The Thrustmaster T500RS Thread

  • Thread starter TomN
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You know, I started to wonder about something since Thomas of Fanatec said I qualified for testing the ClubSport Wheel.
What do you T500 RS owners and people who tried it think of the ClubSport Wheel? Will it be a good match for the T500 RS? Will it be far superior, or maybe even inferior? Also what new things do you expect from the ClubSport Wheel and on what grounds will it challenge the T500 RS the most? Think about things like accuracy, smoothness, assortment of rims, user friendly, driver support among another things. You name it as I am just curious about your point of view of this soon to be new rival on the battlefield.

Also to anyone else who'd like to voice their opinion, feel free to do so. ^_^
 
Technically they can make that possible, since it is possible with the TH8 RS to write settings into the firmware/memory of the device. So it can be the same with the wheel if they want.

Be careful! When the "ANALOG" tab is checked, this setting is automatically saved to the shifter's internal memory; to revert to the H (7+1) or Sequential (-/+) modes, or to connect the device to a PlayStation®3, the tab must be unchecked.
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But unlike Thomas of Fanatec being here for support and questions, nobody of Thrustmaster is here. And to be honest, they give off more the vibe that they will do what they want their product to do. Thomas on the other hand listens to its users and also says and asks every time to give your input.
So to be honest, the chance that we will see the feature to save settings to memory for the T500 RS is in my opinion low. Although not impossible.

Maybe someone can mail their helpdesk about wanting to see this feature in a future driver/firmware update? Preferable someone that really wants the feature added, as they can better put things into words of what they expect and envision.
 
So I had typed up a long post in response to your t500rs vs CSW query it felt so weird I removed it. But let's just say CSW has a crap ton of features and it's obvious Thomas close connection with his customers gives him an edge.
 
Shame you removed it, but yeah I agree with you. In terms of being able to modify and add bits and pieces to the CSW wheel. I loved the idea of having my iphone on there with telemetry, or maybe even use it as a dashboard with different clockworks analog and digital. The things possible with an iphone are almost endless these days. lol
The dual motor dual belt drive will make already a huge difference when it comes to cogging, which I still am able to feel well enough with my T500 RS. But until i've got my hands on a CSW, I don't know how big the difference will be.
To be honest, I think that the T500 RS needs to come down in price or else it will already be triumphed by the CSR Elite, which is at the same price point (Thrustmasters advice retail price is 499 euros). If not by the fact that it has 2 motors and beltdrive, then it will be for the added xbox functionality.

The close connection not being there is where most companies fail in my opinion. It doesn't matter whether it's a piece of hardware or a game. When you look at Shift 1 and 2 for example made by Slighty Mad Studios under order of Electronic Arts, they were just utter crap. Why was it utter crap? They wanted to make a simulation racer, marketed it as such. But when the gamers got their hands on it there was poor steering wheel support with lots of issues ranging from poor force feedback to crappy wheel response. And the fact that due to the pressure of EA they had to make the game for a broader target audience which in fact ruined it.
Now Slightly Mad Studios after they were kicked out by EA went and started their Open Community influenced project, C.A.R.S. which is at 10% completion right now. And already it is way better in all departments then either of the two Shift games because they now listen to player/customer feedback.
So yeah, close customer relations make all the difference in more ways then one and described by me just now.
 
hampus_dh
CSW has no table clamp right?
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There will be a ClubSport Wheel Base as seen in the BMW CSW video at 4:18. I doubt that will clamp it to the table though. I'm sure there will be a table clamp for the CSW and the CSR Elite. Can't imagine a wheel that's not mountable on a table or computer desk.
 
Yeah it feels weird talking bout other wheels in a Thrustmaster thread. Man I really just want to get the rest of these thrustmaster accessories (f1 rim & shifter) and just call it a day I think for next couple years. Don't want to spend too much money on these things. Granted, my friend blew 6k+ on a blower for his muscle car but racing in it is like 10x better than any sim. I'm thinking maybe this money would be better served getting invested into another muscle car for myself in the near future....
 
