Saitek farm-wheel wobbling?

[TomXP411]

Ive read some bad reviews on it. Most saying that it was cheaply designed, which really suprises me. Saitek usually make great products.

I have thought about buying it, but may just buy a good wheel/pedal setup and combine it with my x52...

At the time when these wheels were originally released Saitek was owned by Mad Catz, which we all know is notorious for shoddy quality, so it is no surprise that the FS wheel is less that excellent to a lot of people. However Logitech recently purchased Saitek and started releasing the wheel so I think the new ones are better.

I seem to recall seeing some minor differences between mine and the ones in the reviews on YouTube, etc. I don't remember what they are, off the top of my head, though...

[Boer_Jan]

I have the saitek wheel for almost a year now. I was on vacation for 6 weeks, then came back and also went to play FS17 again with the wheel. Now I am experiencing this problem with the Saitek wheel: When I turn it all the way to the left, on the final turn of the wheel, it says "power surge on USB port" and then disconnects. I have bought a powered USB-hub and connected the wheel on it, now it says "your game controller is not connected properly" and then it also disconnects. Should I contact Saitek to get a refund (warranty) or is there a simple solution for the problem? Thanks in advance!

[Smith Modding]

There may be a solution, but getting a refund/replacement will probably be easier, in my opinion

[Sir Ironoak]

I'm about to give up on even getting in contact with Saitek/Logitech for help in this issue and instead thinking of simply bying another wheel. I guess I would still be able to use the side-panel, right?

[TomXP411]

I'm about to give up on even getting in contact with Saitek/Logitech for help in this issue and instead thinking of simply bying another wheel. I guess I would still be able to use the side-panel, right?

Yes, the side panel works fine by itself.

In the reviews on Amazon, other people have had that problem... it sounds like it's an ongoing quality issue with the wheel, so you probably will do better in the long run getting a quality racing wheel.

[Cajunwolf]

I have the wheel, a Logitech version bought about a year ago. I have had the problem of USB disconnect, but fixed it. The wobble your talking about, do you mean the steering wheels on the vehicle your driving wobble when you turn? If so, it's because a ground wire has come loose, and it's fairly easy to fix if your a fix it type, and can solder. The problem is engineering because they put the main chip in the wheel hub instead of the base like should have been done. On top of that that add a horn and turn signals. What you end up with is 2 main USB cables, and a single ground wire, that gets twisted up to 900 degrees while the wheel is in use. They try to limit the problem by cable tying the two main cables at the base of the wheel hub to limit stress on the circuit board by said cables during turns, but over time stress occurs, and shorts take place. As to the ground wire problem, which seems to be the issue with the stutter, or wobble of the wheels while turning is easy to fix if you can solder, it's getting the wheel apart that's time consuming. I've fixed both issues, and can tear it down and put it back together in my sleep, so if any are interested I'll do a short tutorial.

All of that being said, it's really worth it for $250 if you like better realism in FS, there's nothing like it once you get it set with the bindings how you like. I still play FS15 too, so I have it set up for that version too. I love my Saitek Wheel, peddles, and side panel. Oh, I almost forgot, mount the peddles on something, a piece of plywood is what I did, and set it against the wall or something solid and they work fine.

[Sir Ironoak]

I have the wheel, a Logitech version bought about a year ago. I have had the problem of USB disconnect, but fixed it. The wobble your talking about, do you mean the steering wheels on the vehicle your driving wobble when you turn? If so, it's because a ground wire has come loose, and it's fairly easy to fix if your a fix it type, and can solder. The problem is engineering because they put the main chip in the wheel hub instead of the base like should have been done. On top of that that add a horn and turn signals. What you end up with is 2 main USB cables, and a single ground wire, that gets twisted up to 900 degrees while the wheel is in use. They try to limit the problem by cable tying the two main cables at the base of the wheel hub to limit stress on the circuit board by said cables during turns, but over time stress occurs, and shorts take place. As to the ground wire problem, which seems to be the issue with the stutter, or wobble of the wheels while turning is easy to fix if you can solder, it's getting the wheel apart that's time consuming. I've fixed both issues, and can tear it down and put it back together in my sleep, so if any are interested I'll do a short tutorial.

All of that being said, it's really worth it for $250 if you like better realism in FS, there's nothing like it once you get it set with the bindings how you like. I still play FS15 too, so I have it set up for that version too. I love my Saitek Wheel, peddles, and side panel. Oh, I almost forgot, mount the peddles on something, a piece of plywood is what I did, and set it against the wall or something solid and they work fine.

WoW! Here's the answer I was looking for! Thank you! =)

As far as my own wheel goes, before I gave up I decided to contact the store where I bought the wheel, and a drive there and back home later I had a new wheel! They exchanged it for me, so now I have the "new generation" Saitek/Logitech wheel and so far it works fine!

But I'll go back to your post here Cajunwolf if it happens again!

