Monday, 12 November 2018
Friday, 9 November 2018
Monday, 5 November 2018
Sunday, 4 November 2018
Friday, 2 November 2018
iRacing FOV Calculators
Written by: Benjamin Brook
<script>
/////////////////////////
// calc FOV
// given the monitor width and viewing distance, calculate the correct FOV
// for a single monitor setup
function calcSingleFOV(monitorWidth, viewingDistance)
{
if(viewingDistance > 0 && monitorWidth > 0) {
return (180/Math.PI) * (2 * Math.atan(monitorWidth / (2 * viewingDistance)));
} else {
return 0;
}
}
// given the monitor width and viewing distance, calculate the correct FOV
// for a triple monitor, single renderer setup (alligning monitors flat in a row)
// assumes all three monitors are same width, if not pass total width into calcSingleFOV()
function calcTripleFlatFOV(monitorWidth, viewingDistance)
{
return calcSingleFOV(monitorWidth * 3, viewingDistance);
}
// given the monitor width and viewing distance, calculate the correct FOV
// for a triple monitor, render seperate setup (angling monitors)
function calcTripleAngFOV(monitorWidth, viewingDistance)
{
return 3 * calcSingleFOV(monitorWidth, viewingDistance);
}
// given the monitor width and viewing distance, calculate the correct side monitor angle
// for a triple monitor, render seperate setup (angling monitors)
function calcTripleAngAngle(monitorWidth, viewingDistance)
{
return calcSingleFOV(monitorWidth, viewingDistance);
}
/////////////////////////
// calc distance
// given the FOV you want, calculate the correct viewing distance
// for a single monitor setup
function calcSingleViewingDist(monitorWidth, targetFOV)
{
if(targetFOV > 0 && monitorWidth > 0) {
return monitorWidth / (Math.tan((Math.PI/180) * targetFOV / 2) * 2);
} else {
return 0;
}
}
// given the monitor width and viewing distance, calculate the correct FOV
// for a triple monitor, single renderer setup (alligning monitors flat in a row)
// assumes all three monitors are same width, if not pass total width into calcSingleViewingDist()
function calcTripleFlatViewingDist(monitorWidth, targetFOV)
{
return calcSingleViewingDist(monitorWidth*3, targetFOV);
}
// given the FOV you want, calculate the correct viewing distance
// for a triple monitor, render seperate setup (angling monitors)
function calcTripleAngDist(monitorWidth, targetFOV)
{
if(targetFOV > 0 && monitorWidth > 0) {
return monitorWidth / (Math.tan((Math.PI/180) * targetFOV / 6) * 2);
} else {
return 0;
}
}
// given the FOV you want, calculate the correct side monitor angle
// for a triple monitor, render seperate setup (angling monitors)
function calcTripleAngDistAngle(monitorWidth, targetFOV)
{
return targetFOV/3;
}
</script>
<script>
function handleSingleFOVSubmit(form)
{
form.FOV.value = (calcSingleFOV(form.monWidth.value, form.viewDist.value)).toFixed(2);
}
function handleTripleFOVSubmit(form)
{
form.FOV.value = (calcTripleAngFOV(form.monWidth.value, form.viewDist.value)).toFixed(2);
form.sideAng.value = (calcTripleAngAngle(form.monWidth.value, form.viewDist.value)).toFixed(2);
}
function handleSingleViewDistSubmit(form)
{
form.viewDist.value = (calcSingleViewingDist(form.monWidth.value, form.FOV.value)).toFixed(2);
}
function handleTripleViewDistSubmit(form)
{
form.viewDist.value = (calcTripleAngDist(form.monWidth.value, form.FOV.value)).toFixed(2);
form.sideAng.value = (calcTripleAngDistAngle(form.monWidth.value, form.FOV.value)).toFixed(2);
}
</script>
<!doctype html>
iRacing FOV Calc Sample
- Calculators work in cm or mm or inches.
- Enter your monitors horizontal width and the distance from your eyes to the monitor to calculate the correct field of view for your seating position.
- Reducing the distance form your monitor to your eyes will increase the field of view.
