Recommendation on first DD wheel? Upgrading from G29

[Sassanid]

I've been using a G29 for 2 years and honestly have been very happy with it for a $250 first wheel. No complaints at all for the price, but I feel like the time has come to upgrade to something better.

My budget for a DD bundle is around $600-700. I mostly race GT cars, drift and just cruise in road cars so I think a round wheel would be best at first. Would also like a clutch pedal and shifter but handbrake isn't necessary right now. Not sure if Moza or Fanatec is the best way to go in 2025 but happy to hear all suggestions. Thanks

[eqalidan]

İlk olarak Asid tarafından gönderildi:

I would take a good look at the issues at Fanatec, which have been there for a while. Issues with drivers, firmware and customer service. Go on their official forum for an idea.

Fanatec got taken over by Corsair recently but people still having issues.

I have Fanatec equipment.

the worst of fanatec issues should be dealt with due to new management, the whole threatening to sue people because of their own ♥♥♥♥ up on sending stuff out. other issues should be dealt with in time

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak goblueteam tarafından gönderildi:

That simagic GT1 steering wheel does look nice I really like there quick release, not sure if it actually comes with the clutches on the steering wheel
but that would be pretty cool def looks better than my cheap fanatec csl wheel rim still 309$ dang thats a lot haha.


I actually started with a thrustmaster tmx, its not to bad for a entry into sim racing but it really is lacking in speed especially often to correct a slide.
I was actually fighting against the wheel base because I just turned it so much faster. I was able to tune it and get really nice detail in my opinion for what it was.

So a really big thing is the way the wheel feels in your hand the tmx is super small(same with g29) and thin and basically a hard plastic with cheaper rubber on it, my rubber is almost worn off completely (1000 hours on it)lol
(my fanatec bmw csl rim grips are not worn at all yet really and has more hours now also is much bigger and thick feels really good in the hands still plastic and has developed a crack 6 months ago)
I also did do a ball bearing mod upgrade on the tmx that kind of helped smooth it and speed it up a bit. I still have the tmx as a backup and it was just my first wheel base so I dont really want to get rid of it maybe ill try it out sometime to compare.

I also killed the thrustmaster tmx pedals within a week and upgraded to the thrustmaster TLCM load cell pedals t3pa at the time was out of stock. This was when the load cell pedals released like 5 years ago or something lol still on the same pedals but they went up in price now from 200 to 250$ so not as good of a deal these days.

I had a t300 between the tmx and fanatec csl dd 8nm and the t300 was pretty nice very smooth and almost silent a huge idk upgrade in quality feel much heavier feeling the wheel rim felt stronger still a little smaller and thinner than my fanatec wheel rim though.

The t300 was pretty nice and felt fairly strong it did have a issue after about a 30-40 minutes the power would go down about 10-20%, the fanatec csl dd 8nm did not feel like a massive step up to me at first I was actually a little disappointed, but after I got it dialed in and setup on a more solid stand it was much better.

5nm is worse than 10 nm because basically you just have to try and squeeze the same amount of data into a smaller range more or less making it so you have to turn up the low end forces to feel them at all or clip out and have a kind of dead wheel through the corners when its clipping out on the strong forces.

Some games have a nice FFB meter that shows you the trace of what forces are coming through and also has a line showing the forces that go over and dont get through because your base is clipping or not capable, you can adjust your settings so nothing goes past that clipping line but your compressing everything down to fit in that low range and kind of sacrificing detail and distinguishable difference's in the forces, and once your base is clipping nothing else is going to register, so it basically lets you dial in the feed back much better because you just have much more range to play with.

I think Raceroom has this nice FFB meter built it helps you kind of understand whats happening its also free to play a few cars and tracks on steam if you have not tried it.

Also strong FFB its not exactly needed FFB just can help there are people that run really low ffb and like it that way and are still super fast. I think the load cell brake is maybe going to gain more time on track but idk I think it does make it a little easier to save a slide and keep the car in control with a higher nm base.

