Considering these driving were originally $60 its crazy to think you can grab them now for a 50% discount or more. Games like Forza Horizon 2 are highly acclaimed and then there of course some like Sebastian Loeb Rally Evo that missed the mark. The good news is that no matter how the game was received they are now cheap enough to spend a few bucks on to take a peak.

If it’s time to shake things up in your car driving game catalog then check out the 8 titles below.

Some of these games may come back up in price after the Holiday season, so if you are interested you should grab them now. So without further ado…Here is our list as of (Nov 2016) of Xbox Racing Games Under $30.

Xbox One Car Racing Games Under $30 at Amazon

It’s worth noting that all of the games have Xbox One racing wheel support.

Xbox One Racing Game Reviews

If you want to read our initial XRP reviews click the links below. All of our ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 5:

• Forza Horizon 2 – XRP Rating 4.5
• Assetto Corsa – XRP Rating 3.5
• The Crew Wild Run – XRP Rating 3.5
• Forza Motorsport 5 – XRP Rating 4.0
• WRC 5 – XRP Rating 3.0
• Project Cars – XRP Rating 4.0
• F1 2015 – XRP Rating 3.5
• Sebastian Loeb Rally Evo – XRP Rating 2.5

Xbox One Racing Wheels at Amazon

Logitech Driving Force G920 Racing Wheel, Force Feedback Steering Wheel

$235.99

(as of 18-03-2020 05:19:58 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback racing wheel for Xbox One and WINDOWS

$199.55

(as of 20-03-2020 06:20:13 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition

$349.99

(as of 20-03-2020 04:21:37 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG TX Racing Wheel Leather Edition Premium Official Xbox One Racing Wheel for Xbox One and PC

$473.98

(as of 20-03-2020 04:21:37 UTC - Details)

The post 8 Xbox One Racing Games Under $30 first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

If you are a NASCAR Heat Evo gamer and you are looking to purchase a wheel for the Xbox One or the PC there are a lot of options. There are alot of brands that make wheels compatible with NHE such as Thrustmaster, Fanatec, and Logitech with prices ranging from about $100 up to about $1400.

I have tested out several wheels the with game and surprisingly have come to the conclusion that one of the the wheels that performs best also happens to one of the least expensive.

Best Racing Wheel for NASCAR Heat Evolution

Thrustmaster TMX ($200)

The Thrustmaster TMX is a great steering wheel for Nascar Heat Evo. It’s certainly one of the most affordable options and it even outperforms a mid priced wheel the Logitech G920. The TMX is considered an entry level racing wheel and does have a few limitations, but I will break all of that down for you by the end of the article.

Thrustmaster TMX Specs

Up to 900 degrees of rotation (changeable in race), belt drive motor, throttle and progressive brake, paddle shifters, D-pad and 8 action buttons, a table clamp for mounting, compatible on Xbox One and PC, and the ability to upgrade your pedal set and/or add a shifter.

Force Feedback with the Heat Evolution Game

While the handling physics of NHE leave a bit to be desired the TMX force feedback feels solid and provides a nice bit of resistance. With the right wheel settings you can get really good smooth and quiet force feedback and a good bit of vibration with the Impact Effects turned ON in the game.

The turning radius of the TMX feels precise and can help you smooth out your corners, weave your way through traffic, and react more naturally when trying to avoid an accident.

There are wheels like the Thrustmaster TX that have stronger force feedback and a better wheelbase motor, however in NASCAR HEat Evolution the difference feels negligible.

The TMX 2 Pedal Set

You may be wondering why am I recommending a wheel with a 2 pedal set for a NASCAR game…good question. The reason is that despite the fact that the game has an option to set your clutch to ON, it makes no difference. The clutch has no effect on your shifting in this game. You can just shift without hitting the clutch and there are no consequences and I have tested on multiple pedal sets.

The TMX has two pedals a throttle and a brake. The brake pedal has a built in progressive resistance to simulate the feel of brake pressure. The pedals are made of plastic and sit on a plastic base. The good news is that you can get an upgrade to a higher end pedal set and even add the clutch if you feel like you want it anyway.

TMX Upgrades with the Thrustmaster Eco System

There are a few upgrades you can get for the Thrustmaster TMX that will make your experience much more tailored to NASCAR. My first recommendation would be to add the T3PA Pro Pedals. This pedal set is made of metal and has an adjustable brake mod, but more importantly allows you to invert the pedals to GT style which is how they would be in a real race car. There are also options available from 3rd party vendors to add a load cell brake.

My next recommendation would be to add on the TH8A Shifter. While you should be spending a majority of your time in top gear, shifting is still alot of fun and really adds to the immersion factor. The TH8A shifter is one the most robust shifters on the market and is made of 90% metal parts. You have the option for a 7 speed H-pattern or sequential shifting. This shifter is one of my favorite racing peripherals and you can even change out the shifting knob to something your favorite driver uses.

All in all if you were to pick up all three products the TMX ($200), the T3PA Pro Pedals ($150), and the TH8A Shifter ($150) you would be spending a total of about $500. Thats not to bad considering you will have a complete driving setup when you are done.

Mounting

The Thrustmaster TMX comes with a table clamp for mounting and you can easily attach it to a desk or a table. If you want to get a wheel stand the Ultimate Wheel Stand is one of the only stands designed to mount a wheel with a table clamp.

There are also adapters made by third party vendors that allow you to hard mount a TMX wheel to a cockpit or more advanced wheel stand. Hard mounting is truly the best solution and one of the most popular solutions is using the Ricmotech adapter and mounting the TMX on a Wheel Stand Pro Deluxe which also has a stand for the TH8A shifter.

Xbox and PC Compatibility

The TMX is compatible on both the Xbox One and PC. So you can play NASCAR heat Evo or any other racing game on either platform.

Why the Thrustamster TMX Wheel is My Best Recommendation

There are 3 things that make the Thrustmaster TMX a great buy for NHE: the price, the performance, and the Upgradablity.

The price certainly falls on the lower end of the racing wheel spectrum and it sits between the Thrustmaster Spider ($100) and the Logitech G920 ($350). It out performs both of those wheels and while it doesn’t come standard with a 3 pedal set like the G920, you can add on the nicer T3PA Pro pedals for the same cost.

Now truth be told I didn’t test out the 458 Spider wheel with NHE, but this wheel is not in the same league as the TMX. The spider uses an internal bungee cord mechanism to provide linear resistance, but it’s not the same as true force feedback. The extra $100 bucks for the TMX adds a lot more bang for your buck and is worth the extra money. You can read more about it here or get your NASCAR racing career started right now…

If you are looking for a more substantial racing wheel in the mid priced range you can check out my #1 recommend steering wheel for Xbox One. It is a lot of fun on NHE as well as other racing titles, but it also comes with a heavier price tag. If you are curious about the differences between the TX and the TMX, check out this article here.

NASCAR Heat Steering Wheels and Related Items at Amazon

01. Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback racing wheel for Xbox One and WINDOWS

$199.61

(as of 20-03-2020 01:23:25 UTC - Details)

02. Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition

$349.99

(as of 19-03-2020 18:21:05 UTC - Details)

03. Thrustmaster VG TX Racing Wheel Leather Edition for Xbox One and PC

$473.98

(as of 19-03-2020 18:21:05 UTC - Details)

05. Thrustmaster VG Ferrari 458 Spider Racing Wheel - Xbox One

$99.99

(as of 17-02-2020 22:20:10 UTC - Details)

07. Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.99

(as of 20-03-2020 01:23:25 UTC - Details)

09. Logitech Driving Force G920 Racing Wheel, Force Feedback Steering Wheel

$235.99

(as of 18-03-2020 01:22:43 UTC - Details)

11. Deluxe Racing Steering Wheel Stand SuperTX with RGS and GTS options for Thrustmaster T300RS(PS4), TX Leather, T150, TX458(Xbox One) Original Wheel Stand Pro Stand V2. Wheel and Pedals Not included

$245.99

(as of 14-01-2020 23:20:05 UTC - Details)

12. Deluxe Racing Steering Wheelstand for Thrustmaster T300RS(PS4) TX458(Xbox One)TX Leather,T150 and TMX! Original Wheel Stand Pro Stand V2. Wheel and Pedals Not included

$199.99

(as of 18-12-2017 18:20:34 UTC - Details)

Have you been shopping around for a steering wheel for NHE? If so, let me know which ones you have been looking at in the comments below.

The post Best Steering Wheel for NASCAR Heat Evolution on Xbox One first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

I tested the game with the Thrustmaster TX and TMX on Xbox One and found these settings to be similar for both wheels and should also be solid for the T300 or T150 on PS4. The game requires alot of testing to get these settings and you should consider them as a good baseline and then you can tweak to your preferences from there. If I change my settings over time I will comeback and update this article.

Let’s dive in to the best advanced steering wheel settings for NASCAR Heat Evo…

Game Settings

To give you a frame of reference for my racing wheel settings it’s important to note that I am using SIMULATION Physics and my transmission is set to MANUAL.

