UKGTL Season 21 1973 Australian Touring Cars - Bathurst - Dec 1

[Geoffers]

Thanks for the info Daz. I am not using Fanalab yet, the latest regular software allows you to set most of the FFB parameters & presets for different sims. I found some recommended settings in these two sections of the Fanatec forums.

https://forum.fanatec.com/categories/raceroom

https://forum.fanatec.com/categories/assetto-corsa

Yeh still using the Clubsport v1 pedals in a USB2 port, I don't think they are compatible with USB3. May give your settings a try later, see if that makes any difference. Cheers.

[Daz9]

From memory they are definitely not going to work on a USB 3 Geoff.

I'm not sure I've updated my software or drivers for a while, so for all I know I may have the ability to change stuff in the regular software. Fanalab does make it easy though, click of a button and it does it all for you essentially. Nothing I have ever found for GTL though, apart from waaaay back when in the old NG days where I recall having some plr files that had been uploaded to play with, one of which did make a big difference for me. That was on the old GT3RS wheel of course, and may not even be relevant to my current rig, never mind your swanky new DD setup 

Couple of other things spring to mind.

Are you going into a front port or in the rear I/O of the motherboard on the tower?
Do you use the same port for the same device every time?

I have had issues in the past if I put the wrong device in the wrong USB, ie plugging the pedals into the USB used to install the wheel and vice versa.....

[Geoffers]

I will download Fanalab & have a look.

Plugged into rear port, could not get the wheelbase to register on the front. I used to plug the G29 in the front for convenience & that worked OK.

[Erling G-P]

Geoff & Daz, regarding the USB3 question:   USB 3 should be backward compatible, so plugging USB 2 devices into a USB 3 port should not be a problem - you just don't get the higher transfer speed, but shouldn't be relevant in this case.  That's generally speaking of course - whether special conditions apply for Fanatec's hardware I can't say.

Incidentally, can you guys offer any advice about Fanatec's wheels (I have a set of their pedals already, plugged into front USB 2).  Somewhat confused about their modular system - what is actually needed for a working system, and what might be desirable, if there are options in that regard.  With the not insignificant amount of dosh they charge, one wouldn't want to order the wrong stuff 

[Daz9]

That is in general my understanding also Erling, but I know I had issues trying to plug my own set of V1 pedals into a USB3 port on the new rig when I built it at the start of the year. I have since only plugged in the V3 pedals on USB2 just in case without any issues.

As far as a Fanatec setup goes, if you have the pedals then you need a wheelbase, and a wheel rim. Can be bought together as a package I think, or you can choose what to pair with what. What options you looking at?

Rear I/O is the best way I believe Geoff, and has been rock solid for me. I always plug it all in once the pc is powered up and it just works for GTL with no other input from me.

[Geoffers]

Yeh, as far as I am aware all Fanatec pedals should work with the current range of wheelbases & wheels. All you need to do is order a wheelbase & wheel which will come with the button/paddle units & the hub to attach the wheel to the wheelbase. They all come as separate parts & you have to assemble it, but all the bolts etc. are supplied along with the tools to do the job. If you are mounting it on a desk you will also need a table clamp. I bought the CSL DD wheelbase & it is quite heavy & on fitting it to my desk I found the weight made the desk top flex quite considerably so I had to stiffen it up to make it more stable. The wheel I bought is the Clubsport R300 & as I say it came complete with button unit & adaptor to fit to the wheelbase.

[Geoffers]

Quick update. I tried connecting the pedals into the wheelbase, nothing, pedals not detected, so gone back to plugging them in via USB. Followed some of Daz's settings & that definitely improved things, particularly the steering oscillations on the straight. So I have the following settings now which seem to provide a good feel & after a few test laps no sudden loss of FFB.

Steering angle 450 (I like it to react quickly)
FFB Strength 50%
Natural Damper 35%
Natural Friction 10%
Natural Inertia 10%
FFB Interpolation 15
Force Effect Intensity 60
Force Effect Strength 60%
Spring Effect Strength 100%
Damper Effect Strength 100%

[Daz9]

As Geoff says there, all pedals will be compatible.

R300 with the universal hub Geoff?

Forgot about the hub bit......

