Thrustmaster Rally GT Pro Force Feedback

The courier van cometh, and it leaveth behind one shiny new toy :) First impressions are that the quality control is a bit lacking - the silver circular piece of plastic that says "T" on it was floating around the plastic bag the wheel was packed in and I had to attach it with stickytape while I think of a better way. That said, the wheel feels solid enough. Installed the drivers - easy - and hooked up the wheel. Feels good, nice and small, and the buttons for gears and the grab handles for the extra 2 axes fall nicely to hand. Fired up Grand Prix Legends to discover that the feedback is much more subtle than I was expecting, so had a look for advice on r.a.s and discovered that I could either tweak stuff for hours or leave it, so left it. Had a go at a few laps of the Glen and it's actually very good - the problem I used to have with controlling the braking over the hump into Big Bend has gone, and I felt confident. Still 3s a lap off my best but I guess that'll come. Standing starts with the hand clutch are not easy at all, but again, practice is required. A quick lap of the Nurburgring confirmed that the feedback is actually very good. Fired up GTR and the force feedback is a bit more intense... too intense, until I work out that you have to invert it! Fixed that problem and enjoyed going about as quick as I was before in the 360 at Barcelona. I need more practice in this game, and a better setup. Overall then, I like it a lot to use, but the attachment to the desk could be better, and the fact that the T logo thing wasn't even glued on would have resulted in it going back, had it not been such a mission to get it here in the first place. The other thing that I don't like is that it's quite stiff - I guess it'll loosen up with use. If it doesn't I shall probably try to take it apart, undo all the screws and do them all up again, as Alison Hines did with an early model Logitech Wingman FF (thankyou, the Wayback Machine). -- Phil http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/31307.html

Make sure you get the latest drivers too. 2006_FFD_1.exe I wouldn't send something back because a name plate fell off in transit. Hell, my new $350 Husqvarna Lawn Mower (one of the best) came with the decals looking like they were attached by someone that used a calendar for a measuring device. But it mows the grass :) That said, one of the biggest irritations to me is to plop $35000 down on a new car, and the manufacturer can't even put the name plate on the back on straight. Don't get me started on dealer-added stickers. After 9 new cars, my dealer KNOWS not to give it to me post-prep with crooked name plates, or dealer-stickers at all. I don't even have to bring it up any more :) -Larry "Phil Newnham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> The courier van cometh, and it leaveth behind one shiny new toy :) > > First impressions are that the quality control is a bit lacking - the > silver circular piece of plastic that says "T" on it was floating around > the plastic bag the wheel was packed in and I had to attach it with > stickytape while I think of a better way. That said, the wheel feels solid > enough. > > Installed the drivers - easy - and hooked up the wheel. Feels good, nice > and small, and the buttons for gears and the grab handles for the extra 2 > axes fall nicely to hand. Fired up Grand Prix Legends to discover that the > feedback is much more subtle than I was expecting, so had a look for > advice on r.a.s and discovered that I could either tweak stuff for hours > or leave it, so left it. Had a go at a few laps of the Glen and it's > actually very good - the problem I used to have with controlling the > braking over the hump into Big Bend has gone, and I felt confident. Still > 3s a lap off my best but I guess that'll come. Standing starts with the > hand clutch are not easy at all, but again, practice is required. A quick > lap of the Nurburgring confirmed that the feedback is actually very good. > > Fired up GTR and the force feedback is a bit more intense... too intense, > until I work out that you have to invert it! Fixed that problem and > enjoyed going about as quick as I was before in the 360 at Barcelona. I > need more practice in this game, and a better setup. > > Overall then, I like it a lot to use, but the attachment to the desk could > be better, and the fact that the T logo thing wasn't even glued on would > have resulted in it going back, had it not been such a mission to get it > here in the first place. The other thing that I don't like is that it's > quite stiff - I guess it'll loosen up with use. If it doesn't I shall > probably try to take it apart, undo all the screws and do them all up > again, as Alison Hines did with an early model Logitech Wingman FF > (thankyou, the Wayback Machine). > > -- > Phil > > http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/31307.html

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> That said, one of the biggest irritations to me is to plop $35000 down on > a > new car, and the manufacturer can't even put the name plate on the back on > straight. Don't get me started on dealer-added stickers. After 9 new > cars, my dealer KNOWS not to give it to me post-prep with crooked name > plates, or dealer-stickers at all. I don't even have to bring it up any > more :)

The dealer puts their sticker on every car, even when you ask them not to. You may not see it, but it's on there. Somewhere...... MUAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!

