The online racing simulator
Reliable wheel
(72 posts, started )
Quote from pärtan :I've had my G25 for 3 years. I've been really brutal on it. It's got a crack in the gear housing (which is made out of plastic) but it doesn't stop it from working fine. People complain about deadzone and stuff like that, I don't have any complains other than the sound. And since the G27 follows the same design but is far more quieter, I'd say go for the G27.

And get the same problem with plastic that's cracking? Why would you want that.

Biggest problem for me is the lack of feel/FFB in the center with the G25/G27. If you don't know better it's fine, but when you try another wheel (the T500R also) it just feels silly.
Quote from E.Reiljans :"in it"
"like with a graphics card

The only part of a graphics card is the GPU?
Quote from Bose321 :The only part of a graphics card is the GPU?

So what CPU that metal casing, with 775 pins, some ceramic capacitors, shottky diodes and few other components, installed in your motherboard has inside?
I got a g27 since a year and a half and if I could go back I would definitely get a fanatec gt3. I got some serious noise issues on pCars under certain circumstances but not much in LFS. If money is not a problem hell go for this one:
http://www.fanatec.de/webshop/ ... 9e80c99981e721e6b2d723910

You'll get a more silent FFB wheel (belt driven instead of plastic gears) with 3 FFB motors, amazing pedals with adjustable load cell brake, solid shifter console made of metal entirely since recently. You'll also have the feeling to have a real wheel instead of a plastic toy.. but that's just my opinion.

Many peoples had issues with the G27, most didn't. Same can be said about Fanatec wheels but they are made by a passionate entrepreneur who seem to enjoy sim racing unlike the other one.

Good luck with your purchase!
I can stand up in line and confirm the G25 is a reliable piece.
Have it since 4.5 years back and still going strong. It has travelled >71 000 km in LFS alone. And with that said, I've used it mostly for Richard Burns.

It seems some people are unlucky getting a faulty unit, but as far as I know, Logitech has always been quick replacing products to keep customers happy.

Whatever you get, good luck with your choice and have fun!
G25 are not reliable, I had mine for 2 years, first the wheel started to lose allignment, it would be okay with light steering but any forceful counter-steer would throw it 3-5 degrees out.

Second the reverse gear broke randomly one day, I always made sure that I didn't use the fragile little gear shifter too rough but yet it still broke.

The big final that caused me to throw it in the rubbish was that it went up in smoke, one day I was playing when i started smelling something burning, my force feed back went dead and smoke pourd from the wheel casing.


I bought a G27 after that and havn't had a problem.
Too bad to hear that FPVaaron!
Perhaps that was beyond the guarantie? It seems this piece of hardware is suffering from various breakdowns. Luckily I've not yet seen it happening to me.
i have a g25 collecting dust in the corner, frien moved to aus and gave me that, its aright... but maybe im too used to m dfgt but its just not as accurate, or responsive... the pedals are better; slightly, but they need to be modded to improve their performance ( and it would appear that you're spiltting hairs when it comes to actual gains )

g27 is supposed to be quieter and a slightly better package all round..

if i had the money in y pocket OP go for fanatec, otherwise g27
Quote from FPVaaron : the reverse gear broke randomly one day, I always made sure that I didn't use the fragile little gear shifter too rough but yet it still broke.

Happened the same to me. I "just" had to weld again the reverse button.

And had to reopen the shifter, to clean the potentiometers, because it didn't knew if I were in neutral or 3th gear...

My statistics are that 4 out of 5 times a G25 needs a fix/maitenance anyone can do the required cleaning. And my steering wheel unit is still to be open after more than 4 years
Total stats:
Travelled distance: 301746 Ml
.....

