Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel Thread- officially licensed for PS4

[BuckFly]

I have also found a pretty good deal of a v2 base in a very good condition.

What do you think about v2 through drive hub vs csl elite ps4 version? Some one mentioned here that csl is better. Is that the case. . . ?

A good question, ANDRI; the just plain "which is better" question because really we have just been going back and forth here on "will it do it" and "how good is it". There has got to be someone out there who has actually tried both and has an opinion on it. Hopefully they are reading this thread!

 

[ANDRITSOULAS]

A good question, ANDRI; the just plain "which is better" question because really we have just been going back and forth here on "will it do it" and "how good is it". There has got to be someone out there who has actually tried both and has an opinion on it. Hopefully they are reading this thread!

I think v2 should be better in terms of fidelity and smoothness. It is supposed to be almost as good as v2.5.

Does it worth 300-350 euros for a 50 hrs used base (that's what the owner says) and in very good condition (as seen from the photos) ?

 

[axeMaltesse]

I wanted f1 rim even more than you mate! I'll definitely buy it by the end of the year, specially that today I have got f1 2017 and I'm burning up to test it!
As I have said. 4 more days and if the new rim is as good as f1 I'll have hard choice...

 

[Twstcrv]

Guys.... it is obvious, at least for me that csl ps4 version is superior to the tgt. The only better feature that tgt has is the transducer but it works only o Gts. It is also a good deal if you consider csl ps4 version with csl LC pedals vs the tgt set hands down. If both sets were in the same price i can see people going for the tgt for the transducer over the loadcell and smoothnes . But i think tgt is more future proof than csl for console gamers. The tgt base will be suported for future GT titles (i supose in ps5) and will support the transducer in games. That is what the manual says acording some tgt buyers. Could that be confirmed here? I am a bit nervous about csl ps4 version will be supported in ps5 . . . . . . .

I will buy the csl elite ps4 version for sure. I sold my t300rs and i know the csl will be an upgrade. When i will sell my thrustmaster steering wheels i will buy the Fanatec shifter and the LC brake also. I think i will not regret it.

 

[Twstcrv]

I turned off the transducer on my tgt. The last time I had a cars steering wheel vibrate that much there was something seriously wrong with it. It didn’t add “realism” at all for me.

 

[Shinu]

Seriously, Shinu, thank you very much for your input. Have you been using the V2 with GT Sport? I believe also that the usage of the V2 with the DH is a little more direct, due to the CSW V2's previous compatibility...don't know whether that makes a dffierence.

We are in a golden age of racing games right now, in my opinion. If I feel further consider the DD wheel from fanatec, I will. It just seems liek we are still a long way out from them coming out (March?) and then being readily/more easily available (Fall 2018?).

I love my TX and my CSR Elite (2011) pedals...but it is timne to move on, especially now.

Again, thank you.

For now CSW wheels work in fanalogic mode (like csl in g29) in gtsport. But if/when they will add gtsport update for csl, drivehub will automatically support fanatec mode.

The thing is, I had g27 and played gt6 with csw in "ps3" mode which in reality made it emulate g27. CSW was still a better wheel then g27 while acting like one because of its better gearing, motor and hardware in itself. I would imagine it is the same while making csw act like csl using drivehub.


I had my issues with the cooling fan/pcb (it could have been a power supply issue) but fanatec solved it rather quickly (it was just annoying). Now days I don't see lots of reports about fanatec wheels failing so it seems like they fixed most of its issues (honestly I think that was 2.5 revision for)

 

[LordDrift]

I turned off the transducer on my tgt. The last time I had a cars steering wheel vibrate that much there was something seriously wrong with it. It didn’t add “realism” at all for me.

Tell us more.. that was the only feature that had me considering TMs track record for reliability again.

 

[F Inferno]

What ever you say. . . . .

Me personally i would buy the csl elite ps4 in stock price or in BF. But in BF would be a nice chance to buy some other products at once . That would be very good for me and other ps4 users and i think Fanatecs too.

Well I would love a Fanatec Podium Wheel to test (
@Fanatec... ) but it's not exactly realistic to expect it.

