Today’s post is written by frequent contributor Andrew Granieri. Andrew is a Techncial Writer who lives with his lovely wife in Ohio. His Porsche 944 pulls double-duty as a summer track car as well as a venerable winter weather vehicle. Coincidentally, those are his two favorite driving conditions.

Andrew’s Review of the Fanatec GT2 Race Wheel

With Porsche’s blessing and license, Fanatec has created a product that can honestly be considered, the Porsche of simulation racing wheels. The detailing and craftsmanship shows their commitment to mimicking a real Porsche steering wheel. See below for a side-by-side comparison.

The Alcantara wheel feels comfortable to hold and the molded thumb grips feel so similar to the steering wheel from a 997 – and with good reason! The Alcantara wrapped around Porsche’s wheels and the Alcantara wrapped around Fanatec’s wheels comes from the same source. The attention to detail does not end with the steering wheel; take a look at these two shifters:

On digital film, Fanatec’s shifter on the left looks almost identical to Porsche’s shifter on the right. About the same size, had Fanatec made theirs with the same materials Porsche uses to produce their shifters, my hands would have trouble telling them apart. I can’t wait to go (virtual) racing!

Fantatec GT2 Wheel Compatible With Three Platforms

The GT2 wheel is the only wheel Fanatec currently offers that is compatible with three platforms – PC, XBOX 360 and PS3 – and it is the only wheel offered that is compatible with the XBOX 360. For those with racing games on more than one console, this is a great advantage because purchasing the GT2 Wheel – US goes further compared to the other racing wheels Fanatec offers; instead of buying one wheel that only plays on PS3 or another wheel that only plays on XBOX 360, the same wheel works on both consoles.

The views expressed are based solely on my observations of how the product behaved with me; I will try to prevent this from becoming a review of the racing games used to test the wheel and focus on the pros and cons of the hardware. However, I do note when certain games are more compatible with the race wheel’s features. For instance, not every racing game is compatible with every output feature the Fanatec wheel offers. Most games on X-BOX 360 are capable of sensing 120° of movement; the Fanatec GT2 racing wheel can output 900° of movement. In those games, the race wheel’s feedback to the console will not affect the car after exceeding a certain range of movement. Some older games are not compatible with the Fanatec’s six-speed manual gear shifter and the clutch pedal. To prevent my left foot and right hand from falling asleep during the review, I will not play such games with the race wheel.

Read the Fanatec Manuals

Assembling the wheel wasn’t too difficult. READ YOUR MANUALS! The wheel, pedals, shifters and wheel stand come with product documentation, so make sure you read it before you start playing! The helical shifter needs to be programmed for use, and had I not read the instructions, I would assume I was shipped a faulty part. With my wheel, pedals, shifter and stand installed per the included instructions, it’s time to begin.

First Impressions of the Fanatec GT2 Race Wheel

First, I drive around Road America in Forza Motorsport 3 on the X-BOX 360. While Forza 3 is a newer game, as I mentioned earlier, it cannot detect more than 120° of wheel motion, but it can use the clutch and six-speed gearbox. The wheel’s built-in LCD screen allows users to enter a “tuning” mode for the wheel, where aspects such as the force feedback sensitivity, ABS simulation motor engagement (The ClubSport pedals have a motor that vibrates to simulate ABS! Awesome feature!) and other features can be adjusted to get the right “feel” from game to game.

It’s important to experiment with these tuning settings, especially if you’re unfamiliar with a particular game. I thought the folks at Turn 10 would have programmed the game to accept wheels with more than 120° of motion, but after many missed apexes and off-road excursions, I dialed in the wheel’s sensitivity to 120° and noticed an immediate improvement in the virtual car’s response. After this adjustment, there was far more driving and less sawing hopelessly at the wheel while a virtual world spun around me.

In all honesty, I suspected the playability for games like Forza 3 would be greatly diminished from a lack of sensitivity (relative to the GT2 wheel’s output capability) but this was not necessarily the case. When I attended my very first High-Performance Driver’s Education class, I learned the importance of precise, controlled steering inputs. More often than not, if I found myself rotating the steering wheel more than 180° and crossing my arms to get through a corner, I was A) way off of the racing line; B) understeering like crazy; C) preparing to put the car in a terrible spin – or some combination of the three. This applies to virtual racing as well; the times I needed the game’s sensitivity to match the wheel’s output and the times I accidentally drifted/skidded/spun off the track coincided with one another consistently throughout my driving sessions.

