Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel Thread- officially licensed for PS4

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All this talk about lowering FEI to as low as 10 or off does not comply with information from Fanatec. In fact, on PS4 I can run AC or PCARS2 with FEI 100 no problemo. To me it makes the FFB more lively and fun. But only with GT Sport I need to keep it at 50 because of the clacking sound it makes at higher values. I want to go higher, certainly not lower because that dampens the FFB effects too much for my liking.


The text below is from the Fanatec site about settings for CSL Elite PS4.

FEI Force Effects Intensity
Always start at 100% and if the effects are too sharp or there is a strong and noisy rattle which you do not like then turn it down to a lower value.
 
Hate to post this here, but my 3rd wheelbase doesn't feel right... There's absolutely no positive feedback/rumble from road surface or from curbs & it literally feels like there's a part loose or something... I contacted Fanatec and provided them like 4 videos with explanations and always waited a week or so for an answer... I don't know, i feel like i'm now stuck with this unit:

Hi Knukel, firstly I'm concerned that you are 'always waiting a week or so' for an answer. The support team are generally responding to tickets within 24 hours, so something is not right there. I have sent you a PM regarding this.

As for the video, I don't see/hear anything particularly unusual, although of course it can be difficult to gain a full understanding of the 'feel' of a potential FFB problem from a video. Riding these kind of serrated kerbs generate massive and rapid FFB spikes, and due to the single-belt, low friction design of the CSL E mechanism, it can produce some mechanical noise. By running the DRI mode at Off (zero damping, most free-spinning wheel), and the FEI at 100 (most aggressive representation of the FFB signal), you are running the exact combination of settings that has the potential to generate the most noise. This can vary by sim (due to different physics engines and FFB calculations), as well as the specific car being used, and the car setup. The Sauber you're using there is also a particularly 'raw' vehicle that is a challenge even for a direct drive base.

That would work as a workaround, but wont change how "clunky and nonreactive" the wheel is over FFB detail. Also lowering FEI doesn't change how empty/hollow the FFB detail is. Fanatec had same answer, they also mentioned something about possible FFB deadzone from game (which wasn't present with my two earlier bases).
FEI 100 is just an silly exmple, but the wheel is giving similiar results in any game.
As you are being smooth and precise in your steering inputs in the video, it is difficult to see if there is an issue with the overall performance of the motor (in terms of torque, wheel speed - this would be easier to see if you were drifting and/or releasing the wheel to catch a slide, for example). If you believe this wheel base has totally different performance to your previous bases then it might be best to have it checked by our technicians.
 
Understood. I've sent you another PM with details from the case history, but my recommendation is that you continue the conversation with support and get them to check the base.
 
Edit: Never mind ) I set up an automated routine to disable the additional gamepad so all I have to do is click on a single icon like I would if the problem had never existed. The re-boot is annoying but at least there is no more effort on my part.


Hi,

Well I finally got myself an Elite CSL PS4 with the XBox rim. Very happy with it - fidelity is a noticeable step up from my old 911 wheel. I have an issue though with Race 07 and although this is a hardware forum, hear me out :)

What is happening is that the two wheels that appear in the Fanatec Game Controller applet (the wheelbase and the rim) are causing havoc with Race 07 because Race 07 is only be able to recognise a total of four controllers attached to the PC (Race 07 includes the keyboard as a "controller"). This is a problem because I also happen to have a Logitech F710 gamepad installed in my machine (for casual gaming) and that makes for 5 "controllers" in total so far as Race 07 is concerned - so one too many for it to find all of them. I have the keyboard itself, the F710 gampad, my Logitech G25 bodnar-cabled pedals, the Elite PS4 wheelbase and the XBox rim. So what is happening is that my G25 pedals "lose out" as that is the fifth controller that Race 07 won't see.

Now I can "solve" the problem by going into Control Panel and disabling the F710 controller and rebooting. Then I only have four controllers and Race 07 will work fine. But I am hoping to find a more sophisticated work around than having to disable hardware and reboot every time I want to run Race 07.

So my thinking was: is there any way to have Windows see the Fanatec Elite wheelbase and the Wheel Rim as one controller only instead of two? That way I won't have to disable another controller and reboot every time I go to play Race 07.

