There are wheels for racing games and there are wheels for racing simulators. Of these, the $1,428 Extreme Competition Controls Inc. Trackstar 6000GTS is most definitely the latter.
ECCI takes replication of the real feel of driving to the brink of absurdity with the latest generation of its Trackstar wheels, which are designed to offer racing aficionados the closest thing they can get to controlling an F1 car or Italian exotic without ever getting out of the office chair.
While force feedback systems have been appearing in racing wheels for over a decade, ECCI takes a unique approach with its Monopoint II system, which actually uses a bear-mounted camshaft to produce different amounts of resistance in the wheel at any given point in its travel. To mimic the eliminate the loose feel of a controller and mimic the tight, stabile feel of a car steering wheel connected to wheels on the ground, the company even uses a fluid damper, which fights jerky movement and rewards smooth turning, producing the same “weight” a real wheel has.
Of course, to round out the experience, there are also short-throw shift paddles, a leather-wrapped Talladega steering wheel, a set of three cast aluminum pedals, and an array of different graphics for the rear cover, which can be made of either metal or Lexan.
As mentioned, the whole package runs for a spendy$1,428 in the GTS configuration, but thriftier sim fans can opt for the GT or base package, which do away with options like the custom graphics, clutch pedal, and steering damper (on the base model) to cut down on price. More details including an incredibly detailed breakdown of all of ECCI’s various technologies, can be found at the company’s Web site.
ECCI Trackstar 6000 Racing Wheel
