What’s the Fanatec CSL Elite?

The CSL Elite is essentially the most accessible gaming wheel Fanatec has dropped at market for the reason that 2009 Porsche 911 mannequin, made for the final era of consoles.

Fanatec doesn’t make low-cost merchandise, nevertheless, and that is nonetheless the costliest racing wheel we’ve reviewed. Our bundle prices 689 euros, or £586 at December 2016 change charges. That is dearer than an Xbox One; in actual fact, you might even make an honest entry-level gaming PC for that cash. Nonetheless, the CSL Elite is somewhat particular.

Earlier than you run away screaming, the worth distinction between this and the comparable Thrustmaster setup may not be as nice as you suppose. Add a £329 Thrustmaster TX racing wheel to the T3PA-PRO pedals and also you’re taking a look at £478, RRP.

Fanatec CSL Elite – Design and Setup

The Fanatec wheel system is extremely customisable. There are a few wheel bases, 4 units of pedals, greater than 10 wheels, and separate handbrakes and shifters.

All this isn’t provided with the CSL Elite bundle, however you do get every little thing you want. It contains the CSL Elite wheel base, the CSL Elite Pedals LC pedals and the Xbox One P1 Steering wheel. This wheel rim prices 150 euros by itself, and that it’s the most affordable Fanatec offers some indication about how high-end the system goes.

There’s one wheel that prices 479 euros, with out base or pedals. Ouch.

Having used many of the well-liked racing wheels available on the market, the Fanatec CSL Elite’s model is obvious as quickly as you pull the merchandise out of the field. It’s a lot much less easy than a Thrustmaster TX or Logitech G920, however can be much more customisable and versatile.

This doesn’t imply you want a pro-quality racing seat to purchase one in all these, nevertheless. The Fanatec CSL Elite comes with a common clamp to allow you to connect it to a desk or stand. I’ve been utilizing an outdated Speedblack Evo wheelstand. There are laborious mounting factors when you have a higher-end rig, nevertheless.

The extra superior, less-friendly model comes from the wheel’s UI. Not like a Logitech or Thrustmaster, the Fanatec CSL Elite has an on-wheel menu system. This allows you to alter an array of settings on-the-fly that you just’d usually have to move into menu methods and even driver settings to tweak.

The draw back: it’s initially baffling. This isn’t a wheel you simply plug in and neglect about, particularly when fewer video games present devoted profiles for it than a Thrustmaster mannequin.

Right here’s a fast abstract of what’s on supply within the menu system.

Sensitivity: alters the turning circle of the steering wheel. The wheel base has 1,080-degree rotation, however this isn’t appropriate for all sorts of automobiles. You have got fine-grain management, or can let the motive force select the rotation by setting this to Auto.

Pressure Suggestions: customise the energy of the drive suggestions motors from Zero-100%.

Shock: fiddle with the energy of the rumble motors from Zero-100%.

ABS: simulates the texture of ABS if you brake laborious.

Linearity: alters how delicate the wheel flip is in the direction of the centre. Rising this (Zero-100) makes the centre a part of rotation much less delicate, supplying you with extra management over very advantageous wheel actions.

Deadzone: change how a lot of a deadzone there may be on the centre of the wheel.

Drift: growing this allows you to cut back the wheel resistance to make drifting much less of an arm-tiring battle.

Pressure/Spring/damper: (PC solely) permits you to fine-tune the texture of the assorted elements of drive suggestions.

Brake Pressure: change how a lot brake pedal stress is required to achieve 100% braking drive.

These on-wheel controls allow you to fine-tune how the wheel operates, overriding what the sport “tells” the CSL Elite to do.

For the primary few days I discovered myself by chance coming into this menu on a regular basis, but it surely’s a fantastic characteristic for the hardcore crowd. And if you happen to’re contemplating spending £600 on a wheel, it is best to no less than be a little bit of a racing recreation fanatic.

You enter this menu by urgent a button denoted by a spanner icon on the steering wheel, making the menu choices pop-up in an LED show on the prime. The Xbox P1 wheel then has a bit joystick that permits you to flick by way of the assorted parameters, and there are even 5 totally different profiles which you can programme in for various video games/automobiles.

This isn’t your common console wheel. Nonetheless, the remainder of the structure is way much less intimidating, taking its buttons from a standard Xbox One pad, to allow you to flick by way of menus with no need to maintain a gamepad by your facet.

Utilizing the P1 steering wheel the set boots as much as its Xbox One mode, however switching to the PC one is only a matter of urgent the Mode button on the bottom.

Like the entire present racing wheels, there’s no help for PS4. Plug it in and nothing occurs. Fanatec additionally says there’s no help for any PlayStation console, however I had a go along with a PS3 simply to experiment.

The wheel is registered and the buttons do allow you to flick by way of the system’s menus, however as quickly as you press down on the joystick, the CSL Elite frequently scrolls downwards. Recreation over. Don’t purchase this for something however PC and Xbox One use.

Fanatec CSL Elite – P1 Xbox One Steering Wheel and Base

Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at a few of the , beginning with the P1 wheel. Since it is a pretty tech-heavy wheel, its construct is extra prosaic than what Thrustmaster sells at an analogous value.

For £149 you will get an Alcantara or leather-based steering wheel from Thrustmaster, however the P1 has a rubbery coating. Equally, the central plate is steel however the outer a part of the column that plugs into the bottom is plastic.

You would possibly count on a extra luxurious really feel for £600, however bear in mind that is Fanatec’s entry-level setup.

It appears Fanatec has stripped down the gloss to get you high-end elements at a fairly sane value. Take the bottom as an one other instance: its housing is plastic, and doesn’t really feel as heavy-duty because the wheel.

The bottom’s design can be uncharacteristically showy, with a multi-shade sample of little gray tiles on its entrance. I fairly prefer it, however the chatter on-line is blended.

