The Wheel Journey Begins.

  • Thread starter El_Beardo
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What did you end up with?
Kinda leaning that way myself (currently T150/T3pa)

I bought a CSL elite PS4 and V3 pedals. If you go this route, I'd suggest you get the brake performance kit also - it made a big difference.

I didn't really like the brake feel at first, until I installed the performance kit. Now I can modulate accurately without thinking about it.

Many people have damaged the wire leading to the vibration motor, so make sure you watch this video before installing it:
 
I made an upgrade to my wheel rig this weekend.

I am using my very old Driving Force GT. The wheel itself is great but the pedals are ****. Way too loose, they have absolutely no feel to them, I found it near impossible to be smooth and gentle with them especially in a race situation when things are more intense and happen faster than practice laps. No dead zone on the brake so I had to hover my foot over it which is very uncomfortable and tires my calf out pretty quick. There was no way I could tap the brake because a quick tap would be about 3/4 of the brake pressure which is too much.

So I bought a few bungee cords, hooked one end to my rig wrapped it around the pedal and hooked the other end back to the rig. The added tension to the pedals is like night and day. Unbelievable difference. It took a night of practice to get used to the new feel but I have finally matched my pace with the DS4. Even after a few tests I think I am actually slightly faster and more consistent on the wheel(at least at Suzuka)! Now I can actually rest my foot on the brake without putting 3/4 brake pressure on.

Anyways, for those struggling on the wheel, it's more about the pedals than the actually wheel. The steering should come naturally after a while but if you have **** pedals like I did there isn't much you can do. I'll post a pic later of what I did. The way I built my homemade rig was actually perfect for the bungee cords as you'll see.
 
Another day without the time to practice.

Hit a little snag with the wheelstand. I can't get comfortable with the pedals. When the plate is angled up to where I like it, the back portion of the pedals stops it moving forward enough. A piece of 10mm ply, and longer bolts will sort that tomorrow, though. Also coming to the conclusion that the chair I'm using isn't great. So, off to the local breakers for a car seat, on payday. Don't get me wrong, I can still use the wheel. I just need to make a few adjustments.

With regards to the wheel itself, I've not updated the software/drivers. Simply plug 'n' play. Is it worth nipping onto the Logitech site to update?
 
Any tips for catching slides? Other than opposite lock as fast as i can? No matter how fast i seem to spin that wheel, I spin.

This is where I struggle with the wheel as well. A session in @Tidgney WRECKFEST sure helped me get used dealing with slides and collisions :D

My best advice is don't hit the dirt :)

In all seriousness though, foot off the throttle and don't panic. The force feedback makes it a lot trickier than just swinging your thumb the opposite direction. Do a few practice sessions where you try to hit the dirt every corner and just have fun fighting spins.
 
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After playing GT since the PS1 days with a controller, my wheel journey starts now. Well, later tonight. A G29, shifter, and Trak Racer FS3 are waiting to be set up when I get home.

My current plan is to qualify for, and then do a few of the current Daily race C's on the DS4 to get my 99SR back. From that qualifying time, I'll dive straight in with the wheel, and see how far off I am.

Then I'll do the driving school from beginning to end, and reattempt qualifying at Nurburgring GP, to measure the improvement from my first wheel lap.

Hopefully I can gold all the tests by the end of the week.


If anyone has any other tips/tricks, I'm all ears.
If you’re interested in what your G29 is capable of, check out Assetto Corsa or Formula 1(there are free demos on the PS Store). The FFB implementation on GT Sport for Logitech is really underwhelming.
 
Any tips for catching slides? Other than opposite lock as fast as i can? No matter how fast i seem to spin that wheel, I spin.

I was worried about that also before I got my wheel, but the opposite is the case for me. I have a fanatec wheel, and I think the "spring" setting is what is making it work well in countersteering. I can consistently catch a slide accurately and quickly, whereas with the stick I would often overcorrect and crash.
 
Looks like I'm back on the DS4 for a few days. The back of my chair has collapsed. Not that I'm surprised, really. It is/was an old dining room chair with the legs cut down. Front longer than the back. I'm a big (130kg) guy. So, my weight was pushing on the back in a way the chair wasn't designed to cope with.

