Fanatec to Launch Cheaper Wheels for PlayStation 5

[Yard_Sale]

Curious on your v3 opinion. What pedals did you have before the V3’s?

 

[VFOURMAX1]

Curious on your v3 opinion. What pedals did you have before the V3’s?

I have had several different Logitec pedal sets and my latest before the V3 set is a set of Fanatec Elite pedals with the load cell brake.
As far as build quality and materials the Elite pedals are much better then the Logitec and the V3 set over the Elites lets just say the V3 set is in a different league and I would say a tier above with no question.

One thing is the V3 set uses hall sensors for the throttle and clutch rather than the potentiometers of the Elite. The clutch uses a different mechanical system which to a degree imitates the break point of a clutch pedal and pressure plate feel. And the brake uses a different more adjustable system for pressure and travel on the brake pedal. The throttle can also be adjusted for total travel to a degree as well.

I have not yet driven with the V3 pedals but just on the build quality, more adjustability and having the hall sensors which should be less problematic and longer lasting I would say if you have the budget just go ahead and purchase these to begin with.
If you do not have the budget or want to spend less the Elite pedals with the load cell brake is a solid option as well and and almost half the price of the V3 set.

And I do agree just go ahead and figure in the extra $30 for the brake performance kit with the V3 purchase as most people I think will want to stiffen up the pedal as compared to how it comes out of the box. The Elite pedals include optional stiffer rubbers to make those brake pedals stiffer. It like many people have stated seems to be a cheesy cash grab by Fanatec to charge an extra $30 rather than include the extra rubbers in the original V3 pedal purchase.

 

[Skinny McLean]

In mass production and in particular where electronics are involved there will be a certain percentage of failures it is just the nature of the beast..

That's why quality control is paramount - when you buy 6 different products, and 5 fail (and @AngryGinger81 isn't alone in reporting on these issues) it points to severe problems with quality control at Fanatec's Chinese factories. Another example is the tolerance issues with the DD1/2 quick release, causing steering wheel flex for the unlucky customers who lost the tolerance lottery on a 1300+ Euro wheelbase! Compounded with the overly long repair turn-around time (people have been left waiting for several months,) I'll take my business elsewhere.

 

[VFOURMAX1]

That's why quality control is paramount - when you buy 6 different products, and 5 fail (and @AngryGinger81 isn't alone in reporting on these issues) it points to severe problems with quality control at Fanatec's Chinese factories. Another example is the tolerance issues with the DD1/2 quick release, causing steering wheel flex for the unlucky customers who lost the tolerance lottery on a 1300+ Euro wheelbase! Compounded with the overly long repair turn-around time (people have been left waiting for several months,) I'll take my business elsewhere.

I agree that quality control and production tolerance issues are something that needs to be of the highest priority. I also understand that there are limitations when something is mass produced that has to balance as to a reasonable balance of tolerances to keep cost affordable as well. There is no doubt that the fit on a product can be made to an exacting fit but to obtain that exacting level of perfection on every piece the price of that product most surely will be much higher.

I also know that a defective product will get talked about by the purchasing consumer with reviews or on social media at a much higher rate than the purchasing consumer that has absolutely no issues with their purchased product so using just those examples may not paint a clear picture. For every person that buys a 1 product that fails there well may be 30,000 sold that work perfectly.
A company like Fanatec would not grow as large or stay in business very long if their product failure rate overall was any where near what some people would like you to believe in my opinion.

As far as the flex in the QR on the DD wheel bases first off in my opinion I think a lot of the problem stems from the design and stacking of the screw mount on the motor shaft, then the QR assembly, then the hub and button mount assembly and then the wheel itself.
Adding so much length to the wheel mounting assembly from the wheelbase is increasing the leverage and force placed on the actual QR/shaft mount point it is amplifying the amount of felt play as a result of that added assembly length.

My CSL wheelbase with the same style metal Clubsport QR mounted directly to my McLaren GT3 wheel only has a distance of less than 3" (76.2 mm) from the actual face of the wheelbase to the back of the rim itself and because of this short distance and lack of leverage effect basically has no perceivable wheel flex due to QR to the motor shaft connection.

I have been doing quite a bit of research into the DD1 wheelbase as I have been considering an upgrade to the direct drive arena. I do know that Fanatec is working on a new QR system and I will wait to see what that system consist of before upgrading. But honestly I do think that the overall distance between the DD1 and DD2 wheelbase and the wheel itself is one of the biggest problems amplifying the wheel flex issue.

