DFGT - 3 Year Review

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DBeav12
Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Today, I'd like to discuss my 3 year review on the Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel.

Value
To be honest, there aren't many other wheels if any that can beat the price of this wheel. I paid just $50 for mine (the retail price was $110 at the time), but I bought it used because at the time I couldn't justify spending a whole lot of cash on a steering wheel for a game system. I looked up the reviews before I bought it, of course. They were great. This is a great wheel, but it is no longer sold by Logitech due to it's age. However, you can pick up one of these bad boys on eBay, Craigslist, Amazon, etc. for anywhere from $40-$90, which is fairly cheap for anyone with a budget like myself.

Durability
The wheel's texture is almost like a hard rubber compound. The wheel is held down by clamps on the underside. It wheel feels extremely sturdy. I've had this wheel for three years, and I bought it used! It could be over 4 years old. The wheel still feels like the day I got it. The pedals are still stiff, the wheel still calibrates perfectly, and all the buttons still work. This wheels performance is outstanding, even after 3 years of rough use. I don't beat the crap out of my wheel - I take care of it, but I certainly do not go easy on it. I'm not afraid to use it for what it was designed for.

Accuracy/Responsiveness
I do drive a car in real life. Do I think this wheel is true-to-life? Absolutely. In my opinion, the only thing that separates real life and the DFGT is the G-Forces you feel when you mash the gas or go around a turn. I think this wheel is extremely accurate and responsive compared to real life.

My uncle came to visit yesterday. He walked in my room and started looking at my wheel setup. He asked to see how it worked. After doing a couple hot laps in a Ferrari, he asked to try. He had to start in a much slower car, of course. He couldn't believe how realistic it was. He was absolutely astounded and was blown away. We ended up playing that for quite some time. He thought it was the greatest thing and he had a blast!

Ergonomics/Comfort
I've never had a single complaint about the comfort of the wheel. The wheel's texture is rather smooth. The paddle and sequential shifters are convieniently placed, and easy to use. The pedals are stiff, and pretty durable overall. The pedals have spikes on the bottom so they won't slide on carpet, or they can be retracted for hard floors. There are also a ton of buttons on the front of the wheel that are all 100% functionable. You can map out any button on the wheel for any function that you would like.

Compatibility
This wheel is compatible with pretty much all racing games, but some of them such as TDU 2 and Dirt 3 won't let you use the full wheel. They only let the wheel turn about a half rotation each way. This wheel was basically built for the Gran Tursimo series. It works the best with GT5 and GT6. There aren't any restrictions as far as button mapping or wheel rotation in the GT series.

Bottom Line
I give this wheel a 10/10 overall. I would strongly recommend this wheel to anyone looking for a good value. This is a great wheel for a beginner who isn't willing to spend a whole lot of money just yet. The only thing I would add to this wheel if I could would be a shifter and clutch, but that's a whole different wheel - the Logitech G27. The G27 will be my next wheel when the DFGT dies, which will probably be never. Nice job with the DFGT, Logitech.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or PM me. ;)
 
Great read!
I bought a brand new DFGT and paid $130 for it. It is the quintessential budget wheel and beginners wheel. I have no complaints except that I can't bring it with me into the 8th generation but Logitech does have my customer loyalty due to this wheel, so they'll get first looks when ever they start rolling out their new hardware.
 
I got my DFGT new from GameStop for $130 in December of 2012. Hadn't had any problems with it so far.

DBeav12
The only thing I would add to this wheel if I could would be a shifter and clutch, but that's a whole different wheel - the Logitech G27. The G27 will be my next wheel when the DFGT dies, which will probably be never.
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Agree on this part.
 
Great review!

I was given mine by my Dad in Feb '10 if I remember correctly, I think it was around £110.

I'm still slightly stunned as how your one is still going; mine died last year after just 3 and a bit years..
well, it still worked. by Jan '12, most of it was broken though - and somehow the wires for the pedals broke into two pieces.. dont ask me how, in Aug '13.

It's either I had used mine too much, or you aren't using yours enough.. But hopefully, your one will outlast the 3.5 years of mine, if not, join the G27 club! :lol:

EDIT: Oddly enough, I just check the Logitech UK site, and they still have DFGTs for sale! Though, they cost more than my Dad payed 3 years ago!
(£129.99 if you were wondering.)
 
@DBeav12

The price of these seem to go up and down constantly. If I remember correctly, instead of getting a new G27 for £135, I could've got a new DFGT for around £60 - and that was only a month or two ago!
 
Ameer67
I wonder why the price never goes down.
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Well, I think it was going to go down, but then they stopped making them. So, they're kind of charging more for those people who are trying to get the last ones. Logitech is just trying to make a quick buck. :lol:
 
I've had two DFGT. The first one's plug went wonky (3 years old), my second one died (Was already infected inside the box :() and now I hve a G27. I would also recommend a DFGT if you want something that'll last long and is reasonably priced . 👍
 
In the UK Argos have the DF GT for £84.99 at the moment - I bought one a couple of days ago (and some squash balls!).

Full retail packaging, brand spanking new. I couldn't find such a great deal on the G27 though. PC World/Currys have them at £208 but that's the best I could find and a little rich for my blood sadly.

Hope this helps someone. Good valueat that price - yes it's old tech but it's more pleasant than my DFP. I've ordered the RFS paddle shift as a little treat :) they are still available from Japan.
 
The G27 is also really reliable. I've had mine for about 4 years and it's still good. I did break the plastic tabs on the carpet-holding spike strip on the pedals for my G27 though. They should have made those tabs more robust. After 4 years I can feel that the wheel has a bit of slack in between the gears (like maybe 1mm or less), but I've read that the G27 uses an optical sensor so that doesn't diminish its accuracy at all. I can move the wheel the tiniest fraction of a degree and it will register. Also, it has a full leather wrapped and stitched wheel, which even the new Thrustmasters don't have. I think that makes it feel a lot more upscale, since that's what your hands are going to be touching all the time. And metal spokes and shift paddles too.

A big difference in terms of feel between the DFGT and G27 is the internal resistance. If you unplug your DFGT and try to turn the wheel, there is a lot of resistance. But if you unplug the G27, there is almost zero resistance, it's almost free-wheeling. I can spin the wheel, let go, and it will keep spinning. All of the wheel weighting is done through the motors, which I think feels much better. I think Logitech makes some really good quality wheels, and I'm extremely happy with mine. Too bad they're not making new wheels anymore, and I'm going to have to go to Thrustmaster for my next upgrade. Not that there's anything wrong with Thrustmaster, but from what I've read their reliability, and the quality and materials of their external parts aren't as good. But their performance is far superior to the G27.
 
You can mod a DFGT to plug g27 pedals in to use on PS3 or PC that upgrade transformed my setup its a real step up in quality and i advise anyone with a dfgt to do it. There are also more mods to be made to the G27 pedals to make it even better.
 

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