Fanatec CSR Elite Review: A League of its Own

  • Thread starter amar212
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I wouldn't buy the T500RS just because of the pedals. I guess some people might like them, but I thought both were crap, even though they can be inverted, they still feel like toy pedals (just like the G25/27).
 
Great wheel.

My only issue is that they need to sell a simple wheel rim style like the G25 for quick 900 deg steering work on street cars.
 
African Kat
Great wheel.

My only issue is that they need to sell a simple wheel rim style like the G25 for quick 900 deg steering work on street cars.
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I think Thomas should listen to the community very carefully regards new rims. He does take note of what the community say and thats why more rims will be coming in the first place. I think in general the one issue the CSRE has is that the rim is too similar to the CSR rim. If anything personally I feel the CSRE rim should be on the CSR. However Fanatec we have to remember are appealing to all sorts and levels of players. So the CSRE rim is a good mix of being console friendly yet still a good quality race wheel. The rubber in particular always stays cool and has a nice texture to it. I havnt really noticed any flexing to what Amar describes, sure it likely could have a bit of movement if you really tried because of the way the rim is constructed (I have disected it and photographed in my own review).

The beauty however in the way Fanatec have approached this rim issue is that the whole shifter section and the rim is removed as one. Unlike say T500RS still looking a bit stupid with the original paddles and using the F1 rim.

I certainly will be offering suggestions for future rims and covering more on what I personally would like to see in future rims yet importantly keep the weight down. Basically I think people want something akin to the BMW type rim and in particular the superior paddles/adjustability of the CSW.
 
i would like to say thanks for a great and detailed review, wich i loved reading, and now i im really looking forward to get my own CSR Elite wheel:) but i felt i had to comment on one thing, namely this

"they are the same with exception of Simulation mode delivering a full-simulation of the tire grip-threshold. Result is immediate loss of grip in the very second when tires reach a grip-peak, either on longitudinal or lateral axis. I find it very challenging and extremely convincing"

i have driven a lot of cars, both normal and sports cars, both on road and track. the higlight so far being a caterham r500 on a racetrack (with so called road legal slicks, slicks with groves) and of all of this cars have have driven, with the excepetion on wet, or snow or with outright race slicks (wich i have never driven only read about) all of these cars progressivly relinquished their grip on the ashpalt, and also regain grip in the same manner, wether it be over or understeer(although som a little quicker then others, but non either have grip or not) unless you really provoke a powerfull rear wheel drive car and keep the wheels spining, so i would disagre that a sudden and snap release of grip is realistic at all (but is more challinging and therefore more fun in a driving game for some) and would say that after the patch i love the normal mode now, cause for my experience it makes the most right and realistic feel for driving a car.

but again i would say thanks for a greatly informative and in depth review.

ps forgot to say that i have csr wheel with clubsport pedals and shifter mounted to a gamepod race rig.
 
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A very expensive setup, but I found it useful because like to be updated for planning my next generation driving hardware
 
LogiForce
I didn't know the street price there nor could I find it on a whim earlier. I knew the GP wasn't the superior product though and the belt drive being to expensive. That wasn't the point. There was talk about a budget range wheel, which was the aim with the GP and the first one from Logitech before the Driving Force range.
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LogiForce
He was flawed in a part of the history I believe though. The Logitech Formula Force GP was actually the first payable wheel in August 30, 2000 for only $99,95. http://www.logitech.com/en-us/172/1184
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Your phrasing is very unclear, "first payable wheel". The most obvious interpretation is that was a typo and you meant first playable wheel. From that you would be wrong, as the Microsoft wheel and Formula Force both predate the wheel you mentioned. The alternate interpretation, which can really only be inferred after your latest response, is Affordable wheel. Payable does not equal Affordable in plain English.

Logitech is not going to experiment on a high end wheel. They have done lousy in recent years due to poor sales of harmony remotes and google tv. Logitech doesn't have that much free cash to play with to do the r&d on something that won't sell at high volume. I doubt we see any higher end wheel from them in the next two years minimum. . If there is any new wheel it will just be another slight modification of g2x. Heck it could even be a downgrade to save on price.

If it mirrors their audio line it started with the z560 then the z680 for 5.1 digital next the z5500 which was about as good and then the z906 which from most accounts is a downgrade from their prior flagship audio systems.

I think the CSR-E and CSW, and t500 will be the only ones in this category for a while.
 
ibuycheap
Your phrasing is very unclear, "first payable wheel". The most obvious interpretation is that was a typo and you meant first playable wheel. From that you would be wrong, as the Microsoft wheel and Formula Force both predate the wheel you mentioned. The alternate interpretation, which can really only be inferred after your latest response, is Affordable wheel. Payable does not equal Affordable in plain English.

Logitech is not going to experiment on a high end wheel. They have done lousy in recent years due to poor sales of harmony remotes and google tv. Logitech doesn't have that much free cash to play with to do the r&d on something that won't sell at high volume. I doubt we see any higher end wheel from them in the next two years minimum. . If there is any new wheel it will just be another slight modification of g2x. Heck it could even be a downgrade to save on price.

