Wheel & Pedals

[trace]

I'm looking for a Steering Wheel and Pedals to use with NFS5/PU. Any recommendations?

[MattB]

hi trace, do u have a bugdet for ur wheel and pedal?

this is the logitech Wingman GP
http://www.logitech.com/lang/global/images/product70.gif
its a good qaulity wheel, and isn't very expensive, it has nice rubber grips that dont make ur wheel get sweaty (l have one of these wheels)

this is the Mircosoft Sidewinder
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h174b.jpg
its another wheel that is pretty good in price, but it takes up alot of room on ur PC desk. Might get a little sweaty with the plastic wheel.


this is the thrustmaster modena 360
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h174c.jpg
this wheel is pretty much the same as the Mircosoft wheel, a little bit smaller in size though.


this is the
Vibration Feedback Rally Master (Trust), its good for rally games
http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h174d.jpg
its a pretty good wheel (my friend has one), it's lasted quite awhile for him, but it is pretty big.

this is the king of steering wheels at the moment, it's the MOMO force, made by logitech
http://www.logitech.com/lang/global/images/product2943.gif
it cost $500AUS dollars atm

all wheels come with pedals

well l hope that has helped u a lil
^_^ :D


Matt

[Commander]

I just got the MOMO wheel for Xmas, and the thing is about as well made as you can possibly get. Lots of metal parts, including a metal chassis (under the plastic housing), ball bearings, a metal faceplate, a metal base plate for the pedals, metal paddle shifters, and from what I can see, metal pulleys on the inside. The thing I find best about it is that it doesn't merely sport a 180 degree turning motion, but a whole 270 degrees, which keeps you from "bottoming it out" and destroying it, as I have done with 2 previous wheels. It cost me $350 Canadian, and in my opinion, it is worth every cent, and I would pay more if need be. I honestly believe this will be the last wheel I buy, as it is simply impossible to break. I also have a GP wheel (the first one on the list above) and I find it cheap, flimsy, and cheesy, and doesn't stay on my desk. It has a crummy pedal platform that slides all over the rug, and the cords are so short they barely make it from the pedals to the wheel. This GP wheel was $150, a bit less than 1/2 the price of the MOMO, but with this in mind, it is not even 1/2 the wheel that the MOMO is... not even 1/8 of the quality really, so the old saying applies here: Do it right the first time or don't do it at all. I wish I had someone tell me this a couple of years ago, as my trial and error has resulted in a combined price tag of $775 to date, $425 of which was spent on inferior wheels that no longer function. You can see where I am going with this right?

My $.02 anyway.

[D_Man]

The MOMO is awesome. I love mine to bits :HB:

[MattB]

l was just doing some browsing, and l found a few sites that might interest u.

http://www.racebasecockpit.com/products.html

http://www.racebasecockpit.com/pix/pic-r6_mk_ii_front-med.gif



the second site is pretty cool

http://www.hyperstim.com/sim.html

acca, l'm guessing u like this one
http://www.hyperstim.com/imagesjpg/home_units/race_teams/supercars/ylions.jpg
more than this one????
http://www.hyperstim.com/imagesjpg/home_units/race_teams/supercars/shell.jpg

these kits come with options like
drink holder,
chassis shaker,
pit wheels,
rear wings,
even braided hoses, incase of leaking fludids ;)
harness, in case u fall out of ur seat :nono:


my 2cents, Matt

[AccadaccA]

Hey Matthew, throw in air con and I'll buy three of 'em.

[MattB]

yeh ok rob, why not???

but what paint job do u want??? to ford or the Holden???? l know thats a tough question for u to answer ^_^

[Commander]

Yehaw, right on! Now there is something that looks like fun! What I really want to do though is build a twin console on my own with some plywood. I picture it would be a lot like the arcade-style 2-player cockpits with a desk built in so as to house the PC. Run a couple of giant monitors, a serial link and/or I-net connection, and you have what we all wished for as kids: a home arcade game like "Cruisin' U.S.A." or "Daytona" etc. The main benifit would be that the games and hardware could always be upgraded accordingly, unlike spending $8000 on a real arcade game. I have to stop talking and actually build such a device! And yes, I would use twin MOMO wheels semi-permanently anchored into the cockpits ;)

[MattB]

Commander , dont sounds like fun.......... l'll buy u the two 21' monitors for u :D

[Commander]

Hehe, a couple of designs, some blood sweat & tears, and we got ourselves some retail merchandise here!