Fanatec GT2 Race Wheel on the PS3 Console

After shutting off the XBOX 360, I connected the GT2 wheel to my PS3. I start playing Gran Tursimo 5. Let it be known now that due to licensing issues, Porsche Purists will be hard-pressed to find their favorite Porsche in this game or the upcoming Forza 4 release. At the time of this writing, a race-prepped Miata is still a little expensive for me, but I understand there are five RUF cars available for purchase as soon as I invest some healthy hours into racing through more of the game.

Gran Tursimo 5 accepts wheels and peripherals of all sorts, so in the options menu I let the game know what kind of wheel I intend to use and tune the wheel back up to 900°. I load a night race at Laguna Seca with my Miata. I don’t mean to deviate from my review of the Fanatec hardware, but WOW, great visuals! The sunset reflecting off of the car and track looks fantastic as I crest the corkscrew carrying too much speed, and as I slide sideways downhill, the GT2 wheel’s powerful force feedback motors fight to tear the wheel from my grasp.

Coupled with a decent surround sound system and a supportive chair, the Fanatec wheel does a great job creating a realistic atmosphere. When I started reviewing this product, I was curious to see if it would change how I usually play. Below is a typical shot of me hiding from my wife relaxing on a quiet evening:

Do Fanatec’s specialized race wheel, pedal assembly and shifter set change my attitude towards racing sims?

Let’s just say that now I’m more focused when I play Forza and Gran Turismo.

There could be a separate write-up to examine the advantages of practicing for track days with sim racing, but that’s a topic for another day.

I decide to play through some Time Trials and find myself lost in concentration, lap after lap. I’m not going through the motions, either. I’m scrutinizing my entry into each corner, trying to find the ideal turn-in location. I’m looking into the background to find reference points for my braking zones. I’m not worrying about shaving seconds off my lap times, I’m focusing on improving each corner, and modifying my race line with each successive corner as I carry more speed. I’m paying attention to the position of my hands, trying to limit my steering inputs whenever possible. I’m experimenting with which gear is ideal for each corner. I’m rotating the car with trail braking and throttle modulation. I’m driving. I’m playing a game. I’m playing a game with the seriousness and concentration that I’d bring to a Driver’s Education class, and I haven’t left my living room.

Four hours pass. I’m exhausted and have work in the morning, but part of me is still eager to continue playing throughout the week. There are corners to improve on and races yet to be won. There are driving behaviors I practice in real life, such as heel-toe downshifting, that were impossible to replicate with a handheld controller – but now I have much more than a controller in my hands. I want to practice elements of my driving behavior in games. And I can. This wheel is immensely satisfying to use.

Summing it All Up

I’d like to conclude the article with a summary of my experiences, positive and negative, with the Fanatec GT2 wheel, ClubSport pedals, shifter set and racing stand. As you can see, this product offers a lot of value and is exceptionally fun to use. However, there are some things you should know before you decide to purchase this wheel.

Fanatec’s products perform better than any other race wheels I’ve owned and used, namely, the Microsoft 360 Racing Wheel and Thrustmaster Ferrari wheel. However, Fanatec’s quality comes at a steeper price than those wheels. The setup I’m using – the Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel – US, Clubsport Pedals, RennSport Wheel Stand and Shifter set are $249.95, $199.95, $129.95 and $29.95 respectively. $609 is a lot of coin for a video game peripheral, even one that works across three platforms.

