Fanatec Clubsport Shifter SQ review

  • Thread starter HoiHman
  • 468 comments
  • 98,318 views
HoiHman

HoiHman

1,166
Netherlands
The Netherlands
HoiHman
HoiHman
Fanatec Clubsport Shifter review.

Yesterday the UPS guy delivered my CSS-SQ :) The first thing i noticed was how big the box was.

When i opened the box my initial assumption was correct: This shifter is much bigger than i thought i was. Everything was packed very well, like the CSW en CSPv2 from Fanatec. When i took the the shifter out the box, i immediately noticed how heavy it is.

The overal build quality is top notch. This is a very nice addition to the Clubsport series.




dprq.jpg


What's in the box:


The CSS-SQ comes with:
-3 cables
-2 shifter knobs
-6 bolts and 6 special nuts that slide into anyside of the shifter


lt4j.jpg


Mouting options

The variable mounting options made it very easy for me to find a good solution of mounting it to my 80/20 rig. The special nuts can be used on all four sides and you can slide them up and down. On the bottom there are 4 M6 threated holes. The drilling template can be downloaded here: http://eu.fanatec.com/download/CSS-CSSSQ_DrillingTemplate.pdf


How does it feel / shift:

I can't compare it with any other shifter, because this is my first.

The shifter feels great in both H-pattern and Sequential mode. Swichting modes is very easy and can be done ingame even while racing (depending on the sim) by using the slider on either side. When you put the shifter in gear you can feel and hear a good solid click.

The restistance of going into gear can be adjusted by turning a screw on the left hand side. The restistance from left to right in the H-pattern mode is a bit lower as i would have liked and is unaffected by this adjustment screw.

The resistance in sequential mode is higher than in H-pattern mode, which is a very cool feature. The adjustment screw adjusts both modes at the same time, so if you want high resistance in the H-pattern mode, you may have to turn it down before you use the sequential mode. The up and downshift in the sequential mode can be mapped to the shifter paddles on the wheel or mapped as two seperate buttons.

You can shift pretty fast without even missing one shift. The rear and 7th gear require you to push down the shaft first:



I did notice one issue with my shifter in the sequential mode: The upshift is/feels stronger than the downshift. I




Pros & Cons


Pro
-build quality and looks
-shift feel with postive click
-2 modes in one shifter, can be changed while racing
-2 shifter knobs
-universal shifter knob mounting
-higher resistance in sequential mode
-lots of mouting options
-different lengths of cables included
-adjustable resistance
-push down for selecting 7th gear and reverse


Cons
-resistance from left to right in H-pattern a bit to low
-USB adapter needed for non fanatec users at extra cost
-When the shifter knop is thightend the Fanatec logo is not alligned (see first picture)(very small con)
-The shape of the shifter makes it difficult to mount it under something with only the shifter handle sticking out. This makes it unsuitable for some rigs.
-No confirmation of next gen console compatibility yet
-In my case: The up and downshift in sequential mode do not feel the same

Here's fanatecs answer regarding the difference between up and downshift:

Fanatec...
The difference in feeling between up and downshift is possible but it cannot be big.




PS: Thanks for the great review!
Click to expand...



Conclusion

Overall Fanatec did a very good job with this shifter. This shifter comes highly recommend. At 199,- this is a very good deal.



If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
 
Last edited:
66trasher66
Is the H pattern really good ? I'm looking to replace my th8rs for this. I want a h-shifter with a "lock" feel when I shift in a gear.
Click to expand...

Yes it feels locked. Logiforce showed me his TH8 when he came to visit me.

This shifter is in a different league
 
museumsteve
Thanks for the write up mate :)

It makes the wait harder..:scared:
Click to expand...

Your welcome Steve

I was lucky enough to have one of the first. Trust me it worth the wait :)


66trasher66
Is the H pattern really good ? I'm looking to replace my th8rs for this. I want a h-shifter with a "lock" feel when I shift in a gear.
Click to expand...

Yes it feels locked. Logiforce showed me his TH8 when he came to visit me.

