Fanatec Opens Limited Pre-Orders for New CSL Elite McLaren GT3 Wheel

Got this pre-ordered also. Looks like a lovely bit of kit. Just waiting for the Fanatec DD wheel to be released now!


Yeah Slim (and thanks again last week), now that I've fully converted to the fanatec eco-system (or will once my purchases arrive) anything that I get from here on out from fanatec are investments for now, and into the future.
 
Yeah Slim (and thanks again last week), now that I've fully converted to the fanatec eco-system (or will once my purchases arrive) anything that I get from here on out from fanatec are investments for now, and into the future.

Sure ? I sold all my equipment (Full Fanatec equipment ) 1.5-2 years ago. Now iam thinking to come back to Sim Racing. What i want to say is that Fanatec products look incredible "good"/durable because they are using Aluminium and such... But under the hood its not like that. I was in the First pre-order groud of the Fanatec Wheel Base v2. With that i also bought the Clubsport pedals v2 and the BMW Gt2 Rim + Formula Rim. A quite expensive investment tbh. What i got was poorly made products. Iam talking about "under the hood". The funny thing was that ALL of my team members back then had the exact same issues. I called Fanatec and asked them if they are really repairing the products or just putting them into a new package and sending them back to different customers. Also i would like to point out that Fanatec raised their prices without ANY reason! Back then when the BMW GT 2 Rim was released it cost around 200 or 250€ if i remember correctly. The Formula Rim was 170 i think. Then they raised it to 299€ and 230€ without any reason (luckily i could get the BMW and the Formula Rim together on black friday for 310€ . That shows their profit margin !!). Once i read a message on youtube from the official Fanatec accout and they wrote something like that "if the competition (they were talking about high end pedals/wheels from the US. with high end i mean really high end not like Fanatec) raises their prices then whats wrong if we do aswell".

Iam not against Fanatec or something like that but they should focus on durable products without stupid issues before they raise their prices...
 
We had to increase prices mainly because we had to increase quality a lot.
In case of the Clubsport Wheel base V2 ->V2.5, we even reduced the price although we are now using much better components.

So your point of view is a little bit outdated. A lot has happened within the last two years.
 
Sure ? I sold all my equipment (Full Fanatec equipment ) 1.5-2 years ago. Now iam thinking to come back to Sim Racing. What i want to say is that Fanatec products look incredible "good"/durable because they are using Aluminium and such... But under the hood its not like that. I was in the First pre-order groud of the Fanatec Wheel Base v2. With that i also bought the Clubsport pedals v2 and the BMW Gt2 Rim + Formula Rim. A quite expensive investment tbh. What i got was poorly made products. Iam talking about "under the hood". The funny thing was that ALL of my team members back then had the exact same issues. I called Fanatec and asked them if they are really repairing the products or just putting them into a new package and sending them back to different customers. Also i would like to point out that Fanatec raised their prices without ANY reason! Back then when the BMW GT 2 Rim was released it cost around 200 or 250€ if i remember correctly. The Formula Rim was 170 i think. Then they raised it to 299€ and 230€ without any reason (luckily i could get the BMW and the Formula Rim together on black friday for 310€ . That shows their profit margin !!). Once i read a message on youtube from the official Fanatec accout and they wrote something like that "if the competition (they were talking about high end pedals/wheels from the US. with high end i mean really high end not like Fanatec) raises their prices then whats wrong if we do aswell".

Iam not against Fanatec or something like that but they should focus on durable products without stupid issues before they raise their prices...
I've owned 4 different Fanatec wheel, three different types of pedals and currently own all that you had as well as a hanbrake and Xbox hub. They have all worked flawlessly since the day I got them. I'm not sure how you can look at the clubsport pedals or the CSW V2 base for that matter and say they are poorly made 'under the hood'. With the window at the top of the wheel base and the pedals being so open there is no under the hood.
 
We had to increase prices mainly because we had to increase quality a lot.
In case of the Clubsport Wheel base V2 ->V2.5, we even reduced the price although we are now using much better components.

So your point of view is a little bit outdated. A lot has happened within the last two years.

Nice to see Fanatec on GtPlanet. I wasnt here for years my first day today didnt knew that. Even your statement that a lot has happened since then is kind of arguing to that what i said before. I cant talk about the V3 pedals or the 2.5 Wheelbase. I can only talk about the V2 Wheelbase and the pedals. Iam pretty sure you know better than me. The problems with the squeaky noise from the V2 pedal ? Problems with calibration and that in some models it didnt worked at all... My pedals were brand new when bought and after a few hours they already had problems. All my Teammates were running Fanatec products and they all had similar problems. So after that you are saying much happened/changed. Thats really nice to hear but it also points out my argument that it wasnt like that before.