Sorry that this is as much software related as anything else, but I thought this would be the most appropriate forum as the problem only occurred due to the wheelbase and rim being recognised as two controllers instead of one.

I will live with my makeshift solution if there is no other way but it will get a bit old having to re-boot all the time to swap from casual gaming to race simming.

Thanks
 
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Well I am now disappointed with my new purchase. It was working fine last night and today the calibration is out - confirmed by checking in the driver panel after wondering what the heck had gone wrong when I went to go racing and the wheel had to be pointed left to keep the car straight. Hopefully this is a rare one-off for such an expensive piece of kit and Fanatec will resolve it without fuss.
 
I know I can re-calibrate at any time but my concern was why it went out in the first place. My understanding is because of the way it is designed, it shouldn't really go out of whack once calibrated unless you have extensively serviced the wheel or perhaps installed new firmware / drivers. Maybe I am wrong here but I only ever calibrated my old 911 wheel each time I updated the firmware (which might have been done only two or three times over 7 years). But in between those times, it was perfectly calibrated without any intervention from me and despite thousands of hours of racing.

In any case, oddly enough I restored my hard drive back to last night's configuration and the calibration was correct again - without me having to touch the wheel at all. So this is either some strange intermittent hardware problem or something strange happened on the software side of things given that simply doing a hard drive restoration back to 16 hours ago solved it. Very strange.
 
OK, a whole evening of racing and no calibration issues. I suspect it was some weird software issue and not a wheel hardware issue given that restoring the hard drive got the calibration back without so much as touching the wheel. Fanatec support got back to me very quickly and have just asked me to keep an eye on it and let them know if there are any further problems. Happy with that and their fast response.

Anyway, my first impressions after two long evenings of racing with this new wheel (good points and not so good points). But for TLDR readers, I'll just say it is pretty good! For other readers, here is the detail: Firstly, the feedback fidelity - perhaps unsurprisingly - is a whole new level for me (for belt drive) compared to what I had with my previous 911 RS2 wheel. There are now sufficient subtleties coming through the wheel that I can take low speed cornering much more consistently which has made my lap times much more consistent. I can now really feel exactly the right amount of throttle to use to exit out of these slow and medium speed corners whereas with the old wheel, there just wasn't enough detail to take these corners consistently well. And trail braking into corners is much easier now as the feedback is giving me much clearer indications of when to get off the brake.

Compared to my old 911 GT2, I've dialed the feedback down from 96% in Race 07 to around 66% with this PS4 wheelbase, with only very minor changes of a couple of percent elsewhere in that sim's feedback settings. I'm running the wheel itself with 1080 degrees rotation, damper off, spring off, drift off (I used to need drift set to 3 on my old 911 wheel to be able to counter steer perfectly) and FEI to 030. I am really glad other posters here convinced me to go with this wheel rather than the original Elite, since I am pretty certain I would have wanted a little bit of "drift" on that original wheelbase rather than being able to have it off altogether on this one. And now I can appreciate how "natural" it is to have it turned off altogether. And now that I can see what FEI does, I consider that a critical feature rather than merely a desirable one. For me, anything much above 040 clearly overdoes things but 020 is not quite enough. That said, since the differences even with these 10 point increments is pretty significant, I'd love to see single digit increments down the track if that were possible. It won't stop other people using their previous settings! Personally I would have loved to experiment with settings a tiny bit below and above my current setting of 030.

Some not so great points with my new PS4 wheelbase: the flex in the wheel is a bit more than I was hoping for. I realise some of that is the "budget" rim mount of the Xbox rim, but there is added flex because of the extensive plastic used in the wheelbase itself. That is not to say there is not a fair bit of steel where it counts, but I can see flex is being introduced both where the rim joins the input shaft and where the wheel sits on the cockpit mount (via a three pointer mounting). But as others have pointed out, the effect of this flex appears to be negligible when actually racing to the point where I don't notice it. But it is a bit of a concern in terms of long term durability. Ironically, my old 911 wheel had less flex because it was much smaller, the shaft was much shorter and the small wheel rim was far less of a "lever". But again, this is a price point thing.

