New wheel? Or keep this one?

[Egor]

Hello, you might know (Probably not) that I got a Logitech GT wheel for GT5. As you know it has a sequential gear shift, so it doesn't have a clutch. I'm starting to get a bit annoyed by the fact that the gear-shift is right next to the wheel, and it doesn't feel right at all, plus not having a clutch is starting to get weird since I have started driving.

I was wondering if a wheel that has a clutch pedal (and obviously an accelerator and brake) and a 6 speed gear lever is better. Better in a way that it feels more realistic (Which I'm guessing it does) and natural. Will it add to the immersion?

Take into consideration I have just turned 18 and don't have a good paying job yet, so I can maybe just afford around £100. (I know wheels are sometimes £200 to £400 or something but I'm getting it on eBay)

 

[kasey435]

Yes, the h gated shifter and clutch add to the immersion immensly. I started out with a microsoft ff wheel. And when I went to the g27, it was worlds better. But it does come with a cost. G27 or fanatec wheels are pretty pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

 

[Egor]

Yea, the price seems to be the only problem. But I'm wanting to improve my gaming a bit, I have just bought a surround sound system, mainly for war games, but GT5 will be spectacular (Maybe ) with that.

But the wheel is my only problem it just doesn't feel right to me, and the shift has no feel. I imagined it would be great to power out of a corner, and smash through the gears, but it just doesn't feel good. In a real car even in my instructors Astra on the normal country roads, the gear shifting through all the gears with a clutch feels awesome, and I would love to race in GT5 with that same feeling.

Is there any way that I could remove the sequential gear shift from the wheel, and place it by my side? I know it cant really be disconnected, but I may as well ask.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gdog96]

Inside the dfgt shifter bit, are two orange/brown circuit boards with springs on them which provide the click you feel. The circuit boards are attached by a wire and which are then attached to the main circuit board in the wheel. If you could extend the wire that attaches the two circuit boards to the main circuit board then you could place it to the side of you. There is also a mechanism above the circuit boards in the shifter bit however I think it is screwed on from what I remember. I f you don't mind voiding your warranty then open it up and have a look and see what I mean, then decide if you can do it.
Have fun.
EDIT. To remove the actual shifter stick, but nothing else, look on the bottom of the wheel under the shifter bit and there will be a plastic nut which you can unscrew with your hands. Unscrew that and the shifter stick will slide out.
EDIT 2. Something like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3XJ0Le7JcE

 

[Egor]

I don't have the newer wheel, I have the old one. I don't have a warranty because I bought it cheap on eBay for £42. I will see tomorrow if it can be opened up, but I would much rather get another wheel, with the clutch and six speed gear box.

 

[Gdog96]

I upgraded from a dfgt to a g27 and the difference is amazing. I thought that it would only really appreciate the pedals and shifter, but the force feedback is alot smoother too.
To be honest you get what you pay for, and unless you can find a great bargain on ebay you're not going to find a wheel like a g25 or g27 for 100 pounds, I bought mine from play.com, its 200 there now.

 

[SkateNj]

you can use G25/27 pedals for a DFGT and the clutch will work

EDIT: Sorry for the confusion i was told you can do it that way >.<

 

[Gdog96]

you can use G25/27 pedals for a DFGT and the clutch will work

I thought you couldn't because the dfgt pedals have a 7 pin connector and the g25/7 pedals have a 9 pin connector. Infact I'm pretty sure I saw a video of how to use g25 pedals with a dfgt and he had to mess around with the insides of the wheel.

 

[Ya Pops]

I upgraded from a dfgt to a g27 and the difference is amazing. I thought that it would only really appreciate the pedals and shifter, but the force feedback is alot smoother too.
To be honest you get what you pay for, and unless you can find a great bargain on ebay you're not going to find a wheel like a g25 or g27 for 100 pounds, I bought mine from play.com, its 200 there now.

Great deal. (also can't believe they're selling the dfgt for £143... I paid £80)

OP, find an extra hundred by whatever means necessary and grab the G27!

Btw, Fanatec have their Carrera wheel packaged with shifter, pedals and rennsport wheelstand for 200 euros (£177) + postage, although most would argue that the G27 (especially the pedals) is superior.

 

[Coxis]

you can use G25/27 pedals for a DFGT and the clutch will work

This is not true in oh so many ways. In order to get the G27/25 pedals on a DFGT you have to either modify your pedal's cable or drill two holes on the DFGT pedal connector and invert some polarities. This is only for the gas/brake pedals, the clutch will not work on a PS3 or PC if the pedals are directly plugged in to the wheel no matter what you do.

 

[Egor]

@Ya Pops, I think I will. Thing is, that my current set up with this wheel is just a computer desk in front of my TV in my bedroom. I think I may have to get a wheel stand, and on eBay they are around £60-£90. Looks like I'm going to have to do a bit of saving.

Having my 18th birthday 2 days ago helped though, because of it being a milestone I made £145, and an uncle put £255 in my savings bank (I didn't have anything in there, and he always does it on 18th and 21st birthdays). But my parents are telling me to save the money up, but all I can think about is gaming .

I was also pondering on a gaming chair, with a stand and everything for a wheel. But they are up to and over £300, even on eBay, which is just immense.

What about another TV? I have an LCD one already, 32 inch Techwood, and recently purchased a 5.1 surround sound system (Hasn't arrived yet). I don't think I need one, but would a bigger TV be better for gaming? Or is 32 inch enough, it seems so to me. We do have a 46 inch Plasma for the living room, and that's way to big.

