Gee, Fanatec has sure been busy lately! Thomas Jackermeier has teased a stock car oriented rim, the third Clubsport Wheel Rim to be revealed in a week.
The rim appears to be similar to the Classic Rim (However I noticed that the bottom arm has 2 holes, while the classic has three), and features Alcantara all around. There is one button on the wheel, which is in line with most modern NASCAR wheels I’ve seen. While the price has not been announced yet, you can look forward to a full announcement on Fanatec’s Blog this Monday.
Are you looking forward to the new rim’s release? What do you think of Fanatec’s recent activities?
A bit too rich for my blood. For my almost $400 shipped, I’d prefer to have something a little more authentic. I can get a brand new momo, as used by the sprint cup guys, for $229 shipped. I really think they’ve missed the ball with their pricing lately.
I don’t mind paying for quality, but I do mind overpaying for marginal quality. Even the stripe and the Fanatec emblem appear to be screen printed, rather than embroidered for the emblem, and a proper band as per the Momo and Sparco wheels. ( See here: http://www.amazon.com/Momo-R1905_35S-Suede-Steering-Wheel/dp/B001P25M8M ) No paddles, no buttons (save the one encoder/button), no display, and $100 more than their officially licensed BMW wheel? Something is just not right at Endor. If this were more in line with previous pricing (i.e. $249 for the BMW rim), I think this would be a real winner. While one could make the argument that even $249 would be too dear for a non-licensed simpler wheel, I think you would find a lot more takers.
Wish I could be excited about this, but I believe this is a prime example of a manufacturer trying to take advantage of a captive audience. There are no other options to retain FFB features, and they know it. So, as the new wheels are released, the prices go up, up, up….. I guess I’ll be putting mine on the market as soon as the next option I’m looking at is available. What a shame!