The Fanatec wheel has far more cords than the website’s images would have you believe. The pictures on the website do not accurately portray the number of wires necessary to power and connect everything I’m using. Here’s one of the pictures from their website that portrays a similar setup:

This concern should not deter readers from purchasing a Fanatec product but readers should consider where they’re going to use their wheel and be careful not to tangle the wires around the wheel or the pedals. A little investment in cord management will go a long way in improving the unit’s looks. Here’s mine, and yes, when I’m playing, it always looks at least this cluttered:

A Few Things to Consider

The one driving element I was most excited to have in my living room was the Helix six-speed shifter set. I am so tired of being limited to pressing buttons or flapping paddles when I played games, I was really excited for the shifter accessory. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the weakest element in my setup. The shifter itself is secured to the wheel by driving two metal poles through both the wheel and shifter components. Aesthetically, it is pleasing, but the shifter does not feel stable, period. This is because the two poles have a degree of flexibility, so each time I shift, the poles flex and pitch the entire shifter component back and forth, even when the shifter is tightly secured. This makes the setup feel cheap, which is incredibly frustrating [We felt the same way when we reviewed the original Fanatec Wheel and suggested a DIY fix toward the end of the review].

A variation on that theme, I had a similar problem with the wheel stand. The base of the stand is very solid, thick aluminum and steel construction. The wheel support can be tilted and locked at two different angles, 90° and 120°. I preferred keeping it locked at 90° but even with the locking bolt threaded tightly into the stand’s base, it rocked back and forth ever so slightly at the base. Of course, this motion translated to a good 4-6 inches of movement at the top of the wheel stand, where the steering wheel and shifter were secured. It was frustrating for me when I used the wheel because I felt compelled to pull and push the unit back into position with the wheel – which detracts from the atmosphere and the otherwise realistic nature of the product. The 120° slot does not suffer from this problem, but with the seating I have at my house, I could not find a comfortable position for the wheel and pedals with the stand tilted at that angle.

The GT2 wheel has a built-in wireless device to communicate with an XBOX 360, it lacks a similar device for PS3s. According to the Fanatec website, GT2 wheels are compatible with an RF Dongle shaped like a Porsche key for wireless PS3 connectivity. The dongle is available seperately for $29.95. I’m able to make do without the wireless connection because my couch is literally within four feet of our entertainment center, so I was able to plug the wheel directly into the PS3 without difficulty. People concerned with the wire clutter I mentioned earlier may see this as an exceptional value.

Fanatec Customer Services

The biggest concern with my wheel was its built in LCD display. This display allows users to navigate through a succinct tuning menu to optimize the wheel from game to game. My screen failed within 20 hours of game time.

This is a picture of the wheel sensitivity adjustment menu. At least, I think it’s the wheel sensitivity adjustment menu. If I’m correct, then the number should read 880, but with so many burnt out bars, I can’t honestly say. The missing sections made it very difficult to confidently navigate the tuning menu. For the amount of money needed to purchase just the wheel, I really expected it to last much longer than that. I contacted Technical Support for the wheel and was met with friendly people earnestly wanting to help right this wrong.

Initially, I was provided with a set of instructions explaining how to disassemble part of the wheel to diagnose my faulty screen. I explained I wasn’t comfortable taking apart the wheel and did not want to risk damaging the wheel further. I was linked to an RMA form and Fanatec sent a replacement wheel without further questions. I can only assume my wheel is the outlier in their production patterns, not the norm. After all, Porsche does not grant product licenses to just anyone.

What I Liked Most About The Fanatec Wheel

This is a great time to change gears and discuss the things I truly enjoyed about Fanatec’s products. First, I want to point out that my screen failure revealed something American buyers should consider. Fanatec is based in Germany. The wheels are built and sold in Germany. Their products aren’t like the cars we so enjoy; when your Porsche has a mechanical problem, you can take it to a nearby Porsche mechanic. As I understand things, if a Fanatec wheel breaks or malfunctions, you don’t get that luxury. The options are these: ship the wheel back to Fanatec for inspection or diagnose the wheel yourself, with guidance from Fanatec Technical Support. I don’t want to pay for oversea shipping to get a wheel diagnosed, but I respect the company’s position and really appreciated the fact that they respected mine.

I may not have been happy when I contacted Fanatec’s customer service, but they made sure I was happy when I left. There may have been a small language barrier between us, but everyone I communicated with from Technical Support seemed to speak English well enough, so long as I didn’t ask confusing questions within long-winded run-on sentences like this one I’m typing now. Thanks again, to everyone at Fanatec who helped me with my hardware issue.

