Gaming Steering Wheels [Archive]

leigh_bedwell

28th February 2006, 20:20

hello Fellow Racers,

Now i'm sure this has most likely been brought up before. so for that i apologise. but i just wanted to start a thread to see what wheels you guys are using and which ones you recommend. i use to have a sidewinder forcefeedback wheel back in the day for the old grand prix games. as it uses a gameport and my new PC doesnt have one i have passe dit down to my brother for use on his old machine. he's dedicated to give it a good thrashing before it packs in (he plays LFS with 10-15 frames per second). so im looking to purchase sometihng new. im not looking at a massive budget. below the 100 pound mark if you will.

cheers everyone
Bedwell

mrodgers

28th February 2006, 20:38

Bluestream

28th February 2006, 20:58

I'll give you a never-has-been-done poll on wheels used.

Logitech DFP - 45%

Logitech Momo racing - 47%

Other - 8%

I think that if the pole would ever be done, that would pretty much sum it up. I think I did a poll at NAL before and found that Momo had a slight edge over the DFP.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the DFP is the better wheel but it's also more expensive. I'm currently using a momo racing, and I'm very happy with it. For some I know there may be some problems with the pedals. Nothing I've experienced but I know some people who have.

Ben-Pepito

28th February 2006, 21:54

Driving Force, not Pro. I'm happy with it.

leigh_bedwell

28th February 2006, 22:06

RevMonkey

28th February 2006, 22:11

well if you're looking for realism, the DFP is great because of its adjustable 900* rotation.

Rtsbasic

28th February 2006, 22:19

DFP every time. If you shop around a bit it only costs around £70, 900 degree rotation, very good force feedback, and you can use it on a PS2 as well. For a wheel that costs less than £300 what more do you want?

Goop

28th February 2006, 22:27

I had a Thrustmaster Ferrari (the old one, there are newies now?). It did ok, lasted about a year, but I found a lot more accuracy when I switched to a momo. Have had the pedal problems with it, but after tooling around inside them, I have it pretty well sorted... for now. No idea on DFPs.

Bramski

28th February 2006, 22:33

Driving force pro is available in the uk for £65 delivered, I haven't used any other wheels but I can tell you that the DFP is superb :thumb:

Hankstar

28th February 2006, 22:45

My Logi Momo Racing has served me well, although I had to learn how to stick-shift on the fly - my left paddle broke while I was changing down into a 2nd gear corner (Lesmo 1, Monza, GPL). Quite a steep learning curve at the time :zombie:
I still use the stick because the paddles are a little flimsy, and one of them still doesn't work properly despite being fixed twice. Apart from that little hiccup the Racing has been a great wheel and is still going strong, especially since I no longer use the Logi Profiler software, which was giving me a few pedal de-calibration issues. Considering the sometimes crappy quality of similarly priced hardware and the fact that it's been in constant use since 2002 I'm quite happy with it. I still have the same squash ball I "installed" under the brake pedal too..

filur

1st March 2006, 01:00

I'm very happy with my dfp, not using 900 degrees but more using considerably different settings for different cars.

Basically very happy with it in any sim i've tried, i do however spend some time configuring it to my liking.

Edit: only other pc wheel i've tried is a saitek 440, comparing it to the dfp is silly, pretty much the worst pc accessory i've ever used.

der butz

1st March 2006, 08:13

I recently bought the new thrustmaster rally gt pro, didn't want to have the Problems the dfp has. Well, rotation about 270°, belt drive, ball bearings, rubber wheel AND 2 more axes. . I like it, it's more quiet than my saitek r4 but does not react as fast (curbs and fast bumps, but this is getting better everytime I play). The mechanics seem very durable (I like 120%ffb:-)) and you can put 2 more pedals to it for clutch and handbrake. Costs are €100 for the wheel and I believe 20 or 30 for a second set of pedals.

danowat

1st March 2006, 08:23

DFP, great wheel IMO. havent tried others, but TBH, with the DFP I dont feel I need to.
Also the DFP plus the Frex adaptor and a momo/sparco wheel is supposed to be great, I have my frex on order ATM.

Dan,

TheRealEddie

1st March 2006, 11:42

heh, I'm still using my Act Labs Force RS with first gen shifter and performance pedals. The Act Labs wheel is 6 years old and still going strong.

Billeh

1st March 2006, 12:00

I have a logitech momo force (black). I must say its very very good :) force feedback is great and i havent had any problems with it apart from a slight clicking now and then when turning wheel rapidly. Trust me i have thrashed the wheel and have had it for about 8 months and its still fine :) touch wood . I cant comment on the dfp but from what i have heard its a great wheel if u can get it for the right price i would go for that over the momo . If u can get hold of a momo raceing Red (all metal parts) then take it but be prepaird to pay up to your and probably over your budget to get your hands on one :) worth every single penny though

Zero7

1st March 2006, 12:17

Sorry, slightly OT, but....

I still have the same squash ball I "installed" under the brake pedal too..

How much of a difference does adding the squash ball actually make to the brake feel i.e. how close to a real life brake is it?

