From sticks to wheel...

[sosidge]

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

I forgot my transmitter last night , 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.

[rcmadd]

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

[Chequered Flag Racing]

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.

[rcmadd]

Originally Posted by Chequered Flag Racing

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

noooooooooo perish the thought lol

[Garry Driffill]

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!

[stegger]

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

[Mike Haswell]

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!

[Garry Driffill]

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

[dissy]

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

[colmo]

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....

[lochness42]

Originally Posted by dissy

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 belive it's good when you don't break anything 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...).

[Bottles of Dirt]

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.

[RudeTony]

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.....

[cjm_2008]

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.

[Urzrkymn]

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.

[Garry]

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. Or not.

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.

[qatmix]

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.

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by qatmix

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.

[sosidge]

Originally Posted by Marvin

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

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!

[Marvin]

Originally Posted by sosidge

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...