Best Sim Steering Wheel and rFactor Minimum Requirements

**Keith Carter** · October 4th, 2006, 12:24 PM

For controllers, I would definitely suggest a racing wheel. I currently own a Logitech Driving Force Pro which can be purchased currently at Best Buys and Circuit Citys around the US I would imagine. Since it's primarily considered a Playstation2 wheel (but also works on PC), I would look in that area of the store. Or........ If you can find them, the talk of all the sim racing forums is the new Logitech G25 racing wheel. A little pricey (retails for $299), but appears to be the best grade sim racing wheel you can (or will be able to) buy at a brick and mortar store.

http://www.logitech.com/

Minimum System Requirements for rFactor are the following:

1.4 GHz processor
Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP, XP 64-bit (will NOT run in Windows 95 or Windows 98 first edition)
12 MB RAM
Geforce4 4200 or Radeon 9200
128 MB video RAM
DirectX 9.0c
2.0 GB of hard drive space for installation
Internet connection required for one-time activation

Al Craighead · February 1st, 2007, 12:14 PM

Hey guys,

Being as just got a new laptop, was wondering if rFactor would work on. In looking at the minimum specs, everything looks good, but unsure about my video card. anyways, below are my specs, love to hear thoughts gang.

AMD Turion 64 processor (2.0 GHz)
1 gig RAM
120 gig Hard Drive
ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 video card

Cheers,

**Keith Carter** · February 1st, 2007, 12:30 PM

That should work no problem. As far as how much eye candy you can have turned on is a different story. A bunch of the guys who run with us on Tuesdays are SAE students from Canada who have laptops and run rFactor on it. Maybe we can get some of them to chime in as to how well it runs on it.

Al Craighead · February 2nd, 2007, 2:20 PM

Hey Keith,

While I can get the game to run on my laptop, I was never able to average more than 18-20 fps with the display set to low. Therefore I'll probably have to pass on running with you guys. oh well.

Cheers,

Frank Varano · February 2nd, 2007, 4:25 PM

Did anyone every consider the logitech driving force pro? Its 900 and costs alot less than the G25. Its a ps2 wheel, but it can easily be used with the PC.

**Keith Carter** · February 2nd, 2007, 4:55 PM

It's what I use and it's great.

AjC Jr · March 2nd, 2007, 6:20 PM

inspriron 1501 amd turion 54 x2 1.6 ghz
1 gb memory
ati radeo express 1150 with 256mb

will this dell laptop run r factor

ash81 · September 20th, 2007, 6:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AjC Jr

inspriron 1501 amd turion 54 x2 1.6 ghz
1 gb memory
ati radeo express 1150 with 256mb

will this dell laptop run r factor

yes it will run fine on that i have the same one

IDSRacing · September 21st, 2007, 1:09 PM

Are there any wheels that will work both with an XBOX (not the 360) and a PC?

Ian

MoonNerd · August 23rd, 2008, 9:52 PM

Logitech has released a new Driving Force GT for $125. Some say its a better feel than the G25 for less price (although the G25 has better pedals.)
http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-Lo.../dp/B0015HYPOO

Part 1 of the Inside Sim Racing video review of the Driving Force GT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGVo9otfU4M

Part 2 of the Inside Sim Racing review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDH-RmW4iZs

Marshall Mauney · January 11th, 2009, 4:31 PM

This may be a stupid question, but:

I have an older Logitech wheel/pedal combo from the days when I played with Grand Prix Legends. I assume it still works OK, but it has the old-style 15-pin joystick connector. Does anyone have any thoughts on using it with a more modern PC that only has USB connections?

Obviously, I can just go buy a new wheel, but I'd like for my wife not to notice....

**Keith Carter** · January 11th, 2009, 8:09 PM

You can buy an adapter for $30 or so, but it wouldn't be money well spent. I'd definitely put that towards a newer wheel with USB. You could also see if you could procure an older sound card (PCI) that you could use the game controller port off of that.

