steering wheel (still doubting to purchase one) need advice

[AlexanderGT6]

I’m struggling if I will buy a steering wheel (G27 or DF GT) + race seat for Gran Turismo.
I really love the Gran Turismo series. But now that I’m used to drive a real car, I get frustrated with the handling of the DS3.

How much did the steering wheel improved your joy in gran turismo, and how much did your laptimes increased?
How big is the difference between G27 and DF GT? Currently I don’t shift manual, so I’m not sure if I will use the clutch all the time.

Now that I’m working I have less time to play but I can afford to buy a racing seat. However, I learned to save my money and have a hard time spending it. I’m still doubting to buy one, since it’s a selfish way to spend my money. I could save it for a house or the education of my kids.

Can GT planet give me any advice?

 

[Kitten]

Wheel is a whole new world to GT5 honestly. You can be much more smooth on Throttle, as Steering. Cuts time right in half. Take practice though. When you get your wheel wont take 1 day to be good . Thats all i can give you.

Speaking G27 wise thats what i own. Its one heck of a great wheel.

Quality +1
Wheel Itself +1

Pedals can have better progressive braking. You can upgrade those.


Great Wheel, GT5 is alot more real feeling.

 

[carracerptp]

I’m struggling if I will buy a steering wheel (G27 or DF GT) + race seat for Gran Turismo.
I really love the Gran Turismo series. But now that I’m used to drive a real car, I get frustrated with the handling of the DS3.

How much did the steering wheel improved your joy in gran turismo, and how much did your laptimes increased?
How big is the difference between G27 and DF GT? Currently I don’t shift manual, so I’m not sure if I will use the clutch all the time.

Hello, I have only used a DFGT so can't speak for the G27.

Fun value will go up by at least double after the first week, during the first week it will go down because it's somewhat of a learning curve.

If you are good with a DS3 you will most likely able to shave a few tenths off. If you are "really good" with a DS3 the lap times will be about the same.

Now that I’m working I have less time to play but I can afford to buy a racing seat. However, I learned to save my money and have a hard time spending it. I’m still doubting to buy one, since it’s a selfish way to spend my money. I could save it for a house or the education of my kids.

Can GT planet give me any advice?

Really, other people think like this 👍


You won't be disappointed with the cheaper DFGT. The downside is the pedals are "not great".

 

[Jaywalker]

Don't even think twice. Get a wheel. As TK said, it changes the whole GT experience. I could never go back to a controller. (Except to navigate the menus! ) The fact that you drive a car IRL is actually a positive & will make you appreciate it even more. As for lap times, all you have to do is check out the advanced leader boards for the Time Trials. 'Nuff said...

As for which one, the choice is yours. I use a DFGT & I'm happy with it, but the G27 is a better wheel apparently. (More expensive as well... ) If you get the DFGT, put a squash ball (or a FIRM sponge ball) behind the brake pedal to increase resistance.

 

[Kitten]

Dont'n even think twice. Get a wheel. As TK said, it changes the whole GT experience. I could never go back to a controller. (Except to navigate the menus! ) As for lap times, all you have to do is check out the advanced leader boards for the Time Trials. 'Nuff said...

As for which one, the choice is yours. I use a DFGT & I'm happy with it, but the G27 is a better wheel apparently. (More expensive as well... )

Better quality

Honestly, I cut my time in half with the wheel, Plus endurance races are easier My fingers wont fall off 👍

 

[VBR]

For me, playing GT5 with a wheel is the game. I wouldn't play it without one. However, there are some people who after playing with a wheel, actually prefer the controller. My advice is try before you buy, if you can. Maybe there's someone here on GT Planet that lives close enough to you that will let you try theirs.

Out of the G27 & DFGT, I'd have to recommend the G27 as it's less of a toy, especially with a Playseat. I myself I have a G25 & a Playseat Evolution, it was one of the best purchases I ever made, & four years on they're both still going strong.


👍

 

[V8 Rumble]

I agree with vbr. The game is so much better with the wheel. It is nice to modulate the turning and brake and throttle. I have both the dfgt and g27. The dfgt is a very good wheel for gt5 and a great value and build for the money. If you are able to afford the g27 go for it. Even if you don't use the shifter the paddle shifter are much much better. The g27 is quieter too.

 

[cjr3559]

Get a wheel. I have the DFGT and love it. Eventually I'd like to upgrade to the G27 for the clutch, but I need a better seat/cockpit setup to get the pedals where I want them. For now the DFGT works great. I've got it clamped to an old elementary school sized desk with furniture risers underneath it. I use my regular TV watching chair with a couple cushions and it works fine.

