PC Steering Wheel

[RichL]

Has anyone got any experience or reccomendations for a PC Steering Wheel?

I've never used them before, but my dad's got a fancy for one with the pedals etc.

[The PIT]

I've got a Microsoft force steering wheel (non usb) but Microshaft have never released software for win2k/xp for it.

[RichL]

My dads PC is running Win98SE now. After Win2k and ATI Radeon drivers gave me such gyp I flatined it and installed 98SE, then installed a 2nd hand Voodoo3000.
I must say, I'm very very impressed with the Voodoo 3000. I ran the 3dMark2001 Demo mode, and while its not quite a stunning and sexy as my G400max, its damn good in its own right and benchmarks at 3370 opposed to 3700 for the Matrox card.

[impact]

I had one. The pedals broke in the middle of an online firefight and my wonderful car sat there hopeless, bullets and rockets coming from all sides... not pretty.

[Technoid]

Kaboom......

[RichL]

Impact - Interstate 76?

[impact]

Hehe yes it was I'76.

After the breakdown and because I had already replaced the wheel once, I decided to not pursue this route again (getting it repaired or buying another one) and instead got a splendid F-15 like optical joystick. Expensive, but well worth the money.

[Tempest]

I have a non-force Microsoft Precision Racing Wheel using USB, it's cheap and has a plastic feel but is still excellent quality for the price IMHO, the precision is good and it is comfortably shaped. Some claim that the shifting buttons are too far away but they probably haven't realized that you can just push them inwards instead of pulling them towards you.
It's my second one actually, because the brake pedal in my first one broke when I was betatesting Motor City Online... But later I was thinking that it might've been because I used to grab the pedal to move the entire pedal assembly.

I've heard good things about the Act Labs Force RS, Mad Catz Andretti and Logitech Momo steering wheels too.

...or if your budget is limitless, maybe you want one of these:
http://www.thomas-superwheel.com
http://www.hyperstim.com/

[The PIT]

Forgot to mention my steering wheel keeps coming loose because the clamps can't tighten it up enougth.

[dave m]

I've got an Ultimate Per4ormer force feedback set up that I used to enjoy wrestling with before we moved house, though its now likely to still stay in its box, while I re-convert its destined home from computer room back to nursery/bedroom 3. The worrying thing is that the putative occupant of nursery/bedroom 3 is now 7 months old
To be fair to myself, we needed to do some fairly large building works to turn the computer cubbyhole into a real bedroom and to convert our garage into a utility room/study and this has finally been done. Sorry if I slipped off topic a bit there

Dave

[Paddy]

Turn the wheel around 180'

[Fat Tone]

I have the Guillemot FF ferari wheel. It's great! It's a perfect complement to the F1 sims.

If you don't want to use the pedals, then just don't connect them and use the extra levers next to the gear levers. It also has a conventional gear-stick for rallying etc, but unfortunately for me (in the UK) it is on the right of the wheel with no ability to move it.

T.

[Beezer]

I have the Logitech Formula Force GP. It works pretty well and the grip feels good. The main reason I choose it over some of the other models I looked at was that the clamping system was pretty staight-forward and had a low proflie -- my desk has a keyboard drawer that pulls out and the Logitech clamps don't get in the way of it.

Minor annoyances are:
After a couple of months it developed a bit of a squeak.
The clamps have to be tightend every 30 minutes.
The gas/brake pedals tend to migrate forward during extended play.

[xortam]

I was all hot to get a wheel when I was getting ready to buy my system three years ago. I read a number of articles and was drooling over the idea of an authentic simulated driving experience (tired of getting real world speeding tickets). I tried out a number of the latest wheels at the time and I was totally underwhelmed. The experience didn't even hint at what I was expecting/hoping for. I haven't heard of anything that's come out since that has gotten any closer to the feel of the real thing.