Hi all.. I did a quick search but didn't find anything about this so here goes. Does anyone know if LFS simulates the clutch popping out while in gear? I mean without pressing the clutch or hitting the shifter.
I keep having this problem where the car is suddenly in neutral. I'm assuming it's my G25 shifter acting up but was curious if anyone knows about a "feature" like this
Definitely your shifter. I had (have) the same problem with mine - with 2nd gear especially - and it kept getting worse with time to the point where it was costing me positions and races very frequently. So I bought another shifter I suppose it's just a bad contact somewhere in the shifter unit but I can't be arsed to take the shifter apart; I don't know enough about that kind of stuff. Besides, the G25 shifter feels silly anyway.
I did have the problem primarily in LFS but also in other games, just a lot less frequently. I think this is because of how LFS simulates the clutch and gearbox. In most other games you can shift without using the clutch, even if you've got "manual clutch" selected in options. So when the shifter "pops" out and in again in a fraction of a second you won't notice it in other games, but in LFS it's enough to put the car in neutral as you can't shift back in gear without pressing the clutch again.
Thanks for the replies. I'm running LFS in windoze.. Makes sense it's the shifter since sometimes it goes from 1st to 3rd by itself as well which would make no sense as a "feature".
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's had this seeing as I haven't been rough on the shifter. Well anyway for $350 i've gotten my money's worth in the last 3 years that's for sure.
On a non-g25 related note, when playing on my laptop the volume dial at the front causes this for me or makes the horn stick on, for some reason it simulates the b and c keys
Nice to know it's the shifter. Mine does exactly the same but in my case it pops out of 5th and 6th. Deeply, deeply frustrating at times. But it's not consistent. It seems to get worse for the early part of playing untill finally it will stop all together for ages. It also seems to coniside with whether I have my hand on the gear lever or not. As in, if I remove my hand it will 'pop' out at that exact moment. So i'm wondering if it's a static electricity problem with some of the contacts. But it is so inconsistent I can't pin it down to any 'one' thing at any one time. Which is doubly frustrating.
I bought a ACT-Labs RS shifter. I was going for the SST but decided on the ACT-Labs because it has a sequential option.
While the SST doesn't feel silly in the way the G25 does and it actually feels very solid, it still feels unrealistic (not the same as silly) to me because of its very short travel. And I still think it looks silly, even more so than the G25 one That being said, it's definitely the better shifter, no question about it, especially if you're looking for sheer performance (ie. fast shifting) rather than a realistic feeling. But I really wanted a shifter I could use for sequential shifting as well.
yes this is a very old topic! maybe even more people have had this problem.
if your G25 shifter changes gears by itself, it can probably be fixed. I have fixed mine twice so this may help someone out there.
the shifter uses a potentiometer to detect how far the stick is leaning to the left or right. it divides stick position into three zones, left, middle and right. some metal notches hold the stick into the left or right position when the stick is in gear.
the problem I had is the stick is just barely over the line to the left or right zone when the stick is in 1st/2nd or 5th/6th. the metal notches are getting some wear, so the stick goes over the line and out of the correct zone.
you can take the shifter apart, and just taking it apart and putting it back together solved the problem for me. (maybe just by re-seating the parts.. it is screwed into plastic after all.) all that is needed though is a small modification either to the metal notches or the bolt on the shifter to make the stick go further into the left or right zone and the problem will be solved.
one note about taking the shifter apart, it is tricky to get back together. do the work over an open flat surface as there is a small ball bearing that will want to drop out and roll away. you can take out the shifter zone detector without removing the sequential / H-pattern selection device which I highly recommend! (makes it harder to put the zone detector back but the pattern selector is much harder to put back together).
if your reverse gear isn't working anymore (also happened to me just lately) that can also be fixed with some soldering. at the base of the shift stick there is a small circuit board with a button that detects when you push down on the stick. the metal in the circuit board can crack so the fix is to solder a wire for each post of the button leading to the plug on the circuit board.
my shifter is now working like brand new!! never give up
That being said, it's definitely the better shifter, no question about it, especially if you're looking for sheer performance (ie. fast shifting) rather than a realistic feeling. But I really wanted a shifter I could use for sequential shifting as well.