- On games that use a vertical FOV instead of a horizontal one, enter the monitors height to calculate the correct FOV.
- If you have triple monitors configured to render as if they were one large monitor then line the monitors up in a flat row and use the total width of all three monitors to calculate the FOV.
- If you are rendering a separate image to each monitor, then use the triple monitor calculator below.
- On a single monitor you want to use the width of the viewable part of the monitor.
- On a triple monitor, single renderer, setup you want to use the width of the viewable image as well, but include the center bezels.
That is treat it like one large monitor with some annoying black lines on it.
Then in your video card you want to enable bezel correction so the central bezels are taken into account when rendering the image. - If you choose to render each monitor separately (which I do)
then only measure the viewable width on the center monitor and don't apply any bezel correction in your graphics card.
Typically your graphics card will provide two resolutions to you, one with bezel correction turned on and one without it. The smaller horizontal width is the one without bezel correction.
|
Triple Monitor separate renderer FOV:
|
Single Monitor FOV:
|
- David's calculators work in cm or mm or inches.
- Enter your monitors horizontal width and the desired field of view (not over 179) to calculate the correct viewing distance for your seating position.
- Reducing the field of view will increase the seating distance.
- On games that use a vertical FOV instead of a horizontal one, enter the monitors height to calculate the correct distance.
- If you have triple monitors configured to render as if they were one large monitor then line the monitors up in a flat row and use the total desired FOV of all three monitors to calculate the distance.
- If you are rendering a separate image to each monitor, then use the triple monitor calculator below.
- On a single monitor you want to use the width of the viewable part of the monitor
- On a triple monitor, single renderer, setup you want to use the width of the viewable image as well, but include the center bezels
That is treat it like one large monitor with some annoying black lines on it.
Then in your video card you want to enable bezel correction so the central bezels are taken into account when rendering the image. - If you choose to render each monitor seperately (which I do)
then only measure the viewable width on the center monitor and don't apply any bezel correction in your graphics card.
Typically your graphics card will provide two resolutions to you, one with bezel correction turned on and one without it. The smaller horizontal width is the one without bezel correction.
|
Triple Monitor seperate renderer
Viewing Distance: |
Single Monitor Viewing Distance:
|
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2Qf6XfJ
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
iRacing Logitech G27 Settings
Written by: Benjamin Brook
The Logitech G27 steering wheel is still one of the most popular sim steering wheels products being used with iRacing today. There have been quite a few changes to the iRacing Force Feedback settings over the years since the G27's launch and if you haven't had a look at changing the force feedback settings now would be a good time.
Changing iRacing Logitech G27 Settings
Just like the generic iracing force feedback settings guide I have put together which should cover most wheels in the marketplace. You need to first change settings from the Logitech Profiler. By making the following changes:
- Overall Effects Strength: 100%
- Spring Effect Strength: 100%
- Damper Effect Strength: 100%
Spring Effect Strength you leave at its default setting as iRacing does not use any spring effects but other sims could.
You can check the centering spring effect option has it does not have any effect within iRacing but it could be of use in other racing sims.
Change wheel rotation to 900 degrees we will set it up for 1:1 steering ratio when the wheel is calibrated within the iRacing settings.
Setting Up The Logitech G27 Within iRacing
Within the iRacing settings recalibrate your wheel following the instructions, when asked to rotate your wheel 90 degrees to the left, rotate it 90 degrees and don't pay any attention to the numbers that iRacing is telling you as it has been found that the Logitech G27 Wheels don't quite have a full 900 degree wheel rotation it is more in the vicinity of between 860 and 875 degrees. By not paying attention to the numbers in iRacing you will get the proper 1:1 steering ratio. I outlined this in my iRacing Force Feedback settings guide.
- Dampening settings change to: 10%
- Min Force: Try around 10 - 15%
- Strength: Anywhere around 8 to 20 (12 should be a good starting point) it can also be adjusted from the F9 black box and after a couple laps of driving you should see an auto button which when clicked will automatically adjust the strength to where the game thinks the force feedback needs to be set.