The other slight negative is that possibly due to the ribbed belt drive (or maybe because of the motor, but I suspect it's mainly the belt) is that in certain situations you can feel some lack of smoothness which I call a "cogging" effect. By "cogging", I mean a very mild version of what always annoyed me with the Logitechs with their geared drives in certain circumstances (though people often used the word "crunchy" with those Logitechs and crunchy is way over-stating things on the PS4 wheelbase). But it's a feeling of the wheel rotating through a number of subtle "detents" whilst turning it rather than being totally smooth. The most obvious situation where I notice this is when I have to counter steer a bit more (or more aggressively) than normal. If I am driving and putting the car into a very slight slip under power as is my normal driving style, then it is excellent, but it tends to be most noticeable if I have made a mistake, for example and have to get my foot off the throttle and make a more significant correction to "catch a slide" so to speak. You can actually feel this "cogging" effect on its own in Race 07 for example, if you just take the car out, drive it like a granny at very low speed and just keep steering the car left and right - you won't notice much other useful feedback at all but you can feel at the little detents as you move the wheel left and right. Not that you would do this when actually racing of course, but it is just a way of isolating the sensation that I am talking about. Mind you, every other wheel I have owned has also done this - Logitech G25, G27, 911 RS2, etc.

As for the Xbox rim, I really love it! No real negatives there at all. It feels fantastic in the hands and although I might have suggested the rim could perhaps have been be a little bit thicker, that would probably add weight. And from what I have been told, the heavier the wheel rim, the less the feedback fidelity, all other things being equal. If anything, I suspect the thinner rim than I am used to reduces any tendency to grip the wheel too hard - I've noticed that even in the most intense situations, my grip on this new rim has remained light and without any tension. So I think it is great as it is - and the gear shift paddles do have a very nice action compared to what I have been used to before - no missed shifts at all now.

So in summary, I am pretty happy with the new wheel and was relieved that I could integrate it into my existing Race 07 setup with hardly any changes needed apart from dialing back the feedback strength a good 30% in the game itself. I was concerned it might take me literally weeks to "tune" the wheel to my taste, but it just took me a couple of sessions. It helped that any changes I made - both in Race 07 and on the wheel itself - made very obvious differences to the way the wheel felt so if a change made things worse, it was very easy to tell and I could quickly move onto to trying something else. All that said, I think I actually have a touch of buyer's remorse for not going all out and getting the Clubsport wheelbase instead (still with the Xbox rim though). I suspect that might have virtually eliminated that slightly annoying cogging feel when the in-game feedback is not there to "overpower" it - mainly due I suspect to the metal construction, metal pulleys and flat drive belts without any ribs on them (though this is merely my speculation). Then again, I have not tried the Clubsport wheel so can't make a valid "smoothness" comparison. But here in Australia it is $230 more than the PS4 wheelbase. And in the scheme of things, in hindsight I think I should have forked out the extra cash just to get that last degree of smoothness in all situations. Oh well, we live and learn. But next time I will almost certainly get Fanatec's top of the line belt drive wheel instead of their mid-range one.

Finally, I am very impressed with the modern Fanatec drivers (and not because of the extra features offered). I haven't had to muck with Fanatec drivers for years - and years ago they were quite tricky to install with separate firmware and particularly pedantic set procedures almost like aircraft checklists! These new drivers are fantastic - so user friendly!
 
Is anybody on here using the csl elite ps4 with the gt omega apex wheel stand do the mounting holes match up or does it require extra holes and any glove recommendations
 
CSL ELITE Issue

Hey guys, got my CSL this past Friday. Used it Friday and Saturday night with no issues. Also didn’t really wreck all that bad.

Gran Turismo Sport

Last night however in league I spun out of a corner and smacked the wall pretty good got damage from it. The wheel then jumped center calibration. It then happened again when we were messing around waiting to qualify. Luckily Fanatec makes it easy to re-calibrate but I feel after having this for 3 days I shouldn’t have to be doing this.

Other than calling Fanatec does anyone have any suggestions?
 
CSL ELITE Issue

Hey guys, got my CSL this past Friday. Used it Friday and Saturday night with no issues. Also didn’t really wreck all that bad.

Gran Turismo Sport

Last night however in league I spun out of a corner and smacked the wall pretty good got damage from it. The wheel then jumped center calibration. It then happened again when we were messing around waiting to qualify. Luckily Fanatec makes it easy to re-calibrate but I feel after having this for 3 days I shouldn’t have to be doing this.

