Should I be considering the AccuForce Pro V2 DD?

[2020 Supraman]

Being new to sim racing, whenever I look up DD wheels all I see is Fanatec DD and Simucube 2. So I thought these were my only 2 choices if I was going to build a serious rig. In my original planning I was going to go with the Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5 and BMW GT Wheel ($850), but forum members highly recommended a DD wheel at my price point (~$6k total - you can see my other thread 'held me build a 6k rig' in hardware section here). The AccuForce Pro V2 is very close to that price at $999 which makes it very attractive. SC2 or Fanatec DD will be over $2,000 with wheel. An added bonus, SimXperience is a local company to me, and I really like the idea of having support so close geographically!

Most YouTube reviews of the AccuForce are very positive overall, as is the general consensus from searching this forum. I see a lot of direct comparison videos of SC2 and Fanatec DD, but I do NOT see direct comparisons with the AccuForce Pro V2. I understand the AccuForce is less powerful and not in the same class, but most people seem to think force feedback is plenty powerful enough.

I am hoping people with experience using these 3 DD units can help me weigh the pros/cons. For example, if you were to turn the force feedback to the exact same settings for these different units, what differences between the systems would you notice?

 

[Des Pearce]

I'm sure the Fanatec and Simucube are amazing and technically better but I've just bought an Accuforce Pro and can honestly say I can't imagine needing anything stronger or smoother feeling. I'm generally running between 40 and 60% strength in every sim/car/combo I've tried. Only negative I have is that I'm struggling to get AMS2 to work nicely with the wheel and VR, I'm sure it's portable but needs a bit of searching to sort.

 

[HoiHman]

The great strong point of the AccuForce is Simcommander 4.

You will be able to independently from the game ffb add effects like roadbumps, road noise, engine vibration, rear traction loss and simxperience steering forcefeedback foundation. But.... there's more.

You can also use the game force feedback through simcommander or....... mix them in the way you like it the most.

You can have a strong return to center FFB and almost no bumps or very light steering with a big reaction to bumps.

Example: For months people were complaining about the bad FFB in Dirt Rally 2, but with the AccuForce using the steering forcefeedback foundation, every was just fine.

Downside is you may get lost in all the possibilities.

 

[CC]

Well they must be good they very rarely come on RD for sale, not compared to say Fanatec DD and most those sellers move to Simucube so says something I suppose.

 

[ThugUK]

I’ve had one for 18 months.
No regrets and no plans to ‘up grade’.

 

[Shovas]

As a happy AF v1 owner since 2015, my recommendation is...buy what's in your budget. Watch a bunch of reviews and then buy the best one.

You can't 'really' go wrong anymore with the SimuCube/OSW, Fanatec DD, or Bodnar SS2, from what I'm seeing in reviews.

If I were buying now, I'd go for those, but depends on budget, of course.

Many of those other solutions aren't all-in-one solutions like the AF is for a decent price. Gotta buy a rim, gotta buy a button box, that kind of thing.

My only real recommendation is just don't get sucked in by fancy non-DD wheels (see Fanatec non-DD wheels). They look great but they don't deliver near the experience you'll get with a DD.

Good luck!

 

[brc19]

Bought an AF v2 sytem around Christmas 2019. Price is right compared to other DD wheels and tech support is responsive. Simcommander 4 software is great, YouTube is your friend for info on using SC4. I started on a G29 so this was a definite step up.

 

[2020 Supraman]

Thanks for all the feedback, very helpful. I am leaning toward AF v2 based on all of the reviews I have been seeing. I can get that without a rim for $699 compared to $1300 for SC2.