How To Check If You Are Oversaturating (Clipping) The Force Feedback
When running laps you want to check the "F Meter" and make sure you are not seeing the bar turn red when cornering. Red indicates oversaturation (clipping) is occuring and you are not receiving the best Force Feedback. Any other color is fine just not red.
Logitech G27 Brake Calibration Issues
Some users have experienced issues with the brakes locking up when running their first session. This can be rectified by giving the brake a depress before leaving the pits, its an issue with the usb not remembering were the start and end points of the brake is. The other solution is to use a Bodnar cable which has a much higher resolution and will remember the start and endpoints of your brake.
Miscellanious Logitech G27 Issues
USER EXPERIENCING DOUBLE BOUNCE WITH SEQUENTIAL SHIFTER
This fix should rectify the issue with most sequential shifters in the market place.
- Close iRacing
- Open //documents/iracing
- Open app.ini
- Look for "debounce" make the following change "debounceSeq_Ms=80 ; Add delay in Milliseconds to sequential shifter to reduce double shifts"
This will add a delay before the shifter will register another shift which should get rid of any double bounce when shifting.
Slipping Encoder
Wheel slowly drifts left/right, eventually, you have to steer 90 deg to the left to go straight.
David refers to taking the wheel apart and applying some glue/whatever to the encoder wheel so it stops slipping.
The wheel can also be dragging against the optical sensor, or the optical sensor could be loose on the motor, or have bits of dirt in the holes in the encoder wheel, all will give you similar results.
Burnt/Gummy Brushes
Blast out the motor with air, do it outside.
After cleaning everything it should start working well. Usually, this shows up as a loss of power.
Broken Gear
Only an expectation that losing even one tooth on a gear would cause the wheel to stop turning all together.
It's possible the wheel will catch occasionally, especially if a gear just split and did not actually lose a tooth.
Flaky Power Supply/Too Much Heat
Usually causing the wheel to fade out over time. Try another power supply, borrow one.
Excessive dust/smoke (animals, smokers, etc) your wheel could be clogged causing heat issues. Blow it out with air.
Let me know of anyother tips or settings work with the Logitech G27.
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2AA9Ja0
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
Saturday, 27 October 2018
iRacing Force Feedback Settings Tips And Tricks
Written by: Benjamin Brook
With the plethora of racing sim titles out in the market today force feedback or ffb seems to be one of the most contentious issues with various sims having different kinds of luck of replicating the feel of racing on the road.
iRacing’s force feedback is no different with some racers experiencing good levels of feedback while others are struggling with inferior levels of feedback. With this guide, I am going to pull the knowledge from the iracing forums where force feedback and sim steering wheels, in particular, are being discussed and present it in a way in which you the racer can happily go into the iRacing sim and set up your force feedback and have an improved experience.
David Tucker who is one the iRacing staffers that works closely with the force feedback community has stated that 95% of the time the force feedback with the default iRacing settings will work from the get-go. So with that in mind remember that the default settings might be the best that you can get.
Initial iRacing Force Feedback Settings
The first thing that you will want to do is go into your steering wheels configuration and set the following settings if they are present in your configuration panel:
Set your steering wheel rotation to the maximum value as this will give you a 1:1 ratio with iRacing
Set Spring, Damper, Overall force feedback to 100%
Next go into iRacing start a test session and recalibrate your steering wheel as exactly as the game dictates ie: turn the wheel 90 degrees to the left. You will turn the wheel exactly 90 degrees to the left without worrying about the numbers that iRacing displays as some wheels don’t quite have the full rotation that they advertise so this will give the proper 1:1 ratio with iRacing.
Once you have the wheel calibrated you will need to set the following items in the iRacing controls:
Set the damper to off
Linear force unchecked (unless you have a dd drive wheel)
Set the force between 8 and 20 depending on the car and track. David Tucker believes that 12 would be a good starting point. But you need to keep an eye on the F meter in the sim to make sure your not over saturating or the steering wheel is clipping. You can adjust the force feedback on the fly within the sim using the F9 Black Box. This way you can set the force feedback to your ideal level of feel without over-saturating the wheel. If you oversaturate the wheel the force feedback will become lifeless.
