Blog

Thomas Jackermeier

We are happy to offer the Clubsport edition of the Porsche 911 GT3RS wheel again in both Europe and the USA.

The bundle comes with the wheel and the Clubsport pedals and sells for 329,95 €/$ which an advantage of 50 €/$ over the individual purchase price.

It is available right now for immediate delivery.

Thomas Jackermeier

We are working hard on a complete new website, new support system and a customer relationship management solution and we are ready to start tests with a small goup of people.

If you are interested to help us testing the new website please let me know and post something here in this blog.

Your tasks will be to check all webpages and list all problems you find or make suggestions for improvements. You will make sample orders (no payments of course) and fill the forum and blogs with test content so we know if everything works fine.

Of course you will get a nice reward for your work. In case you want to apply for a CSA (community support agent) job you are welcome to show your talents here as well. We will select the CSAs after everything is set up.

I am looking for 20 to 50 testers. Some of them will be selected as admins and the rest will hopefully make a good stresstest for the system.

The new website will feature the following:

Merge the 911wheel.com community into Fanatec.com
Combine webshop and product description
Switch to the latest technology (Magento, vBulletin and Joomla)
Much better forum with more options
Detailed knowledge base for all products
Support ticket system
Automatic shipment dates info updates
Complete new design
Product configurator
...and more!

So please let me know if you like to be part of Fanatec 2.0 andpost the reasons why you are the best for this job. Thanks.

UPDATE 1:

Please make sure your profile is complete and up to date so I can contact you.

Thanks for the fantastic response. A lot of great people here!

Thomas Jackermeier

Another two great reviews of simracing specialists:

1. VirtualR (english)

http://www.virtualr.net/fanatec-porsche-911-gt2-wheel-review/

"The Porsche 911 GT2 sells for 249€/$ without pedals, adding Fanatec’s fabulous Porsche Clubsport pedals to the mix still keeps the combination under 500€/$, making it the best value combination of all upper-market steering wheels."

2. Live-Sim (french)

http://www.live-sim.com/reader/livesim6/livesim6.html#/0

"Wheel Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 - The best wheel cross platform"

Test is on page 36

Thomas Jackermeier

I am happy to announce that next week you will get a chance to test drive Need for Speed Shift 2 from EA at the Cebit in Hannover / Germany.

The show starts on Tuesday 1st of March.

EA shows the game at the booth of the ESL in hall 23 on 20 game stations equipped with a PWGT3RS with CSP.

Fanatec also shows the RennSport Cockpit E-Motion. A full motion cockpit with triple screens.

There is also the chance to see Team Redline Fanatec live as they compete in the Intel GP series for the best iRacer in Hall 23.

I will be there and perhaps we see us.

UPDATE: Video of SRT showing the RSC E-Motion with Shift (1)

Thomas Jackermeier

The well known gadget and technology blog "Engadget" has reviewed the Porsche 911 GT2 Clubsport edition as well as the new Thrustmaster T500 RS.

Clubsport Pedals: 8/10

911 GT2: 7/10

T500RS: 6/10

I wonder how a wheel should look like to get 9 or 10 points so I take that as a challenge

PWGT2 review:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/21/fanatec-porsche-gt2-wheel-and-clubsport-pedals-review/

T500RS review:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/18/thrustmaster-t500-rs-review/

Thomas Jackermeier

If you are keen to get a high-end Xbox wheel then there is the chance to grab some of the very last PWTS available on the market.

Playseats in Europe has some inventory of this wheel. They received the last and final production batch and still have some units left.

So if you prefer normal leather over Alcantara and immediate delivery, here is the place to go:

http://playseat.com/shop/promotions/porsche-911-turbo-s-pure-edition-clubsport-pedals.html

http://playseat.com/shop/de/steering-wheels-and-pedals/porsche-911-turbo-s-pure-edition-clubsport-pedals.html

The price of the wheel with CSP is just 419,00€ or 367 GBP.

Unfortunatly this offer is only available in Europe.

Thomas Jackermeier

For all customers who are currently waiting to get their products shipped I would like to give you an update on the situation.

It is impossible to give you an exact shipment date for your specific order as it depends on what you ordered and when you ordered. Some customers might get their products ealier than customers ordered at a earlier date but that can happen if the order contained one of our special offers like the ClubSport editions.

We are getting in a lot of inventory in the next weeks so here is a list of all arrival dates of the ships. Please add at least 2 weeks for custom clearance and some more days for shipping it to you.

Once again: It is impossible to tell what order will be shipped at what date but we get in enough products to fullfil all open orders in late January at the latest. And in case we cannot ship the Clubsport editions because the shifters or carbon shifter paddles are missing then we will make separate shipments with no extra cost.

