Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel Thread- officially licensed for PS4

[Mirror_man]

As far as I understand:

And at that meeting he will suggest this:

@Fanatec... correct me if I'm wrong.

And this is not only to Fanatec Users... T500RS wheel has a very strong FFB and is affected with this issue ... as much as Fanatec´s wheels (for example)

 

[super_gt]

T500RS wheel has a very strong FFB and is affected with this issue

Are you sure about T500RS?I've seen people with T300 to play in PS3 mode because in this mode the wheel is recognized as T500 and there is no understeer rattle.

 

[Mirror_man]

Are you sure about T500RS?I've seen people with T300 to play in PS3 mode because in this mode the wheel is recognized as T500 and there is no understeer rattle.

A T300RS is and will always be a T300RS... it ain´t the software nor the PC driver... it´s the engine inside that makes the difference.. and believe me that there´s a huge one regarding the engine torque... I also have one (T500RS) and almost never user FFB Torque bigger than 1 on GTS with that wheel... or else... I´ll be driving a Lorry (like) (Torque on 2 only for cars with less grip and downforce...) The T500RS Torque is almost equal to the Fanatec´s one.... (if not stronger..)

 

[Twstcrv]

i thought that but it over powers everything so i thought i would ask around and see if theirs a control for it to bring down a touch thanks for the reply

I prev stated fei at 10, but I now have brought in-game ffb sensitivity down to 8 and fei at up to 50 and that seems better. I got the moderate understeer rumble back and less violent jolts from high angle understeer. Hope this helps.

 

[FPV MIC]

A T300RS is and will always be a T300RS... it ain´t the software nor the PC driver... it´s the engine inside that makes the difference.. and believe me that there´s a huge one regarding the engine torque... I also have one (T500RS) and almost never user FFB Torque bigger than 1 on GTS with that wheel... or else... I´ll be driving a Lorry (like) (Torque on 2 only for cars with less grip and downforce...) The T500RS Torque is almost equal to the Fanatec´s one.... (if not stronger..)

In GT Sport after one of the early patches the FFB changed drastically for the T500. The canned understeer effect was changed from the shaking effect to a more realistic (imo) lightening of the FFB during undeersteer. I'm not sure how long it's been since you ran yours but it did definitley change. The T-GT/T300 on the hand both have the same shaking effect for understeer and if I run my T-GT in 'Other Mode' the shaking goes away. The 'Other Mode effectively runs my T-GT as an T500 (which I also own) loosing the transducer effects and the canned understeer effect. The difference seems to be that ingame it's being recognized as an T500, and this is the same for T300 users (from what I've been told), and from what I can gather, it's also why the T300/T-GT didn't work in PS3 mode/Other mode when the T500 wouldn't work.

 

[Mike_grpA]

As far as I understand:

And at that meeting he will suggest this:

@Fanatec... correct me if I'm wrong.

Thomas is a good man for the industry. He was also very hands on with SMS to help them get the most out of Pcars 2 for Fanatec products.

The T500RS Torque is almost equal to the Fanatec´s one.... (if not stronger..)

The T500 produces 4.4Nm of torque, the CSL Elite produces 6Nm. There's a bigger difference between the T500 and the CSL than there is between the T500 and the T300 (3.9Nm for the T300).

 

[PocketZeven]

Thomas is a good man for the industry. He was also very hands on with SMS to help them get the most out of Pcars 2 for Fanatec products.



The T500 produces 4.4Nm of torque, the CSL Elite produces 6Nm. There's a bigger difference between the T500 and the CSL than there is between the T500 and the T300 (3.9Nm for the T300).

IMO the torque difference is negligible. The big difference is that the t500 has a brushed motor vs brushless. The t500 is very dampened but still it was a big deal when it came out. The CSL is unique in that it has a single belt system.

I am not big fan of Thomas, but that is another story.

 

[andrewhake]

I also have one (T500RS) and almost never user FFB Torque bigger than 1 on GTS with that wheel... or else... I´ll be driving a Lorry (like) (Torque on 2 only for cars with less grip and downforce...) The T500RS Torque is almost equal to the Fanatec´s one.... (if not stronger..)

This isn't true at all as the CSL Elite definitely has more torque than the T500RS, having used both, and drastically more than any of the Logitech wheels. The reason you never use FFB torque higher than 1 on GTS is because it is likely very poorly mapped to the game in terms of it's max power and how the game translates it. It is a pretty old wheel at this point and I would imagine the developers don't really have the ability to change this at this point. Having no range of adjustment sounds extremely annoying, especially on a wheel that has no built-in way to adjust FFB power. Fanatec providing their own SDK that they update and develop (as well as providing firmware update to their wheels) mean that they can work with PD to provide fixes if needed for the best possible implementation.