Ive done about 250,000 Miles with the wheel in LFS alone.
Maybe another 150k miles in race series and other sims.
I dont use high FF settings.
Profiler: 101,0,0,0
ingame:10-15%
The wheel in question a G25
Hi,

... same centering issues with LFS occurs with Fanatec GT3 wheels ... and concerning reliability, Fanatec wheels are really not superior as any other brand ... I had mine for 2 years now and had to replace the main wheel PCB after 1 year and full case after 2 year because the main belt broke ... I have now a 'hybrid' GT2 base with GT3 wheel ... I was following the CSP wheel developement threads for a while but I think I will go with the Thrustmaster T500 which also as some known issues with fan and other little bugs ... All the available wheels have some known issues and as someone else already mentionned, most of the posts you will find on the different wheels are concerning issues ... Fanatec wheels are great but IMO the hardware quality does not match with the software side ... You will never get final drivers or firmwares from them but always beta with 'install at your own risk' mentions ... I don't like that ... Also other brands like Logitech or Thrustmaster are much more 'modable', you can easily replace the wheel with after market wheels ...


Thx!
Quote from bleco :Hi,

... same centering issues with LFS occurs with Fanatec GT3 wheels ... and concerning reliability, Fanatec wheels are really not superior as any other brand ... I had mine for 2 years now and had to replace the main wheel PCB after 1 year and full case after 2 year because the main belt broke ... I have now a 'hybrid' GT2 base with GT3 wheel ... I was following the CSP wheel developement threads for a while but I think I will go with the Thrustmaster T500 which also as some known issues with fan and other little bugs ... All the available wheels have some known issues and as someone else already mentionned, most of the posts you will find on the different wheels are concerning issues ... Fanatec wheels are great but IMO the hardware quality does not match with the software side ... You will never get final drivers or firmwares from them but always beta with 'install at your own risk' mentions ... I don't like that ... Also other brands like Logitech or Thrustmaster are much more 'modable', you can easily replace the wheel with after market wheels ...


Thx!

There are no centering problems here. Out of interest, from which batch is your wheel (when did you buy it?)? The were a small amount of wheels that had some problems.

Kinda odd your next choice is for a wheel where you know it has problems...

The drivers which are downloadable from the main site are no beta versions. Simply because you download and install the beta versions does not mean all drivers are like that. And the main point is: are there problems with the drivers? They're easy to install, easy to use and work without problems.

About modding your wheel; I don't know if you actually own a Fanatec wheel, but they're known for their modifiability. They have a system like real cars have which basicly gives you the option to simply click on other wheels.
Just buy the goddamn Logitech G27, it'll save you loads of trouble.
I've had Logitech since forever. and only problems started after 3 years of heavy abuse. but by then I'm sure you could have saved up at least a couple of money.

tl;dr :
Just buy a g27. you will be happy.
Quote from Dennis93 :Just buy the goddamn Logitech G27, it'll save you loads of trouble.
I've had Logitech since forever. and only problems started after 3 years of heavy abuse. but by then I'm sure you could have saved up at least a couple of money.

tl;dr :
Just buy a g27. you will be happy.

I don't really get your conclusion as there are serious problems with it.
Quote from Bose321 :I don't really get your conclusion as there are serious problems with it.

Bose321.

Please do tell me all about the problems that I've had on my wheels, which is not caused by normal wear and tear?

Yours sincerely

G.F.Yourself!
Quote from Dennis93 :Bose321.

Please do tell me all about the problems that I've had on my wheels, which is not caused by normal wear and tear?

Yours sincerely

G.F.Yourself!

Dennis93.

No need to get all upset. I'm just stating the fact with the general problems with the wheel.

Yours sincerely

Grow up.
Quote from Bose321 :Dennis93.

No need to get all upset. I'm just stating the fact with the general problems with the wheel.

Yours sincerely

Grow up.

I have to respect your fanboyism.
As i stated in my post, AND NOTHING ELSE was that, I've never had any problems with the Logitech wheels, that was simple.

But yet again your little fanboy eyes managed to somehow think ; ''wait this sucker is saying that electronics never fail''.

Wait, now see I never said that Logitech had flaws. Usually from my sources are wheels that has been shipped to the consumer has had different difficulties, hence why I never ask for hardware to be shipped unless I know I can trust it's something that isn't going to break, but I'm sure that fan(tastic)atec also has had/has problems for some people.

So I will tell you again, as I've had said before, just think before you post something, and in that case you are not completely aware of what your eyes tell your brain which then goes to your fingers, please do not hesitate to rephrase my post, or even in pm's you can ask anything you want if you have trouble reading and understanding a post.

