F
Iām sure most of us here would have no issue waiting until the problem is fixed, whether you repair it, have it repaired, or simply replace it.
If itās a wheel with multiple connections (like pedals and gearstick), check the connections and make sure itās not just a loose connector. Iāve been surprised a few times with a variety of different equipment what can happen if a connection is wiggling. (I donāt have a high-grade wheel, but I do have an old SaiTek X52 flight stick. If the left-side connection is looseā¦ Well, it can cause all sorts of mayhem on the right hand side.)
1 Like
Itās a Logitech G920 and those seem to have a known issue with the connector inside the wheel.
Itās still a few months off the end of the warranty. So Iāll contact either the shop I got it at or Logitech directly, rather than to fiddle around myself (and forfeit the warranty). Even though itās probably just a matter of reconnecting a faulty wire, or soldering one at worst.
I just need to see whether I can replace the wheel on its own or need to treat the wheel and pedals as one unit. Then I can be screwed out of warranty because I modified the breakpedal, and do not consider it beyond Logitech to claim āthis clearly broke the connector in the wheelā. -_-
2 Likes
Yeah, 100% go for warranty. Pretty sure that they wonāt try to stuff you around because youāve nodded the pedals. Theyāve been pretty good with the limited warranty claims Iāve had before.
1 Like
if you end up gheting screwed by logitech, and cant fix it, id sell it and by a g27 on ebay or other second hand sites. you can get nearly new condiition ones for sub 150 pounds.
Edit: ive just looked, all are sub 100 on ebay and you can sell a g920 for 150 +
If youāve got a warranty, always try that first. After all, worst case scenario is that they say itās not covered because itās been modified, at which point, well, either you can try to fix it yourself or get a different wheel.
I donāt have any experience with Logitechās customer service or repairs, so I donāt know how theyāll handle it.
Just a quick update: still waiting to hear back from Logitech for the warranty. The wheel (and pedals) have been send in; estimated to take about 2 weeks before responseā¦
6 Likes
Anymore updates on the wheel?
Still at Logitech, no news yetā¦
And what a disaster is driving cars with controller after having had a wheel!
3 Likes
anything on the wheel yet?
Still not -_-
Iām giving them until tomorrow to call and start nagging for news.
4 Likes
Well, I started nagging.
On the bright side, I had time to figure out how to supercharge (including turbo + supercharger) my Automation cars in Beam. The roots variant at least.
4 Likes
I downloaded a kit for thatā¦ it was quite interesting.
I know the kit, but that requires you to first load up the car and then activate the supercharger via the settings. I wanted to integrate it into the car zip file itself.
3 Likes
So, the response was simply āstill being processed by local distributorāā¦
Anyway, I decided to move on and despite having already run 60% with wheel, Iām re-running everything with controller on shorter maps. Remarkable, the results are extremely similar to the ones I had with wheels and on bigger routes. Thereās consistency for you.
Iāll give more information soon-ish.
Nowās a busy week for me, with an unexpected invitation for a job interview at an aerospace company and a holiday to Kiev in Ukraine. The weekend of the 18th-19th though, regardless of wheels, expect to see some actual race results.
11 Likes
heck yeah boi
A word on methodology:
So, the cars have been processed differently than initially planned due to technical issues (just got word that my wheel has been fixed/replaced and that I can go get it, but all cars will be driven using gamepad). The structure of the competition consists out of a Prologue and a Main Stage.
Initially planned the Prologue was a lap - slow and without any jumps - of the West Coast USA Offroad Circuit. The Main Stage was a very long Scenario Stage on the modded map Desert Trails.
The shorter redo with the gamepad I used a lap on the Automation Circuit Gravel Circuit, and a short freeroam section of the modded map 4x4 Island, starting from the bottom:
Prologue:
This includes homologation points = penalty points for small violations of the rules (generally -50 per violation, or -200 for significant violation).
This includes points for the raw time around the Gravel Circuit.
This includes points for the total time. This total time is a the raw time plus a set of times that is meant to represent mechanical issues, driving errors, maintenance times, additional interstage check-ups, and time otherwise lost. This time is based on 1) a random number 0-1000 compared to engine reliability --> if higher then 0:15.000 additional time; 2) a random number 0-1000 compared to trim reliability --> if higher then 0:15.000 additional time; 3) a time in seconds taken from the fuel used --> if 0.30 litres used for the lap, then 0:30.000 additional time; 4) a time based a random 1-10 rolls timeson your service costs: if 1000 costs in Automation, then the additional time would be 0:10.000 to 1:40.000 depending on the random roll.