*JHandley* · October 29th, 2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Carter

.......Geforce4 4200 or Radeon 9200
128 MB video RAM
DirectX 9.0c
2.0 GB of hard drive space for installation
Internet connection required for one-time activation

Im looking to upgrade the video card on my computer. Are these still pretty good cards today?
The prices Ive found are less than $50 for the 128mb cards and slightly more for 256 mb models.
Which one have most of you found to be the better choice?
Thanx in advance,
Jeff

**Keith Carter** · October 29th, 2009, 10:39 AM

Those video cards are pretty old and would be a bare minimum to even get rFactor to run. Do you need a PCI-E or AGP card for your PC? There are some killer deals on very capable video cards nowadays especially for just rFactor. When rFactor2 comes out in the next year or so, you'll definitely need something more robust,

*JHandley* · October 29th, 2009, 10:43 AM

Im pretty sure its the pci, not the express bus keith. what would you suggest?

*JHandley* · October 29th, 2009, 10:54 AM

Im pretty sure its the pci, not the express bus keith. what would you suggest?

**Keith Carter** · October 29th, 2009, 10:54 AM

If it's only PCI and not Express or AGP, then I'd have to suggest a PC upgrade. There aren't any PCI cards on the market anymore that would be able to keep up that I know of.

*JHandley* · October 30th, 2009, 1:35 AM

Heya Keith,
I just checked my motherboard and there is an AGP slot. Green plastic slot with agp stamped on the motherboard.
Any suggested cards?

**Keith Carter** · October 30th, 2009, 11:07 AM

Depends on how old (what rev) the AGP slot is, but I have one of the last AGP cards you can get and it runs rFactor well as long as your screen resolution isn't too high. It's an nVidia 6800GT.

*JHandley* · October 31st, 2009, 1:23 AM

Well I did a search for that and got some hits for about $200+, I was thinking about something a little less.
Does anyone have experiance with the Sapphire Radeon HD 3850 Video Card?
Reasonably priced and decent reviews.

*JHandley* · November 7th, 2009, 11:50 PM

I got rfactor up and running. The sapphire did the trick.
What a great sim!!!! Now i'd like to race with you all when you get the league up n running.

gtwiss · November 10th, 2009, 11:53 PM

I see in this thread that the wheel I have just bought should work with my PC, however when testing with the old Sports Car GT-EA title, the shift function fails to calibrate to the sequential knob or paddles on the controller. The steering, and accelerator and brake pedals all work great. Is this a problem related to the old title I am using? I am planning on trying Iracing or rFactor. This newer software might fix this?, or is there some sort of mod I need to make to get the shifting "moved" to the paddles or knob. I was able to calibrate the shifting to the buttons of the right side of the wheel(X and Triangle). Thank you.

Best Regards,
Guil

**Keith Carter** · November 11th, 2009, 11:32 AM

I would think that using the shift lever should behave the same as the buttons since they're both buttons in a sense, but the root cause of your problem could most likely be the age of the sim you're trying to run.

sidney · November 11th, 2009, 11:37 AM

I had a similar issue before loading the Logitech Wingman controller software on my PC. Then I was able to set everything up the way I wanted it. Good luck.

*JHandley* · November 11th, 2009, 12:46 PM

I had to download and install the momo ffb software onto this puter for mine to work as well

gtwiss · November 11th, 2009, 10:27 PM

Thanks for the input!, I took the cue to get drivers, and was able to figure out how to
get the wheel configured using the Logitech "Profiler". I am now looking forward to running some newer software, especially the rFactor with mods for F1 and Toyota Atlantic. I will also look for the league through Apex.

Best Regards,
Guil

Rob Hogenmiller · April 6th, 2010, 5:22 PM

Does the Logitech Driving Force Pro have paddle shifters on the steering wheel? Doesn't look like it by the pictures I see but it says it does on the description just looking for verification. Thanks for any help.

**Keith Carter** · April 6th, 2010, 5:26 PM

Yes, just about any logitech wheel made in the last 5 years has paddles (or buttons in the location of paddles) behind the wheel where you would expect them to be.

Rob Hogenmiller · April 6th, 2010, 5:34 PM

That is what I'm trying to find out. Buttons will not work for me and the picture doesn't look like it has paddles like the details claim on Logitech website. So looking for someone who knows for sure before I buy one off ebay or such.