Min force attempts to fix issues with some wheels particularly the Logitech G27 were it needs a certain level of feedback around the 10 -20 percent mark for the effects to actually engage the wheel. Best bet with the min force is to play around with settings in the 5 - 20 percent range remember if you set it too high you will get wheel chatter when driving in a straight line.
Playing with the above settings within the iRacing control panel should be enough to improve or enhance the levels of force feedback that you are experiencing.
Diving Deeper Into iRacing Force Feedback With The iRacing App.ini File
You can find the app.ini from the following file path “/documents/iracing/app.ini these settings are not that necessary to create a better force feedback feel for everyone so your mileage may vary but David Tucker provided some information about what these settings do.
[Force Feedback] steeringFFBSmooth=1.0
This applies some smoothing to the FFB output and is the only good way to stop a car that chatters too much from banging your hands to pieces. Damping will only make the problem worse, so use this instead. However, before you apply smoothing make sure you are not overdoing it with the min force slider. The number is an odd one, you want to set it to 1/n where n is the number of samples to smooth, so 1/2 or 0.5 smooths two samples, 1/3 or 0.33 smooths 3 samples, 1/4 or 0.25 smooths 4 samples and so on. Going much past 1/5 or 0.2 is only going to add latency and not improve things at all for you. Oh, and the default of 1/1 or 1 means one sample or no smoothing at all.
[Force Feedback] steeringDampingMaxPercent=0.0
This is an experimental friction damper that I added in a season or two ago. It works really well on the G27 wheel to give it some weight and make it feel less plasticity, however, it does not do much for belt driven wheel since they already have plenty of mechanical damping from the belts. Try a value of 0.2 and go up and down from there as needed.
The Other iRacing Force Feedback Option Auto Mode
There is one other way to optimize your force feedback for iRacing and that is the auto option from the F9 Black Box.
When I say auto it does not change all of the various force feedback settings, it will change the force feedback strength to suit your wheel. How this works start a test session with the F9 Black Box showing drive some normal laps be careful not to have big curb strikes as such (the auto mode will block those out to an extent) after a couple of laps you if you notice an auto button appear it means that iRacing has detected that you may not be using the best force settings for your wheel. This does not replace the min force that you would have set earlier in the guide.
Let me know how you went trying these settings from the guide and if they were helpful or not. Or if you have any other settings that you have tried to improve the iRacing force feedback system.
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2Pt09Of
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
iRacing Force Feedback Settings Tips And Tricks
Written by: Benjamin Brook
With the plethora of racing sim titles out in the market today force feedback or ffb seems to be one of the most contentious issues with various sims having different kinds of luck of replicating the feel of racing on the road.
iRacing’s force feedback is no different with some racers experiencing good levels of feedback while others are struggling with inferior levels of feedback. With this guide, I am going to pull the knowledge from the iracing forums where force feedback and sim steering wheels, in particular, are being discussed and present it in a way in which you the racer can happily go into the iRacing sim and set up your force feedback and have an improved experience.
David Tucker who is one the iRacing staffers that works closely with the force feedback community has stated that 95% of the time the force feedback with the default iRacing settings will work from the get-go. So with that in mind remember that the default settings might be the best that you can get.
Initial iRacing Force Feedback Settings
The first thing that you will want to do is go into your steering wheels configuration and set the following settings if they are present in your configuration panel:
Set your steering wheel rotation to the maximum value as this will give you a 1:1 ratio with iRacing
Set Spring, Damper, Overall force feedback to 100%
Next go into iRacing start a test session and recalibrate your steering wheel as exactly as the game dictates ie: turn the wheel 90 degrees to the left. You will turn the wheel exactly 90 degrees to the left without worrying about the numbers that iRacing displays as some wheels don’t quite have the full rotation that they advertise so this will give the proper 1:1 ratio with iRacing.
