From sticks to wheel...
 

Anyone made the change from sticks to wheel? How did you find it?

I forgot my transmitter last night :wtf:, fortunately someone had a spare wheel transmitter going (thanks again Chris), so I used that.

Total nightmare!

First of all I was zigzagging down the straight because I had no feel for the steering. Then I was throttling on instead of braking because I couldn't get used to the trigger.

Had a spell of about 3 minutes in the second round where I was lapping OK, then I crashed and lost my rhythm... turns out I lost my rhythm for the rest of the night because I didn't turn another decent lap! It's a miracle I didn't break the car or injure a marshal.

I know Craig Drescher switched to a wheel - I just can't understand how you can do that after so many years experience with the sticks.

i made the switch:eh?: like you said it was a nightmare :o but you do get used to it after a couple of tries:)

I did back in 93 and have stayed with steerwheel ever since after 3 or 4 months with sticks.

Tried sticks briefly once since then. All I could do then was similar to your experience above. To this day I refuse to test someones car unless on steerwheel.

Don't think I could go back unless steerwheel got banned. :o

noooooooooo perish the thought lol:lol:

I started out with wheel and went to sticks, I used sticks for almost 4 years then jumped over to the Sanwa M11 steerwheel and love it!

I find long smooth corners and twisty sections really nice, plus when the car is in the air i find it FAR easlier!

I changed to wheel about 4 years ago due to a medical problem:thumbdown: but after a few round i improved my lap times a lot :thumbsup: braking does take a lot to get used to but i found the steering more controlable.

Some wheel transmitters are easier drive than others. A common mistake is trying to use the wheel like you would in a car and having it flat in front of you. I generally run sticks but have been known to run a wheel when running in two classes!

I found when racing touring car i was alot faster and felt alot more car controll using wheel thats for sure.

i've tried using a wheel for the past few weeks, not for me i keep accelerating instead of breaking so i'm going back to sticks it'll save me money in spare car parts

I recently switched from sticks to wheel, but then I'm a total newb, so it's not like I'd built up a lot of muscle memory with the sticks.

I could probably use either - I like the wheel more and more, though, as it allows very fine steering control, using just thumb and forefinger in a light grip.

I've yet to develop anything other than binary throttle control on either type, however....:eh?:

I belive it's good when you don't break anything :D What about reversing throttle? It's easy to set up and you'll be safe.
I personally started with wheel, then after about 2 years switched to sticks, again after about 2 years switch to wheel and done this once again later. Yeah I was younger, but I still find it possible to switch to different controller (maybe not immediatelly, but with little practicing...).

After I started flying planes I tried to switch from Pistol to Stick and it was so flipping hard to get used to controlling the throttle. That is until I set up all my racing video games for my PS2 to only use the sticks and it worked well. I can use either now, haha.

I tried switching some years ago and for the life of me I couldn't even go in a straight line - Impossible for me to use a wheel.....

I had to use a steerwheel when i got back into RC racing after a prolonged break - i wanted 2.4 ghz and I found a cheap spektrum system. but it was never quite right - as a kid growing up i'd always used sticks.

then I found a second hand sanwa stick system with a spekky module, and I've never looked back. I think you end up with whatever you started with.

i'm still waiting for a radio gear manufacturer to bring out force feedback for steering. it'd be pretty easy to do if you had a way of measuring steering servo current draw and transmitting that back to the transmitter.

I recently got back into RC and couldnt resist the price of the acoms 2.4Ghz wheel. After a few weeks of zig zagging around the track I put up the cash for a stick transmitter.

I started in 1998, with sticks (cheapo Acoms Techniplus and Futaba Attack FTW!), used these until about 2001 when I decided I needed a computerised radio with adjustability and expo etc. Only options were a top-end FF3, 3VC or a Vantage 2, which were horrendous money, or something mid-range in wheel flavour.

I managed to nick a go on a mates Sanwa M8 and that got me hooked on wheels, and went from Hitec Lynx 3D (fine until it went out of tune!), KO Presto, Mars and then Helios. All were great but I was getting bored, and fancied a changeup. Got a bargain Vantage 3 from this forum earlier this year and have found that my laptimes haven't changed one bit (I'm still slow and cr4p), but it seems a tad easier to place the car on the track with sticks.

I was doing some meetings where I'd do a couple of classes, and had a stick radio for one heat, then the next one on the line had me running a wheel, so I've never had an issue of forgetting how to drive one or the other. I guess I'm multitalented. :lol: Or not. :D

Most RTR cars from the States or the Far East come with wheel radios, so I think stick drivers are a dying breed. There's more than double the number of wheel radios to sticks on the market.

Wheels are OK, I recently used one when racing a Truggy. Although a stick just seems more precise to me. The states is mainly wheels, Japan seems to be a 50/50 split and here in the UK its mainly sticks. Most of the RTR stuff is ultimately made for the US markets so it will most likely come with wheels.