Ahh I guess getting the T300 in between the old wheel and your new CSL DD probably dampened the initial difference in feel because you had something in the middle. I've always heard positive things about the T300, but for a first wheel I told myself $400 was a bit much for me. You should definitely keep it as a back up wheel for a rainy day and only get rid of it if you really have to.

As for FFB, with the limited research I've done in the past couple weeks, I think 8-10nM is the sweetspot for a hobbyist sim racer like me. I'm still researching every day to see if any other wheels out there are also good contenders alongside the csl dd, r9 and alpha mini. This thread has been extremely helpful and I feel more confident I'm buying the right thing for my price range.

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak eqalidan tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Asid tarafından gönderildi:

I would take a good look at the issues at Fanatec, which have been there for a while. Issues with drivers, firmware and customer service. Go on their official forum for an idea.

Fanatec got taken over by Corsair recently but people still having issues.

I have Fanatec equipment.

the worst of fanatec issues should be dealt with due to new management, the whole threatening to sue people because of their own ♥♥♥♥ up on sending stuff out. other issues should be dealt with in time

Do you know what exactly all the the controversy was about? I always thought of Fanatec as the most successful and and popular sim hardware company in the world. It's interesting reading they've had these problems and another company buys them out

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak MrGrrnjeans tarafından gönderildi:

Sassanid- i am very happy with my fanatec csl dd+. Good luck with whichever setup you select. Happy racing and have fun.

Thank buddy, good to know. I keep seeing the odd scare story here and there, I think someone mentioned overheating? But honestly when thousands of customers give a product an average score of 4.5-5 stars, then obviously it's a decent product and overwhelming majority is happy. Like with anything there can always be issues, nothing in this world is perfect.

İlk olarak Asid tarafından gönderildi:

I would take a good look at the issues at Fanatec, which have been there for a while. Issues with drivers, firmware and customer service. Go on their official forum for an idea.

Fanatec got taken over by Corsair recently but people still having issues.

I have Fanatec equipment.

Thanks for the heads up, I'lm watching endless reviews every day to make sure I order the right wheel and not one that has any issues currently in 2025. But even if I do go for the CSL DD, if there's any issues I can always refund it.

Truth be told my heart (not my wallet) is heavily leaning towards Simagic right now. I know they're a bit more than Fan/Moza but my god their wheels and pedals are just pure art

https://shop.simagic.com/cdn/shop/files/1_01272969-f33b-45bc-8932-62cc156eaa01.png?v=1689927936&width=713

https://shop.simagic.com/cdn/shop/files/1_091e7958-ab42-4acb-9a81-d736523f913e.png?v=1689928600&width=713

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak FerSantander tarafından gönderildi:

That Cammus wheel is weeeird weird thing

I kinda agree. I love the idea of a 5-7nm DD wheel where the wheelbase is actually part of the wheel itself for $250! That's a bargain. But I'm just not a fan of the actual wheel design.

But if I was looking for my first wheel and was on a low budget under $300, the C5 would 100% be my first choice.

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak Michael tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Sassanid tarafından gönderildi:

I've been using a G29 for 2 years and honestly have been very happy with it for a $250 first wheel. No complaints at all for the price, but I feel like the time has come to upgrade to something better.

My budget for a DD bundle is around $600-700. I mostly race GT cars, drift and just cruise in road cars so I think a round wheel would be best at first. Would also like a clutch pedal and shifter but handbrake isn't necessary right now. Not sure if Moza or Fanatec is the best way to go in 2025 but happy to hear all suggestions. Thanks

Moza R5 bundle is really good. Especially if you're going on a desk. The clamp is rock solid.

A lot of people say the pedals are crap but that's certainly not my experience - they are a ton better than the pedals in logitech gear based wheels. Sure, they don't have a loadcell, but if you're putting them under a desk then a load cell will tip up or slide when you try to brake.

