DFGT Gran Turgismo Paddle Shifters

  • Thread starter trk29
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I am just letting you guys know what is going to happen using this mod. The DFGT shifter buttons were not designed for this application. I am by no means a bumbbling fool and take good care of my toys. Stuff happens and I thought ya'll needed to know about it. Thats all.
@R1600 If you save your money and spend it wisely you too can afford a T500. See ya, Vince
 
Thanks for you insight Vince, but I still have the question regarding whether or not you busted your paddle buttons using this exact same mod.
 
VINCE__
I am just letting you guys know what is going to happen using this mod. The DFGT shifter buttons were not designed for this application.
Click to expand...

Says who? You? So you were the guy that actually designed the DFGT? No, you're not. So you don't know. You're only assuming, which is opinion and in no way fact.

VINCE__
@R1600 If you save your money and spend it wisely you too can afford a T500. See ya, Vince
Click to expand...

I'm saving money for a car and to move to Texas. I have no spare money for expensive gaming stuff. Besides, if I can make the GT Academy finals using a DFGT that works just fine for me, a Thrustmaster just doesn't seem worth the money.
 
Coxis, I fabricated mine from aluminum plates. Attached with self tapping 1/4" screws. It worked great for the short lived time span. So the mod you speak of is very much the same concept besides the materials used.

@R1600 I sure hope you are not trying to start a flame war here! I reckon you are probably the best driver here on the GTP forums and know everything. What you fail to understand is I am simply lending words of advice and you are trying to bust my balls for doing so. I have read over some of your posts here and why do you try to contradict the things people bring up? Mainly the ideas others have that don't agree with your train of thought. Just a tad of egotisticism?
 
VINCE__
Coxis, I fabricated mine from aluminum plates. Attached with self tapping 1/4" screws. It worked great for the short lived time span. So the mod you speak of is very much the same concept besides the materials used.
Click to expand...

So you fabricated your own and broke your wheel, that means all paddles, whether better designed than yours, will do the same? The guy who designed these uses them on his own DFGT and had tested them with many different people. We understand your warning, there are risks anytime you mod equipment. With proper care, myself and others are willing to take that risk. Thanks for the advice though.
 
mcfizzle
So you fabricated your own and broke your wheel, that means all paddles, whether better designed than yours, will do the same? The guy who designed these uses them on his own DFGT and had tested them with many different people. We understand your warning, there are risks anytime you mod equipment. With proper care, myself and others are willing to take that risk. Thanks for the advice though.
Click to expand...

No, not at all. I mean that the contact button is not very strong and I do believe they will wear out over time with the stronger force from the added leverage. Dude it's your wheel do what you wish. Just trying to give a heads up. You are very welcome for the advice though.
 
VINCE__
Coxis, I fabricated mine from aluminum plates. Attached with self tapping 1/4" screws. It worked great for the short lived time span. So the mod you speak of is very much the same concept besides the materials used.

@R1600 I sure hope you are not trying to start a flame war here! I reckon you are probably the best driver here on the GTP forums and know everything. What you fail to understand is I am simply lending words of advice and you are trying to bust my balls for doing so. I have read over some of your posts here and why do you try to contradict the things people bring up? Mainly the ideas others have that don't agree with your train of thought. Just a tad of egotisticism?
Click to expand...

So wait, you actually screwed into your paddles? No wonder they broke. :rolleyes:

You're NOT lending kind words of advice, you're being a troll. If you don't plan on purchasing these paddles, then why are you even in this thread? Please go elsewhere. Your advice holds no ground in this thread because you actually damaged your wheel by screwing into the paddles, which this mod does not.

You are working your way closer to being on my ignore list, and I have reported you.
 
Come on, I don't think he's trolling. If anything, at the beggining he was providing non-constructive criticism. :P

Vince, I think the way your mod made contact with your paddles is what actually busted them, but with these paddles there is a very light pressure from what you can see is a regular spring, perhaps a little bit stronger than what you'd find inside a floppy disk. Thanks for the advice, but I sincerely doubt these paddles will have the same outcome. It's just a piece of plastic against another piece of plastic, with a piece of tape on the button to prevent damage.

I think I'll order them as soon as I get a job. Whenever that is. :(
 
R1600Turbo
So wait, you actually screwed into your paddles? No wonder they broke. :rolleyes:

You're NOT lending kind words of advice, you're being a troll. If you don't plan on purchasing these paddles, then why are you even in this thread? Please go elsewhere. Your advice holds no ground in this thread because you actually damaged your wheel by screwing into the paddles, which this mod does not.