Don't hesitate, get a wheel. You'll be glad you did. The game is much better and more realistic with it. 👍

 

[byegad]

DFGT made the game much more realistic for me, after an initial learning experience of a week or two. I spent this morning re-doing the Formula GT Championship in Spec A and had loads of fun but the first time I tried it with the DualShock I was off the road all of the time.

 

[Dean]

As said earlier; get a wheel!

Having only owned the DFGT, I can say what might have been said before; it's a very good wheel for starters. It's also a "dedicated" wheel with GT5 - it's made for the PS3, while the G27 is made for the PC. The difference is mainly the clutch, and since you don't use it (or?) I would advise you to get the DFGT; surely the G27 is better, but it's also more expensive.

Is it worth it when you don't use the clutch? - In my opinion, no.

Plus, you don't have to get a seat/dedicated rig to use the wheel; though if you want one, you can surely go for it - or you can make your own .

 

[NCRthree]

A wheel is a serious no-brainer. I've only used a DFGT. Modded the brake pedal for more resistance. The wheel has good FFB but the pedals are the weak link for sure. I use a WheelStandPro and everything's nice and stable.

 

[seanneedscar]

How much did the steering wheel improved your joy in gran turismo, and how much did your laptimes increased?
How big is the difference between G27 and DF GT? Currently I don’t shift manual, so I’m not sure if I will use the clutch all the time.

You need to understand that a wheel won't necessarily improve your lap times.

A wheel will only make you more consistent. You'll be able to brake, turn in, exit with a smaller margin of difference than you will with the controller. and because of this, you are effectively getting more practice

But the downside to the wheel is, recovering from a severe loss of traction is almost impossible. So if you get 2 wheels into the grass at high speed, you're usually knackered. Where-as with the controller, its so easy to maintain control because you have that instant lock-lock ability

If you look at all the time trial leaderboards (well, when they're not packed with hacked cars, thank the Hybrid community for that) you'll see that the top 5 or so is always a wheel, but the controller users are usually only right behind that, off by .1 or .05 or so. I use a G25 wheel and I'll say there is absolutely no other way to play this game. But don't expect to turn into The Stig once you get it hooked up. Actually, quite the opposite. You'll be much slower until you get used to the wheel

 

[iamsupernasty]

Get the wheel.

The g27 is vastly superior in every way, regardless of whether you use the clutch.

Correcting a slide or spin is just as possible as it is with a controller, it's just harder to figure out the skill.

 

[White & Nerdy]

They say the fastest times are set with the G27. That's what I have and it's an excellent device.

It also dropped my lap time on SSR5 by 3 seconds, same car (slightly more broken in though). And there's definitely room for improvement in my skills, so...

 

[Johnnypenso]

Get the wheel, you'll never regret it and never look back. I have both wheels, used the DFGT exclusively for 3 years then upgraded to the G27. I think the G27 is worth the extra money. Has a manual gearbox and clutch, paddle shifters are big and metal whereas on DFGT they are just finger sized buttons. G27 is super quiet, DFGT has a loud whining noise every time you turn the wheel. Pedals on the G27 are metal and much higher quality, more resistance and can be upgraded with a simple spring. DFGT are plastic and way too light in effort. Force feedback is much better and smoother in the G27 and the brake and throttle inputs are linear from pedal to screen. In the DFGT you could see the throttle and brake gauges stuttering when you used them.

On top of that the G27 just feels like a proper wheel, more like a real steering wheel. The DFGT is ok but is more like a toy than anything. It was fine for three years but once I upgraded I realized what I was missing.

 

[iamsupernasty]

I felt the same way JP.

And honestly after using a T500 for two weeks then returning it,, my G27 feels like a toy now too lol.

 

[grashopper]

I felt the same way JP.

And honestly after using a T500 for two weeks then returning it,, my G27 feels like a toy now too lol.

Why did you return it?

 

[Mini Stiggy]

Get a wheel:tup:. I have the DFGT and it makes the game so much better. As others have said, there is a learning curve.
At first I couldn't even drive in a straight line.
But once you get used to it, GT is much more fun, and you have much more presicion.

 

[ITCC_Andrew]

In the last round of ITCC, three of four races were won by drivers using G27s (I think Jammy was using a G27, too.)


I, personally, think that steering wheels also make competitors slightly faster. The precise inputs seem to make everyone a slightly better driver, and are normally better for tire wear, too.


