Well, Machine-V8, if you go with the Thrustmaster Ferrari F430 wheel I would like you to write a review because I like that wheel very much. It is the prettiest out on the market so I hope it turns out to be a reliable wheel as well. I'll be waiting
Hi, i went from Thrustmaster ferrari GT experience (no force feedback) to the F430.
My first impressions was wow very solidly built, clamping mechanism is very good.
Force feedback is strong especially when set to 100% in profiler and 50% in LFS, my settings are 75% in profiler and 40% in LFS, force feedback is very smooth and is not noisey at all. The only thing in settings i'd recommend is turning auto centering off, it's default of 75% was too strong especially at the chicane on blackwood track, i was losing control of car FBM at chicane because auto centering was hard to fight at 75%, i turned it down to 50% and it was better, but at 0% was better still. the pedals are good quality and very responsive, so is the wheel very responsive.
i've only been playing LFS for just over 3 weeks, first week i used PS2 controller, second week i used the Ferrari GT experience, third week i bought the F430, my fastest lap with GTexperience was 1:16:10, fastest with F430 is 1:15:42 and i'm still basically learning to drive in LFS and with the F430, i feel the more i drive the faster i will get, and the F430 to me is a very very big step up from my last wheel.
Other driving games it works with that i have is Race Driver GRID and RFactor, although in GRID and RFactor it took me about 5-10 minutes to get the in-game settings correct as both games didn't recognise the wheel, but got it working no problems with both games. The F430 is recognised straight away in LFS.
Now to the bad points of the F430......NONE.....before i bought it i knew there was no clutch and gearstick, i knew the wheel only had 270 degrees rotation. Being a driver and owning a car in real life i know that the only time you use a steering wheel lock to lock is when in a narrow street doing a 3 point turn going very slow....lol.....when racing the slightest turn of steering is all you need.
My honest advise is.....if you can't afford, or don't want to spend £150 on a G25, then the F430 is a great wheel, yes it is worth the money. If you really want clutch and gearstick to race with the touring cars then save for a G25. i might actually get a G25 next month.....just to see what all the logitech fanboys are making a fuss about. If i do get the G25 next month i will be posting on LFS an unbaised review comparing both wheels. And seeing i will own both the F430 and G25 i can make my opinion based on what i think is the better wheel.....not just because i own the G25 or the F430. You see when some people review a certain wheel, alot of them say it's great or the best just because they own that particular wheel, me on the other hand will tell it how it is, an honest opinion not based on "just because i own it". If i do in fact buy a G25 and i prefare the F430, then the G25 is going on ebay to get my money back on it....if i prefare the G25 then my F430 will be staying with me as a backup. I'm very happy with the F430, but i really do want to compare it to the G25, maybe i just want to shut up those logitech fanboys......lol
Regards.....Nighthawk
My first impressions was wow very solidly built, clamping mechanism is very good.
Force feedback is strong especially when set to 100% in profiler and 50% in LFS, my settings are 75% in profiler and 40% in LFS, force feedback is very smooth and is not noisey at all. The only thing in settings i'd recommend is turning auto centering off, it's default of 75% was too strong especially at the chicane on blackwood track, i was losing control of car FBM at chicane because auto centering was hard to fight at 75%, i turned it down to 50% and it was better, but at 0% was better still. the pedals are good quality and very responsive, so is the wheel very responsive.
i've only been playing LFS for just over 3 weeks, first week i used PS2 controller, second week i used the Ferrari GT experience, third week i bought the F430, my fastest lap with GTexperience was 1:16:10, fastest with F430 is 1:15:42 and i'm still basically learning to drive in LFS and with the F430, i feel the more i drive the faster i will get, and the F430 to me is a very very big step up from my last wheel.
Other driving games it works with that i have is Race Driver GRID and RFactor, although in GRID and RFactor it took me about 5-10 minutes to get the in-game settings correct as both games didn't recognise the wheel, but got it working no problems with both games. The F430 is recognised straight away in LFS.
Now to the bad points of the F430......NONE.....before i bought it i knew there was no clutch and gearstick, i knew the wheel only had 270 degrees rotation. Being a driver and owning a car in real life i know that the only time you use a steering wheel lock to lock is when in a narrow street doing a 3 point turn going very slow....lol.....when racing the slightest turn of steering is all you need.