You are working your way closer to being on my ignore list, and I have reported you.
Click to expand...

Report me all you wish. I am not trolling. In fact I was trying to help. You my friend however have made it to the top of my crap list and the top of my patience. You would not know if a concerned member was trying to help you if they showed up with a T500 as gift for you. On topic, if you did the research you would see that a 1/4 " screw has another 1/2 " of travel before it makes contact. I am done with you R1600, nothing but negativity only brings out chaos in the outcome.
 
Here is my opinion/review of the Dynamic Paddle Shifter(DPS)-200 for use on my Driving Force Pro:



I ordered the DPS-200 for my Driving Force Pro last Wednesday, they shipped Thursday, and I received them yesterday. Overall, the process was very easy from start to finish. The DPS is designed for use with the DFGT, not DFP, so I e-mailed Kevin from granturgismo asking If the set was compatible with my wheel. He had not tested with DFP so he was unsure and offered me a discount and full refund if they didn't work properly as long as I sent him pictures and gave him my opinion.

Once the paddles arrived I was impressed with how well they seemed to be designed. They seem to be sturdy enough to take a beating and it looks as though smart parts such as the spring could be replaced easily enough if it failed. Before installing I have to line the paddles up with my wheel to be sure they fit properly as the back of the DFP is different than the GT. With the GT, the concave portion of the paddle lines up perfectly with the steering column on the wheel. This makes putting the paddle in place much easier than DFP.

I had to line paddle up with the wheel, to see where I wanted the screw to press against the original paddle button on the wheel. I chose just inside the lip of the paddle button, and this seemed to line up nicely with the cross arm of the wheel. Once I did that, installation was as simple as cleaning the wheel paddles with alcohol swabs, placing the protective tape on the wheel paddle, and then pressing the DPS onto the spot I chose. It took less than 5 minutes from start to finish. The DPS lines up nicely with the wheel, with no parts sticking out that shouldn't, and in my opinion adds the look of the wheel.

I have taken two cars for a spin so far with the DPS installed. First was a couple laps around HSR for Week 23 of the WRS. I found shifting to be very easy, requiring very little pressure, and was able to match times I posted earlier in the week. As Vince said earlier, it really doesn't require much pressure to shift with DPS and I could see how pressing to hard could damage the shifter button. I would recommend not pressing the DPS until you are in-game so you know how little pressure it takes to shift. This morning I ran 4 laps on Nüburing Type V circuit with the RM IS F. Again shifting was very easy and in a few instances, I was able to shift during a strong turn where my hands would have normally been in an awkward position with the wheel paddles. I was able to place my hands on the wheel the way I normally would without the paddles getting in the way. I had no missed shifts, double shifts, or other shifting issues.

Overall, I am very impressed and satisfied so far. The DPS looks nice on the wheel, and was very easy to use straight away. They didn't take any getting used to on the wheel. With an adjustment to the screw, I was able to find a very comfortable hand position for me and for that reason I recommend the DPS-200 so you can set the distance to your liking. Overall, I am very happy so far and would recommend these to anyone with DFGT or DFP and is interested in these. Eventually I will be upgrading to a T500 but having these will help hold me over a little more until then.

IMG_1997.jpg

IMG_2014.jpg

IMG_1996.jpg

IMG_2009.jpg


Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.
 
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Would it be possible to cover the paddles with the wrap on Carbon Fibre or even paint them black? dont like the see through design at all.
 
These look good.

I had my heart set on a DFGT until they had one out on display in Game. I grasped the wheel and was very excited, but then I reached to change gear and what a disappointment, the buttons were rubbish and cheaply made and a bit further towards the centre of the wheel than I would have liked.

Those buttons combined with the pedals made me go upmarket, but before I tried the buttons I was prepared to sacrifice the pedals for significantly cheaper cost. That was before I was aware of these paddles.

A DFGT with this mod and some sort of brake pedal mod, with some grippy more comfortable material on the wheel would probably make it on par with a G25 without the shifter/clutch.
 
I just think that the quality might be pretty bad. isent it just better to use some homemade metal shifter look a like think and some glue?
 
Greisen
I just think that the quality might be pretty bad. isent it just better to use some homemade metal shifter look a like think and some glue?
Click to expand...

Quality is really good, all the plastic bits are machined really well. And no, a homemade kit using "glue" isn't going to work. Believe me, these are worth the money.
 
VINCE__
No, not at all. I mean that the contact button is not very strong and I do believe they will wear out over time with the stronger force from the added leverage. Dude it's your wheel do what you wish. Just trying to give a heads up. You are very welcome for the advice though.
Click to expand...

