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Wheel Shootout: GT3RS V2 vs. Turbo S vs. G27
After putting in a request to become a tester for Fanatec, I was very excited to be selected as a tester to conduct a comparison between the Fanatec GT3RS, the Fanatec Turbo S and the Logitech G27.
These three wheels represent the mid range in terms of price for sim racing enthusiasts on the PC as well as gaming consoles. With the upcoming release of titles such as Gran Turismo 5 and rFactor 2, many of you are probably considering upgrading your input device for these games, if you haven’t already. Many of you may have never had the opportunity to use a steering wheel in a racing sim. And some of you may already be using a lower price/entry level wheel, such as the Logitech DFP, Microsoft Sidewinder, Logitech Driving Force, Driving Force GT, etc.
You have probably seen various other threads and topics on the subject of wheels and wheel comparisons, so I will try to offer some unique insights that you may not have seen or considered previously regarding these products.
*All wheels were tested using both standard G27 pedals and with Clubsport Pedals
First, lets take a look at the participants in this comparison:
Fanatec GT3RS V2
Fanatec Turbo S
Logitech G27
I've developed a table that compares what I think are the most relevant features of each wheel. I felt that by doing this, it would make for a shorter post than simply listing the entire feature set of each wheel separately.
If you would like to see a list of each wheel's features, here are links to the product pages for each wheel:
Fanatec GT3RS V2
Fanatec Turbo S
Logitech G27
Now, it’s time to begin by first comparing the 3 wheels in the following categories: Force Feedback, Features and Pedals.
Force Feedback
GT3RS V2—The force feedback in the GT3RS V2 wheel is superb. In terms of strength, it can be incredibly strong, or incredibly smooth and subtle depending on the settings you prefer. This is primarily due to the belt drive in the GT3RS V2. In addition to its capacity for strength and subtlety, the GT3RS delivers the feedback very quietly. During the most intense usage, the wheel is almost totally silent. And there is no noticeable deadzone in the feedback.
Turbo S—The Force feedback in the Turbo S wheel is almost a mirror image of the GT3RS, incredibly smooth, as strong or as subtle as you want, yet almost totally silent. Superb feedback. The main difference really is the leather grip of the Turbo S vs. the Alcantara grip of the GT3RS. Again, no deadzone in the feedback.
G27—Very good force feedback. A bit stronger overall than its predecessor the G25. For the most part the feedback is very smooth, but there are certain times where you can hear a rather loud “clunking” sound coming from the force feedback motors. This occurs mainly when running over rumble strips, grass, or generally rough track surfaces. Overall, very good feedback, with a reduced yet still noticeable “dead zone” in approximately the center of the wheel—this was a problem many users had with the G25, including myself.
Features
GT3RS V2—In terms of total features, please refer to the feature list at the beginning of the review. However—here are just a few of what I feel are the most important features on this wheel: There are 14 buttons total on the wheel. Having more buttons easily accessible on the wheel itself is a feature I really like. The new aluminum shifter paddles are excellent as well. They are very ergonomic and offer positive, precise shifting. The turning angle options on the wheel itself can be adjusted in increments of 10 from 90 to 900 degrees—independent of the game software. This is an amazing feature, as is the ability to adjust drift mode from 1 to 5, steering deadzone, linearity and also the ability to activate the ABS vibration feature on the wheel itself. And lastly and most importantly, the GT3RS V2 I tested was paired with the Clubsport Pedals. These pedals are really the icing on the cake of the Fanatec package and are what sets this wheel (as well as the Turbo S) apart from its competitors. More on the pedals later…
Turbo S—The biggest feature advantage for the Turbo S is its multi-platform compatibility. This is the only high end wheel on the market that is compatible on the PC, PS3, and XBOX 360. If I owned or was thinking of purchasing an XBOX 360, this factor alone would make choosing the Turbo S a no-brainer. In addition to this advantage, the Turbo S shares many feature advantages with the GT3RS such as the ability to adjust the degrees of rotation on the wheel independent of game software. But it also has another great feature: the ability to connect wirelessly to the XBOX 360 and PS3 via a USB dongle.
G27—the feature set on the G27 is very similar to its predecessor the G25. However, there are some important differences. The G27 no longer has a sequential mode on its shifter. For some this is not a concern, but for others, the loss of sequential mode has been a big disappointment. The G27 has 6 buttons on the wheel itself compared to 2 on the G25. The G27 features helical gears instead of straight cut gears to deliver its force feedback. This feedback is somewhat smoother and much quieter than its predecessor. And the G27 pedal faces can be adjusted horizontally.
Pedals
This is the category in which the Fanatec wheels distinguish themselves from the G27. Ask any experienced sim racer which makes a bigger difference in laptimes and consistency—the wheel or the pedals? They are most likely to tell you that the pedals will make the most difference in your performance, and I can tell from my own experience that this is true.
Clubsport Pedals—these pedals are extremely well constructed. They use magnetic sensors rather than potentiometers (like the G27), so you won’t have to worry about failing potentiometers. They are very adjustable—the pedal throw, pedal spring strength and pedal faces can be adjusted. The brake is a pressure based load cell. You can adjust the maximum braking force required to suit your driving style. And another great advantage is that the pedals can be plugged into the PC via a USB port, and this increases the resolution of the pedals from 255 steps to 1024 steps. This makes a tremendous difference in the precision and accuracy of your inputs, and makes braking and throttle application much more precise. Fanatec also offers a tuning kit for the Clubsport pedals that provides different springs, PU foams, an extra pedal plate, and lubrication for the pedals. You can also order pedal kits in different colours from Fanatec as well if you want to customize your pedal set. The pedals have four rubber “shoes” and are extremely sturdy and will not budge (in my experience) if you use them on carpet. They also have holes that allow them to be hardmounted to a cockpit.
