DFGT: My Progress Diary (It's a long read!)

[interpunct]

Hello GTP. Yesterday I finally received my first wheel and I thought about making a little diary or journal of sorts to see how well do I progress with the wheel! Also I was hoping to also get some tips and maybe share with each other our first experience with a wheel.

So I was browsing one night eBay because I was looking for prices of some stuff I wanted to sell online. Long story short at the time while browsing I was talking to a friend who owns a wheel and has been recommending me to get one ever since he got one. I did get to use it for like 30 seconds at his house once so I am not really familiar with a wheel other that my experience with arcade machines. Which I don't go to too often. Long story short I found this used wheel which apparently was used for only a few weeks. Talked to the seller (which was selling at the time the wheel for like $110) and he let me buy it off him for only $70. My friend agreed that it was a good buy so I went with it even though people normally recommend to buy it new.

3 weeks and a few shipping problems later I get the wheel...

It looks new. It smells new, it doesn't have a scratch on it. I was happy with it and as soon as I connected it I went to the settings changed a few things. I consulted my friend and he told me that it all depends on what feels most comfortable for you. I wanted to see just how good this wheel was so I put the FFB on 10, turned off the Power Assisted Steering (or however it's called) and I pulled of my trusty Maserati tuned to go for a ride in Circuit de la Sarthe.

Right in the first turn I went offtrack and slammed hard into the wall. The wheel pulled way too much and it required more strength than I could handle. I pulled up GTP and I quickly started searching for tips to getting used to a wheel and although I did find some good threads with good starter cars and the obvious "Just drive 'till you get good."
I couldn't find any tips regarding driving techniques. Plus to top this off I put a challenge on myself that I was gonna learn to drive Manual. I can drive Manual mind you, I just can't get used or drive efficiently with it since I always have favoured Automatic and the last time I started trying to get used to Manual my L2 on my DS3 broke. I know I could change the control setup but my custom set up didn't have room for change, plus I might have gotten lazy...

Anyways, after my first disastrous experience in Sarthe with the Maserati I quickly pulled out a stock Roadster TC (from the 1st DLC pack) and went to trial mountain to get used to the feel of the wheel. I set the FFB back to a manageable level for me which was 3.

I did a few laps. All around the 1:40 time and I thought it wasn't that bad. To compare myself to the time I had with my DS3 I plugged the wheel off for one lap and did a lap with the DS3. I did a time of 1:34 on my first go and I didn't do any noticeable errors, I then realized how much work I had to do. I didn't even try my best with the DS3, just one clean lap and I had a time 6 seconds faster.

At this point I've only had one hour of real playtime with the wheel. Sadly it was very late at night so I went to sleep and as soon as I woke up I started practicing. My original time with the DS3 was 1:34:527. After 6 long hours of just me going around the track over and over again I finally managed to get a time of 1:34:404! I was really happy and felt a bit relaxed too. I was having lots of fun with the wheel and during the time I was practicing I was also going back and forth with the settings and setting the FFB. I finally found a sweet spot over at FFB 5 where I can feel the bumps and imperfections the road has but I also can manage to to pull the steering wheel for long periods of time without getting tired.

I tried other slow cars at FFB 10 after this but I know that possibly after a hour or too I will get tired quickly because of how much strength you need to keep the car stable efficiently. Maybe I can get used to it but I also want to stay away from going too high with the FFB settings since I want it to last for a long time and I've read about the DFGT's deterioration of FFB. So I want to be able to mantain it in a good condition for as long as possible.

Any tips to getting used to the wheel and to make myself a more efficient driver will be greatly appreciated, also how do I Manual?

Thanks for reading!

 

[mistersafeway]

I found a good way for me to improve with the wheel was to drive a very low level race car like the BMW 320i without power or tyre upgrades, just buy a Full LSD (if necessary) and tune everything on it to handle smoothly. It helped me when I was trying to learn to drive a little better without ABS as the car was obeying my inputs a lot better than what I would usually drive. On the subject of getting better using a manual, I could never even get close with a controller, but as soon as I got my DFGT it felt a lot more natural with the positioning of the buttons, maybe it'll help you too with time. It took a few days of extremely heavy driving to even remember to shift every time.

Good luck and enjoy the experience of learning to drive again!

 

[Dean]

So, you finally got it ?

What I personally did, when I started out, was to work up the FFB, meaning that I started on 1, and then worked myself up, over a few weeks. I remember driving on 10, just before I got my T500 RS. Now, I use 3 (on the T500 - I can easily control it at 6 - which apparently is the sweet spot, with most power - and also 10). What I'm trying to say, is the best first thing is to find your "sweet spot", as you did. The second thing, is to practice — a lot! For this, I can recommend the WRS Academy (here), to make youself a better and faster driver, while getting tips from some of (what I call) the Aliens (). - You'll need to be a WRS "member", but that can be done relatively fast, if it's something you want. All instructions are in the thread, I linked to.

