Our Verdict
Pros
- Easy to install
- High build quality
- Looks good
- Performance is identical
Cons
- Could possibly be cheaper
Although I’ve had the Fanatec ClubSport DD+ on my sim rig for a good amount of time, I’ve had one big problem with it. And its that the ClubSport DD wheel is a chunky boy.
This means, that my current setup is to have my monitor mounted directly above the rather large wheel base, and this means I can see the top of the wheel base every time I sim race.
This isn’t realistic, and Fanatec knows this. That is why they have released the DD Shaft Extension to fix this exact issue. Let’s be honest, what man wouldn’t want one of these? I’ve been sent this accessory over from Fanatec to use and review, so I can share my thoughts on its performance and whether you’d benefit from a shaft extension of your own.
What is the DD Extension Shaft?
The DD Shaft Extension is a 150mm extension of the wheel shaft that connects any steering wheel to a Fanatec wheel base. This product is only compatible with the ClubSport DD and DD+ wheel bases, leaving the cheaper CSL DD and GT DD Pro a little in the lurch.
Watch our video review
Price
This accessory, which costs €99.95 or $99.95, is machined from a single block of aluminium and features all of the electronics required for your Fanatec wheel to work normally.
| Region | Price |
|---|---|
| United States | $99.95 |
| Europe | €99.95 |
| United Kingdom | £99.95 |
- Buy the Fanatec DD Shaft Extension (United States) – $99.95
- Buy the Fanatec DD Shaft Extension (Europe) – €99.95
- Buy the Fanatec DD Shaft Extension (United Kingdom) – £99.95
Design & build quality
Like most Fanatec products, this shaft is finished in black, with this shaft opting for a gloss black, rather than the satin black on the ClubSport DD wheel base.
To install the new shaft, you simply unscrew the base-side QR2 using the included tools that come with this accessory. You do have to use the funky orange tool included, but essentially, its just a process of unscrewing four bolts.
The QR2 then gets mounted to the end of the shaft allowing you to connect any Fanatec wheel like normal. When attached, your steering wheel will function and behave normally with all LED’s and buttons working. This is thanks to the internal electronics, which mean the technical difficulty level of installation remains incredibly low.
Once installed, the shaft doesn’t add any real flex. Fanatec states that you shouldn’t lean on the shaft or push and pull it unnaturally, but even if you do a little, it doesn’t budge.
Performance
During gameplay, everything felt exactly the same as it did before I’d installed this extension shaft. The force feedback feels identical, and I couldn’t notice any additional movement introduced.
Why would you buy this extension?
So if your ClubSport DD wheel base performs exactly the same as it did before the shaft swap, why would you need to buy this accessory?
Well, length does really matter in some scenarios. Previously, I had my rather bulky ClubSport DD+ mounted to my sim rig with the monitor sitting directly above it. From my perspective when sitting in my cockpit, I can see the top of the wheel base with a rather large gap between the top of the steering wheel and the bottom of my monitor. And, this isn’t very realistic.
When sitting in a real world car, your dashboard is almost always lower than the top of your steering wheel. Installing the Fanatec shaft extension to my ClubSport DD+ allows me to reposition my setup so that the monitor dips down below the top of my steering wheel.
This approach is much more immersive, with a greater sense of realism allowing for a sort of mixed reality approach, where your steering wheel feels like it is coming right out from the on screen dashboard.
Final thoughts
This added immersion and flexibility in mounting options are the real reasons why a sim racer would buy this DD extension shaft.
Costing less than €/$100, this product isn’t that expensive in the grand scheme of things. I believe the benefits you can get from this shaft extension outweigh its cost, and this is one of the rare occasions where my wife would also agree with me.
Technical Specifications
Review written by Felix König
