When it comes to parameters, Gran Turismo 7 tries to be more accessible and easier to understand than your typical PC sim. However, despite the apparent simplicity, there are still important nuances to know to get the best out of your wheel on GT7.
The Three Variables That Affect FFB
The first way GT7 tricks you is by only displaying two different settings for the force feedback in the pre-race menu and the pause menu : Max. Torque and Sensitivity. But something else can have a significant influence in how some wheels react : the controller vibration function, accessed via the game’s global options menu (GT logo in the top left corner).
Max. Torque, as the name implies, works as a multiplier to the strength of effects and the overall steering effort required. Increasing this setting will help you feel the weight of the car more, and make reactions more violent. It ranges from 1 to 10.
Sensitivity influences how many effects will be transmitted, and will increase the strength of short, sudden bursts in the FFB signal. Basically, this is what you increase when you’re looking for details, but it does also increase overall effort as a byproduct, just not in the same proportions as Max. Torque does. This setting too ranges from 1 to 10.
Vibrations intensity is the unexpected one, and may not have any influence on low end gear / belt driven wheelbases. But hardware that supports audio based effects will be affected by this setting. You can turn it off completely, or boost it up to 150. Specifically, increasing it will help you feel curbs and surface irregularities better, while also introducing more vibrations related to engine noise and tyre slip.
How to Setup your FFB for GT7
The very first step is always to plug your new wheel to a PC and make sure to update the firmware, and make sure to check back periodically online to see if a new version of the firmware has been released (both Thrustmaster and Logitech have updated their direct drive firmwares recently at the time of writing).
Once your firmware is up to date, how you want to approach your FFB settings depends on the type of base / wheel you have, and its power. I have been fortunate enough to try out most of the supported hardware on this game, so I can provide custom recommendations for 3 categories. These are more about the method than raw values, since the FFB depends heavily on the cars themselves, but more about that at the end of this section.
In the first level, I will put basically all the entry level Thrustmaster offerings below the T300RS, as well as the Logitech G29 and derivatives. With those wheels, the priority is to get a decent feeling for your car’s weight. Their limited power will restrict you in terms of details, so I suggest you start increasing the Torque until you feel your wheel is peaking. Turn it back down one notch, and try introducing some sensitivity, again until you feel it peaking.
This should result in Torque values around the mid range, and most likely a couple clicks less of sensitivity. Vibration intensity isn’t a factor with these wheels, except for the G923 which adds the Trueforce feature to the good old gear driven technology. I recommend keeping vibrations off with it however as all it will do is drown all the detail and information and turn your feedback into just a constant buzzing.
The second level is about what I would consider to be the console mid-range : the top of the line belt driven wheels like the Thrustmaster T300RS and T-GT, and the entry direct drive bases, the T598 and the Fanatec GT DD in its 5 Nm variant. At this point, you have more options and can start prioritizing more details if you want, or go for more torque again. You will still probably end up with relatively low sensitivity but can explore higher values overall. Some of these also have audio effects, so experiment with vibration intensity by increasing them progressively.
The third level is the high end of what is available with Playstation compatibility : the 8 Nm and above direct drive bases. People who own the Logitech RS50 / G Pro, or the Fanatec GT DD Pro / Extreme, good news ! You have enough headroom to crank up the sensitivity to the max !
You will want it at 8 minimum, potentially even maxed out. Max Torque becomes more of a personal preference from there : Gran Turismo being a game that requires more steering angle than other sims, it can be smart to not go up to the limit of steering effort you are willing to tolerate and crank it back down a notch or two : it is important for performance to be able to steer in fast, and for endurance to not wear yourself down through longer sessions.
Vibration intensity is again a parameter you will want to increase carefully. It does provide good immersion up to a certain point, but too much of it can still drown other information such as grip loss and suspension movements.
On these higher end bases, you will also have to put a lot more time fine tuning the settings in your base itself. The core rules are to always run it at max strength and control effort through the game’s Torque, run audio effects (like Logitech’s Trueforce) close to the max too and use low filtering and damping in the base as well. Again, you want to clean up the signal coming from the game first by lowering vibration and Max. Torque.
An important point about GT7 is the force feedback intensity and even effects themselves can vary greatly between cars. Road cars generally feel much lighter than race cars, but there are disparities inside both groups as well. At this point, you can adopt two philosophies : adopt a middle ground Torque value and embrace each car’s own personality, or go for a more consistent feeling over the board and adjust your Max. Torque value for each car. Direct drive owners can also try saving multiple presets on their base if they mainly play GT7 and little to no other sims.
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In my own experience, gear and belt-driven wheels are a set once and forget thing, while direct drive bases will make you notice the difference between vehicles more. On my current Logitech RS50, I use a baseline of 5 Max. Torque with a +/-1 margin for extreme cases, a fixed 10 Sensitivity, and +/- 75 Vibration intensity.
I use a minimum filter and very low dampening, with strength set at 8 Nm and TF audio between 80 and 100. Fanatec owners should thrive with similar settings, both on hardware and game side, but remember, there is also a degree of personal preference in regards to what type of information you want to prioritise and feel.
Safety First – Understanding the Danger of Wheel Settings
To finish off, a little but important disclaimer : simracing equipment can be powerful, and high end hardware especially can lead to injuries if set up and handled improperly. Simracing is not a bodybuilding competition, so don’t max out everything from the start. The goal of powerful motors in direct drive bases is to avoid peaking, not to become your new arm training device in your gym routine. Even pro racing drivers cannot keep that type of equipment from oscillating if everything is set to 100%.
Take it easy at first, keep holding the steering wheel firmly in case of a crash unless you really don’t feel strong enough to hold it – then let it go and keep your hands away from it until the car is stopped and the game paused, and reduce some settings before resuming. If a kid or fragile person uses the device, adjusting the max torque on the base itself when available is also a good precaution to take.
Personally, I have never experienced the wheel going crazy in Gran Turismo crashes like you can see in other titles, but it’s still good to build up some good practices just in case, we are only one bug or one update away from the wheel becoming a wrist breaking windmill.
Fortunately, incidents are rare with direct drive wheels, and entry level hardware provides an appropriate level of force for beginners and children to experience the hobby in good conditions.
