Will Sutton, one of the most active and veteran iRacing members wrote his first impressions about his new most beloved device. One big leap from Fanatec CSW 2.5 to the recently released Direct Drive Podium Series from Fanatec.
Comparing this with the Fanatech CSW2.5 and have to say its a lot better than that wheelbase. It just feels better and for some reason handles the Curbs much better. At the Nord, if I went wide on some corners and hit a curve I was basically dead but this lets me ride these curbs and has kept me out of the barriers but on the road, and you can feel the FFB effects a lot more. They have all the force you will need and I can’t drive the car with the force set at 100 yet I have seen a video showing someone diving one-handed around Laguna Seca with my setup ( it was a struggle ). So not sure if the force is consistent across all wheels or I have somehow did something different when setting up.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing by a long shot, the wheelbase has been good but the drivers have made my Fanatech V3 brake react weirdly. First up the brake was very hard to push so after a lot of fiddling around in Manual mode I got them working better then they worked before. Then the new drivers came out ( including firmware ) and the pedals went in the opposite direction. Very light and brakes slammed on way to easy making the car undrivable. Manual mode was just as bad and finally leaving them in auto mode with some adjustments through the Wheels Brake Force has made them work but not as good as I had them. So I tried going back to connecting the V3 pedals by USB but that doesn’t work anymore. Now as the V3 pedals are top of the range pedals from Fanatec I expected better. Also was caught out when doing the firmware upgrade, it restarted it in Xbox mode which means it wouldn’t work on my PC. After 10 minutes I noted in the LCD panel on the DD2 it showed X-Box.
The DD2 has the start/stop button at the back, it’s very small and hard to locate but you will get used to it ( place a finger on USB cable and lift slightly and you have the button ) but the Emergency Stop Button has a Start/Stop Switch on it and I use that. The Emergency Brake button which is plastic with “red tin” for the button …..it looks very cheap but to buy by itself its very expensive. As it’s very light and can be knocked to the ground easily it is best to secure it and it has 4 holes for it to be secured by brackets but sadly the brackets which would cost around $2 are not included. Still, I have secured it on an arm from the Obutto Rev cockpit by just screwing a bolt through the plate into the Switch.
I have my DD2 mounted straight onto the Obutto Rev “triangular” mounting holes but you can purchase mounting brackets from Fanatec but they are also very expensive but look quality, unlike the Emergency Stop which looks like a cheap kids toy. Now mounting the wheel onto the base ..well you need to give it a nice push and for the older wheels like the BMW3 you really need to put some silicone Grease on to the rubber ( and no tube included but you do get free stickers )
Australian dollars here
Podium Mounting Brackets: $349.90
Emergency Stop: $149.90 included with DD2 but not DD1
Podium DD2: $2499.90 included 5 year warranty plus killswitch
Podium DD1: $1699.90 and $319.90 for a 5 year warranty upgrade
CSW2.5: $829.90
Is the DD2 worth the money? Well, all one can say is it depends on the person but the DD2 is not twice the product of the CSW2.5 but it is over 3 times the price. But another way to look at is, with 5 years warranty its $2499.90/1826.25days = $1.37 per day.
Can’t compare it to any other Direct Drive Wheel but I like it…..
And regretfully I have seen a few comments about the DD1 been RMA due to I think electronic problems. Apparently one of the major difference between the DD2 and DD1 is the electronics. May just be a simple thing but for those who have waited so long, I would think they would tend to be slightly pissed off.
and now back to the Nords…..and I will try to keep the grin off my face
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