z00h,
There are other factors I think you're not considering.
I personally own a G25 and have a very personalised gaming set-up. The angle my wheel is at, the height of my seat, the distance from the TV, the angle in which I push at the pedals is all set up to how I like it.
I put in a 1'35.815 in the Tuned car which, was good enough for a top 20 time.
After attending the Autosport show in the UK, I got a bit of seat time at the GT Academy stand, in the gaming pods with DFGT's. Within 3 laps, I had got down to a 1'37.xxx and when switching to a different pod that did not have pedal issues, I got down to a 1'36.xxx.
The speed difference, was not entirely down to the hardware. It was down to the following;
1. TV size/frame rate was different, altering the speed and distance the brake markers were exiting my peripheral vision.
2. The sound was compromised, with ambient noise of the show, aswell as people talking directly behind me.
3. The pressure of having an audience, albeit small did affect my concentration.
4. The seat position was different, resulting in a different angle for me to push at the pedals, making feathering the brake pedal more difficult.
5. Play-time. My personal best at home in my snug fitting G25, came after about 60-70 consequetive laps. Having only 3-4 laps to try and get up to full speed, made it awkward.
6. The DFGT. The steering was lighter, the shift buttons required more accuracy to press when steering but this became second nature within minutes. The biggest problem, was the resistance in the brake pedal - it's about a 10th of what the G25 is which, took some getting used to.
Regarding the race times, you need to understand that the last thing you want to do when racing, is fall off of the circuit. So driving within your absolute limit, is very important.
The hardware will play a factor for some people, especially switching from differing equipment. But it's not 3seconds slower - I can prove that if you so wish, as could 99.9% of this forum.