Arrival dates of the ships:

EU:

RennSport Wheel Stand

Jan 22nd

PWGT3 RS V2

Jan 7th

Jan 14th

Jan 21st

Feb 4th

PWGT2

Jan 21st

Feb 4th

CSP

Jan 7th

Jan 21st

Feb 4th

PW shifter set

Feb 4th

USA:

RennSport Wheel Stand

Jan 7th

PWGT3 RS V2

Dec 26th

Dec 31st

PWGT2

Jan 21st

Feb 4th

CSP

Enough inventory at the moment

Dec 31st

Jan 23rd

PW shifter set

Dec 31st

Please be patient. You will get your stuff for sure and thanks for your support.

All potential customers are recommended to place their order soon as the incoming inventory is barely enough to fullfil the open orders so pre-ordering is highly recommended.

UPDATE 1:

PWGT3 RS EU and USA

We received new inventory and we will release all open orders of all versions this week. Our US warehouse should start to ship out everything this week until early next week.

PWGT2 EU and USA:

Due to the incredible demand we had to set the delivery date for new orders to May in the USA and middle of February in EU.

All current open orders of the regular or CS edition in both USA and EU will be shipped from our warehouses in week 7 and 8.

We originally planned to ship the Clubsport editions in January so there is a delay of several weeks and I would like to apologize for that. We tried to deliver earlier by breaking up the bundle and make more shipments but it would have created a mess and potentially create chaos and more delays.

UPDATE 2:

USA:

We have enoughinventory for immediate shipment on the following products:

PWGT3RS V2
CSP
PWC
PWP (standard pedals)

PWGT2 CS

The missing parts have arrived and are currently waiting for customs clearace. We will start shipping the backorders in week 8 as announced in my e-mail.

PWGT2

Due to the Chinese New Year holidays there is a massive delay in production but we will be able to keep the May delivery schedule

PWSS

We are still behind schedule on this product. All incoming orders will be used to fulfill the open orders so it is unsure when we will have enough inventory of this product for regular shipment. We have ships to arrive in mid February and mid March.

PWGT3RS V1->V2 upgrade kits

The new shipment has finally arrived but we need to do some testing before we can announce a confirmed delivery date. We received enough inventory to fullfil all open orders.

RSWS V2

All backorders have been shipped except the orders which will be shipped together with the PWGT2 CS.

The inventory will not last long and new shipment will arrive in April.

EU:

We have enoughinventory for immediate shipment on the following products:

PWGT3RS V2
PWP (standard pedals)

CSP

The ship will arrive this week so we can ship out all backorders in week 7 or 8.

PWGT2 CS

The missing parts have been shipped by air and sea but we still wait for a confirmation of arrival. We will start shipping the backorders in
week 7 as announced in my e-mail.

PWGT2

The backorders can be shipped in week 7 as announced if everything goes smoothly with customs.

The incoming quantity will be enough to fulfill the open orders and we will be able to offer some small quantities for immediate shipment.

PWSS

We are still
behind schedule on this product. All incoming orders will be used to
fulfill the open orders so it is unsure when we will have enough
inventory of this product for regular shipment. We have ships to arrive
in mid March.

PWGT3RS V1->V2 upgrade kits

The
new shipment has finally arrived but we need to do some testing before
we can announce a confirmed delivery date. We received enough inventory
to fullfil all open orders.

PWC

New inventory will arrive in April.

RSWS V2

All backorders will be shipped this week except the orders which will be shipped together with the PWGT2 CS.

The inventory will only be enough to fulfill the open orders and the new shipment will arrive in April.

UPDATE 3

PWGT2 and PWGT2 CS

As promised in my e-mail, we started to ship out the wheels in the USA and EU will follow this week as well.

UPDATE4

PWGT2 and PWGT2 CS

Well, this is not really an update but as we get so many inquiries I just want to assure you again that we will ship all the remaining orders by next week (week 8) as promised in my e-mail or written on the blog.

UPDATE 5

PWGT2 CS

So the last wheels which were promised for the January delivery have left our warehouse and are on the way to you. Although we ship all the wheel components together, it happens that UPS splits the shipments and some components might arrive a bit later. The mice will be sent from a different warehouse early next week.

Thanks for your patience and I hope you all enjoy your PWGT2 wheels now.

Don't forget to calibrate your shifter, please.

Thomas Jackermeier

We already have our plans but we might still be able to add something or change priorities for new products or services.

On the top of our priority list is the new website and new customer relationship management system in order to activate our community support agents. All those measurements will improve our service quality a lot but of course we also keep on working to improve product quality itself.

In terms of products we want to release the CSS and CSHB (CS shifter and handbrake) but beside that we have some nice surprises in the pipeline.

But here is your chance to let me know what you like us to produce for you and why we should do so. The more specific you are the better. You can also tell me what other things you like have changed.

The last year was our best in history and I look forward to a great 2011. A big thanks to all of you and the great help you provided. I wish you and your families a great new year!

Thomas Jackermeier

We just released the final drivers 107 for all Porsche wheels.

