Grumpy old man needs advice

[smashall]

Help. Bought my first gaming console PS5. Bought FIFA (old school) and GT7. Got into GT7 a lot more than i expected. Bought an Apex Steering wheel and pedal set.
So Here are my questions.
1. Is there a set up that any one uses with any success with the Hori racing wheel, and if so can you share it with me?
2. Does the steering wheel and pedal set make a difference to your time? I've seen other sets that are more expensive but did not want to invest in one of those until I decided whether my interest was temporary or an addition (turns out it's the latter).

That's it. Quite simple.

I've started playing GT7 and can't stop. I'm getting super frustrated that i can't get the gold times on the challenges no matter how many you tube videos I watch or how many laps I put in.

I've been a gamer for over 40 years (yes I'm old) and I'm curious as to whether I need to change either my settings on the wheel I've got, or get a new wheel to get better.

And and all advice welcome.

Thanks

 

[PirovacBoy]

First of all welcome to gtp.
Unfortunately I can't give you any tips on the Hori.
But I can assure you that the more time you spend with your setup the more you should accommodate and get better over time.
Good luck on your journey and enjoy your trip.

 

[Scaff]

Help. Bought my first gaming console PS5. Bought FIFA (old school) and GT7. Got into GT7 a lot more than i expected. Bought an Apex Steering wheel and pedal set.
So Here are my questions.
1. Is there a set up that any one uses with any success with the Hori racing wheel, and if so can you share it with me?
2. Does the steering wheel and pedal set make a difference to your time? I've seen other sets that are more expensive but did not want to invest in one of those until I decided whether my interest was temporary or an addition (turns out it's the latter).

That's it. Quite simple.

I've started playing GT7 and can't stop. I'm getting super frustrated that i can't get the gold times on the challenges no matter how many you tube videos I watch or how many laps I put in.

I've been a gamer for over 40 years (yes I'm old) and I'm curious as to whether I need to change either my settings on the wheel I've got, or get a new wheel to get better.

And and all advice welcome.

Thanks

Welcome.

The Hori Apex you have can be considered a stop-gap between a controller and a force-feedback wheels, but it does have a couple of significant limitations.

• No force feedback, which can make understanding what the car is doing quite a bit more difficult.
• Max of 270 degrees of rotation, which is less than even the quickest race cars (typically F1 runs 360 degrees, most race cars run 540 degrees and road cars vary between 900 and 1080 degrees), which will make it seem very twitchy and end up building muscle memory that will make moving to almost every other wheel far harder.

If you are still able to return the Hori you would be better off investing a little more and going to something like the Thrustmaster T128, which provides force-feedback and allows for 900 degrees of rotation, the pedals are not great (but I imagine no worse than the Hori's) but you can at least upgrade them in the future (not an option on the Hori).

At the end of the day wheels, over a certain point, are a case of diminishing returns in terms of lap time reductions. However, the basics that most people would see as a must are force-feedback and a good range of steering rotation, something like the T128 (or similar from Logitech, etc) will offer you that. As a Playstation user, the likes of Thrustmaster, Logitech and Fanatec are where you should be looking, but the T128 is, IIRC, the cheapest you will get. I ran a T150 (the predecessor to the T128) for a good number of years, and it was a great starting point).

 

[smashall]

Thank you for the welcome and for responding. Another quick question (sorry) what settings do you have for TCS 0-5 when racing please?

Welcome.

The Hori Apex you have can be considered a stop-gap between a controller and a force-feedback wheels, but it does have a couple of significant limitations.

• No force feedback, which can make understanding what the car is doing quite a bit more difficult.
• Max of 270 degrees of rotation, which is less than even the quickest race cars (typically F1 runs 360 degrees, most race cars run 540 degrees and road cars vary between 900 and 1080 degrees), which will make it seem very twitchy and end up building muscle memory that will make moving to almost every other wheel far harder.

If you are still able to return the Hori you would be better off investing a little more and going to something like the Thrustmaster T128, which provides force-feedback and allows for 900 degrees of rotation, the pedals are not great (but I imagine no worse than the Hori's) but you can at least upgrade them in the future (not an option on the Hori).