Best RAcing Wheel Settings for NASCAR Heat Evolution

Unlike other racing games on the Xbox One like a Forza or Project Cars, NASCAR Heat Evo doesn’t gives us much in the way of advanced controller/wheel settings. There are no deadzones, linearity, or saturations to adjust…just a few simple choices. The other thing the game lacks is metrics, so I can’t tell you exactly what my settings are you need to take a look at my screen shot and eyeball it.

• Degrees Rotation Range: 360 degrees
• Steering Sensitivity: About 25%
• Brake Sensitivity: 0%
• Throttle Sensitivity: 0%
• Force Feedback Strength: About 85%
• Impact Effects: ON
• Shift Type: Shifter or Paddle
• Clutch: ON

Notes Regarding Settings

Degrees Rotation Range:I had a tough time trying to find a good degree of rotation that I liked and settled on 360. 270 didnt feel to bad either, however I felt it caused a bit of understeer. I set the degree of rotation in the game and left my wheel at the default 900 degrees on the wheelbase itself.

Steering Sensitivity: Setting this at 0 (slider all the way to the left) feels like the wheel has a 1:1 ratio with the tyres. Moving the slider all the way to the right will make your tyres turn much more sharply even with small movements of the wheel. If you want to increase how fast your tires react to you turning the wheel move this slider to the right and to the left to slow it down.

Brake Sensitivity: It’s important to note that I am using Thrustmaster T3PA pedals with a load cell brake mod. My brake sensitivity may differ from yours. Moving the slider to right will increase brake sensitivity…the more you crank it up the more careful you need to be with your brake pressure.

Throttle Sensitivity: Moving the slider to the right increases the throttle sensitivity. The more you turn it the more careful you need to be pushing down the throttle particularly when accelerating from low speeds or a full stop.

Force Feedback Strength: This is up to your personal preference.

Impact Effects: This effect causes the wheel to vibrate when you collide with the wall or other cars.

Shift Type: If you have an H-Pattern shifter hooked up then you want to set this to SHIFTER, if not set it to PADDLE.

Clutch: If you are racing manual set this to ON…although truth be told the cars tend to drive fine even if you never hot the clutch pedal.

Best Game Settings for Wheels – Wrap Up

I wish NASCAR Heat Evolution had a lot more advanced wheel settings options, but it doesn’t so we got to make due with what they gave us. I do like the fact that they use sliders to adjust the settings, but it’s kind of annoying that they failed to add metrics next to the sliders. Anyway…Try these settings out and see if they can get your Thrustmaster steering wheel feeling nice as you whip around the tracks.

If you own a T150 or TMX and you are interested in hard mounting on a racing rig or wheel stand, check out this article here.

Thrustmaster Compatible Racing Gear at Amazon

Deluxe Racing Steering Wheelstand for Thrustmaster T300RS(PS4) TX458(Xbox One)TX Leather,T150 and TMX! Original Wheel Stand Pro Stand V2. Wheel and Pedals Not included

$199.99

(as of 01-10-2016 23:46:28 UTC - Details)

Openwheeler Advanced Racing Seat Driving Simulator Gaming Chair with Gear Shifter Mount

$449.00

(as of 11-06-2018 23:20:12 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.95

(as of 11-03-2020 22:25:15 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG TRJ12 USB Adapter for T3PA & T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Sets - PC

$14.99

(as of 16-01-2020 18:20:24 UTC - Details)

What are your best settings for NHE? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Best Steering Wheel Settings for Nascar Heat Evolution first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

If you are looking to mount your Thrustmaster TMX or T150 on a sim racing seat or a wheel stand you have three options:

• DIY Mod
• A Wheel Stand that takes a clamp
• A Custom Ricmotech Mod

DIY Mod for Mounting a TMX or T150

First it’s important to understand how the table clamp works. Take a look at the picture below (the wheel is upside down so you can see better). Notice how the front of the wheel extends past the table and then the table sits in a grove on the wheelbase.

You can take hard cover book or piece of wood about 1 inch think and put it on top of the wheel plate on your cockpit or wheel stand and then clamp the wheel to it. To get the book or wood to be more grippy and match the look of your wheel you can get a can a spray can of black rubber coating. This will help the bottom of the wheelbase grip the wheel plate. I am not saying it’s great…I’m just saying it works.

The problem you will find is that between the force feedback and vibration you still will continually need to re-tighten the clamp as it doesn’t keep the wheel stable over the long haul.

A Wheel Stand That Takes a Table Clamp

While the Ulitmate Wheel Stand is not my favorite wheel stand, it happens to be the best wheel stand solution for the TMX and T150 wheels. This stand is designed for wheelbases that use a table clamp.

The wheel plate doesn’t have any holes in it. It’s basically a table top on a stand. The wheelbase will sit nicely on it just like a table and you can clamp it down…much sturdier than my DIY solution above. Another nice thing about this stand is that it will hold your pedals in place and you can adjust the height and angle of your wheel. There aren’t many other table clamp wheel stands that I would recommend so your options are limited. Thise gets the job done though for the TMX and T150. You can read more about the Ultimate Wheel Stand Here.

Ricmotech Custom Mount Adapter for TMX and T150 Wheels

This is an inexpensive mod you can get from Ricmotech that will allow you to hard mount your TMX or T150 wheelbase onto a cockpit or wheel stand. The adapter screws in to the bottom of your wheelbase, where the table clamp would normally screw in. On the bottom of the adapter there are pre-drilled holes which allow you to hard mount your wheel just like a Thrustmaster TX or T300.

Below you can see the Ricmotech adapter attached to the bottom of a T150. It fits perfectly into the bottom grooves of your wheel base and makes the wheelbase sit flat on a surface.

If you want to read more about the TMX/T150 Hard Mount Adapter, go here.

No more adjusting the table clamp and re-tightening between races, you can now hard mount your wheel…Problem Solved! The adapter is built out of strong industrial polyethylene, allows you to mount on most stands and rigs that have pre-drilled holes for Thrustmaster, and it comes with all the screws and instructions.

Best Solution to Hard Mount a Thrustmaster TMX or T150

While the Ultimate Wheel Stand is an easy solution, it still involves using the table clamp which is not very stable. In that regards you are best to take a look at the adapter from Ricmotech. It’s inexpensive, easy to attach, and it works. Once you have the adapter in place it opens your choices up to almost any wheel stand or racing cockpit that you want. You can get the Ricmotech adapter here.

Related Products at Amazon

02. Deluxe Racing Steering Wheelstand for Thrustmaster T300RS(PS4) TX458(Xbox One)TX Leather,T150 and TMX! Original Wheel Stand Pro Stand V2. Wheel and Pedals Not included

$199.99

(as of 01-10-2016 12:47:17 UTC - Details)

04. Openwheeler Advanced Racing Seat Driving Simulator Gaming Chair with Gear Shifter Mount

$449.00

(as of 11-06-2018 21:20:57 UTC - Details)

05. GTR Racing Simulator - GTA Model with Real Racing Seat, Driving Simulator Cockpit Gaming Chair with Gear Shifter Mount

$319.99

(as of 09-05-2017 02:19:45 UTC - Details)

08. Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.99

(as of 20-03-2020 09:19:44 UTC - Details)

Do you own a TMX or T150? Do you have a custom solution that makes the table clamp more stable or allows you to hard mount your wheel? Let me know in the comments below.

The post How to Mount a Thrustmaster TMX or T150 to a Racing Seat or Wheel Stand first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

The tarmac doesn’t give you to much in the way of vibration or force feedback (FFB) and the dirt, grass, sand, and gravel provide too much force feedback! Compared to other Xbox One racing games, getting the settings for this one was pretty tough.

This is pretty disappointing after such a great experience with Horizon 2 and other recent games like Assetto Corsa having amazing force feedback.

In this article I’m gonna give you my settings and you can use them as a baseline for figuring out what works for you. Unfortunately Playground Games and Turn 10, dont give us much in the way of FFB settings to tweak…lots of deadzones, but thats not gonna help the FFB. So what we need to do is try to strike a balance between FFB, vibration, and wheel rotation that works for both street and off roading.

So far I have run FH3 with a Logitech G920, Thrustmaster TX, and Thrustmaster TMX. All the wheels performed similar, with the only difference being the Logitech G920 felt a bit clunky off road-road and I dialed the vibration down a little bit more to about 80.

Forza Horizon 3 Settings

For getting the FH3 wheel settings first I set the difficulty, then I used default layout 1 in the controls, and last I adjusted the advanced wheel settings.

Difficulty Settings

• Braking: ABS Off
• Steering: Simulation
• Traction Control: Off
• Stability Control: Off
• Shifting: Manual w/Clutch

Pro Tip: If you feel like your steering is a bit twitchy, particularly on a Logitech G920, try switching from simulation steering to normal.

Control Setting

If you use default layout 1, your settings will look like this:

Note the game has the clutch labeled as E-brake. It is mislabeled in the game.