Think about it logically from a business perspective (they aren't a charity) discounting a product that's selling well makes no sense and that profit goes right back into funding the R&D for things like the DD wheel and their future projects.

Whilst all the products might not have hit the mark Fanatec have done a lot for the consumer wheel market, it wasn't that long ago that the best wheel you could get was a logitech g27, their pedals are second to none in their price range, neither logitech or Thrustmaster even bother with a load cell.

Try and think about the whole picture, I wanted a cheap formula rim but you don't see me moaning about it!

 

[Pallie]

Are the XBOX and PS4 CSL Elite wheel bases identical internally? That BF deal is awful tempting, but I don't want to invest in the XBOX version if it's inferior.

 

[LordDrift]

Where does fanatec ship from in USA?

 

[BuckFly]

Are the XBOX and PS4 CSL Elite wheel bases identical internally? That BF deal is awful tempting, but I don't want to invest in the XBOX version if it's inferior.

No, they are not. The PS4 CSL is better and (others here can explain it better than me) takes more from the V2.5 than the Xbox wheel does.

Somewhere in here Shaun references the differences. On top of that, though, it is another typically good review by him.

EDIT: He speaks about the differences between the two at about 7:21.

 

[BuckFly]

Where does fanatec ship from in USA?

I believe California.

 

[ANDRITSOULAS]

Well I would love a Fanatec Podium Wheel to test (
@Fanatec... ) but it's not exactly realistic to expect it.

Think about it logically from a business perspective (they aren't a charity) discounting a product that's selling well makes no sense and that profit goes right back into funding the R&D for things like the DD wheel and their future projects.

Whilst all the products might not have hit the mark Fanatec have done a lot for the consumer wheel market, it wasn't that long ago that the best wheel you could get was a logitech g27, their pedals are second to none in their price range, neither logitech or Thrustmaster even bother with a load cell.

Try and think about the whole picture, I wanted a cheap formula rim but you don't see me moaning about it!

What ever you say . . . . .

You just do not get it. It is okay.

 

[Fanatec...]

Are the XBOX and PS4 CSL Elite wheel bases identical internally? That BF deal is awful tempting, but I don't want to invest in the XBOX version if it's inferior.

Both CSL Elite Wheel Bases have the same main PCBA, motor, power supply and mechanics.

The difference is a cosmetic difference on the front plate and different motor driver electronics.

And of course there is the PlayStation security chip.

The performance is identical except that on the PS4 version you have a different Driftmode so you can de-activate the natural damper which is turned on by default to avoid shaking on the straights.

 

[PocketZeven]

I turned off the transducer on my tgt. The last time I had a cars steering wheel vibrate that much there was something seriously wrong with it. It didn’t add “realism” at all for me.

I’m not a race car driver by any means. But I drive 2 benz c Class as daily driver (2010/2017 models) and even the 2017 with air suspension you can feel the road surface through the wheel. The 2010 has sport suspension and you definitely get a similar feel that the transducer gives. Imo this translates very well compared to reality. Some people have the opinion FFB feels dead sometimes in certain games and some fx feel artificial. This is the missing link in road feel in ffb wheels. I think a transducer in the wheel (regardless of brand) is a great innovation in force feedback technology.

If a future fanatec wheel implements this feature that would be a killer wheel.

That being said. It won’t make you faster or react quicker. It does add to the immersion and feel of driving on a road.

 

[Pharaoh 117]

I wish we could always please everyone.
Every year at BF we have happy people and some which expected something else.

We put some of our best selling products on sale with a huge discount of 40% and the rest of our product line remains at an attractive price level.

The demand of our PS4 racing wheel is very strong and we are risking a shortage. People will not be happy if the product is out of stock.
Please understand as well that if we would put a brand new product on sale we would have made a lot of customers angry which just bought this product.

No matter what we do, it is simply impossible to make everybody happy.
But I am sure that many customers are happy with the offers and that BF will be our best selling weekend as in the years before.

