This is not meant to be a comprehensive review of the wheel, but rather just to fill in some blanks in other reviews I've read/seen (SRT). I've got about 50 hours on the wheel so far and 95% of that has been in LFS - I mostly drive the RWD cars and in particular the - LX6. I use the following windows controller settings: 100% FF, 0% damping force, "5" for drift mode and no centering spring. BTW I didn't buy the pedals as I have my own DIY set.
First of all this is a belt drive wheel, so I hoped/expected it to be perfectly smooth - it wasn't. There is still some notchiness in slow sweeping corners, particularly in the cars with down-force. However it's a lot smoother that my previous two wheels (Logitech Momo (red) and DFP). In fact once I was over the initial disappointment, I found I rarely noticed the notchiness during play. FWIW I've read that the Frex FF wheel also has some notchiness in slow sweepers.
Also I expected the wheel to be quieter than it was. It still makes about 1/2 the (perceived) noise of the DFP and if you're really hammering on the wheel at high FF settings the fan comes on and makes weird, "slow air leak from an inner tube" noise. I've also noticed an occasional honk that sounded like a belt slipping. But the belts is supposed to be notched and the wheel doesn't go off center so who knows what whats about. To be clear I've had zero issues with an off center wheel, or belt slip - it was just a noise and nothing else.
I've hard mounted the wheel (the clamp was poor) and there is some play in the main wheel bearing housing. Not good - I can move the wheel up and down about +/- 1mm, but not side to side that much, so I'm guess it's the bearing mount, not the bearing itself that is the problem. Strangely enough it's not something that I notice much during play.
The paddle shifters are poor. You have to hit them somewhat close to straight on or they might bind - sloppy mushy crap! I was hoping for something along the lines of the paddles on the Momo red wheel I used to have. These Fanatecs are worse that what's on the DFP! To be honest though, once you get used to them they are not unusable or anything - just not up to the rest of the wheel.
Now that is out of the way I have to say I love this wheel and can live with the above short comings. The FF is strong, fast and detailed! Make a big mistake in the LX-6 and you can forget recovering. The wheel rips right out of your hand (even at 30% FF) so the best approach is just to let go, you might be able to catch it when it centers itself. Smaller mistakes can be corrected with ease and precision and if you don't run out of pavement, you might even be able to reign in a spin, but it takes a LOT of determination. Honestly it's just easier to let it go when you're hot-lapping. In the heat of racing during a spin I've found myself flicking my wrist and "throwing" the wheel around to try catch the slide.
The wheel feels good with a FF setting anywhere from 0% to 200%. At 0% it feels just like a wheel connected to a shaft with a weight on the end. You can spin it with no noise, no resistance to movement (other than some inertia) no notchiness - perfectly smooth. At around 30% FF at 720 deg you get a nice precise and very smooth initial rotation which loads up nicely with FF in a corner, but allows you to make small, precise corrections to your line without fighting the FF. This feels just like a real sedan with power steering, but with a touch of notchiness on long sweeping corners, but not enough to be a distraction. Interestingly enough as you turn up the FF the notchiness doesn't get much worse, maybe 20%. This is a wheel you can use and enjoy at 200% FF. It's a wild ride and after about three hours of playing with 100% FF and 720 degs of rotation I was sore (hands, wrists shoulders and upper back) the next day. I'm really impressed with the fact that this wheel is so useful over a wide range of rotation and FF settings. Every other wheel I've used has been about finding the best compromise and leaving it set there. Not with this wheel, it can render a wide range of cars, each one feeling unique through the wheel.
When playing about with the RWD XR GT on the rally tracks this wheel is a thing of beauty. The fabulous suede leather working together with the speed and power of this wheel allow you to let the wheel glide through your hands and straighten out all by itself. You just have to regrip at the precise moment. And let me say it again, that suede is freaking awesome! After a few laps of getting the tail out your hands will be nice a warm from the friction!
Overall you can really put a lot of real life technique into controlling this wheel.
The buttons on the wheel are so/so, but the plastics are very nice overall, with the orange cover looking almost metal. But while this wheel looks expensive, it also looks dumb and out of place in most sim cockpits. I like the G25 looks better.
