The Thrustmaster T500RS Thread

[BNGTracer]

I calibrate "in race" when I do it. I don't know if that is normal or not. I just do it once I enter my first track, then don't need to again for the rest of the time playing. Though I have to do it each time I turn the box on and go into the game.

It does this, "half brake thing" and then you hold it where you want it for a moment. It jumps to full brake. Once it does it, it's set. From what I can tell. I am NO expert though on the T500!

I do the same thing 👍

 

[mrbasher]

Well if I'm crazy for it, at least that makes two of us

 

[oqvist]

You calibrate as you enter the first corner ... But anyway sigh seems like I have similar issues as on PC then since even if it wouldn´t calibrate in the menu it should do it while racing.

It is stubborn about not wanting to short calibrate when I switched around wheel rims and what not. Go from complete power off of course. I generally unplug the wheel so it´s not on unnecessary by pulling the power cord though so maybe that make it a bit trickier.

 

[BNGTracer]

You calibrate as you enter the first corner ... But anyway sigh seems like I have similar issues as on PC then since even if it wouldn´t calibrate in the menu it should do it while racing.

It is stubborn about not wanting to short calibrate when I switched around wheel rims and what not. Go from complete power off of course. I generally unplug the wheel so it´s not on unnecessary by pulling the power cord though so maybe that make it a bit trickier.

Are you using the "realistic Brake Mod" that came with the pedals? I know there is a specific position for the long and short throw modes, which also dictate how the spring/padding is placed in the bracket. It does say in the manual that if it's not installed correctly it will cause issues with it's calibration. Not saying you don't know what your doing, just though it is worth checking as you are experiencing the same issue across Console and PC?

 

[TheDabbinDave]

Lol, I wasn't looking to spend money on a G25/27 (I own a G27 but let a friend borrow it) or any other wheel. I was only asking if the T500 would work with PS2 and if not I would then use the DFP I already own.

Well, that question was pretty much answered speculatively. Considering some games that came out after the T500 launched didn't have FFB, is say it's a VERY slim shot that the T500 will "work" on the PS2. Is wager that it will "work" but not have any FFB for any games.

 

[oqvist]

Did a second run now. It still didn´t want to fully calibrate my brake pedal no matter what. I cut the power while on the grid and then I could get full brake after a bit of waiting.

I quit the game and then started it again. This time after some 10 seconds it calibrated the brake pedal. Once you got it working you shouldn´t cut the power if you want it to go smooth I suspect. But I want to save the wheel as much as possible when not using it.

Works okay though I would have to when running seq gear box to map one of them as reverse gear it appears. I can´t get into neutral or R gear by either using my seq shifter or the paddle shifter has to use the gamepad currently. But well tbh this was probably the last time I touched this title.

 

[zzkamikazezz]

So my problems with this POS continue tonight.

The wheel is 5 days old and now the thing will not power on tonight. Thrustmasters say the firmware has become corrupted. I don't know how, I turned it off last night and it was fine, tonight it wont turn on apart from the mode light flashing once for about half a second. I follow their steps to connect it to my PC in boot mode and it fails on the final step of re uploading the firmware. They say to try another laptop! I don't have one. So the wheel has to be exchanged.

What a pile of cr@p.

 

[Racingworld68]

I just ordered two T500Rs with F1 add on, hope all goes well and not to many problems will be comming my way....

 

[VINCE__]

I just ordered two T500Rs with F1 add on, hope all goes well and not to many problems will be comming my way....

At least with 2 you will have better odds. And a back up too. Parts even. 😄

 

[Zero7159]

So my problems with this POS continue tonight.

The wheel is 5 days old and now the thing will not power on tonight. Thrustmasters say the firmware has become corrupted. I don't know how, I turned it off last night and it was fine, tonight it wont turn on apart from the mode light flashing once for about half a second. I follow their steps to connect it to my PC in boot mode and it fails on the final step of re uploading the firmware. They say to try another laptop! I don't have one. So the wheel has to be exchanged.

What a pile of cr@p.

