Wheels: average lifetime???

I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy a new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to have a wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on? I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more and more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it pulls right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my Nascar 3 car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm thinking about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback sounds great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to buy a expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that much money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And secondly: you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you have to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How often do you buy a new one? Jeroen

This one last !!!!!!!!!!! take a look to : http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/speed3/start.html Jean

Your post reminded me that I haven't had to change a bungee cord or clean a pot in a year now! I bought the LWFF wheel when it hit the shelves last November, and except for swapping the Logitech pedals for my old CH pedals, I've not had to do a thing to do a thing to it. I feel it was an excellent investment. don [|]-(_)-[|] >I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy a >new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to have a >wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on? >I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got >troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more and >more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it pulls >right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my Nascar 3 >car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm thinking >about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback sounds >great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to buy a >expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that much >money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And secondly: >you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you have >to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How often do >you buy a new one? >Jeroen

price, luck and caring about the hardware are possible reason for a short/long lifespan of a wheel. A broken wheel for many of us simply mean buying the correct hardware to replace it (spring, bungee, pots, etc..). It won't stop us using that wheel for a 5$ fix ;) Price is also important. Normally the more you pay the longer it will last. High-priced companies have almost lifetime guaranties, but it doesn't mean cheap wheel won't last you long. I know people still racing their Thrustmaster T1 that's around 5years old. Personally (and it's a choice many would agree), I have a CH combo made of the EXL500 wheel (simply the best non-FF and non-expensive wheel on the market (I said wheel, not pedals)) and to get around the bad pedals I have the CH pedals. All this for around 120$, still feels like a day old after more than a year. But you need to be gentle with a wheel also if you want to keep it long. -- -- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard> -- May the Downforce be with you... "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

F1 Sim: 150, lasted three months M$FF: 130, lasted 1 year and is still perfectly accurate. The optical sensors kick the hell out of pots, I have had a Sidewinder joystick for years that is still accurate (a bit sticky since I spilled beer all over it, but I don't think that's under warranty...) Some friends' experiences:: Out of 4 F1 Sims, 1 is still working, having been swapped and upgraded for the bearing version, and the pedals upgraded for the metal ones (that one was the Compact version with cakky plastic pedals). Out of 4 M$FF wheels, 1 has died (see my post below). mm

I bought my first wheel (a Thrustmaster T2) about 4 years ago, this is still running strong to this day. 2 Years ago I picked up the Thrustmaster Formula 1 (Nascar Pro in the States) and despite very heavy use this one is also still working perfectly today. I have at various times performed standard maintenance on them but for the money they cost I think they are excellent. The spring life in these units have always seemed to cause a lot of people problems but my T2 has only had 2 sets of springs and the F1 only 1 set, so I certainly have no complaints in that department. What I have done is to use a bungy cord around each of the pedals so that I can adjust the tension of the them very easily. Just my 2p worth Peter Hooper

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> This one last !!!!!!!!!!! > take a look to : > http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/speed3/start.html > Jean > > I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you

buy > a > > new wheel every year? Once every two years? Three? Is it possible to have > a > > wheel for 1 years, without having to fiddle around with pods and so on? > > I got a Thrustmaster Grandprix 1. I like it. After 5 or 6 months I got > > troubles with it. Cleaning the pods helped. But I had to do that more and > > more. Now I can't get the wheel right anymore: after turning left it pulls > > right automatically for a short while, but long enough to damage my Nascar > 3 > > car against the wall. I'm no good at repairing these things, so I'm > thinking > > about buying (actually, I HAVE to buy) a new wheel. Force feedback sounds > > great, BUT... how long do they stay in shape?!? I really don't want to buy > a > > expensive FF wheel only for a year!!! First of all, I haven't got that > much > > money. (Maybe I'd rather buy a new cheap wheel every year.) And secondly: > > you get used to a wheel. After a year most models have changed, so you > have > > to get used to one again. So: how long do you all play a wheel? How often > do > > you buy a new one? > > Jeroen

>I wonder how long you all play with a wheel before it's broken. Do you buy a I've been using my T2 (the pedals of which I like very much) for nearly three years now, and apart from exchanging the pots once and the springs maybe ten times (only the pedal ones, not the bungie cord in the wheelbase) it's worked fine over that period. Cheers, Uwe -- Uwe Schuerkamp http://www.schuerkamp.de/ Herford, Germany (52.0N/8h30mE) Ever wondered what's wrong with the world? http://bnetwork.com/ PGP Fingerprint: 2E 13 20 22 9A 3F 63 7F 67 6F E9 B1 A8 36 A4 61

I bought a 3 year warranty from Best Buy when I recently bought the LWFF wheel. I normally don't buy extended warranties but had heard of problems after heavy use with FF wheels so considered the $17 a good investment. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.