Fanatec Gear Shifter Mod

cyf

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Getting in the mood for GT I've been sorting my peripherals out and one thing that I wasn't happy with was the clicking and bad notching of the Fanatec shifter so I've decided to do something about it.

Looking on youtube the mod that is available is basically cotton wool and involves sanding down some plastic so the metal ball doesn't click over each movement.

I think I've come up with another way! well it works anyway. It's quite easy to do and it does improve the gear stick quite a lot. The gears now change with out the constant click but they also still have a notch to them like a real car, it's also a bit easier when changing gear.

I suppose it's similar to the cotton wool mod but I think it's neater and you can always revert back with out too much hassle.

I'm well happy on how they've turned out at least they'll get used now, I'm sure quite a lot of people don't bother using them because of the clicking noise alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksAteNyOti0

THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU BREAK YOUR SHIFTER.

Tools Needed.

small pozi screwdriver
flat head screwdriver or a sharp pointed tool
small pincer pliers (optional)
credit card
lube

1- First unscrew the 4 screews and open up the shifter.

2- now take out the gear stick part, be careful of any wires.

3- this is the hard part, you need to stick the screw driver down inside the metal housing where the ball bearing is located or use a sharp tool, be careful. Open the metal lipping so that the ball bearing comes loose and the spring behind that.

4- Now keep working the screw driver or pincer pliers to pull out the metal ball bearing casing so that it leaves a plastic hole the same shape and size, you will then have the loose spring, metal ball and the metal housing. (You could leave the metal in and just insert the credit card but it tends to scrape too much, taking it out allows a 1 or 2mm gap to allow for movement when the gears change)

5- If you want to keep the shifter the same just reassemble and put the spring and ball bearing back into the plastic hole where the metal casing was, all the metal casing does is stop the ball from dropping out when you open it up. The shifter will work as normal with the clicking.

6- Get a piece of credit card and cut to 62mm X 35mm approx, you can adjust to make sure it fit's in the slot. Now cut out a notch 15mm x 5mm approx in one corner, this allows the card to sit over the PS/2 socket.

7- Put the card in one side of the shifter and push the spring and ball bearing back in the hole, you might want to put some lube on the plastic card and ball bearing too for better movement.

8- What this basically does is dampen the ball over the plastic bumps that case the bad notching and clicking noise, so in effect is softens the action when changing gear and gets rid of the click sound.

How long the piece of plastic credit card will last is anyones guess? I haven't tested it for hours and hours but it is very easy to replace if needed.

The final effect gives a smoother action but still leaves just the right amount of notch so that it goes into gear like a real gear stick (as much as possible) and also removes the clicking noise. Want to revert back? just take out the credit card and it's same as before.

Open gear stick.
01-1.jpg


Remove metal casing that holds the ball bearing and the spring from the front of the shifter, the area that clicks over the bumps.
07-1.jpg


Cut a credit card to size, allow a small notch so that it fits over the PS/2 socket.
02-1.jpg


Put it in between the ball bearing and the plastic bumps that cause the clicking.
03-1.jpg


You can see where the plastic fits when the two sides go back together.
06-1.jpg


Push the spring back inside the plastic hole and then push the ball bearing on top of the spring in between the credit card.
04-1.jpg


Another picture of the credit card fitted in the other side.
05-1.jpg


Thats it, it may be of use to somebody, if you do this mod please leave some feedback to tell us what you think.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
boo..I did this mod and it's great being quiet ;) but something's gone wrong with my gears as when i select 2nd gear it selects reverse, even though reverse works anyway..and there's no sixth gear.
I tried normal calibration using the wheel but doesn't make a difference :(
 
lol..plum alert. Took me ages to figure out I had not re-inserted the selector properly..but all is good and it makes a world of difference :)
 
Thanks for this fantestic mod, I've been meaning to do it for ages but have only just got around to it.

Before the the mod I couldn't play with the shifter in the evenings because the damn clacking wakes my kid up but it's great now, I even prefer the feel of the shifter post mod.

EDIT: oh damn, I hadn't noticed cyf was no longer here!
 

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