- 3,082
- Allen, Texas
- crispychicken49
- crispychicken49
I was one of the three (Sonac, sandboxgod, and me) to receive the CSR Elite Beta wheel from the poll over on GTPlanet. I don't have the wheel yet, but I will very very soon. As you can see, I'm very anxious! I hope everyone enjoys my reviews. (Especially the video, this is the first video review I've ever done. I can write though) I promise Mr Latte, I will take a whole lot of photos, I promise! 
The Game(s)-Forza Motorsport 4
Gran Turismo 5
Formula 1 2011
GTR2
In Game Settings-
FM4: ABS-Off
TCS-Off
SCM-Off
Line-Braking Only
View-Hood Camera/Cockpit
GT5: ABS-On
TCS-Off
SCM-Off
Line-Off
View-Bumper/Cockpit
F12011: Untested
Shift 2: Untested
NOTE**Some may have noticed that I have deleted GTR2 from my testing list, and inputed Shift 2. The reason for this is because FFB wasn't working properly, and Steering Sensitivity was quite high. I've had this problem with every wheel I've tested before (CSR Elite, GT3 RS, T500, Madcatz something or whatever) so I highly, highly doubt it's a problem with the wheel itself. Most likely due to GTR2 using Logitech's as their wheel brand of choice. I hope to head over to Blockbuster tomorrow, and rent F1 2011 and Shift 2. I will update my reports once I require an iRacing account and a sufficient PC to run it properly. (Soon)
The Review
Part 1: IntroductionCome by the fire my children, as I tell you a great tale of enjoyment, fun, music, and bagels. Lot's and lot's of bagels. Plus some Rolling Stones. I write this now, hoping to inform the community about Fanatec's new wheel, the CSR Elite. This is an Xbox/PS3/PC compatible wheel and it's officially licensed for the Forza Motorsport series, which if you don't know, is Gran Turismo's counterpart on the Xbox. This series is created by Turn10 specifically for the Xbox 360. Enough about Forza, on to the wheel. For a while now, Thrustmaster has owned the game in the ultimate console sim wheel. When the CSR Elite was first announced at E3 2011, we all knew it was time for a change. The Elite has taken on the T500 full force. Can it do it? Well for starters, it has two Force-Feedback motors, belt driven, with two additional vibration motors to simulate Engine revs and ABS. Then the wheel rim uses Carbon Fibre, which is much lighter than aluminum that the CSR wheel uses. This means that the FFB Motors can spin the wheel much faster, and be put on less strain. Then theres a pretty snazzy window where you can view the internals working while you play! Speaking of the internals, this time around it has major fans working to cool down the motors. I played for 4 Hours straight last night on Forza, and the wheel stayed incredibly cool during that entire time. This is truly an amazing piece of engineering. But how does it score? How does it go against the older Porsche Wheels? Well, that's what us Beta testers are here to find. So let's get started.
5/5
Force Feedback/Sensitivity-This is, for many, the most important part of the wheel, I mean it is what we pay for right? The FFB in this wheel is mighty different then any other wheel Fanatec has made. As I've mentioned, this wheel uses two Force Feedback Motors instead of one, which means more strength right? Well, it does, but not like you think. See, it's technically possible to use these motors to give more strength in the FFB, but that's not what they aimed for. What Fanatec went for with the dual Motors was to individually time each motor to act at a different time, or something very similar to that. Have you ever heard of the term cogging? If you haven't, cogging is the term to describe the mechanical steps the motor goes through. If you've used previous Belt driven wheels you can feel this in the wheel by the small skips you feel when turning. Since there are two motors in the Elite, you cannot feel the cogging at all. Of course it's still there, but the motors cog at different times, meaning you can't feel it. This creates perfectly smooth turning and countersteering. This makes it feel much more direct and connected to the car your driving, and makes it feel like the real thing, not a toy. It really is hard to explain, because you really can't understand how great it feels until you've tried it yourself. Another advantage of the small and light wheel rim is that is can spin much faster. This, combined with the smoothness, provides an incredible amount of realism to the wheel. (Just some thought, to those of you with the wheel right not, switch Damper settings to -3, and Drift mode to 5 and see how fast it moves. It's incredible!
