Fanatec ClubSport Wheel & Pedal V2 Reviews

  • Thread starter LogiForce
  • 166 comments
  • 46,990 views
Logi, are you going to edit the first post to be a repository for links to the reviews people post in this thread?
 
mclaren777
Is it okay for me to include my review in this thread?
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Regarding the Rennsport WS V.2's movement in video review, I posted this in the Fanatec announcements thread but should have posted it here:

I have a Rennsport V.1 stand and it seems to be more rigid than the V.2.
The V.1 does not have angle adjustability for the vertical support, only 90 degrees.
What I noticed in the review, is that the vertical support was tilted forward a few degrees.
That might explain the movement in the video, given the weight and FFB power of CSW.
I know some V.2 owners have remarked that setting the stand at angles other than 90 degrees is less stable.

Mayaman
My quick review.
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Mayaman thanks for review, will try to read it later tonight.
 
Mayaman
My quick review. Video to follow in the next couple of days with gameplay and other fun stuffs.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1NbLog3WxYLWmZsaEI3eU9WVGs

Enjoy :)

edit:FYI, all my pics are 16 megapixel. for some reason Google Docs compreses them to look like pics from the Civil War of 1865. :mad:
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Great review I like how you point out the more obscure details like how you can't swap parts to the elite. I remember switching the rim of the gt3rs onto the the turbo s being really easy so I'm sure there were some that were interested in trying this with the csw.
 
I’ve loved reading and seeing everyone’s CSW reviews. I’m all in as I’ve posted before. I do want to bring something up as no one has yet to mention it from what I’ve seen. I only bring this up because some of the reviews touch upon wheel cogging or static resistance when the wheel is off and how the belt or gears from other wheels can affect the wheels natural resistance. One review I read made mention the CSW had some natural resistance, which the particular reviewer thought it could affect how fast or slow you can turn the wheel.
I know quite a bit about electric motors as I market R/C race cars for a living. In the past we used Mabuchi motors to race with and later on these motors evolved to high end specialized race motors. Well, we haven’t been using Mabuchi motors for almost a decade now much less the high end motors that followed. They’re only used in toy grade stuff these days. Anyway, we’ve moved onto brushless motor technology. What’s the difference? Well, as the name implies the motor does not use any brushes to transfer power to the armature. Over time these brushes wear out. Mabuchi motors are the cheapest motors on the planet. They do the job for 99% of the applications such as the power doors in your car or mirrors, but I’m curious why brushless motors aren’t being used in high end racing sim wheels? They have 5 times the torque. They have ball bearings on the output shaft and they have next to nothing natural resistance from the magnet inside the motor. If you take the Mabuchi motor found in the CSW and spin the shaft, you will notice resistance and natural cogging. Every Mabuchi motor has it. If you take the same size 540 Brushless motor and spin the shaft it spins more freely. There's no brushes touching the armature as there is no armature =)
The only thing I can think of why this technology isn’t used is because of cost. At Retail the Mabuchi Motor in the CSW costs 15-20 bucks. A brushless motor equivalent retails for $85-95. The electronics to run it also cost at least 3 times as much as the motor requires a sensor that monitors the rotors direction and speed.
All I know is if these motors were used in the CSW or wheels like it the motors would last 50 times longer and it would offer 5 times the torque.

Anyway, I’d be curious to see if brushless technology would ever find it’s way to sim racing wheels. It’s the BOMB for RC Car RACING =)
 
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Mayaman
Hmmmm, didn't notice any cogging at all. Don't know. Maybe a custom motor?
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I just hope it's not a Grasshopper motor :P. Yeah, I'm dating myself, so what! Trinity stock motors FTW!!! Team Losi JRX2 is the shiznit!!! Schumacher Kat was so hard to get it to perform on the track. Sold that and got the JRX2.

Ok back to reality. It would be cool of Thomas could do a CSW v2 in a few years after costs come down.
 
mclaren777
Is it okay for me to include my review in this thread?

Overall, I thought the Fanatec hardware was fantastic. It added a whole new sense of realism that I haven't experienced with other wheel/pedal setups. It's as much of an improvement over the G27 as the G27 is over the DFGT. The problem is, it's four times the price of the G27, and for that reason alone, I can't recommend this to anybody but the most dedicated sim racers.

Video Review

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Very nice and fair review, thank you:tup:
 
FMW
Anyway, I’d be curious to see if brushless technology would ever find it’s way to sim racing wheels. It’s the BOMB for RC Car RACING =)
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Torque will help but I think natural resistance comes from the belt design. GT2 and turbo S have this and to make them faster you can use drift mode(which is fine to me) Reviewers also however say that CSW has less natural resistance than previous models(excluding the elite). Of course some natural resistance comes with using heavier BMW wheel, which increases moment of inertia.
And even with BMW wheel, CSW is slightly faster around center than GT2.
 
Good review, thanks.

