Best Project CARS 3 Settings for Thrustmaster TMX / T150
Project CARS 3 is more similar to the GRID series than the previous entries in the Project CARS series, making it a rather controversial title. As the only racing game of this style that natively supports VR, Project CARS 3 fills a particular niche for me and I'm very happy it exists.
Considering this isn't the most serious simulator, I wasn't expecting it to have the best force feedback, but I've been happily surprised. It's not the greatest by any means, but it does its job. For the Thrustmaster TMX and T150, the default force feedback settings are quite light, not giving very much information. It's better than being too heavy, but this can be improved, adding more information to the wheel.
In this guide, we will first look at the settings you need to set in the Thrustmaster Control Panel, if playing on a PC. Then we will look at the in-game settings to improve the force feedback.
Thrustmaster Control Panel Settings
Project CARS 3 automatically sets the proper steering angle for each car, so it is best to leave the rotation set to the maximum in the Thrustmaster Control Panel and calibrate the wheel in-game.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Rotation | 900° (TMX) 1080° (T150) |
| Overall Strength of all forces | 100% |
| Constant | 100% |
| Periodic | 100% |
| Spring | 100% |
| Damper | 100% |
| BOOST | Off |
| Auto-Center | by the game |
Spring and Damper are not used by Project CARS 3, so can be set to any value without issue. As a general rule, I leave these at 100% since there are some games that require them.
BOOST should always be turned off. For an in-depth look as to why, see my BOOST Force Feedback Analysis.
Project CARS 3 Settings
In Settings > Gameplay:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Stability Control | Off |
| Traction Control | Off |
I recommend turning off Traction and Stability Control. It gives you more control over the car and makes it a more dynamic driving experience.
In Settings > Wheel & Force Feedback:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Strength | 50 |
| Tone | 85 |
| Vibration | 70 |
| Menu Spring Strength | 40 |
| Steering Deadzone | 0 |
| Steering Sensitivity | 50 |
| Throttle Deadzone | 0 |
| Throttle Sensitivity | 50 |
| Brake Deadzone | 0 |
| Brake Sensitivity | 30 |
Strength is the main centering force. Setting this too high will make the wheel quite heavy.
Tone is the main information about the suspension and tires. This is where you will feel the bumps in the road.
Vibration is the vibrations you feel from the road surface, kerbs and collisions.
Menu Spring Strength just centers the wheel when you enter the menus.
Make sure Steering Deadzone is set to 0. For some reason, this defaults to 15.
I set the Throttle and Brake Deadzones to 0 and lower the Brake Sensitivity. The brakes seem overly sensitive to me, but this is personal preference.
Conclusion
It's unfortunate that Project CARS 3 was such a disappointment for so many people. Having a more casual racing experience in VR is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. If they had just named it Project GRID, they could have managed people's expectations much better. In the end, it's not the best game I've ever played, but I still enjoy it.
Let me know if you have any comments or questions.