LogiForce
There will be a ClubSport Wheel Base as seen in the BMW CSW video at 4:18. I doubt that will clamp it to the table though. I'm sure there will be a table clamp for the CSW and the CSR Elite. Can't imagine a wheel that's not mountable on a table or computer desk.
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If you wanna mount the CSW or the CSR E to a table you MUST buy the ClubSport table clamp for 39,95 $.
CSW and CSR E are designed for hardcore simracer and normally hardcore simracer use a cockpit, where they hardmount the wheel, and not a table so they decided that they will not include a table clamp with these wheels.
 
 
Going to post up a review of the T500RS here. Soon I hope to get some clubsport brakes in the next few days so looking forward to sharing my thoughts on that shortly as well.

My T500RS Review

So my experience with racing wheels started with a Logitech DFP with GT5. At first, I was amazed by this wheel (and still am to an extent). It is a very good wheel for the money however it has one or two issues that I just could not get pass. The 1st one being that it suffers a 'wobble' issue. So while going down a straight, the wheel will rattle to the left / right. I have read this issue only happens with GT5 though. The second issue is that it does not have a clutch / shifter. Granted, perhaps on the PC you could easily remedy that but at the time I was focused on GT5 racing.

Eventually I came across this thread and noticed how beautiful the T500RS looked. Additionally, I noticed the in-game advertising. Like many, I was shocked when I saw the $599 price tag. However, after reading through posts, watching videos, etc I warmed up to the wheel more and more. What really clinched the deal my local FRY's store got in a shipment and told me they would match online prices plus I could trial the product for 30 days with no restocking fee. So it seemed like a good deal.

The Wheel

After getting it home my wife and I immediately freaked out at the size of the wheel. Most reviews neglect to mention the weight but let me tell you it is heavy. On my wheelstand pro this wheel base, along with the pedals, really helped me to grow some muscle carrying it around!

First thing I did was hook it up to my PS3 and was immediately shocked at the force this wheel has. The wheel speed can achieve near blinding speeds as it whips about to center. I immediately understood why Thrustmaster attached the paddles to the wheel when I saw it.

Games

This wheel now works with a couple of PS3 games such as Dirt 3, Nascar 2011, F1 2011, and of course GT5. And it works well with all of them (actually not sure about Nascar 2011 The Game). I would hazard a guess and say Dirt 3's FFB is bout on par with GT5. However on the PC is where the FFB really hits hard especially with iRacing, GTR Evolution, or rFactor (+real feel). It is also feeling very nice with C.A.R.S., SMS next upcoming video game.

I highly recommend this wheel for both console and PC gaming now though. A few months ago I would not state this due to the strange limited compatibility on the PS3. I've seen a lot of people have a nasty shock when they got the wheel home and found out it drops down into emulation mode when they attempt to use it with a game not designed to work with it (such as Shift 2 PS3). This is an area the Fanatec wheels surpassed the T500rs in obviously since they have the uncanny ability to work completely with any game. Obviously, a Fanatec wheel is still the way to go if you wish to play older games like Test Drive 2, etc

Issues & Support

T500RS has had a fair amount of issues since release. The most controversial has been the fan issues. But here is an odd observation I have pointed out that any iRacing member can easily verify. No one mentions fan issues there. After searching the forums rigorously I have only found 1 customer that complained about a fan issue! I suspect that perhaps GT5 might be overworking these poor wheels. I always found it very odd how the wheel whips around at full speed whenever users exits to the menu

For myself personally customer support has been top notch. Whenever I had an issue Thrustmaster was quick to respond. However, other forum members have not been as lucky with support much to my amazement. There is also a popular horror story at iRacing forums whereas a forum member claimed Thrustmaster support claimed they could not help him with his wheel issue because he did not use a Dell Computer! I believe this customer support agent has been reprimanded for this issue at this point though.