• Layout: Default Layout 1
• Vibration: On
• Switch Gear Up/Down: Off
• Switch E-brake/Clutch: Off
• Switch Look Back Camera: Off
• Invert Vertical Look: Off
• Switch ANNA/Telemetry: Off

Advanced Wheel Control Settings

To access your advanced wheel control settings press “X” on your controller when you are on the basic controller setting screen. Below the settings I list here, I will share some details on what you might consider adjusting in order to make these settings better for you.

Note: The Wheel Rotation setting will not show on your menu, you have to scroll down on the list to get to it.

• Steering Axis Deadzone Inside: 0
• Steering Axis Deadzone Outside: 100
• Steering Linearity: 50
• Acceleration Axis Deadzone Inside: 0
• Acceleration Axis Deadzone Outside: 100
• Deceleration Axis Deadzone Inside: 0
• Deceleration Axis Deadzone Outside: 85
• Clutch Axis Deadzone Inside: 10
• Clutch Axis Deadzone Outside: 70
• E-Brake Axis Deadzone Inside: 10
• E-Brake Axis Deadzone Outside: 100
• Vibration Scale: 85
• Force feedback Scale: 100
• Wheel Rotation Angle: 510

Best Way to Make In-Game Adjustments

The settings above should be used as baseline, but are probably not gonna work for every one. If you are not getting what you want out of the wheel, try playing with these 3 settings: Vibration Scale, Force Feedback Scale, and Wheel Rotation Angle. You may be tempted to adjust the steering linearity, but in my opinion it’s best to leave it at 50, which is a 1:1 setting.

Vibration Scale

The wheel does not vibrate much on tarmac and it vibrates like crazy in the dirt (or the jungle). I found settings between 80 and 100 to feel pretty similar on the tarmac. The wheel doesn’t vibrate much anyway on the roads, so you are not losing much by dialing down the vibration. Now off road is the reason you should dial it down. Settings between 75 and 85 are probably a good range to start and you should test how it feels for you off road.

Note: I dialed the G920 down to about 80ish is it has a bit more of a choppy vibration feel.

Note: The two rims that delivered the best vibration where the Thrustmaster 599XX and my custom Momo Rim

Force Feedback

I personally didn’t find the force feedback to be tough enough on the streets and it was too heavy off road. After trying lots of combinations of settings leaving this at 100 seemed like the best idea. To get the wheel to behave a little bit tighter I found adjusting the wheel rotation angle to be a better way to add sump umph to the force feedback…

Wheel Rotation

With the wheel rotation angle set at 900 degrees it feels like a dead fish in your hands. To get some resistance out of the wheel when you turn, try dialing down the rotation angle. Try starting at 540 and dialing it down in 30 degree increments.

I personally found 360 to be much too low and the resistance too tight and causing understeer. Between 420 and 450 the force feedback got choppy in certain turns and felt like the resistance was turning and and off to create inconsistent resistance.

Other Settings

Horizon 3 does a good job describing the settings in the game for what they do so I am not going to get into what each of the settings mean. However I do want to call out two particular settings that I incorporate deadzone…

Deceleration Axis Deadzone Outside

I use a load cell brake mod on T3PA Pro Pedals and because it doen’t compress like the stock pedals on the G90, the TX, or the TMX wheels it’s good to add a little deadzone on the outside since your not hitting the range anyway. If you are using a load cell, you can dial this down pretty far.

If you are using Thrustmaster T3PA pedals with a concial brake mod, try setting the rubber stopper around 75% and then using the deadzone around 85.

Clutch Axis Deadzone Inside and Outside

I like to be able to quick tap the clutch without sacrificing to much wasted effort pushing the pedal all the way to the floor. Putting some deadzone on the outside shortens the throw distance of the pedal for you to reach 100% input. I also add a touch of deadzone on the inside of the pedal so that I can get my timing just right as I shift.

Best FH3 Steering Wheel Settings

Hopefully these settings will have you putting in some great circuit times in Horizon 3. While the wheel is alot of fun with game it just doesn’t deliver the same strength of FFB we got from Horizon 2 and even Forza Motorsport 6 for that matter. I don’t expect too much to change or a patch to come, I honestly think this is the best of what we will get on the Xbox One.

If my settings change over time as I get feedback from the community or I discover a way to get more out of the settings, I will return to this article and update the settings. You can read more about my Xbox One Racing Setup here.

Openwheeler Advanced Racing Seat Driving Simulator Gaming Chair with Gear Shifter Mount

$449.00

(as of 11-06-2018 21:21:05 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG Ferrari 599XX EVO Wheel Add-On, Alcantara Edition for PS4, PS3, Xbox One & PC

$179.99

(as of 20-02-2020 14:21:29 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.99

(as of 20-03-2020 09:19:48 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG TRJ12 USB Adapter for T3PA & T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Sets - PC

$14.99

(as of 16-01-2020 21:22:53 UTC - Details)

Are you enjoying Horizon 3 with your racing wheel? Have any tips and tricks for settings to share with other readers? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Forza Horizon 3 Best Steering Wheel Settings for Logitech and Thrustmaster Wheels on Xbox One first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

In this post I will show how I modded a set of Thrustmaster T3PA pedals to add aftermarket Sparco face plates, a few mistakes to avoid, and a handful of other tips.

To do this you only need a couple of tools and complete a few easy steps…

Before I get into the steps of how accomplish changing out your pedal plates I think it’s important to know why I selected this particular set of pedals…

Why I Choose to Mount Sparco Pedals

After doing a bit of research online to find some inspirations on what other sim racers had done, I found that the two most popular T3PA after market pedal options were the Sparco 03779AN Race Silver Pedal Set for $37 and the Custom Accessories 16005 Red Billet Manual Pedal Pad for $11.

For both pedal sets it seemed that in most peoples experience the holes were pretty close to the holes in the T3PA’s and some people remarked that they didnt even have to drill their clutch or brake pedal.

I choose the more expensive Sparco pedals for two reasons. First because I wanted a higher quality after market pedal by a brand known for making real racing pedals. Second because the throttle pedal has a nice extension on the bottom left of the face plate that makes a heel toe technique a bit easier.

Either pedal set though would work out fine because they are made of aluminum which is a soft metal and easy to drill through.

Comparison to Original Thrustmaster Face Plates

The stock Thrustmaster face plates are about twice as think and twice as heavy as the Sparco’s. That gave me a little cause for concern about the brake pedal, since I use a load cell mod and I put a lot of pressure on the pedal face(I haven’t seen any durability issues at all since I have mounted them).

The Sparco Race Pedals are not as shiny, but much more grippy than the stock T3PA plates. They also look much more impressive sitting next to the the metal floor plate on my T3PA Pro’s.

How to Mount Custom Pedal Plates to a Thrustmaster T3PA Set

This pedal plate mod can be done on either the T3PA Pro’s or T3PA Wide pedal sets. Both sets come with the same stock face plates and mounting device.

To do this customization I used a chainsaw file, a vice, and a drill press. Overall it took about 30 minutes from start to finish. You could use a hand drill, but it will be a little more difficult to keep steady slow drilling pressure.

Removing the Stock Pedal Plates

First you need an Allen wrench to remove the pedal plates from your throttle, brake, and clutch. Each pedal has two screws. Once your remove the screws you will see underneath the pedal a plastic black mounting device. This plastic piece can come off as well.

Pro Tip: You don’t need your whole pedal set in your garage, to test to see if your holes line up correctly you can use your pedal face plates and the black plastic mounting device.

File Down the Holes on Clutch and Brake

The clutch pedal and brake pedal on the Sparco’s are exactly the same and therefore we can treat them they same from a modding perspective. They are also fairly close to having perfect holes that line up with the T3PA black plastic mounting device, but the screw doesn’t quite fit through.

My first attempt was to use the drill press to shave off a little bit of one of the middle holes in order to widen it. After a few tries and being very conservative with the drill press, I opted for a better idea…a chainsaw file.

Pro Tip: For some pedals you may not have to drill at all. Using an inexpensive chainsaw file to widen your holes might be enough to get the job done.

Using a vice and a chainsaw file, in a matter of about 30 seconds I was able to file back the aluminum in the hole to the perfect fit against the mounting device. It didn’t take much filing or pressure to make the hole just big enough. Just use two hands one either side of the file, press down a little bit, and file the hole back and forth. When you are done, you should also use a little sandpaper on the pedal to file down any metal burrs that you can cut yourself on.

The holes on the brake and clutch pedals dont require to much adjustment.

Once you do one pedal (brake or clutch), you can apply the same technique to the other.

Drilling a Hole in The Throttle Pedal

For the throttle the holes just don’t line up and it requires a new hole drilled into the face plate. I decided that the pre-drilled hole I was using for mounting would be the top right hole on the pedal and then I would drill a custom hole exactly 1 inch beneath it.

First I took the plastic black mounting device and put it on top of the pedal and lined it up to the hole on the top right. Then I shaved a pencil to fit it into the hole on the mounting device and I marked my drilling spot on the face of the pedal. After I had a pencil mark, I then used a red marker to mark the spot.

Next I took a metal drill bit and pushed it through one of the original Thrustmaster pedal plates to make sure I was selecting the right size drill bit. It’s important to get the size right, too small won’t let your screw push through and too large will result in some wiggle.