The problem I have is I always want the best... but then I have to ask and how much better it would be. For example, if you had two exact setups, one with SC2 and one with AF V2 next to each other. I played AF V2 for 30 minutes completely dialed in, then SC2 for 30 minutes completely dialed in - what would the wow factor be? Because that wow factor, and a higher level of immersion, may be worth the extra money to me

 

[brc19]

Can't speak to the difference in wow factor - AF v2 is the only DD wheel I have tried. No plans to upgrade!
You will need a sturdy platform for any DD wheel. Add the chunk of change you save buying an Accuforce to your new cockpit budget.
Starting out on a G29 I first upgraded the pedal set to a Fanatec CS v3. The pedal upgrade made a larger difference than the wheel upgrade.
Over the years I've learned to look for the sweet spot of price vs. performance. I would love to have the latest and greatest but my constrained budget dictates otherwise.
Get the AF wheel too - it's great. And a pair of gloves to protect the suede. You can spend $$$ for racing gloves or buy a pair of Mechanix for $.

 

[Bigwaved]

I have the AF v2. It has plenty of power for my needs. As HoiHman points out, the Simcommander 4 software is a great selling point with the amount of tweaking you have available to you. It allows you to set it up to suit your needs and preferences.

 

[2020 Supraman]

I have the AF v2. It has plenty of power for my needs. As HoiHman points out, the Simcommander 4 software is a great selling point with the amount of tweaking you have available to you. It allows you to set it up to suit your needs and preferences.

Good stuff! I see you Cleveland Browns logo - are you local to the area? Every meet or go into the SimXperience store? I'm going to contact them and see if they have any demos to check out!

 

[Des Pearce]

Thanks for all the feedback, very helpful. I am leaning toward AF v2 based on all of the reviews I have been seeing. I can get that without a rim for $699 compared to $1300 for SC2.

The problem I have is I always want the best... but then I have to ask and how much better it would be. For example, if you had two exact setups, one with SC2 and one with AF V2 next to each other. I played AF V2 for 30 minutes completely dialed in, then SC2 for 30 minutes completely dialed in - what would the wow factor be? Because that wow factor, and a higher level of immersion, may be worth the extra money to me

Everything I've read or heard suggests it would be better but I'm certain the wow factor comes from being DD not "a slightly better DD". The gent I bought my Accuforce pro from had bought a SC2 pro and said that it was better but not night and day.

I think from the Accuforce upwards it's a case of lots more money for a bit more performance, but it's your money not mine, if money was taken out of the equation I'd have a SC2 ultimate

 

[Bigwaved]

Good stuff! I see you Cleveland Browns logo - are you local to the area? Every meet or go into the SimXperience store? I'm going to contact them and see if they have any demos to check out!

Life long Browns fan, but I live on the Left coast.

 

[wajdi]

I tried many DD and yes the SC2 is a better DD but the difference is really really small and for the money the AccuForce V2 pro is the best out there.

 

[2020 Supraman]

Great, thanks. One concern I have is that this would have to be plate mounted on a p1x. Will on Boosted Media originally had his DD2 plate mounted, then switched to the Fanatec Podium mount and said it make a big difference in the feel. Thoughts?

 

[cbhausen]

I’ll just leave this right here...

SimXperience News | SimXperience® Full Motion Racing Simulator Technologies

simxperience.com

 

[ThugUK]

I’ll just leave this right here...

SimXperience News | SimXperience® Full Motion Racing Simulator Technologies

simxperience.com

Am I missing something?
A sale from 2 years ago doesn’t mean it will happen again.
Actually I think I bought mine during this very sale so hopefully it will, but it’s not guaranteed.

 

[cbhausen]

Am I missing something?
A sale from 2 years ago doesn’t mean it will happen again.
Actually I think I bought mine during this very sale so hopefully it will, but it’s not guaranteed.

Cloud tuning, my friend! A game-changer, Read the most recent blog post.

 

[ThugUK]

Cloud tuning, my friend! A game-changer, Read the most recent blog post.

Sounds interesting.
I usually run my sims without SC running at all, but will give this a go for certain.

 

[2020 Supraman]

I’ll just leave this right here...

SimXperience News | SimXperience® Full Motion Racing Simulator Technologies

simxperience.com

Sounds interesting.. I don't completely understand the idea of cloud tuning though.. does that mean that individual tuning profiles have been developed for every car and every track? Or they do cloud tuning with hundreds or thousands of scenarios and then let AI do the rest based on these data points? Haha sorry I'm only used to physically tuning a car and don't understand ..