The CSL Elite in blue mode gives a huge range of adjustment in overall FFB power in GTS, with 1 being very little and 10 being near the maximum of what the wheel can output. With easy to feel differences with each step in the setting. I would imagine this could change over time as I know Thomas at Fanatec mentioned that PD said the overall FFB will likely change as PD continues to update their support. I am not sure if the game is currently mapping the full power the CSL Elite is capable of. Definitely more than enough for a majority of users though I would imagine. The CSL Elite in purple G29 emulation mode feels like it maxes out around 4-5 with the in-game settings, again likely due to hower the power is mapped on the G29 wheel.

 

[ANDRITSOULAS]

I drove my friend's t500rs back to back with my csl on gt sport and PC1. T500rs is years behind the csl. Very slow, very cogy, very noisy. T300rs is much smoother than t500rs. It has got power, about 15% more than t300rs, but about 30% less than csl.

 

[super_gt]

The CSL is unique in that it has a single belt system.

Let's hope it will not be unique for long because after Direct Drive system, single belt drive is the best and if I were in the place of the other manufacturers I would have copied it.

 

[PocketZeven]

Let's hope it will not be unique for long because after Direct Drive system, single belt drive is the best and if I were in the place of the other manufacturers I would have copied it.

Havent had the chance to compare single vs dual belt. I am also no engineer but, except perhaps latency, what other advantages do single belt drive might have? Dont know if its worth "upgrading", before entering DD. The csw v2.5 is still concidered the flagship wheel, but it has dual belt?

 

[Litchi]

I've seen g29 and t150 in real for the first time today, they were unboxed in a multimedia shop. Man, those things looks toys compared to Fanatec products

 

[Knukel]

I've seen g29 and t150 in real for the first time today, they were unboxed in a multimedia shop. Man, those things looks toys compared to Fanatec products

Never seen G29 live, but i prefer G27's more simplified and less toyish look. The T150 was big disappointment after DFGT! Not it's shape or dimensions, but it's hard plastic with sticky rubber. Well, it's fixable by using cheap biker/sport gloves from local shop. 👍

But... If i had a chance, i'd pick the full alcantara rim over Ps4's combination.

 

[F Inferno]

I've seen g29 and t150 in real for the first time today, they were unboxed in a multimedia shop. Man, those things looks toys compared to Fanatec products

You should get yourself a full Clubsport rim with metal quick release and then you’ll see how toy like the CSL line is too.

Then when you go up another level the Clubsport line will also seem toy like in comparison, it’s all relative.

 

[super_gt]

Havent had the chance to compare single vs dual belt. I am also no engineer but, except perhaps latency, what other advantages do single belt drive might have? Dont know if its worth "upgrading", before entering DD. The csw v2.5 is still concidered the flagship wheel, but it has dual belt?

More belts means more friction and flex,which means that the effects in FFB will be weaker and less clear.If the friction is too high the fine details in the FFB will be completely lost.With dual belt you have to balance between belt tension and friction(CSW V2.5 is somewhat an exception).With single belt you can add more tension in the belt and have less friction than dual belt drive.
CSW V2.5 is somewhat an exception because the metal construction allows large bearings for less friction and more tension in the belts.But still meet the concept of CSW V3:

If you use a belt drive like on the CSW V2.5 you are already pretty close to DD but with a more powerful motor and a single drive V-belt system I am sure that you could reach better results than on a bad DD system with a notchy motor.

 

[Mike_grpA]

IMO the torque difference is negligible. The big difference is that the t500 has a brushed motor vs brushless. The t500 is very dampened but still it was a big deal when it came out. The CSL is unique in that it has a single belt system.

I am not big fan of Thomas, but that is another story.

It isn't a matter of opinion, it's a matter of fact. The fact is there's a significantly bigger torque difference between the T500 and CSL-E than there is between the T500 and T300. You can't just write "IMO" before stating something that is factually incorrect, and have it be any less wrong. 0.5Nm difference between a T300 and T500 could be described as negligible, but the 1.6Nm difference between the T500 and CSL certainly isn't, especially when you consider 1.6Nm is more than a third of the T500's total torque output. Other than that, I agree with the rest of your post, that the single belt drive and brushless motor are a bigger deal than the extra torque, but the extra torque is significant in use, certainly not negligible.