I do also understand people wanting as close to a perfect system as possible also for that kind of dollars spent but in reality using the wheel as it is intended to be used how many people are pulling and twisting on their wheels up and down or back and forth front to rear from the sides to see how much flex they can find?
The reason I mention this is I heard about the "flex" evident in the Fanatec V1 McLaren wheel as well before I purchased said wheel and I have owned this wheel a couple of years and in normal use as intended I have never noticed any flex in the product at all.
If I had of listened to all the negative comments and let them influence my purchasing decision on this wheel I may well have passed on what I consider my best purchase from Fanatec.
The point is you can find faults in about any product if that is your intended goal.

I am sure there will be comments concerning my last statements but again it is the truth and not just with Fanatec products but with any products. How you use and care for something is also important, I have never personally experienced a failure out of even cheap Logitec wheel and pedal sets even after using them for multiple years.
But I also do not use my wheel rims like jungle gym and swing on them and pull on them with forces and in directions their normal use will likely never encounter either. So far my reliability track record using Fanatec products over the last couple of years has been 100% with no failures or even glitches that need troubleshooting or sorting out.

 

[Skinny McLean]

The point is you can find faults in about any product if that is your intended goal.

That's not my goal at all - I want equipment that works reliably as advertised. From reading online (including on their own forum) I'm just not of the opinion that Fanatec is producing the high quality equipment they (and some of their very vocal fans) claim they do - some of their products certainly look good, but looks isn't everything, after all - I prefer reliability over good looks.

a defective product will get talked about by the purchasing consumer with reviews or on social media at a much higher rate than the purchasing consumer that has absolutely no issues

That's true of Logitech and Thrustmaster as well. Bar the the Thrustmaster T300 (which most likely outsold every Fanatec wheel base by orders of magnitude,) I haven't read about as many issues with any of their products as with Fanatec's.

 

[VFOURMAX1]

That's not my goal at all - I want equipment that works reliably as advertised. From reading online (including on their own forum) I'm just not of the opinion that Fanatec is producing the high quality equipment they (and some of their very vocal fans) claim they do - some of their products certainly look good, but looks isn't everything, after all - I prefer reliability over good looks.

First off as I look back through this thread at your post I see when you refer to Fanatec and their issues you seem to be always referring to something another poster has written or something you have read on one forum or another.
Do you actually own any Fanatec products and if so have you personally had problems with those products where they had to be sent back to Fanatec for repair or replacement or are you just parroting what you have read one place or another?

I also want gear that works reliably and although I also look at offerings from other brands (such as right now I researching to learn more about the VRS brand of DD wheel base solutions) I also take into the account that as an actual owner and user of more than one Fanatec products with absolutely 0 problems or issues with any of their products I have bought I do feel that my first hand experience on more than one or two purchases of the brand carries more weight to me on a future purchase than claims someone online makes about how bad the brand is and to avoid.

That's true of Logitech and Thrustmaster as well. Bar the the Thrustmaster T300 (which most likely outsold every Fanatec wheel base by orders of magnitude,) I haven't read about as many issues with any of their products as with Fanatec's

I expect Logitec and Thrustmaster have outsold Fanatec, Sim cube, Accuforce and all other simbased wheel manufactures combined by far.
The Sim market is small but those that are willing to invest in the higher end gear are even smaller.

Also as far as failure rates a couple of years ago there were certain models of Thrustmasters that were pretty well documented on the online forums to have very high failure rates and short lifespans. Does that mean again there were not multiple thousands of those exact wheelbases that never gave their owners the first problem?
No again regardless of brand or product you will hear about the ones that are problematic while the owners not having an issue will quietly go about enjoying their product and you never hear a peep out of them.
If a person does not have confidence in what a brand offers then by all means they should purchase a different brand.

 

[Skinny McLean]

Do you actually own any Fanatec products [...] or are you just parroting what you have read one place or another?

Come on, Max - that's a low blow, don't you think?

Parroting: to repeat exactly what someone else says, without understanding it or thinking about its meaning:

"She doesn't have an original thought in her head - she just parrots anything that Sara says."

Thankfully humans are able to form opinions based on the experiences of others - you don't have to hit yourself on the head with a frying pan to figure out that it's a bad idea to do so, after all.

And the answer is no. I've gone from being a prospective customer of Fanatecs (thanks to their very efficient PR machinery and some incredibly zealous fans who describe their stuff like it's the best thing since sliced bread) to being absolutely appalled by their apparent business practices - and it's not just something I've read "one place or another" - it's virtually all over the internet (including on Fanatec's own forum) for those who care to take a look.

