Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

[RacerXX]

I'm sure it's very moddable if yer willin' ta open it up!

 

[Mahnegold]

"Plus, the sequential mode is compatible with all our Fanatec racing wheels."

What about H mode?

The sequential mode will be compatiible with all of their wheels, while the H-pattern mode (7+1) will only be compatible with the CSW. All other Fanatec wheels only support 6+1 at this point.

Since the CSS will also have USB (from what I have heard so far), it will be useable as stand-alone shifter with every wheel on the market (on PC).

 

[RacerXX]

the H-pattern mode (7+1) will only be compatible with the CSW. All other Fanatec wheels only support 6+1 at this point.

Not sure if you are saying that H is only available for the CSW. It seems like H7 is for the CSW for now, while H6 for all? Just from reading "The 7th gear is only supported on the CSW for now." from Thomas in his blog.

 

[museumsteve]

Has anyone thought about how the CSS will work in Seq mode?
Due to the slanting design I cant really visualise how it would turn 90 degrees. I hope you dont have to take the top plate off and turn it.

 

[LogiForce]

Has anyone thought about how the CSS will work in Seq mode?
Due to the slanting design I cant really visualise how it would turn 90 degrees. I hope you dont have to take the top plate off and turn it.

Nothing needs to be taken off according to the last posts from Thomas/Fanatec, only that switch needs to be flipped. Which is mounted on two sides of the shifter.

No clue as to how the internals work to make this possible and we haven't seen it in action yet either, so we can't even start guessing.
All we can do is wait for the promised video that will be released next time.

 

[ibuycheap]

We will see what happens with the boxes in the future. I am still not too sure if this is all we will see in terms of amount of gears.
Personally I hate to have seventh blocked at least. Though I will look forward to reviews/opinions of the buyers that used it for some time.

I hope you know that there are short throw plates out there for the TH8?
What I mean by performance of the shifter is how it behaves going in and out of gears and how the feel of resistance is through neutral. Tactile feel is important for a shifter to let you know where the gates are by memory as well as how far you are of from actuating the virtual button for the gear you want to go into.


Let's wait for the action video of the shifter as promised by Thomas above/on his blog to come next. Than we will know a bit more.

What do you think motorsports actually gains with 7 true gears from an H pattern. The market shows it doesn't want h pattern and racing clearly enjoys sequential. Therefore in the real world the true 7th gear for an H box is highly improbable.

Bear in mind I agree with your point overall for the CSS because it is fun to drive paddle/sequential cars with a stick. For instance the 458 uses 7th to reach top speed.

Yes I am aware of the addons for shifter throw hence I mentioned "in stock form" in my original response. Shifter throw is just one aspect of performance. Outside of shifter throw there is no way to compare the two at this point.

 

[LogiForce]

What do you think motorsports actually gains with 7 true gears from an H pattern. The market shows it doesn't want h pattern and racing clearly enjoys sequential. Therefore in the real world the true 7th gear for an H box is highly improbable.

Bear in mind I agree with your point overall for the CSS because it is fun to drive paddle/sequential cars with a stick. For instance the 458 uses 7th to reach top speed.

Yes I am aware of the addons for shifter throw hence I mentioned "in stock form" in my original response. Shifter throw is just one aspect of performance. Outside of shifter throw there is no way to compare the two at this point.

I guess I am not part of the market then. I drove a automatic car (a horrible rental) and I really hated the fact that I had nothing to do but pick my nose and watch the birds go by. Yes I got that bored without a decent manual transmission. So I will always buy a manual car, even if I am forced to buy a Volvo or a Lada... or maybe even worse.

Also we have games like GT and FM that have normal cars in their line-up. So even if racing cars use paddles/sequential, it doesn't rule out all the cars in a future game which also features road cars.

