i finally broke down and bought a racing wheel

I went to best buy and purchased the "mad catz 2 " wheel with pedals. it's actually not too bad, but i've never used anything but one on my PC a few years ago. I did have to build a stand to use the pedals and wheel at a comfortable height. It's taken me a week or so but my lap times are finally starting to approach what they were with the controller, although some tracks like maple valley were instantly faster because of the fine control you need to really do well on that track.

One thing i noticed was how much more steering correction was needed when the back end started to come around on me, with the controller you had to really restrain yourself but with the wheel, you've got to hit it pretty hard if you want to catch it. braking is proving to be a little bit trickier, but most of that is because i use alot of tunes from the storefront and the braking sensitivity isn't always optimum for a pedal setup.

I can already see i'm going to have to drop some bucks on a nice wheel when finances permit, even the limited rumble feedback this wheel give you makes a huge difference in the feeling of reality.

I also plan to hit the local junkyard and pick up a nice seat from something and affix it permanently, redo-ing my stand to make it a little less cobbled together. That coupled with a nice HD tv i'll pick up from craigslist should make a pretty nice rig for not too much money.

is the microsoft wheel worth buying if i can get it used for a hundred or so? i know they have some reliability problems, but i cant' see myself buying a fanatec for 400 bucks in the near future..

The MS wheel is worth the money, when it's working! HAHA. Actually, I had mine for just over a year, and I loved it. I recently broke the upshifter (during a 50 lap endurance race no less). It still works fine, I just re-mapped the shift functions to the buttons. I just went for broke and purchased the whole GT2, clubsport pedal setup from Fanatec. Dropped right around 500, but so far it is well worth the money! You should be able to find an MS wheel on e-bay for far less than 100 bucks.

I use a Mad Catz wheel for F1 2010 and its upped my lap times by around 2 seconds a lap!

I can't get used to it on forza, to used to the controller I think.

MAKO 6669 wrote:

The MS wheel is worth the money, when it's working! HAHA. Actually, I had mine for just over a year, and I loved it. I recently broke the upshifter (during a 50 lap endurance race no less). It still works fine, I just re-mapped the shift functions to the buttons. I just went for broke and purchased the whole GT2, clubsport pedal setup from Fanatec. Dropped right around 500, but so far it is well worth the money! You should be able to find an MS wheel on e-bay for far less than 100 bucks.

Um, the last time I checked, they sold for well OVER 100 bucks and I sold mine for 162!

Honestly haven't looked recently, but that's what I've been reading on the FM forums. Supply and demand I guess!

MAKO 6669 wrote:

Honestly haven't looked recently, but that's what I've been reading on the FM forums. Supply and demand I guess!

The wheel was discontinued by Microsoft I believe in 2009, and is almost a sure bet not to be found in stores. That's why sellers (like me) were able to command above-market value for these.

BadBooking wrote:

MAKO 6669 wrote:

The MS wheel is worth the money, when it's working! HAHA. Actually, I had mine for just over a year, and I loved it. I recently broke the upshifter (during a 50 lap endurance race no less). It still works fine, I just re-mapped the shift functions to the buttons. I just went for broke and purchased the whole GT2, clubsport pedal setup from Fanatec. Dropped right around 500, but so far it is well worth the money! You should be able to find an MS wheel on e-bay for far less than 100 bucks.

Um, the last time I checked, they sold for well OVER 100 bucks and I sold mine for 162!

Prices vary... I just checked and the first one was a buy it now for $70 with free shipping... I did see some for $200 though...

i picked one up yesterday for 80 bucks on craigslist. go me!!!


now i gotta clean up this madcatz and take it back to best buy. I didn't think it was a bad wheel, but certainly not worth 100 bucks.