Once you have the wheel calibrated you will need to set the following items in the iRacing controls:
Set the damper to off
Linear force unchecked (unless you have a dd drive wheel)
Set the force between 8 and 20 depending on the car and track. David Tucker believes that 12 would be a good starting point. But you need to keep an eye on the F meter in the sim to make sure your not over saturating or the steering wheel is clipping. You can adjust the force feedback on the fly within the sim using the F9 Black Box. This way you can set the force feedback to your ideal level of feel without over-saturating the wheel. If you oversaturate the wheel the force feedback will become lifeless.
Min force attempts to fix issues with some wheels particularly the Logitech G27 were it needs a certain level of feedback around the 10 -20 percent mark for the effects to actually engage the wheel. Best bet with the min force is to play around with settings in the 5 - 20 percent range remember if you set it too high you will get wheel chatter when driving in a straight line.
Playing with the above settings within the iRacing control panel should be enough to improve or enhance the levels of force feedback that you are experiencing.
Diving Deeper Into iRacing Force Feedback With The iRacing App.ini File
You can find the app.ini from the following file path “/documents/iracing/app.ini these settings are not that necessary to create a better force feedback feel for everyone so your mileage may vary but David Tucker provided some information about what these settings do.
[Force Feedback] steeringFFBSmooth=1.0
This applies some smoothing to the FFB output and is the only good way to stop a car that chatters too much from banging your hands to pieces. Damping will only make the problem worse, so use this instead. However, before you apply smoothing make sure you are not overdoing it with the min force slider. The number is an odd one, you want to set it to 1/n where n is the number of samples to smooth, so 1/2 or 0.5 smooths two samples, 1/3 or 0.33 smooths 3 samples, 1/4 or 0.25 smooths 4 samples and so on. Going much past 1/5 or 0.2 is only going to add latency and not improve things at all for you. Oh, and the default of 1/1 or 1 means one sample or no smoothing at all.
[Force Feedback] steeringDampingMaxPercent=0.0
This is an experimental friction damper that I added in a season or two ago. It works really well on the G27 wheel to give it some weight and make it feel less plasticity, however, it does not do much for belt driven wheel since they already have plenty of mechanical damping from the belts. Try a value of 0.2 and go up and down from there as needed.
The Other iRacing Force Feedback Option Auto Mode
There is one other way to optimize your force feedback for iRacing and that is the auto option from the F9 Black Box.
When I say auto it does not change all of the various force feedback settings, it will change the force feedback strength to suit your wheel. How this works start a test session with the F9 Black Box showing drive some normal laps be careful not to have big curb strikes as such (the auto mode will block those out to an extent) after a couple of laps you if you notice an auto button appear it means that iRacing has detected that you may not be using the best force settings for your wheel. This does not replace the min force that you would have set earlier in the guide.
Let me know how you went trying these settings from the guide and if they were helpful or not. Or if you have any other settings that you have tried to improve the iRacing force feedback system.
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2OWwIVh
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
Friday, 28 September 2018
Sunday, 26 August 2018
Saturday, 25 August 2018
Fanatec CSL Elite + Wheelbase Review - Sony Showing The Love With PS4 Support
Written by: Benjamin Brook
Users of Sony PS4 systems have been neglected for some time when it comes to support for Fanatec Wheelbases until now. With the newly released Fanatec CSL Elite+ Wheelbase comparability with Sony PS4 Consoles can be achieved which will give users much more choice when it comes to choosing their sim racing peripherals with Logitech and Thrustmaster being their only choice when it comes to sim racing products.
Review Of The Fanatec CSL Elite+ Wheelbase
The wheel base features advanced and proven ClubSport technology. The servo motor, electronics, and power supply which come from the clubsport 2.5 wheelbase.
The powerful brushless servo motor combined with the single belt drive delivers very detailed and accurate force feedback.
The way the wheel has been designed creates minimal friction and ultra-low cogging for an impressive away of force feedback. You can also fine-tune the behavior of the mechanics with the Fanatec tuning menu.
The DirectSensor is mounted directly on the steering axis to keep the steering input precise. This helps to eliminate any outside influence or disturbance on the belt drive system.
