When I play, my racing wheel’s Force Feedback weakens, disappears or cuts off. My racing wheel can also heat up, or power off by itself. What can I do?

Products: T128 (PS4/PS5/PC) ; T128 (Xbox One/Xbox Series/PC) ; T150 Force Feedback ; T150 PRO Force Feedback ; T150 Ferrari Wheel Force Feedback ; TMX Force Feedback ; TMX PRO Force Feedback ; T248 (PS4/PS5/PC) ; T248 (Xbox One/XBox Series/PC) ; T300 RS ; T300RS GT Edition ; T300 Ferrari GTE ; T300 Ferrari Integral Alcantara® Edition ; T300 SERVO BASE ; TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition ; TX Racing Wheel LEATHER Edition ; TX SERVO BASE ; T-GT ; T-GT II ; TS-XW RACER ; TS-XW Servo Base ; TS-PC RACER ; TS-PC Racer Ferrari 488 Challenge Edition ; T818 ; T818 Ferrari SF1000 Simulator

Platforms: 
PC running Windows® 10 more recent.
Game consoles: PS4™; PlayStation®5; Xbox One™; Xbox Series S™; Xbox Series X™


Thrustmaster Force Feedback racing wheels are equipped with an electric motor that simulates the physical effects of real car racing conditions (e.g., vibrations, shocks, tensing up of the steering, braking, and so on). This makes racing in video games more immersive.

In this article, we will discuss three issues that could commonly affect your racing wheel, the wheel’s voltage and its Force Feedback, as well as troubleshooting tips and solutions:

1- Voltage: How can you avoid losses or drops in voltage to your racing wheel?

2- Racing wheel temperature: How can you keep your Force Feedback racing wheel functional and prevent overheating?

3- Phenomena affecting Force Feedback (e.g., clipping): How can you avoid or deal with them?

                                                                                               
1- Voltage: How can you avoid losses or drops in voltage to your racing wheel?

Your racing wheel’s connections are important, because your device needs adequate power in order to function properly.
In the middle of a game, your racing wheel may disconnect, then reconnect and recalibrate. In some cases, Force Feedback may weaken or even stop completely.

To avoid this, make sure to carefully check your cables and plugs:
 

• The power cord must be directly connected to a wall outlet. We recommend that you avoid using an extension cord, power strip or current transformer.
• The racing wheel must be directly connected to a USB port on the PC or game console. We recommend that you avoid using a USB hub, a USB extension, or any other type of connection extension.

Why are direct connections better?
Our racing wheels and their peripheral devices feature standard cables and connectors (power, USB, RJ12, DIN):

• An extension cord may alter or disrupt the electrical current by lengthening the signal. That means your racing wheel may receive a slightly lower voltage than what it needs to function normally.
• A power strip or hub can create an overload effect that can also reduce the voltage received by your racing wheel.

Note: Powered USB hubs can restore voltage in multiple connections, thus avoiding voltage drops. However, we cannot guarantee that such a device would function optimally.

After checking the connections, test your racing wheel on several USB ports to see if it functions properly.

Tip:
Desktop PCs usually have USB ports on the back. As these additional USB ports are connected to the motherboard, unlike the USB ports located at the front, they have a direct power supply. This means they can be a good alternative to avoid power cut-offs or drops during a game.
Some high-end game consoles also have additional USB ports on the back that offer the same features: PS4 Pro™, PS5™; Xbox One X™, Xbox Series X™.

Test your racing wheel on a different platform (PC or console) than the one you usually play on. This sort of cross-testing (i.e., connecting your racing wheel to a different platform) helps you understand what’s wrong and sometimes how to fix it.

2- Racing wheel temperature: How can you keep your Force Feedback racing wheel functional and avoid overheating?

Your Force Feedback wheel features an electrically-powered motor that will heat up during use. This is normal, and your racing wheel is designed to withstand the heat up to a set tolerance level. Our racing wheels include a safety feature that can decrease or stop Force Feedback effects to avoid overheating.