Main Stage
This includes penalty for additional fuel load (-25 for some extra; -50 for a lot extra).
This includes points for the total time. This total time is a the raw time plus a set of times that is meant to represent mechanical issues, driving errors, maintenance times, additional interstage check-ups, and time otherwise lost. This time is based on 1) a random number 0-1000 compared to engine reliability --> if higher then 0:15.000 additional time; 2) a random number 0-1000 compared to trim reliability --> if higher then 0:15.000 additional time; 3) a time in seconds taken from the average fuel consumption --> if 30 litre/100km is the average fuel consumption, then 0:30.000 additional time; 4) a time based a random 1-10 rolls timeson your service costs: if 1000 costs in Automation, then the additional time would be 0:10.000 to 1:40.000 depending on the random roll.
Total time
Simply you will get points for the total time of both previous total times.
Points
Points are given in the following format:
1000 - 950 - 900 - 860 - 820 - 800 - 780 - 760 - 740 - 720 - 700 - ā¦ - 520 - 500 - 490 - 480 - ā¦
DNFs
Cars will DNF if:
- the car is simply beyond redemption in terms of violations of the rules.
- they cannot compete a stage because they get stuck (or in one case the engine shuts down even with the automatic clutch on the gamepad).
- The fuel load is not sufficient: higher than 45 l/100km for standard; 60l/100km for extra; 75l/100km for a lot extra.
Main Stage
The route is as follows:
Start in Archania, the capital of Archana.
Paved and then unpaved roads to the settlement of Ziffa.
Driving over Black Sands Lake, a dried up volcanic lake bed.
Checkpoint at Al Mina Oasis with a very rough and steep section just behind.
Unpaved roads to Fazo.
A river crossing at the village Sali.
Entering the desert and on the way to the rock formation called Point Nowhere.
A very steep clim up the hills of the old volcano Agorgot.
A drive through the Anuman sand dunes.
Checkpoint at Zimbukto, the old desert trading empire town.
More lush vegetation at Bourem Omena.
Driving along the Anunman river towards MarƩ
A last section on public roads to return to Archania.
6 Likes
Buggy Class 101-110
| 101 | @Linkluke | Buggy | Goofer Industries MemeKart '91 | USA | Gianluca Moodini | ITA | Cheyenne āBig Mommaā Williams | USA |
If you ever wondered what kind of people would take a souped-up golf cart to an endurance offroad rally event, look no further. Goofer Industries and their MemeKart small boxer-6 racing engine powered creation are up for the challenge. Not sure if the horizontally challenged drivers are up for it though; Moodini and āBig Mommaā Williams, the Italo-American driving team, must weigh something close to a standard golf cart together.
Smooth enough through the prologue, eventhough a flat tire and some repair work cost some time.
The main rally, however, is far from a success. Relatively heavy, with small wheels and only rear wheel drive meant the MemeKart could not take obstacles in its path. The Goofer team is taken up by support vehicles and will have to retire after beaching itself not even that far from the start at some rocks near the Sali river crossing.
| 102 | @Linkluke | Buggy | GemTrek RFX 1.4 '91 | USA | Jack Cookson | FIN | Herbert Yodel | GBR |
With Cookson and Yodel behind the wheel, the GemTrek RFX is off to a good start in the prologue. There are some suspension issues and things that need fine tuning, but overall, the buggy gives a good account of itself.
This buggy looks like a real joy to drive, and it takes the difficult incline at the Al Mina Oasis without issues. Itās actually progressing quite well by the time it arrives at the Fazo checkpoint. Only some minor damage and repairs to be done here.
This is amazing for a rear-wheel drive car without any locker on the differential, it even climbs up the 35Ā° inclines of the Agorgot, one of the hardest sections of this Trek.
| 103 | @Niveon | Buggy | AUTOFAN Motorsport Benelux v.z.w. Brisinc Kabouter 1600cc '57 | BEL | Gerard Fountaine | BEL | Karel Denaerde | NED |
The BeNeLux team is having some issues with the old machinery on their revamped 1957 Brisinc Kabouter and lose time with a number of breakdowns even in the prologue. When it drives though, it drives well.
