Need Help Selecting Wheel/Base - Bizarre Experience/confusion. Please Help.
Jim P
Member
Ok. I am new to this. I have done the research and like Fanatec Products. I understand more NM means better lap times for the fanatics or so they say etc... That is not me. I am just having fun and using the controller on a PS5 for 10 laps or more is not cutting it. I have shoulder issues and need to get something where the force will not hurt me. There is no stores around me to try anything. I had the opportunity to try a T300 that was for sale and also the CSL Elite this person upgraded to. This is where the confusion sets in. This is also the first time i have ever seen a sim racing system in real life. I spent about 30 mins there. When I tested the T300, rated at 4nm, it was super difficult to switch lanes while moving even at fast speeds. Almost like trying to turn your non-powered steering car in a parking lot... in real life. Not fun at all. Then I tried the CSL elite. It was like full power steering and I could switch lanes with a pinky finger only, but it is rated at 8nm. This was on a PS5 GT. So I went back to T300 and adjusted the true force, or whatever it is called in ps5 settings from 7 to 1 and did not feel a difference. All we did was switch the USB between the two units and did not changes settings till after I went back to the T300 for the second time. I am confused by this experience due to the NM ratings being opposite of what I experienced.
So there is two main thoughts i have and maybe someone who has used these two units can clear this up.
1) Was both units broken? T300 at full nm at all times and the CLS Elite broken with no force at all times? Nothing makes sense... It was obvious the Fanatec was a major upgrade of components, quality, paddles shifters, wheel and smoothness. I just did not understand the force issue and due to my injury, it is the number one metric in choosing a system.
2) Now, on my injury side, using a finger to steer was too light of steering but in the correct direction for my longevity of using a wheel; Maybe 30% more would have been good. I do not need something battling against me at all times which is why I did not chose the T300 that was there.
Any feedback on what I experienced would be helpful. Thank you in advance.
Comments
There can be a placebo effect when buying these types of Direct Drive wheels:
1) Lots of people assume having a high 8 - 32 Nm settings is what you should use as you have paid a lot more money for the DD system and it will make you faster (It may or may not - Lots of good racers with old Logitech G25, G27 2.5nm Wheels that are fast). Most youtube racers use 8Nm to 12Nm depending on motors and on a car by car basis, some cars have stiffer driving because they have aerodynamics pressing the car down even harder.
2) Just because one DD such as a CSL DD does 8Nm Max doesn't mean it is actually running at 8Nm all the time, depends on game gain / self centering forces and other settings for suspension, Kerbs, etc and also Fanatec motors FFB settings.
3) Just because some one else recommends certain settings, don't mean they will suit you, learn the settings and what they do, so you can dial it to your liking.
4) Personally I have the Podium DD1 Formula 1 PS4 kit (Max=15Nm Linear, 20Nm Peak), I only ever run Linear mode as it is more natural and I never run it at 15Nm as that is just to strong and dangerous for the 270mm Formula v2 wheel (This is where the car is driving you and not you driving the car).
I usually run Games gain between 50 - 65% and Fanatec Motor between FFB=50 - 65% (7.5Nm - 10Nm). (Even thought the FFB monitor on the motor never shows forces going over 50% of the max 15Nm.
5) Can't speak for the T300, but Fanatec Direct Drive motors have a few other settings (Filters) in the drivers that allow you to add extra friction and dampening to make the steering stiffer, Mine is (NDP=25), (NFR=10) regardless of the overall FFB strength.
6) Depending on Steering Wheel size and how much it weighs, Formula v2 270mm Diameter (7.5Nm - 10Nm) is ample, GT3 or larger wheel 320 - 350mm you might run (10 Nm - 12Nm) or higher.
7) There is no one perfect Force Feedback setup for everyone, there are far to many variables, such as strength of person, physical size, perceptions of how the car should feel, how the motor is mounted, the type of steering wheel you have on, the type of car your driving and the type of race your in: Rally, Drift or Track.
You can adjust a very high minimum force, so much so that even a simple G29 can become difficult to rotate. You use all the steering wheel torque for consistent resistance, but of course you get a completely flat experience throughout the rest of the FFB. This makes sense inside a shop, the occasional customer may be impressed by the strength, but will not have time to notice that there is no detail.
Whichever steering wheel you decide to buy, you can adjust it as you wish.
I appreciate all the great info.
Given it was a PS5 with no other governing software, the settings were the same for initial test between the two, I would deduct that there was 2 failing units. To add to this, the adjustment of force in PS5 afterwards with no changes on force on the T300 would second this. Anything I am missing?