Racing Wheel is it the key to first place?

[danodude]

I tend to use my keyboard more than my gamepad.. I just can't keep on the road with the pads

I find I can still get relatively good times on rally & coast with them. Stadium is a blast with a KB - nothing beats it for me

[Zooz]

With my joystick (Logitech Extreme3DPRO) I'm only able to get the dead zone down 0.1. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of a wheel or joystick that centers with a dead zone of zero?

I used this model joystick for a long time with a deadzone of 0.02, but they wear out quickly, and I had to replace them all the time. I found that the Thrustmaster t16000m is a much better joystick for TM (apart from Stad) in general, once you get used to the big range. Using 0.02 with it again, and I had no issues until recently, but it's probably almost 3 years old by now.

[firstdriver]

I've never tried a wheel on TM but my results certainly improved when I switched to a gamepad. Nothing fancy, just a sturdy old Playstation 1/2 controller with a cheap and cheerful Ps1/2 to PC converter. I don't get on with the analogue sticks at all but am very much at home with the buttons which, I might add, are plentiful and give you complete control not only of your driving but your chat, view etc etc. (just don't put 'respawn' or 'quit' where you might accidently hit them)

Then you miss out on the entire advantage of having a pad in the first place. It's all about the analogue steering. Long curves are just faster when you can drive them in one big turn instead of tipping a button dozends of times and therefore turn one turn into dozends of little corners.

Not for me mate. Tried using the 'sticks' for a month and found them frustrating and continually ended up wrapped around the scenery and coming in close to last. With the buttons I'm 27th out of 693 on TM2 Stadium in SW England and 28th out of 18,016 on TM1 in SW England. I class that as 'not bad' for a guy who's the wrong side of 61yrs old

[Gradio]

Thanks Zooz. Funny how I don't see something that's right under my nose until someone else mentions it. I brought my deadzone down to .05. I'm still struggling to navigate up to the next bracket. I've gone through some of these corners hundreds of times & I'm not seeing how the next bracket makes it through those corners. I can see the arc in the replays, but can't replicate it yet. I'm all for elimination of the device question leaving only ability. That makes the win or the loss all the better in my eyes. I've heard military lore that holds an equivocal honor in that point. All I can say is about that is: It'd take something a bit beyond for me to go there.

We'll see how long this logitech stick lasts. I know the gamepads are good for a few years.

[JumperJack]

i've been using the logitech extreme 3d pro for about five years now, and while i've had to get quite some replacements already, it will last a decent time if you don't use it for stadium, but only the other environments.

also, when the stick wears off a little, just slightly increase the deadzone. in the beginning you can use 0.01 or 0.02, right now, after about 9 months to a year, i put it on 0.05. then it's just fine.

still, if you have no experience with joysticks yet, but are eager to learn, then i should recommend the thrustmaster t16000 for it's better build-quality.

[Gradio]

Hundreds of times is probably a stretch, but it sure seems like it sometimes.

JumperJack:
in the beginning you can use 0.01 or 0.02

You've a steadier hand than I. I've gotten my down to 0.035. Less than that I slip a degree to the left or the right on the straights and that's the match.

I've climbed into the next bracket & I must say I enjoy climbing the SP ladder discovering the replays of other players on the way up.

I went back and played a few TMUF matches after getting to know TM2 Canyon & noticed how much better Canyon looks. Good job!