Note on cooling and ventilation:
Your racing wheel needs to vent excess heat through at least one fan located in its base. This fan is set to automatic mode, meaning it will speed up or slow down on its own based on the temperature that it senses.
However, you can switch the fan to manual mode on T300 RS and TX racing wheel bases. This is especially useful to check whether the fan is working. For more information, please refer to the documentation regarding cooling for the T300 RS or TX racing wheels.
Meanwhile, Direct Drive racing wheels, like our T818, vent heat through ambient air, so they don’t have a fan.

Over time, in some situations, this means your racing wheel’s performance will decrease, mainly depending on usage time and accumulated heat. Here are some useful tips for dealing with these issues:

• Install your racing wheel in a well-ventilated and clutter-free area, where you (and your wheel) will be comfortable.

 

• Adjust the Force Feedback feature according to the games that you’re playing, and feel free to reduce it in the game’s settings. This will help you find a balance between constant Force Feedback and a fun gaming experience. This advice applies to both console and PC games.
  • On a PC, you can also access the Force Feedback settings through your racing wheel’s control panel. In this case, the settings will only apply to PC games.

 

• Try shorter game sessions and take regular breaks, disconnecting your racing wheel.
  • Please refer to the “Warning” section of your racing wheel’s user manual

 

• Remember to power off your PC or console and completely unplug your racing wheel after each use (power cord, USB, connectors for add-on peripheral devices).

 

• Clean your racing wheel and its peripheral devices regularly to avoid dust build-up. You can do so safely using compressed-gas spray duster cans that clean electronic devices without any liquids.

Tip if you compete in long races:
It might be the case that you take part in endurance races or short back-to-back sessions for an hour or two. Adapting the Force Feedback feature in such high-usage situations is highly recommended, as it would be less likely to underperform.
Tweaking the Force Feedback by lowering the in-game settings can prove beneficial. Play around with the settings until you find the right balance.


3- Phenomena affecting Force Feedback: How can you avoid or deal with them?

You might notice a drop in your racing wheel’s Force Feedback performance during a game. Specifically, the Force Feedback effects may disappear or fluctuate temporarily due to lags while you’re playing (e.g., online races), bugs or various glitches that usually resolve themselves.
Some games can also be more demanding than others and prove more challenging for your racing wheel.

In addition, certain physical phenomena may disrupt your racing wheel’s performance, especially Force Feedback effects. These issues occur more frequently when the electrical signal becomes saturated due to Force Feedback settings.

Example of clipping:
Force Feedback clipping is an electrical saturation phenomenon that can prevent some of the Force Feedback effects from occurring in certain situations. It is usually temporary but may happen several times during a race.
Clipping can occur in both PC and console games.

Here’s a scenario to help you understand what’s happening:
You’re taking part in a race on a racing circuit. You accelerate in a straight line and brake to take a turn. When passing over the rumble strips, the racing wheel does not reproduce the vibrating effect, yet all other effects occur (e.g., braking effects, jolts and movements of the car’s wheels, etc.).

Explanation:
This phenomenon mainly affects racing wheels used with games whose Force Feedback settings are high, and these settings don’t have to be maxed out for clipping to occur.
Commands sent by the game to produce Force Feedback require actions that exceed the racing wheel’s physical (real) capabilities.
The motor is physically overwhelmed and cannot execute the extra commands. As a result, the Force Feedback feature seems to temporarily disappear in specific situations. This means your racing wheel’s motor has reached its operational limit.

Solution to reduce clipping and some other saturation phenomena:
Since Force Feedback commands come from the game, they must be adapted to match the racing wheel’s capabilities:

• Lower the Force Feedback settings in the game (PC and console).
  • This will give your wheel’s motor some wiggle room and optimize the Force Feedback effects.

Important: If your racing wheel continues to disconnect or lose Force Feedback performance despite the advice in this article, please contact our technical support team, who can then suggest other solutions.