If you have a rig and a big budget, then sure, get 10nm or so, loadcell a £400 wheel - but you'll pay your budget for the wheel just on the rig, and then at least twice the money for the hardware.

For something that's under £500 and not made of plastic - The R5 bundle is brilliant. And it's just a huge step up from gear based ffb. Smoother, quieter, stronger

Thanks, it's really great that we have all these options at all these different price points, ranging from a few hundred dollars all the way up to something like Rogan's $70,000 motion rig. It's good that there's literally something for everyone. The R5 or R9 is definitely on my radar.

I'm turning into a toilet paper advert but you get the idea

[Quick☢420™]

İlk olarak Sassanid tarafından gönderildi:

I've been using a G29 for 2 years and honestly have been very happy with it for a $250 first wheel. No complaints at all for the price, but I feel like the time has come to upgrade to something better.

My budget for a DD bundle is around $600-700. I mostly race GT cars, drift and just cruise in road cars so I think a round wheel would be best at first. Would also like a clutch pedal and shifter but handbrake isn't necessary right now. Not sure if Moza or Fanatec is the best way to go in 2025 but happy to hear all suggestions. Thanks :lunar2019piginablanket:

Hey m8, DD is not the only way to go. The guy I bought my Csw2.5 from tells me he regrets selling it to get a DD wheel, he plays iRacing mostly and he actually tried to buy the wheel back from me and even went as far as offering his new Fanatec DD even trade for the csw he just sold me,lol. I'm not telling you not to get a DD wheel, but if you see a csw2.5 out in the wild for cheap they are fantastic and mine is 8nm so pretty hefty too.

[sebo]

İlk olarak Asid tarafından gönderildi:

I would take a good look at the issues at Fanatec, which have been there for a while. Issues with drivers, firmware and customer service. Go on their official forum for an idea.

Fanatec got taken over by Corsair recently but people still having issues.

I have Fanatec equipment.

Please.. what exactly are the issues? a few things you've read about, or are you speaking from experience?

what are these driver/firmware issues? surely something you read about, but have zero experience with. I've upgraded my drivers and firmware numerous times over the years and zero issues. if anything FFB probably has ♥♥♥♥♥♥ better.

And as for customer service issues, while i have never needed to contact them, i am pretty sure they're still a lot better and above average compared to those other brands out there.

it's easy to bark and complain about something, but it doesn't mean it's wide spread. for ever loud mouth having a bad experience, there's probably thousands without any problems.

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak sebo tarafından gönderildi:

I can't speak for other brands, so you're going to have to dig around, but the Fanatec CSL DD is cooled passively due to its design. it's basically a giant heatsink, and its body also helps dissipates heat. so it should not have issues. a friend of mine own one and said it gets just a little warm in the summer. their units are very rigorously tested internally for a long time.

Thanks, good to know I don't think I'll have any overheating issues with any of these 3 wheels as my sim sessions rarely ever go over an hour before I need a break

[Sassanid]

İlk olarak Quick☢420™ tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Sassanid tarafından gönderildi:

I've been using a G29 for 2 years and honestly have been very happy with it for a $250 first wheel. No complaints at all for the price, but I feel like the time has come to upgrade to something better.

My budget for a DD bundle is around $600-700. I mostly race GT cars, drift and just cruise in road cars so I think a round wheel would be best at first. Would also like a clutch pedal and shifter but handbrake isn't necessary right now. Not sure if Moza or Fanatec is the best way to go in 2025 but happy to hear all suggestions. Thanks

Hey m8, DD is not the only way to go. The guy I bought my Csw2.5 from tells me he regrets selling it to get a DD wheel, he plays iRacing mostly and he actually tried to buy the wheel back from me and even went as far as offering his new Fanatec DD even trade for the csw he just sold me,lol. I'm not telling you not to get a DD wheel, but if you see a csw2.5 out in the wild for cheap they are fantastic and mine is 8nm so pretty hefty too.

'Ello m8, thanks for the recommendation. Just read this..