But, it's much harder to recover from skids. For talented drivers, it will increase their talent. For rookie/learning drivers, it may be the trick they need for the increased immersion and "feel" of driving, to know how much to turn the wheel. Of course, it's difficult to drive in a straight line, at first, but:





I find steering wheels to be quite accurate, and it allows me to drive more smoothly, like I've learned to in real life.

 

[iamsupernasty]

Why did you return it?

I bought the T500 for $900 as a last minute training tool for GT Academy.

I used it for two weeks and the day before nationals the right paddle shifter broke. I don't really play GT5 anymore so I figured rather than repair it, I would prefer to get my $900 back.

I will buy another Thrustmaster once they confirm PS4 compatibility.

 

[pooioo]

I would say : don't get a wheel !

What's your real car ? I can have more emotions driving a Fiat 500 in Nurburgring with the DS3 pad than a Mercedes on a highway with a real steering wheel.

Gran Turismo is probably the best racing game ever for driving with a pad. I use G27 but it wouldn't be (almost) a problem if I had to do without it. If you want to have the feeling of a true steering wheel, you must understand that G27 et DFGT are toys. But yes, from this point of view, a wheel would always be better than DS3.


The problem is you have to play a lot in order to get the best of you wheel (first hours spent on wheel are always a pain). After I think ten hours, the feeling becomes great.

Avantages of a wheel compared to DS3 :
- Precision but you must not overrate this part, a videogame wheel will never have the precision of a real wheel (encoder that translates your wheel movement to the videogame have a limited number of positions called bits), and the reaction time of a wheel will always have a very little delay time on the screen.
- More important angle braking...
- ...combined with the ability to control by yourself oversteers et understeers, especially on fast turns (don't underestimate this loving part)

Few advantages but these points make the pleasure of driving on GT5 pretty close to the pleasure of real sport driving.

And personally, my greatest moment with my wheel was on F1 2013 at Monaco. It really remind me the sensation I had in karting. If there is a kind of racing game perfectly adapted to steering wheel, it's certainly F1 games (and probably rally games too but for the moment I don't like the lack of precision from the wheel on Richard Burns Rally, I probably need training)

 

[Jared93]

I bought the T500 for $900 as a last minute training tool for GT Academy.

I used it for two weeks and the day before nationals the right paddle shifter broke. I don't really play GT5 anymore so I figured rather than repair it, I would prefer to get my $900 back.

I will buy another Thrustmaster once they confirm PS4 compatibility.

...$900? why on earth would you pay that much for a wheel?

 

[iamsupernasty]

Because I needed it overnight and it was the only one available in the USA at the time.

It clearly paid off, since now I'm going to Silverstone.....

And besides, I got all my money back

 

[LeMansAid]

A force feedback wheel is a wonderful thing. DFGT is the don't go below point, and then you hit the G27/Fanatec GT3 level. I get the impression that you would not be going above that level, at least for now. Possible advantages of the Fanatec would be belt drive and the better (out of the box) options with the pedals. A package with the Elite pedals would be a great option. It's well documented that the G27 is great unit as well.

The best way to save money is to "get handy" with whatever rig you might use. Old furniture, and spare timber can fairly quickly form a sturdy, cheap/free setup. I'd definitely recommend saving on the rig in favour of a better wheel.

* Oh, and the Fanatec wheels have the on board adjustments, which can be very handy.

 

[Jaywalker]

It clearly paid off, since now I'm going to Silverstone.....

Good stuff, man. Well done! 👍

 

[GTV0819]

MT may be great with a G27. The only problem with that, is price. But if it isn't your concern, then go for it.

 

[Johnnypenso]

MT may be great with a G27. The only problem with that, is price. But if it isn't your concern, then go for it.

Not sure where the OP is from but in Canada, Best Buy price matches any Canadian Retailer, even from the internet. So all you have to do is search online, find someone with a new one on sale or the best price, and they'll match it. I got mine for just over $200 + tax around last Christmas. 👍👍 Other retailers in other countries may do the same.

 

[AlexanderGT6]

Just to give an update: i ordered a racing seat + logitech G27.

 

[Jared93]

Because I needed it overnight and it was the only one available in the USA at the time.

It clearly paid off, since now I'm going to Silverstone.....

And besides, I got all my money back

Well, it seems to have gotten the job done Good luck.

 

[Laserbeak43]

i have both the DFGT and the G27 and i suck just as bad as when using a dual-shock. what gets me is, in the real world i freaking own