I am sorry for your negative experience. I feel your pain. That being said, all electronics have failure rates. You got stuck with a lemon. I have had graphics cards, cell phones, power supplies, headsets, etc., etc., go bad. I am on my fourth CSR Elite in a year. The first three went bad due to defective motors. I bought my T500 in June and have used it for hundreds of hours since then. It has performed perfectly, no problems. I suspect that if you get rid of the lemon and have it replaced by Thrustmaster, you will have the same positive experience I have had. Its a great piece of kit, but like all electronics, not every unit is functional.

 

[runfast1]

Im still waiting on parts from thrustmaster! A fan and a button switch for paddle shifter on f1wheel add on!

 

[RacerXX]

I am on my fourth CSR Elite in a year. The first three went bad due to defective motors.

There was another guy that went through 5 or 6 Elites. Not sure what is up with all of that. I don't have an Elite but if I did I'd dig into it hard as I am a bit of a tinkerer. Whether you have a warranty or not four wheels for one guy and 5 or 6 for another is too many IMO. After my first return or maybe even before I'd get under the hood and see what in the world is going on. These are not super complicated devices in case anyone else is also a hands on type.

 

[guybo]

Fanatec just makes piss-poor equipment. Not much to understand. I don't race with many guys who do have Fanatec stuff and those who do all have had issues at some point with their equipment. They all say that when it works, it works great.

 

[mcfizzle]

I just ordered two T500Rs with F1 add on, hope all goes well and not to many problems will be comming my way....

👍 Congratulations. I was wondering if you had done it yet but wasn't aware you planned to get two? Will we have two people in the household doing WRS enduros?

 

[Racingworld68]

👍 Congratulations. I was wondering if you had done it yet but wasn't aware you planned to get two? Will we have two people in the household doing WRS enduros?

Well I have been in doubt for a long time, I was sure about one T500Rs as I will use this with a F1 add on and an RFormula One seat. But I was in doubt about the second one wich I want for my GT (Rseat) setup. I wanted to buy a fanatec wheel base with Gt wheel but partialy the price and the complaints about it (and poor custumers service) influenced my descission.

I also had to look for a distributor in my area, as I don't wanna buy it online. As this causes to much problems if it needs to be send back in case of any problems. Now I have my warrenty in this 'gamegear' shop, in case of problems he will have to deal with it I am now paying 1050,- euros for 2 T500rs with F1 add on, wich is a fair price IMO, as I never will have to pay freight costs...

The reason I bought two is because I have two different setups, and in case friends come by it is fun to be able to drive both and not watching the other one while driving.... I will also add a second PS3 so we can go online togheter... Perfect for a full size trackday, Speedy, Straffestef or other Belgian WRS drivers could come over to my place for a good day of fun 👍 without the need to tear down their own setup and bring it along...

I am like a little 44 year old child now; only 5 more days

 

[pilmat]

I finally got a T500RS, and TH8RS, last night and took it out of the box this morning. The steering wheel has a detent around center? This is with the power off, but before plugging it in (I'll mount it on a Human Racing GT Chassis this weekend) I wondered how this translates into game play. Also, the detent holds the wheel about 5 degrees right hand down. Does this go away when powered up?

The wheel unit is quite large (expected) and has a grey band around it's centre (not expected). I thought they were all black?

Hopefully the detent thing is not an issue as I was looking forward to evaluating the unit this weekend.

EDIT: I see the grey band is standard. My bad. I always thought the steering unit was all black

 

[Dean]

I'm honestly thinking about getting the T500RS. - But I can't decide if I should go for it, or go for the G27 instead... So I guess I need some help. I know there's a major difference in price, between the two, but I don't know if the extra money'll be worth it.

 

[spinner]

Pilmat: I don't notice the detent when driving. I can't comment on the 5 degrees issue mine has always been pretty close to where it should be. Maybe the firmware update will correct it ?

Dean J: IMO it is worth it. I bought a G27 after I'd owned the T500 for over a year. I used it for a couple of hours before putting it back in the box where it has stayed. I think the G27 is good value for money but they feel like a toy compared to the T500. The wheel rim is only one inch smaller that the TM but it feels a lot more than that , which only adds to the toy like impression.
If you spend a lot of time sim racing and don't mind spending the money I think the TM is the right choice.