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fanatec/comments/pbpjvw/csl_dd_vs_csw_25_review/

Seems like they are very similar according to this user. Did you friend say exactly what he missed so much about it that he wanted to buy it back? Maybe the ergonomics didn't feel right, same thing this reddit post said. I guess they're so different in shape that once you get used to one, it might be hard to switch to another idk

[sebo]

İlk olarak eqalidan tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Asid tarafından gönderildi:

I would take a good look at the issues at Fanatec, which have been there for a while. Issues with drivers, firmware and customer service. Go on their official forum for an idea.

Fanatec got taken over by Corsair recently but people still having issues.

I have Fanatec equipment.

the worst of fanatec issues should be dealt with due to new management, the whole threatening to sue people because of their own ♥♥♥♥ up on sending stuff out. other issues should be dealt with in time

people have been threatening to sue them even before Corsair when they were (still?) having logistics issues due to demand and keeping things in stock and having to wait a few weeks/month for their gear.. i think this is/was their biggest "issues" people wanting things that are in high demand and then raging about it on Reddit.. Going absolute mayhem over it is hilarious.. must be the same people buying and then complaining about EA.

[Sassanid]

Anyone have any experience or heard about the CAMMUS DDWB 15Nm?

15nM DD wheelbase for $500 which is a whole 5nm more than the Alpha Mini for the same exact price.

Currently watching these..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN3ATPJMs7E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxT2QHz3rx4

[eqalidan]

İlk olarak Sassanid tarafından gönderildi:

Anyone have any experience or heard about the CAMMUS DDWB 15Nm?

15nM DD wheelbase for $500 which is a whole 5nm more than the Alpha Mini for the same exact price.

Currently watching these..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN3ATPJMs7E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxT2QHz3rx4

I would personally only consider other brands instead of cammus the moment you need an actual wheel base, product ecosystem matters and cammus wants to charge prices like that, hey need to actually have the eco system to match, in terms of how it feels to race, 12 is all you need, with 22 being if you want to simulate power steering failures.

if cammus has traction and expands their ecosystem, it would probably be very worthwhile but a moza r12 bundle comes to the same price as cammus with wheel (I assume a wheel doesn't come with the 15 and that's a separate purchase otherwise what's the point of the c12) and I just personally have more faith im mozas warranty and their echosystem is far more robust than cammus at the moment.

[sebo]

don't start chasing NM's.
only thing I've heard about cammus is they were caught a few months back using bots to post/spam fake reviews. honestly, sometimes cheaping out can be more expensive in the end, I'd be weary..

[eqalidan]

İlk olarak sebo tarafından gönderildi:

don't start chasing NM's.
only thing I've heard about cammus is they were caught a few months back using bots to post/spam fake reviews. honestly, sometimes cheaping out can be more expensive in the end, I'd be weary..

you have gear driven which is equal or better than belt, belt just happened to have companies who made them put stronger motors on them and it was also a fair bit quieter, then you have entry direct drive where you are at about the same power output as gear and belt

then you have 5nm which is a big upgrade because its more or less where direct drive starts to show you what it can do, 8nm is where you can drift cars in sims and transfer as good as possible to irl so immersive is an understatement, 12 is about where all the force you would ever normally feel is, and above that its more about detail you are going to get out if it.

personally, I wouldn't take a cammus c5 or c12 as a forever wheel, most of the people here will upgrade their wheel base or move to a newer one when prices come down for quality, dd use to be fully diy, then it became 2000-3000$ and now its down at price points that you really question if gear or belt driven should even be a consideration for a new wheel. that's about what I see the c5 and c12 as, stop gaps to something better/to an ecosystem that is well supported, if cammus has that by the time I move away from the c12 when I get it, ill stay with them, but I believe we will have turtle beech as a new player if they don't drop trying to get into wheels and they may be the one that will make controller emulation in their software stack, but probably fannetech/moza/simagic will be what I move to personally, but im willing to sit on a c12 for a number of years to see where the market heads for dd