Logitech Forumla Force Wheel Dead - Replacement recommendations [Archive]

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Seahorse

19th April 2006, 15:33

My trusty and overworked Logitech Formula Force has died. As an emergency measure I want to order one from the internet tonight.

Currently I think I will get a Logitech MOMO Racing Force Feedback, but I wanted some opinions and suggested decent price as I notice they are the same in Dollars as Pounds. In UK based, so a UK source makes most sense...:D

SamH

19th April 2006, 15:34

A lot of folks seem seriously impressed with the Logitech Driving Force Pro. Officially it's a PS2 wheel, but it's USB and comes with drivers for the PC.

One of our "lot" just got one and is loving it.

mkinnov8

19th April 2006, 15:36

LOL! I asked the same question today over at the CRC site (thread (http://www.cleanracersclub.org/crcweb/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1297)). Im looking for a MOMO and Im UK based, finding stockists is easy, finding ones with items in stock is no so... Any further help people? Please??!

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 15:39

OMG, it looks awesome (http://www.speedseat.co.uk/product_detail.aspx?prodid=40), anyone have firsthand experience? If I'm blowing £80 it might as well be teh Daddy...:thumb:

wE1l

19th April 2006, 15:43

any of you aware of the permanent can't-get-full-throttle problem with momo (barring dfp perhaps)?

am using a MS sidewinder ff, £30 pounds, second hand, sturdy like a tank.

deggis

19th April 2006, 15:53

OMG, it looks awesome (http://www.speedseat.co.uk/product_detail.aspx?prodid=40), anyone have firsthand experience? If I'm blowing £80 it might as well be teh Daddy...:thumb:
You don't need to read any user experiences. It's probably the most popular wheel currently and that should tell something.

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 16:11

Fair enough, but I haven't managed to find anything that tells me that. Just read some individual reviews, but can't find any head-to-head comparisons.

Assuming that it is the best and I AM GOING SHOPPING TONIGHT, I can find the Logitech Driving Force Pro on Amazon for £84 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0006LCME0/203-8095594-1133521) and free P&P, can anyone offer a better price?

Actually I found it at Savastore - but they have a horrendous Rep, this seems a better option £62 at Dabs (http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=3TNQ), fiver delivery.

BWX232

19th April 2006, 16:23

get a DFP

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 16:24

Chalk that vote up...:thumb:

n2oaddict

19th April 2006, 16:25

DFP/Microsoft Sidewinder FF.

filur

19th April 2006, 16:25

Very good wheel, the DFP. :)

BWX232

19th April 2006, 16:28

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3476/dfppedalsmonitor23hp.jpg

Use old pedals as a clutch...

pb32000

19th April 2006, 16:29

I bought a MOMO over a DFP because a) I wanted good paddles, b) I didnt want 900 degree rotation, c) I much prefer the look of the momo, d) I wanted to be able to move the gear shifter to the left side and e) I didnt want my wheel plastered with playstation buttons. All little things but the momo suited my needs best.

I got it from Savastore for about £60, delievered quick, no problems at all. Owned it for about a year now, never had any trouble with the pedals.

One problem I have had is that sometimes the steering in LFS centers whilst im still holding the wheel at an angle, moving it just a fraction returns the steering in LFS to the correct angle. This ONLY happens in LFS though so I guess it related to that. Tested with GTR/GTL/RBR and all number of other games and its fine :)

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 16:30

How do you hook them up? Two controllers running at same time?

/me gets ready to go out to the dustbins...:shrug:

XsX!

19th April 2006, 16:38

buy the dfp
worth it, trust me :thumb:

BWX232

19th April 2006, 16:38

I have a momo too and the DFP is a much higher quality wheel.. the pedals after revision B00 are also much better on the DFP.. They have [edit]big fat metal pats that work flawlessly after more than a year of constant abuse. The Momo's pedals are worthless (unless they got the big metal pot treatment lateley).... My momo is in the bottom of a closet.. The momo also has a big plastic bushing that loosens up almost instantly and makes the wheel very sloppy and it basically self destructs. The DFP has a real metal bearing that lasts through many years of abuse. The paddles are bigger on the Momo, but there is also a history of them breaking.. That is the only thing I really miss about the Momo, but you get used to the DFP shifter paddles easily, and they work fine..