G27—Essentially, the G27 pedals are exactly the same as the G25 pedals with one exception. You can adjust the position of the pedal faces and the throttle pedal is slightly recessed in comparison to the brake pedal, making for somewhat easier heel toe use. In my experience, the carpet grip on the G27 pedals makes them very sturdy, and they did not move when used on carpet or a rug. They have hardmounting points on the bottom so you can mount them in your cockpit. Also, they are backwards-compatible with the G25 wheel (the shifter is not compatible with the G25 and the G25 shifter cannot be used with the G27).
The Winner is…
GT3RS V2 Wheel with Clubsport Pedals
I will attach a picture of the rating scale I used to come to this decision at the end of my post, and you can see how everything broke down for me by the numbers, but I’ll try to summarize how I arrived at this decision.
I tested all 3 wheels in a variety of games on both the PC and the PS3 (don’t have a 360). For PC sims, I used rFactor, iRacing, GTR 2, GTR Evo and Race 07. On the PS3, I tested with GT5 Prologue, Supercar Challenge, Ferrari Challenge and NFS Shift. All of the wheels were very much “plug and play.” On the PC, I had no issues setting them up or installing drivers. Everything was very easy and straightforward.
I began my testing by trying out all the wheels with the G27 pedals. The G25/G27 pedal adapter that came with the Turbo S wheel worked perfectly. I had specific car/track combos for testing purposes in each game, and I kept track of my laptimes with the all wheels using the G27 pedals. Then, I switched to the Clubsport pedals…GAME OVER.
This is what sets the Fanatec products apart from Logitech. The quality of these pedals is amazing. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Fanatec wheels. They are silky smooth and feel so much more like a real road car than the G27. But, I don’t worry about how things look or feel. I want RESULTS. I play racing sims to have fun, yes. But I also want to perform as well as I possibly can within the confines of my abilities. The first combo I tried with the Clubsport pedals was the Radical SR8 at Mid Ohio in iRacing. I was particularly keen to see how the Clubsports performed here, as I had just raced that car/track the previous week and had set a reasonably fast personal best time there and had good finishes in races.
Within an hour of hooking up the Clubsports, I had equaled my previous best laptime there, and had decreased my optimal laptime by 3 tenths. I went back the next night, and beat my previous best by a tenth. Same story with the Mustang at VIR—personal best beat by a tenth, easily. I could go on. But the most important thing aside from the times themselves was the consistency. Braking and throttle are so much more consistent now for me with the Clubsports. If you have only used potentiometer/travel based brake pedals, it’s hard to imagine how much better you can brake with pressure based/load cell brakes like the Clubsports, but you can. The thing that amazes me now is that I never realized how much subconscious thought, time and energy are expended using potentiometer based pedals like the G27. It takes trial and error to learn that certain amount of travel that is required to brake in certain cars. And even when you think you have it down, it’s inconsistent at best. And the process of braking, for me at least, has always been a “hold your breath” type of thing, where you’re not quite sure how it’s going to work out from corner to corner, lap to lap. With the load cell brake on the Clubsports, braking is so much more natural now.
I don’t have to “muscle-memorize” how much travel it takes to brake into a certain corner. With the Clubsports, it’s so much more like a real car’s brakes—I apply a reasonable amount of pressure and if that’s not enough right away, I apply a little more, and it works…consistently, lap after lap. I can get up to speed quicker, threshold braking is much, much better/easier, and I feel more confident and have one less thing to worry about. So instead of wasting mental energy worrying about braking, I can focus more on throttle application and steering inputs. And that’s another point. The brakes on the Clubsports are fantastic, but the throttle is amazing as well. Turn 1 and 2 at Mid Ohio are so much easier now. Those two corners require confident and precise throttle application, and it’s so much easier to do it consistently with the Clubsport throttle. It is incredibly smooth and precise. I love it as much, if not more than, the brake pedal.
So, in summary, I chose the GT3RS V2/Clubsport package as the winner based primarily on the objective results I saw in terms of laptimes, but also based on the rating scale as well. When changing between wheels, I see virtually no change/difference in laptimes. I can use the GT3RS or Turbo S with the G27 pedals and turn the same laptimes as I do using the stock G27 with its own pedals. But, switching to the Clubsports when testing the wheels brought an immediate increase in consistency and an almost immediate drop in actual and optimal laptimes.
So the choice for me is clear. If you are in the market for a new wheel and a set of pedals, I hope you found this review helpful. I’d like to thank Fanatec for giving me the opportunity to test these wheels and pedals and share my results with you. And on a side note, I’d just like to mention that my experience with Fanatec and their customer service has been extremely positive. Everything was very straightforward and all communications were clear and helpful. If I had any questions, they were answered very promptly, usually by Thomas himself, and all the products worked wonderfully.
Regards,
Carl
P.S. Here is the rating scale I used to compare the 3 wheels and pedal sets, and these were my results. I had to chop it up into 4 parts...my image editing skills are nothing to write home about, I'm sure there is a way to turn the excel file into a single image, but I couldn't figure it out.
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