Will Expensive Sim Racing Wheels Make You Faster? Logitech G29 vs Fanatec DD PRO

We all love the idea of spending more money on gear, but is more really the answer? I attempt to find out by pitting my Fanatec CSL DD against an entry-level Logitech G29...

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I absolutely love sim racing on my Fanatec CSL DD / DD PRO but I always wondered wether the wheel really made much of a difference to my pace or wether it was all about having fun, so I bought a cheap used second hand Logitech G29 Sim racing wheel to try them back to back, the results may surprise you!

#simracing

[TheCarDoc]

What do you think ? Did you get faster with more kit?

[efyugewgal]

I love my g29, reasonable price and works well. I’ve been considering upgrading to a fanatec but it’s hard to justify the pricetag, if I’m going to be spending thousands of dollars I’d rather put that money into my real car

[MattR]

In my experience coming from a G29 to a GT DD Pro, yes, better gear made me faster. But more than anything my enjoyment went through the roof and ultimately that’s the most important improvement. Smiles per mile and all that ;)

[alleriagr]

Why don't you try driving these setups also : cheap wheel with expensive pedals and expensive wheel with cheap pedals and see the difference. The results will definitely be interesting.

[select]

The biggest difference I feel with more expensive wheels is being able to feel the limit more. I can feel the wheel getting just a little lighter if any rubber is about to lose traction, where as on my old G27 and CSR, I could never feel that limit. So for me this made me faster and more consistent. If I crash now, 99% of the time, I know exactly what I did. With my older wheels, sometimes I was guessing. Also been sim racing since the mid 2000's with Iracing, ACC, and the GT series to a much lesser extent.

[danielmiller]

Practice of course always makes you better, and the fastest sim racer could blow us away with a g29. But with that said… the more expensive set up will also make you a better, and faster, more consistent, due to the fact that you can actually feel what is going on with your car, down to the smallest detail

[mikejamie]

Man I LOVE your Energy! The way you package your content and combine it with your personality is fantastic, keep it up!

While im here id also like to add my take on this whole debate, adding a point many people overlook: In more hardcore sim racing games such as iRacing or ACC, tyre management becomes increasingly more difficult and important.
A DD wheel allows you to get a much better feeling for the tyres' behaviour and in my experience has made me a lot smoother, meaning that it might not always impact outright laptime, but is definitely benificial for longer race stints with degredation, bringing your overall racetime down while reducing errors

[jawshy]

How does this guy not have at least 500k subscribers, highest quality video I have seen in a while!! Keep up the hard work my guy :)

[thebolsta]

Since buying my CSL DD at launch, I still haven't beaten my pb in Assetto Corsa around the Nordschleife in the 2017 911 RSR (6:39 full lap, not tourist), that was done on a T300 after smoking a few packed bowls...
But I still believe it has made me more consistent, especially with loadcell brakes coming from T3PA Pro's

[Two]

Honestly I was slower with my CSL DD than my 300rs for a while before getting used to the different feel and pedals.

Edit: For anyone considering the sim racing hobby on a budget, get an entry level Logitech or Thrustmaster and don't look back. Even the lower priced stuff is a joy to use IMO.

[lmaoroflcopter]

You know what mate. I'm not even here for the steering wheels, I stumbled on the channel as I was entertaining getting a g29 but I'm really just glued to you and your presenting style.

You are a natural presenter. Upbeat, Clear voice with character so no deadpan delivery but not too much character to make you difficult to understand and the injection of comedy into your delivery was great too. Awesome vid!

... and yep g29 will do me for now :)

[joelshack]

It’s not about expensive setups it’s all about track knowledge and getting around the track fast. Breaking points and apexs knowledge is extremely more important than expensive wheels and setups.

[bilbostorm]

In my experience, you are more consistant with a better wheel but not neccasarily faster. Consistancy is what you are looking for when racing as that will generally win you races. I started on a 2nd hand DrivingForce GT wheel, then onto a G29 for a few years and now on a CSL DD wheel. I enjoy hotlapping from time to time, and have set lap records on PC2 with all my wheels. Mostly on the DFGT wheel but that is due to the time I put into hotlapping with that wheel. If you enjoy sim racing and put in the hours, then a DD wheel is a good investment as you do get more feedback and enjoyment from it.

[danum]

Thanks for the video mate. I am considering upgrading to a DD wheel from a Logitech G920 and you have given me a good reason to do so. A very fair video and super useful!

[jakehiggins]

I went from a logitech g920 to a fanatec csl dd and it's a MASSIVE difference. It didn't necessarily make me faster, but the enjoyment I got out of it was so much better. the csl dd just feels so much better and is must more immersive. I only have the 5nm power supply right now, but I'm planning on upgrading to the 8nm power supply for the extra immersion.

the g920 is $300 brand new and I got the csl dd ready2race bundle for $400. To me, it's well worth the extra $100.

[drewstreet]

Just got into sim racing, picked up a 2nd hand (used once by a kid who wanted a flight sim instead) g923 setup with shifter, it works perfectly and I personally think its amazing and for £210 not a bad price

[jenscee]

Load cell brakes make the biggest difference. Brakes plus a solid base to put them on are the first things you should spend your money on. Good video making this point. Consistent and repeatable braking is the key to faster times.

[MyVidss]

Definitely yes. I went from a g29 to a fanatec CLS DD and saw 2 seconds faster lap times. The superior precision and better force feedback gave me better car control and confidence.

[AustinG]

I’ve been using my G29 since I first got it christmas 2020 with no sim experience, playing GT sport. My wheel was mounted to a couch side table with an old gaming chair I had In the garage. 5 months later I was already able to qualify within the top 50 of the North American region. I realized I was top split when I made it into a lobby with Igor fraga, Kie’s American account, and Super GT’s American account, finishing top 10 as well. All with a setup made of household items. And I still use it when I play GT7. The other more expensive wheels are great, but you definitely don’t need all that to be fast and see results. Hell there’s even people who use the ps4/5 controller to play, and are top split drivers as well. Your equipment does not determine your speed!

[CharlesK]

Before upgrading from Logitech, I noticed an improvement in laptimes with positioning my monitor better with more accurate FOV. This with the wheel and pedals upgrade was a game changer .... for me 👍🏾🙏🏾