Steering Wheels help!

Help! I am an avid racer who is in need of a steering wheel, driving with a gamepad is very unnatural. I would appreciate it if anyone could give me suggestions on which wheel to buy. Thanx

I have been very happy with my Thrustmaster T2, which I bought last November. It costs about 150 UKP. The alternatives are the TSW, which you would have to get imported from the US but is by most accounts very good indeed, or the Extreme Competitive Controls wheel, which is somewhat out of my price range !

>Help! >I am an avid racer who is in need of a steering wheel, driving with a gamepad >is very unnatural. I would appreciate it if anyone could give me suggestions >on which wheel to buy. Thanx There are several that I know of: Thrustmaster T2 (http://www.thrustmaster.com/) Thomas' Super Wheel (http://www.webcom.com/~pinniped/tsw.html) and the most excellent: Extreme Competition Controls "Competition Driving System" (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/extreme) Guess which one I own! The ECC CDS is a very cool looking beastie, made out of steel (and weighing in at about 28lbs in total!). It consists of an 11" diameter wheel covered in suede leather and 4 buttons near your thumbs, and a triangular metal wedge that houses the pedals. It is VERY smooth to drive and I can't recommend it enough! Check out the above web page for details and pictures. Email me if you're interested in this system. The cost is the tough bit to swallow, although having bought one from the company in America and payed a stack to import it into the UK I don't regret any of it. The T2 is about stlg150; the TSW I don't know about but there are some in the country so somebody else may be able to help; and the ECC CDS will cost you about stlg465 in total for both units (it's $459 before shipping&handling, import tax, VAT and handling at this end) Stuart -- Stuart Booth Somewhere in Epsom, England, UK.

>Help! >I am an avid racer who is in need of a steering wheel, driving with a gamepad >is very unnatural. I would appreciate it if anyone could give me suggestions >on which wheel to buy. Thanx I own a TSW wheel and am extremely happy with it also. I think the price is now $275. Its another extremely well built unit like the ECC(?) wheel. It feels solid, and is. Avoid the T1 (which the TSW replaced). Yah, it's cheap in price and quality. If you plan on doing a lot of serious racing, spend the bucks and get a good wheel. --- Frank ---

I agree. I had a T1 and brought it back within 30 days and got a TSW which I'm very happy with. If you think you're going to spend a lot of time racing and perhaps join a league it's best to buy a good wheel. The T1 was replaced by the T2 and some improvements were made but I've heard that the quality/control isn't too different. The ECCI is supposed to be very good but you have to spend over $400. There's a review on these wheels in PC Gamer Feb. issue.

> The >ECCI is supposed to be very good but you have to spend over $400. There's >a review >on these wheels in PC Gamer Feb. issue. Poke your browser at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/extreme for a gander of the Extreme Competition Controls' kit! Stuart -- Stuart Booth Somewhere in Epsom, England, UK.

Quoted text (11 lines)

>I agree. I had a T1 and brought it back within 30 days and got a TSW which >I'm >very happy with. If you think you're going to spend a lot of time racing >and perhaps >join a league it's best to buy a good wheel. The T1 was replaced by the >T2 and some >improvements were made but I've heard that the quality/control isn't too >different. The >ECCI is supposed to be very good but you have to spend over $400. There's >a review >on these wheels in PC Gamer Feb. issue.

One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's price tag is way out of reach. -Charles

How heavy is it? Mark Kratzer Brooklyn, New York, USA CompuServe: 73142, 3650 Like 22 LBS!!! ______________________________________________________________ Once Again To Terrorize The Competition in '96!... <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<GO EARNHARDT!!!!.... GO 3!! GO!!!..>>>>>>>>>>>> Number EIGHT Here We Come!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ IVGA Member #2342 "Where Performance Is Recognized!" INL TNMS NASSCAR Joe Farr or BUST!!!!<GGGGGGGGGGGGGG> ______________________________________________________________

I haven't weighed my ECC, but I'd estimate it at 25lbs or so. It's all steel construction and rock solid sitting on the desktop.

When attached the clamp extends 3 inches under the desk. It is removable and is shaped like this l_I with one of the sides being a bolt. With some ingenuity it might be possible to clamp it permanently. It does work without clamps because it is heavy and sits on the edge of the desk with an L shaped piece up against the desk so you can't push it forward. I think if someone drove with for awhile unclamped you would get used to it- you just can't pull it toward you. However the clamp is definitely much them and might have a good idea for attaching.