I put a little bit of motor oil on the drill bit too help keep it cool and turning smoothly, put the pedal in a vice, and drilled the hole in the pedal. If you are using the same Sparco pedals I am, you will want to be careful not to get too close the the large billet hole in the pedal. Drilling through the aluminum was quick and painless.

Once you are done with the hole you can also counter sink the hole to match the other holes in the pedal. Not only will it help look consistent, but it will also help your Allen screw sit more flush in the hole.

Once you’re done drilling, you should use a bit of sandpaper to file back any metal burrs.

Pro Tip: If you have the ability to counter-sink the hole, it will help your Allen screw fit more flush in the hole.

Mounting the Pedals on your Set

Once you have your holes filed and drilled, you are good to mount them on your Thrustmaster T3PA set. If your holes are done correctly, the pedal plates will mount super easy and give your T3PA’s a nice racing look.

Final Thoughts on Changing Your Pedal Plates

There are alot of awesome pedal plates to choose, but in my opinion finding an aluminum pair that has holes close to the stock pedals makes life a little easier. For some pedals you may not even have to drill if the holes are 1 inch apart, its possible you could get by just using a chainsaw file. I am not 100% sure, but just looking at the red billet pedals below, I think it could work without a drill.

If you are interested in other customization ideas, you may want to check out, how to add vibration to your racing setup or how to add an after market wheel.

Custom Accessories 16005 Red Billet Manual Pedal Pad

$14.99

(as of 11-02-2020 22:27:34 UTC - Details)

Sparco 03779AN Race Silver Pedal Set

$39.45

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What do you think of the Sparco pedals mounted on the T3PA’s? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Thrustmaster T3PA Pedals Mod – How to Add After Market Pedal Plates first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

I’ve had a chance to play around with the TX and TMX on the Xbox One and the T300 and T150 on the PS4…below are my settings.

First I’d like to say that I am extremely happy with the amount of force feedback that Assetto Corsa delivers and I am equally disappointed in the amount of settings to customize. Given the amount of options the PC version of the game has, hopefully there will be day where we can set deadzones, saturatin, linearity, etc…

For better of for worse these are my settings and they should give you a good starting point. If you want to know more about what each setting does, below I will break down what each parameter does and offer a few suggestions for finding what you like.

It’s worth noting that I usually like a heavier wheel and a substantial feeling of environmental effects to enhance immersion, which not be best for you.

ThrustMaster TX and T300 Settings for Assetto Corsa

The TX and the the T300 performed very similarly and I found that the same set of settings felt good with both wheels.

• Force Feedback: 35
• Curbs FFB: 45
• Road FFB:52
• Slip FFB: 25
• Understeer Effects: OFF
• Use H-Shifter: ON

ThrustMaster TMX and T150 Settings for Assetto Corsa

The TX and the the TMX performed very similarly and I found that the same set of settings felt good with both wheels. Overall these two wheels felt a bit weaker in the force feedback and I found the curbs and road effects made the wheels react a little bit clunky.

• Force Feedback: 42
• Curbs FFB: 25
• Road FFB: 30
• Slip FFB: 20
• Understeer Effects: OFF
• Use H-Shifter: ON

What Do the Advanced Wheel Settings Mean on the Consoles

AC sure doesn’t give us racers a lot to adjust on the Xbox One and PS4. From my testing and driving with several wheels here is what I have been able to determine for what each parameter does.

Force Feedback

This is the feedback you feel in the steering wheel as it fights to return to the centering position. It is a pulling feeling from left or right and simulates your tires and their available traction as it relates to your speed and slip angle. 0% is no force feedback which makes the wheel have no resistance and easy to turn left and right. 100% is maximum resistance and is hardest to turn.

Pro Tip: A good track to find your force feedback settings on is the Nurburgring GP. The Track offers variety of different turns, changes in elevation, and is pretty demaanding on your steering wheel.

Curbs FFB

This is feedback you feel through the wheel rim when you drive over curbs, lips on the track, rumble strips and the like. The Curb FFB is not a pull on the wheel like force feedback, but a percentage of how much hard vibration (shake) you want to feel from hitting curbs and such. The Curbs FFB are a harder vibration than Road FFB. 0% is no vibration from the curbs and 100% is maximum vibration.

Pro Tip: A good track to find your Curbs FFB settings is Magione. The Track has elevated rumble strips and high curbs inside of them. Go to the track and run over them to see how your wheel reacts and adjust your percentages accordingly.

Road FFB

This is the feedback you feel through the wheel rim from the track itself. The Road FFB does not pull on the wheel like force feedback it is a percentage of how much vibration you want to feel from the bumps in the track. The Road FFB vibrations are more subtle than the Curbs FFB. 0% is no vibration from the bumps in the road and 100% is maximum vibration.

Pro Tip: A good track to find your Road FFB settings in the 1966 Version of Monza Full. Ride on the outside of turn 1 and turn 2 (the big burm turns), the road is really bumpy. Figure out how much feedback you want based off the way your wheel feels there..

Slip FFB

This is a fictional parameter that is meant to simulate the feeling of traction loss in your tires. It is a percentage of how loose your steering wheel feels when your tires lose traction. 0% is no effect when tires loss traction and 100% is very loose.

UnderSteer Effect

This effect is a fictional parameter that is supposed to emulate the feeling of traction loss in your front tires. When your tires brake traction with the track the resistance in the wheel gets lite by cutting off (or diminishing) the force feedback. Once your tires regain grip your force feedback kicks back in at its full setting. You can set this to ON or OFF.

Use H-Shifter

The setting should only be set to ON if you have the Thrustmaster TH8A shifter hooked up. This will make the shifter active. When it is set to ON it disables your paddle shifters. When set to OFF it disables of TH8a shifter and enables your paddle shifters.

AC FFB Settings Wrap Up

Hopefully these settings can get you moving in the right direction with your racing wheel. Overall I found the force feedback to be monsterous on 100 and I am always happy to have to dial it down (I’d rather that than not have enough i.e. F1 2015). I ran all of these Thrustmaster wheels with the T3PA Pro pedals with a load cell mod kit and a TH8A shifter with a short shift mod kit.

As I haven’t had a lot of time with the game, my settings may be subject to change a bit. I will update this post if I make any changes.

Related Sim RAcing Products at Amazon

Openwheeler Advanced Racing Seat Driving Simulator Gaming Chair with Gear Shifter Mount

$449.00

(as of 11-06-2018 22:22:24 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.95

(as of 11-03-2020 20:23:25 UTC - Details)

If you have any feedback for me on these parameters or want to share your own, please do so in the comments below.

The post Best Racing Wheel Settings for Assetto Corsa With Thrustmaster Wheels on Xbox One and PS4 first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

A driver who practices knows how to:
– Manage tyres to last
– Outbrake opponents into a corner entry
– Catch the late apex for speedy turn exits
– Get max speed on the straights

In this article we will discuss some of the best tips and tricks for you to practice so you can reduce your lap times and grab more podium finishes in Formula One 2016.

A good driver beats a good tune any day so first we will hit on driving techniques and then move into some other strategies for shaving seconds off your laps.

Before I get into the tips it’s important to have a frame of reference for the race settings I am using. Later in the article I will discuss assists.

My F12016 Race Settings For Simulation Racing

Now these settings of course are subject to how you drive and play the game. I tend to race on the difficulty level LEGEND as I am still working my way up to ultimate.

• AI Driver Level: Legend
• Flashbacks: On or OFF
• Parc Femme Rules: On
• Vehicle Damage Simulation: On
• Safety Car: On
• Corner Cutting Stringency: Regular
• Formation Lap: On
• Race Starts: Manual

A few notes about these settings: Keeping flashbacks set to on will allow you to learn how to make clean overtakes and smooth corners. The best way to correct your deficiencies is to continue to practice the situations were your skills are weak…so when you mess up use the flashback to see your mistake and practice again.

I also think its important to keep damage on simulation and corner cutting on regular so that you don’t drive like a maniac and cheat the track boundaries.

Let’s get into…

Below we will discuss a variety of topics such as tyres, braking, cornering, shifting, car setups, game settings, and more.

Choosing the Right Tyres and Managing Them Correctly

Tyre management is extremely important in F1 2016. This will be a major part of determining how fast you are or how many times you need to pit.

Here are how the tyre compounds work:

• Super Soft Compound:
  – Fastest speeds, most grip, most tyre wear
  – Good for slow twisty circuits and short qualifying laps
• Soft Compound:
  – Fast speeds, good grip, moderate tyre wear
  – Good for start of race on full fuel and “sprint” laps at the end
• Medium Compound:
  – Average speed, average grip, average tyre wear
  – Best on circuits with long straights, high speeds, and temperatures
• Hard Compound:
  – Slowest speed, least grip, least tyre wear
  – Good for tracks with fast corners or rough surfaces – slow to warm up

*I’m skipping Inters and Wets as those are situational tyre sets.