This shifter is in a different league
 
Nice little review. Can't wait till I get mine.
Even when you mark the resistance in neutral as a con it still seems firmer than the TH8.

What I wonder about is the SQ resistance you mentioned being different on up and down shifts. Maybe Thomas can inform us if this should be the case by design or something is off with your shifter, when he stops by this thread that is.
 
Very fair review Henk.
It is a very solid looking piece of kit! A great addition to your setup mate!
 
LogiForce
What I wonder about is the SQ resistance you mentioned being different on up and down shifts. Maybe Thomas can inform us if this should be the case by design or something is off with your shifter, when he stops by this thread that is.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to know.
I believe it may be by design, because you usually upshift one gear at the time, so it feels solid. But while downshifting, you'll probably shift many gears sequentially, not only one gear, and it may be easier in that case if there is a bit less resistance. Haven't been to any racing or rally car, so don't know, maybe they have too different resistance.
 
LogiForce
Nice little review. Can't wait till I get mine.
Even when you mark the resistance in neutral as a con it still seems firmer than the TH8.

What I wonder about is the SQ resistance you mentioned being different on up and down shifts. Maybe Thomas can inform us if this should be the case by design or something is off with your shifter, when he stops by this thread that is.
Click to expand...

I think the the resistance in neutral is firmer than the TH8.

About the SQ resistance: I guess i will have to contact Fanatec support about that, since i did see Thomas visit this thread a couple of times, but he left no comment.
 
Last edited:
The difference in feeling between up and downshift is possible but it cannot be big.

PS: Thanks for the great review!
 
Some race cars with sequential shifters have the resistance on the down shift action turned up so that the driver cannot accidentally downshift.
 
Hey HoiHman, I'm wondering how would you compare the Fanatec shifter to the TH8rs? I seen in here where somebody is wanting the Fanatec shifter over a TH8rs. I'm just checking, as I was (and may still) buy the TH8rs over the rest of the shifter in this Price range.
Thanks for your review on this, you done a GREAT job.
 
Last edited:
stone775
Hey HoiHman, I'm wondering how would you compare the Fanatec shifter to the TH8rs? I seen in here where somebody is wanting the Fanatec shifter over a TH8rs. I'm just checking, as I was (and may still) buy the TH8rs over the rest of the shifter in this Price range.
Thanks for your review on this, you done a GREAT job.
Click to expand...


I never had the pleasure to actually drive with the TH&rs, so i can't give you an accurate comparison. I did have a TH8 in hands when Logiforce came to visit me. Like i posted before : this shifter is in a different league.
 
Thanks for the write up. Sadly it appear insanely loud so unless there is a way to mute it it may not work for me. I have tried the TH8RS but it went back for RMA and they didn´t have stock so I got a refund instead.

That was respectively silent and worked okay in sequential mode. H-shifter way to soft and quickly developed a grinding feel just wore down to fast to the point G27 H-shifter that I never liked surpassed it.

Also how is it for speed shifting. Is there to much resistance in it so it get really hard to do really quick shifts? Particularly in sequential mode when you want to use engine braking to the max is it quick enough? If there is different resistance I would preferr lighter on down shifts for that reason.

And as H-shifter I know it take some time getting the muscle memory to work but how fast is it compared to say a G-27 shifter or TH8-RS with short shift driver plates? SST Lightning shifter is the fastest I tried but I was less impressed with it on my second run sadly preferred the TH8RS.
 
Is there? I was unaware of that. Last I heard you needed a CSW or CSRE to use the full functionality of the CSS.
 
Just an quick update after having the shifter on my rig for almost two weeks now.


I still love it 👍


I have been driving the old 80's F1 cars in F1 2013 classics and it's awesome with the CSS-SQ

Really slamming the car in to gear, never missing a shift.:cool:

The switching from H-pattern to sequential works magnificent. Switching from paddles to sequential to H-pattern. It so easy, you can do it driving on track.

It doesn't make me faster, but racing is more fun.:)

In my opinion this is THE shifter to add to your rig.
 

Latest Posts

Back