This weekend I got my lad racing with both sticks and a wheel, and I'm glad to say he preferred the sticks. :)

I wouldn't say the UK is mainly sticks, just go to a 1/8 rallycross meeting, and the majority use wheel radios.

I started off with sticks, but was forced to change to wheel when I bought an MT2. My old receiver was too big to fit in the radio box, so I used the wheel that came with it. I have to say wheel radios feel so much better to me, I think the throttle control is better, and steering is more precise. I've now been using a wheel for about 3 years and have a DX3R. I find it surprising that so many people have problems with the brakes on wheels. I really can't see where you're coming from, but then, I did change over pretty early.

Oddly though, on my PS3, for driving games (like GT5 and F1) I use the two sticks (but the right one for throttle), whilst for games like Motorstorm, I use the triggers. Weird. :eh?:

That's because a lot of rallycrossers got into the sport quite recently with an RTR nitro. Most of us electric racers have been in the hobby for donkey's years!

**Puts on stupid voice**
"Not at my local club"

If anything, the only people using sticks (bar a couple), are either originally from planes/helicopters, or had/have an RTR.

It's a strange one...

I did it both ways. I started in 1990 with sticks. 92 wheel then tried this winter sticks. I could get round with sticks but the times are not as quick with them. I think its my age. I have now gone back to wheel as I dont have to think about what my hands are doing.:woot:

At my club out of about 35 racers I think 2 use wheels.

I started out with a big Acoms stick transmitter, but I was only 10, and it was too big for my hands at the time. Tried a wheel after someone had one at my local club, and he was very good (Nick Goodhall). Got one, and not gone back since, although I can drive with sticks if I want to try out someones car for them!

i used sticks since i started in err 1988 till about 3 years ago, my futaba FF3 was getting tired, i've never been able to get on with the shape/grip of the Ko sticks, got a cheap futaba wheel that would work with my recivers, and after about 2 months, was doing better than with sticks, and got a nice shineky 3pk

I've only ever used a Wheel - My Tamiya Madcap came with an Acoms wheel radio when i was 10 so that kind of just meant i ended up using one forever, upgraded to an EX1, then an EX1 mars and would never have changed to sticks.

I can drive ok with sticks, occasionally get caught out with the brakes but not tooooo bad.

I personally don't think it's something people should mess about with, it's like changing cars all the time - you see so many people start going backwards with their racing when they start changing things all the time, make a choice and stick at it - you should be able to "master" either with enough practise :thumbsup:

Been using a wheel since I started about 15+ years ago with a KO Ex-5 and loved it. Had a stick set-up with a mardave which I couldn't get on with, but that was before I knew about racing.

Been using my EX-5 again recently, but just upgraded to a KO Helios :)

run whichever you can use without having to 'think' about what to do with the controller that is in your hand.

when I race with sticks, I can RACE the car around the track just by looking at it. I don't even consiously know what my hands are doing.
when I use a wheel, I have to think about what I need to do with the controller to make the car do what I want to do on the track.

I failed with my attempt at using a wheel, miserably. Good fun though, AND i beat Yardy at a regional too

...had to put that, lol lol lol lol lol

started off with Acoms sticks when I was 10. tried a wheel and never got on with it. Had Ko esprit's ever since.

I switched to wheel when I wanted to go 40meg purely because they were cheaper. Since then I've had a few and I've now settled on the futaba 3pk.

I find the steering far more precise due to having a larger range of movement and having a few fingers holding it rather than just having a single thumb. I do find the brakes are more awkward to get right but I tend not to use them a great amount anyway so it's not really an issue.

I'll never go back to sticks.

started with stick in 1998 cheep acoms techniplus thing slowly upgraded to 3vc in about 2000 racing 1/10th off road and on road 2002 changed to 1/8th rallycross changed to a 3pk last year was unsure to start with which i prefered but felt I was smoother with the wheel but was not confident to push really hard with it and kept falling back to 3vc this winter went fully across to the wheel and now feel happy using it and feel more confident with it .

only comment I have is that after the weekend 1/8th national and bumping up 3 times at 20 mins a final that i was loosing the feeling in my left hand that holds the handle and does the throttle at about 15 mins guess i must be holding on too tight lol

I've used sticks since I started back in 1986 as a young boy. I've not raced all the time since then, just on and off. I am/was fairly keen to get a cheap wheel to have a go with, I'm not sure whether to or not after reading this thread though!

im lucky that i can use either and still be resonably quick. my advise is to stay with what you know and find a tx that feels right in your hands rather than worry weather to use sticks or not. you will then be far happier and a lot more consistent

I'm the same as niggs, i can use a wheel but feel more at home with sticks, i dont really have to think what im doing when driving a wheel but if i make a mistake i have been known to accelerate instead of brake :thumbsup:

Sticks for me, i was thinking of going to a wheel about a year ago, glad i didnt in a way.