You can download it in the support section of Fanatec.com

http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=310&lang=en

Changelog:

No changes from version 106 Beta

Thomas Jackermeier

I am sorry to tell you that we have to delay the delivery of the PWGT3RS V1->V2 upgrade kits again.

After sending us a shipment with missing components, they sent us the wrong cables and now the correct cables are defective and many PCBAs are not in the quality we expect. We decided to completely send back the upgrade kits for immediate replacement of fully tested and 100% perfect products instead of sending out products with uncertain quality.

Especially on the upgrade kits we would otherwise have big problems to find out if a defective is caused by improper installation or because of the quality of the kit itself.

I know that you are desparatly waiting for the kits since several months and it is painful not to ship out the units we have but it is the right decision in the long run. We compalined heavily about the lousy quality of the kits which was sent out by our manufacturer and asked for immediate replacement and explanation. I assume that they just sent us units which were sorted out during the regular production process but this is not acceptable of course.

I will keep you up to date when we will get the replacement units.

Thomas Jackermeier

I would like to show you a very special mod for our Porsche wheels.

The creator of these products is Teki Ei-Ichi of Japan and I think he did a brilliant job without having tested his products yet.

He first designed a shifter wich looks just like the real thing.

His second mod was a handbrake which looks amazing as well. It is based on our CSPs and even uses the pressure sensitive load cell.

Both products look like an outstanding piece of high-end Japanese engineering and I like it a lot.

His handbrake brings me into a real dilemma.

We already have a prototype of our ClubSport handbrake and it is about to be ready for production but I am seriously considering to scrap our current design and let Teki Ei-Ichi help us to develop the CSHB.

Here is a drawing of the CSHB. The lever can be mounted lying or standing. Inside is a simple spring mechanism with potentiometer. There will be several holes on all sides to mount it. Size will be much smaller than the TEI handbrake.

The shifter seems to be much more expensive to produce than our planned CSS which should sell for about 100 USD/€ but how much more would you be willing to spend for a shifter in this quality?

Opinions please!

Shifter:

Thomas Jackermeier

I will not comment a lot on this video as the test result speaks for itself.

It seems that our wheels are not a bad choice for GT5

The wheel section starts at 24.45

Shaun Cole: "If you have a Clubsport pedal in Granturismo you have an unfair advantage on everybody"

Thomas Jackermeier

We just have made a new driver for all Porsche wheels. So far it is still in BETA stage as it is not fully tested but discovered no significant bugs.

Changelog:

Adapted to the models: PWC, PWTS, PWGT2, PWGT3RS V2
Features like calibration or wheel illumination are only shown on wheels which need that function
Fixed a bug with the driftmode

Please test the driver and let me know if you have any problems.

This driver is needed to use the wheel on:

Win XP 32
Win Vista 32/64
Win 7 32/64

Thomas Jackermeier

We have started to ship the wheel!

The first customers will receive it in the USA but we also received the first shipments in EU this week and will start shipping before Christmas.

Unfortunatly the first batch was very small so it was not enough to fullfil all open orders and many customers will still need to wait until January to receive the wheel.

But the quantity for January is not too big as well so please place your order in time.

Please do not contact our sales team because they are already flooded with emails and this can even cause further delays.

You will be notified by email as soon as the product has been shipped to you.

PS: We still have that bug in our websop system that you only get a confirmation email from PayPal and not from us but we did receive your order if you received a confirmation of Paypal.

Thomas Jackermeier

Let me introduce you to a new member of our racing wheel line of products:

Porsche 911 GT2 racing wheel

Thomas Jackermeier

...not so clear.

This competition was a lot of fun for me and I was surprised about many creative answers I got. Many thanks to all our fans.

All hints have been solved and some of you already knew that it could only be the Porsche 911 GT2 of 2008 in meteor grey metallic.

The first one who named the right car was 12thgear. He named the correct car and he posted the picture of the right steering wheel but unfortunatly not of the car. The picture he posted is an official shot of Porsche and the actual car was black according to their picture database.

huntersmith posted the same but also the correct picture of the car so he was actually the first correct entry.

Sonac and Näggi followed on second and third so the winners are:

1. huntersmith

2. sonac

3. Näggi

Congratulations!

You will get your wheel before the end of this year.

But what should we do with 12thgear? Opinions please.

UPDATE:

We have a fourth winner! Congratulations to 12thgear. (I never really considered not to give him a wheel )

Thomas Jackermeier

The following wheels are fully compatible to GT5:

911 Carrera wheel
911 Turbo S wheel
911 GT3 RS V2 wheel

These wheels need to be upgraded to make it work:

1. 911 Turbo Wheel (Not "S")

In order to make this wheel work you need to use the new RF dongle for the 911 Turbo S wheel which is available in our weshop for 29,95 USD / Euro. (USA / EU)

All customers get the dongle for free within the extended warranty period of 2 years.

If your wheel is older than 2 years we will offer you a free coupon code of 20 USD / EURO after the purchase of the dongle.

