Control pad DS3 quicker than Steering Wheel
- Thread starter nesa
- 91 comments
- 4,904 views
- 4,673
- Hope Mills, NC
- GTP_Dylan_GTP
It all really comes down to who's driving, and their driving style. I personally have used a joystick since day one, but after I got my steering wheel a week ago, I noticed that I was definitely faster because what I was able to do with the wheel matched my driving style more then what I could do with the controller.
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
No. It's been discussed extensively in multiple threads labeled wheel vs pad, Controller vs wheel and whatever else you can think of. The wheel is slightly faster (a couple tenths on a normal track) than the pad. Search for those threads or check out the online time trial leader boards. Wheel>pad.
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
You are wrong. Couple of tenths. I would ask for evidence, or proof. And happily have an argument with you. But there is no factual evidence supporting your claim. One of the best gran turismo players of all time (DHolland) has gotten within 3 tenths of one of his fast laps set with a wheel, using a controller (albeit with not as much effort on the DS3 lap) pad users have (rarely) won time trials and quite commonly get within a few tenths of the best wheel users. This has been discussed at length many times. The only support you will get is from people who don't practice enough or focus on improving enough and end up (unrealistically) blaming the input method, instead of themselves.
Last edited:
- 3,417
- NJ
- Rave2Grave
Controller steering sensitivity has a lot to do with it. I've never tried it on anything but 7 which is the maximum. I wonder if I'd be faster if I set it to 5 or 6. What do the fastest DS3 players use?
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
I placed 20th in a time trial on gt5 using a DS3. I too exclusively used the highest sensitivity. I was also the fastest with a DS3 for that time trial if that's worth anything.
- 28,471
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- Johnnypenso
In two of the Nurb TT's from GT5, the first place DS3 users were about 5 and 10 seconds back respectively. DS3 users do better in some TT's than others and sometimes one or two squeak into the top ten and even win one here and there, but overwhelmingly wheels completely dominate the top 100-200, to the point where in a couple of TT's at least, there were no DS3 users in the top 100.
While there are exceptions here and there, even though wheel users were only around 20% of GT5 players, they routinely made up 80-90% of the top 100 in nearly every TT. That's a lot more than a couple of tenths difference, on average.
- 1,079
- Norway
I think people who invest in wheels might also just be more dedicated players, and often spend a lot more time driving around the game's tracks than DS3 users. The extra experience and dedication that wheel users are more likely to have will also probably bias the time trial leaderboards towards wheel users.
This does of course not mean that DS3 players can't be dedicated players. I'm just saying that when a DS3 player becomes dedicated, he or she might buy a wheel and stop being a DS3 player .
This does of course not mean that DS3 players can't be dedicated players. I'm just saying that when a DS3 player becomes dedicated, he or she might buy a wheel and stop being a DS3 player .
Last edited:
- 28,471
- Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- Johnnypenso
- 21
- United States
Well said. In order to even approach an empirical comparison between the two data would need to be collected not from wheel-exclusive vs ds3-exclusive users, but from those with a reasonably equal skill set with both methods recording their times via each input with all other dependent variables controlled. Even then one would need hundreds of players' times to even begin extrapolating this to the average player. I've no doubt that wheel = faster, but without a large, controlled (i.e. NOT self-report) study it is hard to say how much faster it can be.
- 1,079
- Norway
I'm not saying it is the only reason. If wheels are both a tiny bit better, and many of the most serious players use wheels, those two combined could explain the dominance of wheels in the top hundred TT scoreboards, even if wheels are only slightly faster.
- 1,368
- GTP-Stormbringer
Wheel is much faster than DS3. You cant argue against the amount of control you have with a wheel vs a DS3
Ive actually tested this before. Its alot more evident when driving fast cars, like a LMP or F1.
a wheel will make you 3-5 seconds faster.
Its a different story when it comes to drifting.
Ive actually tested this before. Its alot more evident when driving fast cars, like a LMP or F1.
a wheel will make you 3-5 seconds faster.
Its a different story when it comes to drifting.
- 961
- Aegina
- Willful-Underdog
Actually, I finished 13th overall in the Pagani Huayra "New Year" seasonal using a DS3. I think I was the fastest DS3. I was aiming for a Top 10 finish, but it was very, VERY difficult to catch these people 
I use right stick for acceleration/braking, left stick for steering and R2/L2 for upshift/downshift. Sensitivity to 7 since GT5 days. The wheel is overall much faster than the pad, but it depends on the person, the car, the conditions of the track etc.