At the end of the day wheels, over a certain point, are a case of diminishing returns in terms of lap time reductions. However, the basics that most people would see as a must are force-feedback and a good range of steering rotation, something like the T128 (or similar from Logitech, etc) will offer you that. As a Playstation user, the likes of Thrustmaster, Logitech and Fanatec are where you should be looking, but the T128 is, IIRC, the cheapest you will get. I ran a T150 (the predecessor to the T128) for a good number of years, and it was a great starting point).

Thanks for the response and the note. I've been running it on 180 degree and not even 270! I'll give the 270 ago and see if that helps.
What would be a good mid range setup for me to get?

Thanks

 

[MatskiMonk]

With practice you'll get better with whatever set up you have. I'm now seconds per lap faster with my wheel than I am an a controller BUT that's because I've not driven with a controller for any amount of time since GT5, and when I switched to the wheel (a T500RS at the time - now a T-GT), I was seconds per lap slower than on a controller.

With that said, once you switch to a device with feedback, how you react to that feedback starts to influence how fast you drive in a way that simple audio/visual cues don't. I know I over react to the sensation of understeer through my wheel, which I don't do when the feedback glitches out (sometimes when waking the PS up from sleep I get resistance but no active feedback from the wheel), and that makes me slower - but, the bottom line is a proper FFB wheel is just far more fun to use. I'm average on a good day, and if going back to controller made me faster I still wouldn't do it... simple as that.

Regards TCS, 0-1 most of the time, upto 3 if my tyres are worn out, and upto Max if it's raining and I'm on slicks.

edit: switching to a proper set up made it completely natural to use MT, which I never did previously on a controller.

edit 2: my setup is a Thrustmaster T-GT & TH8A shifter on home made (wooden) rig.

 

[smashall]

With practice you'll get better with whatever set up you have. I'm now seconds per lap faster with my wheel than I am an a controller BUT that's because I've not driven with a controller for any amount of time since GT5, and when I switched to the wheel (a T500RS at the time - now a T-GT), I was seconds per lap slower than on a controller.

With that said, once you switch to a device with feedback, how you react to that feedback starts to influence how fast you drive in a way that simple audio/visual cues don't. I know I over react to the sensation of understeer through my wheel, which I don't do when the feedback glitches out (sometimes when waking the PS up from sleep I get resistance but no active feedback from the wheel), and that makes me slower - but, the bottom line is a proper FFB wheel is just far more fun to use. I'm average on a good day, and if going back to controller made me faster I still wouldn't do it... simple as that.

Regards TCS, 0-1 most of the time, upto 3 if my tyres are worn out, and upto Max if it's raining and I'm on slicks.

Thanks for the reply and the advice! Really appreciated

 

[Scaff]

Thanks for the response and the note. I've been running it on 180 degree and not even 270! I'll give the 270 ago and see if that helps.

It will help a little, but it's still quite a way off unless you are just driving F1 cars.

What would be a good mid range setup for me to get?

Thanks

Mid range to myself may well be very different to yourself. Would you be able to let us know your rough budget, and that will help, also how you are using it (desk, rig, etc).

 

[smashall]

It will help a little, but it's still quite a way off unless you are just driving F1 cars.

Mid range to myself may well be very different to yourself. Would you be able to let us know your rough budget, and that will help, also how you are using it (desk, rig, etc).

It's on a desk the moment , up to £300 say?

 

[Scaff]

It's on a desk the moment , up to £300 say?

OK, I would look at the Thrustmaster T248 or Logitech G29 or Logitech G923 (look for sale offers for under £300) for that budget, both great starter wheels. Have a look at a range of video reviews for them both and see which would better suit your needs.

Both offer good FFB for the price and 900 degrees of rotation.

This is a good comparison video as a start.

 

[PirovacBoy]

It's on a desk the moment , up to £300 say?