Quoted text (9 lines)

>One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to >clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk >keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard >drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is >there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel >doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's >price tag is way out of reach. >-Charles

How heavy is it? Mark Kratzer Brooklyn, New York, USA CompuServe: 73142, 3650

Quoted text (9 lines)

>One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to >clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk >keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard >drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is >there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel >doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's >price tag is way out of reach. >-Charles

The TSW Wheel comes with a 5" clamp but if you need less Trev will make a shorter clamp for you. Right now I am waiting for a 2 1/2" clamp to arrive. Rick

I was wrong about the clearance under the desk for clamping the TSW. The clamp can be lowered to 3/4 inch however the bolt that keeps it in place is 3 inches long. However you could buy a shorter bolt and perhaps use a nut instead of a wingnut and it would probably fit in the one inch space. However it might not be very convenient if you intend to remove the wheel every time. Ken

>>How heavy is it? >Like 22 LBS!!! Do you mean the T2? The ECC CDS weighs 16lbs (wheel unit) and 12lbs (pedals) if I recall correctly. There is NO clamping facility because none is required. Lift this thing up with both hands and place it carefully on your desk! Stuart -- Stuart Booth ... Somewhere in Epsom, England, UK. You are welcome to distribute this message on the Microsoft Network. Why do some silly folk say you can't do so with their messages?

Quoted text (15 lines)

>>One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to >>clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk >>keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard >>drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is >>there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel >>doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's >>price tag is way out of reach. >>-Charles >How heavy is it? >Mark Kratzer Brooklyn, New York, USA >CompuServe: 73142, 3650

The TSW requires about 3 inches clearance below the desk for the clamp and goes in from the front about 4 inches. So, one way would be to attach a small piece of plywood to your desk that extends out about 4 or 5 inches and clamp the wheel onto the plywood. The TSW wheel console is about 22 pounds heavy, and while the ECC is supposedly about 25 pounds, it doesn't have any suction cups or clamp. I could not see using my TSW without a clamp even if it were 10 pounds heavier since in certain tight racing situations, the amount of force required to turn the wheel quickly would cause it to move, unless you always exerted a downward force on it. I've never used the ECC though so this is just conjecture on my part as to whether the TSW is better than the ECC in this regard. Dave.

I have the ECC wheel/pedal combo. With a very smooth lock-to-lock of 180 degrees, even in a panic turn the wheel unit does not move an inch on the desktop. It definitely does not need to be clamped down. A very nice change from the T1 I had before!

Quoted text (15 lines)

> >One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to > >clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk > >keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard > >drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is > >there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel > >doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's > >price tag is way out of reach. > >-Charles > The TSW Wheel comes with a 5" clamp but if you need less Trev will > make a shorter clamp for you. Right now I am waiting for a 2 1/2" > clamp to arrive. > Rick

For what it's worth, I have a T2 (which only weighs about 2 lbs), and I've used adhesive-backed velcro strips to hold it to my desk. The T2 has an L-shaped lip that hugs the front of the desk, so I put velcro there, and I put a couple of strips on the base and desktop. My keyboard sits on top of the velcro no problem when I'm not racing... The T2 doesn't move at all when racing, except for a millimeter or two horizontally. -- Neil Yeatman, Ajax, Ontario, CANADA Live music is better; bumper stickers should be issued! Neil Young - Union Man, from Hawks and Doves, 1980

Quoted text (29 lines)

>> >One question on the TSW: How much space do you need under the desk to >> >clamp the wheel (assuming it uses clamps)? I have an under-desk >> >keyboard drawer, and I have less than an inch between the keyboard >> >drawer and the edge of the desk. Is this enough to mount the TSW? Is >> >there another way to stick it to your desk? I know the ECC wheel >> >doesn't use any clamping mechanism, because it is so heavy, but it's >> >price tag is way out of reach. >> >-Charles >> The TSW Wheel comes with a 5" clamp but if you need less Trev will >> make a shorter clamp for you. Right now I am waiting for a 2 1/2" >> clamp to arrive. >> Rick >For what it's worth, I have a T2 (which only weighs about 2 lbs), and I've >used adhesive-backed velcro strips to hold it to my desk. The T2 has an >L-shaped lip that hugs the front of the desk, so I put velcro there, and >I put a couple of strips on the base and desktop. My keyboard sits on top >of the velcro no problem when I'm not racing... The T2 doesn't move at >all when racing, except for a millimeter or two horizontally. >-- > Neil Yeatman, Ajax, Ontario, CANADA >Live music is better; bumper stickers should be issued! > Neil Young - Union Man, from Hawks and Doves, 1980

I've just tried the adhesive-backed velcro strips with my TSW and works like a champ. The TSW also has L-shaped lip that hugs the front of the desk so I put 3 strips on top of the desk, just pop the wheel unit down and go raceing. Rick