I just bought my first wheel ever for driving games which was the Driving Force EX. I bought it as sort of experiment to see if I would like it. I absolutely love this thing. After while I started thinking about getting the PRO and taking the EX back since everyone raves about it. The extra money is not an issue. The only concern I have is that the PRO has been said to have extremely hard force feedback. The Force feedback is great in the EX even though it it won't rip it's self out of your hands.

I'm wondering if there are any users of the PRO that can shed some light on this subject. I would hate to get force feedback that is unrealistically too strong vs. having a wheel that is just a bit too light.

I think will most will say the the Driving Force Pro is better. I had the Driving Force for GT3 and got the Pro for GT4. The Pro is definitely better and you can adjust the force feedback in GT5p. Without any adjustments I'd say the force feedback in the Pro is a little stronger. There's also the new Driving force GT and The Moose started a good informational thread on it someplace here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1019799&highlight=Driving+Force+GT

I only mention this since you say the extra money is not an issue:
If you are looking to add a clutch pedal and an H-pattern shifter (that can be converted to a bump shifter with the turn of a knob) there are those of that abolutely love the Logitch G25. Steel pedals w/ different resistance and the wheel is fantastic. The shifter is a little wonky but functions just fine. The wheel itself has two giant motors in it for excellent feedback which can be turned up and down in GT5. I liked my old DF but love my G25! (it's USB and also works on your PC.)
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/devices/131&cl=us,en
Works great w/ GT5 Prologue.

Hey thanks a ton for the responses guys. Thanks for the link eclipz it was very informative. I need to put on record though that the Driving Force EX is a fantastic wheel. There are almost no reviews on this wheel because most people just spend the extra 40 bucks and get the PRO and almost just assume that the EX is junk. I can see where people would think that since all wheels near or at the $60 price range aren't worth even trying out like everything made from Mad Katz and Gamestop. I own a few products from logitech that includes computer speakers and wireless controllers and they are top quality as always. To someone who may not have the extra money, the EX wheel has excellent force feedback and realism. It can't do 900 steering but will still give a accurate feel of driving. It was hard to make the decision to take it back last night because I had so much fun with it. I used to hate attaining licenses in Gran Turismo because it was so boring and frustrating with the controller but now it's actually fun and I'm now almost done with the S class license that I didn't complete a few years ago because I hated it. The EX is a substantial and worthy upgrade from the dreaded Dualshock.

Money is an issue when it comes to the G25. Even at it's cheapest it is still over 200 bucks. I have seen several videos of it and recognize it's superiority. However I only have 100 bucks to spend. That's what I meant by the extra dollars are not a problem. They were actual dollars, not hundreds.:D I'm ordering the PRO tonight and should have it within a week to give it a test drive. Again thanks for the posts and links.

I just got my Driving Force Pro and all I can say is that I'm extremely disappointed that I'm gonna have to wait a couple more days to pick up another Driving Force EX. There are quite a number of things I didn't like about this wheel.

First the 900 degree steering. Most likely due to a programming error on Polyphony's part, the force feedback fights you when it shouldn't. I never understood people's explanation of this problem until I experienced it. I will explain this problem in a different way so people who are thinking about buying this wheel can understand what the problem actually is. Picture this. You just wiped out and you're facing the side wall and you are completely stationary. You have to cut the wheel all the way to the right to steer the car back onto the track. Simple right? Well in a real car it would be. You would simply use one hand or maybe even both to quickly whip the wheel around all the way to the right. STOP! When you try to do this, the force feedback is fighting you and you cannot turn the wheel quickly unless you really crank it hard. In a real car, the wheel would turn quite easily. Next you wanna get going so you step on the gas. STOP! Get ready now to fight the wheel's force feedback going the other direction to center it and turn left. If you don't the wheel makes about a quarter of a return before you end up into the wall on the other side of the track. That's right. Not only does the wheel not return by itself, but you must fight the force feedback while trying to center the wheel yourself. Software or hardware error, it's just plain not realistic and annoying.

Second complaint is about the force feedback itself. The force feedback is way too strong to be realistic. GT4 has a mild FF setting which makes it tons better but GT3 does not have this option. However, if all you're gonna play is GT4 you're cool because you can turn the FF down to a realistic level.

Third complaint is the sequential shifter that I was really excited about. I was until I found that it's just a clicking micro switch with a fancy stick on the end that has about 2mm of throw and gives me no satisfaction of shifting the car. I found myself going back to the paddle shifters that work very well and feel natural and are more satisfying to use.

The only attributes I found on the PRO vs. the EX is that the brake pedal has a lot more resistance on the PRO. However the lack of resistance on the EX took nothing away from the driving experience. I was disappointed to find that the base of the pedals on the PRO were not heavier and more solid, but simply had a retractable spike strip to prevent the unit from sliding forward. Not a massive deal, but still.

Overall the extra 40 bucks I spent was a waste IMO. The FF on the EX was subtle yet realistic. The EX is better than the PRO even in just 180 degree steering. The steering is tighter and more accurate. The PRO had too much play in the center before the car started to turn as where the EX had none.

Ok pros and cons recap.