Features

This wheel is strong. It has the potential to kick out so much force feedback I can't imagine needing more. As a matter of fact, I personally try to turn it down. You will have sore muscles after a few hours of driving even with mid range FFB.

The wheel speed is fast like a real wheel. Imagine driving a car through a parking lot and turning corners. The T500RS behaves just like a real wheel with a fast, responsive return-to-center

The wheel is very precise measuring at a true 65536 (you can measure this on the PC). The brakes also always hits 1024 even on the console. In comparison, Fanatec Clubsport Brakes only hit 254 when plugged into the wheel. However this is the kicker. Even though T500rs brake pedals can hit 1024 (2^10) they are not as precise as the wheel. Unfortunately, the HEART technology was not fully utilized here. When I receive my clubsport brakes in a few days I look forward to comparing them. I suspect CSPs, when plugged into a PC via USB, will offer much more accuracy. Plus they will surpass the T500rs brakes in certain areas due to the presence of the advance load cell technology.

However, as demonstrated in the T500RS review at InsideSimRacing, these pedals can easily be inverted into GT mode. And it feels very similar to driving a real GT car. Using my pedals inverted brings me back fond memories of my old Mustang GTs

The Future...

T500RS has just received some very important accessories such as the TH8 RS shifter + Ferrari F1 Wheel. Note, the default T500Rs kit uses the controversial stationary paddles which can be found in a few real life cars (most notable of them is the Ferrari 458 Italia in my opinion). However, the average sim racer prefers attached paddles and adjusting to stationary paddles was a big hurdle for few. Thrustmaster's answer to this issue is the new Ferrari F1 wheel rim. The TH8 RS shifter is also almost ready and will surprisingly work with any wheel on the PS3 (see the dedicated threads for these).

However, soon Thomas (Fanatec) promises to release the Clubsport Shifter which we all suspect to be of similar quality. However, it has not been determined if the shifter will be able to be used with any wheel. So perhaps Thrustmaster will have a little breathing room there. We will have to wait and see....

Closing Thoughts

I still think this wheel is well worth the money. However, we will have to wait and see how it stacks up to the upcoming Clubsport Wheel and CSR Elite. I suspect these newer wheels may have more advanced technology. This much is plain obvious. However, the T500Rs may be acquired at a lower price tag for consumers plus at the moment I believe you can still easily purchase them at a store and trial them before you buy. Fanatec products, in most cases most be ordered direct. Granted, I have heard of people returning kits to Fanatec in extreme cases. Additionally, they appear to be expanding their customer support team. Previously, I had to cancel an order and I received my money quickly. Plus Thomas can be easily reached at most any forum. Additionally Darin Gangi can also be reached at ISR. So I think both companies may be on equal footing here perhaps only surpassed by Logitech which is a bigger company with more experience. But I expect this issue to lesson greatly as time passes on.

My recommendation after owning my T500RS wheel for many months is to still buy it if you're looking for a solid PC/PS3 wheel. However, I admit that the upcoming Clubsport Wheel looks truly breathtaking so I am eager to see how the upcoming wheel battle will fair. Just reading the bullet points on the CSW description page you can tell this wheel is more than a tool. It's a weapon. Fanatec's weapon to take the wheel market 100% and not leave any prisoners.

I see many iRacing members discuss selling off their T500RS wheels for the CSW. I think Thrustmaster's only critical error might have been suffering a disconnect between their fans and themselves. In sharp contrast, Fanatec suffers no such issue. Their CEO, Thomas, seems to be working beyond overtime to answer all the emails he possibly can and actually spends a lot of time gathering opinions. My advice to Thrustmaster might be to try to improve communication a bit more and to also examine their pricing for some of their upcoming products. The new Ferrari F1 rim costs $199 which is just $50 less than a brand new Fantec CSR wheel. For those of us that may already have Clubsport brakes the wonderful looking CSR wheel may seem a bit more tempting and cost efficient.

