Fanatec make connecting your and setting up your wheel relatively easy, but each console has its own method. Follow the step by step setup guide below for easy Fanatec setup.
Fanatec makes some of the best, if not 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 Elite product range is one of the better wheels you can buy.
When purchasing your Fanatec racing wheel, just ensure you buy a wheel base and steering wheel with the correct compatibility for the console you will be using it with. When buying a Fanatec racing wheel for PC, every single Fanatec wheel base and steering wheel is compatible.
Despite most Fanatec wheel bases, steering wheels and peripherals being plug and play, there are still a plethora of configuration options you can tweak to maximise your experience with the wheel.
In the guide below we will run through the complete setup process for a Fanatec wheel for PC, Xbox & PS5.
We’ll show you how to connect the wheel to your PC, how to install the up to date firmware, and how to configure the force feedback options.
Fanatec CSL Elite PS4 Starter Kit (£510 at the official Fanatec store)
When it comes to connecting your Fanatec wheel to a PC, Xbox or PS4, the initial setup is reasonably simple. You will have to decide how you are planning on mounting your wheel. This can be done using the built-in mount to attach the wheel base to your desk, or via the hard mounting screws on the bottom of the wheel base.
Once you have decided how you are going to mount your Fanatec wheel, you can start connecting it up. This part is as easy as plugging in your pedals and any other peripheral to your wheel base using the slots on the rear of the wheel base. Connect up the power supply, and then plug your wheel base into the USB slot of your PC, Xbox or PS4.
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You can now move on to connecting your steering wheel to your wheel base. There are two alternative ways you can connect a steering wheel to the CSL Elite wheel base, and they depend on the wheel rim you have. The ClubSport wheel rims can be used with the CSL Elite wheel base, and they feature a quick release system. Whereas the CSL Elite wheel rims don’t feature this quick release so take a little longer to connect.
That’s the first initial connection setup done. Now grab yourself a beer before we move on to the technical part of the setup guide.
When you first connect your Fanatec wheel base to your PC, you will require the correct drivers for the PC to run the wheel. You should also check to ensure you have the latest firmware installed too, as these often fix any bugs and connectivity issues.
Start by installing the correct drivers for your wheel base.
Fanatec how to update the firmware.
When you restart your PC, you will find a new icon on your desktop called “Fanatec wheel property page”. Open this to view the wheel that you have connected. You can then complete a firmware update by doing the following;
The final step in your setup is to calibrate your Fanatec wheel. You should calibrate the wheel center first, then enter the tuning menu to update your wheel settings.
To calibrate the Fanatec wheel center after a firmware update, do the following;
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 all of this watch the official Fanatec how-to video below.
Once you have done all of the above your Fanatec wheel will be useable. 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 not 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%.
The Best F1 22 Racing WheelsAnti-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;
You can watch the below video for an in-depth guide to how to tune your Fanatec CSL wheel.
Our Favourite Fanatec Racing Wheel
READ MORE – The cheapest Fanatec wheel setup you can buy
You can find Fanatec drivers on the downloads section of the Fanatec website.
You should calibrate your Fanatec wheel every time you update the drivers or firmware. You can also calibrate when you change your steering wheel.
Read our how to guide for a full run down for how to update all of the tuning options on your Fanatec wheel, or watch the how to video.
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