New version of Clubsport Pedals spotted again?

Bigbembem spotted something very interesting in InsideSimRacing's video review of GranStand and let us know about it on GTP forums.

If you watch the video, you will see that at 9:34 a non-standard version of Clubsport Pedals is mounted to the pedal plate, while they are demonstrating adjustability of GranStand's pedal plate. It looks like these are practically the same pedals as the ones that were spotted on the famous Japanese blog in September and were referred to as Clubsport Pedals V2 by the blog post author.

If you are interested, I definitely recommend you to check out the original photos from back then. This is how I described them the last time and I think my description is still valid:

Most of the components of these prototype pedals are anodized in black, clutch pedal mechanism is completely redesigned to imitate the engage/disengage feel of a real clutch and while the brake pedal still has a seemingly unchanged load-cell mechanism, there is a CPV Racing shock absorber mounted alongside, probably to make it feel more like a hydraulic brake.

Fanatec has not released any official information yet, so we do not know, if the final version will be similar or when we can expect Clubsport Pedals V2 to be released. Stay tuned. Read more »

CSR Elite Wheel temporarily sold out, price remains high

Maybe you noticed that earlier this week CSR Elite wheel disappeared from Fanatec's online stores. We could only suspect it is currently sold out, but now we know for a fact.

Thomas explained it all on his blog. Due to Chinese New Year holidays, factories there are closed, so Fanatec stopped receiving new units and they sold everything they had in stock in both EU and USA warehouses. The next shipment is scheduled to arrive in late February, so it is probably safe to assume that new buyers will receive them in early March.

Thomas also wrote a bit about the raised price of Elite wheels. When these wheels first became available for pre-order, Fanatec bumped the previously announced 499.95 $/€ price tag to 539.95 $/€. They did so to cover the increased shipping costs, because they decided to use UPS air mail to transport new wheels from China, so that the first wheels would, as promised, arrive to customers before Christmas.

Public was expecting the price to be reduced to 499.95 $/€ relatively soon after the New Year, but this has not happened.  Demand has been so high, that they never stopped using air transport to meet the order numbers and will probably continue using it for quite a while to reduce waiting times. They are establishing higher production capacity, but due to similarities between CSR Elite and soon to be released Clubsport wheel, production of CSR Elite wheels will remain at the same level, so we can not expect the price to drop before summer, when demand lowers and they finally go back to slower but cheaper ship transport.

He also mentioned that the new Clubsport wheel electronics are still under revision and that they are looking at a late Q1 production start.

Another review from SimRacingReview - CSR Wheel

It looks like Doug Meyer has been working overtime, because he already has a new video review for us. This time he takes a look at the Forza Motorsport CSR Wheel. Enjoy!

CSR Pedals review by SimRacingReview

Doug Meyer from SimRacingReview recently uploaded a very professional review of Fanatec's CSR pedals. It is also a very positive review, with biggest pros being adjustability and value, while most of the downsides reviewer discovered are not really cons, but missing features, because these are the least expensive Fanatec pedals, so they do not have a load-cell brake and are not made from aluminum.

SR Hardware giveaway and special offers

To start off 2012, we are again partnering with SR Hardware. They decided to give away a Race Series GI-Pro Gear Indicator Stand fitted with Symprojects' gear indicator to a visitor of Fanatec wheel fansite.  It is very easy to participate - HERE you will find the instructions and a simple form you need to fill out. Winner will be picked on 11th February 2012.

Besides that they are also offering their SLI-Pro and SLI-M mounting systems for Fanatec's Porsche line of wheels at discounted prices.

  • Mounting system for SLI-Pro or SLI-M normally £69.95 + shipping, NOW £59.95 + shipping
  • Mounting system + SLI-Pro fully wired/built normally £225 + shipping, NOW £205 + shipping
  • Mounting system + SLI-M fully wired/built normally £185 + shipping, NOW £170 + shipping

To take advantage of this offer, you must not order these products through their website, but e-mail Brian Clancy directly (brian.clancy@simracinghardware.com), stating that you are coming from f-wheel.com. He will send you a Paypal invoice for the discounted price.

This promotion is valid from today, 11th January 2012 to 11th March 2012.

My Forza Motorsport CSR Elite Wheel video review

It's been a while since I posted something on the website, but I hope my CSR Elite review makes up for it. Please comment! As always, HD resolutions are recommended.

New firmware updater this week

Thomas just wrote the following in the comments on his blog, letting us know that their new firmware updater, which will be easier to use and should work perfectly on all versions of Microsoft Windows, will become available this week.

The new updater is already working but we need to make a few more tweaks. In worst case I will release it as it is so everybody should get a new fw this week.

This does not only mean that all fresh CSR Elite Wheel owners will be able to flash their new wheels with the latest firmware version very soon, but also that Fanatec will probably finally release their latest "standard" CSR Wheel firmware publicly. That would mean that everyone would finally be able to update their CSR Wheels and get rid of the issues caused by the firmware that came installed originally.

Thank you, HoiHman, for alerting me about this.

EDIT: New updater together with firmware version 715 for he CSR Elite Wheel has been released.

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