I also want to mention something else here, it's a little smaller section that I haven't included in my previous reviews, but I figured I will include it. It's sensitivity. Most wheels currently on the market mount the sensor on the motors. Doing so creates lag through the motor motion, steering axis, and belts. With the Elite, they mounted the sensor on the steering axis itself. This means completely direct steering. No lag between internals at all, just pure steering. All of these things combined get it nearly a perfect score. The only thing holding it back is that it's not the strongest wheel out, but that really doesn't make you faster.
24.5/25
Day 2 Gone Sideways:My main difficulty with previous wheels was that it was really hard to drift, I mean really hard. Those wheels weren't as smooth, or light as the CSR Elite. So I changed the settings on the Elite on Drift mode 2, which is asking for your and to get cut off. No matter that, I figured I'd try and drift. Took a couple laps but after that I was banging out incredibly cool slides, burnin' rubber like an ADHD Sex Maniac. Twas the most fun I've had in a video game for a while. After that I set out online. Boy was I quick! Until I got rammed. But that just proves that all the bells and whistles this wheel has pay off in the long run, I can guarantee you will be faster.
A: That my friends is the power button.
Q:How bad or good is the cogging effect compared to the T500 RS?
A:The cogging effect isn't even their. This wheel is as smooth as possible.
Q:How fast the turning speed compared to the T500 RS?
A:I would say it's close, but the T500 is slightly faster.
Q:How strong strong is the FFB compared to the T500 RS?
A:I would say that this wheel is just as strong as the T500RS. (Harder to say as it's been a while since I've tried a T500.
Q:Which wheel is more precise, the CSR Elite or the T500 RS?
A:The Elite is much more precise, you can make adjustments down to the nanometer, so oval fans should be happy.
Q:Which wheel's steering feels more direct?
A:This one's a little harder to answer. Again, since it's been a while since I've used a T500, I can't say for sure, I would say though that the CSR Elite feels more connected, like your fully in control of the car.
Q:Does the dual motors in the wheel drive one belt assembly with two belts, or each drive its individual belt?
A:From what I can tell, there are two belts. One very thin one, and one thicker, main belt. The thicker belt is powered by both motors.
Q:How prominent are the vibration motors in the wheel? Has this improved over previous Fanatec wheels that you know of?
A:There is definitely a difference, whether you will notice it in the heat of the moment depends. I can tell you that they are more powerful than before. Either that or they are just more noticeable.
Q:Does the PC software allow more control features over the wheel compared to previous wheels and which ones?
A:(Answered Wrong on the first go) The PC Software doesn't allow anything different from the previous Porsche Wheels.
Q:What are the dimensions of the FM Logo on the center of the wheel?
A:1.6 inches in height, 1.6 inches in length.
Q:What are the full dimensions of the wheel?
A:Wheel - diameter: 30 cm
Wheel base - width and depth: 23 x 16 cm
Wheel - weight: ~ 2.5kg
(Taken from www.fanatec.de)
Q:Now that you've tested the CSR Elite and compared it to the best wheel you own personally, are you planning on keeping the CSR Elite or will you return it to Fanatec? If you keep it what are for yourself the main reasons for keeping it, or in other words what made the decision for you?
A:I plan on purchasing the wheel. My main reason is the Xbox Compatibility, however, if this wheel was PC/PS3 compatible only, I would still keep it. The wheel feels much more precise than my GT3 RS, and the FFB is much smoother and stronger as well. Now I'm not saying my GT3RS isn't good. That wheels my baby, it introduced me into the world of competitive Sim Racing, and I can never forget that.
Q:As a regular Forza player do you use simulation steering post patch.
A:Yup, I still use Simulation Steering.
Q:If so what wheel and settings did you use (GT2 CSR etc). If the answer is yes you would know of the linearity issue present that makes the TDC of the wheel over sensitive. This is a software issue as far as I know. I use 20 LIN to dial this out.
A:I use multiple settings.
Setting 1: Sensitivity-900 FFB-70 Sho-70 Drift-1 ABS-46) I use this setting for Road Cars with 6 Speeds.
Setting 2: Sens-900 FFB-70 Sho-90 Drift-1 ABS-57 Accl-On) This I use for cars with Paddle Shifters. It allows me to use Auto Clutch to get as fast, while still having a realistic feel.