To understand how different the compounds perform it is easiest if you compare results. Here are the results of stint at Barcelona with Soft, Mediums, and Hards:

• Soft Compound: 17 laps | best time 1:32:749
• Medium Compound: 33 laps | best time 1:36:644
• Hard Compound: 35 laps | best time 1:37:229

You can see how above how the durability and performance differs per compound. Now I am not the best or most consistent driver, but you can see what my results illustrate for lap times and tyre degradation.

Pro Tip: It is your job to strike a balance between performance and tyre management. Every aggressive move you make effects tyre wear, so when you make a move…make it count! .

For the most part listen to your race engineer. He will make suggestions based on how you drive. If he is telling you to change tyres, see if you can find an opportunity when the safety car is out and say “Box this lap”. Hit the pits and get the change…your goal is to get the most out of your tyres by managing their wear throughout the race.

The below tips apply to all of the tyre compounds.

Pro Tips to Reduce Tyre Wear in Formula 1 2016:

With good tyre management strategy you can keep your car on the track longer, maintain top speeds, and brake efficiently through your corners. So with that being said, let’s talk braking and then move into corners.

Braking Techniques for Racing and How to Apply Them

There are a few braking techniques that you need to consider for quick laps in F12016. A good driver develops a level of proficiency of all of these and applies the correct technique to the situation at hand. Before I get into the techniques…lets just touch on the 3 phases of braking.

Braking Phase 1: When you first apply the brake you want to be fast on the pedal, but not instantly applying max force. You want to apply as much force as possible without crossing the threshold of locking up.

When done correctly, the front end of the car will settle in and you will feel the micro-vibrations in your racing wheel or controller…these vibrations are your feedback to determine how your front tires are handling the pressure.

Braking Phase 2: To make the car stop or slow down you must interpret the cars reaction to the brake pressure you applied. Here you will ease up or apply more pressure based on the vibrations. Example if you feel the car losing the back end, ease up on the brake.

Braking Phase 3: This occurs at the end of the braking zone when the car has slowed down to a comfortable cornering speed. You gradually release pressure off the brake, so you transition from max brake pressure smoothly down to zero brake pressure, which will increase your available traction.

Pro Tip: Releasing the brake fast will reduce grip and traction, which is the last thing you want to do on a corner turn in.

Braking is Over: Feather the throttle or ease it down through the corner.

Pro Tip: Find landmarks on or off the track that will indicate to you when to brake. memorizing these markers will help you to be consistent with your braking distances.

Pro Tip: The less time you spend braking the faster you will be.

Now that we hit on the breaking basics…here are the techniques you should practice.

Threshold Braking

This technique is also known as straight-line braking and is the best technique to learn for newbie sim racers. Braking in a straight line gets your car under control before the turn in.

The key to threshold braking is to get as close as you can to locking up the brakes (or engaging ABS if you have assists on) while keeping your front tyres straight. You want to find the ideal point in your brake pedal between enough pressure and lock up which will allow you to brake late and maintain efficiency.

To find the sweet spot in your brakes you need to feel for the micro-vibrations in your controller or steering wheel. You have to practice to know exactly what the lock up feel like and learn to stop your brake pressure just before that point. Threshold braking is super effective in situations where there are long straights with hair pins at the ends of them.

Pro Tip: If you feel the car starting to lock the brakes, gently apply less pressure, but keep enough pressure on to stay within your braking threshold.

Cadence Braking

This technique can go hand in hand with threshold braking. It is a bit more advanced, but it allows you to steer while you apply brake pressure. It’s good for giving you time to steer around a collision while slowing the car down.

Cadence braking is done by pumping the brake pedal repeatedly which will cause the wheels to lock and unlock. Doing this allows you to do a bit of steering while simultaneously slowing down the car. It isn’t as efficient as threshold braking and if you do it in a straight line you actually increasing your braking distances which is bad.

Pro Tip: Cadence braking also works well in emergency braking situations or last second turn in corrections.

Pro Tip: Cadence braking is best in low grip situations like wet tarmac.

Trail Braking

This technique allows you to rotate the back end of the into a corner. Unlike the threshold and cadence techniques, trail braking works well past the normal braking point, as close as to the corner entry as possible and when done correctly can provide a fast efficient corner turn in.

To trail brake, you need to apply the brake as you normally would in a straight line except here you only want about 80% of the threshold. Then you steer the car into the turn in while applying the remaining 20% of the brake threshold.

This technique is hard to master, because it is requires you to brake late and aggressively. It’s effective because if allows you to carry your momentum and high speed into the corner. By flying into the corner and braking late you shift the weight of the car to the front increasing the traction, decreasing rear grip. You will get a bit of oversteer when you turn in, but it will also aid you by making you steer less on entry and exit of the corner.

Pro Tip: If you are braking way to late trying to trail brake you will have to much slip angle and cause the rear tyres to slide. This will reduce your lap times by tenths of a second and create excessive wear on your tyres.

Mistakes with trail braking will take you right of the track or cause accidents. This technique requires practice, a good feel for the car, and maximum familiarity with braking zones on a track.

Left Foot Braking

This is literally what it is. If you use a wheel and pedal set for F1 2016 then you are using your left foot to brake. If you are using a controller then you are actually already left foot braking because you use two hands.

Using your left foot to brake has a few advantages, but takes a little while to get used to. In comes in handy if you’re approaching a corner much too fast, you just apply a “touch”of brake with your left foot (key word is touch, don’t jam on the brake) while maintaining the throttle with your right foot. This keeps the car under control and keeps your momentum for faster turn exit speed. Essentially what you are doing is controlling the weight transfer of the car between the front and rear tyres.

Using the left foot braking technique described above is particularly effective in rally games like DiRT Rally with FWD cars, but I have found it handy in F1 2016 for adding stability when I have hit the corner entry with too much speed. It’s worth noting though you shouldn’t abuse this or apply the brake to hard because it causes your rear end to slide which results in tyre wear.

The other advantage of left foot braking which is very applicable to Formula One is that you decrease the time you spend transforming your right foot from the throttle to the brake pedal.

Pro Tip: Done correctly left foot braking can get you from understeer to neutralsteer to oversteer in the least amount of time possible.

If you Use a Pedal Set, Add a Load Cell Brake to Reduce Lock Up

If you race with a sim racing setup, a load cell brake will reduce your braking distances and help prevent brake lock up which is pretty sensitive in F1 2016. A load cell brake measures the amount of pressure you apply to the pedal and translates it into stopping power. A standard pedal set like the Thrustmaster T3PA’s or the pedals on the Logitech G920 or G29 have potentiometers which means it applies more brake the further you push the pedal.

Some pedals from high end wheel brands like Fanatec come with a load cell brake. If you have T3PA Pro pedals, you can add a load cell brake to them.

Corner Entry, Apexes, and Corner Exits…The Key To Fast Laps

Racers aren’t won in the corners, but they are often lost. Cornering requires lots of braking and throttle discipline, which most people just don’t have because it requires patience.

Every corner has 3 parts: Entry, apex, and exit.

Corner Entry

Your corner approach should be a straight line wide approach still on the accelerator prior to the corner. Then followed by braking and gear changing, the corner turn in, and neutral throttle or trial braking prior to the apex.

The Apex

The apex is the mid point around the corner. Below is a standard turn in for a hard right hander that catches the mid apex. The mid apex allows you to carry the highest amount of average speed into a turn.

You may be surprised, but carrying the highest avg speed through the turn is actually not the fastest way around a corner…

Late Apex = Fast Corners

Using the same approach as above (wide with all your braking and gear changes done prior to turn in), you turn in a little bit later which will allow you to catch the late apex, which occurs just after the mid point of the corner.

This will get you better exit speed because it allows you to straighten your wheel faster and apply heavier throttle.

Pro Tip: The more time you spend with your tyres pointed straight and your throttle on the floor the faster your lap time will be. The Late Apex allows you to do that!

Early Apex = Overtaking

The early apex, which occurs just before the mid point of the corner also can has it’s merits, it’s a good overtaking move pre-apex.

The diagram below illustrates the difference between a late apex and the early apex as it applies to a hairpin turn.

Notice with early apex (shown above on the right) you end up wide on your turn exit…that is often effective to block the driver you have just over taken. Also note how much sooner you get on the throttle in the late apex diagram.

When to Use Each Apex Technique

Use the Mid Apex When Carrying Speed Into The Corner

If you have a lot of speed coming into the corner, you need a route that minimizes the corner radius which reduces cornering force and provides some grip for maintaining your speed. The mid apex is normally the traditional racing line. In this instance you would look to clip the rumble strip on the inside of the turn at exactly the halfway point.

Early Apex is Great If You Are Inside of The Racing Line

If you are late braking or are trying to outbrake someone on the inside line you want to make the early apex of the corner as straight as possible. This will help you apply the brakes without much steering input (threshold braking) and lower the risk of losing stability.

The downside to the early apex is that you come into the corner fast, but have the slowest exit speed. If you have overtaken someone float your car towards the outside of the track and block the driver.

Pro Tip: The early apex is ideal when entering a corner where the following straight is shorter than the straight before the next corner. It also effective if you are trying to outbrake another driver from the inside line.