Like @Scaff already mentioned, if there is a chance to return the Hori, I would consider doing so.
And like you said, if your Budget is roughly 300 quid, then I can from my own experience absolutely recommend you the Thrustmaster T300.
Its a great piece of kit and most importantly it will let you enjoy GT7 as well as any other Racing Game way more.
Reading your posts I get the impression that you really enjoy GT7 and a proper Wheel will completely transform the experience.
The T300 can be clamped to any desk and it provides really good Force Feedback.
You get a realistic range of Rotation and a good amount of steering Resistance to navigate your Car precisely.
The T3PA Pedals which come bundled with the Wheelbase/Wheel are also significantly better then the lower end ones.
Especially the Rubber thingy which is used to simulate some sort of realistic braking pedal resistance is worth gold.
So overall if you can and are willing to spend 300 +/- Quid, the T300 would be my recommendation.

And in regards of your question about TCS, use whatever feels best and comfortable to you.
Same goes for the other driving aids.
It's about you and only you, as long as it let's you enjoy the game, it's the right way to go.

 

[smashall]

OK, I would look at the Thrustmaster T248 or Logitech G29 or Logitech G923 (look for sale offers for under £300) for that budget, both great starter wheels. Have a look at a range of video reviews for them both and see which would better suit your needs.

Both offer good FFB for the price and 900 degrees of rotation.

This is a good comparison video as a start.

Thank you !! Really appreciate you taking the time to help me out! Enjoy the rest of your day - thanks

Like @Scaff already mentioned, if there is a chance to return the Hori, I would consider doing so.
And like you said, if your Budget is roughly 300 quid, then I can from my own experience absolutely recommend you the Thrustmaster T300.
Its a great piece of kit and most importantly it will let you enjoy GT7 as well as any other Racing Game way more.
Reading your posts I get the impression that you really enjoy GT7 and a proper Wheel will completely transform the experience.
The T300 can be clamped to any desk and it provides really good Force Feedback.
You get a realistic range of Rotation and a good amount of steering Resistance to navigate your Car precisely.
The T3PA Pedals which come bundled with the Wheelbase/Wheel are also significantly better then the lower end ones.
Especially the Rubber thingy which is used to simulate some sort of realistic braking pedal resistance is worth gold.
So overall if you can and are willing to spend 300 +/- Quid, the T300 would be my recommendation.

And in regards of your question about TCS, use whatever feels best and comfortable to you.
Same goes for the other driving aids.
It's about you and only you, as long as it let's you enjoy the game, it's the right way to go.

Thank you for the advice, really appreciate it - i'll look at the T300 now!! Enjoy the rest of your day, and thank you again!

 

[Scaff]

Like @Scaff already mentioned, if there is a chance to return the Hori, I would consider doing so.
And like you said, if your Budget is roughly 300 quid, then I can from my own experience absolutely recommend you the Thrustmaster T300.
Its a great piece of kit and most importantly it will let you enjoy GT7 as well as any other Racing Game way more.
Reading your posts I get the impression that you really enjoy GT7 and a proper Wheel will completely transform the experience.
The T300 can be clamped to any desk and it provides really good Force Feedback.
You get a realistic range of Rotation and a good amount of steering Resistance to navigate your Car precisely.
The T3PA Pedals which come bundled with the Wheelbase/Wheel are also significantly better then the lower end ones.
Especially the Rubber thingy which is used to simulate some sort of realistic braking pedal resistance is worth gold.
So overall if you can and are willing to spend 300 +/- Quid, the T300 would be my recommendation.

And in regards of your question about TCS, use whatever feels best and comfortable to you.
Same goes for the other driving aids.
It's about you and only you, as long as it let's you enjoy the game, it's the right way to go.

Yep, agreed, if you can stretch to a T300 it's still a great wheel, one which I still have for use on GT7 when I occasionally drive it. I've had mine for over 8 years now.

 

[jrbabbitt]

I've started playing GT7 and can't stop. I'm getting super frustrated that i can't get the gold times on the challenges no matter how many you tube videos I watch or how many laps I put in.

I do strongly suggest watching this series of "Driving School" videos, they are the best for improving your skills.


P.s. I'm 61 and I'm a controller driver and have some dexterity issues but still I'm an above average (low B on DR) driver.

 

[smashall]

I do strongly suggest watching this series of "Driving School" videos, they are the best for improving your skills.

thank you , will do!

 

[jrbabbitt]

thank you , will do!

You ain't old... im 61

 

[smashall]

You ain't old... im 61

LOL