I had one for all of 3 hours, I couldnt get comfortable with it so, I took it back. LOL

terminator1177 wrote:

BadBooking wrote:

MAKO 6669 wrote:

The MS wheel is worth the money, when it's working! HAHA. Actually, I had mine for just over a year, and I loved it. I recently broke the upshifter (during a 50 lap endurance race no less). It still works fine, I just re-mapped the shift functions to the buttons. I just went for broke and purchased the whole GT2, clubsport pedal setup from Fanatec. Dropped right around 500, but so far it is well worth the money! You should be able to find an MS wheel on e-bay for far less than 100 bucks.

Um, the last time I checked, they sold for well OVER 100 bucks and I sold mine for 162!

Prices vary... I just checked and the first one was a buy it now for $70 with free shipping... I did see some for $200 though...

The $200 ones usually come with either the original box or additional goodies. When I sold my wheel, I found that most wheels had everything to go without a box for about $180 or so. I intentionally undercut the price about 10% on buyitnow, and the wheel was sold within two days. It was a THRILL!

I picked up a really really sweet bucket seat from a 2005 Golf GTI at the salvage yard today, 30 bucks! i'll start working on the frame this week and hopefully have a really cool cockpit in a little bit. i'll post some pix when i get a chance. I'm scanning craigslist for an old HD projection TV which will complete my man-cave racing cockpit from hell. Maybe a subwoofer or something to top it off.

bloozmahn wrote:

I picked up a really really sweet bucket seat from a 2005 Golf GTI at the salvage yard today, 30 bucks! i'll start working on the frame this week and hopefully have a really cool cockpit in a little bit. i'll post some pix when i get a chance. I'm scanning craigslist for an old HD projection TV which will complete my man-cave racing cockpit from hell. Maybe a subwoofer or something to top it off.

You know what's up, that sounds like that will kick cornbeef!

I'm sooo corned. I'm short a PVC elbow, and 2 TEE pieces to finish my awesome racing stand.. and nothing's open!!!

Ok, i'm officially an idiot. I went to home depot and bought the stuff to finish this thing, and i'm short of tubing now... aaarrrghhh!!!


although it looks pretty sweet i must say. I'm considering selling a kit to make these on ebay.

Will the kit include a gas card for all the extra trips to the store?

well, it's pretty well finished except for cosmetics. I need to borrow a jigsaw and make a panel that goes around the bottom of the seat, but it's done otherwise. I had to come up with a few "fixes" because it was pretty hard to get "in" with the height of the steering wheel + the way the seat sits. i ended up mounting the steering wheel on a hinged panel that flips up so you can get in easily, and i figured out a way to get the seat to adjust without the use of the factory rails which were impossible to detach from the car @ the junkyard. I'll take some pix this weekend probably. I will say it makes driving a whole lot more comfortable and realistic. it's kind of large if you don't have a specific area for it though. Luckily i've got a man cave in the basement in the works so it's no biggie. now all i need is a truck and a couple strong friends to help me get one of these giant big screen TV's on craigslist into my basement!

Effing stupid craigslist people!!! arrggh!! i just met someone in a wallgreens parking lot to get a big TV for my racing rig. he picks it up and puts it in the back of my mom's escort wagon. i look at it and i'm like.. "uh, that's a 27 inch tv dude.. "


he says "really? i thought it was pretty big"

so, not only did he not measure it or even bother to look up the model # on the back, he thought that a person can pick up a 36" tube tv with minor difficulty and put it in the back seat of a normal passenger car.

so i tell him i don't want it as i already have 2 tube TVs... he asks me if i'll give him ten bucks.. i tell him i don't really even want it for free. so we go back and forth and he gives me back my money then he just tells me to keep it as he doesn't want to get rid of it or put it back in his car.

at least my mom wants it for her house.. now i have to go back to looking for a cheap xbox tv..

woot! found a nice hitachi 36" for 40 bucks. it has like 5 inputs so i can put my PC on it too. it was pretty funny when we put it in the back of my mom's beater escort wagon, it wouldn't fit!! we had to tilt it a little and get it over the bottom lip. it shot my idea of being able to get it out of the back of the car by myself. now i have to bug a friend to come over and help me carry it into the basement. now all i need is a buttkicker and maybe a few amplified speakers to make the experience complete.


