rec.autos.simulators

by **Jeroe** » Fri, 12 Nov 1999 04:00:00

I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy a
new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to have a
wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on?
I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got
troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more and
more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it pulls
right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my Nascar 3
car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm thinking
about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback sounds
great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to buy a
expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that much
money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And secondly:
you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you have
to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How often do
you buy a new one?

Jeroen

by **jean** » Fri, 12 Nov 1999 04:00:00

This one last !!!!!!!!!!!
take a look to :

http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/speed3/start.html

Jean

by **don hodgdo** » Fri, 12 Nov 1999 04:00:00

Your post reminded me that I haven't had to change a bungee cord or clean a
pot in a year now! I bought the LWFF wheel when it hit the shelves last
November, and except for swapping the Logitech pedals for my old CH pedals,
I've not had to do a thing to do a thing to it. I feel it was an excellent
investment.

don

[|]-(_)-[|]

>I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy
a
>new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to have a
>wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on?
>I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got
>troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more and
>more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it pulls
>right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my Nascar
3
>car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm
thinking
>about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback sounds
>great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to buy
a
>expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that much
>money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And secondly:
>you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you have
>to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How often
do
>you buy a new one?

>Jeroen

by **ymenar** » Sat, 13 Nov 1999 04:00:00

price, luck and caring about the hardware are possible reason for a
short/long lifespan of a wheel. A broken wheel for many of us simply mean
buying the correct hardware to replace it (spring, bungee, pots, etc..). It
won't stop us using that wheel for a 5$ fix ;)

Price is also important. Normally the more you pay the longer it will last.
High-priced companies have almost lifetime guaranties, but it doesn't mean
cheap wheel won't last you long. I know people still racing their
Thrustmaster T1 that's around 5years old.

Personally (and it's a choice many would agree), I have a CH combo made of
the EXL500 wheel (simply the best non-FF and non-expensive wheel on the
market (I said wheel, not pedals)) and to get around the bad pedals I have
the CH pedals. All this for around 120$, still feels like a day old after
more than a year. But you need to be gentle with a wheel also if you want
to keep it long.

--
-- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard>
-- May the Downforce be with you...

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

by **Mr Meane** » Sat, 13 Nov 1999 04:00:00

F1 Sim: 150, lasted three months

M$FF: 130, lasted 1 year and is still perfectly accurate. The optical
sensors kick the hell out of pots, I have had a Sidewinder joystick for
years that is still accurate (a bit sticky since I spilled beer all over it,
but I don't think that's under warranty...)

Some friends' experiences::
Out of 4 F1 Sims, 1 is still working, having been swapped and upgraded for
the bearing version, and the pedals upgraded for the metal ones (that one
was the Compact version with cakky plastic pedals).

Out of 4 M$FF wheels, 1 has died (see my post below).

mm

by **Peter Hoope** » Sat, 13 Nov 1999 04:00:00

I bought my first wheel (a Thrustmaster T2) about 4 years ago, this is still
running strong to this day. 2 Years ago I picked up the Thrustmaster Formula
1 (Nascar Pro in the States) and despite very heavy use this one is also
still working perfectly today.

I have at various times performed standard maintenance on them but for the
money they cost I think they are excellent. The spring life in these units
have always seemed to cause a lot of people problems but my T2 has only had
2 sets of springs and the F1 only 1 set, so I certainly have no complaints
in that department. What I have done is to use a bungy cord around each of
the pedals so that I can adjust the tension of the them very easily.

Just my 2p worth

Peter Hooper

> This one last !!!!!!!!!!!
> take a look to :

> http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/speed3/start.html

> Jean

> > I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you
buy
> a
> > new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to
have
> a
> > wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on?
> > I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got
> > troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more
and
> > more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it
pulls
> > right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my
Nascar
> 3
> > car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm
> thinking
> > about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback
sounds
> > great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to
buy
> a
> > expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that
> much
> > money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And
secondly:
> > you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you
> have
> > to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How
often
> do
> > you buy a new one?

> > Jeroen

by **Uwe Schuerka** » Sun, 14 Nov 1999 04:00:00

>I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy a

I've been using my T2 (the pedals of which I like very much) for
nearly three years now, and apart from exchanging the pots once and the
springs maybe ten times (only the pedal ones, not the bungie cord in
the wheelbase) it's worked fine over that period.

Cheers,

Uwe

--
Uwe Schuerkamp http://www.schuerkamp.de/
Herford, Germany (52.0N/8h30mE)
Ever wondered what's wrong with the world? http://bnetwork.com/
PGP Fingerprint: 2E 13 20 22 9A 3F 63 7F 67 6F E9 B1 A8 36 A4 61

by **joi..** » Wed, 17 Nov 1999 04:00:00

I bought a 3 year warranty from Best Buy when I recently bought the
LWFF wheel. I normally don't buy extended warranties but had heard of
problems after heavy use with FF wheels so considered the $17 a good
investment.

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

rec.autos.simulators

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???

Wheels: average lifetime???