If the Momo had more rotation or if it had a metal bearing or if it had better pedals it would be a much better wheel.. Also another thing to think about is that the DFP takes up a lot less space. If changing the shift stick to the left is a huge deal to you, get the Momo though.

Ryanry64

19th April 2006, 16:42

OMG, it looks awesome (http://www.speedseat.co.uk/product_detail.aspx?prodid=40), anyone have firsthand experience? If I'm blowing £80 it might as well be teh Daddy...:thumb:

Bought it from the exact same site. First one they sent was broken :scratchch

Second one though was perfect, it is a good wheel for a good price :nod:

BWX232

19th April 2006, 16:42

How do you hook them up? Two controllers running at same time?

/me gets ready to go out to the dustbins...:shrug:
yes... it works fine in most sims. I just clamp the wheel to the leg of my table out of the way- or you can turn off the FF and lay it on the floor out of the way somewhere. Those old pedals I have for the clutch are from the Original Driving Force. The Momo and it's pedals are still in the closet because the old driving force pedals (many years old now) are so much better than the Momo's.. (only a couple years old)..

Greboth

19th April 2006, 16:57

DFP for £59.99 inc VAT (edit : think its about £5 or £6 delivery)
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=75536

I got my dfp from there, they deliver when they say and no problems.
The dfp i found is a good wheel. I rarely use the full 900 but on the uf1, xfg, xrg and sometime times the ufr, xrt i use 720 so what i turn the game turns and IMO its great.
The shifter being on the right is something you would get used to very easily. As for all the playstation buttons true, but means can put loads to your wheel ( ive got - restart, quick pit, horn, pit lane speed limiter, hand brake, clutch (i dont have another set of pedals) "sorry my bad", "np" hazzards, indicator left, indicator right, indicator/hazzards off, look left, look right and ofcourse gear change)
I got the dfp over the momo as i wanted the option of 720 rotation and as i wanted more buttons as i had read people saying it needs more.

Saying this though, i have never used a momo and so i cannot compare between the 2.

danowat

19th April 2006, 17:00

Doorman

19th April 2006, 17:17

IKHAM

19th April 2006, 19:01

DFP for £59.99 inc VAT (edit : think its about £5 or £6 delivery)
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=75536

Literally just odered that about 10 mins ago. Should be delievered on Friday, just in time for the weekend. I'll cry if it doesn't come though. :D

Yisc[NL]

19th April 2006, 19:47

Hi there,

It seems to be a good time to replace my old wheel now, with the upcoming patch. After reading this thread, I decided to go for a DFP. Unfortunately, it isn't available in Holland at the moment, so I have a choice between the Logitech Formula force EX and the Logitech MOMO racing, with the last one being seriously more expensive. Any pro's/con's for one another?

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 20:45

OK, decison made - DFP it is.. Darkplanets (http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/ps2/logitech-driving-force-pro.asp), next Day delivery £64.88 incl P&P. So Fri I guess...:thumb:

Driving force pro, if you are feeling flush add a Frex kit and a Momo 11 wheel to it, then when the pedals go TU, get some others.

Darkplanets for £58.98 > http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/ps2/logitech-driving-force-pro.asp

Dan,

Frex Kit? Momo 11 - some linkage please...:)

As above but put a Sparco LN285 on it. It's ready drilled.

Ditto mate...

deggis

19th April 2006, 20:58

Frex Kit? Momo 11 - some linkage please...:)

http://www.frex.com/gp/wheeladapter/index.htm
http://www.frex.com/gp/steering/index.htm

Lerxster

19th April 2006, 21:14

My mate just bought the Momo from Pixmania (normally steer clear of PM)...only place that stocks it atm (Europe)... I have the old red version of the momo and love it to bits... Solid wheel, leather wheel, tactile paddles...let down by squishy pedals...but I suppose a stronger spring would solve that!