How to get your dongle or discount coupon?

Please place a regular order and leave a note in the comments field with the fanatec invoice number and date of your original PWT purchase and we will send you an email with your coupon code or change the order amount.

Please note that this offer is only valid to Fanatec webshop customers. If you purchased your product at a dealer you need to contact them for help.

2. 911 GT3RS V1 wheel

This wheel was never advertised to be fully PS3 compatible although it works with several games. Unfortunatly this is not the case for GT5. The good news are that you can upgrade your wheel to V2 and get full PS3 compatibility, more Tuning features and even the big ClubSport shifter paddles.

You can purchase the upgrade kits in our webshop but availability is limited due to the big demand.

Notes:

You can map buttons if you choose the profile for the "Driving Force Pro"
No need to press the trinagle button to activate the clutch but you need to connect the h-pattern shifter
Set the SEN to 900° because this will work best
If you want to reduce the angle to less than 900° in order to make faster movements you should increase the Linearity value in order to keep the precise feeling around the center and avoid shaking on straights.
It is not recommended to add artificial dead zone but sometimes it helps
Reduce the driftmode to avoid shaking
The clutch will be activated only after you press it.
After activating theclutch you must use it in order to avoid misshifts
The clutch only works if the H-pattern shifter is connected
It is possible to use the h-pattern andthe paddle shifters in parallel
If you want to map buttons you canchoose the profile of the Driving Force Pro
The tuning dial functions of the Driving Force GT can also be mapped to the Fanatec wheels

Thomas Jackermeier

After getting so much positive feedback I don't want to dissapoint you and let you know that something nice is on the way.

We actually developed a new Xbox 360 compatible wheel and it is even on the way to USA and EU right at this moment.

Let me be mean and don't give you all the specs and pics right away. I will post several hints until you get the "full picture".

Hint 1: It is again the top of the line product at Fanatec

Hint 2: Just like the PWTS Pure it will be offered as a standalone wheel as well as in different bundles.

Hint 3: It is not orange and has no yellow stripe in the middle of the wheel rim

Hint 4: It is licensed by a German sports car maker (surprise, surprise!. But don't worry this will not make the wheel significantly more expensive. Just more beautiful. (Hint inside hint: Nobody guessed the correct model yet)

Hint 5: It will have illuminated buttons and that means...?

Hint 6: The logo of the car shows a black horse

Hint 7: One component of the wheel can only be made in Italy and another one we get directly from the UK

Hint 8: The colour of the base is named after something which is 1000 times faster than the car itself

Hint 9: The car model is no longer in production but will never look old or lame

The first three members who post a picture or link of the right car in the right colour will win this wheel!

Competition is closed! Thank you

Note: I found such a picture with Google.

(Only one guess per user allowed from today Sunday 28th of Dec. It is not allowed to edit a post. I will announce the winners on Wednesday)

Thomas Jackermeier

We just listed the upgrade kits in our Shop.

You can order two versions:

1. With installation service

2. Do it yourself kit

Please note that the shipping cost will be added and it will be quite different as we calculate the freight cost of a wheel for version 1.

All customers who pre-ordered their kit need to place this order in the webshop and make the payment. The previous e-mail is not enough to receive the kits.

Unfortunatly we do not have enough kits to fulfill all pre-orders so please order them in time in order to catch the first delivery.

The kits will be sent from China this week by UPS but it will take some time until they are ready to ship to you.

UPDATE: There was another small delay as the cables we received did not match. We now received the correct cables and will ship this week (week 50).

UPDATE 2:

Finally we have the kits ready and will ship all open orders this week. I apologize the delay but many things went different than expected. If we have enough kits avaiable we will bring it back into the webshop again but for now we only ship the orders we have.

Thomas Jackermeier

This is another outstanding and very detailed test about our Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel and how the Tuning functions work. Unfortunatly I forgot to tell him that he can use a new firmware with the wheel so he used 614.

The test is made in German language.

http://www.areadvd.de/lm/AV_Hardware/test_fanatecporsche911turboswheel.shtml

-1 comment

We are looking for a person to take care of our Cockpit and Wheel Stand sales. We want to expand this field and bring more models like motion cockpits and complete solutions. We also want to offer rental services.

Later on we will also need such a person in the USA and perhaps other countries but for now we are looking for somebody to work here in Landshut.

If you like to help us selling and handling the orders then you should meet the following criterias:

Excellent skills in English language
European passport
Experience in handling customers
Good mechanical and technical know-how
Simracing experience with consoles and PC

Please sned me your application papers to info@911wheel.com

Thomas Jackermeier

Another great review

http://www.playstationleague.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=74759&sid=af80eb0533050cabbaafed22b89c3a6f#p74759

9 / 10

"The Fanatec GT3 RS Clubsport edition wheel and pedals come very well recommended."