Features Of The Fanatec CSL Elite+ Wheelbase
- Ultra-strong brushless servo motor which delivers up to 6Nm of torque on the steering axis
- Single belt drive unit with ultra-low lag and cogging, and big ball bearings for lowest friction
- DirectSensor™ on the steering axis to prevent influence of the belt drive on the position sensor
- 1080° of rotation which can be adjusted in the tuning menu of the attached steering wheel
- Table clamp included. Thickness range of the table board/desktop that the table clamp is able to lock to is 1,0 to 6,0 cm
- Quick Release system to allow for the easy exchange of steering wheels within seconds, also during gameplay
Compatibility
- Fanatec ClubSport Handbrake (direct connection to wheel base)
- All Fanatec ClubSport steering wheels
- All Fanatec CSL and CSL Elite steering wheels
- All Fanatec ClubSport, CSR, CSR Elite, CSL and CSL Elite pedals (adapter cables might be required on pedals without RJ12 connection)
- All Fanatec CSL and ClubSport shifters (two shifters simultaneously)
- Fanatec ClubSport Static Shifter Paddles
PlayStation® systems: All PlayStation®4 and PlayStation® Pro systems.
Other platforms: Compatibilities to other platforms depend on the used steering wheel. For more information, please check the product page of the steering wheel you plan to use.
Please note: PC and other platform compatibilities are tested by Fanatec, but not tested nor endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC.
The Fanatec CSL Elite+ wheelbase is available from Fanatec.
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2oaWANz
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
Friday, 24 August 2018
Direct Drive Revolution - Fanatec Podium DD1 DD2 Podium Wheel Base Review
Written by: Benjamin Brook
Fanatec Bringing Direct Drive To The Masses
Fanatec after what feels like forever has released their Direct Drive wheel bases for pre-order on their website. Fanatec have two Direct Drive wheelbases with different specs and under the names of the Podium DD1 and Podium DD2 there are a few differences which I will show you below as well as the near 1,000 dollar price difference.
What's The Big Deal With Direct Drive Over Normal FFB
A common term that you will hear with standard force feedback systems is servo and belt drives which uses a pulley with a belt to connect to the force feedback motor which allows the unit to use a smaller motor to generate more torque which delivers the force feedback to the user. There are some advantages with these systems as follows:
- Lower cost motors which makes for a more cost effective product
- The belt system can be smooth as it dampens the detail.
There of course some disadvantages to Belt Driven Feedback Systems which are:
- The belt can absorb some of the higher frequency detail which lessons the overall force feedback effect.
- The belt can stretch and wear which can lead to failures over time.
- Depending on the quality of the motor determines the pulley size which can also lead to less feedback effect.
Direct Drive systems however have the steering wheel directly connected to the motor shaft. Direct Drive systems use higher power and larger motors as they don't use a belt driven pulley system. There are a number of advantages to using a direct drive force feedback system such as the Fanatec Podium DD1:
- No loss of detail
- No maintenance of belts and pulleys
- Transmits a full force feedback experience
The major disadvantage to a direct drive system is the cost due to the large motors that get used.
The Fanatec Podium DD line of wheels are the the force direct drive wheels that have been designed and manufactured by a major player in the sim peripherals business beating Logitech and Thrustmaster to the table.
Features Of The Fanatec Podium DD Wheelbases
The Fanatec Podium DD wheelbases use a special out-runner styled motor that was specifically designed from the ground up to be used for sim racing. Other direct drive wheels use industrial motors that have not being designed for sim racing.
The wheel is a breeze to setup being the first direct drive wheel to be fully plug n play. The wheel also features the first fully wireless data and power driven direct drive wheel base.
One of the best features of the wheel is that it is fully compatible with the Fanatec ecosystem so that all of the wheels that you have bought are fully compatible with Podium Wheelbases.
Compatibility
- All Fanatec ClubSport Steering Wheels
- All Fanatec CSL Steering Wheels
- All Fanatec Pedals
- All Fanatec Shifters
- All Fanatec Cockpits
- ClubSport Table Clamp V2.
- Platforms:
- PC: This wheel base is compatible with PC in combination with all available steering wheels.