I have modified my DFGT in the same manner that you are talking about. made my own aluminum paddles and bent them and mounted them so they fit the way I liked. I mounted them with two layer of 3M double sided foam tape. It's about 1/8th inch thick with the two layers and final securing was by way of one small screw(not self tapping)and nylock nut through a pre-drilled hole in the existing paddle/button whatever you want to call it. They are very secure and the layered up tape results in giving some cushoining to protect the button inside.

However, before I did this mod I checked it out to see what was behind the original paddles. And I have to disagree with you, those buttons may be small but they are very sturdy. I pressed it with my thumb when the wheel was apart with quite a bit of force to see if it would damage it cause I was thinking the same as you. Did this several times thinking if it goes I could still send the wheel back under warranty before I modded it. They only push so far and bottom out. My opinion is you would have to grab my paddles with 4 fingers and squeeze with quite a bit of pressure either breaking the plastic part of the button a crushing the casing to break it.

I believe yours simply malfuctioned, unlucky, and it just so happened to be around the time you did the paddles. I did mine the 1st week I had the DFGT and have had mine on for about 2 months now and no problems, no double shifts, nothing, and I love them. They are a 100% improvement to the DFGT. Shortly after I did the bungy cord trick to both pedals and also added some foam rubber under the brake pedal. Again 100% improvement and for a little over $100 have a wheel that is completely fine with me and probably approaching a G25/27 for less than half the money. Is it as good as a T500, probably not, but do I think the T500 is worth $400 more than this even if I had the money to spend on it. Hell no!!!
 
Well mine where delivered yesterday and they are well made, I see what folk say about the spring though its not very strong. Not fitted yet as was looking to cover in carbon wrap but they have a nice shamfered edge so will be difficult, so will get some black paint for them instead at weekend. Currently just started using the standard paddles to get used to manual shift.
 
Mark,

I copied and pasted this info for you from youtube comments hope it helps.



Hi all

I ordered a set of these paddles, (I'm in the UK) there was a slight defect with the set that meant I could not use them properly, I informed Kevin via email and he didn't hesitate in sending a replacement set, free of charge! Great service!

The new set are now fixed to my DFGT wheel and I love them!

I am thinking of spraying my set either black to match the wheel or in silver, Kevin can you recommend what the best paint to use will be? Many thanks!
cPIP36 11 hours ago

@cPIP36

Krylon fusion paint works perfectly. Please just paint the back side. I know it sounds backwards, but trust me, it will look great and not wear off. Let the color show through the clear; it will leave a nice finish on the the side you see . Tape off the front face so you don't get any over spray because this paint has a chemical reaction that will not clean. I painted a set red to match the dial on the wheel and they look very nice. I hope this helps and thank you!
 
skrigs
Mark,

I copied and pasted this info for you from youtube comments hope it helps.



Hi all

I ordered a set of these paddles, (I'm in the UK) there was a slight defect with the set that meant I could not use them properly, I informed Kevin via email and he didn't hesitate in sending a replacement set, free of charge! Great service!

The new set are now fixed to my DFGT wheel and I love them!

I am thinking of spraying my set either black to match the wheel or in silver, Kevin can you recommend what the best paint to use will be? Many thanks!
cPIP36 11 hours ago

@cPIP36

Krylon fusion paint works perfectly. Please just paint the back side. I know it sounds backwards, but trust me, it will look great and not wear off. Let the color show through the clear; it will leave a nice finish on the the side you see . Tape off the front face so you don't get any over spray because this paint has a chemical reaction that will not clean. I painted a set red to match the dial on the wheel and they look very nice. I hope this helps and thank you!
Click to expand...


Thanks skrigs, ive fitted as they came for now and must say they work great, far better than the standard button and im new to wheels and manual but lovin it. 👍
 
Received my set of DPS-200
mostly happy with them, except for the weak spring,
i found if you flick the paddle quickly and move your fingers away from the paddle, the force of the button springing back is enough to make the paddle spring all the way back away from the wheel and you then have to reach for it.

when playing games like F1, etc where you don;t use more than 270' of lock (so your hands stay on the wheel in the same positions at 9 and 3 o'clock) this is not an issue as your fingers rest on the paddles.
but drifting in GT4 or playing rally games (Richard Burns) when you're winding on handfulls of lock and flicking a quick gear-change, they recoil to far.

