Another racing wheel question !! :)

OK, here is my sob story. As of now I have been racing with a borrowed gamepad/joystick. But I finally have worn down my parents and will be able to buy a racing wheel. My primary games are ICR2, N99, GPL, and other future stuff. I have $100 to spend on a wheel. Right now my systems specs are p-133, 80 mb ram, win 98, Herc Thriller 3d, sb16, 24x CD rom drive, and a 33.6 modem. When I ship off to college in August, I will be getting a brand new CPU. I need a wheel that will work with both my old and new cpu, and will last me through college with minimum problem for $100 or less. I had been eying the Thrustmaster line of wheels for their prices, but I am open to anything except Microsoft wheels. Please help me make a cost efficient decision as I am strapped for cash. Thank you very much Sincerely Mathew Coplan "Death" TRUSRS #85 http://simcrash.cjb.net

I've heard lots of posts about the reliability of some Thrustmaster wheels. I've been using a Logitech Formula (the one without force feedback) for about 6 months and can say that it's a well built wheel. Solid feel on the wheel and pedals (although the pedal travel is a bit on the short side). It was $129.99 Canadian, so you should be able to find it for less than $100 U.S. Goodluck!

How does it fare with dos, win98, papy games, etc..?

I've got a Wingman Formula and it's great for the bucks (about $65 online). It, like many new wheels, doesn't like pure DOS, though. As long as you run in a DOS box under Windows, it should be fine. Mine's worked fine under WIN95 with CART, GP2, N99, Viper, CPR, SCGT, CMR, and of course GPL. I think either the Wingman Formula or the ACT Labs RS are your best bets for the money. The Logitech has held up better than any TM wheel I've had before. Steve B. Remove "edy" from address for email

I stopped playing DOS games after I got my 3D card. While I will always have fond memories of GP2, I've had my fill of DOS graphics and haven't looked back. I'm using Win95B, but since it's a relatively new wheel, I'm sure it will work fine under '98 (or at least they will fix the drivers if there is a problem).

(although the pedal travel is a bit on the short side) Is that a killer in GPL or is it managable? I would have bought one of these wheels already but people in this ng said that with throttle and break help of the pedals were no good? So how bad is it really? ilmore

They're not that bad, really; I preferred their ergonomics to the ones on both the Thrustmaster Pro and SuperSport that I tried before getting the Logitech. They really DO need stiffer springs, but those aren't hard to find since they're simple coils. In the end, I just yanked the wiring out and plugged it into my CH pedals, which I already had and loved. This setup works great, and you still won't have much over $100 in it if you decide you can't live with the stock pedals. Also, the wheel can be made much better than stock with some simple mods, which you can check out on Alison Hine's website at: http://nh.ultranet.com/%7Ealison/gpl/controls-readers.htm Steve B. Remove "edy" from address for email

% My primary games are ICR2, N99, GPL, and other future stuff. I have $100 to % spend on a wheel. % Right now my systems specs are p-133, 80 mb ram, win 98, Herc Thriller 3d, % sb16, 24x CD rom drive, and a 33.6 modem. % When I ship off to college in August, I will be getting a brand new CPU. % I need a wheel that will work with both my old and new cpu, and will last me % through college with minimum problem for $100 or less. % I had been eying the Thrustmaster line of wheels for their prices, but I am % open to anything except Microsoft wheels. % Please help me make a cost efficient decision as I am strapped for cash. I would recommend the Thrustmaster Super Sport (MSRP $79.95 -- should find it for less at discount stores. I will work in DOS for any games/sims that will support separate axis for the pedals (ICR2, N99, GP2 do support separate axis). It can be configured for Windows games to use either combined or split axis for pedals. So far the only problem I have had with mine is having to clean the steering pot once and awhile. Any analog pot will need cleaning eventually. Thrustmaster provides excellent support for their products. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Thanx for the great info. But what are the differences between the Thrustmaster T1, T2,Grand Prix, Nascar Sprint, Pro, and super sport ?? I think the Thrustmaster line of wheels would be the most cost efficient for me. And what is the durability of these products? Would they last 4 years of college? I was also looking at the TSW2 wheel, but I don't think I could afford that. But would it be worth it to never go out again and buy the TSW2? Cause as I said I need osmething that will last 4 years. Thanx. Mat