Late Apex Maximizes Corner Exit Speed

Your goal of almost any corner is a high exit speed. You use the late apex to increase your corner radius by taking a line that provides the earliest possibility of getting on the throttle. To nail the late apex you have to get your wheels straight on the exit as early as you can. Is easier to execute with a slightly lower turn entry speed.

This is where the term slow in and fast out really applies. By slowing down early and catching the late apex you are increasing your chance at achieving maximum speed on the following straight.

Pro Tip: The late apex is the fastest way through a corner.

Corner Exit

Now that we have hit the turn in and the apex, lets touch on the exit. A good turn exit uses all of the track, allows you to straighten your wheels prior to applying full throttle, and then eases down on the throttle only reaching maximum pedal compression when the car is under control.

Pro Tip: If you are losing the car in the corner exit, you have applied too much throttle too fast. Ease back on the accelerator.

Not all corners are built equal…This leads us to which corner on the race track is the most crucial one to nail in F1 2016.

The Most Important Corner is the One Prior to a Straight

In the Formula One 2016 game there are lots of tracks and lots of corners. While they all seem like they will significantly affect your lap times there is one corner type will kill your hot laps more than any other of you mess it up; the corner before a long straight.

If you are in a series of corners and you botch the first one it is not that hard to recover, you can simply brake and get back on the racing line.If you botch the corner before a long straight or take an early apex approach you risk a slow corner exit which doesn’t allow you to achieve maximum speed down the long straight-away.

Let’s look at Catalunya for example:

The two most important turns to nail are turn 9 and turn 16. Why? Look how long the straight-aways are, plus they are DRS zones. Your goal is to be on the throttle as fast as possible on turn exit so you can achieve top speed on the straight. The more times you hit your top speeds on the straights, the faster your laps will be.

Pro Tip: On corners before long straight aways try to catch the late apex for the best exit speed.

Pro Tip: Avoid overtaking on these corners, its too much risk of bumping and/or ruining your line which will slow you down on the straight. If you catch the late apex correctly you increase the chance of passing your opponent on the straight.

We have addressed tyres, braking, and cornering and next up is making sure you take full advantage of the straights.

Getting to Max Speed on the Straight-Aways

A great straight away starts with a great turn exit that uses all of the track, four tyres gripping the pavement, front wheels pointed straight, and easing down on the throttle steadily. Hitting max speed on the straights will have a huge effect on your lap times.

Pro Tip: Once you are on a straight away the less you do with the steering inputs the faster your car will go.

Pro Tip: Long straights are the ideal time to talk to your pit crew and make routine car adjustments. If your race engineer is yapping at you through a corner…tell him to “shut up”!

One of the keys to ensuring you hit max speed is to be in the ideal gear on corner exits which means you need to learn how to shift.

If You Want Better Lap Times You Must Use Manual Gearing

Manual gearing feels daunting if you have always been playing on automatic. By using the manual gearbox you can shave 3-4 seconds per lap of your time.

When you use automatic the game shifts for you, which creates two problems: First it shifts on a delay which loses you time and second it doesn’t always downshift into an ideal gear through corners which can cause to much speed and loss of grip.

Manual gearing puts you in control to not only select the ideal gear, but you can short shift in order to increase grip into a turn or reduce wheel spin on turn exit.

Pro Tip: On tight turns stay in the powerband as long as you can before your last down shift into a corner. This will help the car stay stable on the turn in. You want your last shift to be right before the apex.

Pro Tip: On tight corner exits when you are getting back on the throttle its ok to upshift a gear quickly to help reduce wheel spin and get your car under control.

Pro Tip: Always go into your corners with a plan for which gear you need to be in before the apex and which gear you need to come out in.

How To Setup Your Formula One Car in the Game

One area that I don’t have a lot of experience in is setting up cars. I found the five setup’s CodeMaster’s offers to be pretty good and should satisfy the average racer…with the “Balanced” setup being the most practical.

However to squeeze more out of your laps, then you have to squeeze more out of your car…to do that you will have to customize your setup.

I found the video tutorial below by TRL Limitless to be extremely insightful.

In the video above he teaches you what all of the set up parameters do.

If you don’t want to learn and just want some numbers to plug in (trust me I get it), you can also checkout some of his setup videos. These videos show you his exact setups for each track and the optimum time he achieved on the leaderboards.

Here are a few formula 1 car setups for specific tracks that I found helpful:

• Hungary Hotlap + Setup (1:19.392)
• Austria Hotlap + Setup (1:06.951)
• Baku Hotlap + Setup (1:40.210)
• Silverstone Hotlap + Setup (1:29.800)
• China Hotlap + Setup (1:33.887)
• Click Here for more setups

TRL Limitless is a great follow on Youtube and recommend you subscribe to his channel.

Understating How to Launch at the Start of a Race

A great lap time starts with a great launch. Getting off the line quickly can make or brake your position in the first critical turn.

To time the start you need to hold in the clutch (upshift button), apply the right amount of throttle, and release the clutch at the exact time that the 5 red starting lights disappear. For Xbox One you hold in the “A” button or PS4 the “X” button, while you simultaneously apply the right trigger to raise your RPM’s.

The key for each car is to find the optimal RPM range for the perfect launch.

Here is how your launch will be effected by the RPM’s:

• RPM’s too low: To much grip with no power to push the car, slow start
• RPM’s perfect: Smooth consistent fast launch
• RPM’s too high: To much power causes wheel spin, slow start
• RPM’s MAX: Wheel spin and back end shimmey, slow start

The RPM’S not only varies from car to car, but also can be affected by your cars parts. In addition if you have the traction control assist ON it will slow your cars acceleration off the line even if you nail the perfect balance between rpm’s and releasing the clutch.

Pro Tip: It’s faster to air on the side of high RPM’s if you can manage to control your car through excess wheel spin. That doesn’t mean go max rpm, but slightly over optimized is better than under and having the car bog down.

Timing the Starting Lights

The 5 starting lights take a little bit of practice on each track to adjust to.The moment the 5 lights disappear you have about a half a second to release the clutch for a perfect start. To soon and you will get a pre-race penalty and too late will result in a delay off the line.

Pro Tip: You can turn off manual starts pre-race if you need to, but it’s a slower launch. You can also do manual starts even if you are using automatic gearing…after launch you just won’t need to worry about upshifting.

In Game Assists Can Slow You Down

There is no shame in racing with assists if thats how you enjoy the game, but if your goal is to win more races then you need to start minimizing your reliance on assits.

To change your assists navigate to Preferences > Assists. Here are the assists available…

Here is how I suggest you set your assists to achieve the fastest possible lap times.

Braking Assist: OFF
Braking assist allows the game to apply the brakes for you. This will slow you down and limit your ability to apply the throttle. Keep this setting OFF.

Anti-Lock Brakes: OFF
Anti-lock brakes slow you down because they increase your braking distances and limit your ability to use late braking on your corner entrance. Sure it helps prevent your brakes from locking, but it comes at the cost of lap time.

Pro Tip: If you are new to F1 2016 and are locking your brakes up a lot don’t turn this setting ON. Learn to start your braking earlier and being more gradual on your brake pedal compression. ABS doesn’t have a lot of bang for the buck…you can still lock the brakes anyway.

Traction Control: OFF
Traction Control System (TCS) is activated when throttle input and engine torque are mismatched to road surface conditions resulting in brake force being applied to one or more wheels. Leaving this setting ON will slow your car down an you will lose tenths of seconds per lap, but it will help your car behave more consistently.

Pro Tip: If you struggle with TCS OFF, lower the AI difficulty level and practice. When you learn to drive without it, you will be much faster.

Dynamic Racing Line: OFF
This setting is up to you. If you are new to these tracks and need to learn them then at a minimum you should set this to CORNERS ONLY. Ideally though you want to work towards racing line OFF. Practicing though with it on will help you gain consistency.

Pro Tip: Don’t confuse the racing line to mean the fastest line. CodeMasters gives you the basic racing line, not the fastest.

Gearbox: MANUAL
Manual is a must for faster lap times. It allows you to determine when you up shift or downshift. The advantage is that you can stay in the power band for longer and use shifting to increase grip on turn in’s.

Pro Tip: If you are new to manual shifting set this to MANUAL WITH SUGGESTED GEAR. This will help you learn when and where to shift. If you feel like you are shifting to much keep in mind it isn’t uncommon to shift gears more than 60 times per laps on some tracks.

Pit Assist: OFF
Pit assist automatically manages your car when you enter pit lane. Keep this OFF to reduce your time in pit lane.

Pro Tip: Fast manual pit stops start with braking as late as possible to reduce the amount of time you lose in the pits. You have to strike a balance between braking late and speeding to avoid penalties. Done correctly this will save time.

Other Resources for CodeMasters F1 2016 Game

There are handful of other resources that can help you become a better sim racer and/or find other tips, tricks, and car racing setups for F1-2016.

Ross Bentley’s Ultimate Speed Secrets

This is a book one of my blog readers put me onto and it has been a valuable asset to making me a better sim racer. I know it may seem silly to buy a book to help you with a game, but if you are serious about improving your lap times its a great purchase for about $20 at Amazon.

