FC with the Fanatec GT3 RS wheel

  • Thread starter Biggles
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Biggles

Biggles

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I've now run a few laps with a variety of cars using my new Fanatec wheel. The "dead zone" effect evident with the G25 (& I assume other wheels) is almost entirely absent with the Fanatec wheel. Instead of that "seat-of-your-pants" cornering with the G25, where you have to watch carefully that the wheel does not send you slightly off course at a critical moment, the RS delivers smooth, constant FFB.

I feel like I'm driving faster & more consistently, but I haven't managed to match any of my G25 lap records yet. It could be that the looser feel of the G25 allows for faster reactions & (when you don't screw up) faster lap times. On the other hand, I may just need more time to get used to the RS wheel. In any case, it's interesting that the "dead zone" isn't entirely the result of the game, but also the wheel itself...
 
That's pretty interesting although from what I'm experiencing after the last update (for the NA version), the deadzone is almost negligible on my G25 if I have the FFB set to High. The "constant FFB", though, sound rather scrumptious- it's something that would probably do wonders to the steering in Prologue. And as to the power in the FFB, is the increase from G25 quite noticeable or is it the case of a better quality of the FFB or is both? Anyhow, good luck and have a splendid time with the new toy.
 
Actually, I'm a bit ambivalent about the Fanatec wheel. You can see my full review of the wheel in this thread:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=112348&page=39

There's no question that it feels a lot more like a RL wheel, both in FC & GT5P, than the G25 does, but after so many hundreds of hours on the G25, I kind of miss the raw feel (& look) of the G25. In addition, I just got a Playseat Evo cockpit which works perfectly with the G25, where the Fanatec does not - it's possible to hard mount the wheel with some drilling, but the shifter is only designed for Fanatec's inadequate wheel mounting system, & the Clubsport pedals, which are a big step up from the G25's in materials & design, are awkwardly large on the Playseat's pedal frame.

To answer your question: the difference in the FFB is that the G25's FFB creates a kind of gaming equivalent to the feel of a RL wheel in operation - I don't think any RL wheel would have that "notchy" kick to the steering. The smoothness of the Fanatec wheel's belt drive delivers a more constant pressure - not necessarily stronger (although in GT5P it does feel stronger) - & is much more like the way a real wheel feels IMO.
 
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It's really interesting to hear your review of the Fanatec wheel Biggles 👍

I have a DFGT in addition to the G25, and I personally feel the FFB in the DFGT is clearly--maybe not by a huge margin--better than the G25's FFB in GT5P in particular. It's smoother, more consistent and equally as strong as the G25's FFB, even though it has only one motor (compared to the two on the G25).

I would be very tempted to order a PS3/XBOX compatible Fanatec wheel with Clubsport pedals, if not for some of the reviews which seem to indicate that Fanatec's customer service is not quite up to par yet, in addition to the expense of the purchase itself, not to mention the wait :ouch: And I don't think the wheelstand pro I have would be able to mount the Fanatec either, so there would be another dilemma as well.

With GT5's release date still anyone's guess, it is tempting to consider the possibility of jumping into Forza 3 on the XBOX...but that would mean roughly another +/- $600 investment in my gaming passtime :ouch: I just don't think I can do it at the moment. But based on your positive review of the Fanatec, I am a little more inclined to do so than I otherwise might have been. Especially since you also own a G25 and have been able to do a nice comparison of the two wheels.
 
Biggles, your review is very interesting (although I don't understand very well if you like or dislike the gear shifter :D ).

About your FC experience with this new wheel, you say it gives you "smooth, constant" FFB. So, one question: Do we still get that "grip / no grip / grip / no grip" feeling in corners, when you reach the limit of grip in the front tyres? Or is it like GT5P ?
 
There are a lot of things to consider here:

Everybody (including myself) complained about the G25 H-shifter. However, I've now spent a lot more time shifting with the G25's shifter than I have IRL for years. I actually kind of enjoy the floppy feel of the G25 now. :dopey:

The Fanatec H-shifter is extremely stiff, but I'm not sure it's much closer to RL in feel than the G25's shifter.

Until I get the Fanatec H-shifter working properly, I'm reduced to using the sequential shifter - which I don't enjoy nearly so much.

I would say the RS wheel IS functionally superior to the G25 - it's very smooth & more realistic feeling, but at the same time, it's somehow not as "racy" feeling (or looking) as the G25.

The Clubsport pedals are clearly superior in build & materials to the G25 pedals (by about the same amount that the G25's pedals are superior to the DFP's. BUT, they are bulky, heavy & (relatively) expensive & in actual racing I'm not sure I actually drive better with them anyway...
 
He's just winding us up Mario. From what I heard, the RS wheel gives you easily 1/2 a second a lap... ;)
 
I heard that too Jeff, do you think he will be able to keep up now? :lol:


:D

(btw Biggles, you didn't answer my question about the feeling of "the limit of grip" while cornering)
 
(btw Biggles, you didn't answer my question about the feeling of "the limit of grip" while cornering)
Click to expand...

The tire grip feel is the same with the Fanatec wheel, what is missing is the "notchy" feel of the G25, most noticeable when you straighten up after turning. It's the combination of the inherent notchy quality of the G25's gear driven FFB & the dead zone in FC steering that makes cornering so tricky in FC - particularly chicanes where the weight of the car swings from one side to the other. The Fanatec wheel smooths-out those transitions by applying more constant FFB pressure.

This may sound like a good thing, & I think it would be for someone using a FFB wheel for the first time, however, when you've got hundreds of hours (& thousands of miles) of driving with the G25 under your belt, changing to another wheel feels strange. So, at this point, I'm even slower with the Fanatec wheel than I usually am. ;)
 

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