My honest advise is.....if you can't afford, or don't want to spend £150 on a G25, then the F430 is a great wheel, yes it is worth the money. If you really want clutch and gearstick to race with the touring cars then save for a G25. i might actually get a G25 next month.....just to see what all the logitech fanboys are making a fuss about. If i do get the G25 next month i will be posting on LFS an unbaised review comparing both wheels. And seeing i will own both the F430 and G25 i can make my opinion based on what i think is the better wheel.....not just because i own the G25 or the F430. You see when some people review a certain wheel, alot of them say it's great or the best just because they own that particular wheel, me on the other hand will tell it how it is, an honest opinion not based on "just because i own it". If i do in fact buy a G25 and i prefare the F430, then the G25 is going on ebay to get my money back on it....if i prefare the G25 then my F430 will be staying with me as a backup. I'm very happy with the F430, but i really do want to compare it to the G25, maybe i just want to shut up those logitech fanboys......lol
Regards.....Nighthawk
Well i went for the DF GT which i found for £59. Absolute bargain 
The extra rotation is much better,(900 degrees in the HistoriX mod for rFactor is a whole new ballgame!) the FFB is excellent, it's smooth and quick to counter steer, more buttons than you know what to do with. I'm very impressed, especially for the price.
Only slight downside are the pedals, but they more than do the job as a short term solution, though id be tempted to look for a good set of custom pedals as soon as funds allow.
The extra rotation is much better,(900 degrees in the HistoriX mod for rFactor is a whole new ballgame!) the FFB is excellent, it's smooth and quick to counter steer, more buttons than you know what to do with. I'm very impressed, especially for the price.
Only slight downside are the pedals, but they more than do the job as a short term solution, though id be tempted to look for a good set of custom pedals as soon as funds allow.
Good choice !
:jawdrop:
Where did you got it? :o
Your doing something very wrong...
pressing them?
So... my F430 wheel has arrived and I've been playing with it for the last couple of days. There is really not much to say that hasn't already been said about this product.
About the build quality/functionality:
It looks and feels very solid. The build quality of the wheel and pedals is very good. Various plastic parts join together perfectly. The wheel has a nice rubber texture which imitates leather. Your hands won't sweat or slide on it. Metal is featured around the central console (from the pictures I thought it was cheap plastic but it's actually metal) and the two paddle shifters are also from metal. The other buttons are from plastic but they look ok and do what they're supposed to do without making annoying sound/clicks. Only the paddle shifters have a nice discreet click when you press them. The only button which sounds too loud/annoying is the D-pad (engine start on the wheel). The "manettino" dial can be turned (and then pressed - manual/automatic mode) in 5 backlit positions and it looks really cool in a dark room.
The two (brake and gas) pedals look and feel really good by my standards. They are very precise and you can apply the pressure desired without struggling too much with the spring tension. They feel just right. The brake pedal is harder to press than the gas pedal so that I'm able to rest my foot on it without risking to press it by mistake. If I rest my foot on the gas pedal it will go down half way.
There are three wires coming out from the back of the wheel case: the USB cable, the power adaptor cable and the cable from the pedals. You can't detach the USB cable but the other two cables can be unplugged.
The mounting mechanism is very simple and the plastic "jaw" keeps the wheel very firm and stable on my 2.5cm thick desk. There is a metal screw (and metal nut) which goes through the clamp but I cannot overlook the fact that it is made entirely from plastic without a metal structure. The system is cleverly designed though and it will adjust itself even on a thicker desk without increasing the tension on the clamp too much. But, like I said, a metal structure clamp would have been nice.
The "only" 270 degrees of rotation doesn't seem to bother me at all. At least not for the moment. I hardly turn the wheel 180-200 degrees in GRID for instance. In LFS maybe 240 sometimes.
About Force Feedback:
I bought this wheel mainly for GRID but I also tried it on LFS and GTR Evolution. I must say that in GRID I don't like FFB effects at all. In fact they are distracting and you have all the chances to find yourself in a wall with the FFB enabled at only 40-50% (in the game) therefore, to my sorrow, I had to disable them. The only useful FFB feature in GRID is the auto-centering feature. Without it, it would be really hard to take the corners decently.