Despite a fairly good start, Fontaine and Denaerde are in serious trouble soon after the Agorgot climb. The front suspension seems to have but collapsed on itself. The relentless banging of the small, tiny wheels into the rocks seems to have damaged the car beyond repair. It is soon near Zimbukto that the Kabouter nosedives into the sand, its front suspension now totally collapsed and useless. They number 103 car is also out of the race.
| 104 | @DoctorNarfy | Buggy | Shromet Interval Group B '91 | USA | Jose Sanchez | MEX | Marc GuzmƔn | MEX |
A bit of a ruckus at the Shromet stand during homologation, where a steering aid system was discovered. The organisation still allows the buggy to compete, but will administer a penalty to the US-Mexican team.
Maintenance on this cars looks like trouble, and might be a lengthy affair on the road and at checkpoints.
The noise the car makes during the prologue is much appreciated by the audience. The performance is quite spectacular as well, with many a four-wheel slide in the corners.
No technical hiccups for Shanchez and GuzmĆ”n in the Shromet, but thatās a good thing with the time the team puts in checkpoint maintenance. One clear worry is the fuel load, considering the team only opted for the standard load, despite the massive V8 in the middle of the car. After some initial fun in the sand dunes outsides of Archania, it becomes clear Shanchez is keeping the car in high gear to save fuel already. And that strategy seems to work, allowing the Shromet finish with still a drop or two of fuel left.
| 105 | @DoctorNarfy | Buggy | Nohda Super Strato Confed '67 ('91 Turbo tuned) | JPN | Theodora Justinian | GRC | Joseph Biffle | USA |
Frantic work in the Nodha paddock where the Japanese teams is rasing the suspension and adding indicators and a licence plate to the car to make the vehicle compliant with the rules. They manage to homologate the car, but with some penalties.
Seeing it driven, the turbo Nodha buggy is certainly interesting. Iām not sure Justinian can always control it when the turbo spools up. All in all, the little bug tackles the course ok, but some repairs for body work damage after scraping the wall are in order.
The Nohda Super Strato is a low, sporty, rear-wheel drive, turbo-charged race car. It fails almost immediately after the start in the wilderness of Archania. What was the team even thinking entering this?
| 106 | @Niveon | Buggy | Marisse Mille Miglia 1800S Crossroad 2R '55 | BEL | Thierry Janssen | BEL | Renard Liesieux | BEL |
What happens when you strap a massive intercooler to a 1955 lightweight roadster? Itās a question nobody expects the Belgians to answer. But they did.
Janssen and Liesieux did run into a few issues with their revamped Marisse Mille Miglia, including some carburettor issues and a stalling engine. It is unclear whether that is the turbo acting up or whether the first gear is botched.
While the nimble roadster performed admirably at the dreaded Al Mina, there are issues for Janssen and Liesieux. The gearing and turbo seem to lack torque at the low end for the longer uphill sections, even if the gradient is not that spectacular.
As expected Agorgot causes problems, and many hours are lost here in trying to find a solution on how to get the Marisse up a hill the transmission and available traction cannot handle. In the end a team of mules is hired from a local farmer, but the hours of delay have created additional problems. One is the need to finish before nightfall. The other is the amount of fuel spent in all the attempts at climbing the hill. The now-turbocharged 1.8 litre 50s engine has been given more of itself than it was initially built for almost all day. And indeed, it seems the Belgians have used up far too much, stranding the 106 car without fuel still a fuel hours before the line. They are out of contention.
| 107 | @gridghost | Buggy | Scarab Flare RX24 '90 | SWE | John Andersen | SWE | Eric Olson | SWE |
The Swedish team in the Scarab Flare has a great start. The car is a somewhat unusual turbo 2.4 litre inline-6 powered coupe-shell buggy. But it runs great, and Andersen and Olson manage a great prologue run.
Issues early on for the Scarab, as Andersen steers it into a deep pit near Ziffa. Luckily the Swedes manage to get the buggy free and it does not look like the suspension was damaged.
What is most remarkable about this turbo engine is the low rev torque available. The car really behaves well on the low speed sections and the steep inclines. Fuel economy is what impresses the most though.
| 108 | @TheAlmightyTwingo | Buggy | Meijer Woestijnrat '91 | NLD | Geralt Bauer | DEU | Dieter Maler | DEU |
A bit of technical and maintenance issues on the Meijer Woestijnrat, or ādesert ratā; but apart from that good driving from Bauer in this Prologue.