Setting 3: Sens-540 FFB-60 Sho-60 Drift-2 ABS-55 Accl-On/Off) This is for Race cars mostly. It allows for quicker turning then my other settings, as well as lowered FFB to prevent Spins in some of the LMP's.
Q:I have read however that the Elite does not suffer from this issue when set to LIN 0.
A:Nope, it doesn't suffer from this promblem, the sensitivity is very normal.
Q:I can't for the life of me work that out. Could you clarify.
A:When I first got the wheel on Friday, it came with Firmware 706. (Production Models will come with 715) I was sent via E-Mail the Firmware 715. I couldn't figure out how to update it, so I played Forza post-patch with 706. found it harder then it should be to control the car, it would spin and lose control all of the time. I thought it was me getting used to Forza with a wheel. When I figured out how to update the firmware, I hoped back on Forza with the 715. It was an incredible difference. You would be punished if you screwed up, but rewarded for being a good driver. The change was immense, and I can't really describe it in words. It must be felt 1st Person. (I imagine Thomas has plans to release this to all Xbox wheels.)
Q:When the CSR-E has ACL on do shifts on the sequential shifter or 6 speed shifter engage the auto clutch?
A:Yes, you can use any shifter compatible with the wheel using Auto Clutch. It can help for knowing the gears of the 6-Speed.
Q:Are there any table clamps that come with the wheel?
A:No, there are not. I would strongly recommend the Clubsport Table Clamp if your afraid of drilling holes into something.
Q:Are the SHO options a lot stronger? It will only do what the software allows I suppose but has Thomas cranked it up a bit?
A:Pre-715 they were about the same as current wheels, afterwards however it's much much different. The vibrations (Keep in mind this is at SHO 70) are enough to cause the wheel to turn about 2-5 degrees side to side very fast, something I haven't noticed in any wheel so far.
Q:Oh Shift 2 suffers FFback drop outs. A simple pause and unpause will bring back the effects. Do you have this game to check out? Also FF isn't bad in this for a console.
A:Tomorrow I'm going out to rent Shift 2 (and F12011) to check them out. I will update this answer once I've done extensive testing.
The Game(s)-Forza Motorsport 4
Gran Turismo 5
Formula 1 2011
GTR2
In Game Settings-
FM4: ABS-Off
TCS-Off
SCM-Off
Line-Braking Only
View-Hood Camera/Cockpit
GT5: ABS-On
TCS-Off
SCM-Off
Line-Off
View-Bumper/Cockpit
F12011: Untested
Shift 2: Untested
NOTE**Some may have noticed that I have deleted GTR2 from my testing list, and inputed Shift 2. The reason for this is because FFB wasn't working properly, and Steering Sensitivity was quite high. I've had this problem with every wheel I've tested before (CSR Elite, GT3 RS, T500, Madcatz something or whatever) so I highly, highly doubt it's a problem with the wheel itself. Most likely due to GTR2 using Logitech's as their wheel brand of choice. I hope to head over to Blockbuster tomorrow, and rent F1 2011 and Shift 2. I will update my reports once I require an iRacing account and a sufficient PC to run it properly. (Soon)
The Review
Part 1: Introduction
The Feel of the Wheel-
On previous Fanatec wheels, they were modeled after their Porsche equivelints. Materials like Alcantara and Leather were used. With the CSR line, Fanatec went for a race look, so with the CSR Elite, only grips on the side are Alcantara, everything else is a Matte Black Plastic, which actually looks pretty good. In the center is a Forza Motorsport logo, which I wasn't a big fan of when I saw it in photos. Having it in person is a different story. I quite like it actually. It gives character, and adds a nice look when next to the Carbon Fibre. Speaking of Carbon Fibre, all of the spokes of the rim are real Carbon Fibre. It helps add to the race style it was going for and it's definitely a nice touch. The buttons are also finished off quite well. The Xbox's A,B,X,Y are black with the letters outlined in their respected colors, and they have a nice good firm feeling when you push them. The D-Pad included also has a great feel. It makes it easy to surf the menus or adjust tuning options, which are a nice cool blue LED from the CSR. Every button is nicely colored, has a good firm feel, and is within reach when your in the heat of the moment. The Carbon Fibre is a beautiful touch, and the FM Logo is quite the snazzy piece of artwork. The Alcantara grips provide great traction on the 3 and 9 positions, helping you race quite a bit. Overall, I think the feel is dead on perfect!5/5