In LFS I had a surprise. The effects are really cool and they help you feel what's happening. It is a unique feeling, almost like in a real car. So FFB is not completely useless after all.
I haven't played too much GTR Evolution but I guess FFB in this game is nothing to be compared to LFS's FFB effects.
LE: Actually, after playing more and fiddling with some settings, FFB in GTR Evolution feels great too.
One more thing... I think this wheel, unlike the XBOX 360 gamepad, does not have vibration FFB because except some vague effects in GRID, I can't feel the bumps in the road. Or maybe there is some hidden setting... But it's unlikely. I think even the G25 doesn't have that. Only the Fanatec 911 wheel has some sort of vibration if I remember correctly.
Like someone else said before, when we talk about FFB, it all comes down to how well it is implemented in a game because the technology for the hardware exists.
About drivers:
The product comes with a CD where you will find the drivers for the wheel. Everything seems ok about the drivers except the fact that... let me hear you... yes that's it, they don't work entirely with Vista 64bit. Well, actually they work and they do it good enough to be able to play with no problems but the force feedback calibration options are not available in driver's utility when you install the driver in Vista. When you install the drivers in XP (32bit) you will notice a second "page" in the utility which will let you adjust around six FFB settings. This is not such a big problem for Vista users because usually you can also adjust those settings from within the game.
LE: I must tell you that I'm very impressed with Thrustmaster's technical support. I sent them a mail asking for a solution to the driver issue that I had and in no more than 24 hours they replied and sent me the newest beta driver which works perfectly with Vista. I had never expected that my mail would ever be read. So this is another very good reason to buy an F430. If you ever have any issues with your wheel they WILL answer very kindly and they WILL solve it right away. The guys from insidesimracing were not talking bull$%^& in their review. Thrustmaster technical support is awesome. Oh... and now, after adjusting some FFB settings I can play GRID without expecting FFB to throw me into a wall. GRID is great with this wheel.
Final words:
I think that if someone will buy this wheel he will not regret it. In this price range I think it is a good choice. Unfortunatelly I don't have a MOMO, a DFGT or a G25 so I can't make a comparison with other wheels but for what it is, it's a good product, I will be having a lot of fun with it and I think this is what matters in the end, right? If you have some questions about the wheel please ask.
About the build quality/functionality:
It looks and feels very solid. The build quality of the wheel and pedals is very good. Various plastic parts join together perfectly. The wheel has a nice rubber texture which imitates leather. Your hands won't sweat or slide on it. Metal is featured around the central console (from the pictures I thought it was cheap plastic but it's actually metal) and the two paddle shifters are also from metal. The other buttons are from plastic but they look ok and do what they're supposed to do without making annoying sound/clicks. Only the paddle shifters have a nice discreet click when you press them. The only button which sounds too loud/annoying is the D-pad (engine start on the wheel). The "manettino" dial can be turned (and then pressed - manual/automatic mode) in 5 backlit positions and it looks really cool in a dark room.
The two (brake and gas) pedals look and feel really good by my standards. They are very precise and you can apply the pressure desired without struggling too much with the spring tension. They feel just right. The brake pedal is harder to press than the gas pedal so that I'm able to rest my foot on it without risking to press it by mistake. If I rest my foot on the gas pedal it will go down half way.
There are three wires coming out from the back of the wheel case: the USB cable, the power adaptor cable and the cable from the pedals. You can't detach the USB cable but the other two cables can be unplugged.
The mounting mechanism is very simple and the plastic "jaw" keeps the wheel very firm and stable on my 2.5cm thick desk. There is a metal screw (and metal nut) which goes through the clamp but I cannot overlook the fact that it is made entirely from plastic without a metal structure. The system is cleverly designed though and it will adjust itself even on a thicker desk without increasing the tension on the clamp too much. But, like I said, a metal structure clamp would have been nice.
The "only" 270 degrees of rotation doesn't seem to bother me at all. At least not for the moment. I hardly turn the wheel 180-200 degrees in GRID for instance. In LFS maybe 240 sometimes.
