New to sim driving world! Any advise?

[Lolfabriek]

Hello everybody,
I have been driving with a DS3 controller whole my life and i'm getting a little tired of that. I'm looking for a wheel, a seat, pedals and a shifter. I'm playing PS3 only (GT5). I have been looking around for a while and I think that I know what to buy:
Rseat evo V3 with a Thrustmaster T500RS + TH8RS shifter.

http://www.rseat.fr/nos-packs/55-pack-rseat-f1-rseat-t500rs-addon-f1.html

I'm a student, so this is alot of money for me!💡

I want to ask a few questions concerning the Thrustmaster.
-Is it durable? (Rubber coming loose,..)
-Is it worth 2x the price of G27 for 'a starter'?
-Can I play with it for a 'long' time without any troubles?!

I heard that there are alot of troubles with the T500...
And I have already read alot of Threads about T500 but I want to hear your experience with it.

Or.. maybe you guys know a (better but reasonable priced) wheel, seat,...?💡
Thanks in advance
(And sorry for my rubbish English)

 

[GTP_Plato]

I was not one of those when buying my first wheel to jump in at the deep end and go all out on an expensive setup. I was also a pad user for a very long time since the early days of the Forza series and didn't really see the need for a wheel at the time as I could be just as competitive on the controller.

GT5 was a different story for me though as it was my first proper GT experience (apart from a spell on GT3 when I was very young) I got my hands on a copy of GT5 prologue and within an hour of playing with the pad realized I would need to invest in a wheel as the DS3 is not the best equipment when comparing it to the xbox controller for being consistent, throttle control was pretty much impossible for me when compared to the xbox controller.

I started looking at wheel alternatives and the expensive ones (G27, Fanatec) were very appealing but I had thoughts crossing my mind wondering if I would be able to adapt to using a wheel, in the end I decided to get the DFGT and for the price wasn't disappointed. I had the DFGT for about a year and I think it only took me 3-4 hours to adapt to it as I set a top 10 time on the leaderboard in GT5p, like I said impressive wheel for the price and still have it now.

I now own the Fanatec CSR wheel which is a big step forward in performance, especially pedal wise.

If I was you I would probably do what I did and start off with a cheap alternative, I expect many wheel owners have done the same thing before upgrading to a high end wheel. The wheel experience is fantastic compared to a controller, you will have this experience with the DFGT wheel in my opinion. You can always upgrade later like I did, you don't want to be one of those that use it for a while and end up going back to the controller because you can't get along with it.

As for a racing seat I can't help you as I don't have one myself, but there are many people here who can help.👍

Sorry for going on

 

[II-zOoLoGy-II]

As a former "rookie" in the sim racing world I feel I should give you a little bit of guidance.

I picked up GT5 a couple of weeks after release. I was immediately hooked. I played with a DS3 for a couple weeks and almost immediately decided I had to get a wheel. So, after a bunch of gift cards and game trade ins I picked up a DFGT for $6 from GameStop. I was impressed and still am by this wheel. Especially at the price that I got it at.

Well, I also own a 360. But, of course my DFGT is not compatible with it. I heard mixed reviews about Forza 3 and decided I should at least give it the time of day and decided to rent it. Long story short I picked up the FM3 Ultimate Collection before my rental was even due back. I began looking forward to Forza 4 even though I had been limited to a controller. I saved for, and talked my wife into, getting a GT2. But, the CSR had been announced so my end goal changed slightly.

I currently own the Fanatec CSR wheel and CSR Elite pedals. I have them hard-mounted on my custom Playseat (which I picked up used from a GTP member and customized to my liking). I simply could not be happier. The wheel provides great FFB, and looks and feels like a racing wheel should (not on the same level as the CSR Elite). However, the CSR is cross platform (PS3, XBOX, PC) which brings me to my main point:

Purchasing a wheel only for PS3 is really limiting your selection of racing sims. I highly suggest you pick up a wheel at the same price point that offers cross compatibility. You may find in the future that you actually love a competitor platform exclusive game; but, are unable to fully experience it because of your limited hardware.

