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Is it worth to get racing wheel for racing games or not?(r/pcgaming)
When it comes to games (Dirt3, NFS) or simulators (Assetto Corsa, iRacing) it’s sort of like driving a manual car, having a wheel just makes the experience much more enjoyable. As for improvement, since you can actually feel the weight of the car and the contact patch of the tires through the nicer steering wheels, you feel so much more connected to the car that you’re racing with. This allows you to quickly counter over- or understeer as you can actually feel the wheels getting loose beneath you. The same can be said for corner braking situations where the car tends to get loose. Controllers also don’t let you feel the bumps in the track that can affect the handling of cars in braking points or through corners. With laser scanned tracks becoming “The Norm”, it’s more important now than ever before to actually be able to feel the bumps that the laser scans implement into racing games. That being said, it may not necessarily make your lap times any faster but it can certainly make the experience that much more enjoyable.
In the future, if you have any additional questions regarding wheels or sim racing, check out /r/simracing.
Also, contrary to the post below, using simulation software (like iRacing or Assetto Corsa) with a proper setup (Thurstmaster T500rs or higher) can actually make you a better driver. Being able to understand the physics of a car at it’s limit can not only help to improve lap times on the track but also provide a better understanding of your car in situations at the limit (accident avoidance, turning too fast, getting loose on gravel). (Source: I actually race)
My Miata friend thanks my simrig for preventing an accident on loose gravel while turning right. He swears, to this day, that it taught him how to control his car in hairy situation.
Aside from amateur drivers like myself, professional drivers in WEC, DTM, and F1 also use simulators at home and at the track when they aren’t on the circuit to keep their edge sharp.
Below is a little guide I made to help users get into simracing, beware of the /u/PriceZombie.
Simulators
Assetto Corsa
rFactor 2
GameStock Car 2013/ Extreme
iRacing
Power & Glory 3 (requires GTR2)
GT Legends
DRM 2.0 (Requires rFactor)
Richard Burns Rally 2014 (requires Richard Burns Rally)
Live for Speed
If you need a wheel: (Prices are subject to change)
Note: A better wheel won’t necessarily improve lap times. It just makes the experience feel more realistic.
~$129.96 – Logitech Driving Force GT
~$239.99 – Logitech G27
~$299.99 – Fanatec Porsche 911 gt3 v2 bundle
~$599.99 – Thrustmaster T500RS
~$799.99 – Fanatec ClubSport base w/ Formula Rim w/ Clubsport V2 pedals bundle.
Hope this helps!