Other than calling Fanatec does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Neutty,

Please try to update the firmware using this beta driver:
https://www.fanatec.com/forum/discu...net&utm_campaign=General+Links&a_aid=gtplanet

This has a fix for centre calibration issues. I recommend contacting our support team if you have any questions about this.
 
Thanks I’ll look into this tonight.

This wouldn’t happen to be V311?
I downloaded that Friday night.
No, v311 is one of the most recent 'released' driver packages that we still have in the downloads section for the CSL Elite bases, but that will change in the near future. The one I linked is v328, a beta (release candidate) driver package. You need to be signed in to your Fanatec account to access the link.
 
No, v311 is one of the most recent 'released' driver packages that we still have in the downloads section for the CSL Elite bases, but that will change in the near future. The one I linked is v328, a beta (release candidate) driver package. You need to be signed in to your Fanatec account to access the link.
Ok thank you!!
 
@DomB_Fanatec
I flashed the V328 Version and now the wheel is dead. It wont boot up.

When i turn on the wheel it will turn all the way to the right, (well almost all the way, i feel like it could go just a tid bit further) and then go all the way to the left and hit the furthest point in that direction (way harder than going to the right.) Once it gets to that side, the power light just flashes red. I sent in a support case to Fanatec, i hope we can get this resolved in some way where i am not missing league this coming Sunday.
 
@DomB_Fanatec
I flashed the V328 Version and now the wheel is dead. It wont boot up.

When i turn on the wheel it will turn all the way to the right, (well almost all the way, i feel like it could go just a tid bit further) and then go all the way to the left and hit the furthest point in that direction (way harder than going to the right.) Once it gets to that side, the power light just flashes red. I sent in a support case to Fanatec, i hope we can get this resolved in some way where i am not missing league this coming Sunday.
I'm sorry to hear that. It is possible that the base was already faulty, and the act of updating the firmware has only highlighted the problem. You could try downgrading back to your previous firmware (hold the power button to reach boot loader mode if necessary), but it is unlikely that this will help; if the start-up calibration is failing then there is likely a hardware issue that we need to repair.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. It is possible that the base was already faulty, and the act of updating the firmware has only highlighted the problem. You could try downgrading back to your previous firmware (hold the power button to reach boot loader mode if necessary), but it is unlikely that this will help; if the start-up calibration is failing then there is likely a hardware issue that we need to repair.
I’m getting an exchanged wheel. When I get it should I put V328 firmware in it?
 
Hello!

Recently received a set of "base + wheel" CSL PS4.
Noticed some rubbing noise when turning the axis. Made a video and created a ticket for technical support.

Today I was offered to send back for repair.
But, after talking on the forum simracing.su with the owners of CSL PS4, I realized that everyone has this sound of rubbing. I was confirmed by 4 people.
I would, of course, send if it is really required, if it is a product defect. But most likely it is just a feature of this steering base. The steering wheel itself works fine, very smoothly and pleasantly.

This noise is most noticeable in some places when the power is off. When the power is on, it is less noticeable, and with active taxiing, it is completely unnoticeable. (the fact is that I am not in Germany, delivery back and forth will be costly for me. At the price, this wheel will already work for me then as CSW2.5. If I knew this nuance, I would buy CSW2.5 initially)

@DomB_Fanatec, please advise how to be?
 
Guys, you can go and see who reads this topic please check with everyone! Are there any noises you have when steering the steering wheel friction knocks and the like. Thank!
 
I think its normal, nothing to worry about.

Yes, I myself came to the conclusion that all CSL PS4 bases emit this rubbing noise. At least, at the moment I do not know any CSL PS4 owner who would not have this noise.

And it turns out that there is no point for me to send my brand new CSL PS4 to Fanatec. And I'm not ready to stay without a steering wheel for at least a month.
And I do not want the new steering wheel to be repaired. This immediately reduces its value. I would agree to pay extra for CSW, or for a replacement. (but if all CSL emit rubbing noise, then it makes little sense to replace it with a new one)

I had a lack of information on this issue when I created a ticket for Fanatec technical support.
At the moment I see that there was no need.
 