[MattB]

Originally posted by Commander
Hehe, a couple of designs, some blood sweat & tears, and we got ourselves some retail merchandise here!


yeh, with a price of around $10,000 (including only 1 screen)

[Commander]

Hell no, just the wooden cockpit, no electronics. I mean, it would take about $40 worth of wood, and maybe 3 hours of work to build a prototype, then some work on the PC to draw and print up some assembly instructions. The rest is gravy after that. You get the kits packaged at a factory en masse using a similar method as used to pack a computer desk you get at Home Depot, where the buyer assembles it. With this, you can sell the unassembled "kit" for $200 -$300 no problem (at least, and out-do the competition). I see a 200% profit margin here easily; the key is securing the customers and attacking the proper advertising!

[Alrik]

For a "cheap" version i would say the microsoft sidewinder is the best wheel, all is pretty good if ya don't mind plastic and noise.
I just bought me the MOMO and nothing compares to it when you talk about quality, feel and sturdiness. It hardly makes a sound since the "steerrod" doesn't have room to move as many other wheels have which makes them very noisy.
Only thing i'm not sure i like is the pedals. The setup is great and everythign feels great but after playing with the MSFF i sorta feel the pedals have a bit short travel.
Maybe it's because it's still too new or something but both the pedal don't come back up all the way all the time after releasing the pedals gently.
One thing though: DON'T but the guillemot/thrustmaster ferrari wheel, sure the FF feels cool and the rubber grip is sorta cool but that doesn't weigh up to an avarage lifespan of less then 2 months...damn things keep breaking and breaking, i should know cause i bought that broke, got a replacement...broke aswell...no less then 5 wheels broke within 6 months.....got fed up and got the MSFF which still works after over a year, and well like TJ said the MOMO seems practically indestructable, never heard anything about it breaking as yet.

WC-Alrik

[MattB]

hehe Commander , l was kidding about the 10,000 dollar thing ;)

but ur idea does seem pretty good, l'm gonna even make a few 3d designs in milkshape soon, see what happens.

[Commander]

Yeah Matt, do it. One would be surprised just how many rich buggers (dentists, docs, lawyers etc) are more than eager to get gaming apparatus to impress their freinds, if not for their own amusement. Take into account how many of such people own hot tubs, pools, pool tables, slot machines, karaoke systems... you get the idea. All of these devices cost thousands o' $ a piece, and seeing as how almost all of such folk have a PC, and also make it a point to grab some serious joysticks, wouldn't it be safe to assume that they would also appreciate an arcade-style sit-down cockpit in their games room? And it wouldn't stop there either! If you did a good enough job, Cyber Cafee's would snap 'em up in a flash too! just thinking aloud here, and I may be cooking my own goat by blurting this out to all, but I think it is worth a look-see!:HB:

[MattB]

commander, l'm gonna try to make a design tonite, even if l just make one for myself, it's still a litle bit of fun

[trace]

I'd like to thank Matt & everyonelse for the excellent feedback. Looks like I've got a Momo Force on my list of gaming gotta-haves. I just found a new one for $158 USD at ecost.com.

www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=209944 (http://)

[jtace]

The only one I can add to the list is the Act Labs wheel. I love mine. :) www.act-labs.com

[Insomniac]

heh,my friend (rich little mofo) has Cruisin` USA, San Francisco Rush 2049, and Cruisin` World all in his room (which is actually an entire floor) along with a home theater. and no,this is not your average 600 dollar sony speaker system...this is at least 200,000 bucks of top of line,custom made shit. and he even has the movies seats and a ticket booth...don`t ask me why. the ticket booth is made out of marble, and his entire "story" of a room is approximately 13,000 square feet. i don`t even want to get into the rest of the house though. oh yeah,he`s not even 16,yet he has a dodge viper, range rover, hummer, and jag waiting for him...dammit i wanna be rich!!!!!!!!

[Commander]

Must be nice! He'll really be in for a rude awakening though when his folks finally kick him out and he has to pay for things on his own. Dodge Viper + 16 year old male is about as bad as handing a loaded pistol to a chimpanzee!

[[SK]MiniQ]

Is it really?...*struggles with pet chimp for pistol*..."dammit give me back that thing!"

[MattB]

Insomniac,thats sounds kinda cool to have, but l dont really like it when kids live off there parents money &(


trace, no probs l dont want u buying a wheels that u dont like, the one Jtace mention is pretty good too.

