DrivingForce GT tips?

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NateTypeR

NateTypeR

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KonamiNatR
So I recently acquired the DrivingForce GT (Thank you Mom & Dad!), and it's actually harder to use than I thought. When I loose control and have to back up, it steers itself and actually makes it harder for me to get back into the race. And when it starts to slide, it's really hard to correct the slide and i end up hitting the walls. Any tips on how to use the thing?
I already turned the Assist on and turned the Feedback down to 3, although I really didn't want to.

Also if you have any other questions, feel free to ask as well, I'm sure someone can help you out!:)
 
I've had my DFGT for a year now. What worked for me was

- to use auto transmission for the first two weeks to concentrate on keeping the car on track
- all assists (bar ABS) off, Force Feedback on 5 (later 7, than 10)
- running all license tests (again) to properly learn isolated techniques
- stepping away from racing soft tyres
- having a solid stand for your wheel.

In addition, once I felt halfway confident, getting online and racing in 450-520 pp rooms with sport tyres, finding a good crowd to race with, and practice helped me immensely.

It took me around 2 months to run a halfway decent speed, and I am continuously improving my driving.

Oh, and maybe avoid the mistakes I made (pretending to understand tuning, compromising the car's behaviour, making it more difficult to be consistent) and go instead for stock car races in pp lobbys (rare, but a blast if you find them) on stock tyres.
 
It takes getting used to at first. Start with a low powered car to get the feel for the wheel.

Don't jam on the brakes to hard and same with the throttle. It was a bit tricky for me at first too.
 
Chiming with confirmation that there is indeed a bit of a learning curve with going from game pad to a wheel. I have DFGT as well and it was frustrating at first. After a few weeks it just became second nature to me though.
 
I agree that it takes plenty of time to get use too but is well worth it in the end. I know what you mean about loosing the back end and restarting but that's how it is in the real world it's just much quicker with the pad to correct. To reduce loosing the back end on your rwd cards why not set ballast to 60/40, this will move weight to the front and reduce spins. Another thing I have learnt is also to be really aggressive in "turn in" it gets the car in a good position for the rest of the corner.
 
Before you get any further, use a DS3 to run a car around a familiar track on stock tires. Then, as you progress, you can always check back to see how far you've come along.
 
Yep, as everyone has said it takes a week or two to get half-way decent, but stick with it because it's well worth it.

I'd advise that you turn the aids off and use ffb 10, as you might find that you start relying on the aids too much. It doesn't matter if you keep spinning/crashing just keep going.

Also you say you find it hard to correct oversteer with the wheel. So here's my tips: As the car slides, the weight will shift onto the outside wheels and you will start to feel the wheel turning as the weight shifts yes? Well as soon as you start feeling this back up off the throttle smoothly and maybe not all the way up, just enough to prevent the rear spinning up. At the same time begin to smoothly turn against the slide, start with a little bit of countersteer and if the car continues to slide feed in more opposite lock.

As you get used to how the FFB behaves you will be able to feel when the car is about to slide and correct it before the car has even really started to slide.

Hope this helps. 👍
 
I didn't have much trouble adapting to the wheel, the biggest problem I had was the pedals, especially the brake. There are a few guides on brake pedal mods for the DFGT on this site. I tried the bungee cord method but found the cords got in the way so I tried the squash ball method which I think is a massive improvement and the added resistance helps moderating braking so much easier. There are other mods that require disassmbly of the pedal unit and stretching springs but I wasn't too keen on that idea.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=4343255#post4343255

I also think I read somewhere that the pedals need to be calibrated every time you use them so I've got in to the habit of depressing each pedal fully as the car is heading for the rolling start just before the race starts. I've no idea if this is true or not but it's a little pre-race ritual now anyway :)

Hope that helps. 👍
 
To calibrate the pedals, you'll have to push them all the way down for the first time you're on the track, so it's only 1 time a session. The wheel calibrates itself when you first plug in the power adapter.

force feedback is preference but keep it at 3 for now to get used to the feeling of it ALL, then once you're ready, choose whatever you prefer. Power steering is preference, I suppose. I never used it, until Spec 2 came around with an improvement for it. Now, I keep it on for most cars that I think should have it.