Force Feedback/Sensitivity-This is, for many, the most important part of the wheel, I mean it is what we pay for right? The FFB in this wheel is mighty different then any other wheel Fanatec has made. As I've mentioned, this wheel uses two Force Feedback Motors instead of one, which means more strength right? Well, it does, but not like you think. See, it's technically possible to use these motors to give more strength in the FFB, but that's not what they aimed for. What Fanatec went for with the dual Motors was to individually time each motor to act at a different time, or something very similar to that. Have you ever heard of the term cogging? If you haven't, cogging is the term to describe the mechanical steps the motor goes through. If you've used previous Belt driven wheels you can feel this in the wheel by the small skips you feel when turning. Since there are two motors in the Elite, you cannot feel the cogging at all. Of course it's still there, but the motors cog at different times, meaning you can't feel it. This creates perfectly smooth turning and countersteering. This makes it feel much more direct and connected to the car your driving, and makes it feel like the real thing, not a toy. It really is hard to explain, because you really can't understand how great it feels until you've tried it yourself. Another advantage of the small and light wheel rim is that is can spin much faster. This, combined with the smoothness, provides an incredible amount of realism to the wheel. (Just some thought, to those of you with the wheel right not, switch Damper settings to -3, and Drift mode to 5 and see how fast it moves. It's incredible!
I also want to mention something else here, it's a little smaller section that I haven't included in my previous reviews, but I figured I will include it. It's sensitivity. Most wheels currently on the market mount the sensor on the motors. Doing so creates lag through the motor motion, steering axis, and belts. With the Elite, they mounted the sensor on the steering axis itself. This means completely direct steering. No lag between internals at all, just pure steering. All of these things combined get it nearly a perfect score. The only thing holding it back is that it's not the strongest wheel out, but that really doesn't make you faster.
24.5/25
Daily Updates
Day 1 First Impressions: Today was the first day I've actually had time to race with this wheel. I did a couple races without the Firmware update, and a couple with. Same car/Track Combination as well. I must say, this wheel is incredibly fast! You lose the end with the #1 SX4 and you best be prepared for that wheel to whip right around at insane speeds. Strength is also a good feature. The power of this wheel is immense, which helps it in the speed category. It's also ultra precise. You move the wheel a nanometer and it'll be registered. A lot of people complain about cogging with other wheels. Thanks to two FFB motors that dreaded cogging effect is no longer! This wheel is really smooth. It never breaks smoothness. Day 2 Gone Sideways:My main difficulty with previous wheels was that it was really hard to drift, I mean really hard. Those wheels weren't as smooth, or light as the CSR Elite. So I changed the settings on the Elite on Drift mode 2, which is asking for your and to get cut off.
No matter that, I figured I'd try and drift. Took a couple laps but after that I was banging out incredibly cool slides, burnin' rubber like an ADHD Sex Maniac. Twas the most fun I've had in a video game for a while. After that I set out online. Boy was I quick! Until I got rammed. But that just proves that all the bells and whistles this wheel has pay off in the long run, I can guarantee you will be faster.FAQ
Q: What is the yellow button above the Xbox Guide button?A: That my friends is the power button.
Q:How bad or good is the cogging effect compared to the T500 RS?
A:The cogging effect isn't even their. This wheel is as smooth as possible.
Q:How fast the turning speed compared to the T500 RS?
A:I would say it's close, but the T500 is slightly faster.
Q:How strong strong is the FFB compared to the T500 RS?
A:I would say that this wheel is just as strong as the T500RS. (Harder to say as it's been a while since I've tried a T500.
Q:Which wheel is more precise, the CSR Elite or the T500 RS?
A:The Elite is much more precise, you can make adjustments down to the nanometer, so oval fans should be happy.
Q:Which wheel's steering feels more direct?
A:This one's a little harder to answer. Again, since it's been a while since I've used a T500, I can't say for sure, I would say though that the CSR Elite feels more connected, like your fully in control of the car.
Q:Does the dual motors in the wheel drive one belt assembly with two belts, or each drive its individual belt?
A:From what I can tell, there are two belts. One very thin one, and one thicker, main belt. The thicker belt is powered by both motors.
