Logitech G29 impressions

Eric Rush wrote this little comparison between his previous steering wheel, a DFGT, and the new G29. Nice to read if you are starting on simracing. Update: Eric also compares T300 and G29 at the end of the post.

Background:
A little background first… I have only been using iRacing for a little over 2 years. Since I wasn’t sure if it was something that I would continue with, I decided to purchase a Logitech DFGT wheel and pedals to get started. After about a year, I upgraded the pedals to a set of Fanatec ClubSport V2’s. Those pedals are 1000 times better than the stock DFGT pedals and instantly improved by racing.

So about a month ago I started looking into replacing the wheel. The DFGT wheel really isn’t that bad for a starter wheel but based on all the reviews, I started considering either a Logitech G27 or a Thrustmaster T300 as a next step without getting into a much larger price bracket. I really got used to all the buttons and the rotary wheel/dial on the DFGT and was a little concerned that I would miss that on one of the wheels I was looking at.

Then I saw an announcement about the G29 which is basically a G27 and a DFGT combined. Once they came out and were priced about the same as the T300, I decided to give them a try and return them if I didn’t like them and get the T300’s.

So the G29 arrived today and after a brief adjustment period, I can already tell that it is much, much better than the DFGT. Certainly it costs more too but the DFGT’s feel like a toy now that I have used the G29 for about an hour. I am going to give it a couple weeks and see how I feel then. I still may order up a T300 set and give them a try and then decide on which to return. 

Lap Times:
My results so far are encouraging with the G29 though. I made sure I ran a good number of practice laps last night with the DFGT wheel so I could compare the times once the G29 arrived. In the GT3 series, running a RUF at Laguna Seca, I was averaging about 1:21:30 using the DFGT. No where near the fast guys but I am a mid-pack driver anyway so that is in-line with those times.
With the G29, I was averaging 1:20:50 after about a 45 minute adjustment period. I can’t really say that it was totally because of the wheel or just some mental concentration that made me a little faster but I was faster none the less.

Shift Lights:
I can’t seem to get the shift lights on the wheel working no matter what setting I have in iRacing. I saw another post with a similar issue so this may be an issue of having a brand new wheel. Other than that, everything else seems to work ok.

Force Feedback:
I wouldn’t say that the force feedback is stronger than the DFGT… they are really about the same. However, the force feedback seems a little more “accurate” if there is such a thing. It just feels a little more connected to the road and not as choppy as the DFGT. I think the heavier, all aluminum wheel makes a difference here too.

Conclusion:
I have been reading a lot of negative comments about the G29 and I think they are mostly because its not really anything substantially new. More of a G27 “2.0” with a bigger price tag. The internals are mostly the same but it does have a new position sensor that is suppose to be more accurate than the optical sensor that is in the G27’s. That along with the extra buttons and leather wrapped surface really are nice upgrade from the DFGT.

It’s only been a few hours since I installed them but so far… I like them. I still want to compare them head-to-head with the T300 before I make a final decision though.

Would be interested in hearing from others who have purchased them too.

David Tucker said:

“The lights should work next season, however I have not gotten my hands on the G29 yet to verify that.”

Update: Eric told me to update this post with the last data. He got a Thrusmaster T300 at the end. Here are the reasons.

Comparison of the Logitech G29 and the Thrustmaster T300RS

I did end up purchasing a Thrustmaster T300RS since several other posters in this thread commented that it was a better choice than the Logitech G29. I find it hard to compare any two items to each other unless I have them both right in front of me so I spent another $400 and picked up a T300. I tested both the G29 and the T300RS extensively over a period of about three weeks. I made sure to keep the testing as apples-to-apples as I could and even switched wheels during the same iRacing session so the track and weather would be the same.

Initial Observation:
The first thing that was a noticeable difference between the wheels was the weight. The T300RS is almost twice as heavy as the G29. Holding one in each hand makes the G29 feel a little like a toy. The T300RS is a substantial wheel and generally feels more solid construction. The base is a little larger than the G29 base but not too large to be an issue.

Force Feedback:
The next thing that was noticeable was that the T300RS had much better, stronger and smoother force feedback. The T300RS software allows you to control the force feedback strength and by default, it is set to 75%. Being a “manly” man, I decided to crank this up to 100% before I even tested it. After about 10 minutes in the sim, I exited and turned it back down to 75% where it is still at today. I’ll tun in my man card next week. But I think this shows that you can have as much or as little force feedback as you desire. The Logitech Gaming software does not allow the force feedback strength to be adjusted on the G29, at least I could not find where to set it anyway. As much as the G29 force feedback was more “accurate” when comparing to the DFGT, the T300RS feels more “accurate” when compared to the G29. This might be the belt drive or something else but I much preferred the T300RS force feedback to the G29’s.