Just to put things in perspective , remember that despite all the forum talk of the problems with these wheels , the majority of owners have had no trouble. The impression gained from this thread alone would make anyone think that 90% of the T500s out there are faulty ! They do have their quirks (fan noise for example) which for the price are a bit of a disappointment , but are easily fixed too.

 

[Dean]

I guess all wheels have cons. I am willing to spend the ~€360, I've found it to. - I'm a bit worried about warranty (2 years, like Logitech?) and replacement though, especially if I get a broken wheel. I'm thinking about buying it off Amazon France (should be a safe page, but I haven't tried it), because of the money I'll save (likely 1200 DKK; US $213) (I know that doesn't belong in this thread.)

- The fan "fix" you were talking about, spinner, - will that break the warranty?

 

[mrbasher]

That detent is from the wheel sitting too long in one spot. It creates a "lump" where the belt has conformed to the diameter of the pinion gear on the motor. when I had the cover off of one I marked the belt where I felt the detent, it was right on the motor pinion. As I spun the rim, each time the detent was felt, the line was on the pinion again.

One thing you can do is move the wheel past the detent a little and place it in a hot/warm location for awhile. Then take it to a cooler location and rotate the rim back and forth from stop to stop for a bit, until the whole thing cools down some.

This should help to get rid of the deformed portion of the belt. As well, when you stop using the wheel, be sure not to leave it on a point where you can feel this detent.

 

[oqvist]

Denmark? There is stores in sweden or rather import stores that sell the T500RS for 2600 SEK plus shipping and the F1 version for 3200 plus shipping. However appears not in stock now so don´t know when you can expect to get one. I was lucky to snag one before christmas anyway

 

[WildRun]

Thrustmaster T500 RS + Momo Mod27 + Z1 Dashboard LCD box

iRacing 2013 season 1 GT Challenge series
Driving McLaren MP4-12C GT3 at Mosport.


250 miles at Daytona International Speedway

 

[FrozenGhost928]

I'm honestly thinking about getting the T500RS. - But I can't decide if I should go for it, or go for the G27 instead... So I guess I need some help. I know there's a major difference in price, between the two, but I don't know if the extra money'll be worth it.

I've had my T500 almost a year. Play GT5, iracing, Rfactor2, & Game Stock Car. Wheel is great, only had 1 software problem & Thmaster was easy to work with. Spend the money, superior to G27. Only thing is you might want to invest in some pedals with a load cell. I drove with stock pedals 7 months. Not bad but clubsport v2s make a big difference. Only thing is can't drive GT5 now. Fan does make some noise but so far I am quite happy with T500. With all the stories about CSW reliability problems was hesistant to buy Fanatec.

 

[mrbasher]

I've had my T500 almost a year. Play GT5, iracing, Rfactor2, & Game Stock Car. Wheel is great, only had 1 software problem & Thmaster was easy to work with. Spend the money, superior to G27. Only thing is you might want to invest in some pedals with a load cell. I drove with stock pedals 7 months. Not bad but clubsport v2s make a big difference. Only thing is can't drive GT5 now. Fan does make some noise but so far I am quite happy with T500. With all the stories about CSW reliability problems was hesistant to buy Fanatec.

Stock pedals are hard to use due to their lack of brake pedal resistance, even with the realist brake mod installed. However, quite a few people are using this now with excellent results: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=269191

 

[pilmat]

In the name of testing and understanding, we decided to put a T500RS and TH8RS through its paces.

​

I did a few laps in iRacing to get an initial feel. The pedals are still Fanatec CSR-E as I have to fit the T500's (you can see them in the first picture just off to the right). The detent just off center (mentioned before) is a bit annoying, but I think it will get better.

My first couple of laps were horrible as there felt like very little force feedback. But after about 3 laps of Mosport in the Miata, there was the start of something I pushed up the FFB setting and set the min force to 6% to work through the detent, and was pleased with the initial run.

How long are you all finding it takes to break in the wheel (the motors, belts, etc.)? The feel got better as I ran more laps, so I'm thinking that it will improve quite a lot after say a couple of hours.

The shifter throw requires a learning curve after the G27. Just more laps It's just clamped to the arm at the moment (quite firmly too!), but I'll make a proper bolt on adapter.