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Is there way to use TM sparco hanbrake+seq in Fanatec CSL+ wheelbase? It's only thing I guess I would miss if I move to Fanatec family. Thanks!
 
Is there way to use TM sparco hanbrake+seq in Fanatec CSL+ wheelbase? It's only thing I guess I would miss if I move to Fanatec family. Thanks!
On PC, the TSS Handbrake Sparco Mod + can be used with all currently available racing wheels & all games compatible with the multi-USB feature and handbrake devices
Some PC games require that you install the latest available game updates for the Thrustmaster shifter to work correctly.
On PlayStation 4, the TSS Handbrake Sparco Mod + can be used with the Thrustmaster T-GT and the Thrustmaster T300 racing wheels (TSS Handbrake connected to the wheel’s DIN connector)
On Xbox One, the TSS Handbrake Sparco Mod + can be used with the Thrustmaster TS-XW Racer and the Thrustmaster TX racing wheels (TSS Handbrake connected to the wheel’s DIN connector)


On PC, the TSS Handbrake Sparco Mod can be used with all currently available racing wheels & all games compatible with the multi-USB feature and handbrake devices
- Some PC games require that you install the latest available game updates for the Thrustmaster shifter to work correctly.
 
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Make it 5.
I think its normal, nothing to worry about.

You can make it six at least - I noticed the problem with mine after about a week though Fanatec advised me that it is normal for this particular wheel. I believe the issue may be (at least in some cases, if not all) due to the inherent (and necessary) relatively low tension of the toothed belt running on the respective plastic drive and driven gears. I believe what happens is that when these wheels are brand new, the belt and drive mechanism has not bedded itself in and the tension is a tiny bit higher than it is after around 10 - 15 hours of running in (i.e racing!). Once the tension relaxes and the mechanism beds in to its normal intended long-term operating parameters (for want of a better term), the belt may not necessarily always track precisely in the middle of the gears and may instead slip towards the flange guides (remembering too that the wheel has a built-in wedge on the base so the belt also has to work against gravity to stay in the optimal position unless you mount the wheel dead flat (which is awkward ergonomically speaking). I believe it is the belt rubbing against these flanges that is responsible for the noise. As I say, it may not be the case in every reported instance of noise that did not exist when the wheel was brand new so please don't think I am trying to say that. I am just speaking frommy own experience and the experiences of others I have conversed with - and I think it might explain a number of such cases.

Now this does not actually significantly effect the functionality or performance, however I do have to say (even as a long term loyal Fanatec fan), that as per Super GT's post above, this mechanism could certainly use some further attention and refinement in an updated version. I am reluctant to criticise Fanatec because their customer service these days is second to none and they have an excellent web presence where customers can effectively communicate directly with the company. And their high end gear is really excellent quality. However I really do feel that for the not inconsiderable asking price of the PS4 (here in Australia it is "only" 38% cheaper than the Clubsport 2.5 which moves owners into a completely different realm of engineering quality) perhaps some further attention can be paid to the way the belt maintains tension over the short, medium and long term and how the belt maintains it's "tracking" alignment / position relative to the gears. Think of that belt like a camshaft belt on a twin cam racing engine. It has to stay in the right place to work properly! :)

All that said, I have to appreciate Fantatec's position on the matter as well. They are the first to admit that the Clubsport is a significant step up from the Elite PS4. But they are also the first to say that it costs them far more to make the Clubsport - and it shows if you have tried both wheels side by side. In other words, the Elite PS4 has to be built to a price. The Clubsport is aimed at a less price sensitive portion of the market where quality expectations are higher. But I would still like to see it improved in a future version nonetheless, mainly because I don't personally believe these improvements would necessarily cost a whole heap of money. I don't think it helps that the Elite PS4 has the Sony licence and Sony chip on board. That adds to the price as well which also then adds to the perception of value compared to the other wheels in the range, especially if like me, you only bought it to use on a PC! :)
 
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Anyone have any setting advise for the Formula V2 Wheel on GTSport? It seems nomatter what value i adjust it will go into what i would describe as a "DeathWobble/Ratchet sensation" around turns? More so in the Gr4 car's at suzuka than the gr2's at Autopolis.This is a brand new setup with version V328 Driver,It will do the same thing with the Csl elite wheel?
 
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