Q:How prominent are the vibration motors in the wheel? Has this improved over previous Fanatec wheels that you know of?
A:There is definitely a difference, whether you will notice it in the heat of the moment depends. I can tell you that they are more powerful than before. Either that or they are just more noticeable.
Q:Does the PC software allow more control features over the wheel compared to previous wheels and which ones?
A:(Answered Wrong on the first go) The PC Software doesn't allow anything different from the previous Porsche Wheels.
Q:What are the dimensions of the FM Logo on the center of the wheel?
A:1.6 inches in height, 1.6 inches in length.
Q:What are the full dimensions of the wheel?
A:Wheel - diameter: 30 cm
Wheel base - width and depth: 23 x 16 cm
Wheel - weight: ~ 2.5kg
(Taken from www.fanatec.de)
Q:Now that you've tested the CSR Elite and compared it to the best wheel you own personally, are you planning on keeping the CSR Elite or will you return it to Fanatec? If you keep it what are for yourself the main reasons for keeping it, or in other words what made the decision for you?
A:I plan on purchasing the wheel. My main reason is the Xbox Compatibility, however, if this wheel was PC/PS3 compatible only, I would still keep it. The wheel feels much more precise than my GT3 RS, and the FFB is much smoother and stronger as well. Now I'm not saying my GT3RS isn't good. That wheels my baby, it introduced me into the world of competitive Sim Racing, and I can never forget that.
Q:As a regular Forza player do you use simulation steering post patch.
A:Yup, I still use Simulation Steering.
Q:If so what wheel and settings did you use (GT2 CSR etc). If the answer is yes you would know of the linearity issue present that makes the TDC of the wheel over sensitive. This is a software issue as far as I know. I use 20 LIN to dial this out.
A:I use multiple settings.
Setting 1: Sensitivity-900 FFB-70 Sho-70 Drift-1 ABS-46) I use this setting for Road Cars with 6 Speeds.
Setting 2: Sens-900 FFB-70 Sho-90 Drift-1 ABS-57 Accl-On) This I use for cars with Paddle Shifters. It allows me to use Auto Clutch to get as fast, while still having a realistic feel.
Setting 3: Sens-540 FFB-60 Sho-60 Drift-2 ABS-55 Accl-On/Off) This is for Race cars mostly. It allows for quicker turning then my other settings, as well as lowered FFB to prevent Spins in some of the LMP's.
Q:I have read however that the Elite does not suffer from this issue when set to LIN 0.
A:Nope, it doesn't suffer from this promblem, the sensitivity is very normal.
Q:I can't for the life of me work that out. Could you clarify.
A:When I first got the wheel on Friday, it came with Firmware 706. (Production Models will come with 715) I was sent via E-Mail the Firmware 715. I couldn't figure out how to update it, so I played Forza post-patch with 706. found it harder then it should be to control the car, it would spin and lose control all of the time. I thought it was me getting used to Forza with a wheel. When I figured out how to update the firmware, I hoped back on Forza with the 715. It was an incredible difference. You would be punished if you screwed up, but rewarded for being a good driver. The change was immense, and I can't really describe it in words. It must be felt 1st Person. (I imagine Thomas has plans to release this to all Xbox wheels.)
Q:When the CSR-E has ACL on do shifts on the sequential shifter or 6 speed shifter engage the auto clutch?
A:Yes, you can use any shifter compatible with the wheel using Auto Clutch. It can help for knowing the gears of the 6-Speed.
Q:Are there any table clamps that come with the wheel?
A:No, there are not. I would strongly recommend the Clubsport Table Clamp if your afraid of drilling holes into something.
Q:Are the SHO options a lot stronger? It will only do what the software allows I suppose but has Thomas cranked it up a bit?
A:Pre-715 they were about the same as current wheels, afterwards however it's much much different. The vibrations (Keep in mind this is at SHO 70) are enough to cause the wheel to turn about 2-5 degrees side to side very fast, something I haven't noticed in any wheel so far.
Q:Oh Shift 2 suffers FFback drop outs. A simple pause and unpause will bring back the effects. Do you have this game to check out? Also FF isn't bad in this for a console.
A:Tomorrow I'm going out to rent Shift 2 (and F12011) to check them out. I will update this answer once I've done extensive testing.