I think i cought you : ) You said you raised the prices because on the V2.5 you are using better components and such. Oke maybe thats an argument. But whats with the GT 2 and the Formula RIm :sly:

ps: If i pre-order the McLaren wheel with paypal will i have to pay immediately or will Fanatec get the money when its shipped? Because iam blank atm :D


I've owned 4 different Fanatec wheel, three different types of pedals and currently own all that you had as well as a hanbrake and Xbox hub. They have all worked flawlessly since the day I got them. I'm not sure how you can look at the clubsport pedals or the CSW V2 base for that matter and say they are poorly made 'under the hood'. With the window at the top of the wheel base and the pedals being so open there is no under the hood.

I had to replace my V2 Pedals Multiple times. They were broken on day 1. Like i said my teammates also had to replace their Pedals.
Squeaky noise. Calibration or only 80% throttle... list goes on and on. Ofcourse there is not much to see its not really a "under the hood" thing but you get my point. I think you were just one of the lucky customers because otherwise me and all my teammates wouldnt have this problem. Even like the Fanatec guy above said "a lot has happened since then" so it says that it wasnt good back then.
I pay for a product and if it has issues i point them out. Iam not the "fanboy" guys tbh.
 
I had to replace my V2 Pedals Multiple times. They were broken on day 1. Like i said my teammates also had to replace their Pedals.
Squeaky noise. Calibration or only 80% throttle... list goes on and on. Ofcourse there is not much to see its not really a "under the hood" thing but you get my point. I think you were just one of the lucky customers because otherwise me and all my teammates wouldnt have this problem. Even like the Fanatec guy above said "a lot has happened since then" so it says that it wasnt good back then.
I pay for a product and if it has issues i point them out. Iam not the "fanboy" guys tbh.
It's all good. I was just giving my Fanatec experience the same way you did. Nothing wrong with a bit of balance.
 
Sure ? I sold all my equipment (Full Fanatec equipment ) 1.5-2 years ago. Now iam thinking to come back to Sim Racing. What i want to say is that Fanatec products look incredible "good"/durable because they are using Aluminium and such... But under the hood its not like that. I was in the First pre-order groud of the Fanatec Wheel Base v2. With that i also bought the Clubsport pedals v2 and the BMW Gt2 Rim + Formula Rim. A quite expensive investment tbh. What i got was poorly made products. Iam talking about "under the hood". The funny thing was that ALL of my team members back then had the exact same issues. I called Fanatec and asked them if they are really repairing the products or just putting them into a new package and sending them back to different customers. Also i would like to point out that Fanatec raised their prices without ANY reason! Back then when the BMW GT 2 Rim was released it cost around 200 or 250€ if i remember correctly. The Formula Rim was 170 i think. Then they raised it to 299€ and 230€ without any reason (luckily i could get the BMW and the Formula Rim together on black friday for 310€ . That shows their profit margin !!). Once i read a message on youtube from the official Fanatec accout and they wrote something like that "if the competition (they were talking about high end pedals/wheels from the US. with high end i mean really high end not like Fanatec) raises their prices then whats wrong if we do aswell".

Iam not against Fanatec or something like that but they should focus on durable products without stupid issues before they raise their prices...


I here you, ICEMAN. However, my previous experiences were pretty good. Back when I first got my GT2 wheel (2011) I had problems with the shifters (or the follow-up shifters, trouble remembering) and fanatec replaced them after I indicated the issue I was having. Otherwise, I never had a problem with my GT2 wheel, or my CSR Elite pedals which I still use to this day.

Back in the day there seemed to be many more quality control issues voiced by purchasers than what I have read about in the last few years.
 
I got mine preordered Friday, while playing the refresh game with their website, :lol:. February isn't that far off, so it should be here in no time. I can't wait to see reviews or videos about this though.

Does fanatec take the money from you as soon as you preordered or not intil it ships?

They take it when you place it. At least that's what happen with me.
 
Last edited:
Mine is pre-Ordered, along with two other items.
The Two others were stock and are shipping.

They Take the Full amount of the Order, then Ship when It's Available.

