I’m looking into the Thrustmaster tx as a welcome addition to my gaming setup, however I live in a fairly small 3 bedroom apartment with 4 people including myself. The living room is not overly large and as such I was just wondering if anyone had experience with wheel stands etc… Ideally I would be able to play off my sofa which sits maybe a foot and a half off the ground, it’s not a high sofa which doesn’t help either.
Anyways any tips on how I could get a decent wheel setup given my tight circumstances would be great.
Cheers.
Wow that does look like a good product… Do you know what the shifter compatibility will be? I’ll be getting the shifter when it comes out too, and can the shifter be on either side? I’m an Aussie so I’m used to the 'ol right hand drive so a left side gear shifter is ideal… Which leads to another problem, I’m not sure how I’d be able to source that stand in Aus. Fanatec products have always been a pain to source over here which is why I never ended up getting their wheel, always stuck to the ms wheel on my lap.
If you’ve used that stand with a 3 pedal setup does the center bar get in the way at all?
I use the GT Omega Wheel Stand, I did use the Wheel Stand Pro for the 360, a good wheel stand but with the new pedals coming out I found that I did not want the centre bar in the way. But I am so glad I opted for the GT Omega Wheel Stand, a very sturdy stand and its also adjustable, also you can add extras to it, like a shifter mount and even connect a Racing Chair if you like at a later date.
You will have to check for shipping info for your location tho.
Here’s a full review of this stand at ISR GT Omega Wheel Stand Review
What kind of minimum heights do these things have? Are they worth the $250? Since if I get this wheel in the next shipment to aus, I’d like to make the most of my money seeing as the wheel itself will cost me $630 + pedals + shifters. Just wanna make sure I’m making the best investments for the space I have.
One thing I noticed is that if I ever go for a full cockpit business the next level wheelstand is a component of the entire setup so it will cost less to upgrade
ISR now has a review of the Next Level Wheel Stand. Very positive review giving it top marks and even saying it’s better than some full rigs they have reviewed. Also folds up very neat as well…
The center pole doesn’t bother me since its flush up against the couch. Im pretty thin so I can do this and the pole isn’t noticeable at all! Also the stand is only$ 80
I just watched that review and my wheel stand doesn’t wobble left to right like that one! I would check shipping weights as my stand is very solid and doesn’t wobble like that at all!
I used the Fanatec wheel stand as well for a while until I could afford to get the Playseat Challenge and that stand is great! It’s very adjustable based on what your preference is and I’d recommend that one as well. Can’t go wrong with it.
People will laugh, but at the moment I am just using an ironing board, and sitting on my computer chair. I would use a desk, but still trying to talk the boyfriend into buying a decent solid wood one; and not some cheap chipboard flatpack rubbish like he wants. I wont fork out for a proper wheel stand/racing seat just yet, as I want to wait till the shifter is released for the TX first. I feel it could potentially be a waste of money at this point, as no one but Thrustmaster knows the full design for the new shifter. It could be something similar to the fanatec H pattern shifter with a short handle, it could be like the TH8RS shifter that is quite high. It could also be a basic clamp used for mounting, or you may need to bolt it down. So I just hold onto the money at the moment, plenty of time to consider my options once everything is out.
p.s the ironing board is actually fairly stable by the way, even while drifting on 900DOR. Personally I do hate using it, as I mentioned above, I would prefer a proper desk over this method!
Ialyrn, you’re opening yourself up for loads of sexiest comments with the ironing board - but we won’t go there :D.
You’re not alone - I used to use one with my old MS Sidewinder wheel then I built a stand with UPVC pipes and mdff or my Logitech DriveFX and MS Wireless Wheel, then eventually bought the WheelStandPro for my Fanatec and now my Thrustmaster. I have one base for the Fanatec pedals and two mounts, so just swap wheel bases over (I have the Basher CPX adapter that allows the TX to be used with my Fanatec pedals). The Fanatec wheelbase mount has the shifter attachment, but cannot say if the TX shifter will mount the same way.
Anyway, back to the ironing board, I have a friend that uses his snowboard clamped between two chairs for his wheel mount- now that’s taking an extreme sport too far
Yeah I ended up going for the Next Level Wheelstand from Pagnian Imports, its pretty awesome and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a living room solution. Only issue is based on my size, I’m fairly short, and the size of my couch etc… the settings I have it on that work for me don’t allow me to fold it away very quickly… the pedals get in the way of folding it up. Not really a design flaw in my opinion, its just I have it on a weird setup.
This review actually came out 2 days after I took delivery.
I’ve pulled the trigger and ordered the Thrustmaster TX and Next Level wheel stand from Pagnian. It arrives next Tuesday. I’ve always wanted a wheel and rig and they have a great special on right now . I wasn’t sure about the wheel stand or not but ISR’s review on the wheel stand was enough to get me to place the order.
Really looking forward to it. Using the controller I usually drive with abs and tc off and with the clutch active so I’m a bit wary of the two pedal set but once the T3PA pedals arrive at Pagnian I’ll likely grab them. Reviews seem good so far. Not sure if it’ll improve my lap times or not but it’s sure to be more fun.
You might not necessarily be quicker straight off the bat, but you will definitely enjoy it more. It’s great fun and the next level wheel stand provides for a great setup. Its much easier to drive with no assists using the wheel as you can feel a lot better what the car is doing etc… when I race, even the most powerful cars I still run no assists it’s great fun. I only run Normal steering though, there’s something about sim steering in Forza 5 that just feels weird, everything is waayyy too twitchy imo. Well racing its alright, but once those rear wheels start to spin just throw logic out the window with sim steering, the front end seems to just go to 90000% grip.
I’m planning to get the T3PA and GTE rim off Thrustmaster’s amazon store and posted to Australia, its a fairly cheap method of getting it, especially when the T3PA isn’t even available in Australia yet… not sure how it would all work with warranty though. If the TH8A comes out any time soon, or any indication of it coming out soon I might just hold off and get all three at once. The next level racing stand has a cool little attachment that lets you have the shifter on either side (great for us Aussies having it on the left) and the position that it sits in with respect to everything else is great.