Seahorse

19th April 2006, 23:21

http://www.frex.com/gp/wheeladapter/index.htm
http://www.frex.com/gp/steering/index.htm

That is some great looking kit, but I will stop at the DFP or the wife will slaughter me...:x

Fordman

19th April 2006, 23:34

Driving force pro, if you are feeling flush add a Frex kit and a Momo 11 wheel to it, then when the pedals go TU, get some others.

Darkplanets for £58.98 > http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/ps2/logitech-driving-force-pro.asp

Dan,

I have a momo force, and for me, excellent wheel. Yes pedals are iffy, like the DFP i must add, and need maintanence once a while, if done properly.

But adding to what dan said, if you can afford it, get it, its awesome. Just feels to much better. I had popped over to his to try it.

Rob76

20th April 2006, 00:32

DFP is a fine wheel, and I would recommend it as the best mass market wheel. The large rotation is handled perfectly in LFS. Set the game controller to 720 degrees and LFS to 720 degrees and no matter which car you drive, the steering lock of the DFP is correct. You get used to the 'set and forget' nature of the setup in LFS, despite the huge range of cars, so it's amazing how annoying the lack of support for this in nKP is, especially as you can't alt-tab out of nKP to make adjustments. (OT: It's amazing how many little things in LFS are done so thoroughly well it highlights the shortcomings of other products).

I went from the Wingman Formula Force (original red one) which was smooth, precise and quiet. It had very delicate FF due to being cable driven rather than gears and had nice gear paddles. It's two main let downs were the short travel pedals (although they never had problems) and the very low steering lock (approx 180 degrees). It offered years of reliable use and was perfect for single seater sims such as GPL - it still works like new but I mothballed it as I wanted longer travel pedals and larger rotation.

The DFP by contrast is noisy (although once I have my headphones on I don't notice) and the gears do mean the FF is not as subtle as the WFF, but the wheel does feel indestructible. The very small gear shift paddles (more like switches) feel odd at first, but it only takes an hour or two to get totally used to them. The pedals are (compared to the WFF) pretty good, offering much finer control due to the longer travel. I have both the original design (small blue pots like the MOMO) and the new design (larger metal pots). I've had to take both apart to clean the pots as they got noisy/spiky, but the new design is much sturdier. The beauty of the pedal bars in LFS is that you can see when you're having pedal problems allowing you to stop and sort them out before causing too much mayhem online!

Current prices here in the US are around $100, so 60-70 quid sounds right, and considering how much I paid for my trusty Wingman Formula Force back in 1999 (and the various shite wheels I had before that), it's a bargain.

mkinnov8

20th April 2006, 03:27

OK it happened, Stoney bought a DFP! Watch out on track on Tuesday guys!!

JTbo

20th April 2006, 03:39

OK it happened, Stoney bought a DFP! Watch out on track on Tuesday guys!!

From LFS main folder, open cfg.txt, find line FF Steps, type 256 save and quit, that will make FF effects much better, also set centering spring from profile to 0% and also those spring+damper effects to 0%. Then if wheel feels sticky you need to push select+R3+left paddle behind wheel simultaneously and you get different force feedback, works better with LFS, push those again to get original back.

With those changes my dfp feels totally different wheel, with default settings it was nearly impossible to feel car...

danowat

20th April 2006, 05:31

OK, decison made - DFP it is.. Darkplanets (http://www.darkplanets.co.uk/ps2/logitech-driving-force-pro.asp), next Day delivery £64.88 incl P&P. So Fri I guess...:thumb:

Frex Kit? Momo 11 - some linkage please...:)

Ditto mate...

I dont need much of an excuse to show my wheel :nod::thumb:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01888.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01887.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01886.jpg

Rob76

20th April 2006, 05:35

I dont need much of an excuse to show my wheel :nod::thumb:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01888.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01887.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a96/danowat/frex/Dsc01886.jpg

That wheel is nice. I've been tempted a few times to order one of the kits, but I'm afraid I couldn't stop myself at just the basic wheel conversion, and before I know it I'm close to $1000 poorer.....

