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Review: The Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Wheel and Clubsport Pedals

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Shifters

Shifter KitThe Fanatec Shifter Kit comes with two separate shifter units — a 6-speed H-pattern shifter with reverse detent (the "7GS"), and a fore/aft sequential shifter (the "2GS"). The consumer can use either according to their preference, and although the two shifters can be switched out, the mounting method (described below) makes swapping them out a bit problematic. The shifters mount to the wheel via "chopsticks" — a pair of aluminum rods that pass through the wheel housing and the shifter, held firmly in place with friction locks in the wheel housing and the shifter base. Under a heavy hand the chopsticks can shift, causing the shifter unit’s rear end to rotate down a few degrees, but overall it’s a stable enough attachment for the sequential. Due to the more dynamic movement of an H-pattern rig, the chopsticks might not offer enough rigidity. As mentioned earlier, Fanatec also offers a Clubsport Table Clamp that the wheel and shifter bolt onto, which might provide a more stable base for the H-pattern.

The biggest downside to the shifter mount is that the friction mounting system used by the chopsticks is so robust that once I had the sequential unit attached, there was no easy or safe way of removing it. Therefore, there was no way to adequately test the H-pattern shifter. However, SimHQ staffer Magnum was able to test his PWTS with the 7GS H-pattern unit. He says that after installing the 7GS, FM3 didn't immediately recognize it. Magnum put the wheel into its programming mode and verified the shifter was properly calibrated. After cycling power to the wheel, everything worked fine, although Magnum found he had to re-calibrate the 7GS shifter before each use with the Xbox 360. He subsequently learned that the 7GS shifter won't be identifed if the wheel's Xbox Guide button is used to turn on the Xbox 360. Fanatec's fix is to start the Xbox 360 before powering up the PWTS. Magnum says that his 7GS shifter works just fine when using that procedure.

Introduction The Wheel Clubsport Pedals Driving Impressions, Conclusion Shifters, Rennsport Wheel Stand Reprogramming aside, Magnum likes the 7GS’s firm action and how it provides solid, positive feedback on gear selection with clicking sound. Overall the 7GS has a fairly realistic response for a gaming controller, and adds to immersion when he’s driving his favorite American muscle cars.

Like the PWTS wheel, the shifters also have a curious connector plug location. Using a short PS2 cable for connectivity, the shifter’s PS2 plug sticks straight down from the very bottom of its housing. While the shifter’s chopsticks provide some protection for the Wheel’s power supply and pedal cables, the shifter’s connector and cable are vulnerable and exposed, where a swipe of the knee or leg could damage it. It would be wise to never move in haste near your PWTS wheel.

Applications and Drivers

By the time all the wheel and pedal bits arrived, Fanatec had already released the 1.02 version of their drivers, which come in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. The 4MB files for the drivers were downloaded straight from the Fanatec Support page, and installed without a hitch. The GUI works through the standard Windows Game Controller interface, which detected the wheel and pedals separately, just as per their USB connection method. By selecting a controller and clicking the Properties button, the PWTS and CSP have their own separate testing and settings displays. Each was self-explanatory and offers settings for wheel angle, force feedback, and ways to test the function of the buttons and force feedback.

Wheel Properties
Pedal Properties

The drivers also come with a plug-in module specifically for rFactor. By dropping this file into your rFactor plug-ins folder, the LED display can be used to show a variety of in-game items such as gear selection or fuel remaining. All you have to do is engage the plug-in via a tab on the Fanatec driver GUI. Although I followed the instructions, the game would never allow me to activate this plug-in. The drivers always told me that the plug-in was not installed, even though it was. Oh well — one thing we learned from the Logitech G27’s LED display is that unless you are in a racing cockpit, you’ll never look down to see it. No big loss.

By the time this review went to press, Fanatec released a "660" firmware update to change the FF steps and adjust wheel response on-center, as well as a v1.04 drivers, which they say address some GUI inefficiencies in the v1.02 drivers. That said, rFactor and Richard Burns Rally both seemed to run just fine with the PWTS / CSP on Windows XP SP3 with a Core 2 Duo processor.

Connectors and Wiring

USB dongleFor work with the Xbox 360 and PS3, the Clubsport Pedals are daisy-chained to the PWTS via a PS2 cable. While you can use this PS2 cable for PC racing, the CSP also comes with its own USB connector port, allowing the pedals to be connected in parallel with any USB wheel.

Although Fanatec provides a wireless USB dongle for the PC, a wired connection is the preferred method for PC racing, as it allows for the highest data rates to relay controller positions to the game engine. Both the PWTS and CSP each come with a 6’ USB cable, more than adequate for most PC racing applications. And as we mentioned earlier, when the CSP are connected via their own USB cable, the Fanatec drivers can deliver pedal position updates in 1024 bit resolution to your racing game.

To be licensed by Microsoft as an Xbox 360-compatible force feedback wheel requires the PWTS / CSP combo to operate as a wireless controller only (which we’re sure is where a lot of the complexity and additional cost of the PWTS are to be found). With the CSP attached to the PWTS via a PS2 cable, the Xbox 360 mode of operation is initiated via the Xbox 360 Guide Button (the big green ‘X’), same as those found on ubiquitous Xbox 360 game pads. The wireless mode of the PWTS works very well, with no issues noted.

Rennsport Wheel Stand

Resplendent in black "crinkle finish" tubing and brushed aluminum foot plates, the Rennsport Wheel Stand is a robust and heavy (20 lb) piece of hardware that does its job well. The weight and geometry of the unit create a stable base for the Fanatec wheel and pedals, although there is an adapter for the Microsoft Xbox 360 wheel and the Logitech Driving Force line and Logitech G25 / Logitech G27. The wheel is mounted to a top plate via four bolts, making it very stable and sturdy. The mounting plate sits atop a telescoping arm and has an adjustable pivot point allowing for any desired wheel angle. When not in use, the unit folds down nearly flat for easy storage. To keep the wheel pedestal arm in the desired position, a large, hand-tightened locking knob/bolt is provided.

Once you’ve set it up, the Rennsport Wheel Stand provides a surprisingly rock-stable base for sim racing with a force feedback wheel. Whether the sim was rFactor, Forza Motorsport 3 or Richard Burns Rally, the wheel stand held the PWTS / CSP combo in firm position. In fact, it was more stable than the computer desk my Logitech G27 wheel is attached to. The best thing about the Rennsport Wheel Stand is its portability — in seconds it makes any living room or computer desk into an instant racing cockpit.

Power supply locationThe only three drawbacks to this product are first that with the wheel and pedals attached the entire unit weighs in around 40 lbs, making it a bit of a workout to stow away in a closet. The second is that the locking knob requires a fair amount of torque to keep that top-heavy wheel pedestal in position. Your hands may feel a bit tortured after locking the pedestal arm in place. The final downside is finding a place for all the wires and the PWTS’ AC Adapter Brick. This is no doubt why promotional photos of the Rennsport Wheel Stand curiously lack any cables whatsoever — any way you attack this problem, the outcome looks messy.

There’s no really tidy way of dealing with the cables and power supply, and their exposed placement creates yet another element of fragility for this otherwise fine product.

You can see some examples from the photos here of how I dealt with them, digging out my prized stash of Velcro cable ties and securing all the connector wires to keep them tight against the tubes and reduce the risk of hooking one with a foot or leg. Hopefully one of you will find an even better way of dealing with the wires and cables. Designed-in cable runs and power supply brackets would be a great addition to any future upgrades to this product.

Rennsport Wheel Stand

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