Just bought my first wheel. Ever. Some Qs.

[Prototyp3]

I just bought my first wheel. Ever. I have never played a racing game on a wheel in my life but seeing all the best times done on wheel and what people say about wheels convinced me to make that investment.

I have the Driving Force GT (I couldn't afford anything more).

I was hoping some of the more experienced racers here could give me a few tips. What should I do about control sensitivity? Should I be messing around with this or just leave it alone?

Also, I have an end table that the wheel fits on just right and the height is good too. The pedals on the other hand are a little close. I have looked at wheel stands but am waiting a bit before I invest another $100 or so into this game/hobby.

The wheel pulls back surprisingly strong. I was not expecting that. I really have to grip it. Is that normal?

Another question is about the 900 degree rotation. Should I get used to the wheel set like that? My first instinct is to adjust the sensitivity so that the car on the screen turns more with out as much input from me on the wheel I'm holding. Turning the wheel back and forth that far feels a little unreal.

Other than that I like the feel of the wheel itself. It has some weight to it and once I put it on the end table I did much better. (I started using it on my lap lol, not happening.)

Sorry for all the scattered questions. I just want to get the most out of this wheel as possible and I am very excited to try and take my game to the next level.

 

[fifomaniak]

I just bought my first wheel. Ever. I have never played a racing game on a wheel in my life but seeing all the best times done on wheel and what people say about wheels convinced me to make that investment.

I have the Driving Force GT (I couldn't afford anything more).

I was hoping some of the more experienced racers here could give me a few tips. What should I do about control sensitivity? Should I be messing around with this or just leave it alone?

Also, I have an end table that the wheel fits on just right and the height is good too. The pedals on the other hand are a little close. I have looked at wheel stands but am waiting a bit before I invest another $100 or so into this game/hobby.

The wheel pulls back surprisingly strong. I was not expecting that. I really have to grip it. Is that normal?

Another question is about the 900 degree rotation. Should I get used to the wheel set like that? My first instinct is to adjust the sensitivity so that the car on the screen turns more with out as much input from me on the wheel I'm holding. Turning the wheel back and forth that far feels a little unreal.

Other than that I like the feel of the wheel itself. It has some weight to it and once I put it on the end table I did much better. (I started using it on my lap lol, not happening.)

Sorry for all the scattered questions. I just want to get the most out of this wheel as possible and I am very excited to try and take my game to the next level.

Control sensivity doesn't apply to wheels, it's only for controllers.

The wheel will pull back, it's the Force Feedback. You need to get used to it. You can lower the force in settings (1-10). Real road cars have 900 and more degrees of rotation, so it's completely normal. It allows precise, smooth movements.

 

[Prototyp3]

Control sensivity doesn't apply to wheels, it's only for controllers.

The wheel will pull back, it's the Force Feedback. You need to get used to it. You can lower the force in settings (1-10). Real road cars have 900 and more degrees of rotation, so it's completely normal. It allows precise, smooth movements.

I didn't know it only applies to controllers. Thanks for the info. I can get used to the force feedback. Already put in about 25 laps at deep forest and my times are starting to get close to the times I set on a controller.

What is a good setting for the force on that 1-10 scale? I am assuming it starts on 5.

Finally on the 900 degrees rotation... ok, I will leave this alone for now. I am getting more and more used to it. It just feels a little unresponsive when the wheel is near neutral, although that could just be me.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my dumb questions.

 

[Tornado]

That depends on what you want out of the wheel. If you want lots of feedback, max it out. If you don't, don't. There's no "best" setting, really.



As far as response issues when pointed straight, that's just because of the wheel's deadzone calibration in the game.

 

[300SRT8Fan]

I didn't know it only applies to controllers. Thanks for the info. I can get used to the force feedback. Already put in about 25 laps at deep forest and my times are starting to get close to the times I set on a controller.

What is a good setting for the force on that 1-10 scale? I am assuming it starts on 5.

Finally on the 900 degrees rotation... ok, I will leave this alone for now. I am getting more and more used to it. It just feels a little unresponsive when the wheel is near neutral, although that could just be me.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my dumb questions.

Alot of force feedback is the best. I had an old ps2 wheel, and when I used it instead of a ds2, especcially with alot of feedback, I shave more than 10 seconds off my time. Alright, I was a :censored:tastic driver.

 

[jpressley101]

If you're going for a more realistic feel, I would recommend a lower setting like a 2 or a 3. The road cars feel like road cars and the race cars feel a bit stiffer. If you like it tougher, go ahead by all means, it's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[Prototyp3]

That depends on what you want out of the wheel. If you want lots of feedback, max it out. If you don't, don't. There's no "best" setting, really.