All the best
Not even going to read the shit your pulled out your ass.

You said to go with a G27 to save the trouble?

That tells me you seem to have experience with all kinds of wheel brands while you only used Logitech?

It's funny how you call me a fanboy while I did not name a brand in specific and you're the one all getting mad over your precious G27. Cough*Pot calling the kettle black*cough.
Quote from Bose321 :There are no centering problems here. Out of interest, from which batch is your wheel (when did you buy it?)? The were a small amount of wheels that had some problems.

I can assure you I had the centering issues with my GT3 V2 and still with my new GT2 base ... I bought the wheel on mid 2010 and the firmware is the lattest 681 release ...

Quote from Bose321 :
Kinda odd your next choice is for a wheel where you know it has problems...

Just provide me a wheel model without any known issues ? It does not exist ... and maybe other Fanatec owners will never have the issues I am facing with the same wheel ... There are just a very big amount of complains about Fanatec reliability, just search the different forums ...

Quote from Bose321 : The drivers which are downloadable from the main site are no beta versions. Simply because you download and install the beta versions does not mean all drivers are like that. And the main point is: are there problems with the drivers? They're easy to install, easy to use and work without problems.

Your right, drivers are not Beta but most importantly firmwares are ALL beta + the update software is real crap and unstable. Also their support forum is a real mess, nothing is organized and can be a real pain to just find the lattest files available with the super mention 'install it at your own risk'! ...

Quote from Bose321 : About modding your wheel; I don't know if you actually own a Fanatec wheel, but they're known for their modifiability. They have a system like real cars have which basicly gives you the option to simply click on other wheels.

I would not have commented on Fanatec wheels if I did not own one ... Again ... just point me to a link where someone actually easily replaced the original 911/Carrera/GT3/GT2 wheel for an aftermarket model ... All the wheel electronics must still be connected to the base to get the FFB if replacing the steering wheel ... And this is still the case with the CSR Elite ... Besides the new upcoming CSW that will come with quick release, nothing that I know is available to mod older models ... Unless you can backup what you are stating with actual threads about modding these wheel, who cares about real car parts ...



Thx!
Quote from Bose321 :Not even going to read the shit your pulled out your ass.

You said to go with a G27 to save the trouble?

That tells me you seem to have experience with all kinds of wheel brands while you only used Logitech?

It's funny because I am fanboy and i like purple dildoes up my buttom. I did not name a brand in specific and you're the one all getting mad over your precious G27. Cough*Pot calling the kettle black*cough.

I did not get mad.

I'll say it again.

I

Never

Had

Problems

With

My

Logitech

Wheels.

Understood? or do i need to make myself clear once again.
I've had my G25 for four years, never had any problems with the wheel or pedals, but the shifter had to have virtually all original wiring replaced to function reliably.

Always 100% ingame FFB and 100% in profiler, 101% before they had fixed the non-linear-scaling issue. Pedals filled to the brim with dirt, dust and doghair, no spiking at all.
I open the wheel up at least twice a year for routine inspection and maintenance (grease), never had to do any actual repairs until ~3 weeks ago. Optical encoder casing had shaken itself loose, which caused friction between the PCB and plastic encoder wheel, which fractured as a result of that. A dab of hotglue solved that problem
It's never lost alignment, never lost FFB, never caught fire, never had electrical issues of any kind, it has no play, it's no louder than it was back when it was new, all buttons are working, it doesn't overheat... Yeah, I'd call it reliable all in all.
Quote from bleco :I can assure you I had the centering issues with my GT3 V2 and still with my new GT2 base ... I bought the wheel on mid 2010 and the firmware is the lattest 681 release ...

Tried to contact Thomas? That's obviously something wrong with your wheel.
Quote from bleco :Just provide me a wheel model without any known issues ? It does not exist ... and maybe other Fanatec owners will never have the issues I am facing with the same wheel ... There are just a very big amount of complains about Fanatec reliability, just search the different forums ...

I'm not saying there's a 'perfect' wheel. Complaints are something else than problems. Go check the internet and you will find Logitech wheels on top of your search list. But that isn't a point, is it?
Quote from bleco :Your right, drivers are not Beta but most importantly firmwares are ALL beta + the update software is real crap and unstable. Also their support forum is a real mess, nothing is organized and can be a real pain to just find the lattest files available with the super mention 'install it at your own risk'! ...