I do wish that the 458 came with a manual like that in real life as well, but seeing as I lack the funds I am not bothered by that fact too much. Still, we can enjoy those cars in our games in an unrealistic way like that. Which is a lucky thing for us to have that extra fun factor available. Tough the die-hard 'I drive it how it should be driven' group might disagree and wish to make such impossible.

I agree. I hoped Basher would come up with a way to switch plates quickly though (on the TH8), but it seems he gave up on it. Or at least for now. Would be nice to have them stay in place using strong neodymium magnets, so you only need to take the knob off.

 

[mrbasher]

I haven't forgotten or given up. But truth be told... I rarely use the shifter in sequential mode. I'm a bit of a old fart when it comes to shifting. My truck is the only thing I have that's auto. I'm being a little selfish...

However, I can tell you, when driving a real 458... How it shifts is the last thing going through your head hehe But for whatever reason, I often drive them with the stick in games... It's just more fun.

 

[LogiForce]

I haven't forgotten or given up. But truth be told... I rarely use the shifter in sequential mode. I'm a bit of a old fart when it comes to shifting. My truck is the only thing I have that's auto. I'm being a little selfish...

However, I can tell you, when driving a real 458... How it shifts is the last thing going through your head hehe But for whatever reason, I often drive them with the stick in games... It's just more fun.

Oh I must have misunderstood.

As for the switch, just reroute it to outside the shifter. I think there is a bit room if you go through the bottom, or else via the shifter hole. The original switch can even be left in place as you only need to disconnect the tiny connector it uses.

And yeah, I have only used it once in sequential in a year as well for 5 minutes. lol


Anyway, on a different Fanatic note.

Watch the latest of Takiei on page 1 of his blog. I wish this guy would just make and sell his mods for the rest of us.
He modded his CSR E now with an air cooling system that blows air through the motors or something. As well as made a nice way to put some bearings in those motor pulleys to offload the motor sleeve bearings. Put an extra toothed anti-slip belt on the rear of the motors.
He says the wheel turns very very smooth now, and to be honest I believe him right away. This because the CSW feels like it has no resistance or you disconnect the belt from the motors.

http://translate.google.nl/translat...oo.co.jp/rmjhj650/folder/529073.html?m=lc&p=1

 

[eKretz]

That's interesting. Mr. Holmes and I are working on some interesting cooling ideas also, a suggestion he recently made has awesome potential, but we have yet to try it out. Hopefully when he gets a proto worked up I'll be able to test it and report some great results.

 

[RacerXX]

Oh I must have misunderstood.

As for the switch, just reroute it to outside the shifter. I think there is a bit room if you go through the bottom, or else via the shifter hole. The original switch can even be left in place as you only need to disconnect the tiny connector it uses.

And yeah, I have only used it once in sequential in a year as well for 5 minutes. lol


Anyway, on a different Fanatic note.

Watch the latest of Takiei on page 1 of his blog. I wish this guy would just make and sell his mods for the rest of us.
He modded his CSR E now with an air cooling system that blows air through the motors or something. As well as made a nice way to put some bearings in those motor pulleys to offload the motor sleeve bearings. Put an extra toothed anti-slip belt on the rear of the motors.
He says the wheel turns very very smooth now, and to be honest I believe him right away. This because the CSW feels like it has no resistance or you disconnect the belt from the motors.

http://translate.google.nl/translat...oo.co.jp/rmjhj650/folder/529073.html?m=lc&p=1

Well making mods is a lot of fun and I'm sure he is having a bunch. I seem to be 2-3 steps ahead of him on the wheel base ideas I see he is up to. But maybe he has more up his sleeve!

 

[Simracer92]

woop woop, for those who are waiting more for a handbrake than a new shifter, Thomas wrote a very interesting cmt in his blog...

right. but our handbrake will be ready soon.

Unfortunately, "soon" is not a word I like.. iRacing always says that something is coming soon and how long do we now wait for the Lotus 49?