I drove my friend's t500rs back to back with my csl on gt sport and PC1. T500rs is years behind the csl. Very slow, very cogy, very noisy. T300rs is much smoother than t500rs. It has got power, about 15% more than t300rs, but about 30% less than csl.

I've never owned a TM wheel, but I've used a few, and I agree with your post on all but one thing: Noise. The CSL is usually whisper quiet, but it does make sudden loud clunking noises when it encounters sudden, harsh FFB spikes (mostly caused by canned effects).

Havent had the chance to compare single vs dual belt. I am also no engineer but, except perhaps latency, what other advantages do single belt drive might have? Dont know if its worth "upgrading", before entering DD. The csw v2.5 is still concidered the flagship wheel, but it has dual belt?

When I first set up my CSL I initially thought it might have been broken, as I could spin the rim so freely (this was before I turned it on) that I thought it must've had a broken belt. It honestly didn't feel connected to anything when it was turned off. I guess this is the major difference in a single belt drive. With so little internal friction, you can feel the smallest change in torque delivery from the motor, allowing you to feel every detail. Sadly this can be undone in games which don't cater to this wheel base's tendency to make loud clunking and rattling noises from harsh FFB effects. In a game which allows good customisation of the FFB, you can reduce the canned effects that tend to cause the problem, without muddying the main FFB signal that you get all your information from. But some games only have basic FFB adjustment, and these games require we turn down the FEI setting to reduce the clunking, with the side effect of smoothing out all of the FFB signal. This will only get better as devs get more used to programming for the CSL.

 

[PocketZeven]

It isn't a matter of opinion, it's a matter of fact. The fact is there's a significantly bigger torque difference between the T500 and CSL-E than there is between the T500 and T300. You can't just write "IMO" before stating something that is factually incorrect, and have it be any less wrong. 0.5Nm difference between a T300 and T500 could be described as negligible, but the 1.6Nm difference between the T500 and CSL certainly isn't, especially when you consider 1.6Nm is more than a third of the T500's total torque output. Other than that, I agree with the rest of your post, that the single belt drive and brushless motor are a bigger deal than the extra torque, but the extra torque is significant in use, certainly not negligible.

What I meant was that the torque difference in practice is less important for me then the other points. I do have seen sources claiming the T500 being ranging from 5 to 6nm. An opinion can also not be factually incorrect dear sir.

These torque nrs all came from the same source. (Iracing staff member DavidT) And these did not accurately account for peak torque. The torque number supplied by Fanatec should also be taken with a grain of salt. I have yet to find a source who accurately measured the torque of csl.

But that is all irrelevant the main thing is the torque is not that big of a leap. I used the T500 before and have a T-GT (which should have same torque level as csl) and the difference is smaller then compared to t300. So in my opinion the difference is negligible if you compare the csl with T500.

 

[Mike_grpA]

What I meant was that the torque difference in practice is less important for me then the other points. I do have seen sources claiming the T500 being ranging from 5 to 6nm. An opinion can also not be factually incorrect dear sir.

These torque nrs all came from the same source. (Iracing staff member DavidT) And these did not accurately account for peak torque. The torque number supplied by Fanatec should also be taken with a grain of salt. I have yet to find a source who accurately measured the torque of csl.

But that is all irrelevant the main thing is the torque is not that big of a leap. I used the T500 before and have a T-GT (which should have same torque level as csl) and the difference is smaller then compared to t300. So in my opinion the difference is negligible if you compare the csl with T500.

I've used them both, the difference is far from negligible. As was stated by another user who replied after your comment, there is a significant torque difference between the two which is immediately noticeable. You're comparing two TM wheels, I compared the wheels we're actually talking about, so I'm not going to continue this back and forth.

 

[PocketZeven]

I've used them both, the difference is far from negligible. As was stated by another user who replied after your comment, there is a significant torque difference between the two which is immediately noticeable. You're comparing two TM wheels, I compared the wheels we're actually talking about, so I'm not going to continue this back and forth.

Fair enough, I was stating an opinion and that what forums are for. So I will correct myself on record again: i commented it is not a fact that the torque difference is negligible, but my opinion. Sorry if I confused these 2 for you. In the end smoothness, fidelity, accuracy win out against power and torque.

 

[HenrySwanson]

I am correct in assuming we have to download a update off the PC for the CSL to work with GTS right? When I plugged it in I got very little anything

 

[Mirror_man]

I am correct in assuming we have to download a update off the PC for the CSL to work with GTS right? When I plugged it in I got very little anything

I don´t know if you have to.. but you should. probably! ... to update the driver and firmware...

 

[HenrySwanson]

I don´t know if you have to.. but you should. probably! ... to update the driver and firmware...