When you're racing, you don't have to treat the steering wheel like you're scared to break it. When the cars oversteer you'll need to whip the wheel the opposite direction you were steering.

Take it easy for now. Make sure that you get used to taking the right lines without crashing. In this case, it's best to get the feel for it before you push yourself to the limit in terms of speed. Once you get a better sense of how fast you're going and of braking points, it'll start coming naturally.
 
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be smooth with the wheel, look all the way down the track at the horizon and give yourself lots of time to react. Jerky movements = crash. Flow with the racing line.

Turn off driving aids, spin recovery/stability management, TCS etc.
All of these things rob you of sensation.

When you've oversteered and slid about enough you'll eventually get a good instinct for countersteering using a mix of fast reactions and throttle modulation.
This comes with practice and you'll always have room to improve.

Practice in something like a VW Beetle RSi (the AWD one) using comfort soft tyres on a track like Nurburgring GP/D and race against your ghost for lots of laps.
 
Oh yeah. Do not use any aid. ^^ 👍 it ruins the challenge and hinders you from improving. I'd say to start with sports hard tires. You need to learn the basics like the turning radius and throttle control. Comfort tires are way too difficult to race with if you have just started learning how to handle a car.

first accidental double post since months ago. yay!
 
Go practice at Top Gear. Get a RWD car with way too much power and comfort hard tires. Turn all driving aids, including ABS off. Go to the middle area, where it is widest. From a stand still, hit the gas, spin the tires, and start a donut, then practice pulling out of the donut there. Very fun way to learn to control vehicle. You'll learn how to fight the wheel, and how to use finesse with the pedals, which is very important.

In a race, when you lose control, the wheel spins on its own. If you allow the wheel to spin the way it wants, you'll never pull out of the spin. You have to fight the wheel at certain points, namely right before you are almost re-aligned with the track. This is where FFB shines.

And also, like everyone else stated, transition from gamepad to wheel is tough at first. But once you get used to it, you'll never go back. GT5's physics are much better enjoyed with a wheel.
 
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a few things that have worked for me...

let go of throttle when skidding but maintain your steering into the desired direction

when you throw the wheel a certain direction remember to "throw it back"

control the force feed back, don't let it control you- know what the car can do where and at what speed...At first I would just brake and stopped fighting the force feed back.a huge basic simple tip i learned was to keep steering the feedback when braking or accelerating. if you do it over and over and over...and over again...eventually it will become instinct muscle memory. Choose a favorite car and learn it well, once you realize the protocols you'll be able to translate them to other cars/events.
 
kilttraeger
I've had my DFGT for a year now. What worked for me was

- to use auto transmission for the first two weeks to concentrate on keeping the car on track
- all assists (bar ABS) off, Force Feedback on 5 (later 7, than 10)
- running all license tests (again) to properly learn isolated techniques
- stepping away from racing soft tyres
- having a solid stand for your wheel.

In addition, once I felt halfway confident, getting online and racing in 450-520 pp rooms with sport tyres, finding a good crowd to race with, and practice helped me immensely.

It took me around 2 months to run a halfway decent speed, and I am continuously improving my driving.

Oh, and maybe avoid the mistakes I made (pretending to understand tuning, compromising the car's behaviour, making it more difficult to be consistent) and go instead for stock car races in pp lobbys (rare, but a blast if you find them) on stock tyres.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I did too! It takes a good amount of time to acclimate yourself with a wheel.

Also, once you get to a point where you're comfortable with the wheel, go through your garage and retune your cars. I found that I tuned my cars completely different when I was using a DS3.

You really feel the physics of the game with the feedback of a wheel a lot better. I heard a lot of people talk about online vs offline physics before I got a wheel and never really got the full gist of that whole can of worms till I started driving online with a wheel often.

You'll be lots smoother driving around a circuit with a wheel. Smoother is faster. Just be patient and enjoy it!
 
As other people have written already, it takes some time to get used to the DFGT. First week after I bought mine I thought it was the worst purchase ever, I was really bad at driving with it. However, once you've learned what the wheel is trying to tell you through the force feedback, it becomes really great. So my advice is that you just drive and drive until you've learned it. And try different tyre compunds, high and low powered cars, FF, RWD, 4WD cars, light weight cars, heavy cars...

