steering wheels, pedals, and shifters

[Savage212]

I'd like to know what steering wheels, pedals, and shifters people are using, as well as what you like and/or don't like about them. And if you're using any "accessories" or "add ons", such as switch panels, turn signal switches, etc, what are they, and what/how much you feel that they add to your experience and enjoyment.

I come from flight sims, for a long time, and I've been part of development and testing, so I know controls can make a difference. So I'd like to know what people are using, and how much they like it. Thank you for taking the time.

[jarryed]

Wheel Base: Thrustmaster TX Servo
Wheel Rim: Ferarri 599xx Evo Alcantara
Pedals: Thrustmaster T3PM Pedals
Shifter: Thrustmaster TH8A Shifter
Head Movement: TrackIR 5
18 speed shifter: Tech Affliction Mega Shifter(no longer available)
Button Box: Derek Speare Designs FLT1 Button Box
GT Omega Classic Wheel Stand

Has been a great setup for me. Force feedback is absolutely fantastic. Ease of use is also very high. There has not been any problems whatsoever with this even when SCS implemented force feedback changes. When that happened it did mess with a lot of Logitech wheels in a negative way. Logitech to me just seems bulky, rattly, and their GHUB software can be totally useless to where it could even be called bloatware.

[Aziz]

Logitech G29 + standard shifter used only for ETS2
Pros:
lots of buttons and a knob
Customizable, though I haven't done any
Good value if you can find used in good condition.

Cons: loud. The gears can be very noisy with ffb reacting to bumps or collisions.

People report so many problems with their software but I haven't encountered any. Once the GHub update screwed up precision but they fixed it relatively quick, and when the ingame ffb changed all I had to do was to reset ingame values to default and fiddle with them slightly to get desired results.

[Savage212]

Thank you very much for the replies, hopefully, I'll get more.

Aziz, does your setup also have pedals? How many? Are you saying that the shifter shakes and/or rattles? Is the shifter itself moving?

[PBandJ]

It depends on a couple of things, your budget and do you plan on doing any sim racing or anything else with your wheel setup? Fanatec, Thrustmaster, Logitech and others have a wide range or pricing. I currently use the Logitech G29 wheel, pedals and shifter.When force feedback first came to the game, Logitech had issues but was pretty quickly corrected. SCS and Thrustmaster have a relationship so it was no wonder theirs worked from the start. The Ghub software I did have some issues with after a Ghub update. I currently use Logitech Gaming software with no issues. (They are not the same). I make my own shifter knob from a real eaton fuller shifter to add more realism.I didn't want to wait months on one and spend $300.00 on it (Not hard to do if you are mechanically inclined) I also put together a dash board just to see if it could be done with 2 USB encoder boards. (Youtube and google have lots of videos) . It has parking brake, trailer brake knobs (use trailer brake knob for locking 5th wheel pin since no trailer brakes) plus actual ignition key, plus 16 other buttons for wipers, jake, cruise, hazards, etc etc. Currently use a tablet for gauges with SimDash Pro installed. (Hope to install actual working gauges on next dash build) Also added an Omega racing stand recently. Have not received the TrackerIR yet to give you any feed back on it, but have heard good things about it.

If you are in any way mechanically inclined, some things you can build yourself and save literally hundreds of dollars and it still be very nice. Youtube and google are your friends on that.... There is really no limit on what can be done, there are DIY systems out there on youtube that are thousands of dollars. Hope some of this helped, good luck!

[Savage212]

It depends on a couple of things, your budget and do you plan on doing any sim racing or anything else with your wheel setup? Fanatec, Thrustmaster, Logitech and others have a wide range or pricing. I currently use the Logitech G29 wheel, pedals and shifter.When force feedback first came to the game, Logitech had issues but was pretty quickly corrected. SCS and Thrustmaster have a relationship so it was no wonder theirs worked from the start. The Ghub software I did have some issues with after a Ghub update. I currently use Logitech Gaming software with no issues. (They are not the same). I make my own shifter knob from a real eaton fuller shifter to add more realism.I didn't want to wait months on one and spend $300.00 on it (Not hard to do if you are mechanically inclined) I also put together a dash board just to see if it could be done with 2 USB encoder boards. (Youtube and google have lots of videos) . It has parking brake, trailer brake knobs (use trailer brake knob for locking 5th wheel pin since no trailer brakes) plus actual ignition key, plus 16 other buttons for wipers, jake, cruise, hazards, etc etc. Currently use a tablet for gauges with SimDash Pro installed. (Hope to install actual working gauges on next dash build) Also added an Omega racing stand recently. Have not received the TrackerIR yet to give you any feed back on it, but have heard good things about it.

If you are in any way mechanically inclined, some things you can build yourself and save literally hundreds of dollars and it still be very nice. Youtube and google are your friends on that.... There is really no limit on what can be done, there are DIY systems out there on youtube that are thousands of dollars. Hope some of this helped, good luck!

