How To Setup & Calibrate Fanatec Steering Wheel: Xbox, PC & PS5

Fanatec makes some of the best sim racing wheels available for PC, Xbox and PS5. The German company offer a range of products, varying in price, quality and compatibility. However, even the lowest-cost CSL DD racing wheel is one of the better wheels you can buy.

If you already own a Fanatec wheel or if you’re looking to buy one, it’ll help to know the step-by-step process of how to setup your Fanatec wheel on PC, Xbox or PS5. In this how-to guide, I’m going to run through the Fanatec setup process, from installing drivers, calibrating your wheel and tuning it for the best sim racing experience.

What equipment is needed to start the Fanatec setup process?

The type of sim racing equipment that you need to start the Fanatec setup process can differ depending on whether you’re racing on PC, Xbox or PlayStation. On either Xbox or PlayStation, you will need to have a racing wheel and pedal set that is compatible with your console and all produced by Fanatec.

If you’re racing on PC, all Fanatec products are compatible, and you can even mix and match with other brands. For example, you could use just a set of Fanatec pedals and use them alongside a racing wheel from another brand. Or you can use a Fanatec racing wheel with a set of pedals from another brand.

What’s needed to connect Fanatec to a PC?

Before starting the process of connecting your Fanatec products to a PC, you simply need any Fanatec product. This could be a racing wheel, set of pedals or shifter. Any Fanatec product can be connected to your PC via a USB cable.

What’s needed to connect Fanatec to an Xbox or PS5?

If you’re sim racing on an Xbox or PS5 console, you will need a Fanatec racing wheel and a set of pedals at the very least. You cannot mix and match equipment from different brands while racing on a console. Any additional equipment such as pedals, shifters or handbrakes will need to be plugged into the rear of your Fanatec wheel.

You can check console compatibility on the Fanatec website. Look out for the Xbox or PlayStation icons on their products to quickly know which products are compatible with which console.

Best Fanatec racing wheels for PC, Xbox and PlayStation

Below is a quick overview of all of Fanatec’s current range of racing wheels along with their compatibility. Some products such as the GT DD Pro wheel are compatible with all platforms, while some products have specific compatibility.

	Racing wheel	Compatibility
	ClubSport DD+	PC, PS5
	ClubSport DD	PC, Xbox
	GT DD Pro (8Nm)	PC, PS5
	CSL DD	PC, PS5

You will notice on Fanatec’s website that the GT DD Pro wheel base only shows PC and PlayStation compatibility. However, this wheel base is also compatible with Xbox consoles. This is due to how both Xbox and PlayStation handle compatibility with peripherals.

PlayStation consoles utilise software in the wheel base to dictate compatibility. This means that your wheel base needs to be PS5 compatible for the racing wheel to be recognised on a PS5 console.

Xbox consoles process compatibility slightly differently. They use the steering wheel instead of the wheel base to dictate compatibility. This means that you need to have an Xbox-compatible Fanatec steering wheel for your whole sim racing setup to become compatible.

How to connect your Fanatec wheel to your PC or console

The first step of any Fanatec setup is to connect everything to your console or PC. When it comes to connecting your Fanatec wheel to a PC, Xbox or PS5, this initial setup is pretty simple.

One thing you will need to decide is how you are planning on mounting your racing wheel and pedals. This can be done using a desk clamp which is included with some Fanatec bundles, or to a sim racing cockpit via the hard mounting screw holes on the bottom of the wheel base.

If you are using a higher-powered direct drive wheel base, I’d recommend hard mounting it to a sim racing cockpit. Anything above around 5-8Nm of peak torque can cause a lot of force to go through your wheel. If it is mounted to a desk or table, it may not be sturdy enough to support the forces that the wheel produces.

Once you have decided how you are going to mount your Fanatec wheel, you can start connecting it. This part is as easy as plugging in your pedals and any other peripheral to your Fanatec wheel base using the slots on the rear of the wheel.