If it mirrors their audio line it started with the z560 then the z680 for 5.1 digital next the z5500 which was about as good and then the z906 which from most accounts is a downgrade from their prior flagship audio systems.

I think the CSR-E and CSW, and t500 will be the only ones in this category for a while.
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Well assumptions can be deadly, but indeed I made a silly translating mistake from Dutch to English in my head as I indeed meant affordable. I am sorry for the confusion.

I agree that Logitech seems to be on a low burner when it comes to new products. It even has been with product support in terms of software, driver and firmware updates.
It's just that if they don't do anything soon they might end up having to scale down due to the consumer looking more towards the competition. Not only with wheels but all other product ranges they serve as well. If that happens I fear the worst for Logitech in the next 5 years.

It's funny you mention the Z-560 as I own that set and it still is one of the best ones out there. It was the best 4.1 set in history by far anyways. But yeah, I have seen the same developments as you have it seems. Also the new mice Logitech put on the market a month or two ago didn't bring anything new apart from a different design and color scheme.

I fear you might be right, but I'll keep my hopes up for a lot of people who love their products.
I already own a T500 RS and have to test the CSW, so I just need the Elite to make the set complete. Heh
 
Amar, I noticed you didn't mention anything about fan noise. A lot of the T500RS wheels had a loud fan. I suppose there is a fan on the CSRE as well? How does it compare desibel wise?

And very interesting read, thanks.
 
Whitestar
Amar, I noticed you didn't mention anything about fan noise. A lot of the T500RS wheels had a loud fan. I suppose there is a fan on the CSRE as well? How does it compare desibel wise?

And very interesting read, thanks.
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The fan is a big case fan like the one you have in the power supply of your pc for example. I reckon it should be around 18db most of the time because of that.
 
LogiForce
The fan is a big case fan like the one you have in the power supply of your pc for example. I reckon it should be around 18db most of the time because of that.
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If cooling is efficient, then the fan noise wouldn't bother me since it's doing the job right (just like in my PC). But I'm real skeptical with the T500rs cooling. Air flow doesn't seem as good since I don't notice a lot of open vents like CSRE. I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself when it arrives ;)
 
Amar is the king of reviews!

Excellent job bud! I *ALMOST* want to trade with my ECCI 7000 for your CSR Elite...





almost :dopey:
 
zenkis14
If cooling is efficient, then the fan noise wouldn't bother me since it's doing the job right (just like in my PC). But I'm real skeptical with the T500rs cooling. Air flow doesn't seem as good since I don't notice a lot of open vents like CSRE. I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself when it arrives ;)
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The vents are on the left and right of the base. The ribbed sides are the vents.
The T500 uses a 40mm fan while the Elite uses what I reckon is a 90mm or 120mm fan. So the displacement of air is much greater even at the lowest rotation speed of the fan. More air displaced is also more heat displaced. Also from what I hear from the guys is that the cooling is much better. Unlike with the Porsche wheels and CSR where it is advices to stop after an hour of continuous play to let the wheel cool down, it is not necessary with the Elite. So long endurance races of 2 hours or more shouldn't be an issue.
 
I just watched a video review on YouTube today where a guy said he played for 8 hours non stop and the base wasn't even a little bit warm.
 
LogiForce
The vents are on the left and right of the base. The ribbed sides are the vents.
The T500 uses a 40mm fan while the Elite uses what I reckon is a 90mm or 120mm fan. So the displacement of air is much greater even at the lowest rotation speed of the fan. More air displaced is also more heat displaced. Also from what I hear from the guys is that the cooling is much better. Unlike with the Porsche wheels and CSR where it is advices to stop after an hour of continuous play to let the wheel cool down, it is not necessary with the Elite. So long endurance races of 2 hours or more shouldn't be an issue.
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Nice! Can't wait for pre-orders to open again!!
 
Mr Latte
I would like to query your comment about these motors being stronger? Are they different spec to the motors used in the Porsche range? I found it rather frustrating at times trying to get detailed information on the product and only minimal detail regards technical information. .

Their are some things you and I differ from each other in opinion and I have a few more minor or different criticisms. We have been fortunate with the additional time we have been able to test the wheel but I won't yet report on my own thoughts and some of the direct comparisons to the T500. I have yet to be sent the latest firmware yet asked 3 times for up to date firmware during the testing period. When I get that then I would like to finalise my own play tests and complete my own report within the next week or so.
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I think how Mabuchi 550 motors are the same as ones used in GT2 for example, but since the overall mechanics of the CSRE are totally different than in legacy-models - and the whole rim-console is significantly lighter - the problems of wheel being too heavy are solved for good.

As for T500 comparison, I really tried to sustain from direct opinion on that matter, as I disclosed in my answer to WildRun earlier. Since I am planning to finally purchase T500RS in days to come, I will be making an additional overview on that matter once I get the T500 at my home.