Again, practice, practice and practice 👍.

 

[TheYaShoe]

I hate to say it.. Buuttt.. Keep practicing. I would go in a nice RWD car that is controllable but oversteer a little to learn how to control it. I have a friend who got the same wheel as you, and his motto is; if something doesn't work, then give up. So I really had to convince him to keep trying. So usually using car that challenges you is a good way of speeding up the process(but don't use it if its uncontrollable). Find your FFB "sweetspot" and I would change your steering sensitivity to 7 if you haven't already. For Manual, well.., I've been using a wheel since I was 4 years old with GT2 or 3(?) and always used manual. But trust me, just from watching my friend learn, you will lose races from hitting redlines over and over but, it's learning. Just keep at it and have fun.

 

[Starciller]

The DFGT was my first wheel good times but I always used to race NASCAR when I first got it so try that. u don't have to worry about anything but turning left and getting a good feel of the wheel. And I have a fanatec GT3 RS now it is amazing the belt drive is just so quiet. I use full Manuel with clutch and all with my fanatec and it is just so fun to use.

 

[interpunct]

I found a good way for me to improve with the wheel was to drive a very low level race car like the BMW 320i without power or tyre upgrades, just buy a Full LSD (if necessary) and tune everything on it to handle smoothly. It helped me when I was trying to learn to drive a little better without ABS as the car was obeying my inputs a lot better than what I would usually drive. On the subject of getting better using a manual, I could never even get close with a controller, but as soon as I got my DFGT it felt a lot more natural with the positioning of the buttons, maybe it'll help you too with time. It took a few days of extremely heavy driving to even remember to shift every time.

Good luck and enjoy the experience of learning to drive again!

Thanks! I'll make sure to start using a Manual transmission soon. I really like that I have both a normal shifter and the ones behind the wheel (paddle shifters, right?) so maybe my transition from auto to manual will be easier like you said, more natural.

So, you finally got it ?

What I personally did, when I started out, was to work up the FFB, meaning that I started on 1, and then worked myself up, over a few weeks. I remember driving on 10, just before I got my T500 RS. Now, I use 3 (on the T500 - I can easily control it at 6 - which apparently is the sweet spot, with most power - and also 10). What I'm trying to say, is the best first thing is to find your "sweet spot", as you did. The second thing, is to practice — a lot! For this, I can recommend the WRS Academy (here), to make youself a better and faster driver, while getting tips from some of (what I call) the Aliens (). - You'll need to be a WRS "member", but that can be done relatively fast, if it's something you want. All instructions are in the thread, I linked to.

Again, practice, practice and practice 👍.

Thanks for the links! I'll check them out soon, I think I was a WRS member, I don't remember at all. I'll go check and make sure to follow the tips these guys are giving out. Right now with this sweet spot I will be able to keep driving for as long as I can and not get tired while still feeling the increase or decrease in traction very well.

I hate to say it.. Buuttt.. Keep practicing. I would go in a nice RWD car that is controllable but oversteer a little to learn how to control it. I have a friend who got the same wheel as you, and his motto is; if something doesn't work, then give up. So I really had to convince him to keep trying. So usually using car that challenges you is a good way of speeding up the process(but don't use it if its uncontrollable). Find your FFB "sweetspot" and I would change your steering sensitivity to 7 if you haven't already. For Manual, well.., I've been using a wheel since I was 4 years old with GT2 or 3(?) and always used manual. But trust me, just from watching my friend learn, you will lose races from hitting redlines over and over but, it's learning. Just keep at it and have fun.

I wonder if the RUF Yellow Bird (I think it's RWD) would be a good car to start off with. There is only 17 RWD cars in the whole game so I'll make sure to get one with decent HP (200-300) and start practicing. I played always in 7 since I had a DS3 so that setting is already set! And I'll keep in that I'll lose a lot. I think it may be a good time to do some seasonals with Manual on. Maybe the Mini seasonals can be a good place to start.

The DFGT was my first wheel good times but I always used to race NASCAR when I first got it so try that. u don't have to worry about anything but turning left and getting a good feel of the wheel. And I have a fanatec GT3 RS now it is amazing the belt drive is just so quiet. I use full Manuel with clutch and all with my fanatec and it is just so fun to use.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of nascar, and I've been racing non stop in tracks like Trial Mountain and Deep Forest with realitvely low powered cars. But I think that I will jump sooner or later into either the montegi oval track or daytona to get a feel of a high power car in a more controlled enviroment. Thanks for the tip! I wish I hada clutch but hey for $70 I can't complain!