This is a fantastic Price for this Wheel.
There was no way I was missing out on ordering it.
I got the Inverted V3's since they were reduced to the same price as the standard V3's
And I got the Universal HUB, with a Free Rim.
with the HUB, you can even use Wheel from your Favorite Car.
Just need a hub adapter.
 
Mine is pre-Ordered, along with two other items.
The Two others were stock and are shipping.

They Take the Full amount of the Order, then Ship when It's Available.

This is a fantastic Price for this Wheel.
There was no way I was missing out on ordering it.
I got the Inverted V3's since they were reduced to the same price as the standard V3's
And I got the Universal HUB, with a Free Rim.
with the HUB, you can even use Wheel from your Favorite Car.
Just need a hub adapter.


You and I seem to be drinking from the same Koolaid, WA, in as much as our orders seem so similar.
 
You and I seem to be drinking from the same Koolaid, WA, in as much as our orders seem so similar.

Yeah, I JUST bought the CSL E for the PS4, with the bundled 2 Elite Pedal set.
( In Box Never Opened )
I also order the Standard V3's and (2) Dampers, and the elastomer brake kit.
Plus the F1 Black Wheel.

So when I saw the Black Friday Deal, It was Like.. Oh Man do I need it??
But the Price was to good to Pass up...
I may have to put some of it up on E-bay..
(I'd rather find a Local User to Save Shipping costs though. I'm Just North of Philadelphia PA )
When I get the New Mclaren Wheel, I'll post what I have for sale.
 
This wheel looks so good and I know it will be compatible with the DD wheel base (with the QR add-on) but I will wait for Fanatec to fully announce the Podium Series wheel base to see if there will be Podium Series wheel rims too.
 
Yeah, I JUST bought the CSL E for the PS4, with the bundled 2 Elite Pedal set.
( In Box Never Opened )
I also order the Standard V3's and (2) Dampers, and the elastomer brake kit.
Plus the F1 Black Wheel.

So when I saw the Black Friday Deal, It was Like.. Oh Man do I need it??
But the Price was to good to Pass up...
I may have to put some of it up on E-bay..
(I'd rather find a Local User to Save Shipping costs though. I'm Just North of Philadelphia PA )
When I get the New Mclaren Wheel, I'll post what I have for sale.


Just got the e-mail: CSW v2.5, 1.5 Shifter, V3i Pedals, Universal Hub and GT Rim arriving tomorrow.

Downloading the manuals right now. I have to make sure what settings are the correct settings for the V2.5 for use through my Collective Minds Drive Hub for GT SPort, and I have to make sure Windows is up to date on my computer, all by tomorrow.

I couldn't be more excited!
 
Just got the e-mail: CSW v2.5, 1.5 Shifter, V3i Pedals, Universal Hub and GT Rim arriving tomorrow.

Downloading the manuals right now. I have to make sure what settings are the correct settings for the V2.5 for use through my Collective Minds Drive Hub for GT SPort, and I have to make sure Windows is up to date on my computer, all by tomorrow.

I couldn't be more excited!
Congrats! I know that feeling.
Don't forget to use higher end USB cables for drivehub and DS4 (they seem to be the main issue for a lot of DH users)
 
Congrats! I know that feeling.
Don't forget to use higher end USB cables for drivehub and DS4 (they seem to be the main issue for a lot of DH users)


Thanks, Shinu and indeed. The current cables have been working fine with the TX, but I'll still check everything if I run into any problems.

I feel like a teenage girl who just got asked to the prom!!


:boggled:

...or maybe a sim fan who is getting some nice gear that he's been looking forward to...yeah, we'll go with that.

:lol::gtpflag:
 
Btw, I have to be honest; I have to stop looking at the McLaren wheel.

I know it is only two and a half months away, but the more I look at it the more I love it and the more I can't wait.

It's getting...depressing.

:lol:
 
Last edited:
Btw, I have to be honest; I have to stop looking at the McLaren wheel.

I know it is only two and a half months away, but the more I look at it the more I love it and the more I can't wait.

It's getting...depressing.

:lol:
As soon as your new toys arrive, you'll be distracted by them and the McLaren wheel will move into the background for a while. :lol:
 
As soon as your new toys arrive, you'll be distracted by them and the McLaren wheel will move into the background for a while. :lol:


I'm giddy, gt...seriously I am. I have work to do for the office, not tomorrow, but tonight as I mentioned I would forward something tonight and I can't focus!

