Thrustmaster T300RS Racing Wheel Thread

[Elaphe]

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer.

Could you please explain what is: spring, damper, master gain, clipping, steering saturation, soft lock, damping, smoothing and curb effects?

I suppose master gain is the force feedback general power, but does it affects the force to turn the wheel and the return to center speed?

Damper means the vibration and road effects?

Soft lock is about preventing the sudden stop of the wheel when you reach the maximum degree of rotation?

The others, no idea at all...

With my G25 I never really paid much attention to these settings because it feels good and I'm afraid of changing things that I don't know what they are for and have a bad result or loose effects.

Please consider that what I love in wheels is to have a light feel (not much opposition to turn the wheel), but at the same time a very quick return to center when taking bends. I also dislike to heavy effects such as vibration. I prefer something subtle. Also, with not very intense effects or force feedback in general I presume I will the wheel last longer, right?

As regard the shifter, I will always use the H pattern. I have bought the Ricmotec short throw mod, which I will install tonight. I have only tried it via usb (my wheel has to arrive today or tomorrow) and I didn't installed any drivers, since it was detected and worked fine. I don't need the handbrake function either, because I plan on using an analogue joystick for that. Since there's no drawback I suppose I'll plug it to the wheel, and thus not have it as another additional device in the games (how many do Assetto Corsa and Dirt Rally allow?)

 

[Elaphe]

Yesterday I've been testing my wheel. It's very realistic and I like it a lot. The alcantara is epic! The only problem is that the force feedback is quite muted as regard road effects. The return to center is very fast and strong (maybe a little too much). With my G25 I could feel much more details of the road. I suppose this can be tweaked with the settings, possibly with setting spring and damper to 0, as everybody recommends (default is 100 and 100, if I remember well). What are these options for?

BTW, any pdf with schemes for hard mount? I'd need pics with dimensions of the wheel viewed from the top and bottom.

 

[skazz]

Yesterday I've been testing my wheel. It's very realistic and I like it a lot. The alcantara is epic! The only problem is that the force feedback is quite muted as regard road effects. The return to center is very fast and strong (maybe a little too much). With my G25 I could feel much more details of the road. I suppose this can be tweaked with the settings, possibly with setting spring and damper to 0, as everybody recommends (default is 100 and 100, if I remember well). What are these options for?

BTW, any pdf with schemes for hard mount? I'd need pics with dimensions of the wheel viewed from the top and bottom.

Spring generates an artificial centering spring effect (independent of how the car is travelling), which would only be needed if the game doesn't simulate self-aligning torque properly. All modern sims do.
Damping is effectively simulating heavy steering for vehicles without power steering, which some guys like. If you want a light wheel then you can feel free to turn it off in drivers.

As you use the T300 more you will realise some things:
1. The belts will wear in from new a little, and that should help free things up
2. Seting spring/damper in drivers to 0 (and in game in some cases) is good.
3. Setting minimum force to around 5% helps with getting light details through.
4. Removing smoothing or filter settings in sims is a good idea for belt-driven wheels. I am pretty sure those settings are only there to reduce cog rattle on cog-driven wheels.
5. Talking of cog-rattle: The G25 might have felt like it was giving a lot of interesting road surface detail, but remember that the cogs do rattle together. What you felt was not necessarily the real simulated track surface. In fact, with the rattle gone you now feel the car weight transfer better and can react easier.

On the thrustmaster support site there is a download link for the screw pattern of the base. I suggest you dig through the site for the T500, T300 (identical screw layout) and find it.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

5. Talking of cog-rattle: The G25 might have felt like it was giving a lot of interesting road surface detail, but remember that the cogs do rattle together. What you felt was not necessarily the real simulated track surface. In fact, with the rattle gone you now feel the car weight transfer better and can react easier.

I must be the only sane person who likes the G25's cog rattle It just makes the driving a lot more RAW to me. I wonder how a belt driven wheel feels though. Does everything feels dampened down and smoother? So when you go over serrated kerbs for example you just feel a slight wobble left and right instead of a violent tack-tack-tack?

 

[SilverSE102]

I wonder how a belt driven wheel feels though. Does everything feels dampened down and smoother? So when you go over serrated kerbs for example you just feel a slight wobble left and right instead of a violent tack-tack-tack?

I have the T300rs and it is very smooth, when going over the kerbs you do feel a slight wobble and you feel the bumps through the wheel. I went from a driving force gt to this wheel and I don't miss the cog at all.

 

[skazz]

there have been various generations of belt drive wheels. T300 (and CSWv2) with their design both have sufficiently low belt delay or latency from the belt system that I really don't think you can feel a difference in the speed of changing direction compared to a cog driven wheel (based on my personal experience with G25, T300, T500 and Fanatec Porsche wheels: the T300 is much faster to react than something like say the Fanatec Porsche wheel, which has a lot more mechanical drag in the belt drive and a very heavy wheel rim).