- Xbox One®: The compatibility can be upgraded with (optional) steering wheels like the ClubSport Steering Wheel Universal Hub for Xbox One or the Steering Wheel CSL P1 for Xbox One. Without any Xbox One® licensed steering wheel attached, the wheel base is NOT compatible to Xbox One®.
- PlayStation®: This product is not compatible to any PlayStation® console and cannot be upgraded to achieve compatibility.
The Fanatec Podium DD1 and DD2 wheels are available for pre-order from Fanatec
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2P4xzij
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides
Monday, 28 May 2018
Sunday, 27 May 2018
Sunday, 20 May 2018
Thrustmaster TS-PC Racer Review
Written by: Benjamin Brook
Today I will be doing a review of the Thrustmaster TS-PC Racer - I have recently purchased the wheel after reading some reviews and watching a couple of videos on youtube.
I'll start by saying that I only game on Windows PC's and this wheel is PC only but I beleive that the Thrustmaster Sparco wheel is compatible with consoles and is the same wheel base ast the TS-PC Racer.
I have owned many sim steering wheels over the time from Logitech, Fanatec and Thurstmaster. The TS-PC Racer was purchased to replace my old Fanatec CSR Forza wheel which was starting to show it's age after lots of use over the four or more years that I had it.
Why Did I Purchase The Trustmaster TS-PC Racer
The decision came down to a number of factors which were:
- Cost
- Different Wheels That Can Be Used
- Will It Fit On My Next Level GT Ultimate Rig
Cost was the big factor for me as I can't justfy the cost of a Direct Drive Wheel or the Fanatec Clubsport V2 Wheel base. I was keen on the Fanatec CSL Wheel base but after hearing reviews that the Fanatec CSL doesn't fit properly on the Next Level GT Ultimate Rig without some drilling I decided to go with the TS-PC Racer as it will fit properly and the wheel attachments are Ferrari Branded and being a Ferrari Fan myself made getting the wheel a great choice for me.
How Does It Look
My initial impressions of the TS-PC Racer when searching online was this wheel was one ugly looking thing with it's open wheeler styled wheel with all the bright colors. So when I got the wheel home I very suprised to see that wheel was not that ugly at all and a good sized fit for me. The only weird looking thing for me was the power supply that weighs a ton and is shaped like a turbo. Thankfully for me I have cable tied it to the side of my rig so I can't see the bloody thing.
You can pickup the TS-PC Racer from Ricmotech they sell a number of Thrustmaster upgrades and modded wheels.
How Does It Handle
Now as someone that has not used any of the Direct Drive or high end Fanatec products I don't know how the TS-PC Racer compares so I can only go by the wheels that I have used which as I said before were Logitech Wheels and the Fanatec CSR Forza edition wheel. The wheel was easy to setup and easily screwed onto my race rig. The wheel attachment as a quick release of sorts. You basically push the wheel onto the wheel base screw the collar on and then with screw in a grub screw to hold it all together. I have heard through forums that wheel can feel flimsy at times and this normally due to grub screw either working it's way loose or not being screwed in at all.
The first game I tried the wheel with was iRacing which is my sim of choice and all I can say is WOW!!!! the wheel feels fantastic at stock settings with a nice firm feel especailly around the centre and makes for nice smooth wheel inputs. I felt myself turning the wheel smoother and more control over my Fanatec wheel. The wheel attachment that comes with the wheel base also feels really nice and is a nice size that suits my physique. I have play pCar2, F1 2017 and Forza Motorsport 7 all with same results the force feedback feels amazing and I'm sure I'm turning the car in with more control and better feel for what the car is doing. I have found myself just doing lap after lap with a big grin on my face.
Overall I think the wheel is an excellent upgrade from lower specced wheels and with the Ferrari and Sparco endorsements makes for a solid eco system to buy into. You can purchase the TS-PC Racer from Ricmotech who have a number of Thrustmaster upgrades and modded wheels.
from Brook Racing Feed http://bit.ly/2IvO9sF
via Brook Racing - iRacing Setups, Reviews and Guides