 

[TheYaShoe]

17? I think you're thinking of Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive cars. I really wouldn't start with the yellow bird.. Scary car.. I'm just talking about generic rear wheel drive. Nissan Silvia might be good. I would highly recommend the FreezeBreezeGT's (Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GT86, all pretty much the same car other then suspension and some other details) But they handle really well and can be driven aggressively if you want. Just to keep that oversteer leave the stock tires on whichever car you choose. The Mini seasonals sond like a great place to start. Try driving 'the ring a few times with some nice, good handling cars and you should have a blast!

 

[interpunct]

17? I think you're thinking of Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive cars. I really wouldn't start with the yellow bird.. Scary car.. I'm just talking about generic rear wheel drive. Nissan Silvia might be good. I would highly recommend the FreezeBreezeGT's (Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ and the Toyota GT86, all pretty much the same car other then suspension and some other details) But they handle really well and can be driven aggressively if you want. Just to keep that oversteer leave the stock tires on whichever car you choose. The Mini seasonals sond like a great place to start. Try driving 'the ring a few times with some nice, good handling cars and you should have a blast!

I tried this yesterday and although I'm able to handle the car pretty well I can't for the life of me correct the car when I start losing traction out. As soon as I lose a bit of traction I go spinning wildly out of control.

 

[TheYaShoe]

I tried this yesterday and although I'm able to handle the car pretty well I can't for the life of me correct the car when I start losing traction out. As soon as I lose a bit of traction I go spinning wildly out of control.

Yea see, that, that is the fine art of anticipation. Don't be Afraid to counter steer really hard and yank the wheel. It will come to you naturally.

 

[interpunct]

Yea see, that, that is the fine art of anticipation. Don't be Afraid to counter steer really hard and yank the wheel. It will come to you naturally.

If that's the case I need a better place to put my wheel. The current place I have it starts wiggling quite a bit when I start pulling the wheel hard.

 

[TomBrady]

Hello GTP. Yesterday I finally received my first wheel and I thought about making a little diary or journal of sorts to see how well do I progress with the wheel! Also I was hoping to also get some tips and maybe share with each other our first experience with a wheel.

So I was browsing one night eBay because I was looking for prices of some stuff I wanted to sell online. Long story short at the time while browsing I was talking to a friend who owns a wheel and has been recommending me to get one ever since he got one. I did get to use it for like 30 seconds at his house once so I am not really familiar with a wheel other that my experience with arcade machines. Which I don't go to too often. Long story short I found this used wheel which apparently was used for only a few weeks. Talked to the seller (which was selling at the time the wheel for like $110) and he let me buy it off him for only $70. My friend agreed that it was a good buy so I went with it even though people normally recommend to buy it new.

3 weeks and a few shipping problems later I get the wheel...

It looks new. It smells new, it doesn't have a scratch on it. I was happy with it and as soon as I connected it I went to the settings changed a few things. I consulted my friend and he told me that it all depends on what feels most comfortable for you. I wanted to see just how good this wheel was so I put the FFB on 10, turned off the Power Assisted Steering (or however it's called) and I pulled of my trusty Maserati tuned to go for a ride in Circuit de la Sarthe.

Right in the first turn I went offtrack and slammed hard into the wall. The wheel pulled way too much and it required more strength than I could handle. I pulled up GTP and I quickly started searching for tips to getting used to a wheel and although I did find some good threads with good starter cars and the obvious "Just drive 'till you get good."
I couldn't find any tips regarding driving techniques. Plus to top this off I put a challenge on myself that I was gonna learn to drive Manual. I can drive Manual mind you, I just can't get used or drive efficiently with it since I always have favoured Automatic and the last time I started trying to get used to Manual my L2 on my DS3 broke. I know I could change the control setup but my custom set up didn't have room for change, plus I might have gotten lazy...

Anyways, after my first disastrous experience in Sarthe with the Maserati I quickly pulled out a stock Roadster TC (from the 1st DLC pack) and went to trial mountain to get used to the feel of the wheel. I set the FFB back to a manageable level for me which was 3.

I did a few laps. All around the 1:40 time and I thought it wasn't that bad. To compare myself to the time I had with my DS3 I plugged the wheel off for one lap and did a lap with the DS3. I did a time of 1:34 on my first go and I didn't do any noticeable errors, I then realized how much work I had to do. I didn't even try my best with the DS3, just one clean lap and I had a time 6 seconds faster.

At this point I've only had one hour of real playtime with the wheel. Sadly it was very late at night so I went to sleep and as soon as I woke up I started practicing. My original time with the DS3 was 1:34:527. After 6 long hours of just me going around the track over and over again I finally managed to get a time of 1:34:404! I was really happy and felt a bit relaxed too. I was having lots of fun with the wheel and during the time I was practicing I was also going back and forth with the settings and setting the FFB. I finally found a sweet spot over at FFB 5 where I can feel the bumps and imperfections the road has but I also can manage to to pull the steering wheel for long periods of time without getting tired.

