I need a set-up to help me train for the 2019 season, but I am space-limited... Help me decide

[ChickenBoy18]

Hi guys, hoping someone might be able to help me out and give me some advice around the set-up options I'm considering.

I'm looking to buy a sim set-up, but my biggest limiting factor is space (or lack thereof) rather than funds. For this reason I'm looking at a Playseat Challenge for my seat/stand (unless anyone can recommend a better fold-away stand?). But where I'm having a lot of internal debate is what I should do about my wheel, pedals and shifter.

Here's my thinking around my options:

Option 1: Go Big With Fanatec
I love the look of the Fanatec stuff and have seen on various forums that it's the bees knees. But what I'm not sure about is whether a Fanatec wheel, pedals and shifter would be conducive with a fold-up seat/stand like the Playseat Challenge, or whether they need a more pro-like set-up to justify the expense.

Option 2: Thrustmaster
My nephew has a really nice set-up and I like his Thrustmaster T300 wheel for his PS4. However, I don't like his pedals, which don't seem to give enough feedback so I can pulse the brakes properly. I've found a better set of pedals that Thrustmaster produce (the T3PA-PRO add-on; the shiny metallic ones) but I'm quite limited in wheel options as I'm on XB1 not PS4. I can't seem to find an equivalent for the T300 wheel for xbox, so not sure if Thrustmaster have anything other than the entry-level wheel for this console. This could rule them out, given the cost of the pedals and shifter (might as well go Fanatec at that point).

Option 3: Cheap and Cheerful with a Logitech G920 set-up
I haven't had a chance to try a Logitech G920 yet, but I hear they are decent. I do motorsports and track days in real life, and I'm looking to use this set-up to learn some new UK club tracks I haven't raced on yet for a series I'm doing in 2019. With this in mind, I'm not sure if Logitech is going to be good/realistic enough for my requirements.

Are there other options I haven't considered?

My requirements are basically this, in priority order, in case anyone has other bright ideas:

1. Must be XBONE compatible
2. Minimal space set-up that can be folded up and down and stored in a cupboard when not in use.
3. Realistic feedback through the wheel AND pedals to help me improve the smoothness of my brake/clutch work for real-life racing.
4. H-pattern gear shifter as I drive a manual gearbox in real life.
5. Preferably cheap!
6. Minimal tarting about creating and customising brackets etc. to fit the equipment to my chosen stand.

Thanks in advance!

 

[callumjtc]

GT Omega Apex stand may be a good idea, or a Next Level Racing wheelstand and seat combo for something a little more sturdy. If you want to go the GT Omega route but want a seat fixed to the stand, the GT Omega Classic with the classic rear seat frame would probably be best. I have not really been impressed with the playseats I have used, mainly as they are not that sturdy, and the bar down the middle is very annoying for any 3 pedal application.

The Logitech is a very viable option, I'm still using a G27, so the G920 would be fine for your usage if you cannot afford Fanatec, which would be the recommendation over Thrustmaster, especially for pedals.

 

[ChickenBoy18]

Thanks, the GT Omega Apex looks really good. Perhaps I could start with a Logitech set-up for a while and then upgrade to Fanatec later...

 

[ChickenBoy18]

Just watched this very informative review of it on YouTube actually.

The issue I've had with wheelstands in the past is that - like the dude says in the video - they move around too much. But apparently this one is weighty enough to mean that it doesn't shift around during a race. Reckon I'll go for this one, thanks for pointing me at it! They've got a 20% off deal going too at the moment.

EDIT: Just ordered one... Now... for the wheel, pedals, and shifter!

 

[RasmusP]

If you want to seriously practice for real life you'll need good pedals. And I do think you'll need a loadcell brake that applies the brake level via pressure and not by distance only.
The cheapest and good loadcell pedals would be the fanatec csl elite pedals with the loadcell kit.
To make things xbox compatible (or console compatible in general) afaik you need everything on one USB cable. So you need everything from one manufacturer.

Logitech: wheel isn't the best especially with the limited settings on console you'll always either have a shaky wheel or a dead wheel on straights. The plastic h-shifter is a pure toy. Nothing to practice more than how to drive a car to a kid! I have the g27 for years now. I like it but I constantly want something better..

Thrustmaster: wheels are good, h-shifter is decent but the pedals have no option for a loadcell. I had some short comparison in F1 2018 at a local store between the t3pa pro and the fanatec loadcell pedals and for me the difference was huge! Both are enjoyable but the fanatec just has the edge when it comes to realism!

Fanatec: wheel is good, pedals are good, h-shifter is nice but a bit big. Only downside is that it's pretty expensive!

My advice: buy the csl elite bundle from fanatec with the loadcell kit and their h-shifter. You'll have a really nice, still 'budget' pack and be xbone compatible

 

[Sim Strata]

Dude, I have the Playseat Challenge with Fanatec Csl Elite. Ps4, Clubsport V3 pedals, Buttkicker Gamer 2, G27 shifter with Bodnar adapter and it folds away with ease. The V3s can be securely mounted with four zip ties. It is a very effective and efficient setup.

 

[RasmusP]

Dude, I have the Playseat Challenge with Fanatec Csl Elite. Ps4, Clubsport V3 pedals, Buttkicker Gamer 2, G27 shifter with Bodnar adapter and it folds away with ease. The V3s can be securely mounted with four zip ties. It is a very effective and efficient setup.

The shifter doesn't work with the Bodnar adapter on the ps4 or does it? I'm really not informed about the possibilities with consoles and sim equip...

