Got a few updates to share since my last post...
I added some sound deadening material to my butt shaker mounting plates and the "tinny" sound is pretty much all gone now. "thumbsup" I still think this is one of the best upgrades I've done for sim racing. This has been one of the biggest immersion upgrades I've done.
I picked up two of these to hang wheels on the wall. They're 3D printed and I got them from ebay. They're okay, but don't let the quick release fully seat so the springs aren't fully relaxed with the wheel in place. I think that'll be okay, though.
I ordered a few things from Fanatec: a Formula Carbon wheel, some button caps w/ sticker set, and a damper. The wheel looks amazing and is verrrrrry light. It's so light, in fact, that I have to let go of the wheel in the event of a bad wreck because I feel like it could break my wrists if I'm not careful!! :shock: It effectively increased the strength of my Club Sport wheel base. The button caps/stickers are super cool and are going to be really helpful since I use multiple wheels now so it'll help me keep track of each wheel's programming. Also, I use my BMW wheel for American Truck Sim so I can swap out caps as needed, depending on the sim I'm running. The damper (in transit) will go on my throttle pedal, but I may experiment with it on my brake pedal, as well.
An issue I had with the wheel was the paddle shifters. They didn't move! After a bunch of troubleshooting and some disassembly I determined that the paint/powdercoat must not have been dried when they were assembled. I overcame it with some force, but it left some weird residue on the shifters and for the money I expect better quality than that. I'm working with Fanatec on how to address this now and will let y'all know.
Here's the wheels hanging next to my rig:
Here's close-ups of the buttons/stickers. The buttons come in a variety of colors so you can color code certain options. Stickers are in white and in black. Some stickers are round and designed to fit within the buttons, but some are rectangular and I suppose they're designed to be applied to the wheel itself. I just trimmed them so they fit in the buttons. It may seem silly and it's expensive for what it is, but I really like them.
I also ordered some magnetic shifters from OSR (Open Sim Racing). Supposed to make shifting more precise and reliable. They should be here this week. I opted for the carbon fiber ones for the Formula wheel and plastic for the BMW wheel.
I also have a button box on order. After tons of research I opted for a Derek Spears Designs solution that bolts to my Fanatec Club Sport base. It uses a mounting plate of Lexan or polycarbonate so it may not be super rigid, but I'm okay with that. Reviews have been good and you have plenty of button options. I opted for the one on the right in the picture below. If needed, I'll also likely pick up the panel on the left, as well.
Lastly, I was looking very heavily into ponying up for super nice pedals recently. I was considering the likes of Heusinkveld, HPP, Racewerk, etc. But after talking with Randy more about it, I decided to experiment more with my Fanatec V3 pedal settings. I have the brake performance kit, but after installing some medium stiffness elastomers, I've not really messed with it. Well, I put firmer elastomers in the other day and then altered my Fanatec brake force (brf) settings. I now have pedals that feel so much better in every regard. I'm still getting used to them, but so far my braking has gotten much more consistent and I'm able to brake much later than previously. Not to mention when I overshoot a corner, I'm able to slow the car much safer and have a much better chance of not going off track than before. Since making these changes I don't think I've spun on corner entry in a race and that's saying a lot for me.
OH! And the most important upgrade a sim racer can do is shown below! :ror: And yes, I've still got a ton of cable management to do.
Lastly, I picked up some cover strip for my 8020 rig. Dust and such will gather in the top of the profile so I wanted to cover it for a cleaner look (literally). I only did the top surfaces as it would take way too long to do the whole rig and probably cost quite a bit, too.
Okay, I think that's it. I'll post up more once I have more info. to share. Cheers! "thumbsup"
I'll go non-AMD on the next system, but for now I'm just looking for an ATX sized MB that'll work for this processor and a Mid Tower case. The new system will have to be on the backburner for now.
