The Thrustmaster T500RS Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter TomN
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papaspurs
Damn, you replied before I could fix my terrible grammar ;)

That's great news as you don't get that feedback on a DFP and I think you don't get it on the DFGT (not sure about the G25/27)
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I can tell you that you do get it with the G27, I never had G25 so I dont know about G25.
 
Do you think the Thrustmaster feels better because it is "supported" by GT5 or does the internal software of the game make a difference over which wheel you use?

RC45
In the interest of full disclosure I need to confirm that place for place the GT2 does provide feedback where the T500RS does. I did a number of back to back tests on rumble strips and curbings and track edges - both wheels provide feedback in all the same spots.

I was looking for a way to describe the difference of the feedback and the only thing I can think of is to describe the way the GT2 provides feedback as you try turn into a skid to countrersteer, the "resistance" is sometimes strong and sometimes algging a little, a lot like the G25 was - sort of an on-off-on feel.

The T500RS seem sto be smoother and more progresive in this area - and almsot seems ot always offer a more realistic feel as you counter into the skid. In a real car there is real and almost constant resistance from the front wheels - the T500RS seems to mimick this very well.

Perhaps the real Pros at ISR will be able to more eloquantly describe th efeeling - I am sure they will come to the same conclusion "This a &^%##@#**%%#$!! great wheel!"

I bet the other T500ers are too busy driving to report back here. :)

I did check the diamond plate and the smae thing is true for this one, the plate fits really well in the F1 settign and only soso in the GT position - its not a deal breaker, just a pity. The gas pedal also has the same "stepping on gum" feel at the extremes of travel, I dont think it is causing any delay when you take you foot off the pedal but it is a littl eannoying at times. Again, not a deal breaker.
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ok after picking up the T500 rs today I realized that the pedals do not work with the Playseat setups. Anyone have any suggestions other than fabricating a custom pedal plate?
 
Overdoser
ok after picking up the T500 rs today I realized that the pedals do not work with the Playseat setups. Anyone have any suggestions other than fabricating a custom pedal plate?
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I think a couple of the folk in this thread who have the wheel are using it with a playseat...


RC45
Well, unpacked, hooked up and ready to try it all out. And when I say "side by side test" against the GT2, I literallt meant "side by side" ;)



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papaspurs
I think a couple of the folk in this thread who have the wheel are using it with a playseat...
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hmm well i hope those people can reply because the pedals on the t500 rs do not screw into the base plate on the Playseat. The holes for the screws just don't line up between the two. I have the alcantara version if it makes any difference but i think they should all be the same? :confused:
 
Overdoser
hmm well i hope those people can reply because the pedals on the t500 rs do not screw into the base plate on the Playseat. The holes for the screws just don't line up between the two. I have the alcantara version if it makes any difference but i think they should all be the same? :confused:
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Screws holes! Posh. Us v1 owners don't have such luxury. I got large velcro pads, which work a treat with my very light, plastic, DFP pedals. Would a similar solution work with the T500?
 
RC45
I was going to do the Velro again, but the neat rubber foot pads combined with the Home Depot clamps I had in the garage worked a treat.

Those v2 owners have all sorts of posh options we don't, I hear they even got cup holders ;)

Here is a comparison video GT2 to T500 side by side driving stock Elise 111R with Comfort Hards around the Nordshleife - even our v1's can handle the big powerful Thrustmaster...

(To the FaceBook crowd, the video is nothing fancy and does drag on a bit, afterall it is an Elise doing a lap of the North Loop - but it was meant to compare GT2 functionailty and performance vs T500, not be an award winning documentary on the lives of the Socially Networked ;))
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RC45,
At the very end of the video when the wheel returns to center it seems to really spin back at an exaggerated rate (I mean that thing really took off), it seems a little un-natural, does it do that whenever it returns to center even when playing?

I am sure it is not an issue as you would have mentioned it, I am just curious as I am really considering the purchase of one of these to replace my Logitech G27, I don’t have any issues with the G27, but I am always excited about new technology especially when it improves the experience of the game/sim.
 
RC45
Well, the "contruction" has lasted since 2005 and literally thousands of miles driven in PC sims and console games - it is light weight, the platform slides in and the seat folds up for storage - works great for me and is enjoyed by everyone who tries them. We have 2 for doing vs/split screen and PC head to head races.

Anyway, the real point of the video was to showcase the T500 - I have been reluctant to post any videos for this very reason... people getting caught up in the minutiae of the "Playseat v1" rather than the theme of the video ;)

Hell, I have already received a message via YouTube from a viewer calling me an effing stupid moron for wasting my money on a T500 when I should buy a proper cockpit... it seriously does take all kinds to make the world go round :lol:
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Sorry, didn't mean to derail! I just never seen that thing in action before and I always thought that any seat/cockpit would be totally unwobbly (for a lack of better term).

Surely it's not half as much of a problem when you actually drive.
 
I'm surprised they didn't put the Start and select buttons on the base rather than the wheel. Its not like you need to hit them constantly while driving. I guess if you have the controller nearby could just use that to pause etc.

Great video:tup:
 
Gigantoad
Sorry, didn't mean to derail! I just never seen that thing in action before and I always thought that any seat/cockpit would be totally unwobbly (for a lack of better term).

Surely it's not half as much of a problem when you actually drive.
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The majority of them are wobbly.
 
Got my wheel from frys.com yesterday, it feels I’m so much more in control of the cars vs. G25.

overall i think it's worth every penny.

attached 2 pictures.