The Clubsport Pedals were by far my favorite part of this setup! All-metal construction, noticeable differences between the resistance springs on each pedal, the ABS simulator on the brake pedal – all these features and then some contributed to a peripheral that felt both durable and realistic. Heck, these pedals are of a higher quality than the ones in the cars I drive on the road! I don’t want to jump into a tangent, but I have to say that there is an exceptional value when sim racing allows drivers to perform shifts, heel-toe downshifts, rev matches, and other more advanced driving techniques. The ClubSport pedals went above and beyond the expectations the wheel itself exceeded. Like a lot of these Fanatec products, the ClubSport pedals are very expensive; almost as expensive as the race wheel itself. I found they were worth every penny.

Fanatec GT2 Wheel is a Great Value

The wheel was also a great value. While not all-metal construction like the pedals, its overall look and feel are decidedly Porsche. With my race wheel experiences, I think the important thing to remember is you really get what you pay for. Three years ago, I purchased a new Microsoft race wheel and pedal set for 50 dollars from Amazon (They cost over $100 when they were initially released). Compared to the Fanatec wheel, the Microsoft offering is a plastic-coated heap of junk. Even on its own, the Microsoft wheel was unsatisfying to use. It looked, felt and behaved like it belonged in a dilapidated arcade hall. Out of the box, the wheel was tilted 30° off-center. No amount of recalibrating or re-centering was able to permanently fix it, either. The Fanatec wheel didn’t suffer from those problems.

Are the Fanatec wheel and its peripherals perfect? No. There is room for improvement, especially with the shifter assembly and the wheel stand. Combined, these two elements cost $150.00. Others may feel differently but I believe if I’m spending that much money on “nonessential” accessories for a premium simulation racing wheel, they should at least meet their functional expectations. Cumulatively, though, this product has been a joy to use, and the premium price of Fanatec’s wheel is matched with premium performance as well. I may have initially received a flawed wheel, but in the end Fanatec renewed my confidence in them and their products because after they were made aware of my situation, they acknowledged the issue and promptly took action. I can gladly and earnestly recommend this product to drivers looking for a great sim wheel. It looks, feels and performs better than other home-use wheels I’ve owned and used, as well as race wheels from some high-end driving simulators at a local arcade. I could write more about the wheel, but I just remembered there was something I needed to do today….

Happy motoring, virtual and otherwise! Today’s post was written by frequent contributor Andrew Granieri. Andrew is a Techncial Writer who lives with his lovely wife in Ohio. His Porsche 944 pulls double-duty as a summer track car as well as a venerable winter weather vehicle. Coincidentally, those are his two favorite driving conditions.

Editor’s Note: Fanatec is not a sponsor of PorschePurist.com and the wheel was purchased in order to review it. If you are interested in purchasing a Fanatec wheel we encourage you to do so through one of the links here in this post. By purchasing through one of these links, PorschePurist.com receives a modest affiliate commission that helps to defer some of our operating costs. Purchasing product via links on PorschePurist.com is one of the easiest ways to support our free site and newsletter. To learn more about how we support the site, please read our formal disclosure.

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Review of the Fanatec Turbo S Wheel

It’s no surprise that they can. In fact, many a driver we’ve spoken to discuss using various games on PlayStation and Xbox in order to familiarize themselves with a track they don’t have a lot of time on. Just this week, in a press release from Porsche Motorsports, Toronto native Marco Cirone, who will participate in the upcoming IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge on the Montreal F1 course, was quoted as saying,

“Fortunately, I have PlayStation II and it’s got the Formula One track on it,” said Cirone. “Believe it or not, it’s helpful! I’ve also downloaded some F1 videos – I’m trying to get the lines down and absorb as much as I can. It’s going to be a completely different experience when I get there, but at least I’ll know which way the track goes – and that’s about the best thing I can do.”

We plan on doing some extensive research ourselves in the coming weeks. We just ordered the new Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel and Clubsport Pedals and plan on comparing certain tracks on Forza, Need for Speed and Gran Turismo

Related Porsche Post
Can Driving Games Help Improve Your Track Skills?
iRacing, it’s so good it Stinks!
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That was the subject line of an email sent by a friend of ours just the other day. Some of you may remember Mike from his help reviewing the Fanatec Turbo Wheel and his amazing home set-up. If not, be sure to take a minute and read that post to come up to speed.

