Can someone with a wheel tell me, is it truely analog (or proportional
steering), I mean if you hold the wheel slightly to one side does the car
turn slightly, or is it full turn as soon as you turn the wheel one way. I
guess what I'm trying to find out before I spend the big bucks is whether or
not the wheel behaves like the one in my car, or is a glorified joystick.
Did your lap times improve drasticly with the wheel?
What, if you don't mind telling us, did you pay for your wheel, and what all
comes with them?
Thanks in advance
Mike
It's both. Your joystick is also a analog device (albeit with discrete
inputs), and both the 'stick and the wheel are capable of very fine adjustments
in steering. It's just easier with the wheel. You also feel more like you're
driving when you use a wheel than when you use a 'stick.
If you know the course, lap times improve quite a bit. I can turn a 239mph
lap at Michigan on the 2nd lap with a wheel every time I try. (And now that
I'm racing with a different engine, I bet I can do better than that. This
is with the old Ilmor motor.) [IndyCar, not NASCAR!] If I try that on a
stick, I'm probably only going to get to 236 or 236.5 for a few laps, and
I probably will have some trouble keeping it there. In the racing context,
those 2.5mph are a drastic improvement. (Ie, in IICC, 239 is good for a
couple of points; 236.9 is a fat zero.) Some of the best sim drivers I know
use joysticks, and one even used a keyboard until recently.
On the other hand, when I got my wheel, I improved from about 1:35 to
about 1:32 at Laguna Seca (a competitive lap is 1:06, a top one is 1:03).
I paid $115 for a Thrustmaster T1, which has a wheel, shift lever and pedals.
See other postings for my comments.
Incidently, the above applies to IndyCar, and I am told that it's about
the same with F1GP/WC. It does *NOT* apply to NASCAR; IMHO you cannot
drive NASCAR with a 'stick unless you're REAL DAMN GOOD.
--
Brian Wong Product Marketing Engineering
The wheels are similar as mentioned in the previous post to a joystick,
BUT they offer more travel and allow easier use of the linear steering
mode. that is the key. A joystick maybe proportional but it doesn't have
the same amount of travel that a wheel offers.
I bought a Thomas Superwheel from Trevor Thomas who owns a machine shop in
Iowa and got frustrated with the ***being sold. The TSW (thomas super
wheel) is built like a tank of heavy welded steel, Heavy duty springs,
high quality pots, etc. It looks like it comes out of an actual race car!
I paid $180 for the wheel, shifter and brake and accelerator pedals. Best
money I ever spent. From what I hear the Thrustmaster T-1 works ok but has
basic engineering flaws such that it breaks springs all the time. You can
contact Trevor via compuserve in the sportsims forum.
Lap times will come down, and your control will be much improved. However,
it won't make you a wonder driver. There are pleny of people out there
racing with joysticks that are incredibly fast. My wife just shakes her
head..
Jeff