There seem to be some suspension issues for the ādesert ratā crossing the Black Sands Lake salt flats and dunes on the way to Al Mina. Maler in particular seems agitated and worried, while Bauer is mostly focussing on keeping the Meijer in control while crossing any bumps. This causes some issues also especially near Agorgot and Bourem Omena, some of the toughest parts of the course of this trek. But in the end, the little buggy is nimble enough to still pull it off.
| 109 | @Caligo | Buggy | Jidosha Kogaku - Kanbinette I6(z) '91 | JPN | Aisha āAceā Iriguchi | JPN | Jeong Iseul | KOR |
Some language issues at homologation from the Japanese and Korean drivers of the Jidosha Kogaku buggy. It appears the roll cage and safety equipment is not according to regulations. There will probably be a point penalty for this.
The prologue run itself though, there the Japanese brand performs admirably, certainly for the inline-6 engine which in the end does not have heaps of power. More than some of the smaller buggies, but a lot less than the power houses.
The buggy seems to have very short gearing, which makes the hills and dunes easy to navigate for āAceā and Jeong.
| 110 | @Major_Marmite | Buggy | Saxon Autosport Ares TurboRally S6 '91 | GBR | Nigel Humes | GBR | Harry Reilly | IRL |
A small and intricate turbo inline six is powering this Ares buggy with Humes and Reilly behind the wheel. And the prologue does not start out too well, with transmission issues early on. It appears the gearing is quite long for the high revving buggy as well, which might not be optimal. Despite technical issues, when the Ares works, it appears to control well and manage high enough speeds on the sandy dunes.
Humes is really pushing the Ares to its limits at times, and that almost finishes badly, when the four-wheel drive system cannot get the car around an off-camber corner fast enough, and the buggy slips down a lower-lying outcrop before a steep cliff. It takes some careful manoeuvring and some honest to god proper Irish swearing from Reilly to get the car out of this icky position.
The real trouble starts when fording the Anunman river. The Humes positions the wheels of the Ares unfortunately, and the buggy tips over. While the team can right the car and continue, time has been lost.
12 Likes
I can honestly say that Iām both nervous and excited at the same time.
Buggy Class 111-120
| 111 | @Rudzis | Buggy | Melki 150 '85 | LVA | MÄris Vilks | LVA | Kaspars Ozols | LVA |
A Melki is prone to break down. And thatās exactly what it does half the time during the prologue.
Though, you have to admire what Vilks and Ozols did with the suspension and tune of the little car when the engine cooperates. And during the main stage there is reason for hope to regain some time lost and climb in the standings.
| 112 | @Rudzis | Buggy | Rautio Ilmatar Buggy '91 | FIN | Reino Linna | FIN | Tuomo Lehtonen | FIN |
Rautio may claim at homologation that the Ilmater is four-wheel drive, but looking at how it performs, it seems to be front-wheel drive to me.
Even during the prologue there are a number of issues with the traction. Linna and Lehtonen get stuck on the steeper climbs. The suspension is giving them a hard and harsh ride as well.
Archania to Al Mina is an uneventful trip, but once the road starts climbing, the car struggles. Bravely, the Fins soldiers on, but regrettably they soon need to give up the race after rolling and wrecking the car. The front wheels couldnāt get sufficient grip and the little car started sliding out of control.
| 113 | @SuperLemonade | Buggy | Alkaev Auto Industries El Buggo '91 | USA | Noah MĆøller | DNK | Mikhail Alkaev | USA |
Sounds and shifts like a stadium truck, and does very well in the prologue. Drinks as much fuel as a stadium truck as well with the Danish driver behind the wheel.
Alkaev, owner of the company and acting as co-driver and navigator is looking forward to the Archana Trek, and with good reason. The buggy glides over rocks and through deep sand, and the powerful engine makes short work of hills. There are a few stops due to sea sickness from the wobbly suspension, but nothing that takes too much time. Luckily though, that the team requested extra fuel supplies. They were needed.
| 114 | @GassTiresandOil | Buggy | Armor Valence '65 | USA | Rick Strauss | USA | Elliott Strauss | USA |
Review during homologation revealed non-regulation seats in the car. Luckily some sports seats were available, but a small points penalty will be applied.
The 3.8 litre V8 is a remarkable engine, with or without the added turbo on this one. It delivers ample torque in the low revs, and really makes a mayhem once let fully loose.
On these routes, thereās arenāt much sections where Rick Strauss can let the car go loose, but even so, the Armor Valence has its moments.