Anyway, Mike decided to sign up for a month of iRacing and the email below are his thoughts. Mike will tell you right out that he’s not a racer. What he is, is a world class gamer. So his review comes from that point of view.

“I can tell this is the real deal because I can’t keep my damn car off the wall. The experience seems very accurate but at the same time, very difficult. I figured out their problem….and yes, it is theirs, not mine. The delta between accuracy and overall experience is all in the seat of your pants. To properly control a car, real or dead-on accurate simulation, I need to rely on ALL senses. With iRacing I have my ears, (but the audio kinda sucks) eyes and tactile senses. The force feedback wheel enhances things a bit, but to truly control a car, you need to feel it in the seat. Feel the G’s. Feel the give of the car. Feel the torque so you know when it is about to break traction. Without that all you get is over-steer, slide, spin, grass, wall and finally a car with a gimpy wheel that handles worse than before. I think they were over ambitious with accuracy and forgot to consider the differences between a real car and a sim.

Games like the Need For Speed series, Forza, Grid and Gran Turismo give you a great simulation / gaming experience because they know it needs to be fun, so they make up for what you lack through more forgiving handling and driver assists while still giving you a good feel for car performance and track characteristics. I did learn something about myself as it relates to this. I do it for fun, and not necessarily for a challenge so iRacing is not for me. I found my line so to speak.

They do have a unique approach to this. It is every bit what real racing is. The logistics of race events are there. The ethics and expectations mirror real racing organizations, and the rewards and penalties are real enough to influence behavior. They have a code of conduct as if it were real-world, but use a demerit system against your license when you drive badly, risk yourself or others and cause damage. Points go against you and effects your ability to compete in certain events with other classes of driver. The level of detail all aims toward a professional experience both on and off track. [Most likely] a real racer would love this but might agree on my points of simulation vs. real.”

Mike’s review may sound negative, but in reality, it’s a compliment to the designers of the system and their intent to make it as true to life as possible. What say you?

How many of you are signed up with iRacing and what do you think? Does it truly give you the real feel of a race car? What are you using for a racing set-up? Force feedback wheel? More? Let us know because next week we’ll look at sim racing with a set-up as close to the real thing as possible from someone with hours and hours of seat time racing the real thing.

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Can Driving Games Help Improve Your Track Skills?

[Source: Mike Sirois and 993C4S]

With all the noise being made about the which car is faster around the ring, Porsche or Nissan, it’s about time someone stepped up to the plate with a solution that lets us determine the winner for ourselves. I offered up a different solution a few weeks back, but so far neither Porsche or Nissan seem to be biting.

In the interim, check out the latest shot at a solution from iMotor. Okay, so maybe it’s only a video game, and a simple one at that, but it works well and it’s fun for a couple of minutes while you pound the crap out of your keyboard trying to push your Porsche in pursuit of Godzilla around the ring.

Give it a shot and see what time you can post. Fortunately, the game moves quick and even a slow time should come in under 30 seconds. Thankfully, it’s not true to life from a timing standpoint. If it were, I can imagine a bunch of kids with bloody stumps for fingers as they bang away fighting for that sub 7:29 lap time.

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Just about a month ago I asked the question Can Driving Games help you Improve Your Track Skills? A few of you wrote in and said you thought that most definitely they do. One person suggested that it was a great way to learn a track (similar to walking a track prior to a race) and a few of you thought it might be good to help with eye hand coordination.

The question and post mentioned above was inspired by a few reviews I had read of a Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for PlayStation 3 and PC games. This wheel, created by the German company Fanatec (a subsidiary of Endor AG), realistically emulates a Porsche 911 Turbo wheel. After reading the reviews, I made it a point to reach out to Fanatec and Endor to ask a few questions while constructing my post. Much to my surprise Fanatec not only responded immediately, but they sent a unit along for me to test and review. So, while we all know that 993C4S.com is not about gaming and electronics, the fact that Fanatec’s wheel is an officially licensed product from Porsche allows it to fit in quite nicely.