 

[Sim Strata]

I should clarify the wheel is the ps4 version which is an updated Csl Elite base. I sim on the PC.

 

[ChickenBoy18]

If you want to seriously practice for real life you'll need good pedals. And I do think you'll need a loadcell brake that applies the brake level via pressure and not by distance only.
The cheapest and good loadcell pedals would be the fanatec csl elite pedals with the loadcell kit.
To make things xbox compatible (or console compatible in general) afaik you need everything on one USB cable. So you need everything from one manufacturer.

Logitech: wheel isn't the best especially with the limited settings on console you'll always either have a shaky wheel or a dead wheel on straights. The plastic h-shifter is a pure toy. Nothing to practice more than how to drive a car to a kid! I have the g27 for years now. I like it but I constantly want something better..

Thrustmaster: wheels are good, h-shifter is decent but the pedals have no option for a loadcell. I had some short comparison in F1 2018 at a local store between the t3pa pro and the fanatec loadcell pedals and for me the difference was huge! Both are enjoyable but the fanatec just has the edge when it comes to realism!

Fanatec: wheel is good, pedals are good, h-shifter is nice but a bit big. Only downside is that it's pretty expensive!

My advice: buy the csl elite bundle from fanatec with the loadcell kit and their h-shifter. You'll have a really nice, still 'budget' pack and be xbone compatible

Thanks mate this is really helpful. I've been doing some research too and I agree, the loadcell pedals seem to be the way to go. Looks like I'll be going Fanatec then! My poor bank balance...

 

[callumjtc]

If you want to seriously practice for real life you'll need good pedals. And I do think you'll need a loadcell brake that applies the brake level via pressure and not by distance only.
The cheapest and good loadcell pedals would be the fanatec csl elite pedals with the loadcell kit.
To make things xbox compatible (or console compatible in general) afaik you need everything on one USB cable. So you need everything from one manufacturer.

Logitech: wheel isn't the best especially with the limited settings on console you'll always either have a shaky wheel or a dead wheel on straights. The plastic h-shifter is a pure toy. Nothing to practice more than how to drive a car to a kid! I have the g27 for years now. I like it but I constantly want something better..

Thrustmaster: wheels are good, h-shifter is decent but the pedals have no option for a loadcell. I had some short comparison in F1 2018 at a local store between the t3pa pro and the fanatec loadcell pedals and for me the difference was huge! Both are enjoyable but the fanatec just has the edge when it comes to realism!

Fanatec: wheel is good, pedals are good, h-shifter is nice but a bit big. Only downside is that it's pretty expensive!

My advice: buy the csl elite bundle from fanatec with the loadcell kit and their h-shifter. You'll have a really nice, still 'budget' pack and be xbone compatible

Join the G27 struggle, I am foaming at the mouth for direct drive. The gearshifter is crap, and so are the pedals in terms of realism, however as your extensive work has shown the wheelbase can be made to work well on PC. Actually my pedals forced me to spend moths building my own from scratch

 

[RasmusP]

Join the G27 struggle, I am foaming at the mouth for direct drive. The gearshifter is crap, and so are the pedals in terms of realism, however as your extensive work has shown the wheelbase can be made to work well on PC. Actually my pedals forced me to spend moths building my own from scratch

I took a kitchen sponge, cut off the rough layer so only spongy spongy was left and screwed that into the g27 screws. Looks really weird but it's very progressive now as you first just have the spring, then compressed the spongy as a whole and then the sponge pressed itself between the spring gaps and gives a really heavy resistance for the spring to compress these... Dunno, around 20 additional little sponge parts that are between the gaps.
Still reaching 100% without modifying the range and of course it's still measure by distance and not pressure like a load cell but.. I like it. Deffo gave me the possibility to build proper muscle memory.

 

[callumjtc]

I took a kitchen sponge, cut off the rough layer so only spongy spongy was left and screwed that into the g27 screws. Looks really weird but it's very progressive now as you first just have the spring, then compressed the spongy as a whole and then the sponge pressed itself between the spring gaps and gives a really heavy resistance for the spring to compress these... Dunno, around 20 additional little sponge parts that are between the gaps.
Still reaching 100% without modifying the range and of course it's still measure by distance and not pressure like a load cell but.. I like it. Deffo gave me the possibility to build proper muscle memory.

Too late now, balls deep in the hydraulic pedals and they are already being tested on the rig. I was considering the Nixim mod but then the opportunity came up to build my own pedals and I was off.

 

[RasmusP]

Too late now, balls deep in the hydraulic pedals and they are already being tested on the rig. I was considering the Nixim mod but then the opportunity came up to build my own pedals and I was off.

Hehe absolutely better to go your route! Hydraulic pedals must be awesome when they finally work!
Considered the mods too but I didn't like the rubber, plastic or whatever. Tried the absolute budget version and it's nice.
No comparison to the csl loadcell I drove a few laps on though. If anyone got the money for loadcell or hydraulic: always go for that like you did

 

[callumjtc]

Hehe absolutely better to go your route! Hydraulic pedals must be awesome when they finally work!
Considered the mods too but I didn't like the rubber, plastic or whatever. Tried the absolute budget version and it's nice.
No comparison to the csl loadcell I drove a few laps on though. If anyone got the money for loadcell or hydraulic: always go for that like you did

Mine were meant to be budget, until I saw Wilwood this and that... but my God the brake now it's nearly done... the clutch also feels nice but I way overspecced the sensor, so waiting for a new one with a much lower pressure rating. If you hunt around you can probably find the woefully unupdated thread.