Shifer!!!

[WIGGA]

Will this function with a Driving force pro wheel?

http://www.act-labs.com/scripts/proddetails.asp?Pid=850

[XCNuse]

..it works.. for anything.. you could play a shooting game with it, its basically just an expensive set of buttons with springs that break

[axus]

Drooooooooool.

So much for me getting headphones then...
MUST HAVE SHIFTER... MUST HAVE... must have... m u s t h a v e...

[XCNuse]

must have until you start paying more than what its worth on steel springs.. sorry guys, but after a while you kinda get bored of using it because its so .. unreal

[SparkyDave]

Whats the advantage if there is any with using a shifter? is it any better than using sequential box and F1 type paddles?

Just wondering ;)

SD.

[XCNuse]

enjoyment lol, the only plus you can get out of it, is.. you can shift the gear, then hit the clutch, and the turbo pressure will stay up.. but thats er.. a bug that still needs to be fixed

so really.. the only time having a shifter will be enjoyable is when we can stall cars

[Vain]

I have a FFB shifter and it really doesn't make me faster. Usually slower because I sometimes do bad shifts. But since I have that shifter I don't like cars that usually have sequential shifting or shifter-paddles. It's just more fun with the H-shifter.
So the only thing you can get out of it is fun.

Vain

[Shotglass]

who says act labs hasnt improved the springs for the new version ?

[XCNuse]

i.. doubt they have, i dont see any other way of really improving the thing without.. no idea how they would fix the problem with it.. the steel springs get fatigued then.. snap.. that always happens if its to thin, its strong and flexible.. but after its like that for a while.. it snaps, so i dont see how you can make something flexible enough and strong enough to solve that problem (not anytime soon surely)

[ramtech]

what if they import magic metal from Mars?

[XCNuse]

then it would be like an Enzo.. what a really cool car.. but .. no one can afford it lol

[Tweaker]

..it works.. for anything.. you could play a shooting game with it, its basically just an expensive set of buttons with springs that break

2006 Version they are selling now is not supposed to break like the old leaf springs one. Don't say it won't last even as the new version when there isnt even 1 word of someone saying theirs has broken!

I had the old one, but sold it. Only because it was just an enjoyment factor thing, and it won't make you a faster driver. And I like to drive fast, and paddle shifters on the wheel are the only way I guess :shrug:

[tristancliffe]

Nuse - making the springs 'not break' is actually quite an easy engineering problem - but one you'd need to do during the design stage.

The old shifter had the problem (incomplete testing or cost cutting), but don't expect the new one.

I don't know why you think that it's impossible to make spring steel survive? Maybe you're not vaguely engineering minded...

[Vain]

At some point all materials are fatigued and fail. That's what he meant.

Wether the spring lasts or not is just a matter of the right choice of materials. There are alloys for every situation.

Vain

[Tweaker]

I still think years of continuous use with springs will make that shifter last. Heck, the old leaf spring design could hardly last several months for frequent users... and those were little brittle pieces of metal... almost feelt like the thickness of a soda can.

[XCNuse]

now after just reading tweaks last post, i remember what happened... so the original springs that it came with.. fantastic, they lasted i think about a whole year which was just.. phenomonal compared to what i was hearing, and like my momo thought i wasnt gonna have any problems (er.. since then i've had serious problems with both lol)

however, the replacement springs .. stunk, i went through 2 of them in 1 month about, and just have decided not to put the 3rd replacement one in until i find somewhere to get the same steel springs which i doubt i can

erg.. what a mess parts are laying like all over the place behind me

and yes, like tweak said well.. he said they felt like soda cans, but i agree, it took extremely little force up and down to put it into gears.. they need over 2x the strength on those springs

i just dont know what to do now.. lol no way im gonna buy a new one if i still have an old one, thats just a waste of money almost, because its not like i can really sell this shifter to anyone, it will probably break

[Holliday]

Having a shifter has benefits beyond just adding realism. For one thing it uses muscle memory you already have stored up, assuming you have driven a real car with a manual transmission. And you can skip gears; I frequently go from sixth to fourth, or fifth to third, just to name a couple variations. And then there is the coolness factor.
I have a Thrustmaster Speedshifter which does away with any concerns about build quality and longevity.

[tristancliffe]

Make some measurements of the springs, and work out how stiff they are (N/mm) in the direction and position required, and work out how much deflection they are likely to take, and go to an engineering firm with a proper engineer and ask them how much it would cost to have them made. Prices will range from rididulous to bloody reasonable (as long as you don't give up after the ridiculous ones).

Making a spring isn't rocket science. All I can imagine is that someone got their sums wrong.