Yeah, I don't know why people were expecting a discount on a wheel that came out a couple months ago. Don't let it get to ya, you're doing a great job. People will complain no matter what. It's the Internet.

On a side note, my old Porsche GT3 RS broke a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately as this is a 9 year old wheel there's no replacement parts available anymore. I was already planning to upgrade to the Fanatec DD wheel but now that I have no wheel to play the wait just became unbearable, specially with all the great games available right now. Can you share any news on the DD wheels?

 

[Twstcrv]

Where does fanatec ship from in USA?

Southern California.

 

[F Inferno]

A good question, ANDRI; the just plain "which is better" question because really we have just been going back and forth here on "will it do it" and "how good is it". There has got to be someone out there who has actually tried both and has an opinion on it. Hopefully they are reading this thread!

I've tried the CSL Elite XB1 and the V2 is better, honestly if you already have a V2 I wouldn't bother upgrading to a V2.5 as it's not going to be a big difference. Better to just wait and save for the Fanatec DD wheel. The wait will be hard sure which is why I just got an Accuforce but the wait will be worth it over getting a V2.5 IMO.

 

[andrewhake]

The performance is identical except that on the PS4 version you have a different Driftmode so you can de-activate the natural damper which is turned on by default to avoid shaking on the straights.

With the current firmware and version of GT Sport have you guys found a way to avoid the slight oscillation on straights that was introduced with GT Sport v1.05?

And ballpark timeframe on full support from PD? This year possibly?

 

[gt_fan]

With the current firmware and version of GT Sport have you guys found a way to avoid the slight oscillation on straights that was introduced with GT Sport v1.05?

And ballpark timeframe on full support from PD? This year possibly?

This is PD you are talking about...

 

[Tompie913]

If Fanatec would just patch in a deadzone setting to the firmware then I would have no complaints at all about using G29 emulation.

 

[LordDrift]

If Fanatec would just patch in a deadzone setting to the firmware then I would have no complaints at all about using G29 emulation.

Explain pls.

 

[Twstcrv]

I’m not a race car driver by any means. But I drive 2 benz c Class as daily driver (2010/2017 models) and even the 2017 with air suspension you can feel the road surface through the wheel. The 2010 has sport suspension and you definitely get a similar feel that the transducer gives. Imo this translates very well compared to reality. Some people have the opinion FFB feels dead sometimes in certain games and some fx feel artificial. This is the missing link in road feel in ffb wheels. I think a transducer in the wheel (regardless of brand) is a great innovation in force feedback technology.

If a future fanatec wheel implements this feature that would be a killer wheel.

That being said. It won’t make you faster or react quicker. It does add to the immersion and feel of driving on a road.

I have a 135i and it gets around corners just fine without any vibration in the wheel. Does your benz also have that notchy feeling on center like the tgt? That took away a lot of “immersion” for me. And why do you tgt guys keep hanging around here getting your feelings hurt anyway? Arent there enough glowing tgt comments in the tm and tgt threads to help you feel better about your purchase?

 

[Tompie913]

Explain pls.

The purple mode right now uses G29 emulation, which is how the wheel works with GT Sport. The only issue I’ve identified with G29 emulation is that the wheel twitches or oscillates at the center position. This is very minor at “normal” speeds but becomes worse at extreme speeds around 200mph, and in the specific case of the SRT VGT Technology which can reach speeds of over 300mph, the oscillation is intense.

The reason for this is that the G29 has a natural deadzone and the CSL doesn’t. In the past, wheels like my old Fanatec 911 GT3 also used Logitech emulation but had a dead zone setting in the firmware to compensate for the twitchiness that arises because of this.

Here is the exact quote from the 911 GT3RS V2 manual:
​

"Dead Zone Setting
In steps of 10 from 0 to 100
For some games you can add a little
dead spot where the car does not react to
wheel movements in the center in order
to avoid shaking"​

This is the only issue with Logitech emulation, and Fanatec seemingly already have the capability to solve it but haven’t implemented it yet (maybe it's not as simple as I think). Everything else, including the rev indicators and button mapping, works.​

 

[Twstcrv]

Tell us more.. that was the only feature that had me considering TMs track record for reliability again.