Also, look for used gear. Especially as a "newbie" to the scene. You can usually find some stuff for pretty cheap around here or other sim sites. Someone is always looking to upgrade.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

 

[Lolfabriek]

Thanks for your reaction,
The trustmaster is both pc and ps3 compatible.
Do you like your csr alot? Is it good quality?
I think the CSR elite is out of the question, it's about 530 euro's for only the wheel.

 

[Lolfabriek]

I'm not really good at quoting!

 

[GTP_Plato]

I have the same wheel and pedal setup as Zoology and to answer your question, yes a fantastic wheel and pedal set:tup:

 

[II-zOoLoGy-II]

Thanks for your reaction,
The trustmaster is both pc and ps3 compatible.
Do you like your csr alot? Is it good quality?
I think the CSR elite is out of the question, it's about 530 euro's for only the wheel.

I was mainly getting at the console compatibility with XBOX, and subsequently Forza (which is a game I have nothing but good things to say about; but, I won't go there). The two (GT5 and FM4) complete the sim racing experience on consoles. If I had the means for a gaming PC I would have one as well. Especially to experience Project C.A.R.S. (Google it!)

Also, for in depth reviews on anything sim racing Google "Inside Sim Racing" specifically "Sim Racing Tonight" for product reviews covering rigs, wheels, pedals, games, audio..... Shaun Cole and Darin Gangi (associated with Fanatec) provide great reviews on sim gear. There are multiple videos you can find on their homepage or YouTube account.

I have the same wheel and pedal setup as Zoology and to answer your question, yes a fantastic wheel and pedal set:tup:

Absolutely.

 

[lazjet]

Picking your first wheel is a hard decision. My first wheel was the dfpro when gt4 came out it wasn't a hard decision at the time because that was the only 900 degree steering option.

One question you have to ask your self is if you will ever consider forza. If yes then definetaly get a fanatec set up. If your firm that you will be only on pc/ps3 then the thrustmaster is an awesome set up, as well as the g25/27 especially if you buy used. One thing that also makes fanatec a good choice is there clubsport and csr elite pedals with load cell brake. But the only wheel that compares to the thrustmaster is the csr-elite.

Which ever wheel you end up choosing (g25/27, fanatec, thrustmaster) you will be very happy since it will be your first wheel the only problem will be later on cause once you start your always gonna what the new better things that come out

 

[skazz]

I bought my first FFB wheel (a Logitech Formula Force GP) well over 10 years ago. When it came time to get more serious hardware (early 2007, after I first tried a Simbin sim), I had to choose between the Logitech G25 and the DFP at that time. I'm very glad I went for the G25, it taught me far better pedal control far earlier - if I'd been learning using DFP (identical to DFGT) type pedals I suspect my brake control would have got off to a poor start and needed correcting later on.

Now I do also own a DFGT (bought later for GT5) and it's a perfectly acceptable wheel, but the pedals do let it down. A G27 is a far more complete offering and considerably better for teaching yourself good pedal habits as early as possible, for PC and PS3 racing.

However.... Don't discount the XBox. I currently race Forza 4 and GT5 quite a lot, and do so with my Fanatec GT2 wheel. I'm very glad I eventually invested in a multi-platform wheel and can race Forza 4 with it.

So what does this all mean? Any wheel (from DFGT up) is perfectly useable for simracing. Paying more, particularly for better pedals, is no bad thing. Likewise paying more for extra compatibility is worth considering.

 

[lazjet]

I have to agree I never thought about forza until part 4 came out and im glad that I have a wheel that works for it cause right now im having a lot more fun on forza then gt5. There both great games and have there pros and cons but I feel that forza is a lil better on the fun factor. Especially in career mode I like the fact you can use cars that you prefer or even the same car for almost the entire game (only needing to upgrade it to continue using it)

Too bad you have some a budget, im currently using the csr-elite with csp pedals and its a game changer from the other wheels I have owned(dfp, g25, gt2)

 

[lemansfanatic]

I say you should save your money on an expensive cockpit and build your own. that way you could spend the money you saved on a decent wheel and pedal set and upgrade to a nice playseat later on. there are plenty of really cheap and easy to build instructions on here and all over the web that anyone could easily construct on a budget. then you'd free up some money to buy that t500that you really want. check out the pvc build thread someone posted on here, that'll get you to a pretty good idea of where to start