My plan is to fit the pedals on Sunday. I will try Mr Basher's brake suggestions and do a fair bit more driving

 

[Dean]

I've had my T500 almost a year. Play GT5, iracing, Rfactor2, & Game Stock Car. Wheel is great, only had 1 software problem & Thmaster was easy to work with. Spend the money, superior to G27. Only thing is you might want to invest in some pedals with a load cell. I drove with stock pedals 7 months. Not bad but clubsport v2s make a big difference. Only thing is can't drive GT5 now. Fan does make some noise but so far I am quite happy with T500. With all the stories about CSW reliability problems was hesistant to buy Fanatec.

Well, since I've "survived" the DFGT pedals for 5 months now, I believe I can survive the stock pedals from the T500 as well. The thing is, that I'll only be using the wheel with GT5 (maybe with some other PS3 games, but never any PC games (at least not for the next couple of years)).

- Is the T500 still worth it's value?

 

[zacharyPL]

@Dean J
Is the T500 still worth it's value?

of course!!!!!

 

[guybo]

I went from CSP to the T500 pedals directly. The loadcell brake is over-rated. I even tried to mod my T500 pedals to take the CSP loadcell (the loadcell and the electronics still work and the mod worked well enough) but I got rid of the mod when I realized I just do not need it.

The stiff brake mod that comes with the T500 does a great job providing a progressive feel to the stiffness of the brake. The sensor in the brake is not a regular pot, it is a HEART (Hall effect magnetic sensor) and it is excellent. I can heel and toe with these, I can use progrssive braking and I can keep the braking right on the edge.

The only thing I miss from the CSP, is that they have a much longer throw on the gas pedal. I have modded my pedals to maximize the throw, I have raised the brake pedal a little (for heel and toe) and the lack of throw with the gas pedal is no big deal. Don't get too obsessed with the idea of a loadcell

 

[nico53laval]

I have to choose between a brand new G27 for 225€ from amazon or a used T500 RS, also from amazon and in ''very good'' condition according to them, for 275€. I'll only be playing on PC, mainly DiRT games, NFS, Trackmania and maybe later some real racing sims. Which one do you think I should get?

 

[oqvist]

I went from CSP to the T500 pedals directly. The loadcell brake is over-rated. I even tried to mod my T500 pedals to take the CSP loadcell (the loadcell and the electronics still work and the mod worked well enough) but I got rid of the mod when I realized I just do not need it.

The stiff brake mod that comes with the T500 does a great job providing a progressive feel to the stiffness of the brake. The sensor in the brake is not a regular pot, it is a HEART (Hall effect magnetic sensor) and it is excellent. I can heel and toe with these, I can use progrssive braking and I can keep the braking right on the edge.

The only thing I miss from the CSP, is that they have a much longer throw on the gas pedal. I have modded my pedals to maximize the throw, I have raised the brake pedal a little (for heel and toe) and the lack of throw with the gas pedal is no big deal. Don't get too obsessed with the idea of a loadcell

I suspect you may be right. I am doing the opposite experiment. Though I have been quite happy with the T500RS pedals I just felt I had to try the clubsports again to evaluate this loadcell thing again. Owned the V1 and V2 on it´s way on monday if the schedule is right.

I got some Khiro 73 and did mr Bashers stiffer brake mod on my T500RS pedals. two of them was to stiff for me to be comfortable with in the long run but one 73 and I think I hit home with them. I may say that the stiff brake mod may actually feel more realistic going by standard car pedals I used.

They generally do have deadzone where you don´t really apply much if any pressure and get no real feel. But beside of that I like the really smooth and more evenly progressive brake feel with the bushings and with no spring the return of the pedals feels a bit more real though it´s not a big difference. I hated the feel with just the rubber not the spring of the rubber that comes with the wheel.

I didn´t really enjoy hearing and feeling that spring but I found it preferrable overall.

Look forward to testing the CSP out but I suspect in regard of performance there should be no difference as I got the T500RS dialed in just right and I can easilly feel it through the entire movement. CSP being even more adjustable I should be able to dial in really well to as long as I can get the max resistance I want from it. Throttle may actually be a bigger difference then brake will se