Thomas Jackermeier

Brian Clancy made another very detailed and interesting review about our 911 GT3RS V2 wheel on Racedepartmen.com

http://www.racedepartment.com/content/868-fanatec-gt3rsv2-wheel-review-comments2.html#comments

"Overall, Fanatec have moved the bar, bringing a whole host of innovative design and functuionality features not seen before on a wheel at this pricepoint."

278 of 300

Thomas Jackermeier

Here is the latest Firmware for

911 Turbo S
911 Carrera
911 GT3RS V2

Change log

New manual
fixed bug in Tuning menu: Values were interfereing
NEW Function: "dPr"

This value changes the damper signal which comes from the game. It is very effective on games with too much damper like WRC. Works in X360 and PS3 mode.

It is different from the drift mode which changes the overall damper which is independent of the game.

As ususal, this FW is just BETA and you install it on your own risk.

UPDATE: If you need to calibrate the center you need to use the same button combo on all the three mentioned wheels.

Go to PC mode. First press the two lower left buttons and then the base button.

Check the PWTS manual if you have problems.

UPDATE 2: Please do NOT use the calibration function of the driver anymore if you have a PWGT3RS V2. This function only works for the V1.

UDATE 3: Added manual for theRF dongle bootloader

Thomas Jackermeier

We get a lot of inquiries for the PWTS now that it is sold out.

We will definitly not produce this model anymore as the edition was strictly limited to 10.000 units worldwide.

But if there is demand we could make a new wheel with Xbox 360 compatibility in the future.

Please give me your feedback if you would be interested in such a wheel and let me know how it should look like.

In case we really make a new wheel we will notify all users which posted here.

-1 comment

We are looking to expand our team to improve our service and R&D capabiliies and look for a

Support and Development Assistant (SDA)

The job is located in our office in Landshut / Bavaria and it is a regular full time job.

The CSA program will start after we have sucessfully implemented and tested our new CRM system which will be one of the tasks of the SDA.

Beside supporting our customers you will also do all kind of tasks to help in development like testing products (this sounds like fun but it isn't always ) and do some basic engineering tasks like assembling products or drilling holes etc.

We therefore have the following must have criterias:

Excellent skills in English language
European passport (Germans preferred but this is not a must have)
Good mechanical skills
Familiar with MS office and Windows
Professional attitude and solid work experience (We dont need kiddies in our team)

Nice to have:

Second language like German or other major languages
Experience with simracing
Experience on several gaming consoles and PC

This is not a super demanding engineering job so payment will be accordingly but beside that we can offer a very interesting environment and you will learn a lot about all aspects of the company and you will work with a small but great team with a lot of enthusiasm.

Please send me your application papers to info@911wheel.com

Thomas Jackermeier

We have a brand new firmware for the following wheels:

911 Carrera
911 Turbo S
911 GT3RS V2 (NOT V1)

UPDATE: We are investigating n issue with PWC. Please do not install this version at the moment.

UPDATE 2: There is one confirmed issue:
If you change the SPr settings it will also change the dEA settings

The new firmware has the following changes:

1. New Tuning function "SPr"

You can now adjust the spring force effect in PS3 and PC games. This improves the force feedback in many PS3 games dramatically. It is a big advantage especially on PS3 games like F1 2010.

I did not notice any difference in GT5 P and NSF Shift.

On PC I also did not notice anydifference and on Xbox it has no effect for sure.

2. Fan mode

You now have two modes for the fans:

On: The fans run from the beginning but run faster depending on the temperature

Off: The fan is off and will start with a certain temperature.

You can toggle between the modes by pressing the 4 lower of the 8 main buttons of the wheel when the PWTS is still in standby mode.

On PWC and PWGT3RS V2 it is a bit tricky as you need to power on the wheel and let the wheel move fully to the right but before it returns to the center you need to catch the wheel, press and hold the four buttons and then move the wheel to the center.

You will also see the FWversion if you press those 4 buttons.

IMPORTANT:

Like all other FW updates, this is a delivered as BETA version and you do the update on your own risk.

You really need to read the manual and we highly recommend to use Win XP to make the update.

The manual is included in the .zip file
Take care that the USB drivers for the wheel in bootloader mode are installed manually and properly. This is the main reason for update problems.

Thomas Jackermeier

Racedepartmentcom has reviewed the Clubsport Pedals and I think they liked it a little

This is a very detailed and well made test by a simracer and perhaps it helps you to make a decision if you don#t already own them.

"RD Rating 295/300

I very much doubt we will see any other product score this high again!"

http://www.racedepartment.com/content/795-fanatec-club-sport-pedal-review.html

Thomas Jackermeier

We received the first batch of upgrade kits but unfortunatly our supplier forgot to include a lot of important parts so that we cannot ship them.

We are now negoting how to get those missing parts asap by UPS but it seems that we run into the same issue as before that our supplier has no export license to export electronics independent from a wheel shipment (which is by sea). Stupid bureaucracy all over the world...