There are many iRacing wheelcheck plots floating around on Internet which compare latency and speed of changing direction between the various consumer wheels.

The question about a sawtooth kerb first of all is: what does the game want you to feel? Then the next question is: how close does the wheel get to this?

I'd argue that the greater power and similar latency of the T300 compared to the G25 means you get a more powerful sawtooth kerb feel, closer to what the game maker intended, without inaccuracies of the cog rattle getting in the way.

 

[insert coin]

I must be the only sane person who likes the G25's cog rattle It just makes the driving a lot more RAW to me. I wonder how a belt driven wheel feels though. Does everything feels dampened down and smoother? So when you go over serrated kerbs for example you just feel a slight wobble left and right instead of a violent tack-tack-tack?

You are not the only one, see my post.

 

[WJHMH]

I installed a few days ago the conical brake stop that came with my T3PA pedals, I can't believe I've been driving without something like this for so long, I can really notice the difference. I drove a better time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife by over 10 seconds faster than I normally do.

 

[Seanspeed]

I installed a few days ago the conical brake stop that came with my T3PA pedals, I can't believe I've been driving without something like this for so long, I can really notice the difference. I drove a better time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife by over 10 seconds faster than I normally do.

It's a must. Not sure why it's not just pre-installed, quite frankly.

I can only guess because the braking force required would be too much for those not playing with the pedals mounted or pressed up against something...

The pedals are entirely mediocre without it, too. The brake pedal with conical mod is honestly the saviour of the T3PA/Pro's. Feels oh so good.

 

[Elaphe]

Can the conical mod be installed inside a G25 brake pedal?

 

[Ian_83]

No. You need either a Nixim ot GTeye pedal mod.

I personally use the Nixim brake pedal mod with my G27 pedals. It's a stiffer progressive spring with a rubber buffer insert. The difference is really noticeable.

 

[Vary]

Hey guys, I'm about to buy a t300, but I'm not sure which is better between the RS rim or the GTE rim. Which one do you recommend?

 

[skazz]

Hey guys, I'm about to buy a t300, but I'm not sure which is better between the RS rim or the GTE rim. Which one do you recommend?

They are identical shape and feel except for the buttons on the rim. I do like the GTE rim buttons more, but despite that I personally use my RS rim all the time because of the easy button layout.

Do you prefer having the PlayStation buttons in easily reachable shape (RS rim) or prefer slightly more useful buttons for while driving but less handy in the menus (GTE rim)?

 

[Elaphe]

No. You need either a Nixim ot GTeye pedal mod.

I personally use the Nixim brake pedal mod with my G27 pedals. It's a stiffer progressive spring with a rubber buffer insert. The difference is really noticeable.

I've got a progressive spring installed. I don't know where I bought it. I'd like to add some kind of rubber cilinder, something to add more realism, apart from the spring. Which material could I use, which works well and is durable?

 

[Ian_83]

The Nixim rubber buffer is quite firm, it takes a lot of effort to compress it even a tiny amount. Perhaps you could experiment with a really hard pencil eraser or something to see what happens and what feels right?! I'm sure that someone must've made a DIY version of this mod....

 

[Vary]

So, yesterday my t300gte wars delivered home, I tried it quickly with the ps3 and it worked fine (didn't had time to update the firmware). Today I tried to drive some more kilometres in gt6 and it wasn't recognized by the ps3. Tried to update the firmware with my laptop and it wasn't recognized either. So I tried the "bootloader method" described in the thrustmaster support page, but after the installation of the firmware the wheel didn't get recognized. How can I solve it?

P.S.: by "not recognized" I mean that the wheel doesn't do the calibration and the mode LED is green instead of red (blinking in the ps3, on the laptop is stable on)

 

[insert coin]

Obivous question perhaps: the mode switch on the T300 is in the right position...?

 

[skazz]

So, yesterday my t300gte wars delivered home, I tried it quickly with the ps3 and it worked fine (didn't had time to update the firmware). Today I tried to drive some more kilometres in gt6 and it wasn't recognized by the ps3. Tried to update the firmware with my laptop and it wasn't recognized either. So I tried the "bootloader method" described in the thrustmaster support page, but after the installation of the firmware the wheel didn't get recognized. How can I solve it?

P.S.: by "not recognized" I mean that the wheel doesn't do the calibration and the mode LED is green instead of red (blinking in the ps3, on the laptop is stable on)

There are a number of things here:
1. Make sure the switch is set to PS3 still, not accidentally PS4
2. Make sure you are connecting the wheel to a USB 2.0 port (black) not USB 3.0 (blue)
3. To plug the wheel into a PC, first install the drivers, THEN, only after the drivers tell you to plug the wheel in, should you actually plug it in. Otherwise the PC will attempt to install "generic" drivers, and things will go badly
4. The mode light red or green doesn't matter as far as I know. It's just showing you which way round the clutch/accelerator pedals are. Flashing light is the bad symptom, and implies one of the previous three points is a problem.