So I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these amazing tools. I am both eager and afraid. I am excited because my sim racing will become even more fun and easier as I am able to wield tools vastly superior to what the average man holds. So perhaps my learning ramp up is much shorter than theirs. But I am afraid for my wallet because no matter how much I try to talk myself out of buying new equipment I find myself staring at my bank account and investments, trying to plan when I will make my next big purchase!
 
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Nice review, sandboxgod. Although for my tastes it's too subjective and lacks depth in the comparison department, but then again you are still waiting for the CSP's. :P
In any case it is certainly different from how I do a review, which is good cause not everyone likes the same style of review. ^_^

Nice write up 👍
 
Hi everyone. I just set up my new T500RS yesterday and tried it. Wow! It felt really great. I have a few questions though, and apologize beforehand for not reading through 5000 posts (although I read quite a few). :) I am playing only GT5 at the moment.

1. When I completely lost grip of the road with the G25 it felt very loose, and I kinda liked that. When loosing grip with the T500RS it is still a bit heavy to turn, or at least heavier than the G25. I suppose it's because of the strong FFB, but I still think it should be a bit looser when the wheels are sliding. Is there some way to make it looser, other than lowering the FFB strength? I have FFB strength at 7 now.

2. The fan (yes it's the fan again) started spinning and never stopped. Is that normal, or will a firmware upgrade fix this? (I haven't done a firmware upgrade yet).

3. Will a firmware upgrade affect the way the wheel feels in GT5, or will it only affect how the wheel feels in PC games?

4. No drivers came with the wheel. I suppose I can download them?

Having used the G25 a lot I felt I had complete control over the car with that wheel. I don't feel the quite the same now with the T500RS, but of course I expect it to take a while before I get used to it. It's certainly promising that I immediately got the same lap time on Nur with the new wheel as I did with the old G25. :)
But drifting seemed much more difficult now, maybe because of the added degree rotation? Hope I will soon get used to that as well.

Hope some of you can answer my questions, and again I apologize for not reading the whole thread. Just a bit eager to get the wheel sorted out. :)
 
Whitestar
Hi everyone. I just set up my new T500RS yesterday and tried it. Wow! It felt really great. I have a few questions though, and apologize beforehand for not reading through 5000 posts (although I read quite a few). :) I am playing only GT5 at the moment.

1. When I completely lost grip of the road with the G25 it felt very loose, and I kinda liked that. When loosing grip with the T500RS it is still a bit heavy to turn, or at least heavier than the G25. I suppose it's because of the strong FFB, but I still think it should be a bit looser when the wheels are sliding. Is there some way to make it looser, other than lowering the FFB strength? I have FFB strength at 7 now.

2. The fan (yes it's the fan again) started spinning and never stopped. Is that normal, or will a firmware upgrade fix this? (I haven't done a firmware upgrade yet).

3. Will a firmware upgrade affect the way the wheel feels in GT5, or will it only affect how the wheel feels in PC games?

4. No drivers came with the wheel. I suppose I can download them?

Having used the G25 a lot I felt I had complete control over the car with that wheel. I don't feel the quite the same now with the T500RS, but of course I expect it to take a while before I get used to it. It's certainly promising that I immediately got the same lap time on Nur with the new wheel as I did with the old G25. :)
But drifting seemed much more difficult now, maybe because of the added degree rotation? Hope I will soon get used to that as well.

Hope some of you can answer my questions, and again I apologize for not reading the whole thread. Just a bit eager to get the wheel sorted out. :)
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1. Try turning on power steering. You might have to up the FFB strength again after though if it gets too weak.

2. The fan can spin for a good 45 minutes after use of the wheel. This is normal and doesn't change with the latest firmware.

3. The firmware will affect how the wheel responds/feels no matter which machine you plug it into.

4. You can download drivers including the latest firmware at http://ts.thrustmaster.com

And the last thing I want to say is congrats on the upgrade and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I came from a G25 a good month ago. ;)
 
LogiForce
1. Try turning on power steering. You might have to up the FFB strength again after though if it gets too weak.