As far as response issues when pointed straight, that's just because of the wheel's deadzone calibration in the game.

I was thinking it would end up being a personal preference kind of thing.

If you're going for a more realistic feel, I would recommend a lower setting like a 2 or a 3. The road cars feel like road cars and the race cars feel a bit stiffer. If you like it tougher, go ahead by all means, it's just a matter of personal preference.

I kind of like the sound of this. I may lower it 1 or 2 points and see how that goes.


Right now I haven't changed anything and am going back through all the license tests with the wheel. I figure by the time I am done with them I should feel pretty comfortable with it.


Is there any way to change or adjust the "dead zone" of the wheel in the game? I'd like the wheel to start responding immediately from smaller responses. If not I think it should be ok. I'm already starting to learn how the wheel effects the car in game. I suppose it's just going to be one of those time-sink things.

 

[Johnnypenso]

The only adjustable part of the DFGT is force feedback. You can toggle power steering on or off. I have mine set to FF4 with no power steering. I found that with higher FF settings my reaction speed is slowed too much because you can't move the wheel as fast. As mentioned above, even though some people think otherwise, the sensitivity function does not apply to the wheel, and neither does the "pro/amateur/simulation" settings.

Best advice for the wheel is, don't overdrive the car. You'll have a desire to crank the wheel around in some corners when the car begins to understeer. Don't do this. If your car is understeering you have to learn to slow down and work on tuning the car as well. Cranking the wheel over will only wear out the front tires faster and won't make you any faster. When you are dialed in, on the racing line and steering with the proper angle of attack, there is relatively little steering input in all but the sharpest of corners. This is the fastest way to drive with a wheel.

One big advantage of the DFGT is the ability to tune the car on the fly. You can tune brake balance, ABS on off, Torque Split etc mid-race if you want to. I've adjust settings on the fly before to my benefit in longer races. As your front tires wear for example you may want more braking to the rear, or vice versa. Changing the torque split on 4WD's also aids traction as the tires wear down.

For learning purposes, depending on your preference of course, I'd start with some well tuned 450pp cars on Sports Soft Tires and gradually go towards harder compounds as you progress with the wheel. 450PP on SS tires provide plenty of grip but not nearly the grip of racing tires. Move on to harder compounds and into the Comfort tires eventually.

 

[Prototyp3]

The only adjustable part of the DFGT is force feedback. You can toggle power steering on or off. I have mine set to FF4 with no power steering. I found that with higher FF settings my reaction speed is slowed too much because you can't move the wheel as fast. As mentioned above, even though some people think otherwise, the sensitivity function does not apply to the wheel, and neither does the "pro/amateur/simulation" settings.

Best advice for the wheel is, don't overdrive the car. You'll have a desire to crank the wheel around in some corners when the car begins to understeer. Don't do this. If your car is understeering you have to learn to slow down and work on tuning the car as well. Cranking the wheel over will only wear out the front tires faster and won't make you any faster. When you are dialed in, on the racing line and steering with the proper angle of attack, there is relatively little steering input in all but the sharpest of corners. This is the fastest way to drive with a wheel.

One big advantage of the DFGT is the ability to tune the car on the fly. You can tune brake balance, ABS on off, Torque Split etc mid-race if you want to. I've adjust settings on the fly before to my benefit in longer races. As your front tires wear for example you may want more braking to the rear, or vice versa. Changing the torque split on 4WD's also aids traction as the tires wear down.

For learning purposes, depending on your preference of course, I'd start with some well tuned 450pp cars on Sports Soft Tires and gradually go towards harder compounds as you progress with the wheel. 450PP on SS tires provide plenty of grip but not nearly the grip of racing tires. Move on to harder compounds and into the Comfort tires eventually.

Thank you for the very informative post. I will try out FF setting to 4 and turn power steering off and see how that works.

I've been playing all day on the wheel to get used to it. So far so good. Slowly but surely getting more used to it. But you really hit the nail on the head with the part I bolded above. I was/have been doing exactly this. I'll try to keep this mind.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Thank you for the very informative post. I will try out FF setting to 4 and turn power steering off and see how that works.

I've been playing all day on the wheel to get used to it. So far so good. Slowly but surely getting more used to it. But you really hit the nail on the head with the part I bolded above. I was/have been doing exactly this. I'll try to keep this mind.

That's because the part in bold is exactly what I used to do...lol. The biggest problem I see with other drivers I compete against is they overdrive their cars, both with DS3 and a wheel. You have to learn to find the limit of the car/tire/track combination and not exceed it. Every car has a limit and once you get beyond that limit, you are going slower, not faster. Braking too late and running off the racing line and cranking the wheel over to compensate is pretty common online and will surely cost you a couple of tenths in that corner and a few tenths if it's followed by a good straight as your exit speed will be lower.