Connect the power supply, and then plug your wheel base into the USB slot of your PC, Xbox or PS5. If you are racing on a PC, you also have the option of individually connecting each peripheral to your PC individually.

Read More: The cheapest Fanatec racing wheel setup you can buy

Mounting your Fanatec steering wheel

With your wheel base and any additional peripherals connected, you can now connect your steering wheel to your wheel. This again is a simple process using the quick release. Fanatec has released their second generation quick release, the QR2, and they are starting to send this out as default with new orders.

If you have the older QR1, you need to ensure that the adapter on your wheel base is also the same type. If you have the QR2 on your steering wheel, again, you need to ensure that the adapter on your wheel base is also the QR2 adapter.

Once you have two matching quick releases, one on your steering wheel, and the other on your wheel base, you can simply push your steering wheel onto your wheel base until you hear a click.

To remove your steering wheel the process is the same with both the QR1 and QR2 adapters. Simply pull the extruding tab of the quick release towards you. Then you can pull the entire steering wheel away from your wheel base.

Connecting an older CSL Elite steering wheel without a quick release

If you have a Fanatec racing wheel that is older than the current generation, you may not have a quick release like those pictured above. In this scenario, you have to go about attaching different steering wheels slightly different. The steps below outline how to manually attach an older Fanatec steering wheel to a CSL Elite wheel base.

1. Start by aligning the CSL Elite Wheel Base so the groove is at the top center.
2. Then slide your CSL Elite Steering Wheel onto wheel base axle.
3. Once it is on, turn the steering wheel 180 degrees, so the bottom of the wheel is facing the top.
4. Then push the wheel onto the wheel base until the screw hole matches with the hole on the steering wheel axle.
5. Finally, use the Allen key provided with the wheel to insert and turn the screw provided.
6. Once tight, your steering wheel is ready to use.

How to install Fanatec drivers on PC

When you first connect your Fanatec wheel to your PC, you will require the correct drivers for the PC to recognise your racing wheel. You should also check to ensure you have the latest firmware installed too, as these often fix any bugs and connectivity issues.

Installing the Fanatec drivers for your wheel base

1. Go to www.fanatec.com/downloads
2. Choose your product.
3. Click to download your correct and latest drivers.
4. Once downloaded, open the driver download to start the installation process.
5. Restart your PC.

How to update Fanatec firmware

Installing Fanatec drivers onto your PC will give you access to the Fanatec Control Panel where you can change various aspects of your wheel. However, installing the Fanatec drivers doesn’t automatically check or update the firmware of your wheel. This is a separate process, but is very easy to do.

Updating the Fanatec firmware is also incredibly important. Often, there will be bug fixes released in firmware, and Fanatec have also been known to change some tuning settings through firmware updates which allow better control over how your racing wheel behaves.

When you restart your PC after installing the drivers, you will find a new icon on your desktop called “Fanatec wheel property page”. Open this app to view the wheel that you have connected. You can then complete a firmware update by doing the following;

1. Click on your wheel within the menu.
2. Then click properties.
3. You should then be prompted with a window asking you to update your wheel’s firmware.
4. Click yes, then click “Start firmware updater”.
5. This will run you through the process of updating your firmware.

How to calibrate Fanatec wheel

The final step in your Fanatec setup is to calibrate your racing wheel. Calibration consists of you setting the wheel center. This ensures that the wheel tracks straight in all games. Once you’ve done this, you can change your Fanatec settings to tune your wheel to your liking.

How to calibrate Fanatec wheel center

To calibrate the Fanatec wheel center after a firmware update, do the following;

1. Enter the tuning menu by pressing the button with a wrench on it.
2. Next, turn the wheel to its center position.
3. Then press both the menu and A (Xbox One Wheel) or X (PS4 Wheel) button.
4. Your wheel center has been calibrated.

You can check that all peripherals are working correctly by going into the Fanatec wheel property page and clicking properties on your wheel. From there you can do a brake, throttle and force feedback test to ensure everything is connected and working correctly.