[Farmhand2016]

Wow, you guys are a wealth of information. I've been having the "power surge" problem now for about three months. When my first Saitek wheel came I was elated. a bit put off as to the quality, the wheel had a bad wobble. I just thought that is how it is, new to the game. FS15 ran flawlessly for over a year. Come to think about it, I think my Power problem started when I upgraded to FS17, HMMM? I replaced the original set with a certified used set. That lasted for about a month or two when I had the same problem start up again. I'd have to unplug and re-plug my USB cables a lot. Then it got to the point I was getting a very jerky game. Last week I went down and replaced my old computer with a rebuilt one supposedly much faster, I 3 processor to I 5, and ordered another used wheel and pedals (control panel seemed fine). Got the wheel today, hooked it up just got all the bindings set and Auuughhhh, power surge and USB shutdown. Looking for an answer someone on another forum suggested buying the Logitech G29 wheel and keep the Saitek control panel. Any thoughts on going that route? As for taking apart the wheel, I would like to see a tutorial as I tried to get the first one apart and gave up in defeat. Man if I could fix my wheel and save $275 for a G29 that would be great as this has cost me about $500 so far and I still can't farm. All my livestock is going to die,DUH! Again Thanks guys for all your valuable support!!!!!

[Cajunwolf]

@farmhand2016

It's not that hard to get apart if your a "fix-it" type of person. There are 6 hidden screws under the rubber grip strips. three on each side, and you can see all of the others. To be honest, if you have to have a wheel the G29 wheel is your best option because this Saitek - Logitech farm sim wheel is a piece of junk. It's due to bad engineering and sorry craftsmanship, and it's bounced from Saitek to MadCats and now to Logitech. I've worked on several, and it's either a wiring issue, which causes a chip issue, a ground wire breaking, or a bad potentiometer (little device that converts the turning motion into variable voltages).

I still farm with or without it, and the side panel works great, no problems. Actually, and since I do a lot of FPS gaming, I'm really quicker and find it easier to just use WASD on the KB. When I get a chance I'll throw together a quick tutorial on disassembly, troubleshooting, modification, and reassembly of the Saitek wheel.

[Farmhand2016]

Thanks Cajunwolf, think I'll just save my money and go with the G29. After reading the forum I'm surprised I got 1200+hrs out of the first wheel. Maybe I lucked out and got a later edition the first time as it was a new one and not a used one. The last two were used and didn't survive, one about maybe six weeks and the other one about 30 minutes. You mentioned the potentiometer, that must have been the problem with the last one? As soon as I turned the wheel I got the "power surge" warning and the USB terminal shut down. Thanks for the rapid reply I really do appreciate the input. Guess I'll just have to shop for mods for now.

[Cajunwolf]

Thanks Cajunwolf, think I'll just save my money and go with the G29. After reading the forum I'm surprised I got 1200+hrs out of the first wheel. Maybe I lucked out and got a later edition the first time as it was a new one and not a used one. The last two were used and didn't survive, one about maybe six weeks and the other one about 30 minutes. You mentioned the potentiometer, that must have been the problem with the last one? As soon as I turned the wheel I got the "power surge" warning and the USB terminal shut down. Thanks for the rapid reply I really do appreciate the input. Guess I'll just have to shop for mods for now.

Yep, that's the potentiometer when you turn the wheel and it goes berserk. It's a cheap Chinese part, and I'm trying to find a high quality replacement with the same specs. Once I do there is a good chance I have the problem solved. At that time I'm going to buy up a bunch of bad wheels cheap, repair with upgrades, and sell for a reasonable cost.

[Donnelly]

I have the wheel, a Logitech version bought about a year ago. I have had the problem of USB disconnect, but fixed it. The wobble your talking about, do you mean the steering wheels on the vehicle your driving wobble when you turn? If so, it's because a ground wire has come loose, and it's fairly easy to fix if your a fix it type, and can solder. The problem is engineering because they put the main chip in the wheel hub instead of the base like should have been done. On top of that that add a horn and turn signals. What you end up with is 2 main USB cables, and a single ground wire, that gets twisted up to 900 degrees while the wheel is in use. They try to limit the problem by cable tying the two main cables at the base of the wheel hub to limit stress on the circuit board by said cables during turns, but over time stress occurs, and shorts take place. As to the ground wire problem, which seems to be the issue with the stutter, or wobble of the wheels while turning is easy to fix if you can solder, it's getting the wheel apart that's time consuming. I've fixed both issues, and can tear it down and put it back together in my sleep, so if any are interested I'll do a short tutorial.

All of that being said, it's really worth it for $250 if you like better realism in FS, there's nothing like it once you get it set with the bindings how you like. I still play FS15 too, so I have it set up for that version too. I love my Saitek Wheel, peddles, and side panel. Oh, I almost forgot, mount the peddles on something, a piece of plywood is what I did, and set it against the wall or something solid and they work fine.

Dear Cajunwolf
May I ask for your help? My Saitek wheel has the known issue: steer left, game reset. I opened it up but wiring seems ok. Only one thing: mine has not the mentioned green solo ground cable that many users found broken. In my wheel this little solo cable in absent. Maybe this is the problem. But I cannot figure out where to soldier the cable into the “horn” circuit…
I got pictures on my phone but not sure how to upload them…

May I ask for your help in fixing this wheel??
Thank you

Carlo
Italy