OK, so...as some of you may or may not know, I'm currently using a plain old DFGT with stock pedals only. Truth be told, I'm fairly satisfied with that, as surprising as many may find it - I've modded the brake to be considerably stiffer and more progressive, so it's actually quite passable. The FFB is acceptable to me as well and I like the ton of buttons the wheel has, plus I'm quite fond of using the sequential shifter as a handbrake in rally games. The only real annoyances to me are how loud the wheel is (both the gear rattle with some FFB effects and the gear whine when moving the wheel fast to catch slides or something like that) and the fact I feel the wheel has a fair bit of resistance when I need to move it fast. But I'm on a tight budget, so I can't complain much.
Currently, however, it looks like I might (or might not still, but hopefully yes) be able to invest some money into upgrading. Who wouldn't want to upgrade, right? But based on the fact my simracing budget is still very limited, I'm considering several options and I'm not sure which way to go to get the best for my buck.
What I'm considering:
1. Keep the DFGT and buy some better pedals. I was originally planning on getting the 2 pedal CSL Elite version to replace the DFGT stock pedals, with the option to eventually upgrade to the loadcell version in the future. Currently, I'd be able to just get the loadcell version straight away, though I'm not sure how sensible that is for me - I'm just an office chair racer, I don't have a rig. Obvious downside - I'm still using the clunky and noisy DFGT. Obvious upside - I'm still using the DFGT with all of its buttons and shifter.
2. Getting Logitech G29 with the H-shifter. Not sure how much of an upgrade over DFGT this is. Obviously this gets me a full setup with a decent pedals including clutch and an H-shifter, which is nice, though it seems the H-shifter is kinda bad. And I still have all those buttons to use, given that the wheel is basically a souped up DFGT when it comes to its design. But I'm not sure if it makes sense to replace DFGT with G29 when it comes to FFB and noise - it seems like G29 might still be kinda clunky and noisy, though it seems like the gear whine is greatly lowered and the wheel does not have as much resistance to turn. So maybe...?
3. Getting T150/TMX Pro. From what I've seen and read, getting T150/TMX could actually be considered upgrade when it comes to FFB feel, wheel resistance and noise, and it's supposedly quite close in feel to their more pricier offerings. And by getting the Pro version, I'm also getting a semi-decent set of pedals with clutch (T3PA's) that could be further modded. I wouldn't need a clutch as getting the TH8A along with it would probably not be an option right now (not sure yet), but I guess having a clutch pedal doesn't hurt anyway and I could eventually get the shifter in the future. I'm not worried much about the cheap "toyish" feel of the wheel people talk about - I don't think it'd be much different than DFGT and I don't have a problem with that. Obvious downside - I lose quite a few of the buttons and the sequential shifter.
4. Getting T300. Obviously the biggest upgrade when it comes to wheel itself. Despite the worryingly frequent reports of bad T300 reliability and subpar build quality, it's obviously the best of the wheels mentioned here. Obvious downside - the pedals. I'd just be going from one fairly bad pedal set to another fairly bad pedal set. Getting the set with T3PA's would not be an option right now or in near future, so I'd be stuck with the stock T300 pedals. And I'd obviously again lose the buttons and the sequential shifter, just like with the T150/TMX.
5. Getting TX. Most of what I've mentioned with T300 obviously applies, though I'm not sure how the reliability problems of T300 relate to TX. And the default TX rim (Ferrari Alitalia) looks really bad and really cheap to me (I think I like the T150/TX more, to be honest). The upside (and the main reason I'm even considering the TX) is that I could maybe get the TX cheaper than the T300, which might mean I could be closer to getting T3PA's this way.
So, yeah.
Any thoughts and comments (or other options I haven't considered) on this welcome. Obviously this is something I have to decide for myself, but it's good to hear others thoughts on it.