I personally am a Thrustmaster Wheel ***...on one PC is a TM Grand Prix 1 bought for $20 (paddles on back of wheel, no pedals) and on the other is a 4-year-old T1 that cost about $90 in the return section of Incredible Universe. Both are great wheels; just keep replacing the pots and bungees and they work great. One of my friends went and cheated a little - used the GP1 and put on pedals from the T1. Has the brake as the left paddle, gas as right pedal - cheap split axis! -- Kirk Lane ICQ: 28171652 >>I've heard lots of posts about the reliability of some Thrustmaster wheels. >>I've been using a Logitech Formula (the one without force feedback) for >>about 6 months and can say that it's a well built wheel. Solid feel on the >>wheel and pedals (although the pedal travel is a bit on the short side). It >>was $129.99 Canadian, so you should be able to find it for less than $100 >>U.S. >>Goodluck! >How does it fare with dos, win98, papy games, etc..?

I have the GP1 and was wondering how u attach pedals to it? Capp

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> I personally am a Thrustmaster Wheel ***...on one PC is a TM Grand Prix 1 > bought for $20 (paddles on back of wheel, no pedals) and on the other is a > 4-year-old T1 that cost about $90 in the return section of Incredible > Universe. Both are great wheels; just keep replacing the pots and bungees > and they work great. One of my friends went and cheated a little - used the > GP1 and put on pedals from the T1. Has the brake as the left paddle, gas as > right pedal - cheap split axis! > -- > Kirk Lane > ICQ: 28171652 > >>I've heard lots of posts about the reliability of some Thrustmaster > wheels. > >>I've been using a Logitech Formula (the one without force feedback) for > >>about 6 months and can say that it's a well built wheel. Solid feel on the > >>wheel and pedals (although the pedal travel is a bit on the short side). > It > >>was $129.99 Canadian, so you should be able to find it for less than $100 > >>U.S. > >>Goodluck! > >How does it fare with dos, win98, papy games, etc..?

Get TM Super Sport for $79. It's got split axis and steel camshaft (very stable steering). And TM's customer support is a big PLUS :o) Tadej // gonna get one when T2 dies

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> OK, here is my sob story. > As of now I have been racing with a borrowed gamepad/joystick. > But I finally have worn down my parents and will be able to buy a racing wheel. > My primary games are ICR2, N99, GPL, and other future stuff. I have $100 to > spend on a wheel. > Right now my systems specs are p-133, 80 mb ram, win 98, Herc Thriller 3d, > sb16, 24x CD rom drive, and a 33.6 modem. > When I ship off to college in August, I will be getting a brand new CPU. > I need a wheel that will work with both my old and new cpu, and will last me > through college with minimum problem for $100 or less. > I had been eying the Thrustmaster line of wheels for their prices, but I am > open to anything except Microsoft wheels. > Please help me make a cost efficient decision as I am strapped for cash. > Thank you very much > Sincerely > Mathew Coplan > "Death" > TRUSRS #85 > http://simcrash.cjb.net

I have T2 from Thrustmaster (TM) for 2 years now. I had to open the pots twice and clean them, however the pots in the pedals worn out and had to be replaced. My wheel was out of warranty and I still got pair of new pots free of charge (I didn't even pay for the shipping). I also had to replace springs in the peddals. My T2 has got about 2000h of work behind it (3h per day avg. for 2 years :o)) IMO, this is what you're looking for about $100. TSW products are great, but their pots will wear out too sooner or later, but then you'll have to pay for them. It's up to you to decide. Tadej

