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Last weekend was the start of something I have wanted to do for a very long time, I've been playing Forza on Xbox for about 10 years, and have always aspired to have a rig/sim. After about a year of research, looking for a good starting point on hardware for price and "immersiveness".... here we are! My biggest concern going in was build quality of the cockpit, I didn't want any shakes or movement from the seat or wheel stand. I can happily say neither are an issue, I'm about 6'2.5" and have plenty of legroom with just an overall very comfortable feel. Pieces and specs are below, happy to hear what other Rennlist members think, or if you have any experience with the hardware.
I bought it off Amazon thinking free shipping and an easy return would be great if I had any trouble with build quality or assembly. I was pleasantly surprised by both, it took about 6 hours total across two days from box to racing, but an extremely satisfying process.
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Nice. I’ve got a similar setup and I’m happy with it overall. My biggest complaint is that the wheels on the F-GT rig are very flimsy and poorly designed. If you need to move your rig, it’s very easy to damage a wheel.
For anyone thinking of going this route, I would recommend two small modifications. 1) Get the Playstation DD Pro Base, not the CSL Elite Base. They are identical in function, however the playstation unit has the sony encryption key in it that allows it to work with PS5. The base (motor/feedback unit) is a separate thing from the wheel. The next part is to get an XBOX compatible wheel, or the XBOX conversion kit. It contains the encryption key for XBOX. Now you can play games on XBOX, PS5, and PC. This is the only way to do it - pS5 base, XBOX wheel. The aftermarket conversion boxes don't work very well. If you ware wondering why PS5 matters, the latest GT game is better than Forza (I've played both series for 15 years). Add a PS2VR headset, and GT is arguably one of the most immersive experiences under 10K...and the next Forza, which will likely excellent, will not support VR on console OR PC. 2) Get a entry level modular frame and race seat. Makes a massive difference to be in complete control of your driving position AND sitting in seat that is ergonomically identical to a real racing seat. Tubing is tubing, not much difference between a 2K frame and a 500 dollar frame once you are using modular extrusions. Might take you more time to assembly, cut some fingers....but...
Last edited by ShakeNBake; 08-11-2023 at 01:41 PM.
go all out and get 80/20 aluminum frame cuz it has zero flex......go triple monitors, go force feedback steering, gt3 wheels, and haptic feedback bass shakers to simulate wheel slip, ABS, etc.
I’m old and didn’t grow up playing video games. I found I could never get feel of speed and depth perception, until I tried VR...awesome! Has its issues, as I can’t see a fancy wheel or pretty rig, but being able to look around corners is nice. Really cool in open wheel racing. Whole new level of emersion.
Congrats on your new rig Highline! Wait until you go PC and iRacing...It’s a dangerous and expensive rabbit hole.
I’m old and didn’t grow up playing video games. I found I could never get feel of speed and depth perception, until I tried VR...awesome! Has its issues, as I can’t see a fancy wheel or pretty rig, but being able to look around corners is nice. Really cool in open wheel racing. Whole new level of emersion.
Congrats on your new rig Highline! Wait until you go PC and iRacing...It’s a dangerous and expensive rabbit hole.
I’m addicted to iracing. I tried vr but I don’t like the heat and gadget on my head for hours. Plus as a physician, imho there’s no way it’s good for the eyes.
In general, the three items that I bought from Fanatec all failed or started coming apart after one or two years. If you want the best at a reasonable price, but not as inexpensive as Fanatec, you want Simucube.
Fanatec stuff is not durable. Been there done that.
Strange. I've been buying Fanatec for fifteen years and no issues with the hardware. It's good value. I've bought two SimuCubes, too. No problems there, either.
__________________ -Peter Krause www.peterkrause.net www.gofasternow.com
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Strange. I've been buying Fanatec for fifteen years and no issues with the hardware. It's good value. I've bought two SimuCubes, too. No problems there, either.
good to hear. I race alot. I had 2 Fanatec wheel rims where the plastic started warping after a year and the V3 aluminum pedals which were good for a couple years, but the internals started going. Currently I have a Simucube wheelbase which is bulletproof going on 4 years, 2 Simucube wheel rims also bulletproof, and VRS pedals which are also bulletproof. You can tell the build quality when you have them side-by-side.
Wow, a lot of feed back here thanks guys! My first time checking in on the thread since the slow reception initially. 5 months later I can say I'm just as happy with it as I was upon first assembly. Performance of all components have exceeded my expectations without any feeling of wear. The latest Forza Motorsport was released, I hoped in on my sim after only participating in practices and started competing in races... straight to the top of the qualifying leader boards! I understand Forza is not as competitive as the others, but it felt good and a sense of confirmation I've been coming to grips with the dynamics a sim offers vs controller.
Regarding Fanatec, our issue with the DD2 was random firmware/software glitches sporadically ruining hugely important races. For just hot lapping or informal racing, the random rare glitch isn't an issue. Didn't have those issues with the Clubsport V2 wheel that preceded the DD2, but the DD2 was only 99.5% reliable (software glitch-wise), same with the Mag shifters -- when we needed 100%. Never a hint of an issue since switching to Simucube 2 Pro.
The Fanatec hardware was durable, but the BMW wheel for the Clubsport did eventually break apart internally (impossible to use or repair). The suede/alcantara (not sure which) on the DD2 Porsche wheel was great while it lasted, but then it became unusably slick after it wore off (leather may be a more durable choice). These cheapo snap on grips made the worn Fanatec DD2 Porsche wheel grippier than new (
Regarding Fanatec, our issue with the DD2 was random firmware/software glitches sporadically ruining hugely important races. For just hot lapping or informal racing, the random rare glitch isn't an issue. Didn't have those issues with the Clubsport V2 wheel that preceded the DD2, but the DD2 was only 99.5% reliable (software glitch-wise), same with the Mag shifters -- when we needed 100%. Never a hint of an issue since switching to Simucube 2 Pro.
The Fanatec hardware was durable, but the BMW wheel for the Clubsport did eventually break apart internally (impossible to use or repair). The suede/alcantara (not sure which) on the DD2 Porsche wheel was great while it lasted, but then it became unusably slick after it wore off (leather may be a more durable choice). These cheapo snap on grips made the worn Fanatec DD2 Porsche wheel grippier than new (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1) -- so we were able to continue using the wheel long after the suede wore off -- be sure to get the suede ones.
LOL my 992 GT3 wheel is also getting slick......that's alcantara for you. The cleaner I have works pretty well, but really I should use driving gloves when I drive around....
07-10-2023, 03:28 PM
My New Sim Setup