Thanks for an excellent reply, which covers a ton of information that I was looking for. That's actually one of the setups that I'm looking at. I seriously doubt that I'll do any racing sims, if I do anything else, it'll be back to flight sims (I go back nearly 30 years in those). Since I'm an old school guy and once actually drove for a few years, I'm really interested in the twin stick shifter set up, and I saw where a player had added a Thrustmaster shifter to a set up similar to yours in order to simulate a twin stick. That would be ideal, actually. I am actually mechanically inclined, I do all my own work, I build my own computers, I install my own audio systems, and together with an electrical engineer friend I used to work with, I build some electrical test equipment. So, yeah, the switch panels for dashboards wouldn't be out of the question. Your reply is very much appreciated, you are a huge help. Hopefully I can contribute to the community at some point, I'm seeing mods I'd like to help with, and once I get going, I'll be able to offer the same help you provided to me. Thanks!

[Brian Benton]

I am the owner of the Logitech Driving Force GT. If SCS hadn't broken the FFB for Logitech in update 1.41, then I would be completely satisfied with this steering wheel in this particular game. There are no problems in other games. In ACC, for example, the steering wheel is devoid of any problems at the software level, with the exception of moments related to design features (weak FFB in the center, noisy and slow operation). But, unfortunately, we all had to accept and get used to the fact that the steering wheel itself twitches left and right and passes through the "step" in the center position. The main thing is that everything is in order in the Trustmaster wheels .

P.S. as practice shows, those people who imagine that everything is fine with their Logitech in ETS2 / ATS, in fact, have a low level of needs and do not understand that their steering wheel can work much better compared to what we are offered SCS at the moment.

[Frayner]

Wheel Base: Fanatec DD1 PS4/PS5
Wheel Rim: Podium Steering Wheel Fanatec GT World Challenge
Pedals: Fanatec ClubSport Pedals V3 inverted
Shifter: Fanatec ClubSport Shifter SQ V 1.5
Head Movement: Vive Pr2 VR headset
18 speed shifter: Tech Affliction Mega Shifter(no longer available)

Very much overkill for this game, but I use it with other racing sims. Do not recommend unless you’re willing to spend a lot of money. Does allow for up to 2520 degrees of rotation. I enjoy it a lot and the e is great and very smooth.

[Aziz]

Thank you very much for the replies, hopefully, I'll get more.

Aziz, does your setup also have pedals? How many? Are you saying that the shifter shakes and/or rattles? Is the shifter itself moving?

Standard 3 pedals, gas brake and clutch, though previous owner said he stiffened them up a little, doesn't bother me so far.
And no, the gears as in the ffb mechanism in the wheel itself, as far as I can tell, other manufacturers use belts for ffb. My first ever day in ETS2 with that wheel was very loud and rattly before I set it up correctly. The shifter is very much a digital item, you can move the stick around but it only kicks in when it's fully in position. Leads to situations in truck sims like when you can change gear or go neutral whenever you want, but the game will only register it when you then push the clutch. It's not mechanical.

P.S. as practice shows, those people who imagine that everything is fine with their Logitech in ETS2 / ATS, in fact, have a low level of needs and do not understand that their steering wheel can work much better compared to what we are offered SCS at the moment.

I am fully aware that it could've been better but I admit I'm a casual player, and with the price I paid, it's more than enough. If I really had a "low level of needs" I'd stay with that $80 or whatever HORI wheel without force feedback, which I used once and promptly sold it.

Though weirdly enough, that step through the center only happens to me in ETS2, not in ATS (or at least it's not as noticeable), despite both having similar settings.

[Brian Benton]

it's more than enough

Unlike the vast majority of "low level of needs" people, you are at least aware that there is a problem, so I would not classify you as one of those people. Some individuals are willing to kiss the SCS sweet spot after any blog post by their favorite developers. And it doesn't matter what this blog is about. It was these people (extras) after the release of 1.41 that prevented the progress of the rebellion associated with fixing bugs on Logitech. Someone spoke out against bug fixes, arguing that people who left bad reviews about the new FFB are just idiots, they have an ugly appearance, they are of the wrong gender or nationality, and so on ... But nothing to do with the technical side these "fanatics" had no question. Now Logitech owners are trying to keep their steering wheels from swaying throughout gameplay and think that in real life, if you let go of the steering wheel, their truck will start to sway from side to side all over the road and eventually roll over on its side .

I have never disputed the fact that Logitech products are technically obsolete. If we need a good FFB, then we need to purchase DD-level devices. But this is not entirely fair, since ETS2 / ATS are not so demanding games for the quality of the FFB. And devices from DFGT to G923 did their job admirably. Did their job before update 1.41... Everything is elementary and simple. FFB was based on the centering spring effect. Vibration from bumps was present. Imitation hydro / electric power steering was present. The steering wheel became stiff when the engine was off. At low speeds, the FFB force was lower. As the speed increased, the steering became stiff. No extraneous noise, crunches, taxiing, rocking and other things. Why it was impossible to combine the old and new settings is a mystery to me. I don't believe it was impossible. Now SCS are officially asking us to turn on the centering spring effect in the Logitech driver so that our steering wheel always returns to the center regardless of the speed and the position of the key in the ignition. Guys, are you serious?..

But the fact remains. The amount of text and negative reviews will never and never affect the decision of SCS. We are content with what we are given.