First choice, wheelbase. Current options are CSL DD or Podium DD1 or DD2. I have the older Clubsport V2.5, a non Direct Drive wheelbase purchased very lightly used from Ebay.

Second choice, wheel rim. Type will dictate possible third choice. If you go for a wheel rim with the 'hub' built in, such as the CSL Elite WRC I have, or the latest CSL BMW wheel, or one of the Clubsport Formulas, then you do not need to purchase a separate 'hub' and your wheel itself gives you all the buttons you need, has shifter paddles installed, and the method of accessing the tuning functions of your wheelbase.

The third choice potentially is if you go for one of the other wheels in your second choice such as Geoffers' R300 choice, or the Clubsport Flat or Round, or R330 etc etc (there are lots of options here), you need to purchase a 'hub' such as the CSL or Universal, so that you then have the buttons etc as outlined above, as the wheel rim itself does not have any of those. That wheel rim then fixes to the 'hub', and you use both in conjunction as a piece, as the 'hub' has the quick release mechanism on it to attach and release from the wheelbase. This quick release system is the reason for the need for the hub really...

Hope that helps. I'll happily post pictures if you need any Erling. For the record, I do have a wheel and universal hub that is going spare that may need a new home as it goes.....

[Daz9]

Quick update. I tried connecting the pedals into the wheelbase, nothing, pedals not detected, so gone back to plugging them in via USB. Followed some of Daz's settings & that definitely improved things, particularly the steering oscillations on the straight. So I have the following settings now which seem to provide a good feel & after a few test laps no sudden loss of FFB.

Steering angle 450 (I like it to react quickly)
FFB Strength 50%
Natural Damper 35%
Natural Friction 10%
Natural Inertia 10%
FFB Interpolation 15
Force Effect Intensity 60
Force Effect Strength 60%
Spring Effect Strength 100%
Damper Effect Strength 100%

Lol, that DD wheel has settings to play with that I don't Geoff!

Glad to have been of any help if I was. I too run smaller degrees on the modern stuff in RRE, around 600 for GTs and 540 for the rest of the tin tops, not done enough single seaters to have set that up. But in GTL I prefer to have more degrees to play with, makes the steering feel more natural to me.

[Geoffers]

Yes the R300 v2 with universal hub, & yes it does come complete with buttons, paddles & quick release adaptor, you do not need to order those separately.

https://fanatec.com/eu-en/steering-wheels/clubsport-steering-wheel-r300-v2

[Daz9]

It's almost a smaller version of the GT wheel I've got I think.....

https://fanatec.com/eu-en/steering-wheels/clubsport-steering-wheel-gt-forza-motorsport-v2-for-xbox

I only stopped using it as I wanted a round wheel not a D shape, better for Rally and Rallycross, as well as being a little more right for the historic stuff.

So now I run this

https://fanatec.com/eu-en/steering-wheels/csl-elite-steering-wheel-wrc

Yours looks lovely Geoff, being that bit smaller I can imagine it feels really nice in the hands.

[Erling G-P]

Thanks Daz & Geoff for the info - it's all these options that can seem a bit daunting.  It's been a while since I last looked at Fanatec's homepage, so don't have anything specific in mind presently, but will have a good look at their offerings.  If I get my sights on something, I will run it by you guys before pulling the trigger.

One important thing: Do they have table clamps that allow for easy setup and removal of the wheel, like Logitech & Thrustmaster?  I don't have a permanent setup for simracing, so that's a requirement for me.

[Daz9]

The answer is yes.

The CSL DD Geoff purchased has it's own clamp available for mounting to a table.

I used a table clamp for years, but eventually had enough of trying to find stability for the pedals and ended up going for one of these.....

https://nextlevelracing.com/products/next-level-racing-wheel-stand/

Solved the problems I was having straight away.

I intend having a full rig when I move to the new house, been spending a lot of time researching recently!

[Geoffers]

One important thing: Do they have table clamps that allow for easy setup and removal of the wheel, like Logitech & Thrustmaster?  I don't have a permanent setup for simracing, so that's a requirement for me.

Yes the CSL DD one is easily removable from the desk, it just has a big knob underneath for clamping it. Cannot comment on the others but from the pictures they look as though they should be easy to take on & off.

Oh, and according to the instructions with it, it will clamp to any thickness from 6 to 60 mm.