I use right stick for acceleration/braking, left stick for steering and R2/L2 for upshift/downshift. Sensitivity to 7 since GT5 days. The wheel is overall much faster than the pad, but it depends on the person, the car, the conditions of the track etc.
- 1,079
- Norway
Wheels are definitely more precise, but how big an effect this extra precision makes depends a lot on the car and track used. While I'm sure the difference you noticed is real, you can't ignore the possibility of you simply being a lot better with a wheel than with a stick.
I've seen time trial scoreboards where half of the top ten players were stick users (including the first place, by a large margin), and other scoreboards where I haven't found a single stick user among the top 50.
I've seen time trial scoreboards where half of the top ten players were stick users (including the first place, by a large margin), and other scoreboards where I haven't found a single stick user among the top 50.
- 630
- Friesland
- djslofstra
With a DS3 I would be around 40 seconds slower and I would crash around 20 times on a lap round Suzuka East. Really I can't race using a controller anymore. The G27 took me in the sticky steeringwheel spiderweb and I'm affraid I'll never get out of it again.
Really I can't race using a controller anymore. The G27 took me in the sticky steeringwheel spiderweb and I'm affraid I'll never get out of it again. 
- 4,715
- Indiana
- CWM_Spirit
I've raced on a controller my whole GT5/6 "career" and when I first started out I was about 3-5 seconds slower than the top racers, using wheels of course. Now after almost 2 years of practice, experience, and dedication I am only a few tenths to a second slower on the average lap.
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
I stated a few tenths for a normal track. Not the Nurburgring. I believe it depends on the car mostly. But it's a few tenths on a normal track. The majority of people that CAN place well in TT's end up getting wheels. I got a wheel. Doodle got a wheel loydeselite got a wheel. Didn't tigney start on a pad also? There isn't much of a chance for pads to show well in time trials. Especially considering the general opinion of gt6.
- 2,428
- England
- Lewis_Hamilton_
You guys are exaggerating, I don't have the "edge" that the top TTers and GT Academy Finalists have, yet still manage to stay within tenths of the fastest wheel time on a 2 minute lap, not to mention the two other DS3 users getting inside the top ten.
- 2,993
- Brisbane
- jimipitbull
You guys are exaggerating, I don't have the "edge" that the top TTers and GT Academy Finalists have, yet still manage to stay within tenths of the fastest wheel time on a 2 minute lap, not to mention the two other DS3 users getting inside the top ten.
Doodle has the edge, and you are a tenth faster than him.
It must be a very special DS3 you have there Lewis. What color is it?
- 1,367
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
- SVPSkins
Up until Xmas last year, id only ever used Pads for console gaming and Now that im owning a wheel, I've noticed im alot quicker, even after 2 months of us. I'm talking a good 3-4 seconds. As good as the Pad/DS3 is, using wheel you get a more accurate feel.
- 1,368
- GTP-Stormbringer
You guys are exaggerating, I don't have the "edge" that the top TTers and GT Academy Finalists have, yet still manage to stay within tenths of the fastest wheel time on a 2 minute lap, not to mention the two other DS3 users getting inside the top ten.
Personal experience, not exaggeration.
- 3,417
- NJ
- Rave2Grave
I wonder what the best wheel for GT7 will be. I don't want to buy a T300 just in case something better comes along.
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
Your personal experience is that your slower by 5 seconds a lap. It not the input method. It's you.
- 1,368
- GTP-Stormbringer
Thats what i meant by "personal experience"
Its because of the "input method"..comprende?
Some people...
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
^
That would only skew the results due to lack of skill. The Most skilled player should run a hot lap using both input methods. Dholland is arguably the most skilled, and he has done it. It was tenths.Pizzicato65
- 1,367
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
- SVPSkins
^
That would only skew the results due to lack of skill. The Most skilled player should run a hot lap using both input methods. Dholland is arguably the most skilled, and he has done it. It was tenths.
so because Dholland did and it was tenths, its the answer? did it not occur to you that it might differ with other people?
- 1,804
- Pennsylvania
- dayofwar2009
- PSN#2 Roob_OG
Ofcourse it did. But the average difference isn't the same thing as the actual difference. And the average difference won't tell us how much faster a wheel is.