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> >I would recommend the Thrustmaster Super Sport (MSRP $79.95 -- should > >find it for less at discount stores. I will work in DOS for any > >games/sims that will support separate axis for the pedals (ICR2, N99, > >GP2 do support separate axis). It can be configured for Windows games > >to use either combined or split axis for pedals. So far the only > >problem I have had with mine is having to clean the steering pot once > >and awhile. Any analog pot will need cleaning eventually. Thrustmaster > >provides excellent support for their products. > Thanx for the great info. > But what are the differences between the Thrustmaster T1, T2,Grand Prix, > Nascar Sprint, Pro, and super sport ?? > I think the Thrustmaster line of wheels would be the most cost efficient for > me. And what is the durability of these products? Would they last 4 years of > college? > I was also looking at the TSW2 wheel, but I don't think I could afford that. > But would it be worth it to never go out again and buy the TSW2? > Cause as I said I need osmething that will last 4 years. > Thanx. > Mat

> I think the Thrustmaster line of wheels would be the most cost efficient for > me. And what is the durability of these products? Would they last 4 years of > college? More like 4 months. They send out free spares, though (easy to replace, just got some parts for a T2 today). -- Anssi Lehtinen

% I have the GP1 and was wondering how u attach pedals to it? Most pedal units come with a built in "Y-connector". You plug the wheel into the pedal unit and the pedal unit plugs into the game controller port. For a detailed discussion of the GP1 (with CH pedals), refer to Alison's excellent web site. The direct URL for this discussion is http://www.nh.ultranet.com/~alison/sims/gp1.htm -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I am using the CH pedals with the GP1 and it works great ! Ive flipped the peddels upside down and propped them to a comfortable angle with an old cassette deck and I then placed a 3 inch thick piece of wood in front of the now upside down wheels for my heels to rest on. The cable from the CH pedals have a female and male ends - hence one gets connected to back ur PC and the female end for the wheel. Jude R.

Hi ! Ive used a Thrustmaster GP1 in combination with CH peddles for sim duty. Recently Ive seen at Price Club the Logitech Formula ( non force version) the price was affordable to go with the "feel" of the wheel. The pedals felt real cheasy however compaired to what my feet were used to stepping on. My question is : Has someone out there tried the Formula and CH pedal combo and made it work ? The other question would be wear and tear on the Formula. I read on the box that the shaft is steel but the demo felt loose - mind u this could be from kids yanking on it hard since its mounted, however, what about the pots in the wheel, are they are better quality than say the Thrustmaster wheels ??? Jude R.

Yes. Check out the article on gpl.gamestats.com/vroc. You can easily connect the CH Pedals to the formula. I've been using old T2 pedals with my Logitech Wingman Formula Force with much better enjoyment. Yes, so far that I've seen they are better quality.

Have you tried the Formula Force with F1RS or MGPRS2? -- Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes. cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com >Yes. Check out the article on gpl.gamestats.com/vroc. You can easily >connect the CH Pedals to the formula. I've been using old T2 pedals with my >Logitech Wingman Formula Force with much better enjoyment. >Yes, so far that I've seen they are better quality.

I have, and it's the only way I'll drive F1RS any longer. I had about given up on F1RS after GPL came out, but after I got the WFF, my interest in the sim was renewed. -don

Sorry, I cannot find the article. Someone could give me the full adress, please? Kalle

For a how-to on switching to CH pedals (easy) and other mods to improve the Wingman Formula, see my review at: http://nh.ultranet.com/%7Ealison/gpl/controls-readers.htm And be sure to visit http://www.wingmanteam.com for the latest drivers, version 3.20. As for wear and tear, I've had mine since they first came out and it's holding up fine so far, under near-daily use; no pot troubles or bits falling off. If the wheel feels loose, the nut that holds it on is likely a bit loose. Just pry off the center cap and snug the nut up a bit; don't over-tighten it or you might crack the PCB inside the wheel, and it only needs to be snug anyway. Cheers, Steve B. Remove "edy" from address for email

>Yes. Check out the article on gpl.gamestats.com/vroc. You can easily >connect the CH Pedals to the formula. I've been using old T2 pedals with my >Logitech Wingman Formula Force with much better enjoyment. How is that possible? The USB/Serial connection runs from the Logitech PEDALS, not the wheel. Joe