I will keep you informed.

PS: We also try hard to get more products as it seems that we definitly have a shortage of wheels this year.

UPDATE:

We are still having problems to get the upgrade kits out of China and it is getting back and forth with our supplier. I just wanted to let you know that we are working hard on it but have no confirmed shipping date yet

UPDATE 2:

We finally arranged shipment of the upgrade kits and they will leave China by UPS next week. You can order the upgrade kits from next Monday.

Thomas Jackermeier

The first version of the PWTS is now sold out in EU.

We still have some PWTS Pure and Ultimate editions but I don't think it will last until November as sales are increasing on a daliy basis.

The PWGT3RS V2 is back in stock in EU next week and we also received the shipments of the PWC which are currently clearing customs.

UPDATE:

EU:

Now PWTS P and PWTS UE is sold out in EU.

The shipment of PWGT3RS V2 has been sold before it arrived but all orders with September shipment date will be processed now. There are some more wheels coming but I am afraid that the wheels will not last until November if sales continue like last weekend.

US:

PWTS will probably last some more weeks or days.

Thomas Jackermeier

Codemasters released a list of offcially supported wheels for their upcoming game F1 2010.

While all Fanatec wheels are supported in the PC version only the PWTS is supported on Xbox 360.

But why are there no Fanatec wheels in the list for the PS3?

We are working very closely with Codemasters and they confirmed that the PWC, PWTS and PWGT3RS V2 do work fine with the game but they had no time to run the full test program so they did not put it on the list.

I just want to assure you that everything is ok and your wheels will work fine with this excellent game.

Thomas Jackermeier

I just got the confirmation that the new 911 Carrera arrives in EU on the 19th of September.

It will arrive in US on Sept 2nd.

After the ships arrived it will still take up to three weeks until it will arrive at the customers but it is looking good so far...

Thomas Jackermeier

Delphic reason made a great review of the new Porsche 911 Carrera racing wheel together with the RennSport Wheel Stand.

"In conclusion, I can't think of any reason someone would be in the market for a budget wheel and not end up with a PWCPorsche Carrera Wheel. A ton of features, a ton of adjustments, and precise force feedback. If you want a wheel, but don't want to shell out the $300 for a G25/G27 (with less features to boot), this needs to be at the top of your list. After trying the PWC, all my friends are bugging me for a release date. Logitech has something to be worried about, after a long time of being the industry leader for simulation wheels. Competition breeds innovation, so we'll see how both Fanatec and Logitech evolve due to this. Right now, my money is on Fanatec."

Check out GTplanet for the full review:

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=129937

Thomas Jackermeier

I am proud to introduce two products which are exclusively sold by Porsche through their dealers or through the Prosche Drivers Selection online shop.

The official Porsche mouse

http://shop2.porsche.com/germany/lifestyle/office/wap0408100b/

Wireless laser mouse
Designed by Porsche
Integrated nano dongle

The official Porsche USB key 4GB

http://shop2.porsche.com/germany/lifestyle/office/wap0407120b/

Pop out USB plug
4 GB capacity
Exact replica of a Panamera andnew 911 car key
Compatible to the Porsche in car entertainment system

Both products are made by us and delivered to Porsche.

A perfect present, don't you think?

Thomas Jackermeier

We just finished the first batch of the new Porsche 911 Carrera wheel and we will ship it shortly to Europe and USA.

It took a bit longer than expected but this time we wanted to make sure everything is perfect from the beginning.

The wheel is now available in the webshop for 159,95 USD / Euro but the first batch is very limited as we just started mass production.

You will get all the great Tuning features of the PWGT3RS V2and it comes with the h-pattern shifter and clutch.

It is a lot value for the money and I assume that the rumors that you "only pay for the Porsche brand" finally come to an end.

I hope you enjoy our new "entry level" Fanatec wheel.

Thomas Jackermeier

I am happy to announce that we can give away a VIP ticket of Electronic Arts which offers the following:

Free hotel room from Thursday to Sunday
Access to the EA community lounge (open from Thursday)
Cart racing event (Sat)
EA Community Party (Sat)
Free ticket to enter Gamescom

In order to participate you just need to write a comment and tell me on what date you will visit GamesCom. Good luck!

In case you don't get the ticket you can visit me on Friday at 14.00 at the EA booth (NFS section). I hope to see you there and we can have a chat about whatever you like.

UPDATE:

The winner is JABOFU

Congratulations. I will see you there and challenge you with the kart

Thomas Jackermeier

We finally get a batch of Tuning kits for the ClubSport Pedals in October and they are ready for pre-order right away in the webshop.

Unfortunatly the amount in this batch is limited so we will only keep it in the webshop until we are sold out again.

By the end of the year the situation should change on this product.

Thomas Jackermeier

Delphic reason made another fantastic guide how to invert your CSPs.

It is actually quite simple as you only have to swap some cables and exchange pedal plates.