I hope you will add some more detail about the force feedback, especially in GT5.

Based on this review it seems to me that the T500RS is actually great value for money. :) The only thing that's slightly annoying on that wheel is the fan noise.
 
Whitestar
Good review, thanks.

I hope you will add some more detail about the force feedback, especially in GT5.

Based on this review it seems to me that the T500RS is actually great value for money. :) The only thing that's slightly annoying on that wheel is the fan noise.
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The T500RS is a good value. It's a huge step over the G25 (especially immersion-wise although it may not measure quite as well). The CSW, however, is in a completely different league; I haven't used it but in term of build quality and aesthetic, it's a few notches above the T500RS. Even the CSR-E isn't quite as lust-worthy.
 
mykem
The T500RS is a good value. It's a huge step over the G25 (especially immersion-wise although it may not measure quite as well). The CSW, however, is in a completely different league; I haven't used it but in term of build quality and aesthetic, it's a few notches above the T500RS. Even the CSR-E isn't quite as lust-worthy.
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I highlighted the most important point in your post :)
 
Thursday the pre-orders start :

The countdown started



Submitted by Thomas on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 11:16.

The embargo is over and more and more fantastic reviews are coming up. The testers did an incredible job but now it is our turn to deliver.
We are ready to go and will launch the new website this week. This new website will also allow you to place orders for the CSW and CSP V2.
We do have inventory of CSP V2 in both EU and USA and we also have small inventory of CSW and rims in EU. The ship for the US market arrives in a few days. We will have coming in more and more shipments by sea but there is a possibility that we will be short on inventory.
Tomorrow we will go offline so we can switch to the new website and intensively test it. The new website will go online on.
Thursday 5.7.2012 at 12.00 pm (noon) German time
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I get paid Thursdays ;) that's my whole check . Glad my seat is comfortable cause if I order, ill be sleeping in it for a while.
 
Updated the OP with everyone's reviews. If you want yours added, just send me a PM.
Or if you want me to clean up or add something or whatever, also contact me via PM.
 
Mr Latte
Thanks Logi.

Are you planning a wheel video?
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I will be doing a first person view (with a head mounted GoPro) of gameplay, and hardware walk around. I wanted to do an epic promotional video but I could not get the right camera for the job.
 
Mayaman
^^^Yeah I already have my helmet cam footage I am editing. :P
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I would have had it done this weekend, along with my review, but my dad had hip surgery and I wanted to visit him in NYC. It was supposed to be next weekend but the doctor moved it to last weekend. Luckily everything went really well.
 
The link for Mayaman's review in the OP doesn't work.

Many thanks to all those who have reviewed the wheel though, I'm definitely ordering one on Thursday! I think I'm just going to get the Formula rim for now though, and probably wait until Christmas and get another then as my birthday is two weeks before!
 
Mr Latte
Thanks Logi.

Are you planning a wheel video?
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I was not really planning on doing any video to be honest, but who knows?
I don't feel like racing currently. My hands and arms are too burned for me to want to do much at this point in time. Hopefully this improves in a couple of days.
My nose even glows red... if I was a reindeer, I'd be called Rudolf. :ouch:
 
Yeah Logi, the link on the first page isn't working I don't think its complete. I just clicked the link on my original post and its working. Can you re-paste it?
 
Nice to see so many reviews, and I think I got all the info I wanted. Will def buy the wheel next time I'm out pf the country. One thing I'd like to ask though is which wheel does it simulate when in PS3 mode? I was hoping it would now be the G27 (as opposed to the G25 in previous Fanatec wheels), so then GT5 would support the rev lights and the larger number of buttons it has. It would be very nice to have that rotary switch working like the one in the DFGT in GT5!
 
Mayaman
Yeah Logi, the link on the first page isn't working I don't think its complete. I just clicked the link on my original post and its working. Can you re-paste it?
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Fixed
 
On the CSP V2, it can connect to either the wheel or computer, right? And Does it use a USB or something else? And is there any difference in the pedals whether you connect them to the wheel or computer? Sorry if this has been answered already
 
Roush_fan_99
On the CSP V2, it can connect to either the wheel or computer, right? And Does it use a USB or something else? And is there any difference in the pedals whether you connect them to the wheel or computer? Sorry if this has been answered already
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For PC mode you can have it connected to either. I think in console mode though you have to have them connected through the wheel.

If connecting direct to PC they are done via USB, yet going through the wheel itself is done via another plug which you get with the CSP's.

I should add that I have some V1 CSPs, I should imagine the V2's are the same.
 
RobJackson85
For PC mode you can have it connected to either. I think in console mode though you have to have them connected through the wheel.

If connecting direct to PC they are done via USB, yet going through the wheel itself is done via another plug which you get with the CSP's.

I should add that I have some V1 CSPs, I should imagine the V2's are the same.
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Thanks, I was thinking about just buying one piece at a time starting with the CSP's
 

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