rec.autos.simulators

--
Mike

"Remember, when you're with me, it's the only time you're not the strangest
person in the room, so go ahead, get wierd on me." Calista Flockhart, Ally
McBeal

Ralph Karam

The ECCI and TSW wheels are the best that money can buy, but their
products may be beyond most people's budgets (we're talking the $220 -
$1200+ range).  I own a TSW and a TSW2, and they're my favorites,
hands-down (to be fair, I haven't tried an ECCI wheel -- too expensive
for me!).  These wheels represent the top-end of the spectrum, but
you've got to be willing to literally spend hundreds of dollars just
to get a base model TSW2 ($220, plus shipping).

For something that's in the more affordable end of the spectrum (i.e.,
less than $80 US), I'd highly recommend either the Mad Catz Andretti
Racing Wheel (retails for $65 on the Web) or the ACT Labs RS wheel
(about $69).  We have a review fo the Andretti Racing Wheel available,
and a review of the ACT Labs wheel is in the works.  BOTH wheels are
ULTRA-SMOOTH and NOTCH-FREE (pardon my caps).  

The ACT Labs RS wheel is possibly the smoother of the two, but the
Andretti wheel is digital (this means no calibration drift, less
processor load, and better frame rates) and it has slightly stronger
return-to-center characteristics (I find this nice for ovals,
personally).  Check out the various sim hardware reviews on The IRL
Insider Magazine Sim Site:

http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/

The Thrustmaster products are the industry leaders, but they use 250K
pots, which tend to cause a higher processor load and slower frame
rates than others (especially something digital, like the Andretti
Wheel).  Overall, they're good quality products with good market
penetration (i.e., available in lots of retail outlets), but although
they're the sales leaders, they're not necessarily better than other
controllers that are available.  

CompUSA also carries a couple of wheels under the CompUSA name.  These
wheels are nice (I've only sampled the one with no pedals).  I believe
they're actually the CH Products EXL500 (I think that's the model
number) re-packaged for CompUSA (which menas they're well-built by a
reputable manufacturer).  The version with pedals is $49, I believe,
and the version without pedals has paddle shifters that work nicely as
the gas and brake.  I own one of the CompUSA wheels without the pedals
myself -- it's a nice wheel, for a VERY low entry-level price of $29.

There are lots of options, so look around, and check on the Web for
the lowest prices in many instances.  Enjoy!

-- John Bodin
   Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
   http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/

The ECCI and TSW wheels are the best that money can buy, but their
products may be beyond most people's budgets (we're talking the $220 -
$1200+ range).  I own a TSW and a TSW2, and they're my favorites,
hands-down (to be fair, I haven't tried an ECCI wheel -- too expensive
for me!).  These wheels represent the top-end of the spectrum, but
you've got to be willing to literally spend hundreds of dollars just
to get a base model TSW2 ($220, plus shipping).

For something that's in the more affordable end of the spectrum (i.e.,
less than $80 US), I'd highly recommend either the Mad Catz Andretti
Racing Wheel (retails for $65 on the Web) or the ACT Labs RS wheel
(about $69).  We have a review fo the Andretti Racing Wheel available,
and a review of the ACT Labs wheel is in the works.  BOTH wheels are
ULTRA-SMOOTH and NOTCH-FREE (pardon my caps).  

The ACT Labs RS wheel is possibly the smoother of the two, but the
Andretti wheel is digital (this means no calibration drift, less
processor load, and better frame rates) and it has slightly stronger
return-to-center characteristics (I find this nice for ovals,
personally).  Check out the various sim hardware reviews on The IRL
Insider Magazine Sim Site:

http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/

The Thrustmaster products are the industry leaders, but they use 250K
pots, which tend to cause a higher processor load and slower frame
rates than others (especially something digital, like the Andretti
Wheel).  Overall, they're good quality products with good market
penetration (i.e., available in lots of retail outlets), but although
they're the sales leaders, they're not necessarily better than other
controllers that are available.  

CompUSA also carries a couple of wheels under the CompUSA name.  These
wheels are nice (I've only sampled the one with no pedals).  I believe
they're actually the CH Products EXL500 (I think that's the model
number) re-packaged for CompUSA (which menas they're well-built by a
reputable manufacturer).  The version with pedals is $49, I believe,
and the version without pedals has paddle shifters that work nicely as
the gas and brake.  I own one of the CompUSA wheels without the pedals
myself -- it's a nice wheel, for a VERY low entry-level price of $29.

There are lots of options, so look around, and check on the Web for
the lowest prices in many instances.  Enjoy!

-- John Bodin
   Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
   http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/

The Thrustmaster Super Sport is a fine wheel coming in at about $70.00

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

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