Please have a look at his post in GTplanet:

http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3955508#post3955508

Thanks for this great guide!

Thomas Jackermeier

In the latest version of JSJ's GPLshift mod for Grand Prix Legends he implemented support for the LED display of the Porsche wheels.

Thisis still an early BETA version so it has it's limitations.

Please check out his website to download the mod and more info:

http://www.gplshift.dk/GPLshift/index.htm

Thomas Jackermeier

We finally have the ClubSport table clamp back in stock and will deliver all open orders right away.

The stock is limited so if you want a more sturdy mount with adjustable angle for your desk please don't hesitate to place an order

Thomas Jackermeier

We just shipped the last and final batch of 600 x 911 Turbo S Pure wheels which will be sold as stand alone version or in combination with the ClubSport pedals as Ultimate Edition.

Both versions can be pre-ordered again and will arrive in our warehouse in middle of August.

In US we also have still some hundred wheels available but it's coming to an end now.

Thomas Jackermeier

At E3 I had a chance to meet with the guys from SRT and we had a good time at a Forza party and later I was invited to the studio and we did some racing and the interview which is now featured in Episode 72 of insidesimracing.tv.

Thanks to Jessica, Darin, Shaun and Tommy.

Thomas Jackermeier

Some of you already noticed that we are recommending to get those products as upgrade so here is the official announcement.

We now have two new products listed in the webshop and available for immediate delivery:

Clubsport Paddle Shifter (aluminum) [19,95 USD / EUR]
ClubSport Paddle Shifter Carbon [39,95 USD/EUR]

Both products are an ideal upgrade for the following wheels:

Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel
Porsche 911 GT3RS wheel (V1)
Porsche 911 Carrera wheel

It s not possible to upgrade the old 911 Turbo wheels.

It is very easy to install them as you just need a screwdriver.

I am still waiting to get more pictures but here you can see those paddles from the backside:

http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=230&lang=en

And Sean already posted some pics where you can see them from the side:

Keith Richmond

We decided to make all the new features and upgrades of the new V2 version available to existing customers of the 911 GT3RS V2.

As this is a major upgrade it is required to make some fundamental changes on the wheels. The following components need to be replaced:

Inner structure of wheel rim with new paddle shifter buttons
Clubsport Paddle Shifters
LED display cover
Wheel rim PCB
Base PCB
Base button PCB with cable
Main cable wheel-base

The on-off switch cannot be upgraded.

In order to upgrade, the wheel must be almost compeltely disassembled. You can see how it works in the video below (big thanks to Patrick!).

Please note that we will not give any warranty if something is damaged during the rework of the wheel. It is sold as "spare parts".

We will offer this kit as a stand alone kit for 40 EURO / USD. This is our cost price and we consider this offer as service.

If you are not a big DYI fan you can also send us the wheel and we will make the transformation for you. We have service agents in Germany and California.

The price of the service is 30 EUR / USD plus shipping costs in both ways.

In order to minimize the waiting time we want to organize and schedule the upgrades. Therefore we collect all orders first and then arrange production of the upgrade kits.

Please be patient as it can take several weeks until we can ship those kits.

If you are interested to upgrade your PWGT3RS to V2 please send an e-mail to info.webshop@endor.ag with exactly this text:

Subject of e-mail:

"PWGT3RSV32 upgrade kit"

Text:

"I am interested in purchasing a kit to upgrade my PWGT3RS to V2

[choose]

A) I want to make the upgrade by myself

I want to send you my wheel and use the upgrade service"

SERIAL NUMBER OF PWGT3RS:

NAME:

ADRESS:

Thomas Jackermeier

In order to continously improve our products and match the highest standards we decided to make a big upgrade on our popular 911 GT3 RS wheel.

The V2 has complete new electronics which are based on the 911 Turbo S Ultimate Edition.

The biggest change on the mechanics are a complete new design of the paddle shifters and a structure to keep the paddle shifter buttons more stable.

Here is the detailed list of the new 911 GT3 RS V2 racing wheel:

Full PS3 compatibility
3 styles of paddle shifter included:

Button only

Small steel shifter

Big Clubsport Paddle Shifter made of aluminum
Upgradeable firmware
on/off switch
More powerful electronics for perfect calibration and precision

Advanced TUNING functions:

Adjustable ABS vibration for all games (PS3 and PC)
Adjustable deadzone (no more shaking on straigths)
Adjustable linearity
Steering angle from 90° to 900° in 10° steps
Adjusstable drift mode

The new wheels are in stock and for immediate shipment in EU and USA.

Pricing:

PWGT3RSV2: 179,95 EUR/USD

PWGT3RSV2 CS: 319,95 EUR/USD

http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=230&lang=en

There will be an upgrade option for existing wheels and I will let you more on that very soon.

Picture of the new Clubsport Paddle Shifter attached.

EDIT: I forgot that the wheel also comes with an adapter to connect the G25 pedals to the wheel

EDIT2: Forget it. There is no adapter. Sorry for the confusion.

