FANATEC Podium DD1 vs. DD2 - Which is best?

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The Fanatec Podium DD1 and DD2 Wheel Bases have been around for quite some time now, and without a doubt, one of the most commonly asked questions is "which offers better value for money".

So today I have both models here in the studio to not only compare from a feature set perspective, but pull them apart to compare the hardware internally and go for a drive back to back to see exactly what the differences are, and which offers the better value for money.

TIME STAMPS:
Intro: 0:00
Identical Motors?: 0:48
Warranty Differences: 1:37
Emergency Stop Button: 2:36
Other Cosmetic Differences: 5:09
Hardware Differences: 5:30
The Importance of Software & Firmware: 10:44
Consistency between Sim Titles: 12:18
DD1 vs. DD2 Driving Comparison - Part 1: 12:55
Dynamic Range Explained: 13:38
DD1 vs. DD2 Driving Comparison - Part 2: 21:41
Cooling Fan Operation: 23:22
Conclusions: 24:05

Neils Heusinkveld's highly technical channel:

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[boostedmedia]

I hope you all find this video helpful in making your decision. If you have decided to go ahead and buy either base, It's a huge help to me if you wouldn't mind using the following links to purchase. It sends a small portion of the profits my way without costing you anything extra. I greatly appreciate your support!

[brianwalter]

Video timestamped, super crispy video, and very informative. Getting very good at this Will!

[theonedwade]

Relatively new to the sim community but can already tell you are the MKBHD of this community. Excellent reviews, informative, unbiased and clearly trustworthy. Really hope you get what you deserve out of this channel.

[brionsohn]

One Note: Holding Torque is a Marketing term when it comes to direct drive wheels (which is why you only see it with Fanatec).. In general with Force Feedback you will never have a situation where holding torque would become an issue as the FFB signal is constantly changing at minimum 60 times a second up to 360 times a second depending upon the sim. You could see the holding torque issue ONLY if you are set in clipping where as was set the signal flatlines and all you get is the straight force from the wheel.. I believe under testing as I have had both a DD1 and DD2 (Beta Tester for the DD2) it will de-rate to holding after about 3 seconds. So initially the Fanatec will always run to Peak as does any other DD wheel but after a certain amount of time the Firmware will derate the servo. This does protect the servo from overheating and you can actually Cause a DD1/2 to do this if you turn the wheel to the bump stop and then hold it under pressure.

other comments.. I haven't torn apart the two units myself but I can tell you that Most likely the hardware differences are in the Power FETs on the main circuit board with the DD1 having less capable versions which limit the power capability. Small change but makes a world of difference.

Power setting and Headroom is an interesting thing and can get VERY Complex depending upon the game/Title and the Most complex is iRacing but it is also the most accurate when you understand it and it does take complete advantage of the additional headroom of the DD2 (if you allow it too).

For my comments on the difference between the two I would say Feel Wise there is NONE, The Motors are the Same the Firmware is the same, and for all basics they are the same. running at the SAME at the wheel strength (which is different than max strength and more to the effect of what was shown with the last line in the graph) the two wheels run identically with the difference being how much clipping you might get from certain titles. So basically your purchase would come down to if you want to run at more realistic strength levels or not (and yes that is a hard question as in many cases you don't know what you will run at) however, If you have any thought that you might want to have high at the wheel strengths or that you might grow into them then the DD2 would be the one to get otherwise the DD1 would be fully useable.. In iRacing you can run a DD1 to what I would consider realistic forces with all significant fidelity on cars up to the GT/GTE level, Indy P1, and other heavy steering cars would need the DD2 to be at the same at the wheel force.. So buying the DD2 over the DD1 if you are just looking for higher fidelity and response from the wheel is probably not going to yield any benefit.. (but seriously thing hard about what you r are wanting as I know MANY who have actually increased their power beyond what they thought as they got used to the wheels.