2. The fan can spin for a good 45 minutes after use of the wheel. This is normal and doesn't change with the latest firmware.

3. The firmware will affect how the wheel responds/feels no matter which machine you plug it into.

4. You can download drivers including the latest firmware at http://ts.thrustmaster.com

And the last thing I want to say is congrats on the upgrade and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I came from a G25 a good month ago. ;)
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Thanks mate. :)
May I ask what kind of settings you have in GT5? As far as I can tell there are only two settings that apply to the T500RS, and that is Power Steering and FFB Strength.
The Professional/Simulation setting only applies to certain other wheels, according to the scrolling help text.
I suppose there are no other settings in GT5 that can be tweaked for the wheel?

Oh and the fan spun for far more than 45 minutes. Until I quit GT5, and that was about 2 hours.
 
Whitestar
Thanks mate. :)
May I ask what kind of settings you have in GT5? As far as I can tell there are only two settings that apply to the T500RS, and that is Power Steering and FFB Strength.
The Professional/Simulation setting only applies to certain other wheels, according to the scrolling help text.
I suppose there are no other settings in GT5 that can be tweaked for the wheel?

Oh and the fan spun for far more than 45 minutes. Until I quit GT5, and that was about 2 hours.
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I use Simulation + power steering + FFB 10.
Also I have all aids off, including traction control and ABS. And below that I've set controller sensitivity to 7. But I doubt that makes difference. Other then that I don't know of any settings that influence the wheel at all.

I can drift easier with the T500 RS then with the G25. I mis a lot of FFB and speed of the wheel when I get back behind my G25.

The fan spun for more then 2 hours? Odd. You did not play during those two hours? Hrm... If that's the case maybe a new firmware will solve things.
 
LogiForce
I use Simulation + power steering + FFB 10.

The fan spun for more then 2 hours? Odd. You did not play during those two hours? Hrm... If that's the case maybe a new firmware will solve things.
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Thanks for sharing your settings, I will try those.

Are you sure that Simulation setting affects the T500RS? According to the scrolling help text and the icons on screen it doesn't.

I played all the time during those 2 hours. Oh well, just crank up the game volume to drown the fan noise I guess. :lol:
 
Whitestar
Thanks for sharing your settings, I will try those.

Are you sure that Simulation setting affects the T500RS? According to the scrolling help text and the icons on screen it doesn't.

I played all the time during those 2 hours. Oh well, just crank up the game volume to drown the fan noise I guess. :lol:
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You could mail Thrustmaster for a new fan. You might still have an old version of the wheel with the noisy fan. I had a V2 and replaced my fan after a week when Thrustmaster send me one.

Also I dunno about simulation. But if there is a setting between fake and real, then I pick real no matter if it influences a steering wheel or not. Besides you could always play around with those settings if you're really curious. ;)
 
WRP001
Also use some type of Loctite to keep the bolts from coming loose again. I was having to tighten them almost after every session once that started, but once I put a drop of Loctite on every bolt it's been solid. Take each screw out completely (one at a time) and put a dab on the threads and then insert and tighten. You'll see 3 bolts are long and 3 are short, but put loctite on them all.
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OwensRacing
Do you know if the longer ones are grabbing a metal insert or plastic?

If plastic I would avoid adhesives. They can make the plastic brittle as well if it does bond and you need to remove. You gonna pull the threads.

Sound advice if there is metal inserts on the three longer bolts female side. Would not fuss with the three short ones myself.
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Well after about 2-3 week of holding pretty well the screws are starting to loosen on their own again. What a pain as it takes all the "stiffness" out of the wheel when it happens.

Guess I'm going to have to keep reapplying Loctite periodically or apply more next time (maybe just to the longer bolts). Anyone else seeing this issue? e.g. some/all of the 6 bolts around the GT logo on the wheel coming loose after use which introduces much more "play" in the wheel. It happens over the course of a single long race so it's a real pain and not just a minor nuisance between sessions.
 