W1LLSD4D

1st March 2006, 12:29

Logi Momo Force - red one - figure I'd buy a dfp if I needed a replacement in a hurry...

kompa

1st March 2006, 13:04

How much of a difference does adding the squash ball actually make to the brake feel i.e. how close to a real life brake is it?

Well it's nothing like real life but better than the spring...

Hatemaker

1st March 2006, 13:35

I have the Logitec Momo R, and since suffering through the problems with the pedals (only briefly before I fixed it), I have decided to look around for a DFP. The Momo has served me very well though, and I'll be selling it to my brother so that he can play too :thumb:

NovaTez

1st March 2006, 14:25

Im looking for a new wheel right now myself. I was going to go down the Momo route but I like the 900 degrees that the DFP offers.

The only DFP I can find is apparently for PlayStation 2... I take it that these are USB and will work with a PC??

Apologies for my lameness

danowat

1st March 2006, 14:29

The DFP is made for the PS2, although it works fine on the PC too as long as you DL the wingman software, if you are in the UK, cheapest place ATM is Dark Planets, plus they do cheap next day delivery :)

Dan,

NovaTez

1st March 2006, 14:38

Nice, thanks Dan... unfortuantely im far too impatient to wait so as to get a cheaper price. I guess I will pay the price for my impatience and pay pc world over the odds just so I can drift tonight :)

Thanks again dude :thumb:

danowat

1st March 2006, 14:43

If you order it now, before 4pm, for £65 you'll have a DFP on your doorstep tomorrow morning, surely you can wait till tomorrow morning.

Dan,

NovaTez

1st March 2006, 14:49

Yeah but that means having to suffer one more night with the Saitek crap I have now :(

But yes... you're right ;)

Theafro

1st March 2006, 15:12

DFP, it's cheap £60-65 delivered (i managed to get mine for £61.50!:thumb:) and has more buttons/features than any other wheel in this price bracket (i think:shrug:), the pedals aren't quite as comfortable as the momo's but the brake does seem to give better feel.

one downside: the paddle shifters are crap, tiny little things that are moulded to the back of the wheel, not nice to change gear with but you're better off using the shifter anyways. (i use mine for indicators), the D-pad's pretty handy too for in-race adjustments, better than reaching for the keys.

it's a good wheel and about half the desk footprint of a momo so i'm pretty sure the DFP comes out on top IMHO.

Oh and GT4 is actually quite good fun with a wheel, the Group C cars are a blast round the 'ring (5.14 PB:razz:), if you've got a PS2 then the DFP is definately for you.

danowat

1st March 2006, 15:14

one downside: the paddle shifters are crap, tiny little things that are moulded to the back of the wheel, not nice to change gear with but you're better off using the shifter anyways.

Which is why I have brought one of these > http://www.frex.com/gp/wheeladapter/index.htm :thumb:

Dan,

Chris_Kerry

1st March 2006, 15:52

I can't race at the moment because my MOMO's pedals don't work. 6 months, 3 Fixes later and BOOM!

That just sums up about how good they are.

jtr99

1st March 2006, 16:28

what about any thrustmasters? like those ferrari licensed ones. i see those going quite cheap on ebay. im looking for sometihng solid, but it doesnt have to be amazing. and i'd rather it play quite wella nd look okay than have all this feedback stuff.

Very happy with my Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 FF, had it for maybe two or three years now, and it's going well. The force feedback is great, plus it's nice to have solid aluminium shifters and aluminium pedal plates. The only problem has been that the plastic baseplate for the pedals cracked, but I stripped the pots and pedals off the wreckage and built a new wooden pedal unit which works fine and allowed me to put in stronger springs, etc.

Barroso

1st March 2006, 17:18

i have a gameport msff :shy:

The Very End

1st March 2006, 17:27

I got a Saitek R440 and all I can say - I hate it :scratchch You know why? Because you can`t go straight with it lol. Trust me, I have tried all, other games etc etc, but still it goes righter left or right, but not straigh lol :pillepall

bbman

1st March 2006, 17:37

It seems like if it isn't 100% centered, it applies too much force, causing the wheel to jerk to the other side and it starts again the other way round... :shrug:

deggis

1st March 2006, 20:10

The only DFP I can find is apparently for PlayStation 2... I take it that these are USB and will work with a PC??

Apologies for my lameness
Logitech sells DFP as a "PS2 wheel" just for stupid marketing reasons. It isn't even particularly designed for PS2 (despite the lame "GT4 logo" on it). As already mentioned the official drivers have full support for it.

The Very End

1st March 2006, 22:00

It seems like if it isn't 100% centered, it applies too much force, causing the wheel to jerk to the other side and it starts again the other way round... :shrug:

Hehe :) But tho I hate it, it actual is ok :shy: I can`t keep straight, but I still manage to do a lot of turning lol, so it looks kind of funny. See me in a race and you will think you are drving agains a drunken driver :tilt:
But when it comes to the turn it does the job lol

Hankstar

2nd March 2006, 02:02

Sorry, slightly OT, but....

How much of a difference does adding the squash ball actually make to the brake feel i.e. how close to a real life brake is it?