Where does it say that? The drivers I got from the homepage do not say that? What update software? All you do is uninstall old drivers and install new ones. The support forum is not the place to get the latest drivers. It even says on you can get them from his blog which is categorized under drivers.[/quote]
Quote from bleco :I would not have commented on Fanatec wheels if I did not own one ... Again ... just point me to a link where someone actually easily replaced the original 911/Carrera/GT3/GT2 wheel for an aftermarket model ... All the wheel electronics must still be connected to the base to get the FFB if replacing the steering wheel ... And this is still the case with the CSR Elite ... Besides the new upcoming CSW that will come with quick release, nothing that I know is available to mod older models ... Unless you can backup what you are stating with actual threads about modding these wheel, who cares about real car parts ...

Some quick use of Google gives me a nice list of links. I have tried to change the rim myself which was easy. Take the center cap off, loosen the bolts, take wheel off, put new wheel one; done. Obviously all your buttons will not work anymore but that's obvious.

To stop everyone defending their choice; All wheels have problems and nothing will be 100% fail-safe (there are exceptions however for some people) if you look on the average numbers.
Quote from Bose321 :Tried to contact Thomas? That's obviously something wrong with your wheel.

I am done with that ... always a nightmare to get support from fanatec ... And yes obvioulsy something is wrong with the wheel that has already been replaced with a new PCB and complete base ...

Quote from Bose321 :Where does it say that? The drivers I got from the homepage do not say that? What update software? All you do is uninstall old drivers and install new ones. The support forum is not the place to get the latest drivers. It even says on you can get them from his blog which is categorized under drivers.

Drivers and firmwares and 2 completely different things ... Fanatec firmwares are ALL Beta releases and the tool to update it is real crap and will work best with XP ... We are in 2012!! XP is totally obsolete ... You did not obviously update your wheel firmware from what I read ...


Quote from Bose321 : Some quick use of Google gives me a nice list of links. I have tried to change the rim myself which was easy. Take the center cap off, loosen the bolts, take wheel off, put new wheel one; done. Obviously all your buttons will not work anymore but that's obvious.

Really ? please provide the links ...

You would obvioulsly loose the buttons but also the FFB if the steering wheel PCB is not connected to the base anymore ... And also, could you share a picture of your modded fanatec wheel with aftermarket wheel ... I am really curious ... ... Also would like to see on which wheel you simply plug and play your fanatec base ... The wheel holes pattern is not use on any aftermarket wheels ... + you would need a custom adapter to make it strongly attached to the base ... Original wheels are inserted on the shaft prior to install the 3 bolts ... If you easily did it then I am sure other Fanatec owners would love to see how including myself ...
My firmware was updated since I got the upgrade to V2.

I don't understand why you're bitching about XP? It works fine in Windows 7, so why would you care what they say works best on?

Why would you manually update your firmware? The firmware you get when you buy the wheel works fine. If you would read the changelog you would see there's no advantage for the average Joe.

I said I tried, I didn't say I actually was using it. The simple reason is because I've bought this wheel for a reason: because I like the alcantara leather and the rim itself. If I would want to buy a cheap wheel with fake leather and replace it by some hideous aftermarket wheel I would have bought a Logitech. I had to make an adapter but that was not a problem to me (compared to the self-made wheel).
I can even recall watching a video on YouTube where someone switched the rim.
... just to get back on the topic ...

Just choose any wheel depending on your budget ... All of them could have issues ... A reliable wheel for someone could be the total opposite for someone else using the same model ... just look at each model spec and pick up the one that is best for you ...
Logitech wheels have many problems because they have many users. I have no reliable source on how many g27 have been sold but they are surely magnitudes more than any other premium wheel. Therefore a lot more problems, and a lot more complaints in forums etc. Maybe there are more problems with Logitech wheels that other but I doubt it, but the important point with my post is that you need better statistics than frum flames to decide.

(Mine have worked well until I have worn them out, no strange problems like alignment etc)

Reliable wheel
(72 posts, started )
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