Kevin, if you're reading, they could take a much, much stiffer spring and not have any issues with premature pushing of the button.
I assume the metal hinge is just a press fit? and not glued?
if so, a retrofit, replacement spring kit would be a great advantage and i'd be happy to purchase one, or is it possible to add more windings to the current one to give it much more tension

Apart from this, they are a very comfortable and natural feel
given where they sit, i feel i could have bought the DPS-100 and not have had the issue
 
Robbks
Received my set of DPS-200
mostly happy with them, except for the weak spring,
i found if you flick the paddle quickly and move your fingers away from the paddle, the force of the button springing back is enough to make the paddle spring all the way back away from the wheel and you then have to reach for it.

when playing games like F1, etc where you don;t use more than 270' of lock (so your hands stay on the wheel in the same positions at 9 and 3 o'clock) this is not an issue as your fingers rest on the paddles.
but drifting in GT4 or playing rally games (Richard Burns) when you're winding on handfulls of lock and flicking a quick gear-change, they recoil to far.

Kevin, if you're reading, they could take a much, much stiffer spring and not have any issues with premature pushing of the button.
I assume the metal hinge is just a press fit? and not glued?
if so, a retrofit, replacement spring kit would be a great advantage and i'd be happy to purchase one, or is it possible to add more windings to the current one to give it much more tension

Apart from this, they are a very comfortable and natural feel
given where they sit, i feel i could have bought the DPS-100 and not have had the issue
Click to expand...

Robbks,

Kevin has posted a video talking about changes that have been made to address the very issue you are talking about.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Granturgismo/120753854672363

or youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvrPpjXKPg0
 
Hmm. It seems like a good workaround. I wonder if it's good in practice, though...

If anything, I'd say it could use an additional adjustment screw on the backside of the paddle, not just one.
 
OK, by using Kevin's Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvrPpjXKPg0 as a guide to his latest update for the DPS-200 and their weak springs, i have successfully modified my own DPS-200 Paddles in a very similar way.

it was very simple and only took me 10 minutes to complete so i'll do a run through with pictures so anyone else can do it

1) If you wish to remove the spring from the system you need to remove the metal hinge on the paddles which is simply pushed through with a nail or a small allen-key

IMAG0114.jpg


Disassembled

IMAG0115.jpg


2) Kevin has used a Nylon screw to modify his units, i did not have any, but i had a wide variety of Stainless Steel Metal Threaded Bolts/ nuts and washers.
i settled on some M3 sized items.
Slightly different to Kevins design, and due to the smaller head on the bolt, i would need to use a larger diameter washer to act as the stopper, with two locking nuts to hold it exactly in place, and also provide extra adjustment possibilities.
this has a second benefit by not needing to drill a hole as close to the edge of the material and risk it cracking/ splitting

IMAG0116.jpg


3) Next is to line up and mark where you need to drill,
using the washer as a guide you can position it to provide adequate stopping contact with the paddle, and mark your drilling position it with a marker.
As you can see, the stopper needs to be located on the lower part of the paddle mounting to prevent interference with the hinge mechanism

IMAG0117.jpg


4) Next, size up some appropriate drill bits, one as a pilot that is much smaller than your bolt, and a second one that is only just smaller than your bolt.
The last size is very important to size correctly.
-Too small and you will risk cracking the plastic as the bolt tries to cut it's thread in
-Too large and there will be insufficient material to cut a thread into

IMAG0118.jpg


5) Drill your holes,
If your paddles are already fitted to your wheel, make sure you drill only through the paddles ad not through the casing of your wheel

IMAG0119.jpg


6) Cut your thread into the hole
If you have them, using a tap and die to cut the thread is the best way, but if you're careful and do it slowly, simply screwing the bolt into the material is enough to cut a good thread.

I do it in a way that you would use a tap and die
i.e turn the bolt in 1-2 full turns, then back it off 1/4 to 1/2 a turn and repeat for the length of the thread.
this allows the cut material to clear and prevent the bolt from binding in the hole and risking cracking the material or stripping the thread

IMAG0120.jpg


7) Re-install the paddle and hinge
Reverse of removal technique

IMAG0122.jpg


8) Assemble your nuts, washer and bolt loosely
IMAG0123.jpg


9) Install and adjust you stopper for the desired stopping distance relative to the distance of the standard adjustment screw.

IMAG0110.jpg

IMAG0109.jpg


once you're happy with the stoppers position, tighten the two lock-nuts up to the washer

IMAG0108.jpg
 
Mods, if the above post is too long or image heavy, move it to it's own DIY thread if you wish.

Also, after doing this mod, the shifters now feel 100% like a part of the wheel.
so i would suggest anyone now buying the DPS-200 shifters from Kevin to do so with the new mods in place.

But if you have an older set like mine, this mod is simple, effiective and well worth the little time it takes.
 

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