Two Stage Review of the Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel

Upon receiving the wheel from Fanatec I made arrangements with a friend (thanks Mike) to set-up the wheel on his dedicated gaming system. Mike is a whiz with computers and the system he has set up to enjoy his favorite hobby (PC gaming/racing) has to be seen to be believed (more on this later). After conferring with Mike we both decided it would be best to do a “two-stage” review. The first stage (this one) consists of the set-up of the wheel, first impressions, pros and cons and initial recommendations. The second stage will be a longer-term review after both Mike and I have had a chance to use the wheel for a few weeks and really get a good feel for how it performs.

First Stage Review

Mike had just recently finished building a new gaming system dedicated specifically to PC Racing games. For all of the techies out there, here are some of the specifics on his new set-up:

• AMD Athalon X2 3.2 Ghz Dual Core
• 4gig DDR2 Dual Channel Memory
• Nvidia G-Force 8600 GTS Graphics Card
• Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS w/ 7.1 surround sound
• Logitech Momo Steering wheel (which has now been replaced with the Fanatec Porsche Wheel)
• 24” Dell Wide Screen LCD monitor
• Windows Vista Home Ultra
• Need for Speed ProStreet

Packaging: The wheel came extremely well packaged in a very attractive inner box. My only thought on packaging was why call so much attention to the outer box with all the Porsche branding. I come from an industry that doesn’t want to draw attention to what’s in the box (helps to reduce shrinkage/theft). As a result, our outer packaging is blank and we keep all our branding on the inner boxes. Blank outer boxes may reduce the amount of packages that get “lost” en-route for delivery (if it hasn’t happened yet, it will). Not a negative at all, just a suggestion. You can click on anyone of the thumbnails below for a full-size image.

Installation and Instructions: The Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel comes with a quick start guide in multiple languages. While it did allow us to get the wheel installed, we did find the need to refer, on a few occasions, to the support site that can be accessed at Fanatec’s web-site. For the most part we found the installation to be straight forward and easy to manage. Total time for set-up was about 30 minutes. I’m sure we could have cut this time easily in half, but we were taking notes and photos so that definitely extended our time.

First Impressions: Once installation was complete, and upon power up, the wheel self calibrates and self centers. The overall quality of this wheel is superb. It looks and feels exactly like a Porsche Turbo Steering Wheel. Thick cushioning on the wheel provides for excellent grip. The programmable/user defined buttons are all within easy reach and feel substantial upon actuating their movement.

The thing that immediately set this wheel apart from the competition was the force-feedback. It is outstanding! Not only does the wheel provide feedback in turns and bumps, you get a realist feeling for the road during acceleration and braking (something that is lacking on most other wheels). The only real complaints we have for right now have to do with the mounting. The wheel itself could use a stronger mounting mechanism and more importantly, the shifter is just way too unstable. Fanatec says they have fixed this with an optional wheel clamping system, but I think it should be included as standard.

Pros/What we liked.

• Everything is well packaged and easily found.
• Quick start instructions were/are enough to get the job done without the need for much else.
• Included USB stick (in the shape of a Porsche key) has most drivers available for easy installation. Anything not included can be found on the Fanatec web-site.
• Wheel self calibrates and self centers upon power-up.
• With only a power cord to spoil the view, the wireless set-up looks great.
• You can choose between powered by batteries or wired power for the pedals. Again anything that reduces the amount of clutter and wires around the PC is a big bonus.
• Three shifter choices. You can choose between paddle shifter, six speed manual shifter or an up/down ratchet shifter. We chose the six speed manual for a more life like driving experience.
• Shifter(s) can be mounted on left or right side.
• Quality of the wheel and pedal mechanism are excellent. The look and feel is superb to anything we’ve used including the Logitech Momo wheel it is currently replacing.
• The wheel vibrates under acceleration giving a very life like simulation as part of the force-feedback.
• The overall force-feedback of the wheel is second to none. The factory recommended settings seem to be spot on and really give you a good feel for the road.
• The clutch, brake and gas pedal are of life like size and have strong resistance for a good realistic feel.

