Should I upgrage my steering wheel and pedals or just my pedals?

[John Kerry]

Hi all, I am currently using a Logitech Driving Force GT wheel and pedals and was curious if I could just upgrage my pedals instead of both the wheel and pedals. I don't have much of a budget and I was not looking to upgrade past say a Thrustmaster T300 (second hand).

Any advice will be appreciated and any reasonable suggestions please. Thank you in advance.

 

[bassun]

So I too am running the DFGT. I cannot say that I am even remotely impressed with the FF on the wheel, lol. The pedals, meh. I did the sponge mod, which really makes only a minor impact, but I kind of feel like its as much about what you get used to vs what is technically the most advanced. I don't left foot brake in my daily driver, but I 100% LFB while in the rig. Muscle memory is muscle memory - I kind of feel like mixed with what little tactile I have added for lock and wheel slip - the little plastic things do well enough. I am fine with the light pressure, and don't crave having to stand on the brakes to increase realism. I also prefer to race in socks - so I'm not sure for me that I would even like better pedals. (That said, I may eventually be like -- YOU FOOL! You should have upgraded years ago!)

My question is more about the wheels. I'm not looking to upgrade today - but - I suspect that eventually the bug will hit me too hard or the old DFGT will give up the ghost and I will have to make the move. The question is do I move to something mid-grade, or is that really just a stop gap to DD? I'm kind of thinking if I make a change, it may make sense to bite the bullet and go DD, especially if costs ever start to come down. Everyone talks about how much force they can drive with DD. I don't care about turning hard, honestly, I'd rather keep it light -- but I would like that instant feedback, that more precise recognition of input. I *think* I would like a DD wheel but I'd kind of like some feedback from those who have went from wheels like the DFGT and moved up, especially if you made two moves - cheap to mid - then again to DD.

Would you have skipped the mid-grade and went strait to DD if you could do it again? Was it really worth it, especially coming from a mid-grade? Is it really worth the upgrade from a DFGT to midgrade? I'm no alien. I will never spend enough time in game to be an alien. My brain says mid-grade is as good as I need to go... but want's are of course saying DD. So, some input from others who have been there, done that would be handy!

 

[dud]

I'll never understand how pedals are more important than a wheel. We watch the screen, add infomation (brakes turning etc), feel the feedback, watch, adjust...etc. it's a loop. So anyone saying pedals matter more, I don't see it exactly the same way. Yes good pedals can make your braking input more consistent, but it won't make the feedback from the system any better....and some of us never had a problem with even super cheapo brakes...but a good wheel can give you tons of information to respond to imho. Cuz what does it matter if your brakes are nice but you don't feel the subtle changes in car balance as your using them?

That said, the T300 was an AMAZING upgrade from me and even with the 2 pedal plastic brakes.....it's was great. Feedback was a LARGE improvement. I now use a csw2.5 but the T300 is a great wheel imho.

I think those who say that pedals are more important are talking from a standpoint of already having a T300.

 

[AccAkut]

I think those who say that pedals are more important are talking from a standpoint of already having a T300.

Or have really shitty pedals Going from stock DFGT pedals to my modded G25 pedals was a huge step, but probably because the former and my size 14 feet never really fit together.

 

[Daniel R.]

Hey Folks,
so some oppinions from me for the topic.

When i restarted sim racing 6 years ago i also started with a used DFGT and it´s stock pedals.
Two years later it wasn´t recognized anymore by windows, so i upgraded on a T300RS.
In the meantime i developed my own loadcell pedals absed on a real pedalbox from OBP.

The first races with them where not that well since i wasn´t used to loadcell brakes.
Then in a RD club race in RF2 the coin dropped all of a sudden.

Since then i can honestly say, that loadcell pedals are a big upgrade over any Logitech or TM pedal.

The key fact, and you can read that very often, is muscle memory. With my loadcell brakes i am way more consistent on the brake.
It´s easier to hit my braking marker with the optimal amount of brake pressure perfectly. And this over and over again in every lap. This alone makes you faster and more consistent.
Plus it´s also easier to not lock wheels on first brake input and while breaking into a corner, therefore making it a lot easier to get past others under braking.
The second big leap is modulating the brake. F.e. the car is understeering in mid corner. Gently touching the brakes (short impulses) to get more weight on front axle and therefore make the car turn is much easier or let´s say natural than with non LC pedals.
Another thing that is easier with loadcell pedals is Heel and Toe techniques in H-shifted cars.
Since you basically stay solid with your foot on the brake while braking it is easier to blip since you do not modulate the brake accidently while blipping. You stand solid on your brake pedal. It´s something that works better with loadcell pedals compared to "normal" spring and potentiometer pedal systems as Logitech or TM from my own experience.

So my oppinion is, that loadcell brakes are a very good upgrade and make you faster ones your used to it.

Maybe you should find somebody near you where you could try loadcell pedals for a longer time period. Choose a car and track and drive for some time. Maybe you then feel what i mean one day.

Cheers Dan

 

[bassun]

I would like to amend part of my previous statement. I had been mostly running one car for a while, and in that scenario muscle memory on braking (even with the DFGT sponge mod brakes) is do(ish)able.
However, lately I've been jumping back and forth between cars and holy heck. I think the big problem was going from an ABS to non-ABS back to back. Specifically iRacing MX5 to Street Stock. It took no time to get back to meh lap times in the SS after running the MX5 for about a week. For me that is say 23.7ish, the problem was maybe 1 in 3 or 4 laps I was too hot on the brakes and times would drop even lower (24's). It took me a full race to get down to consistent 23.3's, (yes, I am no alien lol). Race 2, I was P5 at the start - avoided a wreck and was P2 before T1 on L2. And trying to get back on P1's tail I came out of T2 hard. Too hard. Quick spin and a trip to the pits, back of the pack. Ok... time to work on the SR. Came out again behind P1. Ran 23.3's dead consistent minus letting P2 and P3 by to race for the win, and a few blips while following the leaders past lapped cars.

Now this is NOT a story of a fabled drive or good laps, I did take P6 in the end, which I was ok with...but I was able to at least stay with the leaders and had I not made a mistake should have been fighting for the win. What I did note was how long it took for me to get that left foot back to the right spot. I cannot help but to think it would have been much easier with a good load cell. So while I do think cheap, soft pedals can work OK -- I think there is a strong likely-hood that a load cell is better when you change cars. Speculation based on observance of others, sure -- but, when basically everyone says that bird is a duck --- it's probably a duck.

 

[bn880]

I would vote for getting a good set of Loadcell pedals first if you are on a lower budget. It's specifically for the LC brake pedal. As long as your wheel is still useful.