If I just get through it then I can read my manuals and start to remove my pedals, shifter and wheel tonight from my rig before I go to bed (wife and daughter already sleeping). Once a year (sometimes every two years) I make a sim gear purchase and this is the biggest one so far. Christmas early this year.

Should I wrap them before unboxing? :confused::lol:
 
CSW V2.5 Firmware Updates

Guys, I wonder if you could just give me some direction. My delivery hasn't arrived yet, but it will be here today and I won't be able to set-up until later tonight, EST.

I have read through the manual for the v2.5, but the actual walk-through procedure for firmware update is a little unclear to me. It tells you what to do, but doesn't really give you an order on things. I can't get technical support yet as I don't have the serial numbers and I don't know whether they would even be able to help me at the time I would be working on this, likely after 8 pm, EST.

For example, or more so, hypothetically, do I:

1. Download the Driver.
2. Then hook up the wheel base (with Univ Hub already on) to my PC... but is the wheel base plugged into power or not?
3. Do I do all this before attaching the pedals and shifter and update them separately or do I have them all attached at once, but just go through their Firmware updates afterward?

Additionally, I do have Windows 10, but how critical are Windows updates to the drivers and firmware? I updated Windows last night and I do know it is 64 bit, but some of the updates just won't go through.

With my TX wheel Thrustmaster was fairly anal with respect to doing their updates, which was good and bad as they were very specific, but I ran into problems that stretched out for a couple of days as I waited to hear back from their technical support.

I won't even ask about actually set-up yet as I will just be trying to get everything up and running on evening 1.

I appreciate any help or suggestions you can offer. If I should be posting this someplace please feel free to let me know.

Thank you in advance.
 
Btw, I have to be honest; I have to stop looking at the McLaren wheel.

I know it is only two and a half months away, but the more I look at it the more I love it and the more I can't wait.

It's getting...depressing.

:lol:

Well In the mean time Get the F1 Black... It will hold you over till the McLaren wheel arrives..

It's a really nice wheel. My Favorite one at the moment.
Set the SenS ( DOR ) to 54 ( 540 degrees ) , and it's about as good as it gets.

edit: then E-bay it later...
 
CSW V2.5 Firmware Updates

Guys, I wonder if you could just give me some direction. My delivery hasn't arrived yet, but it will be here today and I won't be able to set-up until later tonight, EST.

I have read through the manual for the v2.5, but the actual walk-through procedure for firmware update is a little unclear to me. It tells you what to do, but doesn't really give you an order on things. I can't get technical support yet as I don't have the serial numbers and I don't know whether they would even be able to help me at the time I would be working on this, likely after 8 pm, EST.

For example, or more so, hypothetically, do I:

1. Download the Driver.
2. Then hook up the wheel base (with Univ Hub already on) to my PC... but is the wheel base plugged into power or not?
3. Do I do all this before attaching the pedals and shifter and update them separately or do I have them all attached at once, but just go through their Firmware updates afterward?
...
Thank you in advance.


Wheel Base Plugged in to the Power supply.
Don't use a HUB. USB Directly from Wheel base in to the PC.
Click on the UPDATE tab in the PC software.
Power up the wheel base and hold the power button for 8 seconds to Initialize Firmware update mode.

or Alternate method.

Wheel Base already Power on.
connect USB to PC
click on UPDATE tab.
It will show current firmware level.
Click Button Update.



You should then see a pop up Start Update..

then just follow the prompts.
 
Well In the mean time Get the F1 Black... It will hold you over till the McLaren wheel arrives..

It's a really nice wheel. My Favorite one at the moment.
Set the SenS ( DOR ) to 54 ( 540 degrees ) , and it's about as good as it gets.

edit: then E-bay it later...


$$$$$$ would be a problem!

Hey Wylde, do you have any advice or comment on my post #26, above?

No pressure if you don't.
 
Wheel Base Plugged in to the Power supply.
Don't use a HUB. USB Directly from Wheel base in to the PC.
Click on the firmware tab in the PC software.
Power up the wheel base and hold the power button for 8 seconds to Initialize Firmware update mode.

or Alternate method.

Wheel Base already Power on.
connect USB to PC
click on Firmware tab.
It will show current firmware level.
Click Button Update.



You should then see a pop up Start Update..

then just follow the prompts.


Dude, you're awesome!

Thank you!

EDIT: What about the other accessories? Pedals, Hub, Shifter, etc?
 
Back