Hello all! I did a search on this, but the only relevant discussion I could find was from 2006 -- I'm guessing product updates since then may have changed the answers. (Obligatory: I'm new here)

I just picked up the fully unlocked version of the game, and was trying out some single player practice modes and trying to make everything as realistic as possible given my hardware. I have an old Sidewinder Force Feedback wheel that I just pulled out from the mothballs, and was pleased as punch to find it worked great under Windows 7 64-bit.

However, some of its force feedback responses are a bit odd, and I'm trying to sort out how much of it is the game, and how much of it is my decade old controller. Basically, if there are better effects to be had with a newer wheel, I might just go ahead and splurge on it.

One immediate effect that springs to mind is front wheel chatter in an understeer situation. I went on the skid pad and tried holding a constant radius, then slamming the wheel into the inside of the circle. Since I was at the limit of adhesion, the car wouldn't turn in any further and just kept on tracking its circle. However, I didn't feel any sharp chattering response from the front wheels as I would expect in that situation.

Is this a limitation of my hardware (it might be unable to make subtle motions), or is that level of detail not implemented in the game?

If my hardware is too old, any recommendations on a wheel that will let me feel that effect correctly?

I doubt it is your hardware... I think newer wheels will only make the effect stronger, and faster. If you look at any belt-driven wheels, or the FREX concept, it will be smoother, so you don't feel the cogging of the wheels of the wheel, if you mean that.

Quote from Bose321 :

I doubt it is your hardware... I think newer wheels will only make the effect stronger, and faster. If you look at any belt-driven wheels, or the FREX concept, it will be smoother, so you don't feel the cogging of the wheels of the wheel, if you mean that.

Maybe the slowness of the effect is what prevents that from working. I guess now that I think about it, the only effects I get from this wheel are large, very pronounced effects. Nothing like the subtle nuances that would help detect the onset of understeer.

Thanks for your input!

I think it's also the fault of LFS' FFB system, because the FFB in LFS feels quite 'muchy', while other games like NKpro, iRacing and rFactor have fast and stronger FFB, with more feel in the road. IMO

you may try playing with the FF Step Num value in the cfg.txt in your LFS folder. I have it at 256, feels good. Read about it here

Quote from ACCAkut :

you may try playing with the FF Step Num value in the cfg.txt in your LFS folder. I have it at 256, feels good. Read about it here

Isn't 256 the original value? Because mine is at 256, and I can't remember I've changed it.

I've played around with the force and step values, and I can't detect the effect I'm looking for at all I guess it would be difficult for an affordable toy wheel to accurately model, what with the constant direction changes required.

Thanks for the input though! It did help me sharpen up the feel elsewhere.

Juls made a modification to Force Feedback efects. Maybe it helps you to get the effects you miss.