PRO pros:

-900 steering
-strong FF
-resistive brake pedal
-pedal assembly spike strip grip
-stick shifter

PRO cons:

-900 degree steering is unrealistic
-FF is too stong to be realistic
-poor wheel return in 900 and 180 degree mode
-play in the center of the wheel
-stick shifter is a cheap clicker with no throw
-40 bucks more than the EX

EX pros:
-accurate 180 degree steering
-realistic FF
-great wheel return
-40 bucks cheaper than the PRO

EX cons:

-pedals slip if not mounted
-brake and accel feel the same resistance wise
-not given enough credit or reviews

The EX has the same build quality as the PRO and should last just as long if not longer than a PRO. The EX will give you a realistic driving experience more so than the PRO. Now the G25 is probably a very different story. But the EX is 60 bucks and the G25 is over 200 bucks. IMO the EX gives the best experience under the G25. The EX does what it was designed to do exceptionally well. As does the G25 I'm sure. The PRO is middle of the road in price but really if you're wanting a wheel, you should get the EX or the G25 and forget the PRO.

This is my opinion of the wheel as I tested both the EX and the PRO.

Thanks for your review of the 2 wheels. I too, have the EX, and find it perfect for my needs. I was thinking about getting the pro also..but read some similar reviews as yours, and decided it was not worth the extra $ for the limited benefits of it. I did not want 900 degree steering, as to me, this seemed like more work to enjoy a game. I got the EX and GT5P for $88.00 during the Walmart deal, and it has been worth every penny. I think when I do finally upgrade it will be something in the class of the G25. Until then, the EX works just great.

Good info here guys. Anyone know how the Driving Force GT wheel fits in with these two?

The GT is the same as the Pro, the 900 degree one, with a few modifications.

I also have a couple of the older DRiving Force wheels, the one that came out with GT3...and I hope and pray they never break because they work so damn well. Because they are 270 degree turning they "feel" like a racecar steering setup, no end-over-end turning and none of the annoying "Why is the wheel fighting me" to "Why wont this damn wheel automatically go back to center when I step on the gas!?" Crap to deal with.

What I find odd is that so many people just don't seem to *notice* this :) For me it was a deal-breaker, this huge glaring "WTF?" in the middle of an otherwise really good driving experience.

That...and I hated trying to take a turn in a racing car and having to turn the wheel like 45 degrees to make a simple lane change! My TRUCK has tighter steering ratios than the $5,000,000 Racing Car I was driving in that game. :P

Just disappointing..went back to the 270 degree wheel....all felt right with the world again.

PS: Mr. Audio sums it up nicely right here:

-poor wheel return in 900 and 180 degree mode
-play in the center of the wheel


The second one is worth noting....with my 270 degree wheel I can feel "vibration and little bumps in the road" at dead center.....with the 900 degree wheel i felt NOTHING. In fact, I wouldn't feel ANY FF or even bumps or rumbles until I turned the wheel a half inch or so in either direction.....the wheel itself started out with too much deadzone that I couldn't adjust for.

I really, really hope the new GT wheel corrected on at least some of this stuff from the Pro.....but..... :(

The fact is that 900 steering is still too much of an after thought. Realistically if you were to turn the wheel all the way until it locks while going even 40 miles an hour you would actually over steer. However in these games the cars simply under steer. The bottom line is the steering is not directly proportional to the wheel position. Even when making a hairpin turn in a real car you only need to do at the most a 3/4 to a full turn on the wheel. When you wanna make a tight U-turn in a real car is the only time when you need to turn a wheel till it locks. Gran Turismo suggests that you must turn till the wheel locks to just be able to make a hairpin turn and that is just wrong. Gran Tursimo is real in a lot of ways but not in every way. They still even in GT5P have the same old boring sounding tire skidding that is totally not realistic. Engine sounds from cars a lot of times are not even close unlike EA's Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground 2. The 900 steering is just not realistic. No car can handle going 60 miles an hour around a turn with the wheel locked and not expect to be spinning or even flipping out of control. Someday they will get 900 steering right, but not yet.

As HeadRusch said people don't seem to notice the poor wheel return and unrealistic turning ratios. I think they do notice, but they're too caught up in a wheel that while it does turn all the way like a real car, the game does not respond like a real car nor does the force feedback. They are willing to do whatever they have to to adapt just so they can have 900 steering. Have you ever watched these people on U-Tube? It's more of a new art form than driving. They have to whip the wheel so hard to get it to go in the other direction that they have to use their entire body weight to do so. The motor literally screams as they are whipping the wheel back lock to lock to center. I'm sorry. Real driving is not that much work. You put that much force behind a real wheel you'll find yourself kissing the wall in no time. A lot of people who swear buy 900 degree steering just don't wanna admit that it's not as realistic as 180. But who gets more bragging rights? The 900 or the 180 people? Certainly the 900 people. I say let them brag. I just want driving to be fun like it should be.

Great review Mr audio I also have the EX wheel and when playing the 900 dergree wheel at my son's house I strugggle with over steer. I thought it was just me nice review the Ex wheel works great. Paddle shifting is easy and fun

PS: could be a learning curve as I am so use to the EX

I have read all the reviews and they are very informative. thanks. but i would like to ask a question. The driving force Ex is good on the PS3 and does it work only with GT games or even other games and is it possible to use it on a PC?

thanks