**Keith Carter** · April 6th, 2010, 5:46 PM

I've owned a DFP. It has smaller rectangular tabs that act as the shifting mechanism. If you want actual paddles then you would need to get a G25 or a G27. You can kind of see them in this pic

**Keith Carter** · April 6th, 2010, 5:51 PM

Another pic

**Keith Carter** · April 6th, 2010, 5:53 PM

Here's what you would get with the G25 or the G27:

Alex Pate · October 27th, 2010, 3:47 PM

I borrowed a ps3 driving force pro from a friend an while it was a major step up from the ps2 wheel the g27 was definitely worth the price.

VehDyn · February 2nd, 2011, 10:33 AM

Looks like a temporary hiatus from race car ownership has come and now its time to invest some money on sim stuff.

The G27 came out a year or so ago, right? Has anyone heard if another version is coming out soon? Just wanted to make sure before I jumped. I love the Fanatec too, but I hear nightmare stories about problems with the wheels and customer service.

Next time someone sees a deal on G27s, let me know.

Tiago Santos · February 2nd, 2011, 12:03 PM

judging by how long the g25 was on the market, I really doubt logitech will replace the g27 within the next 3-5 years!

SMac35 · February 2nd, 2011, 2:04 PM

I recently bought a Fanatec Carrera wheel. I also heard about their shipping/customer service nightmares. But mine arrived in 2 weeks like they said it would. I've had it for about a month or so and I really love it. The degree adjust-ability is nice b/c I can make my steering wheel match the steering wheel movement of any car I'm driving. Also, the shifter, clutch, and brake pedal are all very solid (Gas is a little flimsy). As well as the degree adjustment, the spring strength, damper, Force feedback strength and a lot of other things can be adjusted on the fly. There are also 12 programmable buttons. It is supposedly just as good, if not better than the G27, but for half the price. I think I got mine for $176 shipped to my door.

I think the problems come in to play when you order the specialty items (club sport pedals, GT3 cup wheel ect) If you stick with just the Carrera, which is a very good wheel, you won't have to go through the crap that comes with the specialty items. I'm fairly sure they just received lots of inventory in their California shop where they ship from, so I'm sure you could order one now and not have any problems. If you want to order specialty items, you can contact Tom, the owner, on his blog to see how long it'll take and he'll get back to you, also check the fanatec forums.

Here's some links for you to check out:
Owner of Fanatec's blog: http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/5244#comments
Fanatec Forum:http://forums.fanatecwheel.com/index.php
Good Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-4dCKNrju4

I honestly can't find anything wrong with my wheel, except for that it was not made for a dorm desk.

Steven

GoPapa · March 19th, 2011, 12:54 PM

I recently set up rFactor with a Logitech G27 Racing wheel and I am thoroughly confused on how to get the settings right for the Force Feedback, etc. It seems there are settings one can do in the Logitech software AND settings that affect the wheel's functions in the rFactor game itself. It was working pretty well with the default settings, with lots of "help" from the rFactor settings (Novice level, steering and braking aids, etc.), but when I turned these down to better simulate real driving, the wheel seems not to be working well at all. I have tried the links in the post from Keith from 2006, but these seem not to work anymore. Does anyone have advice for the best settings? Is there a site where I could go to get my wheel back to working optimally? With so many conflicting settings, it seems that changing one changes things so much that the car becomes undrivable, or the change seems to do nothing.

lammw · November 10th, 2011, 8:16 AM

Hi,
I need help.
I have a Thrustmaster F1 wheel (the older one) and i can not get the FFB to work on Rfactor, the wheel works fine appart from no FFB. I have installed the driver disc and still nothing.
Any ideas?

htcspeed · January 1st, 2012, 8:35 PM

What about the xbox360 FFB wheel for Xbox kinnect? Can I use it on iRacing as well as Xbox?

**Keith Carter** · January 2nd, 2012, 10:17 AM

I'm not sure about XBOX wheels (I have a PS3). If the wheel is compatible with the PC, it may work out fine.