Also as far as failure rates a couple of years ago there were certain models of Thrustmasters that were pretty well documented on the online forums to have very high failure rates and short lifespans. Does that mean again there were not multiple thousands of those exact wheelbases that never gave their owners the first problem?

Speaking of parroting - you keep repeating that same point which I've never made. Again, no, of course it doesn't mean that - but it certainly caused me (and probably many others) to avoid buying a T300.

If a person does not have confidence in what a brand offers then by all means they should purchase a different brand.

Indeed - and I don't think it's unreasonable at all, for such a person to air that lack of confidence on a public sim racing forum.

And I am genuinely glad that you and many others are happy with your purchases, and I hope you'll continue to be so - I'm not a brand warrior, I simply want businesses to treat their customers reasonably.

 

[VFOURMAX1]

I'm just not of the opinion that Fanatec is producing the high quality equipment they (and some of their very vocal fans) claim they do

Come on, Max - that's a low blow, don't you think?

No actually I do not think it is a low blow, When you constantly bash a brand as being bad or low quality and you have no actual personal experience with that brand then that is parroting and just you repeating what someone else says with you having no way to back up the claims you are making other than what you are reading online.

And the answer is no. I've gone from being a prospective customer of Fanatecs (thanks to their very efficient PR machinery and some incredibly zealous fans who describe their stuff like it's the best thing since sliced bread) to being absolutely appalled by their apparent business practices - and it's not just something I've read "one place or another" - it's virtually all over the internet (including on Fanatec's own forum) for those who care to take a look.

Again there are many customers online on forums and doing you tube video reviews of Fanatec products and many doing what they consider an upgrade from othe branded products that rave about how much better and higher quality the Fanatec products are over their previous brand.
Again those also are just someone else's opinions as well so how can you say those that bash the brand online are more correct than those that praise the brand online?

The fact is in reality and being truthful you cannot and with no personal experience with the brand one way or the other you really have nothing concrete to come on a forum and say the brand has low quality products or makes the best thing on the market either.
My personal opinion is there is not another brand or product within the price point or below many of Fanatec's mid line and below products that are anywhere near the quality or versatility of what they offer based off the other products I have used or owned and what I researched online.

The top line stuff I have no experience with so can only say that the Fanatec eco system does offer a nice apparent on the surface simple plug -n-play and only needing one software/driver package to operate and adjust/calibrate all your sim gear which is attractive in itself. Quality compared to other top offerings again only what I see or read so I have nothing to share other than I will still consider their products in the running if I ever go up to that level of gear.

But again I am speaking from personal experience and opinion of what I have actually owned both currently and in the past, not just what I read online. If a person is looking for the highest quality plug-n-play wheelbase or pedals with no adapter needed for a game console Fanatec currently owns that market by far.

Speaking of parroting - you keep repeating that same point which I've never made. Again, no, of course it doesn't mean that - but it certainly caused me (and probably many others) to avoid buying a T300.

The only reason I even mentioned the TM reviews online from a few years ago is just to point out there are other brands that also get bad press but yet you still see plenty of people that own that model of wheel recommend it as a solid wheel to purchase. Again I have never owned that wheel so I refrain from talking about whether it is a good product or not.

I wonder how many people online with the T300 were just like you just repeating what they read somewhere without actually owning the product to actually know whether it is a good wheel or its build quality good or bad?
Regardless of the bad press it has seen online and in sim forums there sure seem to be a lot of satisfied owners of the product to recommend others to purchase it?

I simply want businesses to treat their customers reasonably.

Again I have personally had nothing but excellent dealings with Fanatec, I have pre-ordered products and they were shipped out by the promised date, I have ordered products and had them on my doorstep within a week of ordering so my experience with Fanatec as a business has also been excellent.The difference between myself and you is what I say about the company is based on my actual dealings with the company.

Again you accuse the company of treating their customers poorly but again only by what you read online as you have never dealt with them to actually be able to make a real informed opinion by your personal experiences.

I full agree you have a right to your opinion but you do not really in my opinion have a right to bash a company or its products and act like you really know what you are talking about as you really know nothing about them but what you have read by your own admission.

Again I will repeat Fanatec would likely not be as big as they are nor would they financially be able to remain in business if their products were as low quality and required replacement or repair due to failures at the rates you seem to like to insinuate they do.
And yes DUE TO MY ACTUAL PERSONAL DEALINGS AND USE OF THEIR PRODUCTS I would not hesitate to recommend a person to consider purchasing any of their products.