The book has a lot of great general racing tips and tricks that can be applied to almost any racing game. There are also several other books Ross Bentley books in the series that are worth taking a look at.

Websites, Blogs, and Forums

• Virtual Throttle
• CodeMasters F1 Mega Thread on Reddit
• CodeMasters Blog
• Codemasters Formula One Forum

Related Products at Amazon

Logitech Driving Force G920 Racing Wheel, Force Feedback Steering Wheel

$235.99

(as of 18-03-2020 11:21:14 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback racing wheel for Xbox One and WINDOWS

$199.93

(as of 19-03-2020 12:20:41 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.95

(as of 11-03-2020 20:23:25 UTC - Details)

Thrustmaster VG TX Racing Wheel Leather Edition Premium Official Xbox One Racing Wheel for Xbox One and PC

$474.06

(as of 18-03-2020 21:23:27 UTC - Details)

Now Go Win Your Races

I hope you found the F1 racing advice helpful and would consider sharing this on social media. Writing these types articles always creates alot of debate as people have their own opinions about the best techniques. Feel free to leave any thoughts or insightful tips in the comments below as the F10216 community can benefit from your input.

The post 27 Tips for Faster Lap Times in CodeMasters F1 2016 first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

A wheel puts you in the perfect cockpit position and simulates the feeling of every bump in the road and losing traction as you fight to shave every second off your lap time. Plus with awesome simulation physics engine and beautifully recorded car sounds I would score the game a 10 out of 10 for force feedback and a 8 out of 10 for immersion!

The Assetto Corsa driving physics engine was engineered to bring the most realistic racing experience onto your Xbox console…if you want to experience the full range of driving physics than you need the right tool for the right job.

Best Steering Wheel for Assetto Corsa on Xbox One

There are several different brands of racing wheels available for Assetto Corsa on the Xbox One, but the three most popular are the Fanatec CSL Elite, The Thrustmaster TX, and The Logitech G920. All the wheels work well with and offer a great sim experience. Below I will rank them in order of performance as they pertain to creating an immersive racing experience with the game.

All of the steering wheels below are compatible with the both on the Xbox Console and PC.

1. Fanatec CSL Elite Bundle ($640)

The Fanatec CSL Elite wheel is undoubtedly the most accurate affordable racing wheel for Assetto Corsa on your x box console. The force feedback is strong, quiet, and precise which emulates a feel of traction loss as you speed through sweeping turns. It is the only option that comes standard a load cell brake and a 3 pedal set that has a unique resistance for each pedal. This driving system offers the most adjustability to tailor the equipment to your exact preferences. The bundle also comes with the Assetto Corsa game.

Fanatec wheels are only available through their website and you would need to put purchase the CSL Elite bundle or select the individual components to save a few bucks, by leaving the game out of your shopping cart. Previously the company had released a high end Forza Motorsport Xbox One Bundle, which was priced at whopping $1,400. There new offering, CSL Elite performs really well and is much more competitively priced for console racing.

The Three Components of the Fanatec CSL Elite Bundle

Pictured above from left to right are the P1 Steering Wheel ($140), the Elite Wheel Base ($300), and the Elite Pedals ($200). So all that totals to $640…so essentially you are getting AC for free.

The core of the system is the wheel base, which is powered by an efficient brushless motor and a single belt drive. It offers degrees of rotation adjustable from 1080 down to 90 degrees.

Options

You could also add the Clubsport Shifter SQ V 1.5 ($200) if you wanted to step things up a notch.

If you were looking at a different configuration you can purchase the wheelbase by itself and choose a different wheel rim. You could also save a few bucks if you wanted to get just a two pedal set for $80.

Who Should By The CSL Elite

If you are looking for a solid simulation on the Xbox One, want a wheel by a high end manufacturer, and are willing to spend a few extra bucks for top quality this steering wheel setup is for you. The Fanatec Forza Xbox One Bundlle the highest end wheel on the market that is playable on the console, but the CSL Elite delivers a similar quality for about $700 less.

One thing that makes the CSL Elite Assetto Corsa Bundle a bit more practical for console racers is the wheel base is mountable on cockpits, wheel stands, or desk/tables via the included table clamp, while the Forza Motorsport Edition is cockpit mount only.

Why Do I Rate Fanatec #1 Over The Other Wheels

From a build quality perspective it is a true piece of craftsmanship. All of the components are made of high quality parts and machined perfectly. It offers many upgrade options like adding several different full size racing wheels, you can add a universal hub which allows for play on PS4 and PC, the 16 bit resolution brake pedals come standard with a load cell and you can adjust the pounds of pressure. The pedal set is by far the best set available amongst mid priced wheels.

From a performance perspective it translates the perfectly laser scanned tracks from Assetto Corsa and allows you to feel every bump in the road. The Fanatec CSL wheel maximizes the precision of the force feedback and immersion that is created by the accurate handling physics of AC. If there was one aspect of the wheel I thought needed improvement it would be the auto-centering mechanism.

Another great selling point on Fanatec is they are known for outstanding customer service

If you want to read more about what Fanatec has to offer you can read my full review here.. This wheel will release from Fanatec this fall and begin shipping in October.

2. Thrustmaster TX Leather Edition ($470)

The Thrustmaster TX is a great mid-priced option for AC and provides strong, quiet, and smooth force feedback. The TX translates the feel of the road really well and gives you a realistic sense of how the cars are performing. The TX Leather edition comes standard with a leather rim and a 3 pedal set that features a progressive brake. It has a better auto-centering mechanism than the CSL Elite which makes for a better natural driving experience.

You can get the Thrustmaster TX at retailers or at sites like Amazon. It comes in several different packages such as the 458 Italia Edition ($300), The GT Leather edition ($470), or you can buy the TX servo base ($250) and then add on any Thrustmaster wheel rim ($150+), pedal set ($150), and TH8A shifter ($150).

Who Should Buy the Thrustmaster TX

The TX is the perfect wheel for console racers because of it’s great ability to translate the feel of the road for a reasonable price. It has a lot of upgrade options and would be ideal for someone looking to get a wheel now and then upgrade as you want a better rim, pedal set, or to add a shifter. This wheel offers 3 mounting options: racing cockpits, wheel stands, and desk or table mounting via the included table clamp.

Why Do I Rate The Thrustmaster TX Under The CSL Elite

The TX contains some plastic components and the 3 pedal set isn’t as sophisticated as the CSL Elite. The Fanatec has many more upgrade options including full size rims and comes standard with a 16 bit resolution load cell brake.

From a performance perspective the Fanatec wheel base has stronger force feedback which is great for Assetto Corsa, but force feedback isnt everything. For example, I don’t love the rim on the Fanatec wheel and it does not auto-center as good as the TX. What the CSL Rim does have is a cool feature where you can save up to five settings on your wheel which is great for setting your force feedback and sensitivity different for certain cars.

Considering the TX wheel is $200 less than the Fanatec CSL and still performs and feels fantastic, I really like this wheel with AC. For more info on the TX Leather Edition you can read more here.

3. Logitech G920 ($320)

The G920 is a solid wheel for AC because of it’s mid range price point, 3 pedal set, and decent force feedback. The G920 feels solid with the game and does a good job of giving you the feel of the car and the road. This wheel is from the same brand as the G27 which is many sim racers favorite wheel for the PC version of AC.

You can get the G920 at various online retailers and Amazon. The 920 only has one upgrade options as it comes with a 3 pedal set, wheelbase, and leather rim. The only add on is the Driving Force Shifter ($60).

Who Should Buy The Logitech G920

The 920 is ideal for someone on a limited budget looking to purchase a mid priced wheel. If you have no interest in purchasing upgraded rims or higher end pedal sets, you could get the G920 and add on shifter for a total of about $400. This wheel also has 3 mounting options such as cockpit, wheel stand, and table/desk via the included table clamp. The 920 also has a great 2 year warranty (TX is only 1 year).

Why Do I Rate the G920 Below the TX

The TX has a better motor that contains frictionless sensors, a dual belt drive, and is brushless…while the mechanism for the G920 is helical gearing. Helical gearing produces less efficient power, weaker force feedback, and is not as quiet as the brushless motor in the TX. In addition the TX pedals have 10 bit resolution while the 920 pedals only have 8 bit resolution.

Despite it’s few flaws the leather rim feels really good and it works great with AC. You can still feel traction loss and every bump in the raod. If you want to read more about this wheel and pedal set you can read a more indepth review here.

Final Thoughts on the Best Wheel for AC

All of these wheels feel great with AC and the real decision you need to make is based on how much money are you comfortable spending for your Xbox console. While the Fanatec certainly has the strongest force feedback and best pedals, the other two options are less expensive and still offer great racing experience with AC.

My personal recommendation since this game is more simulated than any racing title to date would be the Fanatec CSL Elite setup.

