Thrustmaster are bringing out a new wheel for the Xbox 360.  The excellent PC wheel wasn't match at the other end with the all plastic unit currently offered.  Check out the overview.

Ok, I'm intrigued so what do you think Thrustmaster have up their sleeve?  Check out the tease video.

At SimRoom we love to see VisionRacer "modded" and made more functional.  We have awarded Wil of the USA a VR3 Master Modder accolade.  Wil from day 1 has been an inspiration to the modders art and thought process.  The Master Modder tag gives Wil some special rights and prices.  

On to Wils latest creation the eHandbrake and shifter upgrade.  We have had a few requests to spill the beans on how Wil did this.  So here is Wil's commentary.  

"The handbrake is USB interface, its actually a Thrustmaster TH8 7 speed shifter, just like the shifter in front of it.  It has a mode for making it an analog handbrake.  The shaft, handle and boot are my work.  I bought the boot and shifter from Sparco and the shaft I produced from aluminum rod from home depot.  I planned everything to look like a real handbrake.  I then used a rubber ball and shaped it using a razor blade. I placed the rubber ball inside the handbrake to provide progressive resistance like a real handbrake.

The shifter is also a Thrustmaster TH8 7 speed.  I have a friend who makes 6+1 short shift plates for this shifter since the stock shift throw is ENORMOUS and just way to big for competitive driving.  The 6+1 plate can place reverse in the left most area like a Porsche or bottom left area like a BMW.  The aluminum ring is real and comes out of an Audi TT.  It is secured with screws into the TH8.  The shift knob is from a Fanatec CSR Elite shifter.  While the Fanatec shifter mechanism itself is junk, the shifter knob is .brilliant and probably the best I’ve used in a real car or not.  Its milled from aluminum and has a great feel and a shift pattern that matches the shifter plate.  I affix the knob to the shifter assembly shaft using industrial adhesive.  You’d basically have to destroy it to get it off.

The shift boot comes from a local leather fabricator who works pretty much only on Porsche.  It’s the shift boot for a 968.

Here are the cost run downs for this mod.

Handbrake Mod:

1 Thrustmaster TH8 shifter: $150 US

Sparco leather handbrake cover:  $77 US

NRG billet aluminum handbrake handle:  $50 US

Custom aluminum handbrake plate cut for the TH8: $39 US

Aluminum rod from home depot for handbrake shaft: $12 US

The guys over at SimRacingHardware.com have released a first video of their Thrustmaster T500 SLI Mounting System.

Even though the T500 RS comes with plenty of high-end features like 1080 degree steering, the wheel lacks a display and rev-meter such as the Logitech G27′s. The SLI Mounting System changes that as it equips the wheel with a SLI display, rev-meter & and four rotary encoders.

The mounting system uses the SLI-M or SLI-I displays, the mounting system alone sells for 69.95 British Pounds while a version including the pre-wired SLI display sells for 225 Pounds.

Following the hands-on photos on VirtualR and VVV Automotive’s unboxing video, now the guys at InsideSimRacing.tv have made their first experience with Thrustmaster’s brand new Ferrari Formula One rim for the T500 RS.

The video below shows Shaun Cole unboxing and explaining the unit, the video also covers the wheel installation process and a first glimpse of the complete unit.

The Ferrari Formula One rim will be available both as add-on for the T500 RS starting in a few days and selling for 149€. In late October, the “Integral” edition with wheel base and pedals will be available as well, it has not been confirmed whether Thrustmaster will also be offering the current T500 RS GT wheel as add-on option for the Integral buyers.

Thrustmaster provided VirtualR with their upcoming Ferrari Formula One wheel rim for the T500 RS.

As you can see, the big Ferrari button in the middle and the rotary switches surrounding it are not functional as it was hinted by the button layout images. The wheel does come with two working rotary encoders at the top though (labeled DIF IN & CHRG), the full list of features can be found here.

First photos of the new wheel rim surfaced from the Italian Formula One Grand Prix at Monza as Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa showed off the new wheel rim. The wheel is closely modeled to the real F1 rim, coming with plenty of buttons, rotary switches but lacking the display and rev-meter of the original.

Replaceable wheel rims seem to be the new thing among upmarket steering wheels. With the new rim, Thrustmaster is answering Fanatec’s challenge as their upcoming ClubSport Wheel will support replaceable rims and will offer a F1-style option as well. The Fanatec wheel isn’t licensed, comes with working displays though.

The new wheel rim for Thrustmaster’s critically acclaimed T500 RS wheel is already listed on Amazon, selling for 149.99€ at a yet undisclosed date. The wheel will also be sold bundled with the T500 RS base, it remains to be seen whether Thrustmaster will also offer the current GT rim as expansion for those buying the wheel with the F1 rim on.