Apparently some tgt owners like it. I personally did not find it realistic. It would buzz while making slight turns on a straight. It just made the wheel and floor vibrate which would propagate through the house and was creating more ambient noise than I think my family would tolerate on a regular basis. It is designed to transmit a simulated road feel vibration into your rig and seat but your hands are much closer and a little too much of it got to my hands for my taste.

 

[Twstcrv]

If Fanatec would just patch in a deadzone setting to the firmware then I would have no complaints at all about using G29 emulation.

Both CSL Elite Wheel Bases have the same main PCBA, motor, power supply and mechanics.

The difference is a cosmetic difference on the front plate and different motor driver electronics.

And of course there is the PlayStation security chip.

The performance is identical except that on the PS4 version you have a different Driftmode so you can de-activate the natural damper which is turned on by default to avoid shaking on the straights.

Did you try to adjust the drift mode? Mine never shook on center like you describe once drift mode was set as described above

 

[PocketZeven]

I have a 135i and it gets around corners just fine without any vibration in the wheel. Does your benz also have that notchy feeling on center like the tgt? That took away a lot of “immersion” for me. And why do you tgt guys keep hanging around here getting your feelings hurt anyway? Arent there enough glowing tgt comments in the tm and tgt threads to help you feel better about your purchase?

Dear sir I already wrote you a respectful pm. Please refrain from personal attacks. I was only commenting and answering a question on transducers in wheels and tried to stay away from mentioning any other brand. I did not say one brand is better then the other. I only said a transducer is a great feature for the future wheels from any brand. I think a lot of people can agree on that... and as I mentioned before I am in this thread because I’m interested in buying the csl in the near future.

 

[Twstcrv]

Dear sir I already wrote you a respectful pm. Please refrain from personal attacks. I was only commenting and answering a question on transducers in wheels and tried to stay away from mentioning any other brand. I did not say one brand is better then the other. I only said a transducer is a great feature for the future wheels from any brand. I think a lot of people can agree on that... and as I mentioned before I am in this thread because I’m interested in buying the csl in the near future.

And I responded to your respectful pm respectfully. Stop trying to discipline me just because you dont agree with negative comments about the tgt. I had a bad experience with it and I believe there are people in THIS thread who dont want to own both that might want to hear about that. Im pretty sure its ok to mention other brands in here and question someones motive for relentlessly defending a product thats not supported in this thread.

 

[LordDrift]

Argh!! I pulled the trigger on the CSL just now over the TGT. Main reasons are :
-Not really happy with my newly acquired G29 (kind of weak on GT, button layout sucks, looks like a Martian toy), it is worth the $200 sale price but definitely not the regular $400.
-While the dials and transducer were my main reason at looking at TM in the first place, 2 failed T300s and a pedal set, and having to run the 3rd with the cover off, just didn't appeal to me.
-TGT looks little toyish for the price; I would rather larger rim.
-After a few weeks of deliberation , the current value of the CSL with LC is just too much in comparison to the competition to pass up.

PS: Here's hoping Fanatec can design a transducer add on for future use. I'm still very intrigued by it, but was more intrigued by realistic braking possibility.

 

[Twstcrv]

Argh!! I pulled the trigger on the CSL just now over the TGT. Main reasons are :
-Not really happy with my newly acquired G29 (kind of weak on GT, button layout sucks, looks like a Martian toy), it is worth the $200 sale price but definitely not the regular $400.
-While the dials and transducer were my main reason at looking at TM in the first place, 2 failed T300s and a pedal set, and having to run the 3rd with the cover off, just didn't appeal to me.
-TGT looks little toyish for the price; I would rather larger rim.
-After a few weeks of deliberation , the current value of the CSL with LC is just too much in comparison to the competition to pass up.

PS: Here's hoping Fanatec can design a transducer add on for future use. I'm still very intrigued by it, but was more intrigued by realistic braking possibility.

I can tell you when you put that brake set together (lc I assume?)
And drive it for the first time, you will be glad you did, as I was.