Once you have set up your steering wheel, you can look to calibrate your H-pattern shifter if you have one. Read our in-depth guide to calibrating your Fanatec shifter.

Read More: The cheapest Fanatec wheel setup you can buy

To view a video of how to update the drivers and firmware, you can watch the official Fanatec how-to video below.

Do I need to update drivers & firmware on a PS5 or Xbox?

If you are racing on an Xbox or PS5 console, it isn’t required that you need to update any drivers or firmware. Your PlayStation or Xbox console has the required software to recognise your Fanatec racing wheel without the need for additional drivers to be installed.

When racing on a console, the firmware of your Fanatec products won’t be automatically updated. This can lead to your wheel missing out on firmware updates as they are released. While it isn’t required that you update the firmware of your Fanatec setup, doing so can fix some bugs or introduce improved functionality.

I would recommend periodically connecting your Fanatec products to your PC and completing the steps above to check for any firmware updates. Updating your firmware won’t affect your wheel’s ability to work on your PS5 or Xbox console, but will ensure your products are up-to-date.

For a complete guide on how to connect your Fanatec wheel to a PS5, follow our guide.

Best Fanatec racing wheels

During this guide, I’ve spoke about a few different Fanatec racing wheels. I personally use a Fanatec GT DD Pro and would highly recommend it. However, there are a few other Fanatec racing wheels that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking at buying a new racing wheel.

Below is an overview of the best Fanatec racing wheels that you can currently buy.

	Racing wheel	Price
	ClubSport DD+	€999.95
	GT DD Pro (8Nm)	€599.95
	GT DD Pro (5Nm)	€699.95

Fanatec wheel settings explained

Once you have updated your Fanatec drivers and firmware, your racing wheel will be usable. You can boot up any supported game and start racing right away. You may however find some things not to your liking. The force feedback may be off, or the wheel may not be as responsive as you had wanted. Don’t worry all of this can be changed in the Fanatec wheel settings.

To access the tuning menu on the CSL Elite steering wheel, simply press the tuning button. This will flash up a number on the steering wheel that relates to the currently selected option.

You can scroll through the tuning options using the directional stick on the left of the CSL Elite steering wheel.

When you first press the tuning button you will see the display says S_1. This dictates the saved setup you have. You can have up to 5 different setup defaults saved to the wheel. This allows you to quickly access different setups for different games or cars.

Below are all of the different tuning options and how they affect the wheel.

Sensitivity – SEN (default = 900)
The sensitivity angle is the degree of rotation of the wheel. This can be changed from 90° through to 1080° on some wheel rims. You can also set this atuo mode which will allow the game to dictate the degree of rotation. Games such as Project Cars have an option to dynamically change the degree of rotation based on which car you drive.

Force Feedback – FF (default = 100)
This dictates the maximum strength of the Force Feedback. This can be adjusted from 0% – 100%.

Shock – SHO (default = 100)
This setting adjusts the strength of the shock motors inside the wheel rim. This can be adjusted from 0% – 100%.

Anti-Lock Braking System – ABS (default = OFF)
The ABS setting changes the amount of feedback you receive whilst applying braking force through the pedals. For example, if you set this to 100, then the wheel would start to vibrate when you applied 10% braking pressure.

Drift Mode – DRI (default = OFF)
Drift mode reduces the resistance of the steering wheel allowing you to complete full rotations of the wheel much easier. In some ways it replicated power steering in a real car, making the steering wheel very light.

Force – FOR (default = 100)
The force modifier changes the strength of the force that is applied to the wheel in a special direction.

Spring – SPR (Default = 100)
Spring adjusts how hard the steering wheel will be pulled back to center when you let go of the steering wheel.

Damper – DPR (default = 100)
The damper setting creates friction when you turn the wheel making the wheel feel much heavier as you increase this setting.

All of the tuning settings can be reset back to default by doing the following;

1. Open the tuning menu
2. Press and hold the tuning menu button for 10 seconds.
3. The wheel will show “rSt” when the settings are reset.

Read More: The cheapest Fanatec wheel setup you can buy

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Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com

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