 

[Cote Dazur]

Watch the latest of Takiei on page 1 of his blog. I wish this guy would just make and sell his mods for the rest of us.
He modded his CSR E now with an air cooling system that blows air through the motors or something. As well as made a nice way to put some bearings in those motor pulleys to offload the motor sleeve bearings. Put an extra toothed anti-slip belt on the rear of the motors.
He says the wheel turns very very smooth now, and to be honest I believe him right away. This because the CSW feels like it has no resistance or you disconnect the belt from the motors.

http://translate.google.nl/translat...oo.co.jp/rmjhj650/folder/529073.html?m=lc&p=1

Thank you for sharing this link, nice post with picture. It might have been better in the mod thread, but most reader are following both, I would guess.
Blowing cold ( colder ) air in those holes seems interesting, although a nice water cooled jacket still stays my favorite if available.

 

[LogiForce]

I thought it would snow under in the big discussions of those two, and since Takiei is known to receive beta gear and also has at least two of his mods turn up officially in the CSPv2. I dunno, it just felt better to post it here.

 

[Fanatec...]

Logiforce,
let me quote somebody from iRacing:
"
I recently bought a TH8 and it's really, really good. Well built, rock solid, resistance adjustable. Way better than the ones I used to have (G25, G27 and Fanatec CSR set).

I use it as a sequential only since that damn 7th gear is killing me and at least 5 times out of 10 I shift into 7th instead of 5th. "

THIS is a good reason to lock the 7th gear and I still agree with Porsche that fast shifting within has first 6 gears has higher priority than shifting into the fuel saving 7th gear where the acceleration is already relatively low as you usually drive over 250km/h.

 

[Jet Badger]

But wouldn't it have been a better solution to put a switch kind of lock for it like the H/seq selector? If you drive a car with 5 or 6 gears you lock the 7th and if you drive a car with 7 gears and are willing to use the seventh gear you unlock it. Pushing the lever down to engage the gear in racing conditions can be a little tricky. But I guess only time will show.

 

[LogiForce]

Logiforce,
let me quote somebody from iRacing:
"
I recently bought a TH8 and it's really, really good. Well built, rock solid, resistance adjustable. Way better than the ones I used to have (G25, G27 and Fanatec CSR set).

I use it as a sequential only since that damn 7th gear is killing me and at least 5 times out of 10 I shift into 7th instead of 5th. "

THIS is a good reason to lock the 7th gear and I still agree with Porsche that fast shifting within has first 6 gears has higher priority than shifting into the fuel saving 7th gear where the acceleration is already relatively low as you usually drive over 250km/h.

Thomas, I wasn't attacking you personally as making a product is a team effort. So I want to get that out of the way first. Not that you get the wrong idea of my (in hindsight probably wrong and too strong) word choice.

I know why the guy had issues with that though. It's due to a too low lateral force (through the neutral zone) due to which you tend to push it too easily too far to the side.
I fixed this with 3 o-rings around the spring as a quick fix, though a stronger spring might be a better solution. The result was that I did not have any issues what so ever after and shifting feels natural for me now.

Also remembering by pressure of your shifter where the next gate is is also the same as remembering how much pressure you need to apply to a brake. However, too little resistance makes it hard to judge the pressure as our hands and feet are sensitive but have a limit.
So yeah, stock the TH8 is not optimal but with a little mod using o-rings that doesn't void warranty its good.

As for locking seventh I still find it a bad idea. The chance that you almost red line in sixth and wish to go to seventh but forget to push down is too high for my liking. Especially in a real car that is very expensive. Accidents like that always happen unexpectedly. Knowing Porsche they might lock out 5th if the car speed and/or engine revolutions are too high, or another solution like that. At least my Lancia Delta has such saved mechanisms.
I doubt you were able to build such safety features into the shifter though, as this would require the use of telemetry output from the games. Though would be awesome if you could prove me wrong.

Maybe the video that shows it in action will change my mind on this matter though. As maybe I am just worrying for nothing.
I reckon you will release this next week somewhere? Looking at the past preview releases.