I don't have any issues here. When I got the wheel at first the four screws on the steering column were loose though. I just tightened them up to being finger tight. No problems have happened since.

Have you tried mailing TM? Maybe they can send you a new wheel, cause if even loctite doesn't hold. :S
 
WRP001
Well after about 2-3 week of holding pretty well the screws are starting to loosen on their own again. What a pain as it takes all the "stiffness" out of the wheel when it happens.

Guess I'm going to have to keep reapplying Loctite periodically or apply more next time (maybe just to the longer bolts). Anyone else seeing this issue? e.g. some/all of the 6 bolts around the GT logo on the wheel coming loose after use which introduces much more "play" in the wheel. It happens over the course of a single long race so it's a real pain and not just a minor nuisance between sessions.
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I got this feeling you are pulling on your wheel.

Try reading this link and adjust the way you handle the wheel.

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_steering
 
WRP001
Well after about 2-3 week of holding pretty well the screws are starting to loosen on their own again. What a pain as it takes all the "stiffness" out of the wheel when it happens.

Guess I'm going to have to keep reapplying Loctite periodically or apply more next time (maybe just to the longer bolts). Anyone else seeing this issue? e.g. some/all of the 6 bolts around the GT logo on the wheel coming loose after use which introduces much more "play" in the wheel. It happens over the course of a single long race so it's a real pain and not just a minor nuisance between sessions.
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I had that issue happen once a page or so earlier in this thread. I purchased a set of allen wrenches and used one of the wrenches to tighten the screws and haven't had any issues since 👍
 
Nice review Sandboxgod.
There is just a small mistake when you said “The wheel is very precise measuring at a true 1024" .

Resolution of the T500 RS wheel axis is 16-bit = 65536 values on the steering (& not 1024) :).

You can measure it with DIview software:
http://www.leobodnar.com/products/BU0836/DIView.zip
(select your axis & “Axis/View Raw Data” for this)

84843544.jpg


NB: This software works with all USB device.
 
OwensRacing
I got this feeling you are pulling on your wheel.

Try reading this link and adjust the way you handle the wheel.

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_steering
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I sometimes hang over my wheel as I need to type (did that with my CSP review as well :P ), leaning on it with my chin and i've got no issues. :dunce:

@Wildrun: That looks like a handy piece of software. I'll use that in my reviews if you don't mind? :D

Edit: Just noticed that the CSPs don't differ in precision in what's transfered to the computer from the T500 pedals. As both are using 1024 values or 10-bits resolution. BUT! When you look at the slider, the T500 RS clearly hops from position to position as you slowly press the pedal. The CSPs however are smooth all the way, with just a tiny deadzone in the beginning.
 
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LogiForce
You could mail Thrustmaster for a new fan. You might still have an old version of the wheel with the noisy fan. I had a V2 and replaced my fan after a week when Thrustmaster send me one.

Also I dunno about simulation. But if there is a setting between fake and real, then I pick real no matter if it influences a steering wheel or not. Besides you could always play around with those settings if you're really curious. ;)
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Oh, I have a V2 as well. I think I'll ask them. Which fan did you get? Silenx or something? Was it much quieter?
 
I couldn't see the brand as it was the sticker was on the other side of the fan. Looking through the holes it seemed to be same brand, but not sure.
It is definitely quieter, as the decibels in my room dropped around 7db if I recall correctly.
The starting rattling noise is gone and overall the bearings seem more smoother. It is still a 40mm fan. So don't expect total silence at all. 40mm fans are always noisy as hell in my opinion. Hence I love to see what Thomas is sticking in the CSR Elite and CSW. As far as I could see a 120mm fan, but not sure... could be just an 80mm instead for all I know right now. But those can be much quieter.
 
Yeah I'd like to stick an 80 or 120 mm in there, but I suppose there is no room.
Thanks for helping out LogiForce. Appreciate it. :)
 
Nope, there is no room at all, unless someone in the mod-scene makes us a higher and slightly different shaped top-assembly in which the fan resides.
 

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