1st picture is the step on gum feel, got rid of it by placing 2 piece of tape on the rubber pad under the left and right pedal, not needed for the center pedal as it's using the breaking mod.

the wheel mounted just find using the 2 stock playseat evo drill holes that is closers to you, where the G25 used to be mounted using the 2 hold further away., but since the wheel is quite heavy it is harder to line up the mount hole if the seat if fully assembled, so I pulled out the bar that mounds the wheel and lined it up with the wheel on the floor upside down this makes things much easier.

For the foot pedal there are no drill holes that match, however I was able to just line up the 2 center holes to the edges of one of the round cut out on the pedal mount plate and use 2 screws to lock into the edge and the pedals stay rock solid even when I step on the break full force (see 2nd picture). I might go to home depot to pick up 2 round or square washers or something that can make it lock even tighter but I don’t really think it’s needed

One more thing about the wheel that i really like i'm sure it wasnt' indented but for me it's the best option there is, the mode button!!!, as my girlfriend is a bit weak on her right foot. so we have left foot driving gas pedals installed on our RL cars so that she drives gas/break with her left foot. and with this mode button it lets us have the option to switch between left and right gas pedal on the fly so that she can now also enjoy gaming just like our RL cars.



 
RC45
ISR must have not had their "Happy Pills" today. I posted a comment to their video praising the wheel and thanking Thrustmaster for the product and it doesnt look like ISR approved the comment - perhaps they thought I was lying when I said I was on my second wheel ;)
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Haha, that's assuming, that doesn't necessarily mean a thing. They've praised the wheel up and down, I would give them the benefit of the doubt man.
 
Oh wow, how can anyone drive with the wheel wobbling THAT much?? Otherwise, thanks and a great vid 👍
 
Some initial impressions:

- Overall it feels nice and precise and I am very happy, I don't have the means to make comparative judgments with competing products.

- I am satisfied with the price, but I will tell you I'm probably one of the fewer people out there who is agreeable to paying more money for higher quality video game controllers in general. This product doesn't seem like a value proposition in any way, which is to be expected any time you go into the high end.

- Some people have complained about the sound/noise. The fan makes a sound, and the steering action makes a sound. Neither of these were anywhere near loud enough to leave me with a negative impression. It appears as though the volume (speed) of the fan will increase as the equipment gets warmer and decrease as it gets cooler.

- Some people have complained because the wheel material is rubber and not leather or alcantara. I'm very satisfied with the rubber feel and actually prefer it over other materials. The rubber is soft and grippy, moreso than I think the other materials would be. The forces on the wheel are strong and I don't think I'd be able to grip it as comfortably if it were leather..

- I don't have a proper cockpit yet, just a ghetto couch setup, and even still I am impressed by the stability of both the wheel and the pedals. If you are reclined enough the brake pedal only has enough resistance to it that it will lift the other side of the pedal platform up... but this is when the pedal platform is just freestanding under its own weight.

- Somebody complained about the placement and operation of the MODE button that switches the gas pedal function. The button is small, virtually flush with the surface around it, and takes a deliberate, substantial press of precisely-aimed force to use it. My hands are larger than normal, considering the typical driving position with the button facing the back of your hand/fingers, I can't imagine that I will ever accidentally press it. If anything, the light on it appears unnecessarily bright (I was playing in the dark) and in some configurations it may or may not be obscured by the shifter paddle next to it. I'll put tape over the light if it bothers me.

- The shifter paddle actuation is fantastic, the best that I have felt on a steering wheel, in a real car or fake. I would prefer paddles that were attached to the wheel instead of the steering column, but considering the speed at which the wheel can turn, I figure they did this at least partially for liability reasons. It takes some effort to get used to the non-turning aspect of the paddles, but it's not problematic for me.

- I have no use for the 1080 degree range of turning and I really don't understand why this is a marketing point in the first place. I drive with both hands on 9-3 anyway, so far i haven't felt like I have had to deviate from this to turn as sharply as I wanted to, but I've only tried two cars so far (AMG merc and prius).

- The buttons on the face of the wheel are exquisite and feel real nice to press.

- The force feedback action is very strong, it feels almost like there is very little power steering compared to a real car. I like that feeling.

- There is no dead spot in steering, but there is a small dead spot in terms of force feedback actuation. It feels a little weird going down a straight as you cross that threshold, it basically feels like the wheel's minimum possible force in the feedback is a bit higher than a perfect ideal, so when steering very slowly near center, when the feedback does engage, it feels like it engages a little more strongly than it should. I have no idea how good or bad this is since I don't have much basis for comparison.

- The pedals feel like they give me the all precision I need, I don't know if this is an inherent flaw in the hall effect sensor which I assume are used in the pedals, but I sometimes notice in the throttle pedal that it has to travel a certain threshold distance from either extreme before it starts to register the correct value. For example, if throttle is at 0%, the game appears to measure 0% until I get to 5% on the pedal itself, then the game's meter will jump to 5%. However, this hasn't affected my driving and in all other conditions the responsiveness is smooth. I don't know yet if this happens all the time or just sometimes. I also don't know if this idiosyncrasy is a function of pedal travel speed or position or something else.

- I haven't tried other configurations (changing pedal resistance, placement, etc) but I'm not left wanting to try that right now. The pedal response feels linear and I don't find myself thinking a pedal needs to have more/less resistance or needs to be moved in any direction. I visually inspected some of the hardware nuts etc. and they do kind of look cheap, after reading some previous comments about how soft the metal was I don't want to mess with it.


To those that are unsure about getting this wheel: Try to buy it at Fry's in person if you can, they have a 30 day return policy. If you don't like it you can return it.
 
I did a quick google search and can't seem to find these in stock? can anyone point me in the right direction! :drool: I wan't one yesterday
 

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