About Force Feedback:
I bought this wheel mainly for GRID but I also tried it on LFS and GTR Evolution. I must say that in GRID I don't like FFB effects at all. In fact they are distracting and you have all the chances to find yourself in a wall with the FFB enabled at only 40-50% (in the game) therefore, to my sorrow, I had to disable them. The only useful FFB feature in GRID is the auto-centering feature. Without it, it would be really hard to take the corners decently.
In LFS I had a surprise. The effects are really cool and they help you feel what's happening. It is a unique feeling, almost like in a real car. So FFB is not completely useless after all.
I haven't played too much GTR Evolution but I guess FFB in this game is nothing to be compared to LFS's FFB effects.
LE: Actually, after playing more and fiddling with some settings, FFB in GTR Evolution feels great too.
One more thing... I think this wheel, unlike the XBOX 360 gamepad, does not have vibration FFB because except some vague effects in GRID, I can't feel the bumps in the road. Or maybe there is some hidden setting... But it's unlikely. I think even the G25 doesn't have that. Only the Fanatec 911 wheel has some sort of vibration if I remember correctly.
Like someone else said before, when we talk about FFB, it all comes down to how well it is implemented in a game because the technology for the hardware exists.
About drivers:
The product comes with a CD where you will find the drivers for the wheel. Everything seems ok about the drivers except the fact that... let me hear you... yes that's it, they don't work entirely with Vista 64bit. Well, actually they work and they do it good enough to be able to play with no problems but the force feedback calibration options are not available in driver's utility when you install the driver in Vista. When you install the drivers in XP (32bit) you will notice a second "page" in the utility which will let you adjust around six FFB settings. This is not such a big problem for Vista users because usually you can also adjust those settings from within the game.
LE: I must tell you that I'm very impressed with Thrustmaster's technical support. I sent them a mail asking for a solution to the driver issue that I had and in no more than 24 hours they replied and sent me the newest beta driver which works perfectly with Vista. I had never expected that my mail would ever be read. So this is another very good reason to buy an F430. If you ever have any issues with your wheel they WILL answer very kindly and they WILL solve it right away. The guys from insidesimracing were not talking bull$%^& in their review. Thrustmaster technical support is awesome. Oh... and now, after adjusting some FFB settings I can play GRID without expecting FFB to throw me into a wall. GRID is great with this wheel.
Final words:
I think that if someone will buy this wheel he will not regret it. In this price range I think it is a good choice. Unfortunatelly I don't have a MOMO, a DFGT or a G25 so I can't make a comparison with other wheels but for what it is, it's a good product, I will be having a lot of fun with it and I think this is what matters in the end, right? If you have some questions about the wheel please ask.
I find FFB in grid to be ok my settings in the control panel are:
Master= 75%
Static= 75%
Dynamic= 75%
Aggressivity= 100%
Auto Center
by the game (recommended)
Auto center slider at 0%
I agree that LFS does in fact give better FFB than GRID.
As i said in previous post i'm 100% happy with my F430, but since money is not a problem i'm going to buy a G25 in the next few weeks and i'll be doing a comparison of both wheels. I have no doubt you will have many hours of fun with your F430, and as you can see it's very solidly built.
Nighthawk.
Master= 75%
Static= 75%
Dynamic= 75%
Aggressivity= 100%
Auto Center
by the game (recommended)
Auto center slider at 0%
I agree that LFS does in fact give better FFB than GRID.
As i said in previous post i'm 100% happy with my F430, but since money is not a problem i'm going to buy a G25 in the next few weeks and i'll be doing a comparison of both wheels. I have no doubt you will have many hours of fun with your F430, and as you can see it's very solidly built.
Nighthawk.
LE: (not anymore) -> Unfortunately, for now I have GRID installed in Vista 64 so I have no access to those settings.
A very nice "Ferrari F1 Steering Wheel Home Made" based on "Thrustmaster's F430 Wheel" found here :
http://www.bsimracing.com/?p=6506
http://www.bsimracing.com/?p=6506
For "F430 FFB WHEEL" a new driver is officially available since yesterday.
Steering Wheel now works perfectly also on Windows Vista 64 & Windows 7 .
It's probably the same driver than sent at "Machine-V8" by "Thrustmaster's technical support".
