Upgrade from a Fanatec GT2 wheel setup

beyondtool · Jul 6, 2015

I'm moving onto my 5th force feedback wheel and could use some specific advice especially from other owners who have experience with a range of wheels. My current setup:
* Fanatec GT2
* CSR Elite pedals
* Triplescreen monitors also a projector, and ghetto homemade rig
* Gaming PC (playing a lot of Asseto Corsa and Dirt Rally currently)

I have owned a Thustmaster Force Feedback wheel (the really old toy one), a Microsoft Xbox 360 Wheel, a G25 and now the Fanatec. Although I do love the Fanatec, over the years I have progressively felt disappointed with the dead zone feel and the notchiness especially with track games like Forza. I love the strong feedback and the customisation possible on the wheel itself. A Clubsport V2 base and BMW wheel would be the natural step up, but even with the CSR Elite pedals I already have (which I am definitely happy with and keeping) it's still a massive investment in Australia of over $1100!!!!

Given Fanatec's track record I just couldn't justify that kind of outlay at the moment. I'm not a hardcore daily sim racer, but from time to time I get the "bug" and have raced socially and competed in a few online car clubs over the years. I play everything pretty much from sim to simcade style games. All of this has left me with a few choices and I have narrowed it down to the Thrustmaster T300 TRS. It sounds like a step up wheel wise from the GT2, I just keep my CSR Elite pedals and have the option of PS4 support if I eventually buy a console down the line. My main concerns with this plan are (and some input here would be appreciated ):
1. Is the Thrustmaster T300 TRS reliable and is the support any good? (it's been pulled from Amazon and JB Hifi with some poor feedback *sic* on reliability in the comments)
2. Is it actually a worthwhile upgrade from the Fanatec GT2?
3. Which rims for the wheel are any good? the TX rim for instance I hear is terrible.
4. Would I be better served holding onto the GT2 and just putting cash away for another year to get the Fanatec Clubsport V2? (has their support actually improved?)
5. Is there a better wheel option out there that would suit my needs better?

Thanks for any help with this decision. Cheers.

Thorrior · Jul 6, 2015

I'd be interested to know if the T300 is good upgrade to the Fanatec wheel. I've got the Porsche Wheel Turbo S. I was looking into buying the Clubsport V2 as well, because it's the only wheel that works with Xbox One, PS4 and PC. But at the moment I'm not willing to invest > 1k EUR into buying a wheel.

beyondtool · Jul 7, 2015

Well the following thread has kinda cemented my thoughts:
http://www.isrtv.com/forums/topic/17285-how-does-the-t300-compare-to-gt2gt3rsv2/

beyondtool · Jul 13, 2015

The T300RS arrived today so I'll post some first impressions, with a review to come later hopefully. The following is my opinion as a Fanatec GT2 owner of about 4 years now. I am using Fanatec Elite pedals via a USB connection (The pedals that come with the T300RS are okish, but no progression so I didn't bother hooking them up). I'll possibly invest in the breakout box to hook the elites up to the Thrustmaster base later if Gran Tourismo 7 is any good and I get a PS4. This setup worked fine on PC, only I have to manually set the pedals for each game.

The actual wheel size and look was better than I had expected. It's a premium looking product about as solid as a G27. It fits together well enough, but yes it is mostly plastic. I thought the wheel would be smaller than my GT2 but it was only slightly smaller in overall diameter, the grip thickness was similar. When racing the difference is noticeable, but not very much really, so I think it is a good size. The rubber coating is terrible though, I was sticking to it after 30mins, they really dropped the ball on that one. This is my plan to fix it:

The button layout also sucks in my opinion, I have largish hands and found the common Playstation buttons (triangle square etc) are too far to reach. I had to remap handbrake to R2 so I could reach it more easily. The buttons are too small and I wish they were bigger, the GT2 buttons are massive and it's impossible to miss them.

Tonight I played Dirt Rally, I'll try our Assetto Corsa tomorrow hopefully. The feedback force on the T300RS is lower than the Fanatec GT2. I started with the Master Gain setting down at 30% which was far, far too weak, then I tried 70% and finally settled for a 95% value. My Fanatec GT2 wheel was typically run at 80% for most games. That was rather disappointing, honestly if you think this feedback is going to rip off your arm..you need to go visit the gym. I raced for 2 hours at this setting and it was fine for me and I'm not at all a built guy and I have a desk job, lol. The overall force pulling is smoother and more realistic in the Fanatec IMHO. However, the Thrustmaster is indicating subtle forces that the Fanatec GT2 just doesn't transmit at all (and I've really played around with it's settings over the years). The wheel friction and tyre friction settings in Dirt Rally for instance are actually useful on the T300Rs, but on the Fanatec GT2 I just feel a muddy sloshing feel when those forces are enabled. Around the center of the wheel on the GT2 there is very little feedback present in many games, and in road racers like Forza and Asetto Corsa there is a notchiness to the feedback. The T300Rs is another thing altogether there is always feedback present, and more than just the road bumps you can feel the car starting to slip and slide long before there was any push on the GT2. The T300RS softly vibrates as you rev the wheels at the start of a rally, the GT2 does not.

In fact the amount of feedback information relayed by the T300Rs took me some time to adjust too. Once I started getting a feel for the wheel however, I was catching slides and doing flicks quite easily maneuvers almost impossible with the GT2. I was picking up green sections by the end of two hours on professional difficulty so it is definitely making me a faster driver. It's also a very quick wheel, there is no difficulty in throwing a car around lock to lock using this wheel. Where 540 degrees on the GT2 was laborious at times even with the drift mode enabled, the T300RS is a snap. It feels similar to how the G27 does... like a loaded gear system vibrating in your hand, whereas the GT2 mostly felt like a rubber band pulling.

Coming from a G25 or G27 this wheel is definitely an upgrade and will feel familiar. However it's lacking in some areas where the GT2 excels and that just sucks. I would love to see Fanatec release a competitor to this wheel using the GT2 base and adding some more feedback (assuming my GT2 isn't just broken, but I have heard many other comments about its missing feedback effects). Overall from a competition point of view the T300RS is a faster more accurate wheel with more detailed force feedback, so for that reason alone the Thrustmaster is a superior wheel. But I do prefer the feel of the Fanatec, the ability to customise settings on the wheel, but I wish it had more detailed feedback than it does.

It is more than possible that the Clubsport V2 would be my perfect wheel, but alas it is three times the cost of the T300RS and way outside my price range. But it is early days yet and the more I race with the Thrustmaster the better it feels.

beyondtool · Jul 15, 2015

Ok had a few hours with Assetto Corsa last night. An amazing experience with the T300RS, where the GT2 felt somewhat dull and lifeless the T300RS is showcasing brilliant dynamics from the road traction to the ripple strips. It's like this game was built with the T300RS in mind. Very, very impressed with its performance in Assetto Corsa at least the T300RS is miles ahead of a GT27 or a GT2.