Sawyer

20th April 2006, 08:21

danowat

20th April 2006, 08:23

I would never get anything made for a Console/PS2 and no matter what others say lol. I will stick with the MOMO Racing again if this one goes to hell...if nothing better is made by the time but for PC! :nod:

You do that matey, but the DFP isnt MADE for the PS2, it is MARKETED for the PS2, BIG difference.

Stick with whatever, but you would be missing out on one of the best wheels on the market :shrug:

Dan,

Sawyer

20th April 2006, 08:24

deggis

20th April 2006, 11:00

The beauty of the pedal bars in LFS is that you can see when you're having pedal problems allowing you to stop and sort them out before causing too much mayhem online!
Good point. I really miss those in other games. It's annoying to always check the controllers screen if the pedals are bugging or not.

From LFS main folder, open cfg.txt, find line FF Steps, type 256 save and quit, that will make FF effects much better
What does this exactly do? Never heard or this before. Default value seems to be 128.

BWX232

20th April 2006, 11:32

FF Steps 256

Yup I set mine to that- it's really nice and smooth FF too.

Seahorse

20th April 2006, 11:49

So is there a definite list of things to setup a DFP for LFS...:tilt:

deggis

20th April 2006, 12:03

So is there a definite list of things to setup a DFP for LFS...:tilt:
There are lots of threads concerning wheel setup, like this: http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=6345

FF Steps 256

Yup I set mine to that- it's really nice and smooth FF too.
But you don't know what it exactly does? Just smoothens the FF, how? I guess this works for every wheel (I have black MOMO) and not recommended only for DFP?

NotAnIllusion

20th April 2006, 12:18

I didn't feel any difference with a MOMO Racing, but it did make me wonder if there's a maximum value, and what happens to the wheel if it's exceeded (think: damage)?

Becky Rose

20th April 2006, 12:26

Gear changing with your right hand !? Did our once great empire not teach any of you anything?

gatorman

20th April 2006, 12:29

DFP and you lefties can use the paddle shifters ;)

JTbo

20th April 2006, 13:41

Good point. I really miss those in other games. It's annoying to always check the controllers screen if the pedals are bugging or not.

What does this exactly do? Never heard or this before. Default value seems to be 128.

Those my suggestions are picked from that dfp thread ;)

I don't know what it actually does, but I do know how it changed feeling of force feedback. I get much more effects, before wheel was quite dead at cornering, it had only this sticky thing.
When I changed FF Steps to 256 I started to really feel the car, at corners I can feel how grip is changing etc. Also I feel curbs more often, but still under left tire curbs are not usually causing any effect, but under right tire rather normal now, maybe a bug or something.

I have tested this at 512 and it felt just bit better, however my fps decreased a bit.

I guess from name that it is resolution of force feedback, even it feels like update rate of ff effects.

mkinnov8

20th April 2006, 13:49

danowat

20th April 2006, 13:51

WOW!

Where? When? How Much? HOW? and I want it now!

Where > http://www.frex.com/gp/ , wheel from any motorsport outlet
When > takes about a month to ship
How much > £100+ (depending on the wheel)
How > about an hours worth of screwdriver work.

Well worth it IMO.

Dan,

BWX232

21st April 2006, 01:27

But you don't know what it exactly does? Just smoothens the FF, how? I guess this works for every wheel (I have black MOMO) and not recommended only for DFP?

No it has been set like that for a long time... it was recommended by one of the LFS Devs IIRC.. It has something to do with the amount of times the FF is sampled from the physics engine or something like that. I can't find the post... it has been a while.

IKHAM

21st April 2006, 18:26

Literally just odered that about 10 mins ago. Should be delievered on Friday, just in time for the weekend. I'll cry if it doesn't come though. :D

What a surprise. It didn't come! Commence crying. :(