and yes e-Stops are a good thing but the way the Fanatec one works honestly is not proper and I would not really suggest buying the ir e-Stop.. The manner in which it works is when you hit the estop it pulls all power from the Basewhich means you can no longer drive the car and when you disable it the wheel has to go through the phasing routine.. In the newer firmwares Fanatec has updated the power button function to allow for torque off if you hit the power button but REALLY that should be the e-Stop itself.. (WARNING blatant plug) I have developed through my company Penguin r/c an eStop for the Fanatec Units that reduces the power of the DD1/2 instead of cutting all power which is the way the thing should work (in reality it should cut all power but ( I couldn't do that one based on the way the Fanatec System works).. The other option is to build your own which is fully possible but yes it is a good thing to have.

Anyway enough of my yammering.. as always good videos on the subject.

[MrRockefoten]

Haha! I was looking for this exact video yesterday, but ended up upgrading to the DD1 and today I feel confident with that decision. Cheers!

[HurryUpTomorrow]

After literally 5 months of trying to figure out which DD wheel I want and sticking with my CSL Elite, you’ve helped me decide. DD1 over the DD2. The extra spending for torque I probably don’t need would be useless. DD1 it is! Thank you!!

[SimRacingVeteran]

I’ve been running my DD1 for PS4 for almost a year now and I think it’s a great unit. The fact that it’s a down tuned DD2 motor just means that you’re not pushing this unit overly hard and to me that might have a little more longevity.

Every once in a while she needs a restart after booting up sometimes it freezes. Also very rarely during gameplay it bugs out and goes to one side completely at the steering lock and it needs to be restarted.

I get plenty enough power out of this unit to get out of my rig with my shoulders just burning after a long session.

[SwordnScale]

Awesome explanation of dynamic range, I finally understand why dd1 is worth the extra cash over a csl dd

[rrschmid]

finally got time to watch this, great video and on point for all I thought too... I was a pre-release DD2 order person and went that way because back then it had the stronger motor... if I were to do again today I'd prolly go the DD1 and make the emergency stop button... found a doco to dyi ur own at a fraction of the cost. Thanks Will!

[junitoortega]

Honestly you basically confirmed what I tell most Sim Racers. You dont need the 25nm or even 20nm in most situations. That is the reason I bought the Accuforce v2 because is 16nm peak and 13nm sustained and most of the time I run it at 65% max. Anything above and you are fighting the wheel which adds more inconvenience. By the way amazing review!

[DEFBOY]

Hoping to take advantage of this years Black Friday sale on the dd2 and upgrade from the csl dd. Glad I didn’t jump on the podium f1 set up as I already have the 2.5x with podium set up. Thanks for the great videos.

[SmokeyStoner]

Great video, Will. I run my DD1 between 50%-60% and ingame 100% and have never once thought i need more torque than that. I also bought a foot operated switch extension lead from Amazon instead of the emergency stop button.

[kasuraga]

Oh heck yeah! I've been waiting for a video like this. I ended up going with the DD1 cause it was in my budget and I really didn't find the e-stop and 5nm extra worth it

[dnnbrk]

A massive thank you for this review ! 👍🎊
Really love your videos ✌️
I was about to pre-order a CSL DD but you changed my mind 😁 now i NEED a podium DD1 !

[swiftangel]

Been using DD1 for a few weeks now and very happy with it, did have some issues with drivers for the F1 Wheel Base which took some time to sort out.

[Lightning]

Him: Comparing amazingly expensive DD wheels.
Me with a TMX: *Interesting*

[BadNga]

Will, you're great! Love this channel. DD1 owner here.

[NicolaosSoldal]

I have had my SC2 pro spinning uncontrollably after a system freeze one time. The stop button is something I was glad to have.

[tuomoseppala]

The best explanation about wheel forces and dynamic range! Thank you!

[Tempest]

DD1 owner here. 100% agree on the bit about beta drivers. I love my DD1, but the driver/firmware situation around the DDx bases is borderline absurd.