Racing wheels and disability (Might teach me to drive stick safely)

[SouthpawHQ]

I have Cerebral Palsy, my question to any of you with a racing wheel already is if the stick shifting with something like the G27 is close to the real thing. I drive automatic IRL because I was afraid I'd never master a stick shift due to my condition... and part of me wants to get over that fear and give it a try. I'm getting this game, and I've decided to get a G27 racing wheel which I do plan to learn how to drive using the stick. Will it help me get over my concerns about real cars? Or is the experience not close enough to merit such a thought process?

[Danny Wilde]

Hi Dude,

plz use Thrustmaster ;-))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDgzei2uruc

[tommytuc79]

the g27 with Euro Truck Simulator 2 will help you learn how to use the gears well and good luck with your quest

[Mahjik]

There are only a handful of your normal street cars, as most of the cars will be racing cars or supercars with paddle shifting. With that, the cars which do use H-pattern shifting do it well. What you will lack compared to the real world isn't really depending on the software, but your hardware. The G27 pedals by default are very light so you don't have much pedal feel. I have a G25 and have upgraded my pedals using the Nixom springs:

http://www.nixim.com/

It does provide better pedal feel, but they are still a little far from the real thing. However, Project CARS (and other sims) will at least allow you to get the sequence of events together for manual shifting, but again, you won't have the clutch engagement feel of a real car.

[cid1]

I use the G27 and the TH8A shifter,but the stock G27 shifter will do the job great also. I got the th8a mostly for the sequential shifting,and the great build quality. And to answer your question,Yes i do believe using the G27 will help you get used to a real shifter,specially regarding the timings etc.

[WildKarrde]

I use the G27, with all stock parts, as well as drive a manual transmission E30 every day. The G27 feels more like the NA Miata I used to drive. It's pretty realistic, as far as short throw shifters are concerned. I learned how to drive MTX on cars first, but I imagine if you learned how to drive on the G27 first, it'll save you a lot of clutch wear on your first car.

[tvrhellspawn]

Not played pcars yet. So can only comment on games I have used the g27 h shifter with. That being euro truck sim 2 and AC.

I would say yes you could learn a stick shift in principle, but as compared to real life you are missing the forces and vibration. Clutches are about the biting point, and how aggressively or slowly you let them out, while also dependant of the level of throttle or revs you have or are applying at that point. With a clutch you can pull away in many different ways, and you have a much higher level of control over the car as compared to an auto.

I have found on sims, it feels very much on or off as there is no feeling just the visual indication of movement on screen. I also find my self slipping the clutch, again due to lack of feeling. But the level of immersion makes it as close to real life as I have ever experienced.

I'd go for it, hopefully it can help you achieve your goal. If it works for you I'd get in a manual car asap, as it's no substitute for the real thing.

good luck

[MOV r0,r0]

The stick shift behaviour with stick shift cars is just as unforgiving as in real life - but without all the real-world consequences. Is that what you're looking for?

To encourage your practice you can initially reduce the slider for AI performance so you win a few races early on. Later when you get good you can go online choosing manual shift only cars and win against able bodied people who got stuck on paddle shift because they couldn't be bothered learning manual stick shift!

Later still, maybe you can have a real career in real touring cars just like Nic Hamilton :)

[Cpt. Crazy ©™]

To answer your question in short: Yes, it will help you get down the thought process. However real life has a lot more than a game, as a real car has a grab point, and it is the small margin of pedal you have to use in a real car whereas most games (haven't played Pcars yet) are very forgiving and allow you to basically drop the clutch each time.

[SouthpawHQ]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. I picked up my G27 racing wheel (Got it for just over $200) and will be messing around with various games until Pcars releases. At which point I will likely live stream my experience if anyone wants to watch me struggle.

might even get iRacing

[Cpt. Crazy ©™]

Good luck man. Hope you overcome!

[JakDan]

Good luck in your endeavour (or endeavor if you are in the US) Southpaw Gamer.

It's good fun to drive manual but a lot harder to be fast, missed gear changes are quite frequent.

I have a Thrustmaster H-shifter on my left for driving right hand cars and a G25 H-shifter on my right for left hand drive cars. Crazy or what!

[SouthpawHQ]

If I had the money I'd have gone for the Thrustmaster GT500 + clutch... but in canada that would cost me roughly $900 vs the $200 I paid for the slighter lesser G27. If I really get into it who knows, but right now the logitech will suite my needs. I'm going to consider dedicating a lot of my streaming time to race sims as I get better. I just tried my first race using the H-Shift + clutch and it wasn't pretty....

[JakDan]

The advantage with the Thrustmaster T8RS gear shifter and the G25 shifter is you can have them in sequential mode, unlike the G27 shifter, and many cars in pCars are sequential gear change. You could always buy a T8RS shifter on its own (depending on cost again)

[SouthpawHQ]

Originally posted by JakDan:

The advantage with the Thrustmaster T8RS gear shifter and the G25 shifter is you can have them in sequential mode, unlike the G27 shifter, and many cars in pCars are sequential gear change. You could always buy a T8RS shifter on its own (depending on cost again)

Will I not be able to use the shifter that came with my G27?

[Mahjik]

The G27 doesn't have a sequential mode. It will work just fine for H-Pattern and there are cheap ways to have a sequential mode on the G27 (using rubber bands).