Also I wanted to ask. How many of those mounting T-pieces and screws will you supply for mounting? I was hoping it would be at least 8 as you could let it sink into a home-made central console and mount it securely all around so it will not move or flex at all.

 

[Fanatec...]

I did not take it personally so don't worry. I was just explaining the reasons behind that feature and our priorities.

You will better understand our decision after you have driven it and see how important the 7th gear really is and how high the risk is to accidentially shift to 5th instead of 7th.
Personally I would use paddle shifter for most cars which have a 7 speed gear box but it is a matter of taste so we leave that up to you.

 

[fatkrakr]

I thought the thinking behind having to push to engage R and 7th was so they only needed to use 3 gates to achieve a 7 speed shifter. Might also have to do with how the sequential shifting works. I still say though Fanatec is to late to the party for this shifter to be a huge success. Unless it is miles ahead of the TH8 I dont see most people changing what they have.

 

[LogiForce]

I did not take it personally so don't worry. I was just explaining the reasons behind that feature and our priorities.

You will better understand our decision after you have driven it and see how important the 7th gear really is and how high the risk is to accidentially shift to 5th instead of 7th.
Personally I would use paddle shifter for most cars which have a 7 speed gear box but it is a matter of taste so we leave that up to you.

Do you think it would be possible to mod the CSS to remove this feature on the seventh gear for those people that think like myself?
Of course without damaging or adjusting the internals by doing things like having to grind out things.

As far as coming to understanding the decision will depend really on if I think the product is worth buying as an upgrade from my TH8.
I doubt I get to drive a Porsche anytime soon at least, so no way to find out that way. The money just keeps going into other things to further my hobby instead.

 

[Carson79]

Theirs no reason not to own both. I've the CSR SS and a TH8RS and will be jumping all over the CSS as soon as it's available :-)
I think the 7th gear idea is a good one, because I often found myself in 7th instead of 5th with the TH8RS

 

[LogiForce]

Theirs no reason not to own both. I've the CSR SS and a TH8RS and will be jumping all over the CSS as soon as it's available :-)
I think the 7th gear idea is a good one, because I often found myself in 7th instead of 5th with the TH8RS

Like I said, its due to a lack in resistance. Tried to mod your TH8 yet like mine?
Also I had it only in the very beginning. It's just like getting used to a new set of pedals, or your new keyboard. Muscle memory. Which is something products differ in a lot depending on the amount of resistance.

You know what is more annoying, Mark? Driving your real car and finding out that it hasn't got a 6th gear and ending up sliding it into 4th and end up making some heads turn in the other cars when your engine starts revving a bit higher than normal drivers are used to. lol

 

[Carson79]

Like I said, its due to a lack in resistance. Tried to mod your TH8 yet like mine?
Also I had it only in the very beginning. It's just like getting used to a new set of pedals, or your new keyboard. Muscle memory. Which is something products differ in a lot depending on the amount of resistance.

You know what is more annoying, Mark? Driving your real car and finding out that it hasn't got a 6th gear and ending up sliding it into 4th and end up making some heads turn in the other cars when your engine starts revving a bit higher than normal drivers are used to. lol

That would be annoying (I've found myself going for sixth in RL too)

I would have definitely tried your O rings mod mate but I had to return Latte's SFA1. Currently using the CSR SS and I nearly killed it a few times today on Fujimi Kaido going for first and ending up in reverse
It's good to have more than one shifter or wheel as you have more options and it keeps your games fresh. I've really enjoyed having a blast on Forza with the Elite for a change.
Henk set a blisteringly fast time on Fujimi Kaido which I will have to keep chipping away at

 

[LogiForce]

That would be annoying (I've found myself going for sixth in RL too)

I would have definitely tried your O rings mod mate but I had to return Latte's SFA1. Currently using the CSR SS and I nearly killed it a few times today on Fujimi Kaido going for first and ending up in reverse
It's good to have more than one shifter or wheel as you have more options and it keeps your games fresh. I've really enjoyed having a blast on Forza with the Elite for a change.
Henk set a blisteringly fast time on Fujimi Kaido which I will have to keep chipping away at

Yeah, I think I will challenge it in a minute. I was thinking of strapping the MS speed wheel to the T500 to have at least some form of real wheel feel. lol

Anyways, lets get this back on Fanatec topic.

