CSL DD 5nm version feeling light, flimsy?

Hi all,

For users who, like myself chose the 5nm version, (yes I know the 8nm is better); how have you found the lightness around center? I didn't get my hands on mine yet but going off Youtube reviews everyone seems to point out there just isn't enough strength/FFB whilst turning and the wheel feels a bit flimsy and light, even compared to the CSL elite which is also around the 5nm mark.

In some reviews I saw it also depends on the game, like iracing being particularly bad and ACC and Rf2 feeling better in that regard.

I do hope Fanatec will optimize the drivers going forward, so 5nm users won't feel like they are left behind with the handicapped little brother of the 8nm version.

Comments

  • Gregg DomainGregg Domain Member
    edited August 2021

    Only have played a bit of AC with mine so far (PC). I put in the official recommended settings posted here on the forum, and on my first run I was in a Gen 1 Miata around the Nordschleife. Coming from a 911 GT2 wheel previously, I was impressed with the smoothness and also how quiet it is by comparison. But yes...if I'm honest, it did feel a bit weak. But also, the default settings have the gain turned down to 50 in-game, I believe it was. I can only assume this was done with the 8nm version in mind.

    I subsequently turned the gain up to about 85-90, and it felt MUCH better. In fact, after a few more laps in the Miata, I took the Praga around the 'Ring to see how it felt, and I honestly would not have wanted to fight any harder than I had to when pushing it flat out around some of those high-speed bends. I got to the Karrussel, and a HUGE smile came across my face. Yes, I think the 5nm is plenty powerful enough, and is going to suit me just fine.

  • Good to hear! So it depends more on ingame optimization then, and when that is sorted you do get the strength you need. Did you check or notice if your wheel was clipping? Bumping up FFB ingame might fix this issue but then you might get into clipping territory which is also not what you'd want.

  • I'm not entirely sure the best way to check for that, tbh. There's a window you can have up in AC that has a few bars that show pedal input and another bar which I think shows FFB response. It did look like it filled up and turned red at a few points when turning at high speed and then running over curbs and such. But if I didn't have that window to look at, I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed anything unusual, as I certainly couldn't feel anything that I would be able to say felt bad or unnatural.

  • Yup that is indeed the FFB bar, and when it goes from gray to red it means FFB overload/clipping. If you only have it when turning hard or full lock and not too much in general it's no biggie but during normal turns or straights you should try and avoid it. Sometimes turning gain or FFB ingame down by -5 could already better that.

    Anyhow that is a bit my worry, that 5nm users will tend to put ingame FFB up a lot higher in order to get rid of the lightness but then you might get clipping in return. Do you have other games too which you can try your new DD on? Would be nice to hear your impressions about those as well if applicable :P

  • I do, I'm planning on trying them out soon, I was just having too much fun and couldn't tear myself away from AC.

    I also have ACC; rfactor2; Forza Motorsport 7 (PC and Xbox); and F1 2020, Dirt 4, Dirt Rally, and DR2.0 all for Xbox. I have a feeling I'll just have to make up my own settings for a few of those, as it doesn't look like Fanatec have updated their lists of recommended settings for all of those games yet regarding the CSL DD.

    I also have American Truck Simulator, I think I remember someone posting their CSL DD settings a few days ago here, so I'll be checking that out soon too.

    Lots of "work" to do in the upcoming days! 😋

  • Good luck on the job 😁, please check back in here and let us know how you managed with the other sims and how they felt initially on our 5nm 'weaker' brother👍️

  • Tried ATS tonight, and am happy to say that it feels pretty good with the settings listed in this thread:

    Granted, I wouldn't expect a game like ATS to give really intense, gripping force feedback, but it did feel like it conveyed everything it needed to, and it didn't get in the way or feel distracting at all.

  • Haha yeah I reckon testing a truck would be a good way to assess steering weight 🍺, your comments make me hopeful that with a bit of tweaking you can achieve the same effect as on a CSL elite at least (but with a ton more smoothness and detail hopefully without that belt having to process everything first).

  • Gregg DomainGregg Domain Member
    edited August 2021

    Actually, AFAIK, all the trucks in the game have power steering, and with such low speeds, you never really feel much as far as g forces are concerned. It's much more about feeling the terrain, the vibration from the strain of the engine, and the odd occasion when you have a collision (which is more common than I'd care to admit 😆).

    It's a bit tougher turning the wheel when the truck is stopped, but again, nothing that I'd expect (or want) to test the power limits of a CSL DD (or any wheel, for that matter).


    BTW, when are you scheduled to get your CSL DD?

  • I received it last week already with the unexpected advance (was scheduled for Sept 15th) initially, but I'm on holidays so wasn't there to receive it. Rescheduled delivery for the end of this week. I'll be sure to write back after I gave it its maiden run 👍🏻

  • Oh ok. Unlucky timing with your holiday... bet it was the first holiday you've had where you couldn't wait for it to end! 😂

  • Nah the restaurants are too good here, CSL DD will be my dessert. 😁

  • Spent some time with Dirt Rally on Xbox tonight, managed to dial in some Settings that feel pretty good to me:

    As I mention in my post, I've no idea if I'm getting clipping or not, since I don't know how to check for that on Xbox. But I'm pretty happy with what I came up with. I feel like there's good surface detail without it being too noisy, good turning resistance at speed with a nice tendency to return to center. Ruts and bumps are forceful but not violent, and the car remains very controllable throughout.

    I'm hoping I can maintain the same wheel settings for Dirt4 and Dirt Rally 2.0, and just adjust the in-game settings as needed.

  • I've found Dirt 4 (Xbox) uses basically the exact same settings that feel good in Dirt Rally (Xbox). Haven't tried DR2.0 yet, but I'm hoping the same holds true.

    👍🏁

  • First impressions of the 5nm, was surprised how small it was. Had to go get some washers as the screws of my old Elite were a bit too long but mounted easily enough with the T-nuts. I like the new Fanatec driver was easier to set your configs up and install firmware. Tried it in ACC with the exact same combo I did yesterday on my old wheel still; baby DD is smoother, has more detail, kerb feel is way better and I get good FFB and more than enough turning resistance (which was the thing I was worried about the most). Definitely an improvement!

  • Great to hear you're enjoying your 5nm version. I've been very happy with every one of my games that I've tried it with. If I *do* ever feel the need to upgrade to the boost kit, it won't be for quite some time.

  • I probably won't unless Fanatec does a big discount on those power bricks. I have the exact same one laying here atm (the PSU from my Elite), they just changed the plug 😁

  • I'm hearing mixed comments about the weight of the 5nm. Has anyone tried it on f1 2021?

  • I only have F1 2020, and for Xbox not PC. I haven't felt like there are any problems with the overall strength of the cornering forces that the game conveys. The only difficulty I've been experiencing is that it's hard to feel when the rear wheels are about to lose grip. I'm using the Fanatec recommended settings posted here in the forums. I'm hoping this lack of feel is due to my lack of knowledge as to which settings to dial in, and not due to some inherent shortcoming of the game.

  • Haven't tried the F1 games, but in both ACC and AMS2 there is plenty of steering weight, doesn't feel flimsy or too light. You can also increase steering weight in the tuning menu using the Natural Inertia setting (NIN) if a game shouldn't output enough by itself. I played around with that yesterday but put it back to 0 as my arms would get sore after 10 laps. 😁

  • Wait you got it so early without any warning? That gives me hope because mine is still on the 23th of november 😂

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