 

[Jaywalker]

Right now I haven't changed anything and am going back through all the license tests with the wheel. I figure by the time I am done with them I should feel pretty comfortable with it.

Good move, ^this^. Also lots of other good advice here. 👍 Starting with slower cars also helps.

Oh, and practice, practice, practice...

And then practice some more.

 

[Prototyp3]

That's because the part in bold is exactly what I used to do...lol. The biggest problem I see with other drivers I compete against is they overdrive their cars, both with DS3 and a wheel. You have to learn to find the limit of the car/tire/track combination and not exceed it. Every car has a limit and once you get beyond that limit, you are going slower, not faster. Braking too late and running off the racing line and cranking the wheel over to compensate is pretty common online and will surely cost you a couple of tenths in that corner and a few tenths if it's followed by a good straight as your exit speed will be lower.

I really took your advice to heart and it has been helping a ton. Thanks again.

I also found a setting that I like. FF is set to 3 and power steering is Off. I played around with this last night on almost every possible setting and this one feels the most natural/realistic. It seems that on the higher FF settings you are getting WAY more feedback than you would even in real life. I may bump it up to 4 but for now 3 is just right.

Good move, ^this^. Also lots of other good advice here. 👍 Starting with slower cars also helps.

Oh, and practice, practice, practice...

And then practice some more.

Still working through some of the tests. I gave up trying to get gold on them all with the wheel... I'm a failure. I am settling for Silver medals at least. I can say for a fact that going through the license tests again with a wheel has not only been a huge learning experience for me but extremely valuable and helpful for understanding how the wheel works.


Thanks again to everyone who posted replies.
I know that you guys must have heard this question a thousand times. I really appreciate the help I've gotten from this community.

 

[Racin-Rev]

I just started with a wheel in May after "years" of using a DS3. There is a learning curve and your times at first will be slower. Begin with Automatic trans until you get the feel of the wheel and pedals. I settled on "power assist on" and setting force at 6. Different cars and different tracks give more or less bump and jerk as would be expected. My old set-ups caused a lot more push than I was used to having. I needed to re-tune some suspension and Aero settings to accommodate better steering and throttle control. Once you get the feel of driving with excellent steering and throttle/brake input your times will improve and the game becomes even more enjoyable. When you are comfortable with your position on the learning curve -- move on to the manual trans. I suggest using the paddle levers at first. I'm not sure how good they are on the DFGT. I have a G27(got it really cheap) and the paddles work very well on mine. Like the man said -- practice, practice
Practice and time trials against your recorded replays is a lot more fun than it ever was before.

 

[MNP]

My little piece of advice to new wheel users: Learn to be firm but not too aggressive. I've owned many different wheels over the years, with the DFP being the strongest of the ones i've had but they do have limits and can break if you're too rough with them. I stuffed my first G27 within weeks of getting it from being too rough, my DFP could take a lot more but it did start to clunk a bit after a few overly aggressive drift and X2010 sessions. If you want a workout, drive the Red Bull cars daily haha.

 

[sjs]

In the settings menu, change the steering mode from 'amateur' to 'simulation'. That made all the difference in the world to me. The cars will understeer like crazy when it's in amateur mode. Simulation provides a much more realistic experience. I was beyond frustrated with the wheel until I found that setting. It's like night and day, switching between those modes.

 

[ICallShotgun]

The learning curve can be brutal, and down right disheartening. I remember first starting my DFGT, and for weeks I darn near threw it out b/c I couldn't catch any simple slides. Then I started catching FWD cars better, then RWD & 4WD cars, and finally you'll be able to drive MR cars without too many problems. Biggest thing is do NOT get discouraged and revert to the DS3. Stick with it.

Personally, I run with FF at around 8. The 900 degrees really isn't a hindrance for about 99% of corners, it's mainly a problem when you spin out and have to re-join a race.

Also, buy one of these: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...&langId=-1&keyword=work+support&storeId=10051
and use it to mount your wheel. The. Best. Investment. I. Made. I was using ironing boards, end-tables, etc and could not get comfortable. This is cheap, stable, adjustable, and did I mention cheap? Had it over a year now and zero problems with it. I did end up cutting about 6 inches off the adjustable tube, but that's only for my sake b/c I sit on a very low chair.

 

[Johnnypenso]

In the settings menu, change the steering mode from 'amateur' to 'simulation'. That made all the difference in the world to me. The cars will understeer like crazy when it's in amateur mode. Simulation provides a much more realistic experience. I was beyond frustrated with the wheel until I found that setting. It's like night and day, switching between those modes.