What does everyone wish the Clubsport handbrake to be like?
I don't care much as I am working on a hydraulic one myself, but would be interesting to hear wishes and expectations nonetheless.

 

[Jet Badger]

It will be shiny and everyone will buy one.

 

[LogiForce]

It will be shiny and everyone will buy one.

Your obviously wrong with that statement if you look at my post. So not everyone.

I hope it will over the ability to be positioned in two orientations, horizontal and vertical.
Also I hope it will have a locking mechanism, so you can use it as a normal handbrake for parking.
I think the handle should offer a good grip, but not be too thick. So either thin and very stiff high grade foam or leather, of course Thomas might want to use Alcantara to match the rims on the CSW.
The handbrake should have a switch to switch between analog and on/off actuation.

I dunno what the best way to mount it would be for everyone though.

 

[Zoomie]

What does everyone wish the Clubsport handbrake to be like?
I don't care much as I am working on a hydraulic one myself, but would be interesting to hear wishes and expectations nonetheless.

If you "don't care" then why are you asking about it? So that you can get free development ideas for your own product?
I'm curious because I read a lot of negative opinions on these forums, constantly, and I find it somewhat fascinating that people like to make efforts for things that they end up saying they "don't care" about....(?)

 

[mrbasher]

If you "don't care" then why are you asking about it? So that you can get free development ideas for your own product?
I'm curious because I read a lot of negative opinions on these forums, constantly, and I find it somewhat fascinating that people like to make efforts for things that they end up saying they "don't care" about....(?)

Can you post some better examples? I'm curious.

As far as I am aware, LogiForce is only making the brake for himself and possibly Project C.A.R.E. which I don't believe is entrepreneurial.

 

[Publicsafety]

If you "don't care" then why are you asking about it? So that you can get free development ideas for your own product?
I'm curious because I read a lot of negative opinions on these forums, constantly, and I find it somewhat fascinating that people like to make efforts for things that they end up saying they "don't care" about....(?)

Nice... your 4th post and your calling people out.

Logiforce is just curious what direction they will be taking, and is an avid simracer/do it yourselfer. No need to lump him with the bashers (no offence Mr Basher LOL ). As far as I am aware, he does not produce products for resale.

This is they type of behaviour is what give the internet culture a bad name.

 

[Zoomie]

I'm a little concerned about us getting too off-topic, but I still feel that this discussion is related to "Fanatec Announcements" and the way people react to them.

I was going to wait for LogiForce to reply to my query, but I did make a broad statement, so I'll make a response now...

First: Publicsafety. I have nothing against you and I've found in your previous postings that you are quite positive and considerate in general. I've noticed your postings simply because you've listed your "home" as Kingston. I just moved from Kingston, for the second time, just over 5 years ago. I still have some relatives there... So I felt an affinity when I'd notice your posts

Second: mrbasher. Your ears must have been burning: I find it funny that you were the first to respond when I mentioned negative comments. Until recently, I always thought that LogiForce seemed relatively fair to Fanatec, however I've found you to be consistently negative on this forum and on others including Thomas' blog. I know you have an agenda in wanting to sell your expensive adapters but, in my opinion, you go over the top in trying to discredit your potential Fanatec competition. At the least it's a conflict of interests; however I find it morally questionable. To whit: I was actually considering buying a TH8RS and your adapter until seeing your attitude on various forums made me not want to do business with you.

All this being said, is it not possible for us to actually have discussions based on merit and quality while keeping the ego and emotions in check?