Simulation Racing Controls ( http://www.racesimcentral.net/~srcwheel/ )
and their long delays shipping units that were ordered and paid for.
Well, after many emails back and forth between Larry of SRC, others who
have placed orders and myself, I am happy to say that this issue has found
some closure for me.
Yesterday, my SRC unit arrived via UPS. Others who have ordered their
units have also received delivery lately.
I ordered it October 1st, 1999. Many promised ship dates came and went.
My concerns grew when I lost contact with SRC for 3 months, and received
no reply to many phone calls and emails. For me, that was the real issue,
the lack of contact and communication. Not knowing what was going on is
what really bugged me, and left me on my own to think the worst. As it
turns out, the operator of SRC has had some real life difficulties, and
simply
didn't have enough time in the day to hold down his regular job, deal with
life, AND build these most excellent control units. I hope everything is
going well for Rod these days.
The concerns I had dissolved shortly after unpacking my SRC unit. :)
The unit I received is superior to the one shown in the pictures on
the website. Many refinements have taken place since those photos
were taken. The SRC unit is clearly hand made, by a craftsman.
There are only a handful of components that were not custom made,
like buttons and switches. The pots are huge, and high quality. The only
'cheap' plastics used are the button heads, other plastics are made of
Delrin,
a very durable material developed by the space industry years ago for
prototype developement, as it is precision machinable and tough as nails.
The fitment of the parts is excellent. Aircraft quality materials and
design.
All metal parts are either polished, or texture coated. Even the fastener
heads are polished for cryin out loud! No wood anywhere!
The steering unit is heavy and stable, and clamps to the surface with one
large (custom made) wingbolt. I have affixed it to my desktop once, and
it has not moved at all. It is ultra smooth, very precise. The shifter has
this little T-handle, that is positional to preference. I like the sound it
makes
when I shift, like a hammer gently tapping on an anvil. This unit will not
break with use. Maybe if you threw it off a hotel rooftop, but I doubt it.
In some closed testing at Talladega, I picked up one full mph on my best
solo speed, due to the precision of the steering.
As awesome as the steering unit is, the pedals are more better. They
hang down like a real pedal should. And they are FULLY adjustable.
The pedals have such a solid, positive feel...better than my real car.
I did use the "*** ball behind the brake pedal trick" though. Driving
GPL using the clutch pedal is allot more realistic, and reminds me of my
old hotrod. The very impressive paddle shifters are a 'pinky's reach away.
GPL is still hard as heck for me though. ;) Now I don't have the 'lack of
control' excuse.
One really nice touch, the cables SRC provided are great, and they have
the finger screws on them, not like those little tiny flat head screws on my
old TM N PRO.
All said and done, it is well worth the $470.00 USD I paid for it.
Was it worth the wait? I would say that the only thing that surpasses
the pain I went through dealing with SRC is the quality and craftsmanship
of the SRC unit they delivered. If your looking for a top quality racing
controller, at a fraction of the price of an ECCI, and are willing to endure
a wait, get the SRC. While SRC is clearly a very small business, and
suffering
growing pains during their infancy...they DO make a most wonderful product.
And ultimately, they deliver it!!
--
Kenny L.
kenny AT proracingclub DOT com
www.proracingclub.com
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