The only thing that I could say was better about the T500 was the reliability. The rims are nowhere near the same quality. Also the toothed belt is nowhere near as smooth.
Why are you down on the CSW? As I remember it was only a few months ago you got a production model and were singing its praises mate
Down on the CSW? In what way?
I am just stating the facts that the one wheel doesn't support aftermarket wheels (due to the base shutting down upon detection or lost signal with the wheel electronics), and that the other wheel does support it.
About the new wheel, I can't smell how reliable it would be ahead of time, mate.
Since when can't I decide what to use? Besides, I am switching as it has better feedback in pCARS and I wanted to know if a certain bug, that I as voluntary alpha tester already reported to Armin months ago, was or wasn't the cause of some FFB oddities. Which was partially the case.
The bug will be looked after when Armin gets back to firmware work.
So until that time at least I will stick with the T500 as my main wheel. But will grab the CSW for Fanatec testing purposes and comparisons in pCARS.
Good things come to those who wait, and I am sure Fanatec is working hard to please us and improve their drivers and firmware, as well as continue to improve their hardware where they can.
If you wish me to talk 'bad' about the T500, Mark.
The pedals suck.
The fan is small and noisy.
The heatsink is too big to be of any decent use at all.
This results in the motor performance diminishing further than the ones of the CSW when they heat up, compared to each their respective response and torque curves when cold.
The table clamp is only designed so you can't pull the wheel off of the table, but you can still lift the wheel.
This causes the table clamps to snap at either the left or right leg.
The quick release is actually a slow release because you need tools to undo it.
In some cases the steering axle has a little wiggle in it, and this can only be resolved by pushing some wedges in between the belt pulley and the steering axle.
The switches of the fixed shifter paddles and the paddles in the F1 rim have already proven to wear out quickly. Resulting in John Bodin and Basherboards having to come to the rescue.
The belts indeed are causing the cogging feel, not the motor, and thus destroys the FFB feel to some extend.
The 4 screws holding the quick release PS/2 connector in place tend to go loose on some wheels, and need to be retightened every once in a while.
I could go on, Mark. But I hope you see that just because I voice my sometimes negative opinion on one wheel, I can do it about the other just as easily. Every product out there will just have some weakness as costs will be cut somewhere at some point. Plus the fact that you can't make products too reliable as nobody would than buy any new products from you again for as long as they are still satisfied about the old products. It's simply business done the way it is done today, and I am not going to blame Fanatec or any other manufacturer for doing so even when I rather have a reliable item that lasts 10 years.
The notion that every negative opinion posted on the web is considered as bashing is just ridiculous. If I would go on and on negatively about (for example) Fanatec and even when when they fix something would immediately find something new to nag about until the annoyance of others. Yeah, than I would be a basher alright.
We all know Fanatec keeps an eye on this thread and voice our opinions because of it, and we do that because we want to enjoy their products more than before whilst hoping that they will listen and improve.
I am sorry for this response, mate, but that last sentence the way you put it just rubbed me in the wrong way. I hope it is clear how I view this all now?
I plan on getting Juan's at the indy race at Pocono next year at the drivers signing event they hold. And maybe a few more Nascar guys at Martsinville since I get Hot & Press passes there.