 

[Gdog96]

Great deal. (also can't believe they're selling the dfgt for £143... I paid £80)

OP, find an extra hundred by whatever means necessary and grab the G27!

Btw, Fanatec have their Carrera wheel packaged with shifter, pedals and rennsport wheelstand for 200 euros (£177) + postage, although most would argue that the G27 (especially the pedals) is superior.

I paid 60 for mine on play.

 

[Ya Pops]

@Ya Pops, I think I will. Thing is, that my current set up with this wheel is just a computer desk in front of my TV in my bedroom. I think I may have to get a wheel stand, and on eBay they are around £60-£90. Looks like I'm going to have to do a bit of saving.

Having my 18th birthday 2 days ago helped though, because of it being a milestone I made £145, and an uncle put £255 in my savings bank (I didn't have anything in there, and he always does it on 18th and 21st birthdays). But my parents are telling me to save the money up, but all I can think about is gaming .

I was also pondering on a gaming chair, with a stand and everything for a wheel. But they are up to and over £300, even on eBay, which is just immense.

What about another TV? I have an LCD one already, 32 inch Techwood, and recently purchased a 5.1 surround sound system (Hasn't arrived yet). I don't think I need one, but would a bigger TV be better for gaming? Or is 32 inch enough, it seems so to me. We do have a 46 inch Plasma for the living room, and that's way to big.

Your 32" will be perfectly fine unless you have spectacularly bad eyesight or are sitting reeeally far away.
I'm personally not a huge fan of the desk driving experience, but there's nothing wrong with it, and it should do just fine for the moment as long as your seating position is comfortable enough.

I say just get the wheel sorted for now, get the sound system hooked up when it arrives and take your time deciding on what kind of a setup you think is practical/affordable in the near future.

Happy belated btw

I paid 60 for mine on play.

👍

 

[Zoom!Zoom!]

.....
What about another TV? I have an LCD one already, 32 inch Techwood, and recently purchased a 5.1 surround sound system (Hasn't arrived yet). I don't think I need one, but would a bigger TV be better for gaming? Or is 32 inch enough, it seems so to me. We do have a 46 inch Plasma for the living room, and that's way to big.

32" screen is good for gaming but since you are often looking down the road and watching for brake markers I find it easier to see the closer I am to the screen. From my experience 2-3 feet away with 21"-24" screen is good, around 4 feet for "32 and 5-6 feet I would prefer at least a 42". In another words, the more the screen and your distance is like looking out of a windshield the better when it comes to racing.

The clutch is not simulated very well even in hardcore sims. Both clutch/h-shifter will slow you down compared to paddles. I have yet to have the clutch to "feel" realistic including CSP. In most cases the clutch can be just a easily mapped as a button instead of a paddle. Now using the clutch and h-shifter does add to the immersion especially when driving old muscle cars.

 

[Egor]

Thanks for the reply's.

@Ya Pops, thanks, I though my 32 inch was fine, and I'm pretty comfortable with the desk set-up. But some of that may just be personal preference.

My eyesight is fine, and I have a computer chair for using at my desk, or I move the desk out the way for other games, so can adjust my distance, I think I'm around just 1 metre away from the screen not sure about feet, and it looks okay, just wanted to know if a bigger TV would improve it, but I think it's just right.

I will try and get another wheel, probably the G25 or the G27.

@Zoom!Zoom!, thanks, that's pretty good advice, I think my TV and distance is perfect for me, so that all okay. So does the clutch not feel very real? Or is it just annoying to use? I'm not to bothered about it being slower than the sequential, or the paddles.

 

[Gdog96]

Its not annoying at all, it makes the game better in my opinion, however its just not completely true to real life-(apparently-im 15 lol).

 

[Egor]

Yea, well I wouldn't expect it to feel completely real, but good that will feel better.

 

[Egor]

Here is my current set up. Picture taken about 5 minutes ago. What could I improve with it? (My 5.1 surround sound hasn't come yet):

 

[Zoom!Zoom!]

How about a Buttkicker Gamer 2? A Buttkicker provide seat rumble from the low bass sound (40 hz- 160 hz). The Buttkicker uses a piston instead of a speaker. It's not perfect for games (you will feel any bass from background music as well sometimes feel some bass from passing car's muffers) but it does add feel from rumble strips and collisions. In GT5 you can even feel when both front and back tires hit the road joints on SS5 track.

 

[Egor]

Don't think I want to go that far with the realism, plus that's a bit pricey, just to vibrate a chair, I could get my brother to do it

 

[Zoom!Zoom!]

Don't think I want to go that far with the realism, plus that's a bit pricey, just to vibrate a chair, I could get my brother to do it

This maybe something to consider later if you happen to get a job.

 

[Egor]

Hmmmm. Was that meant in an offensive way?

Well I do have a job, but it's £75 a fortnight (2 weeks) and my money is going towards my driving lessons, and theory tests at the moment. Looks like I will just have to get together some more money.

Thanks for the reply's.

 

[Coxis]

You said you had a "Logitech GT" wheel. That's actually a Driving Force Pro, not GT.

I would suggest upgrading that wheel to a DFGT. It isn't expensive and is a considerable upgrade over the DFGT, the only thing is that the pedals are equally crappy, but the wheel itself is a good upgrade for the money.

 

[Egor]

Well I don't know what the different types of wheel there are. I will be getting a g25.

I don't mind the pedals on mine.

 

[Egor]

Bump.

I'm getting a G25 or G27 on eBay, just got to wait for my bank account to switch, and I can then get PayPal. Which wheel is better? Also, any other way I can improve that set-up... Cheaply?