 

[Vary]

There are a number of things here:
1. Make sure the switch is set to PS3 still, not accidentally PS4
2. Make sure you are connecting the wheel to a USB 2.0 port (black) not USB 3.0 (blue)
3. To plug the wheel into a PC, first install the drivers, THEN, only after the drivers tell you to plug the wheel in, should you actually plug it in. Otherwise the PC will attempt to install "generic" drivers, and things will go badly
4. The mode light red or green doesn't matter as far as I know. It's just showing you which way round the clutch/accelerator pedals are. Flashing light is the bad symptom, and implies one of the previous three points is a problem.

All the things you mentioned were done properly, but still the ps3 (and Aldo the laptop) can't recognize the wheel. The "strange" thing is that the bootloader method worked fine until It installs the firmware, then, when the guide tells that the wheel should auto-calibrate, it just can't get recognized and doesn't auto-calibrate. Windows (10 if it means anything, auto-updated without any prior advice) just informa me that a new unidentified device has been plugged in

 

[Awong124]

I had a similar issue when I got my T300, but the bootloader method fixed it.

 

[Cocomoto]

Sorry to hear that, Vary. Hope you fix your wheel or TM sends you another one.

 

[TBlade80]

Hi guys, I'm new here

I'm probably getting the T300 next week - PS4/PS3 owner.

The T300 would mainly be for Dirt Rally on PS4. The PC I have right now is a 2011 laptop and it is really only enough to run the Sega Model 2 emulator @ 60fps / 1080p.

My question is, between Daytona USA on PS3 and using the Model 2 emu on PC to run Daytona, will I be able to use the T300 wheel and have force feedback or no? What about the T3PA pedals and TH8A gearbox shifter ? If not, then from what I understand the Logitech G27 wheel+pedals+shifter is the only best option.

That said, I cannot justify two steering wheel setups.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Vary]

Sorry to hear that, Vary. Hope you fix your wheel or TM sends you another one.

Just called thrustmaster, they said it had to be repaired, so I called Amazon and they'll send me one new in two days. At least Amazon is really efficient.

 

[Vary]

So, the new wheel is arriving today, would you recommend to try it out first on the ps3 or update immediately the firmware?

 

[skazz]

So, the new wheel is arriving today, would you recommend to try it out first on the ps3 or update immediately the firmware?

Any firmware update will be 24-25 and would have no effect on PS3 compatibility. The only change with the update was fan behaviour.

 

[TomBrady]

Hey guys, I'm about to buy a t300, but I'm not sure which is better between the RS rim or the GTE rim. Which one do you recommend?

In my opinion the RS rim is much better simply because it has more buttons and it has them in more conventional places.

I guess the GTE rim is cool because it's like a real race car rim sort of but the RS rim is so much more practical and easy to use.

Frankly, I think even the RS rim needs a few more buttons so I'd probably get aggravated with the GTE to be honest.

 

[skazz]

In my opinion the RS rim is much better simply because it has more buttons and it has them in more conventional places.

I guess the GTE rim is cool because it's like a real race car rim sort of but the RS rim is so much more practical and easy to use.

Frankly, I think even the RS rim needs a few more buttons so I'd probably get aggravated with the GTE to be honest.

The RS and GTE rims have an identical number of functional buttons.

Although I guess what you mean is that the GTE rim has that rotating dial which acts as three buttons (rotate left, right, press) so it seems like it has fewer. It doesn't.

 

[Awong124]

I have the TM28 leather rim, which has the same button layout and placement as the GTE rim. I definitely prefer the button placement of the RS rim. If you're using it on Playstation, the buttons actually being labelled the same as the Dualshock buttons is a big plus. Even after having used my rim for a while, I would still prefer if they were labelled properly. My TM28 even has the advantage over the GTE rim of having many different colored buttons, whereas the GTE rim buttons are only red and blue, which I would imagine is even worse for remembering. I also think the rotary knob is very stupid. Option is twisting the knob clockwise, which is very annoying because twisting the knob requires more effort and time than pushing a button, and Option is used a lot. It would have been nice if they made the leather rim with the RS button layout.

The only things I like about the GTE rim are the Ferrari logo and the red stripe at the top instead of blue.

 

[Vary]

So, as I have already mentioned, I've got the GTE rim, and after few initial difficulties is easy to remember which button is which (after all, at least in the menus you only have to remember the X and O buttons). but I have another question for you: don't you think that the bulit in USB cable is a bit short? Is it possible to attach it to an "extension cable" without any issues (at leat on the ps3 and ps4)?

 

[Jimbini]

Hey. Ive got this Problem





Refund?