Payday on Thursday, though. So, I'll pick up a seat from a scrap/broken car, and mount that to a wooden frame.

Other than that, the wheel journey is going well. I'm about 1.5/2 seconds off my DS4 pace at most tracks. Slowly getting faster. Consistency is a slight issue. But, that'll get better with time.
 
Looks like I'm back on the DS4 for a few days. The back of my chair has collapsed. Not that I'm surprised, really. It is/was an old dining room chair with the legs cut down. Front longer than the back. I'm a big (130kg) guy. So, my weight was pushing on the back in a way the chair wasn't designed to cope with.

Payday on Thursday, though. So, I'll pick up a seat from a scrap/broken car, and mount that to a wooden frame.

Other than that, the wheel journey is going well. I'm about 1.5/2 seconds off my DS4 pace at most tracks. Slowly getting faster. Consistency is a slight issue. But, that'll get better with time.

But are you having FUN?? I was much slower when switching to a wheel (on the GT series, that was a long time ago but recently been playing F1 2017 with a PS4 controller on my Mac.... which is what prompted the family gifts at Christmas!) Was doing well, got F1 2018 for the PS4 and used the wheel.... and was miles off my best F1 2017 lap times. But it was much more FUN! And that's what these games are for.....:cheers:
 
But are you having FUN?? I was much slower when switching to a wheel (on the GT series, that was a long time ago but recently been playing F1 2017 with a PS4 controller on my Mac.... which is what prompted the family gifts at Christmas!) Was doing well, got F1 2018 for the PS4 and used the wheel.... and was miles off my best F1 2017 lap times. But it was much more FUN! And that's what these games are for.....:cheers:

Mostly. I'm not enjoying the lack of consistency bit. Once I've got this seat sorted, I'll be back on it. Once the consistency is back, I'll be enjoying things more than I used to, I'm sure.

Side note. My times at Bathurst are the same as my DS4 (in Gr.4 anyway) the difference is, the DS4 felt like a good (albeit slow) lap, and i couldn't really see where people were going so much faster than me. On the wheel, the same time felt messy, and it was incredibly easy to see where I'm slow.
 
No progress since my last post. In fact, there's been no gaming whatsoever since then. The old mental health issue hasn't been great these past few days.

On the plus side, a mate is breaking his old Celica (an R33 has taken pride of place on his driveway) so, he's giving me one of the front seats to turn into a gaming chair. Once my head is back to normal, and the chair has been knocked together, I'll be back on it.
 
Things are going well.

Last time we were at Dragon Trail reverse in Gr.4, my best lap was 1:49.497 on the DS4.

On the wheel I'm down to 1:48.946. Granted, we've had a BoP/physics change since then, and I can still see places where I can faster. Current optimal lap is a 48 flat.
 
Glad to hear it's going well. I haven't touched a ds4 for gt sport since i got my wheel. To try and use it would be a total disaster i think. Not sure how some guys go back and forth between the two. Also after 20 years of racing games i am fairly certain that i was maxed out for speed on a ds4, and i whole heartedly agree you can't buy speed or an advantage per say, but i definitely am faster now on a wheel and pedals. Not everyone will be, and it took a couple months for me to surpass my ds4 speed, but if you love driving in real life i feel there is no other way to go and in time you will certainly become faster than on a controller
 
Glad to hear it's going well. I haven't touched a ds4 for gt sport since i got my wheel. To try and use it would be a total disaster i think. Not sure how some guys go back and forth between the two. Also after 20 years of racing games i am fairly certain that i was maxed out for speed on a ds4, and i whole heartedly agree you can't buy speed or an advantage per say, but i definitely am faster now on a wheel and pedals. Not everyone will be, and it took a couple months for me to surpass my ds4 speed, but if you love driving in real life i feel there is no other way to go and in time you will certainly become faster than on a controller

I'm the same. Completely out of practise on the DS4. Given a day or two to get back into it, I could probably beat the new wheel time. But, I wouldn't be anywhere near as consistent, and I wouldn't be having as much fun.

I'd also need another couple of days to get used to the switch back to the wheel.
 
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