If you’re reading this review, you’re a true gamer like me. It’s not about casually playing a game. It’s about competing and winning. It’s about having no distractions and discomforts. You need to be in the zone.
My friends and I play Forza Motorsport 3 and Dirt 3 all the time. We compete against each other. It’s not a game. It’s some serious business. For that, I really need the best wheel possible. I’ve tried countless wheels. I’ve tried my friends’ wheels. With the Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel, you immediately notice its high quality.
Click here to go to the official site
Fanatec is known for several innovative ideas in the steering wheel market. Rather than using plastic, they created wheels with high-quality material. In addition to this, they created multi-platform compatible wheels. In other words, one wheel can be used for various consoles (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, etc.). These are pretty awesome ideas, and when you combine both features, you get the Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel.
There was a rave about this wheel on steering wheel forums, racing forums, and other related gaming sites so, I just had to get it. I knew that anything created by Fanatec quickly sold out so I immediately bought it. What was my impression?
Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: The Design
I’m sure many of you have had high expectations only to be disappointed. Maybe it was like that because of your high expectations. Well, I also had high expectations for this wheel…but, I was not disappointed. This beautiful wheel was modeled after a real Porsche. With an Alcantara coating, the wheel even gave off that “new car” smell. It kind of felt like I bought an actual Porsche…except hundreds of thousands of dollars cheaper. One day, I will get a real Porsche. One day…
Anyway, the size (12 in or 30 cm depending on which metric system you use) and thickness of the wheel make it feel absolutely perfect. No other model comes close to Fanatec’s design. The Porsche logo in the middle only adds to the feeling of having something of extremely high quality in your hands.
You’re probably looking at the picture of the wheel and wondering, “Where are the buttons for the controller?” You’re looking at them. The buttons aren’t visible in the picture, but when you’re playing a game, they light up. They are well-placed, and the wheel is designed this way to look more like a wheel rather than a controller so that you can get an even better experience of racing. Hey, maybe you don’t care about that, but that’s a really cool concept to me.
Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: The Feel
You will not be disappointed when driving with this awesome wheel. It feels very smooth and quiet but still can give off very strong force feedbacks when necessary. It’s very responsive so you won’t need to worry about any sluggish movements. You will drive exactly the way you want to, especially because you can adjust this wheel to your preference (more on this later).
With the gear-shifting paddles perfectly in place, you won’t have to think about pressing it. I’m sure you know what I mean. Sometimes, when I am playing video games, the controls feel so unusual that you have to think about which button to press before you actually do it. You hesitate, and that momentary hesitation can make a world of difference. With this wheel, changing gears will become instinctive, although I still prefer having a stick shift. One problem is the headset connection though. You just cannot use a wired headset since it’ll get tangled. Get a wireless one. Trust me.
I find that Amazon usually has the cheapest wireless headsets. This one is really good: click here
Anyway, you can experience the engine “revving” with this wheel. The force feedback is simply awesome. It varies from game-to-game, but this wheel clearly has the best force feedback, especially since it’s adjustable. I personally don’t like the force feedback being too strong (so I adjusted it) since it really does work out your arm. Seriously, I even felt sore afterward, but I guess I’m also not in the best shape.
Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: The Features
The Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel can be customized to fit anybody’s needs. For example, this wheel supports the standard 900 degree steering angle (2.5 turns), but the sensitivity can also be adjusted for your own personal preference. Both lower and higher settings have their pros and cons. Lower settings allow for quicker and sharper turns, but because it’s so sensitive, you may be constantly “wobbling” or turning too early. Higher settings allow you to be more precise with your actions, but at the same time, you may struggle achieving those sharp turns.
The “force feedback” of the wheel is great (how many times have I said that now?), and this feature is a must if you’re a serious sim racer. For those of you that don’t know, force feedback helps recreate the experience of driving your car. When you hit a wall or bump into another car, the wheel vibrates as if you really did hit a wall or bump into another car. In the same way you can adjust the 900 degree steering angle, you can also adjust the force feedback strength.
“Steering axis linearity” affects the turning. When set at its default value, turning is linear. However, raising this makes turning this wheel less sensitive at the center and more sensitive away from the center. For example, when driving, you’re not completely still when holding the wheel. You might drift left and right, ever so slightly. Raising the linearity makes it so that the game becomes less sensitive to those slight wobbles. However, it becomes more sensitive when turning so it helps the driver become more precise when already turning.
“Dead zones” are best explained with an example. When you’re driving straight at high speeds, the wheel starts to wobble. If you can’t adjust this using other methods, there is something called the “dead zone”. Fanatec’s wheels allow you to adjust this setting so that there is no force feedback during these times. Raising your dead zones means that you must be farther from the center before facing the force feedback as a result of high speeds.
“Shock” is essentially the emulation of the car motor. As you accelerate, the wheel vibrates more, giving off that realistic feeling of being in a car.
“Drift” represents the ease with which you can turn the wheel.
Now, that’s a lot of options. Some of you might not want all these features, but they are essential to any serious racing gamer To make things even better, you can adjust the setting during the game without having to exit to some configuration screen. The little LCD screen on the wheel makes everything user-friendly and easy to use. Even if you aren’t a “serious” gamer and just want a wheel to make things more fun, this wheel is a must. The added involvement makes the game that much better.
Behind the wheel, there are two aluminum paddle shifters to change gears (mentioned before). It moves with the wheel so that you can change gears during turns, and it’s conveniently located. However, I prefer using a gear stick. It’s how I drive to work everyday, and it’s second-nature to me. You can remove the two paddles if you aren’t going to use them.
