Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 Wheelbase Review

Final thoughts on the Clubsport v2.5 wheelbase from Fanatec. I’ve had my unit for a while now and have been using it off and on when I had the chance. This is Fanatec’s flagship belt driven
solution. And once you have it in hand it feels like it. At just over 10 pounds or 4.6 Kilos it has a nice heft. And gives you an impression of durability. The face plate is a single piece of 8mm thick aluminum plate. In a black anodized brushed finish. There seems to be plenty of ventilation in this unit with air flow available on both sides and the rear. The rear cover is plastic but has
a nice rubberized finish to it. I think having a plastic window on the top of the wheelbase is a nice touch and lets the owner see some of the inner workings. Speaking of which once we had the covers off and could get a better look at these inner workings I think most would agree this is a solidly built wheelbase. All the rotating parts are riding on nice looking sealed bearings. The
pulleys look to be solid units. Using grooved serpentine belts instead of cogged belts only enhanced the silky smooth feel the drive train has when rotated by hand. The motor has some good
looking cooling fins on it. Which should keep the motor running cool with all the air flow that is available here from the two case fans. The electronics boards look very clean and well sorted. Having a Hall position sensor on both the motor and the main shaft should give very good results as far as accuracy. Let’s talk about the driving experience with this  wheelbase. Tuning the
2.5 couldn’t be easier using the latest Fanalab software. No more making adjustments on the small OLED screen. And all adjustments are in real time so we don’t have to exit to the pits for them to take effect. When using the Clubsport 2.5 I was able to get it dialed in to a satisfying feel that allowed me to make steering inputs based on what I was feeling from the wheel. Of course FFB feel is a very subjective thing and will vary from driver to driver. The important thing is have a wheelbase that you can tune to a point that allows you to feel what the car is doing and act on that information in a timely manner. Making you a more consistent driver. I was able to do that with this wheelbase and tuning app. So really no bad habits exhibited here. And I think my expectations were met. At 550.00 plus shipping this is not an inexpensive unit. And the cost goes up fast when you start adding steering rims and other Fanatec goodies. Of course if you already have some Fanatec gear it will make the move to the Clubsport 2.5 a bit easier on the wallet.