As a Thrustmaster user with a T300RS wheelbase, T3PA pedals, and TH8A shifter, here are my thoughts.
I love my T300, and I'm certain you will too, but I'd like to detail my experiences for you:
The wheelbase emitted a horrid "burning plastic" sort of smell during the first month or so. It was so disgusting that I initially regretted my purchase. It eventually went away on it's own. However, lately I've been catching very slight whiffs of it again. Play in a ventilated room.
After using the T300 for a few months, I started experiencing FFB fade. It began to fade after an hour of usage, but eventually progressed to fading within 15 minutes of starting a race. I cut a hole on the top of my T300 and bolted a 120mm fan (powered by an external, manual fan controller), and the issue has not returned since. (see this link for an example: )
I also drilled a LOT of small holes on the left side of the wheelbase for better air intake.
Speaking of fans, the stock fan in the T300 started becoming noisy over time. It appears to be a common issue among T300s. I mitigated the issue by turning up the sound volume, but I'm better off swapping it out for a Noctua unit.
I've also performed a bearing mod for my T300. I can confidently say that it has improved the FFB feeling, and I've even had to lower the FFB by 5-10% to avoid being overpowered by it.
Okay, now onto the T3PAs:
These have been very reliable, despite the fact that they're potentiometer pedals. I purchased an upgraded throttle spring to give it a stiffer feeling, and it was much improved.
I performed a DIY Load-cell brake mod. This has certainly been an improvement and is highly recommended. However, I've broken a few load-cell units, either due to installation error, or stomping well over the load-cell's limit repeatedly. (see this link for the mod:
https://revolutionsimracing.com/threads/t3pa-loadcell-upgrade-diy-guide.1588/)
Just know that following the tutorial word-for-word will result in a brake pedal that has absolutely no travel. It was sort of bewildering to drive, but I got used to it eventually. Later on, I fabricated a mounting bracket for the load-cell that allowed for a little bit of travel, which I think was much better. Be warned that it took a LOT of trial and error.
The T3PAs are nice because the throttle, brake and clutch pedals are identical, with only differences in springs (and pedal faces if you have the GT edition). Since I was focused on driving open-wheelers, I deleted my clutch pedal and moved my brake to the clutch's location. This eliminated my (simracing-induced) knee pain during extended drives.
Now for the TH8A:
It's a great shifter. I love that it can switch between sequential and H-gate styles. I hardly use it, though, since I've mainly been using the paddle shifters.
The shifts were lacking in feedback, and would probably be better with a mod like this:
https://lmgtfy.app/?q=th8a+feedback+mod&t=i
Now what would I do differently?
I should have purchased a Direct Drive Wheel to begin with. Fanatec's CSL DD wasn't released when I made my purchase, and I am certain I would have purchased that instead. Even then, the T300 has been wonderful, but I also did modify the heck out of it, The smell sucked, but it disappeared soon enough.
I
might recommend you purchase a T-LCM pedalset instead of the T3PAs. I have mixed feelings about this for the following reasons:
You won't have to modify a load-cell brake.
However, I've been following a thread on RD where multiple owners have been suffering with hardware issues that prevent them from racing properly and consistently. (see here:
https://www.racedepartment.com/thre...-pedals-throttle-and-clutch-get-stuck.202795/)
The only benefit of the T3PA is being able to relocate the brake to the clutch's location. If you surely need a clutch pedal, then you're unlikely to ever perform this modification. In that case the T-LCM or T3PM are a better choice, since they have hall-effect sensors instead of potentiometers.
The TH8A has been reliable so far, so I'd probably purchase that again.
Now I have some questions for you:
Are you ever planning on playing on consoles? If you're solely playing on PC, I'd recommend you mix and match between brands. I'd probably choose a Fanatec CSL DD wheel (without the power brick), T-LCM (pray that you don't have any problems), and TH8A (or maybe keep your Logitech shifter if the budget gets tight). If for some reason you're unable to use your Logitech shifter, there's also the Aliexpress option, which seems to work well for some people ().