Patrocles
+1
PC racing is the pinnacle! Amar, you owe it to yourself to have a cheap PC rig setup!:)
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I know :)

The rFactor2 has really provoked me into reconsidering going to PC again and for me the 2012 could be the year of getting back to the PC racing 👍

zenkis14
Can you explain more in detail what you mean here? I know the wheel is seamed together, but can you hear a crunch sound by squeezing hard enough? I'm not sure why this was a necessary design other than the purpose of the vibrating motors???
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No, there is no crunch sound or anything similar. In longer sessions and during some more "fighting" manoeuvres I have a fell like some very. very small denting is going on. But as I told, none of my friends who stopped by to give the CSRE a go didn't noticed that, so I presume it could be something only at my side.

Energizerrr
Congrats Amar for this great review!
Amazing review and a great read, well done.
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Hvala puno, drago mi je da ti se svidjelo ;)

Whitestar
Amar, I noticed you didn't mention anything about fan noise. A lot of the T500RS wheels had a loud fan. I suppose there is a fan on the CSRE as well?.
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Yeas, but the fan is very discreet. It turns on and off during play, only for enough time to cool-down the motors.

isamu
Excellent job bud! I *ALMOST* want to trade with my ECCI 7000 for your CSR Elite...almost :dopey:
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Haha :) I am still waiting for the pictures of your ECCI setup, you're the only person I know that have that wheel and I would be so happy to see it in pictures better than ones on disposal of their official web 👍
 
Thanks for the reply Amar I wasnt sure if you had maybe been told something regards the motors being improved. Will be testing 717 today to see what has changed/improved in the wheel.

Great to see Fanatec still tweaking the firmware and end quality experience the wheel can provide.
 
Stef Bord
For you, how much torque can delivery the CSR wheel in the axle wheel ? More than 5 Nm ?

You can see that professional similator's wheel have 7Nm or more...

http://www.sensodrive.de/eng/produkte/Flyer_SENSO_Wheel_SD_LC_web_e.pdf

So to have realistic reactions and sensations the Fanatec wheel must have more than 5 Nm...
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This would be a question for Fanatec / Thomas. I know that the power of the PSU isn't the only factor in how much force can be delivered, but based on that alone the Fanatec CSR-Elite uses a 24V 5A unit which is roughly 1/4 of what that wheel you linked is using. Again setup is important so I'm not really sure how the two compare.
amar212
Haha :) I am still waiting for the pictures of your ECCI setup, you're the only person I know that have that wheel and I would be so happy to see it in pictures better than ones on disposal of their official web 👍
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I'd like to see some also.
 
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Nice review but you missed all the big simulators in the market (PC) such as: rFactor, NetCarPro, iRacing, GTR2, Richard Burns Rally, Ferrari Virtual Academy...etc.
 
Foxiol
Nice review but you missed all the big simulators in the market (PC) such as: rFactor, NetCarPro, iRacing, GTR2, Richard Burns Rally, Ferrari Virtual Academy...etc.
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That's cause he doesn't have a PC. ;)
 
LogiForce
That's cause he doesn't have a PC. ;)
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PC racing is heads and tails above console racing IMO. Consoles are a lot of fun but once you get to see what can be done on a PC, for example I just connected a Rev Burner and a Auto Meter 11,000 rpm Tachometer.
 
Foxiol
Nice review but you missed all the big simulators in the market (PC) such as: rFactor, NetCarPro, iRacing, GTR2, Richard Burns Rally, Ferrari Virtual Academy...etc.
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Can a PC play Forza 4 or GT5?
Im sure Amar and the rest of us do not need constantly reminded what can be done on a PC or what games are available on it.

Some of us like the simpleness and entertainment from a console.
We do not need or really expect console racing games to offer great levels of accuracy.

Do you remember when people played games for fun?
I could have a high end PC but do not really want all the hassle that comes with it and community mods while great can be a headache too.
 
Trust me, there is nothing worse than having your hard drive crash and having to reinstall over 50gb of community mods for GTR2. Then 35gb for rFactor....
 
left888
PC racing is heads and tails above console racing IMO. Consoles are a lot of fun but once you get to see what can be done on a PC, for example I just connected a Rev Burner and a Auto Meter 11,000 rpm Tachometer.
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The PC always has been better then any console in the past at any time. Just the fact that game devs are lazy on the PC doesn't mean it's capable of less.
Just like Latte says above though, some just like to keep things simple. Which isn't a bad thing, but most of the time it means the PC players get the short end of the stick in terms of fun games to play in general (so not just racing games).

Mr Latte
Can a PC play Forza 4 or GT5?
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Technically it can, but I doubt someone would reverse engineer the games and then port it over to the PC. Plus Forza 4 would be easier to port then GT5 cause of the hard and software its developed for. Hence so many xbox ports on the PC with Windows Live.

paskowitz
Trust me, there is nothing worse than having your hard drive crash and having to reinstall over 50gb of community mods for GTR2. Then 35gb for rFactor....
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That's why you have mirrored raid setups. ;)
 
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