[Insomniac]

heh,yeh i know,but he doesn`t really care for that at the moment...i,on the other hand,am just about the opposite of him...his parents just divorced and he is living with his dad in a 32 million dollar mansion...no joke.this guy owns a health company called health south,some of us americans may have heard of it...it`s basically the buckingham palace of the southeast united states,lol

[Insomniac]

btw,where can i find that momo wheel? my formula force gp has had it,i think,and i have 300 bucks from christmas burning a hole in my pocket...i didnt see it at amazon.com though

[DC_Spd]

I can't believe this thread got this long without anyone mentioning "TSW".

Sorry guy's but I've tried a few of these wheels including the momo and none compare to a TSW. I know you gotta have deep pockets but it's worth saving for. I've heard that BRD also make some really good wheels but I haven't seen one personally.

I was shopping for a wheel before xmas and spent about two hours on a momo with gpl, imo if thats all you can spend it's ok but it's far from the quality in a TSW. My TSW pedals weight more than the entire momo system complete in the box simply because of their heavy constuction and the wheel itself is heavy enough for me to catch hell from the wife if I leave it in her way.

FF is a novelty I will never miss, all the gears grinding and making noise...forget that. I had the LWFF before which was considered to be a good wheel but now, I can't believe I put up with a POS like that for nearly two years.

http://www.thomas-superwheel.com/

[rms]

Heehee I gotta go with the anti-FF crowd. I also tried a lwff and hated it from paddles to pedals. If I was buying now I'd be looking at the thrustmaster nascar pro digital2 or their ferrari modena pro; they are both $60-70 so no big outlay.

rms
rsquires@flash.net

[VRECrash]

[http://www.virtualroadster.com/images/3quartershow.jpg
It can be found at http://www.virtualroadster.com/features.htm

[DOHC]

139.00 For Act-Labs Force RS Racing Wheel
59.99 For RS Shifter 5-spd
79.99 For Extra Pedals that include Clutch

This seems like an awsome setup if you have the cash to spend on it, you can buy plates for the shifter to make it a 4 or 5 speed and the Force RS Comes with wheel and pedal the shifter and the pedal system with the clutch costs extra


http://www.act-labs.com/images/rs_wheel.jpg
http://www.act-labs.com/images/pedal.jpg
139.00 Forrce RS ^

http://www.act-labs.com/images/shifter.jpg
59.99 RS Shifter

http://www.act-labs.com/images/clutch_prod.jpg
79.99 Pedals With Clutch ^

http://www.act-labs.com

It says its compatable with NFS 3,4, and 5

[Commander]

Spd, those TSW wheels do look pretty cool, but the price is beyond ludicrous! Which model do you have? I see that even the base model is close to $400, and it goes up from there to over a GRAND! A thousand clams for a controller?? One must be either insane or rich beyond belief in order to buy this thing! In hot rodding, we look for more bang for your buck, and in the case of the TSW, how much "bang" can you really get for that "buck"? It just seems too expensive to me, even if it was made of 100% titanium.

[Ashwin91]

LOL, good point!^_^ ,TJ

A GRAND for a steering....well thats TSW for you;) .


Later,
Ashwin

[jtace]

DOHC: That's what I bought a few months ago, I love it!! :) :Peace:

[VRECrash]

I just got the Act Labs 3 pedal system and wheel with RS shifter.
I must say its the best wheel i have had yet.
I destroyed a logitech ffb wheel in 3 months. My MS sidewinder wheel lasted close to 2 years.
The Act Labs is built like a tank
Crash
from http://VirtualRacersEdge.com

[TMKF_Patryk]

would the act-labs wheel be able to do a 360 degree turn or not?

[jtace]

you mean 360 degrees of rotation? nope, but then I don't know of a wheel that does for your computer...

[TMKF_Patryk]

that MOMO sounds awesome cuz it can do 270 degrees rotation, wondering if any of the act-labs could do more...

[rms]

Someone mentioned the act-labs RS shifter. Be aware that while the coolness factor is there, by many accounts it doesn't make you faster and there are some issues with mounting etc. For me I'll stick with a simple up-down shifter.

rms
rsquires@flash.net

[Ashwin91]

Hey All!,

rms you are right about it dose not make you faster,using the RS Shifter.I have one and i can tell you,in GPL it dose make you slow..especially during braking and shifting..you become real slow there (like a real,car).So it does slow your lap times,i have to admitt:( .But i'm more a realist,looking for that little bit of realisn,hehe.So for those want to get the real feel,go for the Act Labs+Shifter+Clutch Pedal.Not sure about the mounting issue,tho.

Oh and TMKF_Patryk:The Act Labs wheel has about 280degree turing radius,i think,thats what it says in the specs.

Later All!
Ashwin

[D_Man]

I have an Act Labs wheel and a MOMO and they both have about the same amount of rotation.