Dodgy moment around Black Sands Lake, where the Strauss brothers open up the throttle and get the car up to two wheels over a bump.
Luckily the brakes are up to the task, because that was a dangerous moment, where the car almost outbraked itself going down a steeper descent.
You donāt see much wrong when looking at the exterior of the Armor Valence upon arrival in Archania, but it appears the steering is bent. One wonders how this affected the time.
| 115 | @CMT | Buggy | CMT City II T91 AWD '91 | DEU | Hakko Kemppainen | FIN | Igor Bojaroff | RUS |
Nimble and light on its Prologue performance, and very economical at first sight. This little car might just be a surprise.
On the rock desert surfaces it appears the CMT City has rather hard dampening on its suspension. This means Kemppainen and Bojaroff needs to progress perhaps less fast than they want.
The more you look at the car, the more it seems the so-called all-wheel drive system only drives the front wheels. And it is near Agorgot that this becomes an issue. The rear wheels donāt do any way, there is no diff lock, there is no low range gearing available, and the engine is too lacklustre to keep the revs high on the steepest of climbs. Once the car slides down, it just sits stranded with the front wheels spinning.
| 116 | @CMT | Buggy | CMT Kyalami GTR 4x4 '85 | DEU | Chantalle Bonnaire | FRA | Takeo Yamato | JAP |
A vehicle so bland-looking it was almost missed by the homologation team as a contestant.
Despite looks, the CMT Kyalami gives off the impression to be a very competent vehicle, but bad luck follows Bonnaire and Yamato during the prologue overall. The young female driver letting out a frustrated scream in the paddock after the multitude of technical issues that prologue.
A driving error from the young French woman gets the CMT in trouble near Fazo. Stuck in a crevice with one wheel in the air, the four-wheel drive system and some pushing on the hood from Yamato can luckily make the tyres find some grip and get the car going again.
| 117 | @STM316 | Buggy | Puttzalong 46 Inglese Rally GAT91 '90 | ITA | Max Greco | LBY | Pat Malone | ITA |
The old Puttzalong with a modern makeover. Yet it cannot hide its age.
Regardless, Greco and Malone have a comfortable prologue session, without any serious issues or breakdowns and not a too slow time.
In Archana again, reliable above expectations. There are some issues the team encoutners on Agorgot. The old mountain putting up challenge in being conquered by the old car, but the Puttzalong pushes along nonetheless.
| 118 | @gridghost | Buggy | Scarab Cirrus RX24 '90 | SWE | Fredrika āIkaā Olsson | SWE | Daniel Lundbom | SWE |
A very fast looking buggy from Sweden. Even though small issues were detected in the road legalness of the car during homologation, these could be fixed easily.
The main issue for the Scarab are the service times though. It is a very intricate car mechanically, and Ika Olsson and Lundbom take large amounts of time servicing the car during prologue and in Archana, with a huge penalty for unplanned interstage servicing.
Troubles donāt stop there as the team encounters steering difficulties at times, possible due to torque steer. The car also makes a hell of a racket, and not in engine sound. And tackling steep inclines and more difficult surfaces does not turn out to be easy due to the long gearing.
| 119 | @jameseydude | Buggy | Voiture de rallye Team Vila '91 | VUT | Ahohako Bule | VUT | Benoit Boucher | CAN |
A vehicle here from Vanuatu that shocked the organisation in terms of material costs for engine and chassis, that lead to the imposition of various penalties. The engine tuning as well looks to be shocking, as if done by someone who had previously only worked on small generators.
Driving in the prologue looks awkward with that little power in the low rev range on sand and rocks. At high speed the suspension and steering become unpredictable.
Blue and Boucher do not enjoy the best trek as there are multiple incidents along the way. Thereās a roll near Point Nowhere that forces the team to stop for repairs. Thereās the instance where the team somehow drives in the wrong direction away from the huge top of Agorgot. And lastly thereās hitting literally the only tree between Fazo and Zimbukto.
| 120 | @GassTiresandOil | Buggy | Armor AFX-4 '85 | USA | Doug Freitag | USA | John Stockton | USA |
Non-regulation seats will have to be removed after homologation, with the imposition of a penalty.
Spectacular role on the prologue stages, but Freitag and Stockton can continue, and do manage to set decent time.
A bit of the same story in Archana. No rolls this time, but decent progress sometimes stunned by mechanical issues or the car getting stuck.
10 Likes