Direct Link here :
http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng ... d=2&pid=282&cid=1
Steering Wheel now works perfectly also on Windows Vista 64 & Windows 7
.It's probably the same driver than sent at "Machine-V8" by "Thrustmaster's technical support".
Direct Link here :
http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng ... d=2&pid=282&cid=1
I'm working as a reviewer for a Dutch website, and so far I can say the DFGT is absolutely great for it's money and I'm testing the F430 now.
I've had bad experiences with Thrustmaster in the past, but this wheel is very solid! It's pedals feel better than DFGT, but the wheel itself lacks 900deg of course, and the total number of 21 buttons + HAT switch..
This one has 17 buttons + HAT-switch. It's Force Feedback however is better and the feeling in it also because of the belt. The wheel has a nice thick rim, very good shifter paddles (unlike the DFGT).
I've to say I'm VERY impressed with the big step Thrustmaster has made! I'm not sure yet which one will win. Also depends on yer needs of course.
Have G25 and Fanatec wheel lying here as well, so I know what feels good
I've had bad experiences with Thrustmaster in the past, but this wheel is very solid! It's pedals feel better than DFGT, but the wheel itself lacks 900deg of course, and the total number of 21 buttons + HAT switch..
This one has 17 buttons + HAT-switch. It's Force Feedback however is better and the feeling in it also because of the belt. The wheel has a nice thick rim, very good shifter paddles (unlike the DFGT).I've to say I'm VERY impressed with the big step Thrustmaster has made! I'm not sure yet which one will win. Also depends on yer needs of course.
Have G25 and Fanatec wheel lying here as well, so I know what feels good
It's that time of year again and i'm getting back into my racing games
The problem is i need a wheel that works well on the pc & on the ps3 as i'll be switching between the two.
like some people, the G25 is too much (missed out on the £69.99 play.com price cock up) but i've seen amazon selling the DF:GT wheel for £60 posted....which i'm willing to go to...but nothing higher than £60.
The last wheel i used was a 10 year old PS2 wheel...can't remember the name, but it was a madcatz one....piss poor lol.
does the GT perform well on the pc? (i'll be using windows XP SP3 32-bit)
or there's the
Thrustmaster RGT on play.com for £59.99 with the clutch...but i'm not sure if that wheel will work on the ps3..
The problem is i need a wheel that works well on the pc & on the ps3 as i'll be switching between the two.
like some people, the G25 is too much (missed out on the £69.99 play.com price cock up) but i've seen amazon selling the DF:GT wheel for £60 posted....which i'm willing to go to...but nothing higher than £60.
The last wheel i used was a 10 year old PS2 wheel...can't remember the name, but it was a madcatz one....piss poor lol.
does the GT perform well on the pc? (i'll be using windows XP SP3 32-bit)
or there's the
Thrustmaster RGT on play.com for £59.99 with the clutch...but i'm not sure if that wheel will work on the ps3..
Yes I have the DFPGT and it rocks on WinXP and Win7 as well. No Problems in the 6-7 months I've had it.
i think i'm definately going to go for the DF:GT, seems to work great on both the pc & ps3 so its win win i think
cheers
cheers
Read on Thrustmaster Website:
"Ferrari F430 ForceFeedback" is now compatible with some PlayStation® 3 games (along with Force Feedback functionality), including:
- SUPERCAR CHALLENGE™ - PS3
- COLIN McRae™ DIRT® 2 - PS3
- Other titles coming soon…
"Ferrari F430 ForceFeedback" is now compatible with some PlayStation® 3 games (along with Force Feedback functionality), including:
- SUPERCAR CHALLENGE™ - PS3
- COLIN McRae™ DIRT® 2 - PS3
- Other titles coming soon…
Take the Logitech. Believe me don't take any other wheel. Even if it would die faster, Logitech's support is the best of all brands i know. I've read a lot of complaints about different brands, but about Logitech i didn't really read much. I have a DFP myself, works great and after a few years hardcore drifting it starts dieing. I emailed the logitech support and they gave me a reasonable offer back. Most of the time your emails will be answered in one day. Never look only at the wheel itself, always check the manufacture's support too.
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Logitech Driving Force GT vs Thrustmaster Ferrari F430
(43 posts, started )
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG