Guide to the best steering wheels for PC and PS4
The time has come when we have all the contenders on the board. It is time to analyze the characteristics and points in favor of each one and make a decision. Remember that for a global overview you have all available in our hardware database.
One of the Best PS4 Steering Wheel when we venture into simracing is the steering wheel and pedals. Today we are going to focus on the first of them, since although the second marks more differences, the variety of options for steering wheels and bases makes us often confused about what steps to take. The wheel is not decisive in terms of our performance on the track and it is possible to achieve great results with the most humble wheels, however the truth is that as quality increases, the confidence we have with the wheel and consistency in our times also increases. .
With the appearance of the latest steering wheels that use Direct Drive technology bases on the market, it is time to review what we have available on the market.
What were expensive PC peripherals just 10 years ago have been relegated to the category of entry-level flyers.
Thrustmaster TX and T300
The Thrustmaster range offers more modern strap bases and with better feel than Logitech, and in this price range it is possibly the best option. The problem is in combining it with sufficiently robust and modifiable pedals without breaking the budget. Here we have analyzed almost all the bases of Thrustmaster and you can know what each one of them gives just by taking a look at our reviews.
Preliminary note: I haven’t been able to test a non-Direct Drive steering wheel for a long time, so I wash my hands of these recommendations and the activation of certain permanent fan modes and linear mode. It is at your own risk and expense.
This guide is intended for T500, T300, TS-PC, TS-XW type wheels and the like. The first days when we acquire a new base are moments of investigation. We want the base to transmit the information we need to be able to control the car. The road speaks to us and many times we are not able to feel correctly what we are doing or what is happening. Sometimes it is simply about configuration problems, and for that we are going to offer you some tips below, which as I said in the preliminary note, you should experiment and test if they are the right ones for you.
If you are new to iRacing or your new high-end steering wheel, try this, don’t ignore it, and I can almost guarantee that you will be able to control skid more consistently, find your tire limit, and ride longer on the tires. long-term competitions.
Rule # 1. Clipping is your enemy. You can’t trust it to tell you something useful about a car. So if your meter is red, your FFB dynamics is dead. If the signal is green, you are feeling a force that is clean and linear.
Rule # 2. Put your steering wheel force to maximum, then fine tune your driving game (Apk Savers) settings. So this means that you set the total strength of the bases to 100, and you set the FFB of iRacing to something like 12. Don’t set the total strength of the base to 50/100, and then increase the strength to your driving / game simulator settings. It’s all about maximizing dynamics, and this is only achieved by adjusting the steering wheel to allow maximum margin.
Note: Each car has a different resistance / max.
Rule # 3. Adjust it to what makes you feel good, but only do it after you’ve felt what is supposed to be right. This means that you must follow this step by step to configure the FFB in iRacing, in this example a T300. Understand how the maximum possible force on your base feels with your rim and then apply this to your preferences in other games that do not have a built-in FFB meter.
Thrustmaster TS-PC Racer
I have met many people online who have their FFB very high, or very low. I can understand those who want it low, well not really. I have found that when the T300 is run in forced cooling mode at 100% of the capacity set on the control panel, the forces are strong and dynamic enough to be as useful as a Direct Drive steering wheel. No, the T300 is nowhere near the feel or strength of, say, an OSW, but the setup I found when reverting to a T300 has allowed me to at least bring the FFB to a level of dynamics where I can still feel what is happening on the asphalt. I can feel the steering wheel tightening and loosening more clearly than I remember last time. And this sincerely amazes me,
These are the settings I would like you to try. It begins with the configuration of the control panel of your Thrustmaster (or equivalent).
Now, on your steering wheel, simultaneously press the mode button at the bottom left, and the menu button (which would once take you to the PS menu) hold both for several seconds and wait for the light to blink twice. You just activated the fan to be always on in forced cooling mode.
I also run a high speed mini fan and point it at my steering wheel as I run. Don’t play in a hot room.
Linear Force Feedback: Enabled. (There should be a check mark) Damper: 0 for a faster rate of spring return when released (more prone to oscillations), or up to 25 (for a heavier flywheel feel).
Force level doesn’t matter for now so don’t bother adjusting.
Next, make sure you have the mouse activated while driving or that you can toggle and navigate the black box controls in one session. Go to a test session. Start driving and navigate the Black Box to the graphics settings, I think it’s F10. Scroll down and there you will see the FFB strength level. Make sure you can increase or decrease the FFB force value with something you can easily reach, like a rotor. Start driving. Drive normally. Start with a strength level of 6 (or 2 if you are in an F1 or Indy car) and gradually increase it as you drive. When you feel the steering wheel becoming more taut in each corner, then pay attention to the FFB meter on the HUD..
What is an FFB meter for? It measures and displays the strength signal of the FFB on the screen, the same box that measures the images per second, etc. If you don’t see this box showing FPS, Latency, and FFB, press the F key, that should turn it on for it to appear.
Lastly, you need to adjust the Force Feedback value while looking at the FFB meter. If it’s green, or if you have the FFB strength set too high, it’s red. If your signal (green bar, dancing while driving the car) turns red just a little bit, only on small occasions or brief moments, then you know that you have reached the ideal and maximum level of FFB force that best suits your Thrustmaster steering wheel.
