Time to upgrade. Fanatec or Thrustmaster?

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Petroperu

Petroperu

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Fanatec is more money I am aware but Thrustmaster is by no means cheap either.
Both of them are better than Logitech and specially the G29 which I was disappointed from day 1.
A wheel that felt muted with no personality.
I am trying to get a wheel in which I can feel the road, not just the kerbs.
And also a wheel with good centering back so any loss of grip situation is not an automatic kiss on the wall.
Thanks for your input.
 
I would say it really depends on how much money you have to spend and the platform(s) you sim race on.

My first wheel was a Logitech dfgt and I primarily raced gt and f1 on ps3. I used that for four years and then got a t300rs which I used some on the ps3/4 and mostly pc and I used for about four years. I now have a dd1 and v3 pedals, using a f12018le wheel rim, exclusively on pc.

The jump from the dfgt to the t300rs was huge. Even the cheap pedals were quite an upgrade from the dfgt pedals.

The jump to the dd1 was similarly big.

My personal preference between thrustmaster and fanatec would be fanatec. I have preferred the feeling i get through the wheel, and I feel they have higher quality gear, with a greater selection to choose from for personal preferences, especially in wheel rims.

I will say, I had to work with thrustmaster's customer service once, with a broken shifter paddle on the Ferrari f1 rim, and they were very easy to work with. Sent me an entire new rim in a couple weeks.

I have not had to work with Fanatec's customer service yet.
 
I had a similar path DFGT to G27 to T300RS to CSL Elite to PS4DD (should arrive in a week or two). I also have the SQ Shifter 1.5 and CSL Elite pedals ( need directly mounted pedals for my long legs). I think the 'standard' is Logitech/Thrustmaster as good wheels with a good value.

But if you are serious enough about sim racing and you have the time to really dig in, pay the money for Fanatec gear. They are superior and have built a nice reputation with Sony just like the other competitors do/have in the past. The additional configuration settings on the wheel rim is just a super mega bonus, love it, can't live without it.

I've contacted Fanatec about a couple issues, one was how make my wheel stop spinning back and forth, ready to break fingers (not joking - fix is to turn DRI down IIRC) and the other was a faulty csr pedal where they just shipped me a replacement. Their support used to be sub-par but is just fine imo now adays.


Jerome
 
dejkoo
I have first G29 than T300 than TGT than Fanatec csl elite ps4. And i must say the fanatec is better than all thrustmaster together.
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I heard tgt is better for gran turismo sport than csl elite, is that true or there isnt much of difference?
 
I'm also on the fence with these two brands, my main concern is reliability. Not sure which is better there, I do hear a lot of bad things about Thrustmaster though. Ideally I'd like something as reliable as my G29, but I doubt that's going to happen. I have thousands of hours on that thing and it hasn't skipped a beat.
 
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I started with the old Logitech’s dating back to GT2/3. Then after the DFGT I switched to a used Fanatec GT3RS. The smoothness of a belt system is a huge difference. But it lacked power. Eventually I snapped the center column with some fast opposite lock

Then I went to the CSL Elite PS4 which was a dramatic jump in performance. I’ve used a few Thrustmaster wheels on random occasions, including the T-GT. And it’s not even close. Even the lower end CSL Elite blows away rhe T-GT and it’s gimmicky baby transducer.

Now I’m waiting for Simlab to get some inventory, once that’s ordered I’m upgrading to the Fanatec DD2 and Heusenkveld Sprints and 4-5 buttkickers. Time to have my world rocked again.

Klik
I heard tgt is better for gran turismo sport than csl elite, is that true or there isnt much of difference?
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That’s just marketing. All they did was add a low end weak transducer to the back. You’d be better off with a Fanatec and buttkicker.

Apart from the gimmicky transducer they added. The CSL is superior to the T-GT in GT in every possible way. It’s not even close IMO. The T-GT feels like a toy because of the notchiness.
 
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Lazybike
I'm upgrading from a G29 and I'm going CSL Elite PS4 starter kit.
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Same here, ordered monday with the loadcell pedal. Had an email from them a few days ago saying it was warehouse processing and that I would receive tracking details. Been 3 days now but still havent received tracking number.

How long after ordering did you wait?
 
I started with Thrustmaster TMX, then went to the TX, which was better, but not by that much. Now I have a DD1 and it is leaps and bounds better and I can't even have it past about 50% without my hands starting to hurt. I'd say the ClubSport V2.5 would probably be a good option that would provide enough torque. Plus you can keep all your wheels if you decide to upgrade to a DD1/DD2 later on. And don't exclude a used unit, I got plenty of use out of my used TX without issue and saved a lot of $$. In my opinion, Fanatec is a step above TM in every way.
 
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Special_K
Same here, ordered monday with the loadcell pedal. Had an email from them a few days ago saying it was warehouse processing and that I would receive tracking details. Been 3 days now but still havent received tracking number.

How long after ordering did you wait?
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About 4 days for the tracking details. I waited almost 2 weeks exactly to receive my wheel from the day i put in the order.
 
zr1chris
About 4 days for the tracking details. I waited almost 2 weeks exactly to receive my wheel from the day i put in the order.
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I had the same thing happen with a couple of my Fanatec orders to. I got an email saying my order has shipped but didn't get the tracking number for a few days, but otherwise I'm happy with Fanatec.
 
Didn't get a tracking number but it arrived yesterday. All I need now is a rig, any recommendations?

Ordered Monday and arrived Friday, fantastic service as I live in the Channel Islands as well.
 
Something sturdy. Make sure the wheel is one a double post setup.
Like this for example:
fgt_lite_gallery_1.png


The one's with the single bar will take plenty of impact, but I think mine: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71hZNP84oyL._SL1500_.jpg (image not posted to keep post length short), will eventually fail in the long term.

And a simple IKEA tv stand (at a proper height) will more than suffice.
 
Be careful of Thrustmaster, as support is non existent. After about 18 months of ownership it broke still with a valid warranty Thrustmaster refuses to replace/repair. I only use the wheel perhaps 1 or 2 nights a week for maybe 3 hrs each time or less. The left gear shift leaver snapped and as it broke the lever pressed against the wheel and the internal part of the lever pushed back onto the back of the wheel casing cracking it with the lever falling onto the desk. In an email from the shop I purchased from, they acknowledged this internal part is a known failure however the cracking of the case is not. As this was first time for this time occur (that they are aware of) Thrustmaster refuse to replace or repair the wheel as they say I deliberately broke it. The attached picture of the rear of the wheel is as it was when I first looked at the break. It certainly wasn't deliberate. For a known issue Thrustmaster should replace. I found several examples of users having the same issue with even a recommended repair. Buyer be aware. Thrustmaster support is not forthcoming in supporting their warranty or standing behind their product. I thought I was upgrading from a Logitec which proved trusty for 12yrs, a fool am I.
 

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So had my CSL elite Ps4 starter kit a week now and very happy with it, went on my rig (Simetik K2) with no drama's, literally plugged it in and played, couldn't be easier, I did change a couple of the settings just to fine tune the feel, again very easy to do, the difference in feel from my G29 is the CSL is much smoother, I can feel the car all the time with none of the cogginess of the G29, the pedals have been the hardest thing to adapt to, getting used to the new feel has taken a few days, the pedals offer much finer control, all in all very happy with my decision, now I just need to turn the better feel and control into faster lap times!
 

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