Assetto Corsa Steering Wheels and Related Items at Amazon

02. Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition

$349.99

(as of 19-03-2020 19:21:50 UTC - Details)

03, Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback racing wheel for Xbox One and WINDOWS

$199.63

(as of 19-03-2020 19:21:50 UTC - Details)

05. Logitech Driving Force G920 Racing Wheel, Force Feedback Steering Wheel

$235.99

(as of 18-03-2020 03:21:11 UTC - Details)

06. Thrustmaster VG Ferrari 458 Spider Racing Wheel - Xbox One

$99.99

(as of 17-02-2020 23:20:11 UTC - Details)

08. F1 2016 - Xbox One

$13.95

(as of 17-03-2020 19:20:48 UTC - Details)

09. Forza Horizon 3 - Ultimate Edition - Xbox One

$79.99

(as of 05-03-2020 06:20:15 UTC - Details)

Which X Box One steering wheel are you most interested in for Assetto Corsa? Let me know in the comments below

The post Best Racing Wheel for Assetto Corsa on Xbox One first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.

So far I have tested the game with the Thrustmaster TX, TMX and Logitech G920 on the Xbox One and the T300 and T150 on the PS4. For all of the steering wheels I found they performed fairly consistently across all the models and you could generally perform well with the default settings. There are however a few points worth discussing around tweeking the settings to your preferences/ racing style.

For the most part the menus for Force Feedback Settings and for Advanced Wheel Settings haven’t changed since the 2015 version of the game. With that being said though, there have been improvements in the feel of the wheel and the handling physics in F1 2016. While I have only tested these settings on the Xbox One and PS4, I would expect them to hold true for the PC as well.

Ok, lets get into the basic steering wheel settings menu’s and if you want to know a bit more about what some of the settings mean then read on…

Default Settings

By default all your force feedback (FFB) settings will be at 100 and all your advanced wheel settings will be set to 0. Having the sliders set to 0 means no changes to the input and your wheel and pedals will perform at a 1:1 ratio.

F1 2016 Force Feedback Settings

These are the exact force feedback settings I use for all of the Thrustmaster wheels. These should serve as a good baseline for you and then you can use my setting notes to figure out how to fine tune to your preferences.

To access the settings: Go to the Force Feedback Options menu.

Force Feedback Options:

• Force Feedback: ON
• Force Feedback Strength: 100
• Environmental Feedback: 60
• Wheel Weight: 60

What Do the F12016 FFB Settings Mean:

Force Feedback: I found the force feedback to be ok, but not over powering. I would prefer to have to reduce it, but in this game it wasn’t necessary. There are two places you could change your FFB strength: in the game menus or you could also check your wheel settings by plugging your wheel into a PC and adjusting the strength in the wheel calibrations. The FFB strength settings will determine how much of your car you feel like loosing grip in the back end.

Environmental Feedback: These settings define how much of the factors you feel outside of your car such as crashes, kerbs, bumps, etc…In most games I tend to keep these settings jacked up as I feel it adds a much more immersive racing experience. For F1 2016 I found some of the vibration to be a bit much so I have dialed it back a bit.

Wheel Weight: This setting is a form of linear dampening that creates a heavy feeling as you turn your wheel right or left. Wheel weight settings often over ride FFB settings which reduce the performance and response of a racing wheel in certain situations. So in general I opt to have higher force feedback settings and lower wheel weight as I find it helps me get a better feel for what the car is doing.

To make more adjustments to your wheel, you can go into to the customize controls menu and then select advanced wheel settings.

Advanced Wheel Settings:

• Steering Deadzone: 0
• Steering Linearity: 0
• Steering Saturation: 0
• Throttle Deadzone: 0
• Throttle Linearity: 0
• Throttle Saturation: 0
• Brake Deadzone: 0
• Brake Linearity: 30 (see notes for load cell brakes)
• Brake Saturation: 0

What do the F1 2016 Wheel Settings Mean:

Steering Deadzone: This setting determines hom much you can turn the wheel to the left or the right before the game registers any input. Most people think about it as “play” in the wheel. How far can you move the wheel before the tires start turning. Generally you want your wheel deadzone to be at 0 in most racing games.

Steering Linearity: Adding linearity in your steering would mean that when you first turn the wheel the input will be less sensitive and increase sensitivity the further you turn the rotation. Sensitivity in this context does not mean FFB strength or the wheel getting harder to turn. It is referring to how much input the game is registering. Another way to think about this is the tyres will turn slower when your wheel is near center and turn faster as your wheel gets further from centre. Setting this to 0 keeps you at a constant 1:1 ratio.

Tip 1: Increase steering linearity if you find the steering too responsive. Decrease it if you feel the steering is too lose. If you have a wheel like the 458 spider with a 270 max rotation increasing your steering linarity may make the wheel feel less choppy.

Steering Saturation: This effects the amount of input that it takes to make your car turn. If you set the saturation to 0 you need to cut your wheel all the way to the right to hit your steering lock. If you set your saturation to 100 it will make you barley have to turn the wheel to make your car do a full turn. This is essentially decreasing your wheel rotation. A setting of 100 is like having a 3:1 ration. Setting this to 0 keeps you at a constant 1:1 ratio.

Tip 2: Increase steering saturation if you feel the steering isn’t sensitive enough. Reduce it if you feel that the steering is overly sensitive. I do not recommend changing the saturation

Throttle Deadzone: This determines how far you gave to depress the accelerator pedal before the game registers your input. Increasing the amount of deadzone means that you have to push the pedal down further before the gas is actually applied.

Throttle Linearity: Adding linearity in your throttle would mean that the pedal will register less input in the beginning of the pedal compression and increase input the further the pedal is compressed. Leaving the setting at 0 keeps you in a 1:1 ratio.

Tip 3: In F1 2016 the throttle is very sensitive, if you have a heavy foot on the accelerator you could try increasing the linearity to reduce the sensitivity of the throttle in the beginning of the pedal travel.

Throttle Saturation: This effects the amount of input it takes for your car to accelerate. Increasing the number essentially shortens the distance you need to push down the throttle in order to obtain full throttle.

Tip 4: Increase the saturation if you feel like throttle isn’t sensitive enough. Decrease the saturation if you feel like the throttle is to sensitive.

Brake Deadzone: This determines how far you gave to depress the brake pedal before the game registers your input. Increasing the amount of deadzone means that you have to push the brake pedal down further before the braking is actually applied.

Brake Linearity: Adding linearity in your brake pedal would mean that the pedal will register less input in the beginning of the brake pedal compression and increase input the further the pedal is compressed. Leaving the setting at 0 keeps you in a 1:1 ratio.

Tip 5: If you use the standard stock pedals, the T3PA Wide or T3PA Pro pedals sets with your Thrustmaster wheels you may find the brakes lock up a bit, because it utilizes a potentiometer (the further distance you press the pedal the more the car brakes), adding some linearity may help you reduce the amount of brake lock up.

Tip 6: If you have T3PA Pro pedals with a load cell leave your braking linearity at 0.

Brake Saturation: This effects the amount of input it takes for your car to stop. Increasing the number essentially shortens the distance you need to push down the brake in order to obtain a full step.

Tip 7: Increase the saturation if you feel like brake isn’t sensitive enough. Decrease the saturation if you feel like the brake is to sensitive.

Other Settings and Suggestions

Here are just a few other notes regarding Thrustmaster setting.

Degrees of Wheel Rotation

The game is set for 360 degrees of wheel rotation to obtain wheel lock. Your Thrustmaster wheel should match the game without having to make any DOR adjustments. If you are having issues with your DOR check that you have your wheel set to 900 degrees on your wheel base (4 flashes of the white light on the left front of your wheelbase). PS4 and Xbox will be hard coded for this setting so you shouldn’t have to touch anything.

*Note: if you use a 458 Spider your wheel will lock at 270 degrees of rotation and it is not adjustable.

Brake Mods

While the load cell is the best brake option for immerssion and realism, not everybody has it in their budget.

If you are using the T3PA Pro pedals or the T3PA Wide pedals, I suggest using the rubber conical brake mod set fairly tight (about 75%). I find this emulates the best progressive brake pressure.

F1 Rim

If you have a TX or T300 you can change out steering wheel rim for the Thrustmaster F1 Rim. It’s not going to improve your lap times but it will certainly increase your immerssion. Another great rim option is the suede Momo 27c mod from ricmotech.

You can also checkout my best recommendations for a F1 2016 sim racing setup.

F1 2016 Racing Steering Wheel Settings Wrap Up

Overall the default settings on the Thrustmaster Wheels are pretty good. I think you could probably leave everything as is and put up some great lap times. I will continue to update this article if my settings should change overtime or if I get feedback from my readers that there are better settings than I have posted.

If you want to see all of the pieces in my Xbox racing setup, you can check it out here.

Check Out Formula One 2016 Accessories at Amazon

03. Thrustmaster VG T3PA-PRO 3-Pedal Add-On Set

$149.99

(as of 20-03-2020 09:19:46 UTC - Details)

What settings would you recommend for the F1 2016 game? Give me some feedback about what settings you are using in the comments as that may help racers in the community.

The post F1 2016 Steering Wheel and Force Feedback Settings for the Thrustmaster TX, TMX, T300, and T150 first appeared on Xbox One Racing Wheel Pro.