Hey TJ, those TSW wheels work out as a good investment in the long term as they have a life-time guarantee. If I added up how much I have spent on wheels in just the past 3 years (2 LWFF, 1 Guillemot Ferrari FF, 1 Act Labs and 1 MOMO) I could have bought a TSW wheel. Unfortunately, the $US200 shipping to Australia stopped me from buying one.

[FDA]

I've looked at the pics of the TSW's (and the even more expensive ones -- Extreme Comp I think(?)), and they look really nice but I would miss the FF. First I find that in some games it really helps, and in all games it makes the feel of the game more realistic and therefore fun. Course let's face it, the TSW's etc are way overpriced; you could just buy a car and install your computer in it for the same price.

I did see pics of a really nice home-built setup a guy did with a Recaro seat and a big screen TV. That would be a nice way to go with whatever wheel and pedals. The little cockpit thingies are cute but how silly do you wanna look? Or how desperate?

OTOH, I used to work for a guy (Chinetti) who had a Ferrari F1 car laying around and he was putting it in a little showplace next to his living room in the house he was building. You could sit it that and hook it up to your computer. That'd do it for me.
:HB:

[DC_Spd]

well TJ...mine is one of more expensive ones...I have full bearings, T-paddle shifters and a clutch pedal so we're around $800us....but as Dave mentioned they do have a unconditional lifetime warranty. I know it's a hell of alot of $$$ but the quality is there. I even had the wife with me when I was shopping and she wouldn't approve the momo, "what, another plastic POS, your better off with the TSW". Now she doesn't race near as much as me but the point is the differance was obvious. The momo looks and feels like a plastic toy, the TSW feels like a wheel in a brand new car. It is in fact an after market automotive wheel, not some molded plastic thing.


For u FF fanatics...I was there, I thought the LWFF was great, but after having the TSW for awhile now I believe FF is nothing more than a marketing stratagey to pull $$$ out of ppl's pockets for something they will replace every two years. It's a novelty, it may be fun but no where near as accurate as a similar non-FF wheel would be.


Obviously everyone has their opinions, and differant priorities. I'm near 45 and racing is one of my few hobbies, both on the net and also RC racing where I've competed with the same $2000 car for 11yrs now. I don't mind spending the $$$ on something that will last. Chances are that I'll still be net racing 20yrs from now and I'll still be using my TSW. If your 16 you don't know what your going to do next week, I'm putting my views here for ppl that know they are going to race forever, for those ppl the TSW would be a wise investment.

[DC_apache]

i have to go along with Lance on this wheel discussion.I've had a TSW now for about 6 wks,got the TSW2cup wheel with split axis and 13 inch wheeel.It feels like holding on to the wheel in your car.I had the LWFF and now believe the force feedback is just a market hype.


I know 4 ppl that have TSW and believe they were as surprised as me when they opened the box and saw how rock solid these things are.


john

[Commander]

I dunno guys, I really do have a car, and a cool one at that. There is NO controller, or game for that matter, that can make it "real". With this in mind, if I am to spend over $500 on a controller to allow me to drive in a game, then I might as well buy another car! Failing this, should I purchase a controller for my PC, I would at leat expect force feedback. Anything less would be... well, Commodore Vic 20!

[DC_Spd]

The objective here isn't to make it "real" though TJ, but rather to make it work well for many years. Like anything else you get what you pay for, I'd be willing to bet you don't own some cheap POS guitar do you, probably have a Strat or a Guild maybe, something in the higher end. This is no differant, I wanted something with good quality that was going to last rather than spend $300+ every couple years. I had even already decided on getting a momo until I actually got to try one out, but then when I did try it I decided against it. I don't see them lasting much past a couple years until the gears all need replacing, and they wont be covered under warranty.


The FF argument will go on for ever, some like it, some don't. The LWFF was my 1st wheel so I was quite impressed with it at first. I think it contributes to the wear and tear on the wheel overall though. Especially on wheels that don't have bearings, the momo should shine in that manner. No matter how fast someone is with FF, I think they would be even faster with out it though. Having the wheel jump and jerk around may add a bit of realism but it wont add anything to a persons talent. FF is really a matter of choice, basically a fancy addon gadgetry that accounts for half the cost of any FF wheel.

