is the replacement of concepts. We are taught that illusion is real life, that it is safer and cheaper. That is what scares me.

 

[T_rac3]

We are taught that illusion is real life, that it is safer and cheaper. That is what scares me.

RELAX, don't worry, don't be scarred. I would switch in ... milliseconds the illusion for real life experience if I get some offer. In fact this is my DREAM. Real racing cars, tracks, adrenaline, girls, beer .... EVERYTHING. And I'm sure everyone here will give it a try if someone give them the opportunity. We are grownup mens. We know what is sim and what is real.
And let me repeat this "it is SAFER and A LOT CHEAPER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" This is a fact, nobody taught me this, or brain wash me to believe this. I like cars and racing them and can not afford it in real life. If real life wasn't so expensive we didn't had this conversation. I would be busy driving my (for example) Aston Martin Vantage GT3 around ALL TRACK IN THE WORLD

 

[Petey Spangles]

I understand you. And your position is typical for simracer. But this is the replacement of concepts. We are taught that illusion is real life, that it is safer and cheaper. That is what scares me.

Could you explain how sim racing isn't safer or cheaper than the real thing?

"We are taught that illusion is real life"
Who is teaching us that? Can you give any examples?

 

[homecalendar]

Could you explain how sim racing isn't safer or cheaper than the real thing?

"We are taught that illusion is real life"
Who is teaching us that? Can you give any examples?

Bro, you're already in the matrix. You can't be saved

 

[Petey Spangles]

Bro, you're already in the matrix. You can't be saved

Ah, the flat earther argument model.
Make grand statements and then avoid answering straight questions while acting like you're an intellectually superior, enlightened soul.

 

[RCHeliguy]

When I first drove a Rally B car in VR, my first thought was that I would never in a million years do this in real life and that this was fun!

I've taken flight instruction and got up through my solo on a Cessna 152 and I've flown a sailplane, both in real life.

I've flown all kinds of planes and helicopters in VR. I'll never fly an F15, P51, Huey in real life, but this is fun!

These are games, and the immersion factor makes them fun. Sure I could spend $30,000 to get a helicopter license, but I don't have the time or inclination and it is not a high enough priority in my life for me to spend that on it.

I fly RC Helis, mountain bike, and do many other activities in real life. VR is fantasy, but it is fun!

For a decade I was hard core into slalom skiing, and had a tournament ski boat and house boat, etc.. That was exciting and a lot of fun.

I've gotten plenty of real life injuries, but I would never put myself behind the wheel of a real Rally car on the cliffs of Greece or go airborne in Finland.

VR is my safe gateway to a level of excitement I'll never experience in real life.

VR is a great way to PLAY with many things.

 

[homecalendar]

Ah, the flat earther argument model.
Make grand statements and then avoid answering straight questions while acting like you're an intellectually superior, enlightened soul.

This is not a statement. I just feel that there is something wrong with this world. If you dont feel the same, I will not prove to you the opposite with any arguments.

 

[Petey Spangles]

This is not a statement. I just feel that there is something wrong with this world. If you dont feel the same, I will not prove to you the opposite with any arguments.

These seem an awful lot like statements to me.
Nonsense statements, but statements nontheless...

It is absurd that real life is replaced by a simulation.

the brain can no longer analyze that hi level simulation equipment price are equal to prepare a real car for the race.

We are taught that illusion is real life, that it is safer and cheaper.

If you feel that strongly, why do you have a problem with explaining your point of view when asked to elaborate?

 

[T_rac3]

I just feel that there is something wrong with this world

I MUST agree with that " Is something wrong with this world" I'm tired from how often I repeat this to everyone.
With a small correction. It is wrong in other places far, far away from simracing. And in the places MORE, MORE (please insert here so much MORE you can) important than simracing .

 

[RCHeliguy]

Electric cars are coming in mass. Self driving cars are maturing.

We may soon have a generation who never experience driving and see it as something nostalgic.

So..... sim racing may become real car racing.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[homecalendar]

I MUST agree with that " Is something wrong with this world" I'm tired from how often I repeat this to everyone.
With a small correction. It is wrong in other places far, far away from simracing. And in the places MORE, MORE (please insert here so much MORE you can) important than simracing .

Yes, I agree, but here we are discussing simracing.