Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V2 revealed

Fanatec ClubSport Wheel Base V2

Fanatec revealed the next generation of their ClubSport wheel base. The ClubSport Wheel Base V2 does look like its predecessor, but houses brand new inner parts. This time Fanatec chose a brushless servo motor Direct Drive technology. In comparison to a regular belt driven system the ClubSport Wheel Base V2 Direct Drive system increases feedback torque by 75%. Fanatec also provides optional compatibility with the new-gen gaming consoles.

When interested in purchasing a wheel base, it might not be easy to get your hands on a unit. Fanatec came up with a very controversial sales strategy.

ClubSport Wheel Base V1 vs V2

The optical sensor used in the V1 base is now replaced with two magnetic high resolution hall sensors that are mounted on both the motor and the steering axis. Fanatec also doubled the sensor resolution. Direct Drive also means that the feel of the feedback will be way smoother and more direct than a gear or belt driven system. While conventional force feedback systems, you lose detail due to the mechanical parts filtering out the micro movements. A direct drive system should make you feel every little bump or movement.

In comparison to its predecessor the new feedback motor was exclusively designed for Fanatec and features an enhanced gear ratio and increased rotation speed to deliver the promised 75% more torque. With this new motor, also the power supply had to be replaced with a more beefy unit.

To make the wheel compatible with next gen consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Fanatec had to comply to the licensing rules of the both Microsoft and Sony. They require the brand specific buttons to be on the wheel.  PC users will however have no use or wishes when it comes to these console specific buttons and features. To overcome this problem Fanatec will market optional steering wheels which will add full console compatibility to the base unit.  Fanatec already announced that they already signed a contract with one of them. There will be multiple steering wheels available in different price ranges and they will be compatible with other Fanatec base units from the from mid-range to direct drive.

 

Fanatec Clubsport Wheel Base V2 only on invite?

Fanatec thinks the demand will be bigger than the availability. Therefore they came up with an invite sales model.

This is how it works:

• Fanatec will send an e-mail to their webshop customers with an invite code. There will be several waves of e-mails in the next months.
• Only after the invite has entered the code to their profile page they will be able to purchase or pre-order this product.
• After they purchased one V2 base you will receive a second code. that code can be used to give that to a friend or buy a second base.
• Only one code will be given with a purchase as Fanatec wants to avoid that people are selling their products or invites on eBay and make money with it.
• Fanatec will also give away invites in giveaway events so frequent followers of the blog or Facebook will also get a chance to get an invite.

This is the priority we will use for the invites to make it as fair and transparent as possible.

1. Webshop customers of the CSW B V1 and CSR E (sorted by purchase date)
2. Webshop customers of other ClubSport products like CSP or CSS
3. All other Fanatec customers

Fanatec started production this week. When the product is ready to ship, Fanatec will open the pre-orders for the invited guests. The first products could arrive as soon as late September or early October.

ClubSport Wheel Base V2 Features:

• Improved QR release with rubber o-ring and less tolerance in production
• A brushless motor which can be cooled much easier as it gets hot on the outside and not on the inside so heat can be transfered better
• New cooling system featuring an additional fan on the backside right behind the new huge heat sink
• Integrated heat sensor inside the motor
• Motor can now even be operated at 180 C° although the FOR overclocking would be de-activated already at 120 C° and FF would shut down at 130°C. The motor has plenty of power so most people will not use max settings anyway. And during betatests it never happened that a motor was shut down or the FF was cut due to overheating.
• Ball bearings on the motor axis and bigger ball bearings inside the pulleys so we can increase the belt tension and avoid any belt slip. At the same time we have much less drag in the system.
• Magnetic sensors instead of the optical so we avoid problems with dust and scratches
• New main cable
• New electronics
• And many other small improvements to the overall build quality

Brushless Servo features: 

• Smooth performance with no cogging (in combination with our Poly-V belt drive system or direct drive)
• Easier to cool as the heat is on the outside of the motor and not on the motor shaft
• Strong axis with ball bearings
• Optimized for use in stall at max power
• Fast acceleration
• More efficiency -> more torque with same power

Official Webpage – http://www.fanatec.com/