BTW, please bear in mind that "just wait and save some more money" is not really an option - I either get something now (IF I get something now), or I don't get anything in forseeable future. Same thing goes for upgrading pedals, adding shifter or something like that - it's unlikely it's going to happen any time soon. What I get now is what I get to use for quite some time.
Currently, however, it looks like I might (or might not still, but hopefully yes) be able to invest some money into upgrading. Who wouldn't want to upgrade, right? But based on the fact my simracing budget is still very limited, I'm considering several options and I'm not sure which way to go to get the best for my buck.
What I'm considering:
1. Keep the DFGT and buy some better pedals. I was originally planning on getting the 2 pedal CSL Elite version to replace the DFGT stock pedals, with the option to eventually upgrade to the loadcell version in the future. Currently, I'd be able to just get the loadcell version straight away, though I'm not sure how sensible that is for me - I'm just an office chair racer, I don't have a rig. Obvious downside - I'm still using the clunky and noisy DFGT. Obvious upside - I'm still using the DFGT with all of its buttons and shifter.
2. Getting Logitech G29 with the H-shifter. Not sure how much of an upgrade over DFGT this is. Obviously this gets me a full setup with a decent pedals including clutch and an H-shifter, which is nice, though it seems the H-shifter is kinda bad. And I still have all those buttons to use, given that the wheel is basically a souped up DFGT when it comes to its design. But I'm not sure if it makes sense to replace DFGT with G29 when it comes to FFB and noise - it seems like G29 might still be kinda clunky and noisy, though it seems like the gear whine is greatly lowered and the wheel does not have as much resistance to turn. So maybe...?
3. Getting T150/TMX Pro. From what I've seen and read, getting T150/TMX could actually be considered upgrade when it comes to FFB feel, wheel resistance and noise, and it's supposedly quite close in feel to their more pricier offerings. And by getting the Pro version, I'm also getting a semi-decent set of pedals with clutch (T3PA's) that could be further modded. I wouldn't need a clutch as getting the TH8A along with it would probably not be an option right now (not sure yet), but I guess having a clutch pedal doesn't hurt anyway and I could eventually get the shifter in the future. I'm not worried much about the cheap "toyish" feel of the wheel people talk about - I don't think it'd be much different than DFGT and I don't have a problem with that. Obvious downside - I lose quite a few of the buttons and the sequential shifter.
4. Getting T300. Obviously the biggest upgrade when it comes to wheel itself. Despite the worryingly frequent reports of bad T300 reliability and subpar build quality, it's obviously the best of the wheels mentioned here. Obvious downside - the pedals. I'd just be going from one fairly bad pedal set to another fairly bad pedal set. Getting the set with T3PA's would not be an option right now or in near future, so I'd be stuck with the stock T300 pedals. And I'd obviously again lose the buttons and the sequential shifter, just like with the T150/TMX.
5. Getting TX. Most of what I've mentioned with T300 obviously applies, though I'm not sure how the reliability problems of T300 relate to TX. And the default TX rim (Ferrari Alitalia) looks really bad and really cheap to me (I think I like the T150/TX more, to be honest). The upside (and the main reason I'm even considering the TX) is that I could maybe get the TX cheaper than the T300, which might mean I could be closer to getting T3PA's this way.
So, yeah.
Any thoughts and comments (or other options I haven't considered) on this welcome. Obviously this is something I have to decide for myself, but it's good to hear others thoughts on it.
BTW, please bear in mind that "just wait and save some more money" is not really an option - I either get something now (IF I get something now), or I don't get anything in forseeable future. Same thing goes for upgrading pedals, adding shifter or something like that - it's unlikely it's going to happen any time soon. What I get now is what I get to use for quite some time.
But one of my intentions (and certainly the intention behind yesterday's long follow-up) was to hopefully provide some information for people who might be in similar situation in the future. You can find plenty of comments from people who've gone from DFGT to something better, but they rarely mention anything other than it's so much better and smoother, so I wanted to be a bit more specific than that and go into more detail, as hard as it is to describe how something feels, and in a foreign language as well.
