Soooooooo.....
As you can tell I had a Logitech driving Force (DF) wheel that crapped out on me in under 2 weeks (12 days) so I went and bought the new Driving Force PRO (DFP)....
I spent aabout 3.5 hours with it last night and I gotta say I am very impressed and pleased with my purchase. Then again i loved the DF when i got it.
Initially I was hit with the MUCh improved feel of the rubber on the wheel, much better grip...though maybe too grippy as my palms were a little red about 30 or so minutes. I think that will smooth out. The DFP has a MUCH more solid feel to it, both in just holding it and in game play. The wheel turns my realistically, progressively if you wheel getting more resistance as your turn deeper. Not enough though to feel wrong. I think this is the mechanics of the inside giving a smoother feel AND a better execution of the force feedback. You can set the force feedback to 60% and 100%, I found 100% was too much in GT3 (like driving a car with NO power steering) but that the 60% setting was just right. The actual delivery of the force feedback is MUCh smoother, not more jarring and rattling mess like the DF used to, especially on rally stages.
Another cool feature is the self centering. You boot the ps2 up and the wheel spins around and centers itse;f automatically. I still went in and calibrated the wheel and noticed more things. The turn to all left and all right is MUCh more, going to the ends of the screen, instead of stopping a few inches from it like the DF did. Also the centering is more accurate it seems and the gas/brake pedals when pressed pushed the green bar ALL the way up and are equal on both, unlike the DF.
ou can also choose to use the paddle shift or the stick to the right for shifting, whcih is regardless of all the other improvements in the DFP makes it better than the DF. Why? In slow speed class c cars it used to seem silly shifting with the paddles. The cars go so slow that it is actually nice to have to rech off the wheel and shift, though one handed driving with this wheel is still hard for me but due to the improved grip and move of the buttons to the center of the wheel much easier to ge tyour hand in a 10 o'clock position to turn one handed. Then on race cars I can switch back to the paddles which I prefer in the ultra fast high speed cars. It feels very natural. I do prefer the paddles on the DF over the DFP but I'll live. If anything the DFP paddles, really buttons (L1 and R1 now) feel more positive and closer to what i would thing a race car's paddle shift would feel like.
The pedals. MUCH MUCH better. The platform they are on is much longer and solid so your heels actually are on the platform and not the floor pushing the pedals around. The action of pressing the pedals on the DFP feels smoother, less mechanical. I have to admit I agian prefer the actual pedal design on the DF, the gas pedal on the DFP feels too long (I mean the actual plastic part) and again i wish the platform could adjust the angle of the pedals because they are slightly too flat for me and my sitting position, but I'll live it isn't bad...jsut could be better. The gas pedal feels agian more progressive over the DF version. the DF always felt like it was on/off to me and it was hard to just add a little gas. It rocks now on the DFP. BUT! The brake!!!!!!! 100% improvement in fell AND use in the game. Now that you have 100% braking and a smoother feel in the pedal it is alot easier to brake, maybe too easy though as I was initially locking up into turns due to the much improved feel. i was so used to pounding on the brake in the DF just to get it to work. Not anymore!
oh and the max turn lock. On the DF it seemed mechanical, like the wheel hit a chunk of plastic. On the DFP, in GT3 since it doesn't support the 900* deal, the "lock" seems done by software, not mechanically. So when you reach max turn (note - since in the calibration you have MORE turn you I actually was hitting the max turn much less on tight corners with the DFP)..so when your reach max turn it is a smooth stop with a little "bounce" like a real car. Nice!
So ya....the DFP is considerably better than the DF. No surpriseI guess...but the surprise to me is just how much better it is. All around.
Now I bought this at a gaming store in Manhattan, a nationwide chain, I bought thait $15 no questions asked replacement option AND the first thing i did when i opened the box was register it on register.logitech.com since I have had an issue with the DF dying so fast. If this one dies I will use my replacement option and if that one dies I am going after Logitech. I hope for the best but do feel a but burned from the DF. I have used a few logitech mice and tablets on PCs and have never had an issue so i expect a good product from Logitech. I'll write my DF off as a dud.
I'll post back here with updates over the next weeks as to how the wheel is holding up, etc.
I should have GT4 Prologue this week and will get the play with the 900* feature on the DFP...I'll post about that once I get it.
Also any quetions specifically about the feel/performance of the DF vs. the DFP that I didn't cover here just ask. Keep in mind though there is another thread here (use the search, key words logitech and pro) with lots of pics and video of the DFP, look there too for that stuff. I'll jsut answer "feel" questions btween the two wheels.
I hope this helps those of you on the fence. The $150 price tag is high for a ps2 peripheral (to me it is)...but it is so far worth every penny.
I have the wheel on order, and hopefully...I'm going to receive it on Friday. 
Just kidding...