At $179 USD shipped this wheel is IMHO a bargain in absolute terms. I just wished it cost a bit more but came with much better paddles and no play in the bearing housing. Hell, if they could fix all that and get rid of the lingering notchiness I'd pay around $300+ (providing it lasted 5+ years).
First of all this is a belt drive wheel, so I hoped/expected it to be perfectly smooth - it wasn't. There is still some notchiness in slow sweeping corners, particularly in the cars with down-force. However it's a lot smoother that my previous two wheels (Logitech Momo (red) and DFP). In fact once I was over the initial disappointment, I found I rarely noticed the notchiness during play. FWIW I've read that the Frex FF wheel also has some notchiness in slow sweepers.
Also I expected the wheel to be quieter than it was. It still makes about 1/2 the (perceived) noise of the DFP and if you're really hammering on the wheel at high FF settings the fan comes on and makes weird, "slow air leak from an inner tube" noise. I've also noticed an occasional honk that sounded like a belt slipping. But the belts is supposed to be notched and the wheel doesn't go off center so who knows what whats about. To be clear I've had zero issues with an off center wheel, or belt slip - it was just a noise and nothing else.
I've hard mounted the wheel (the clamp was poor) and there is some play in the main wheel bearing housing. Not good - I can move the wheel up and down about +/- 1mm, but not side to side that much, so I'm guess it's the bearing mount, not the bearing itself that is the problem. Strangely enough it's not something that I notice much during play.
The paddle shifters are poor. You have to hit them somewhat close to straight on or they might bind - sloppy mushy crap! I was hoping for something along the lines of the paddles on the Momo red wheel I used to have. These Fanatecs are worse that what's on the DFP! To be honest though, once you get used to them they are not unusable or anything - just not up to the rest of the wheel.
Now that is out of the way I have to say I love this wheel and can live with the above short comings. The FF is strong, fast and detailed! Make a big mistake in the LX-6 and you can forget recovering. The wheel rips right out of your hand (even at 30% FF) so the best approach is just to let go, you might be able to catch it when it centers itself. Smaller mistakes can be corrected with ease and precision and if you don't run out of pavement, you might even be able to reign in a spin, but it takes a LOT of determination. Honestly it's just easier to let it go when you're hot-lapping. In the heat of racing during a spin I've found myself flicking my wrist and "throwing" the wheel around to try catch the slide.
The wheel feels good with a FF setting anywhere from 0% to 200%. At 0% it feels just like a wheel connected to a shaft with a weight on the end. You can spin it with no noise, no resistance to movement (other than some inertia) no notchiness - perfectly smooth. At around 30% FF at 720 deg you get a nice precise and very smooth initial rotation which loads up nicely with FF in a corner, but allows you to make small, precise corrections to your line without fighting the FF. This feels just like a real sedan with power steering, but with a touch of notchiness on long sweeping corners, but not enough to be a distraction. Interestingly enough as you turn up the FF the notchiness doesn't get much worse, maybe 20%. This is a wheel you can use and enjoy at 200% FF. It's a wild ride and after about three hours of playing with 100% FF and 720 degs of rotation I was sore (hands, wrists shoulders and upper back) the next day. I'm really impressed with the fact that this wheel is so useful over a wide range of rotation and FF settings. Every other wheel I've used has been about finding the best compromise and leaving it set there. Not with this wheel, it can render a wide range of cars, each one feeling unique through the wheel.
When playing about with the RWD XR GT on the rally tracks this wheel is a thing of beauty. The fabulous suede leather working together with the speed and power of this wheel allow you to let the wheel glide through your hands and straighten out all by itself. You just have to regrip at the precise moment. And let me say it again, that suede is freaking awesome! After a few laps of getting the tail out your hands will be nice a warm from the friction!
Overall you can really put a lot of real life technique into controlling this wheel.
The buttons on the wheel are so/so, but the plastics are very nice overall, with the orange cover looking almost metal. But while this wheel looks expensive, it also looks dumb and out of place in most sim cockpits. I like the G25 looks better.
At $179 USD shipped this wheel is IMHO a bargain in absolute terms. I just wished it cost a bit more but came with much better paddles and no play in the bearing housing. Hell, if they could fix all that and get rid of the lingering notchiness I'd pay around $300+ (providing it lasted 5+ years).