Larry wrote: > Make sure you get the latest drivers too. > > 2006_FFD_1.exe If it's a new wheel shouldn't the drivers on the CD be the latest revision? I'll check when I get home. > I wouldn't send something back because a name plate fell off in transit. > Hell, my new $350 Husqvarna Lawn Mower (one of the best) came with the > decals looking like they were attached by someone that used a calendar for a > measuring device. But it mows the grass :) True, that's why it didn't go back. But for 85 quid, it should arrive all present and correct, I shouldn't have to go find the plastic cement. > That said, one of the biggest irritations to me is to plop $35000 down on a > new car, and the manufacturer can't even put the name plate on the back on > straight. Don't get me started on dealer-added stickers. After 9 new cars, > my dealer KNOWS not to give it to me post-prep with crooked name plates, or > dealer-stickers at all. I don't even have to bring it up any more :) Quality control faults seem to be a feature of mass-produced cars, perhaps due to the rate they build them at as much as anything. It varies between manufacturers though. -- Phil http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/31307.html

Phil Newnham wrote:

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> Larry wrote: > >> Make sure you get the latest drivers too. >> >> 2006_FFD_1.exe > > > If it's a new wheel shouldn't the drivers on the CD be the latest > revision? I'll check when I get home.

Do you really expect them to burn a CD just before putting everything in the box? Of course, there's quite some time between finishing a driver release and putting it in the box. Plus, new releases on the website at least means they didn't stop supporting the product... l8er ronny

Thanks for the feedback. I have some questions: What wheel did you had before and how does it compare? I have a Momo Force and what I hate is the gear sound and the dead zone with FF going for left to right. Any looseness in the Rally GT Pro wheel or FF ? I might get the G25 when it comes out, but I like the fact that the Rally GT Pro is belt driven.

Ronald Stoehr wrote:

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> Phil Newnham wrote: >> Larry wrote: >> >>> Make sure you get the latest drivers too. >>> >>> 2006_FFD_1.exe >> >> >> If it's a new wheel shouldn't the drivers on the CD be the latest >> revision? I'll check when I get home. > > Do you really expect them to burn a CD just before putting everything > in the box? Of course, there's quite some time between finishing a > driver release and putting it in the box. Plus, new releases on the > website at least means they didn't stop supporting the product...

Well as it happens, the drivers on the website date from January and they did come in the box, so... -- Phil http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/31307.html

Claude Leclerc wrote: > Thanks for the feedback. > > I have some questions: > > What wheel did you had before and how does it compare? I had a non-FF MS wheel and this is miles better. I've used an MS FF wheel too and I think this is better than that too, although I've not tested them back to back. > I have a Momo Force and what I hate is the gear sound and the dead zone with > FF going for left to right. > Any looseness in the Rally GT Pro wheel or FF ? I haven't noticed any significant looseness. I have an issue in GTR where at high speed the wheel seems to go into a self oscillating mode but I'm sure it's a setup issue, it doesn't do it in Grand Prix Legends. The wheel felt a little notchy when I started to use it but in GPL it's feeling better and better - I don't know if that's the wheel easing up or me getting used to the feel of it. It does make a bit of noise as you wind it backwards and forwards but IMO it's quite quiet, certainly quieter than I have the game. Again, not sure how it stacks up in noise terms against an MS FF wheel. Not sure what you mean about a dead zone - the FF around the middle seems fine, in GPL at least. > I might get the G25 when it comes out, but I like the fact that the Rally GT > Pro is belt driven. According to the blurb it's a mix of gear and belt - I've not had it to bits. -- Phil http://www.usefilm.com/photographer/31307.html

They remove it for me :) I won't take delivery with it on there. they know that :) -Larry "GMpartsguy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> >> That said, one of the biggest irritations to me is to plop $35000 down on >> a >> new car, and the manufacturer can't even put the name plate on the back >> on straight. Don't get me started on dealer-added stickers. After 9 new >> cars, my dealer KNOWS not to give it to me post-prep with crooked name >> plates, or dealer-stickers at all. I don't even have to bring it up any >> more :) > > The dealer puts their sticker on every car, even when you ask them not to. > You may not see it, but it's on there. Somewhere...... > MUAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!! >

Absolutely NOTHING comes with the latest drivers in the box :) -Larry "Phil Newnham" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Larry wrote: >> Make sure you get the latest drivers too. >> >> 2006_FFD_1.exe > > If it's a new wheel shouldn't the drivers on the CD be the latest > revision? I'll check when I get home.

Phil Newnham wrote:

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> Ronald Stoehr wrote: > >> Phil Newnham wrote: >> >>> Larry wrote: >>> >>>> Make sure you get the latest drivers too. >>>> >>>> 2006_FFD_1.exe >>> >>> >>> >>> If it's a new wheel shouldn't the drivers on the CD be the latest >>> revision? I'll check when I get home. >> >> >> Do you really expect them to burn a CD just before putting everything >> in the box? Of course, there's quite some time between finishing a >> driver release and putting it in the box. Plus, new releases on the >> website at least means they didn't stop supporting the product... > > > Well as it happens, the drivers on the website date from January and > they did come in the box, so... >

Duh, I don't care. So in this case they didn't have to fix anything after packaging. But you still got my point, right? How there could be later releases on the net? Geez...