With Momo Racing pedals, without the ball all you have is a really weak spring and no resistance so your brake pedal feels really light. With the ball there, you have a bit of resistance so you're able to apply as much (or as little) pressure as you want without your foot going straight to the floor and locking your brakes.

As for comparing it to real brakes, it's quite close actually. You've got pretty precise control of your braking pressure, enough so that you can even heel-toe quite effectively. Although tbh, having only two pedlas, I left foot brake...

mrodgers

2nd March 2006, 12:39

I cut my ball in half (LOL, that doesn't sound good). There is some space between the ball and pedal. I turn the braking force setting up so that I almost am at the point of locking when the pedal hits the squashball, then can apply pressure rather than pedal deflection for the final bit of braking if I need it. Does that make sense?

Yes, the squashball does make a world of difference in feel compared to the week spring that is in the pedals. Though, still based on pedal deflection, rather than pressure like in a real car, you can't really compare it to real life. If you want it more real, then search here or the RSC forum for the pedals using a load cell for pressure braking.

Rtsbasic

2nd March 2006, 13:21

bbman

2nd March 2006, 18:33

Hehe :) But tho I hate it, it actual is ok :shy: I can`t keep straight, but I still manage to do a lot of turning lol, so it looks kind of funny. See me in a race and you will think you are drving agains a drunken driver :tilt:
But when it comes to the turn it does the job lol
Yeah, it's really good for its price (that's why I went for it :D)...
Recently, I saw a replay of myself driving a RAC... :Looking_a As you can imagine, it didn't look that good... :D

Should be good in slalom... :D

deggis

3rd March 2006, 12:04

Are momo racing pedals the same as DFP pedals? I didn't like the springs in my DFP ones so I stuck a peice of foam (part of an RC car tyre insert) under where the 2nd spring kicks in, feels a lot better than before and stopped it making a noise when it hits the spring.
DFP (there might be a rev B version of MOMO too) revision B (REV B00) pedals has metal pots which is of course better than plastic pots.

danowat

3rd March 2006, 12:07

DFP (there might be a rev B version of MOMO too) revision B (REV B00) pedals has metal pots which is of course better than plastic pots.

I assume that "REVB00" is printed on the bottom of the pedal box if it is a Rev B set?

Dan,

Vain

3rd March 2006, 12:08

Yes, the MOMOs also have a revision B. But I never needed to take them apart, so I don't know what's different with them.

Vain

Rtsbasic

3rd March 2006, 14:21

Both my DFP's have had pedal issues, both are Rev.B, but since I re-greased/reseated everything and tucked a bit more cable in no problems since november, or around 6,000 miles in LFS and another 2,000 in GT4 :)

sshhaabb

3rd March 2006, 15:01

Been looking for the DFP drivers on logitech website, cant find it. Will appreciate someone posting a link for the drivers.

M@gneto

3rd March 2006, 15:07

Here is a link for Logitech gaming software:
http://www.wingmanteam.com/

sshhaabb

3rd March 2006, 15:11

Thanks for the quick post on the link.

:)

deggis

3rd March 2006, 16:55

Yes, the MOMOs also have a revision B. But I never needed to take them apart, so I don't know what's different with them.

Vain
There should a sticker somewhere in the bottom of the wheel or pedals.

pic is from Kegetys

http://koti.mbnet.fi/kegetys/momo_revb.jpg

leigh_bedwell

18th July 2006, 11:38

Just brought the driving force pro for £64. Can't wait for it to get here so I can take on ym brother then join you guys on the online circuit :D

GWADanny

18th July 2006, 13:30

i got the logitech DFP for bout £62 including p&p and vat. I have had mine for a week and atfirst it was very very hard but im getting the hang of it now. I could tell you the website if you want to buy 1 :)

GWADanny

18th July 2006, 13:33

oh you have 1, lol good luck with it :), if any 1 want to know the website i got my dfp from then just ask :)

Gimpster

18th July 2006, 14:40

Come October I will sell somone my DFP as I upgrade to the next big thing.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/news/US/EN,contentid=12020,crid=34

dontsimon

18th July 2006, 14:44

DFP REV B is no guarantee that the pots are the upgraded type. Mine was REV B and had the crappy little plastic pots.

Although, they've been shipping for so long now with the newer pots you're unlikely to get a unit with the old type pots.

alland44

18th July 2006, 15:38

I see two persons love the 900 degrees the Dfp offers - What are you using it for ?

sgt.flippy

18th July 2006, 15:47

Third person: I like it because it just feels better, I don't know why I use it. But when I use the other locking position (270?, 180?) it's just waaaay too sensitive and I'm not able to drive anymore :D I always use full lock, only in open wheelers I adjust my LFS settings to compensate the turning, cause driving an open wheeler with full lock is impossible, I tried... :tilt:

So basicly, it's just preference I guess, I love it when I skid out or something I have to start turning the whole wheel around, it's harder, so it's more satisfieing, I guess.

DethMag

18th July 2006, 16:26

I like it, it's more quiet than my saitek r4

Just pulling this line out.....

You got your R4 to work on XP? I couldn't get it to configure my old R4 properly so i've just been using my gamepad as i'm not sure I can justify buying a wheel.....