This setting does not apply to the DFGT unfortunately.

One other thing I forgot about my DFGT. I modified the pedals at first with some bungee cords and then the brake pedal by sticking some foam behind it to increase the pressure necessary to get full braking. I haven't measure it but I'd bet it's a good 10 lbs pressure to get 100% braking, and because it's compressing, the pressure is progressive. I tried various things, but eventually settled for a sponge rubber ball that I shaved to fit. The bungee cords are still there on the brakes and throttle.

It made a huge difference in feel and in the ability to use minute gradients of throttle and brake. Doesn't mean much if you're on RS tires all the time, but trying to drive 500+ hp cars on street tires without ABS and you need all the help you can get with the pedals. Without those mods I could never drive high powered cars on street tires without driving aids of some kind.

 

[alex291190]

Remember your right foot can be analog. My first (And biggest) problem when switching to a wheel was 'Lead right foot'! Try to be as smooth as you can and you will spin less

 

[Conza]

I love my Driving Force GT, such a perfect wheel for the game, in every way its sensational.

I'm not sure if this idea has been suggested, but when I first got the wheel I was a little bummed out that I wasn't as fast as I was with a DS3, so what I did, get 1 good car and 1 good track in practice mode (good meaning, you're good with the car and track), and set 2-3 laps in practice mode going pretty much 90% don't push too hard, then beat that lap with the wheel, swap, swap, ect, and eventually I found that I could not beat myself with the wheel using my DS3 anymore, and that was really rewarding, it really validated my purchase of the wheel, and proved to me that when people said 'you'll always go faster with a wheel (than a DS3)' they were kinda right, I prefer to think of it as 'you'll eventually be faster with a wheel than you could be with a DS3'.

Hope that helps.

I subsequently bought a G27, but I almost wish I hadn't, the DFGT is just a better all rounder, less mess to set-up, don't need to pull out my controller just to turn the system off ect, I hardly use the stick or clutch that comes with it unless I really want to challenge myself in a seasonal, the paddles are a bit better, its quieter and the leather is nice, but otherwise, atleast at the RRP I wouldn't say its worth it (I paid $120AUD for the DFGT in early '11 and $220AUD for the G27 in January this year).

 

[Prototyp3]

I just started with a wheel in May after "years" of using a DS3. There is a learning curve and your times at first will be slower. Begin with Automatic trans until you get the feel of the wheel and pedals. I settled on "power assist on" and setting force at 6. Different cars and different tracks give more or less bump and jerk as would be expected. My old set-ups caused a lot more push than I was used to having. I needed to re-tune some suspension and Aero settings to accommodate better steering and throttle control. Once you get the feel of driving with excellent steering and throttle/brake input your times will improve and the game becomes even more enjoyable. When you are comfortable with your position on the learning curve -- move on to the manual trans. I suggest using the paddle levers at first. I'm not sure how good they are on the DFGT. I have a G27(got it really cheap) and the paddles work very well on mine. Like the man said -- practice, practice
Practice and time trials against your recorded replays is a lot more fun than it ever was before.

Ya, I've switched back to auto for the time being but I agree about the paddles, they rock. Makes the stick obsolete imo. It's much more natural. (if only I had paddle shifting on my real car...)
also, ya, racing against my old ghosts is proving to be an absolute blast. I'vecame close to a few times but even though I haven't beaten any I am seeing improvements.

The learning curve can be brutal, and down right disheartening. I remember first starting my DFGT, and for weeks I darn near threw it out b/c I couldn't catch any simple slides. Then I started catching FWD cars better, then RWD & 4WD cars, and finally you'll be able to drive MR cars without too many problems. Biggest thing is do NOT get discouraged and revert to the DS3. Stick with it.

Personally, I run with FF at around 8. The 900 degrees really isn't a hindrance for about 99% of corners, it's mainly a problem when you spin out and have to re-join a race.

Also, buy one of these: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...&langId=-1&keyword=work+support&storeId=10051
and use it to mount your wheel. The. Best. Investment. I. Made. I was using ironing boards, end-tables, etc and could not get comfortable. This is cheap, stable, adjustable, and did I mention cheap? Had it over a year now and zero problems with it. I did end up cutting about 6 inches off the adjustable tube, but that's only for my sake b/c I sit on a very low chair.

I may just go to Homedepot right now. WOW. what a great price. thank you for the link. You may have just saved my racing life!

 

[J0SH1]

After a while of using it, you will get used to the wheel and it actually makes the game more fun! That's what happened to me when I got my Driving Force GT, just Practice heaps.