[Commander]

Hmmm, well put man, well put. The MOMO does, however, utilize a sealed ball bearing in its shaft support, so the wear will not be in that area of the machine. I am just thinking more of the "cash vs satisfaction" aspect. I my case, I am a nasty bugger when it comes to abuse of hardware, and so far the MOMO has taken every ounce of my drunken wrath without so much as a fart. There is one thing you say that I agree on, for sure, and this is about the noisy slippy gears in certain wheels. My LLFF GP (note 'GP') is gear driven, and it honestly is rather weak. The traditional LLWF is laced with steel cables that control the force feedback, and is therefore much more delicate with its deliverance, and at the same time, far more armoured against breakage. The MOMO is of similar design in this area, but it goes far beyond. Unfortunately, take it from me, if the cables ever do come off the pulleys inside, the wheel is hooped. I could not figure out how to put those things back on to save my life. Gears are easy, on the other hand, but the LFFGP that I own and that uses such a setup is unlikely to break simply because of lack of use rather than poor workmanship (I hate the thing if you haven't guessed yet, heh). All the same, I have made it a point to go AWOL on game controllers over the last while, and so far, the MOMO is the only one that has taken the pounding. I truely think it is all due to the huge 270 degree rotation action, where the wheel doesn't receive the horrific "bottoming out" as is common in traditional wheels. Time will tell, but so far, this MOMO is superior even to the actual wheels harnessed to the arcade games like SanFransisco Rush, or Cruisin' World, to say the least.

[Baritone Black]

I heard a lot of good things about the V$ from Interact, but the only time I saw it in a store it sold out in 15 mins. and I couldn't get one. Does anyone here have any firsthand info?

[Myshkin]

Originally posted by DC_Spd
the wife with me when I was shopping and she wouldn't approve the momo, "what, another plastic POS, your better off with the TSW". Now she doesn't race near as much as me but the point is the differance was obvious. The momo looks and feels like a plastic toy, the TSW feels like a wheel in a brand new car.

???? The MOMO feels and looks like a plastic toy? I'm not going to argue that it is as realistic as a TSW but for the money the MOMO is the best deal out there IMHO. Leather wheel, mostly metal parts (plastic base)... I just don't see how you could have actually tried it out and called it plastic feel. I would actually agree that it looks kind of toyish but it is solid... again maybe not compared to a TSW but compared to every other regular retail one I've tried.

Now my old MS non-FF Sidewinder... that was a plastic wheel, however it did hold up to all of my PU thrashing and asked for more... GPL did it in though :) I've only had the MS and this MOMO... $280 total spent so far in two years. Not too bad...

[MattB]

l dont have the MOMO wheel, but when l went to harvey norman (computer shop in AUS), l ended up spending lots of time playign with the MOMO wheel

[TMKF_Patryk]

but what is the full name for MOMO cuz i can probably get it really cheap in Canada cuz i know some good stores :)

[Myshkin]

TMKF, it's just a Logitech Momo wheel. I don't know why I always capitalize MOMO, I just think it looks better that way I guess. It's capitalized on the wheel :)

[TMKF_Patryk]

thanks alot

[DC_Spd]

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~hg/forums/showthread.php?threadid=32717

[MattB]

l reckon that guy broke them himself^_^


if it brakes, u just take it back anyway.... he is probally 0.01% of ppl that have broken MOMO's

[DC_Spd]

l reckon that guy broke them himself


I count 3 people in that thread alone, and there are similar threads on other race sim BB's,...but heh, it's your $$$$. You can return them all you like, at least until the warranty expires.

[Commander]

To break one of these MOMO wheels would take a fit of rage on part of a short-fused, sychopathic nutcase. If these people broke theirs, then there is no doubt in my mind that they were reefing on the thing out of anger due to a loss or something... either that or they ran over the thing with an armored car. My point being that the amount of abouse necessary to destroy a MOMO would destroy any wheel on the market, including a real steering wheel from a car!

[D_Man]

Until my recent forced break from playing racing games my MOMO was copping a lot of punishment. It has taken it all in its stride and is as good as new. I can't imagine what it would take to break one.

[Commander]

Yeah I know eh, like how much tougher must a wheel get? If you gave a MOMO to a drug-crazed chimpanzee, I bet it would still be in good shape afterwards...

[Alrik]

I would almost be sure those guys with broken MOMO's broke them on purpose......agreed it looks like some kids toy color wise but the thing is rock solid and i love it!!

WC-Alrik

[Myshkin]

Hehehe especially this guy that broke 4 of them already?!?! Either Oz got a horrible batch or something is amiss in that thread. I have yet to see such complaints even over at Legends Central, where I'm sure Logitech would be roasted if the quality was as bad as that thread implies. Instead, I've read mostly positive reviews, with a complaint here and there but those have been about the FF and such...

[wello]

I have a microsoft usb wheel 3yrs old now its had me my kids and grankids giving it a hell of a work out still holding in there so far