Thrustmaster or Fanatec - Xbox

[HustleRussell]

I want pedals and a wheel, not fussed about manual gearshift- but I want good ones, especially the brake pedal. The brake pedal should have good resistance and ideally should be top pivot.

I like the look of the Thrustmaster TX with T3PA pro pedals which would set me back nearly £500 new, however that's getting close to entry level Fanatec money.

I was expecting to find a load of second hand stuff on the net but for some reason there isn't a huge amount and what there is, isn't good value IMO considering the lack of warranty.

I am a bit worried that whatever I buy won't be forward compatible because I've been burned in the past with this.

Any advice / experiences? Feel free to PM me if you think you might have something suitable to sell

[Gary29]

Can't help with second hand stuff, but I've had the Thrustmaster and the CSL Fanatec stuff.

Fanatec is better in every way if you can stretch the budget slightly. Pedals are far superior.

My Thrustmaster wheel, T300RS, was good while it lasted, but failed, poor customer service meant I gave up on the brand and went with Fanatec instead.

My Fanatec stuff is less than 6 months old and barely used, and as we are expecting our first child in 2 months time, so maybe I should be considering shifting it on

Don't want a Playseat to mount it on do you?!

Edited by Gary29 on Monday 6th August 11:26

[HustleRussell]

I am starting from zero Gary, so all options to be considered!

I was planning to spend the money on the peripherals and then fabricate something for an expired racing seat I already have... however buying a complete ready to go package would get me up and running faster.

Perhaps let me know the spec of what you have and prices etc and I can have a think?

[Gary29]

This is the wheel package I have, I use a PC but this is designed for X-box so should be plug and play, I've got the load cell brake pedal, you can change the rubber bushings to alter the stiffness of the pedal.

https://www.fanatec.com/eu-en/bundle/product/csl-e...

And it's all bolted onto this:

https://www.playseatstore.com/playseat-evolution-a...

Which is two years old now but it is in perfect condition.

I'll have to have a think about selling it, I just invested in a Rift VR as well which is awesome, but not sure I'm going to have the time once the little one arrives.

[neilus]

I have the following Fanatec setup:

https://www.fanatec.com/eu-en/wheel-bases/csl-elit...
https://www.fanatec.com/eu-en/steering-wheels/club...
https://www.fanatec.com/eu-en/pedals/clubsport-ped...

The list price of this is ~1400 Euros (so over double the Thrustmaster) but I bought the pieces over the last two Black Friday sales they had for considerably less than this. I find the setup really good and you can adjust the stiffness of the brake pedal, you can also buy dampers and a performance kit to adjust the pedals even further.

@Gary29 - how do you find the playseat, the pedal mount seems to be similar to one the I have (can't remember the make) and I'm finding the plate flexes a bit under braking... this might be due to my pedals pivoting at the top rather than being floor mounted as I don't recall it being an issue with my old pedals but they didn't have quite the same stiffness.

[Gary29]

neilus said:

@Gary29 - how do you find the playseat, the pedal mount seems to be similar to one the I have (can't remember the make) and I'm finding the plate flexes a bit under braking... this might be due to my pedals pivoting at the top rather than being floor mounted as I don't recall it being an issue with my old pedals but they didn't have quite the same stiffness.

My fanatec pedals are bolted through the footplate on the playseat and then the entire footplate is also braced against the shelf of a cheap tv stand that the monitor sits on, so they do not move a millimetre.

I have tried it without the TV stand, and as I like a firm brake pedal it does flex slightly, definitely needs the additional support and it's solid now.

[HustleRussell]

I was planning to make a cockpit style jobby out of 3/4" MDF or similar to be honest, I have a nice race seat which came out of an Elan which I could use and even a pair of adjustable rails if I wanted to complicate it that far.

[neilus]

Gary29 said:

... as I like a firm brake pedal it does flex slightly, definitely needs the additional support and it's solid now.

Thanks, I'm trying to fabricate some form of brace to stop it flexing but my DIY skills are poor.

[JayK12]

I started with a Playseat, Logitech G920 which is a really robust wheel, I changed out the pedal springs for more feel. Then i did so much reading and ended up going for a Fanatec CSL Elite wheel and Clubsport pedals with a Trak Racer RS6, Finding its a great setup, don't think i will upgrade.

[HustleRussell]

Hope all went well Gary?

Still looking at used Fanatec setups, just thought I’d update in case you suddenly found yourself short of time to use your gear?