I tried other slow cars at FFB 10 after this but I know that possibly after a hour or too I will get tired quickly because of how much strength you need to keep the car stable efficiently. Maybe I can get used to it but I also want to stay away from going too high with the FFB settings since I want it to last for a long time and I've read about the DFGT's deterioration of FFB. So I want to be able to mantain it in a good condition for as long as possible.

Any tips to getting used to the wheel and to make myself a more efficient driver will be greatly appreciated, also how do I Manual?

Thanks for reading!

Here's a good tip for anyone who's never used an FFB wheel before. Shut off TCS, and ASM, but use active steering. Active steering basically will smooth out your steering inputs. It's a subtle driver aid that does make things easier but when you eventually take it away (which you definitely want to do), you'll be much better at driving. I'd say play for a few days with it on strong, then put it on weak for a week, and when you take all aids off completely, start with easy cars, stuff under 300hp like any of the good japanese sports cars, though maybe not the NSX. Try using cars that are easy to control like the Evo, WRX, Skyline, etc.

Part of it is you really do need to get used to the thing which can take time, but active steering does make it easier for a beginner.


Sometime in the future when you're really comfortable with the wheel, learn how to drift. Before I learned how to drift, I never was good at saving slides, and correcting oversteer. It's very important that you get used to counter steering, and it's hard to be accurate with your countersteering just by doing it everytime you accidently slide. If you learn to drift, you'll never be able to drift without becoming at least semi-proficient with counter steering, and once you become good at that, you'll be able to drive cars much faster, and keep them much closer to the edge of grip

Also remember, smooth=fast. Don't think that you need to be wrestling the wheel like a madman to be fast. The fastest drivers are the ones who make smooth movements, and lightning quick and accurate corrections. You don't want to be sawing at the wheel (unless absolutely necessary, when losing control)

 

[I'm Motarded]

What camera view do you use?

 

[interpunct]

What camera view do you use?

Normally the Hood/Roof cam.

Bumper cam is too low for my taste and third person is now making me confuse my distance between me and the cars in front of me.

I wish I had the speedometer and rev meter like in bumper cam though. Also a rear view mirror wouldn't hurt

Here's a good tip for anyone who's never used an FFB wheel before. Shut off TCS, and ASM, but use active steering. Active steering basically will smooth out your steering inputs. It's a subtle driver aid that does make things easier but when you eventually take it away (which you definitely want to do), you'll be much better at driving. I'd say play for a few days with it on strong, then put it on weak for a week, and when you take all aids off completely, start with easy cars, stuff under 300hp like any of the good japanese sports cars, though maybe not the NSX. Try using cars that are easy to control like the Evo, WRX, Skyline, etc.

Part of it is you really do need to get used to the thing which can take time, but active steering does make it easier for a beginner.

Sometime in the future when you're really comfortable with the wheel, learn how to drift. Before I learned how to drift, I never was good at saving slides, and correcting oversteer. It's very important that you get used to counter steering, and it's hard to be accurate with your countersteering just by doing it everytime you accidently slide. If you learn to drift, you'll never be able to drift without becoming at least semi-proficient with counter steering, and once you become good at that, you'll be able to drive cars much faster, and keep them much closer to the edge of grip

Also remember, smooth=fast. Don't think that you need to be wrestling the wheel like a madman to be fast. The fastest drivers are the ones who make smooth movements, and lightning quick and accurate corrections. You don't want to be sawing at the wheel (unless absolutely necessary, when losing control)

Thanks for the tips! I normally do smooth inputs but it's because of that the reason why I'm restraining from tugging the wheel hard when I'm supposed to because I'm losing (or lost) traction. I also drive without aids. But I'll turn the active steering and see how it goes, thanks!

 

[Dean]

I would advise you to avoid active steering. I did a little test a few days ago, which I think you could try. What I did was driving a stock Audi TTS with Comfort Soft tires, only ABS, on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I think my time was around 8:35. The most important part, was to get better throttle control :tup:.

 

[tezster]

To the OP, it also matters where you've clamped your wheel in relation to your body position - same goes for the pedals. Make sure it's clamped to a sturdy structure, and you're not bending over or otherwise driving in an awkward position.

 

[opelgt1969]

Not sure if your doing this or not but I'll comment about it anyway: Don't use a "Death Grip" on the wheel. With a wheel hold it like you do in your real car. You'll find that the fighting of the wheel to be more in control.

 

[TheYaShoe]

Not sure if your doing this or not but I'll comment about it anyway: Don't use a "Death Grip" on the wheel. With a wheel hold it like you do in your real car. You'll find that the fighting of the wheel to be more in control.

Yea, try brig as smooth as possible. Try turning only once for each turn. Just as smooth as possible and your lap times will sky rocket.