And I also think the licence tests can be a good driving school for getting familliar with the wheel.
 
Great, i just got this wheel too and thought id go crazy. I was so good with the pad and thought i would really shine with a wheel. But it is the opposite. Its so much harder, the wheel fights back and it is difficult to even finish a lap. But it has helped me adjust my car now to be better so after one day practice im a bit better but its still to hard. Thanks for this thread, now i know im not alone :)
 
I just upgraded to a DFGT from a DFPro. When I first got the pro I was uncertain but once I got used to it there won't be any pad driving for me. The new one with a stand is even better, much smoother!
Have to go now, the wheel and the new events are calling!!! :)
 
I got my wheel in the summer and did the Laguna Seca endurance with it right away. After I'd won the race I was pretty confident that over 2.5 hours of experience was enough for a proper transition, so I got the DS3 back out and did 5 quick laps in the same car. Every lap on the DS3 was faster than my fastest lap with the wheel. It does take a long time to get used to it, but it's well worth it!
 
I wonder if any of your drama is with the placement of the pedals and wheel. If you have the wheel loose in your lap you will not have much joy with it. A wheel on a coffee table or ironing board is not a lot better. So try set your equipment up as best as you can. I also recommend trying to do something about the brake pedal like was mentioned earlier. I bought ECCI pedals just for a good brake pedal feel but a squash ball might be a cheaper alternative.
 
I bought myself a DFGT for Christmas to at first i thought it was faulty but then i realised i just suck. The best advice anyone can give is practise makes perfect :dopey:
 
Are the pedals designed for both feet? The right for acceleration, the left for braking? At first, I used my right foot for acceleration and braking but it's quite difficult to do on the pedals or maybe I just have big feet? It's much easier using both feet for it, but I prefer using only my right foot.
 
VyPeR
Are the pedals designed for both feet? The right for acceleration, the left for braking? At first, I used my right foot for acceleration and braking but it's quite difficult to do on the pedals or maybe I just have big feet? It's much easier using both feet for it, but I prefer using only my right foot.
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I right foot brake predominantly. Just move the pedals to the right a bit- helps a lot.
 
My main problem with the DFGT was the countersteering because of a slide. In most car games (even Grand Theft Auto) i seem to have a fascination with drifting/getting the back end out, but your reactions need to be twice (or more) as quick with that wheel than they do for a SixAxis controller.

My wheel has had it though, cat chewed the cables and now the wheel doesn't centre properly after a slide (sometimes the wheel has to be upside down in order to go in a straight line...). :(
 
SkylineObsession
My wheel has had it though, cat chewed the cables and now the wheel doesn't centre properly after a slide (sometimes the wheel has to be upside down in order to go in a straight line...). :(
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Not centering properly sounds more like a totally different problem. I dont know what wheel you have, but on the likes of the G27 it is common (more common than it should be) for the optical sensor to go bad, causing it to lose its calibration. So it could be that as opposed to an issue with cables :nervous:
 
My DFPro has that problem too:nervous:, its so nerve racking specially while drifting, i have it for 6 years now, im getting the DFGT because of that, but 6 years its time to change anyway lol.
 
I've got a DFGT, but it just seems as though the problems started after the cat started chewing cables? Haven't taken it apart yet, but don't know what i'd be looking for anyway. Logitec were no help, they don't fix wheels - they only replace, and the warranty has run out. :(

Still costs $250 here (same price i bought it for three or more years ago) so won't be buying another anytime soon. G27 costs more still.
 
SkylineObsession
I've got a DFGT, but it just seems as though the problems started after the cat started chewing cables? Haven't taken it apart yet, but don't know what i'd be looking for anyway. Logitec were no help, they don't fix wheels - they only replace, and the warranty has run out. :(

Still costs $250 here (same price i bought it for three or more years ago) so won't be buying another anytime soon. G27 costs more still.
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Good luck, I doubt there will be much to see inside.
250 aud is really expensive though! for that in usd i can get a g27 to my front door next day.
I dont know what to tell you on how to fix it, but i know how bad logitech is about the customer service and assistance :yuck:
again, good luck
 

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