Thomas Jackermeier

Some time ago I was looking for testers for the wheel comparison between

PWTS UE
PWGT3RS CS
G27

http://www.911wheel.de/?q=node/3162

it is now your last chance to leave a post there and apply for the test as I am selecting the testers now.

I want to make 2-3 rounds with about 20 to 30 testers and I am especially looking for testers which can make the test not only in english but other languages like Spanish, French, Dutch, Suomi, Italian, Swedish, German, Portuguese etc.

The test was delayed a bit in order to include the V2 facelift version of the PWGT3RS (more on that later next week).

All testers have to follow a weighted rating scale and I would like to get your opinions about what is important to you.

Let me make a proposal and you can give me comments on what is missing or should be changed.

Of course we cannot find a solution which pleases everybody but I am sure that there is a good indication where to go.

Here we go:

			100
Wheel			40
	Force Feedback
		noise level
		smoothness/feeling
		strength
		vibration motor functionality
	Features
		amount of buttons on wheel
		amount of buttons (total)
		ease of use
		shifter paddles haptic feeling
		shifter paddles precision
		Adjustability (Tuning functions)
		LED Display to show car telemetry data
		wireless connection wheel to console/PC
		cable length power supply
		cable length USB
		H-Pattern Shifter

	Quality
		Sensor resolution
		Material / Surface
		Ergonomy
		construction / weight


	Functionality
		Mounting options
		Ergonomy
		Material / feeling of wheel rim
		Stability


Pedals			40
	Quality
		Durability mechanics
		Durability sensors
		Sensor resolution
		Material
		Construction / weight
		Ergonomy
	Adjustability
		Adjustability spring strength
		Adjustability pedal angle
		Adjustability pedal position
		Adjustable pedal travel (throw)
	Functionality
		Stability
		Anti-sliding
		Pedal resistance
		Mounting
		Compatibility
	Featues
		Adjustable brake sensitivity
		ABS Vibration



General			20
		Combatibility PC
		Compatibility PS3
		Compatibility Xbox 360
		Compatibility to different pedals
		Packaging
		Manual
		Service
		Driver options
		Driver Installation
		Official upgrade options
		Plug&Play
		Price performance

I am not sure to what level we really need to break down the rating so I made it for level 1 only so far. let me know if we shoul drate on level 2 or even level 3 as well.

Thomas Jackermeier

Another great review of our Clubsport pedals.

Darin and Tommy showed not only the features of the pedals but also have a line up of all available colour kits and show the Tuning kit as well.

They missed the ABS vibration but even without that it was convincing enough to prefer our CSPs over more expensive pedals and anything which is delivered together with any other wheel.

Thomas Jackermeier

The guys from SRT had a chance to play an early alpha version of F1 2010 of Codemasters.

In order to play it properly they decided to bring their own equipment:

Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel
RennSport Wheel Stand

Andy from Codemasters mentioned that they will support our wheels and in fact I am in contact since several months with that team.

I personally like the apporach they make by trying to deliver a sim or racing game for all target groups. It is certainly not as flexible as rFactor Pro but it looks much more fun to me.

The deadzone in the game is a bit of a concern but it is normal if they optimized it for controllers on that version. I love the fact that they adjust the performance of the teams to the actual performance of this season.

Thomas Jackermeier

We finally convinced UPS to ship the goods to us so we are able to send them out to our customers this week.

The big demand was a little surprise to us so we are almost sold out before we even shipping the tuning kit. We therefore decided to keep the CSP TKIT offline in the webshop until the new inventory arrives. I will let you know how long that takes.

All open orders in EU are processed now.

Thomas Jackermeier

I made a little video to explain the Tuning functions of the Porsche 911 Turbo S Ultimate Edition racing wheel.

Of course this firmware is compatible to all PWTS wheels and you can download and install the attached files.

This is only for experienced PC users and you must follow the instructions carefully.

The new options will make your wheel even more flexible and I hope you like it.

If you want to have other functions or features in the firmware let me know!

UPDATE: If you experience problems with step 2 of the installation, please try to delete the file "log.txt" which comes with the package. It will be automatically generated again the next time you make the update.

If this does not help you need to manually install the USB driver. Try to change the USB port as well.

Another solution for Windows 7:

Start the update process as per the instructions.
After running the ‘pw1’ file, Windows will no longer recognise the wheel
and will not be able to find the relevant driver.
Open the Devices and Printers window – the wheel should be the Unknown
Device at the bottom.
Open its Properties window and select Install
Driver.
Select the driver location manually – Browse, and select the folder
containing; (it's in the "PWTS_UE_Bootloader_rev669usb driver" folder).
Windows will panic that it cannot verify the author; confirm that you
want to continue.
After the installation has completed you will have to restart the wheel
(in bootloader mode), and restart the update from step 1. But this time
you should be able to complete the process.

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