ARC_Team, the Italian manufacturers of high-end sim-racing equipment, have kindly sent over their new Carbon Shifter and handbrake for review. I haven’t managed to fit the handbrake to my rig yet so I thought I’d do a review of the Shifter unit by itself for now...
The shifter unit is housed in an aluminium casing that is also available, for a few extra euros, in anodised black and grey. It has a very functional appearance, no frills apart from an engraved plate on the top.
It can be bolted directly to the rig or mounted using the included table clamp, which is the route I went, as the holes on the unit don’t match up with my GTOmega stand. The table clamp is very secure and stable.
The Carbon shifter is available with either just a cable to connect to any existing joystick controller board you may have, or for an extra 40 euro with a USB board and connection. So when I received mine with neither of those, but instead a RJ-11 cable I was a bit confused...but eventually worked out that I had to connect the Shifter to the handbrake which has a USB output on it.
Initially I have to admit to being a bit underwhelmed by the gear knob supplied as standard. There are optional Sparco ones that can be purchased from the ARC_Team webstore but, having used the shifter for a few weeks now, I really like the feel of the standard one, it is easy to grip and feels solid in the palm of the hand.
A gear lever extender is supplied and when screwed on adds a couple of centimetres. I still haven’t decided which I prefer, the shorter option where you almost flick the shifter to change gear, or the longer lever with that little bit of extra travel.
The other configurable option is the resistance which is adjusted by tightening or loosening the spring plungers on each side of the unit with an allen key. It can be adjusted to require real pressure to shift gear or just a gentle nudge. I’m somewhere in the middle, and close to the default setting.
I’ve only driven a couple of cars in real life with a sequential shifter and I remember them being stiff, and even missing quite a few shifts in the Porsche GT3 because I wasn’t giving the gear stick enough of a shove. And that is how the Carbon Shifter feels to me. There is an initial resistance, but then you give it an extra push, and you feel a satisfying, loud click – word of warning...if like me you are set up in the lounge there is a chance that the wife won’t find the click so satisfying! I’m back to using my paddle shifters when the Mrs is trying to watch TV.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the Carbon Shifter. In the past I have tried other (admittedly cheaper) shifters that offer the sensation of reaching for the gear knob - which definitely adds another level of immersion - but without really having a satisfying feeling when you move the shifter. And that is where the Carbon Shifter shines through...it feels good when you reach out to grip it, and even better when you get the ‘click’ and a perfectly timed gear change.
ARC_Team website -
www.f1driving.it