Gah but I'm so lazy

 

[Greek Kimi 7]

Hi guys. I have a problem with my fanatec csl elite after the latest update when PD added Full Support of the wheel with blue Mode in the game


When I am lapping and everything is ok suddenly there is a very very strong vibration in the wheel ... It is happening Every Day until that update(about 2 times per Day. It depends on mileage i think ... And something i noticed is that it is happening after restarting a Lap in time trial in daily races or time trial in arcade Mode

In the violet/purple Mode i hadnt this problem.

Did anybody have the Same problem ? What should i do.

Ps ... When this problem occures i always change the Mode to purple then Red Mode (the wheel is turning for a strange reason) and then again at blue Mode and when pressing home button it Comes back and works properly.

 

[Greek Kimi 7]

Also i have to say that the problem i mention has nothing to do with the understeering rattling...

 

[Mirror_man]

Also i have to say that the problem i mention has nothing to do with the understeering rattling...

I know!!! And I have same problem too!! Sometimes something thriggers that continous vibration.. and the only way to solve is is to change mode or to turn off the wheel... if it happens during a race.. .you´re simply done!

 

[OGsoda]

I know!!! And I have same problem too!! Sometimes something thriggers that continous vibration.. and the only way to solve is is to change mode or to turn off the wheel... if it happens during a race.. .you´re simply done!

I’ve only had it occur when I press pause whenever there’s vibration produced. For example pressing pause while you’re driving over a kerb.

I’m more concerned that the “glitch” could possibly damage the wheel?

 

[Mirror_man]

I’ve only had it occur when I press pause whenever there’s vibration produced. For example pressing pause while you’re driving over a kerb.

I’m more concerned that the “glitch” could possibly damage the wheel?

probably.. but I got it on normal racing... no pause press needed...

 

[bigkrokodil]

As a customer of Fanatec who recently bought this wheel I would like to share experience with Fanatec quality and Fanatec customer service.

So in case if you still choose to proceed with ordering CSL Elite Racing Wheel this might help you to justify paying extra $100 and order from Amazon.com instead of buying directly from Fanatec.com.



I placed my order on March 23rd for CSL Elite Racing Wheel, Clubsport V3 Pedals and Brakes performance package. I got invoice on March 26 and week later my Fanatec order has arrived.

Clubsport V3 Pedals arrived definitely in “lightly used” condition instead on “new”. But they are performing well so far, so I did not complain to Fanatec.



CSL Elite Racing Wheel arrived in “new” condition.

Do not get me wrong, this is a very pleasant product when it is working.

But since the first day it started to demonstrate the infamous “off-centering” issue.

The essence of issue is when you start online race with perfectly calibrated (centered) wheel, but after a couple of laps neutral steering position is becoming shifted left or right by significant amount.

This issue becomes more severe during subsequent laps, and it becomes impossible to drive unless you re-do calibration procedure or re-boot the wheel.



So if I would have ordered this Fanatec product through Amazon then I would be able to return the malfunctioning wheel same day when I got it.

Then I would get the new wheel within a couple of days.



But as I ordered it directly from Fanatec.com so I am still talking with Fanatec customer service.

Despite them admitting the problem (after I proceeded with their DIY cleaning of sensor and then making a video of an issue),

I am still not even close to getting a non-malfunctioning wheel.



So counting in time and efforts that I spent and will have to spend to resolve the issue, I think that extra $100 for peace of mind with Amazon.com is a good deal.

As a customer of Amazon.com I now appreciate the quality of their service even more.

 

[Fanatec...]

Exchanging the product does not necessarily always solve the issue. If it is a setting issue or driver/firmware issue you can exchange the product 10 times and it will not work.

Therefore our team will make sure that you get a working product and not just a different one.

And rest assured that we do not ship any products which are "lightly used". Of course we do some testing with every single product in order to make sure that all works fine.

 

[bigkrokodil]

Exchanging the product does not necessarily always solve the issue. If it is a setting issue or driver/firmware issue you can exchange the product 10 times and it will not work.

Therefore our team will make sure that you get a working product and not just a different one.

And rest assured that we do not ship any products which are "lightly used". Of course we do some testing with every single product in order to make sure that all works fine.

Thank you.
Hope I did not sound overly critical.
I know you guys are doing your best.
I am still lookin forward to become happy Fanatec customer and to use the high end products that I bought with a premium price.
In a way I am just sorry that I did not pay $100 more for one of your products.
So I simply suggest other simracers on our forum to not overlook this option.
And of course firmware was updated to 335 and all settings are default.