that and some skill...

bloozmahn wrote:

Effing stupid craigslist people!!! arrggh!! i just met someone in a wallgreens parking lot to get a big TV for my racing rig. he picks it up and puts it in the back of my mom's escort wagon. i look at it and i'm like.. "uh, that's a 27 inch tv dude.. "


he says "really? i thought it was pretty big"

so, not only did he not measure it or even bother to look up the model # on the back, he thought that a person can pick up a 36" tube tv with minor difficulty and put it in the back seat of a normal passenger car.

so i tell him i don't want it as i already have 2 tube TVs... he asks me if i'll give him ten bucks.. i tell him i don't really even want it for free. so we go back and forth and he gives me back my money then he just tells me to keep it as he doesn't want to get rid of it or put it back in his car.

at least my mom wants it for her house.. now i have to go back to looking for a cheap xbox tv..

How much are you in the league of spending? Online is GREAT for cheap refurb TV's that are quality. tiger direct or newegg are your best bets.

well, i got one for 40 bucks. I don't want to buy a flat panel TV just for xbox.. at least not yet. I still have to get one for the living room, as the xbox is in a man cave. I got some help and it's downstairs so i just need to do a little work on the room and it'll be set. Pix to come! but i do love having the seat + pedals and all that in a comfortable spot - highly recommend it if you have the space.

I still need to trim and sand the wood for the steering platform, make some type of 'skirting' or something for around the bottom of the seat, and paint everything black, but this is pretty much the finished version. The wood extension on the gas pedal is something i'm trying because they are too close together for me and it lets me press on the gas w/o feeling cramped. Not pictured is the racquetball under the brake pedal, which improves the brake feel 100% The seat rides on 2" pvc cut in half longways and sitting on the 1 1/2" rail so it's pretty easy to slide it back and forth, and there's a simple bolt that i slide in to a few holes to keep it from moving back and forth. the seat is really comfortable & it makes driving so much more enjoyable than using my worn out office chair which is way too high anyway. The cost is roughly -

$30 - car seat @ salvage yard.
$25 - Pvc pipe & fittings (add 3 bucks if you don't already have glue)
$0 - Wood was scrap, but if you bought it, it wouldn't be more than 15 bucks.
$8 - screws, nuts + bolts, hinges for the steering wheel platform.
$4 - metal straps to hold the wheel in place ( buy them near the deck material section )
$3 zip ties
$.97 Black spray paint
$1 shelf bracket (secondhand store)

roughly $90 total, $130 if you count my 36" Tube TV i got off craigslist.

You could certainly make this out of wood if you wanted, it might be a little cheaper i just like the look + weight of PVC. I would have liked to have kept the rails for the seat adjustment (they were part of the car's floorboard), but i had limited selection and this was by far the best seat they had. Originally had the steering wheel platform screwed to the PVC, but it was impossible to get in and out so i put the hinges on it. It is very sturdy, there is virtually no movement whatsoever from either the pedals or the wheel. adding the shelf bracket on the right hand side improved the stability quite a bit. the wheel is easily adjusted for tilt as it sits on an angled piece of wood. I really prefer a horizontal wheel, and the microsoft clamp hangs way too low under the clamping surface.

All i need to add is a cupholder!!

Next up i'm installing the bearing mod for the wheel.

I have the ms racing wheel and thing it is well worth the money. The only problem it does not have a clutch pedal. That does not bother me as I am not a good enough racer to use it anyway. For my setup I have a tv table one with legs to hold the wheel. Then I use duck tape to tape the pedals to the legs of the table. Next I got the center part of our old couch , screwed to pieces of 2x2 to the bottom. This allows me to sit on the seat and pull the racing will close to me. I find that it cost almost nothing to make and it is very relaxing when I am racing.

Nice set up B man! All it needs now is a Porsche logo, haha.

Nice work man if i ever get a wheel i will definitely need some setup too