- 195
- Germany
I want to share some thoughts and get some input on how to achieve a relaxed driving position when using a wheel.
Background: Switched to Fanatec recently. Getting thumb cramps.
Gripping too tight/hard in general.
Seems to make reactions worse and leads to overall tension instead of relaxed driving.
Wheel Problems:
The wheels I have used seem to not offer a default comfortable gripping position.
This applies to the T300 as well as the Fanatec CSL Elite Standard wheel.
On the T300, I used grip tape (tennis) and pipe isolation to make really comfortable grips. But it took a lot of fiddling and still is a mess.
Maybe I'll do better on a second try with the CSL Elite.
The lesson learned here: When the grip is really chunky, it allows the index fingers rest on it, so weight is taken away from the thumbs.
Gloves:
It surely looks cool to use them, but any feeling just goes out of the window for me.
A good grip should be comfortable enough to use it without gloves - and without blisters.
Pedal Problems:
The brake pedals on standard sets are very close to the throttle. Obviously fine for right foot braking.
Left foot brakers have a problem: The left leg is always in tension, and the balls get squeezed.
Simple solution:
On the T300 RS GT pedals (same as T-GT) I just switched clutch and brake, resulting in a comfortable distance.
On the CSL Elite, ther brake pedal can be mounted as far left as desired.
Result: legs are in a symmetric position and really relaxed when idle. Balls are fine.
Seating Problems:
Did not encounter any. Using a custom IKEA rig and 'relax' chair. Adjusted seating and distances to my liking.
Background: Switched to Fanatec recently. Getting thumb cramps.
Gripping too tight/hard in general.
Seems to make reactions worse and leads to overall tension instead of relaxed driving.
Wheel Problems:
The wheels I have used seem to not offer a default comfortable gripping position.
This applies to the T300 as well as the Fanatec CSL Elite Standard wheel.
- The grips are just too thin. (I have pretty average size hands)
- The thumb rests (3-9 grip) are a little too low for my liking. The weight of the arms is way below turning point. This makes turning harder.
- For real cars, and also F1 and DTM, it looks like the thumb rests are a good bit above the center of rotation, and the other fingers are allowed to grip below.
Neither is the case for T300 or CSL Elite. - TheKie25 on the T-GT seems to favor more like a 2-10 grip. The T-GT has humps there.
I will try this on the CSL Elite, but the humps are very far up, making it hard to reach the shifters as usual.
Without humps, it is too hard to get a good grip of the thin rim. - SuperGT seems pretty relaxed on his expensive F1 rim.
Hard to judge, but it also looks like all the force rests on the thumbs.
On the T300, I used grip tape (tennis) and pipe isolation to make really comfortable grips. But it took a lot of fiddling and still is a mess.
Maybe I'll do better on a second try with the CSL Elite.
The lesson learned here: When the grip is really chunky, it allows the index fingers rest on it, so weight is taken away from the thumbs.
Gloves:
It surely looks cool to use them, but any feeling just goes out of the window for me.
A good grip should be comfortable enough to use it without gloves - and without blisters.
Pedal Problems:
The brake pedals on standard sets are very close to the throttle. Obviously fine for right foot braking.
Left foot brakers have a problem: The left leg is always in tension, and the balls get squeezed.
Simple solution:
On the T300 RS GT pedals (same as T-GT) I just switched clutch and brake, resulting in a comfortable distance.
On the CSL Elite, ther brake pedal can be mounted as far left as desired.
Result: legs are in a symmetric position and really relaxed when idle. Balls are fine.
Seating Problems:
Did not encounter any. Using a custom IKEA rig and 'relax' chair. Adjusted seating and distances to my liking.