Mounting Clamp
The G29 wins this battle but it’s not a landslide. I don’t have a dedicated sim cockpit so have a dual purpose setup with my desk where I work during the day and sim race during the evenings and weekends. So I need to use the built-in clamp to mount the wheel to my desk.
While racing, I never had an issue with the G29 moving around. It was easy to attach and was solidly attached even though the clamp on the T300RS looks like it is better designed than the G29. In contrast, the T300RS did move around a little no matter how tight I made the clamp. This was only noticeable during hard turning though. Apparently I have a tendency to lift up on the wheel slightly during aggressive turns and racing battles. I never noticed this behavior with other wheels but it became apparent with the T300RS. The T300RS clamp differs from the G29 (or DFGT) whereas it clamps about 3″ back from the edge of the desk. The Logitech wheels clamp on the first 1″ of the desk edge. With the T300RS, this can create a “hinge” type effect where you can lift the front of the wheel up a little which allows it to slide if you also happen to be turning it. This is due to the 1″ gap that the clamp has between the clamp and the bottom surface of the desk top. I actually shot some video of this and need to get all the video edited and posted on my YouTube Channel so you can see it. I was able to solve this rocking effect by using a block of wood and two wood shims between the clamp and the bottom of the desk top. Once in place, the wheel has not moved and can’t be lifted up at all. People who have hard mounted their wheels in a cockpit or otherwise won’t experience this issue. It’s only when using the clamp.

Pedals:
The Logitech G29 is the clear winner in this comparison. The pedals that come with the G29 are an enhanced version of the pedals they used with the G27. They also include a clutch pedal. The pedals that come with the T300RS do not have a clutch and are not as solid feeling as the G29 pedals. The brake pedal on the T300RS does not have a progressive feel like the G29 pedals do. But even the Logitech brake pedal can’t match the feel of a proper brake that uses a load sell and/or hydraulic damper. Since I have a set of Fanatec ClubSport V2 pedals, the pedals did not factor into my decision towards one wheel or the other.

Wheel Buttons:
I don’t use a button box (yet) so buttons on the wheel tend to be important to me. This is why I prefer a wheel designed to support console games like the PS4 since they usually have more buttons. There are two or three more buttons on the G29 compared to the T300RS. Also, the buttons on the G29 are easier to reach without adjusting your grip on the wheel. That said, the buttons on the T300RS feel a little more “professional” quality. I guess I have average size hands (I’m 6’0″ tall if that gives you an idea) but to reach some of the buttons on the T300RS, I have to reach a little further to access them. I don’t actually have to remove my hands from the wheel, but it is a little further reach than the G29. Could be a factor for people with smaller hands.

Paddle Shifters:
Both wheels use metal paddle shifters but this is a clear win for the Thrustmaster T300RS wheel. Without a doubt, the paddle shifters on the T300RS are better than the G29. First, they are longer. They extend below the center point of the wheel so you can use them if you are holding the bottom of the wheel while driving. Second, they are firm and there is a very noticeable “click” when shifting gears. You can feel the click as well as hear it. The G29 paddles on the other hand, are only half size paddles that you can only access if you are holding the wheel at the top or traditional 10 and 2 positions. They are also mushy feeling when you press them and its hard to detect when the micro switch has actually been activated. I didn’t order the H Pattern shifters for either wheel so can’t comment on those.

Quality Assurance:
I had an issue with the first T300RS I received. The left paddle was much closer to the back of the wheel rim than what the right paddle was. I actually measured this and it was a difference of about 1/4″. While this might not seem too bad, it’s quite noticeable in person and the left paddle would actually contact my fingers while driving sometimes. It also made the travel distance of the paddle much shorter for down shifting compared to up shifting. I called Thrustmaster customer service and they agreed that something was wrong and perhaps it got damaged in shipping. However, the box was in perfect condition and the way the wheel is placed in the shipping box would make it almost impossible to damage the paddle shifters. Customer service recommended that I return the wheel set and order a replacement which I did. I received the replacement set from Amazon a couple days later (thank you Amazon Prime!) and noticed that the paddles on the new set also had a slightly different distance from the back of the rim. It wasn’t as bad as the first set but they were different when you looked at them top down. I also measure these with a digital caliper and found that they were about 1/8″ different. I again called Thrustmaster Customer Service and even sent them detailed photos showing the measurements of the two wheels. They opened a support ticket and got back to me about a week later saying the difference was “within specifications” and that they would not replace the rim. I had grown used to it by then and the 1/8′ difference doesn’t bother me (as long as I take my OCD meds that is). Wow… just noticed one of my triple monitors is 2mm off of level with the other monitor. Excuse me for a second while I adjust it…..

So while the QA of Thrustmaster may not be quite on par with Logitech, the wheel is still better all around so this wasn’t enough to make me keep the G29.

Conclusion:
I like and have plenty of other Logitech hardware so I had hope for the G29 but after three weeks of back-to-back testing, the decision was actually quite easy. The Thrustmaster T300RS, like others have said, is the better wheel of these two. If you are considering an upgrade from a DFGT or even an G27, I don’t think you can go wrong with the T300RS. When Logitech placed the G29 at the same price point as the T300RS, they opened themselves up for these types of comparisons. They can’t win on a price difference so they better bring the hardware to compete. In my testing and opinion, they just fell a little short this time. Now… if they had priced the G29 at $299 maybe, then it might be a different game. At that price point they may have a reasonable wheel but not at $399 I’m sorry to say.

Winner: Thrustmaster T300RS