Note: This wheel does not come with a stick. They are sold separately.
Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: Pedals (ClubSport Edition)
Unless you are purchasing the ClubSport Edition (highly recommended), the pedals are sold separately. Fanatec also made these wheels compatible with Logitech’s G25/G27 pedals so all you Logitech fans can use this wheel.
In any case, I highly recommend the ClubSport pedals. The first thing you’ll notice is that they are made of metal and look very professional. In fact, they look a hundred times better than the pedals in my Acura, which is actually kind of sad when I think about it. The package comes with the clutch, accelerator, and brake. Like everything about Fanatec, even the pedals are adjustable so that you can find your most comfortable setting.
The pedals also use electronic sensors to determine how much force you are using to press them. I have no idea about the engineering structure of an actual car pedal, but these pedals feel just like your everyday car.
Enough about the pedals though. Adding a clutch is another must for sim racers. There’s nothing better than recreating real-life challenges. Using the clutch makes you more involved in the game, and it’s just so much more fun that way in my opinion. Using the “clutch” button on a controller is also extremely awkward. It just feels much more natural to be driving with an actual clutch. In my opinion, all sim racers need to get the ClubSport Edition. All casual racers should want to get the ClubSport Edition (depending on your budget). Either way, just do yourself a favor and get the ClubSport Edition. Don’t get the cheap, plastic kind.
Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: Shifters (ClubSport Edition)
When you purchase the ClubSport edition, you also get the H-shifter and the sequential shifter. I won’t lie. The shifters are probably the worst part about the ClubSport package, but they aren’t bad. You mount the shifters to the wheel using these metal rods, which is not the ideal method to me. It just doesn’t feel stable and can twist during the game. Nevertheless, you can mount the shifters on the right or left side (or both at once).
The shifters are made of plastic materials, which is completely different to the high quality wheel and pedals. When you look at the wheel and the pedals, you would imagine another masterpiece. Unfortunately, the shifters are simply plastic. In any case, they do work. The sequential shifter can only move up/down to change one gear at a time. If you’ve played with other wheels, you are most likely aware of what the sequential shifter is like. Fanatec, though, also comes with the awesome H-shifter, which has 6 gears and reverse. It allows you to choose specific gears at a time rather than only moving up and down.
Unfortunately, not all games support the H-shifter (ie Dirt 3), but Forza 3 does support it. I would also assume that newer games and future games would support this. Either way, I would use the sequential shifters or H-shifter over the paddle shifters any time. It just feels like driving when you do use them.
Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel: Stand
The ClubSport edition does not come with a stand, but it’s necessary to get one. You can’t really just put the wheel on your lap or put the pedals on the ground. Something needs to hold them in place. I guess you could always clamp them onto a table, but this can create some conflicts, especially if you don’t live alone at your house.
Fanatec has personally designed two types of wheel stands – the RennSport Cockpit and the RennSport Wheel Stand. The RennSport Cockpit is a much more expensive model. It’s a bit unnecessary so you may want to save that money and get the Wheel Stand instead (unless you’re rich). You can check them out here:
The RennSport Cockpit at $1,295.00…lol (click the picture to purchase)
(click the picture for more information at the official site)
The RennSport Wheel Stand at a much cheaper $129.95
(click the picture for more information at the official site)
Reliability
Unfortunately, this is the one part where Fanatec does not shine. The Fanatec models are in such high demand that they quickly sell out. You’re not going to get one within a week. When they first debuted, you had to wait two months just to get your own Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel. Nowadays, you should be able to get the wheels within a few weeks, but don’t be alarmed if it takes longer. Sometimes, you can’t expect to get high quality stuff in a moment’s notice.
In addition, during its debut, there were a few issues. People’s wheels had some sort of error message after just a week of usage. Since then, I haven’t heard complaints though. The way I see, it was just some programming complication. I don’t know much about programming, but I do know that these errors are common for debuting products. The PS3s and Xbox 360s consoles themselves had problems when they first debuted. It happens, but the problems get fixed. In other words, your wheel/package should be fine now.
Conclusion
There is so much demand for these Fanatec wheels that they actually sell out in just moments. That should automatically tell you about the quality of these products. The Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 steering wheel is the best wheel for the Xbox 360. Period. Others are fine, but if you want the best, this is the wheel for you. It’s truly for the racers. It’s for all the sim racers. It’s for anyone who wants the best racing experience.
This wheel allows you to fully customize it to your own needs. In other words, you can maximize your potential. However, you won’t get better just because you bought a wheel and some pedals. Yes, eventually, you will get better than when you used a controller, but it takes time to get adjusted to a wheel so be patient.
In addition, the best part to me is the added experience and enjoyment in using a wheel to race. It’s the realistic graphics in conjunction with the immersive feel that makes these racing games so awesome.
Finally, I highly suggest getting the ClubSport package. They are a bit expensive, but they are worth it. You get the best pedals and best wheel. They support 3 consoles (Xbox 360, PC, and PS3). They are simply incomparable in terms of quality and features.
You can purchase them on Fanatec’s own site here:
| Product | Price | Buy Now | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel | $249.95 |  |
|
| Porsche 911 GT2 Wheel – Clubsport edition | $499.95 | |
Highly recommended |
| RennSport Wheel Stand | $129.95 | |
Highly recommended |
| RennSport Cockpit | $1295.00 | |