I discovered the Fanatec CSL Elite very straightforward to mount, and it feels very sturdy even hooked up to a primary wheel stand. It additionally has a multi-colour rev show on the bottom’s entrance, used with appropriate video games. I’d argue primary plastic housing shouldn’t matter an excessive amount of when it’s the inner skeleton that takes all of the drive of the wheel’s torque.

One half that does increase an eyebrow, although, is the pair of gear-shifters on the P1 wheel. They’re strong aluminium spokes, however in contrast to nearly each different high-end wheel I’ve used, they don’t have clicky suggestions. A smoother really feel is a particular departure from the norm. Once more, I somewhat prefer it, however some received’t since gear modifications really feel much less pronounced.

Fanatec CSL Elite – Pedals

The usual Fanatec Elite base and wheel aren’t all that flashy in some respects, however the pedal set is much better than the one Logitech and Thrustmaster embody of their packages. Its board has the complete clutch/accelerator/brake trio and is immensely sturdy.

All steel other than the rubber tops used on the pedals, it has an industrial-grade really feel. The pedals are additionally massive, seeming rather more severe than usually toy-like, entry-level racing pedals.

Identical to the wheel base, it’s massively customisable too. The brake’s progressive really feel may be tailor-made to your tastes. It may well go firmer than every other set I’ve used; actually it’s far too stiff except you’ve gotten a rig that permits you to screw down the board.

Fortunately, altering the motion may be very easy. Behind the pedal you’ll see a set of rubbery buffers that depress as you push down on the brake. Within the field you get three totally different units, every requiring a unique stage of drive to depress. The toughest to depress require 90kg of drive, for a really stiff really feel. I ended up utilizing the lightest rings, which I’d advocate except you’ve gotten a super-sturdy setup and are actually after a real sim-like really feel. 

You too can transfer the pedals round, making the accelerator sit nearer to the brake for a neater heel-toe motion. It’s a little bit of a ache to do, nevertheless.

Lastly, you additionally get a set of various covers for the pedals. The rubbery tops are literally simply covers on prime of strong steel bases, and may be changed with stick-on sandpaper-like grippy pads.

Fanatec CSL Elite – Efficiency and Pressure Suggestions

Pressure suggestions is essentially the most thrilling a part of any racing wheel – with out it, you would possibly as nicely simply use an inexpensive mannequin.

The Fanatec CSL Elite has by some margin essentially the most highly effective drive suggestions motor I’ve used, together with these of the Logitech G29 and Logitech TX. At 100% energy, with a recreation that actually makes use of drive suggestions – comparable to Venture Vehicles – the expertise may be borderline disagreeable.

Regardless of having used many of the racing wheels at the moment on sale, I nonetheless battle when issues get laborious core. Making an attempt to manage a Pagani across the Nurburgring whereas preventing with the drive suggestions engine looks like an actual battle. It’s a stage or two up from the brushless motor system that the most effective Thrustmasters use.

In case you love a extremely intense expertise whereas gaming, you’ll love the Fanatec CSL Elite. I ended up setting the drive suggestions to round 55%, which will get you the additional immersion of suggestions with out performing as a continuing reminder sports activities automotive is known as a carbon-fibre loss of life machine.

Trying a bit deeper into the suggestions, the Fanatec CSL Elite makes use of a single belt drive brushless motor. Thrustmaster’s present prime fashions use two belts; Logitech’s newest nonetheless use a geared system.

The distinction this makes is that the Fanatec is considerably smoother than any Thrustmaster or Logitech wheel – radically extra so than the Logitech G29/G920. Thrustmaster fashions are nearer by way of smoothness, however nonetheless undergo from a better “gnawing” if you’re pulling in opposition to the suggestions motor on a flip. There’s none within the Fanatec; it’s the smoothest racing wheel I’ve used.

It’s additionally very quiet – the brushless system is nearly silent. Nonetheless, after a brief session you’ll hear the followers begin up. These stay within the wheel base and maintain the motor cool sufficient to keep away from burning out.

From reminiscence, the followers at max spin appear a bit louder than the Thrustmaster RS300’s, roughly the identical quantity as a desktop PC’s case fan. It’s much less distracting than gear or belt noise, although, and more-or-less fixed as soon as they’ve fired up. 

I’ve few complaints in regards to the CSL Elite’s drive suggestions. Nonetheless, the one incongruity I did discover was that, in contrast to some fashions, there is no such thing as a “rumble” of the wheel itself, with all suggestions offered by the primary base motors.

Fanatec will get away with it as a result of the primary motor is so clean and efficient, but it surely does have an effect on the character of very small bits of suggestions – comparable to driving over highway traces a bit. Nonetheless, you do get in-wheel rumble with Fanatec’s dearer wheels utilizing this very base.

Do you have to purchase the Fanatec CSL Elite?

The Fanatec CSL Elite is the most effective racing wheel I’ve used. It’s smoother, extra highly effective and its pedal set is great.

Would I purchase one? I’m not so certain. There’s an actual threat of upgrade-itis with the Fanatec, as it’s possible you’ll find yourself wanting a brand new steering wheel after six months or so, and the most affordable Alcantara/leather-based mannequin prices 229 euros (round £200). I’m undecided my checking account can deal with Fanatec CSL Elite possession.

Nonetheless, if digital racing is one in all your fundamental hobbies, the upgrades over the Thrustmaster TX and its brothers are actual. To get one thing higher, you’ll have to avoid wasting up much more for a direct drive wheel such because the $1,299 SimXperience AccuForce or Thrustmaster’s elusive, upcoming GT Sport. And who is aware of then that may arrive.

Verdict

The most effective PC and Xbox One racing wheel you will get for underneath £1,000.