Original CSL Elite wheelbase versus the PS4 version

  • Thread starter Mr Sausage
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Mr Sausage

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Australia
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Hi all,

As I mentioned in the existing PS4 wheelbase thread, I am upgrading a 7 year old 911 GT3 wheel (I am keeping my hall sensor modified G25 pedals with the Bodnar USB 10 bit connection). I am definitely going for the Elite (XBox) rim as for me, alcantara all around the wheel is a no-brainer compared to the finishes on the grips of the other CSL rims.

But I am still a bit unsure as to whether i am going to notice any significant advantage in getting the PS4 version of the wheelbase over the original standard version. Remembering that I am coming from an old Porsche wheel, I am still wondering if the extra dollars for the PS4 version is going to be worth it to me given what I have been used to.

It would seem that even the basic CSL Elite wheelbase is vastly superior to the old Porsche wheel in every possible aspect, so with the extra money needing to be spent on the better rim, it is would be nice to try and claw back that extra expense on the base. Direct comparisons seem to be fairly thin on the ground and infact in one preview I saw (of the PS4 base when the previewer did not know the specifications of the PS4 version), they could not really tell any difference.

So has anyone here had specific experience in the same sims on the same machine - original CSL Elite wheelbase versus the PS4 version (so this would be on the PC only)? Any other insights would be appreciated as well. So far as I can ascertain, the likely main difference is in the motor and the circuitry that controls the motor. Other than that, I am tending to think the other differences are cosmetics and PS4 compatibility. And that is really about it.
 
super_gt
Read this post. (@Fanatec... is Thomas Jackermeier)


The CSL Elite Xbox
  • Fast 500 Hz USB update rate
The CSL Elite PS4
  • Fast 1000 Hz USB update rate
Click to expand...

Thanks. I knew about that differences but I felt it would not be a big selling point given my use of the old Porsche wheel. I am a bit concerned now, however, by two reviews at Simracing Paddock I just watched where William mentioned noise issues with the PS4 wheelbase (as have many others) but he never mentioned experiencing these issues with the earlier original wheelbase. I am also aware of the force effect feature introduced in the later Fanatec firmware to combat this issue but many say that it reduces noises well enough but at the expense of feedback fidelity.

So I am trying to understand here if the original wheelbase is the somewhat "quieter" one even though it might not be at the same technical and mechanical level as the PS4 version. For me that would sway me to the original rim - especially since even though I use headphones, I listen at pretty low volumes (so not a whole lot of ambient noise is drowned out).
 
PocketZeven
Csl elite ps4 has the same motor driver electronics of the CSW v2.5 I believe.
Click to expand...

Yes that's my understanding too. PS4 still has some plastic parts, 2.5 is 100% metal. Apparently the gear ratio between motor and steering shaft is different between them as well - PS4 sacrifices maximum feedback torque for quicker steering response. I think that response was an improvement over the original CSL Elite, since the original has the same 6 nM torque but an inferior motor (though still better than my 7-year old Porsche wheel!).

It's really only the prospect of whether the PS4 version is going to be noisier than the original version and that fact that the money I save getting the original version can go towards the nicer Elite Xbox rim. Outside of those two factors though, I am agnostic as regards getting one over the other.
 
This is identical FFB test carried out on both wheels:




This is an extreme test and noise that you will never encounter during gameplay.Most of the time the wheel is very quiet,only gives noise when passing through a large bum or curb.I do not find the CSL Elite wheel(I have the Xbox version) so noisy that I have to use FEI setting to reduce the noise.

If @Fanatec... says that the two motors are the same in the CSL Elite PS4 and Xbox I believe him.I've seen both motors and they look identical,at least from outside.
 
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Great find! Well they seem to both be virtually the same to me. I can only surmise that by the time the PS4 version came out, people were using all the extra torque and the games were taking advantage of it. And that made them take more notice of the issue.
 

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