Cons and Suggested Improvements:

• Spend a bit more time on the English translation. For the most part it was/is okay, but there are a few areas that don’t quite make sense and could use some editing. Not enough to stop us from getting the job done, but it was definitely noticeable.
• There was no Windows Vista driver on our USB stick. Again, it was no problem finding it on the Fanatec support site, but it should be included on the USB stick.
• The help function in our system set-up screen did not yet appear to be operational. I’m sure this will be live for the production version.
• The clamping system for the wheel did not fit the table we were using and we needed to make a modification for it to work. Even if it had fit, the clamping system is not strong enough to hold the wheel firmly in place. Fanatec has said that the production version will offer a “new clamping system as an “optional upgrade.” In my mind this should be included as part of the standard system as without a good mount, the whole driving experience is affected negatively.
• The shifter attachment is very unstable when using the six speed shifter. There is no way to clamp the shifter directly to the table resulting in a very unstable shifter under normal driving conditions. Same fix as above.
• We couldn’t find it, so if there is the ability to do so, let us know. But we felt you should have the ability to choose between either the paddle shifters on the wheel or the attached stick shifter.
• We had installed the pedals on a carpet. The pedal mount comes with very strong Velcro on the back (under the pedal). However, the clutch is so strong we felt it could use an additional length of Velcro along the front of the base. In fact, we went out to the local hardware store and bought a small piece and this made all the difference in the world. Fanatec will be adding some weight to the base plate to help with this, but the additional Velcro strip would be a nice touch at very little expense.

Next Steps

The plan now is to use the wheel for a few weeks and really get the feel for it. While the wheel does need some minor improvements (most of which we’re told have already been addressed) overall it seems like a great product and should be good for some vastly improved driving/gaming experiences. I’ll plan on posting the second stage of this review in two to three weeks time. If anyone has any questions, just let me know.

The answer just may depend on how your system is set-up. Most people I know complain that they lose all “seat of the pants” feedback when it comes to car racing simulators and video games. With the introduction of Fanatec’s Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel, that objection may just go away.

Fanatec’s Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel is an officially Porsche licensed product

Created by the German company Endor AG (That’s right, they are German too), the system artfully emulates a 911 Turbo wheel and much more.

According to a review by gamealmighty:

The wheel is comfortable to use and the perfect size for racing games. Many racing controllers come with wheels that look like they’re from a Fisher-Price toy, but the 911 Turbo Wheel is large enough to make subtle steering adjustments and won’t strain your arms even after hours of playing. If anything is going to make your arms tired, it’s the force with which the wheel will fight you on the default configuration. They weren’t kidding when they set out to make a great force feedback wheel, and the rumble and resistance in the 911 Turbo Wheel are some of the best I’ve ever found in a controller.

Combine the above mentioned advanced force feedback with 6 +1 H patterned gear shift, wireless, realistic clutch pedal with declining resistance and a pressure sensitive brake emulation and you have as close to “seat of the pants” feedback as a racing simulator can give you (unless you have the money and space to put something like this in your game room).

Lastly, for those of you wanna be Porsche owners, the Fanatec wireless USB receiver is built to look like a current Porsche key. I wouldn’t recommend putting it on your key ring as an attempt to pick up the ladies, but overall it’s a nice touch to start your racing experience by “turning your Porsche key” into your USB ignition on your PC or PS3.

The few cons that I am aware of with regard to this package:

• button on steering wheel are a bit flimsy
• shifter mounting solution could be a bit more sturdy
• you will need to reduce the force feed back if you use the wheel on your lap as the wings won’t hold it strongly enough

Cost for the Fanatec isn’t cheap, but neither is the experience. For $350 you get one of the best wireless controllers on the market. If you’re a real-world racer you get the added benefit of a life-like racing experience that may just give you that little extra edge next time your at the track. If it doesn’t, so what, you still have another great Porsche product to add to your collection.

In the coming weeks I’ll be doing a review of the many different driving games and simulators currently available. Let me know if there are any you want included.

List of Features:

• Original Porsche 911 Turbo steering wheel design
• Licensed by Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH
• Compatible with PC and Playstation 3
• 6+1 speed H-pattern gear stick
• Additional sequential gear stick included
• Wireless pedals
• Realistic clutch pedal with declining resistance
• Pressure sensitive brake emulation with soft-stop
• Turning angle can be adjusted in the wheel to 900°, 360° or 180° or in 1° steps
• Table clamps or lap wings to play in the living room
• Illuminated button symbols switch automatically between PC and Playstation
• Mabuchi RS 550 Motor as used in RC cars for force feedback
• Two additional force feedback motors for rumble effects
• Tuning ability with built-in LED display