I love my Mclaren wheel but it didn't take long for the shifters to become a bit of a problem. They're loud and clunky, and that's not a criticism as such - they are unmistakeable in their action and for many they're great, but for my circumstances they just make too much noise and conduct too much shock/vibration through my rig when I shift. I can see it being a bit of a problem for those that might have thin walls, floors, etc.
And so I've cooked up an easy fix that you can do if you want to continue enjoying your loudmouthed Mclaren wheel without causing everyone around you the unnecessary disturbance every time you cycle from 6th to 1st and back again.
To do this, you'll need:
A small flathead screwdriver or plastic pry tool
A stub-nosed plier tool or equivalent
Self adhesive felt pads (about 2-3mm thick)
Although this mod is low risk and reversible, please take great care and remember that you do it at your own risk. Any warranty agreement from Fanatec may be voided if you alter your wheel in any way whatsoever.
Step 1: Use a small, flathead screwdriver or plastic tool to pry the shifter pivot-bolt away from the body of the wheel so that you may grip the bolt head with some stub-nosed pliers or gripping tool.
Step 2: Whilst the pivot-bolt head is pried away from the wheel body by a couple of millimetres, use stub-nosed pliers or equivalent to 'grip' underneath the bolt head and smoothly work the bolt out of the body.
Step 3: With the Pivot bolt extracted and set to one side, you can now lift away the shifter rocker from the body.
Step 4: Cut two small strips from your adhesive felt pads, approximately 20mm long and about 5mm wide.
Step 5: Peel the backing from the self adhesive strips and affix them as shown within the underside of the shifter rocker.
Step 6: Repeat for the other side of the rocker with your other self adhesive felt strip.
Step 7: With the two felt strips affixed as shown, you can now reinstall the shifter rocker in the same order it was extracted, just in reverse. Try not to use excessive force when reinstalling the pivot-bolt, hand force alone should be sufficient if you angle it as shown, in order to make it easier for the bolt to pass over the retaining lip hidden internally.
Step 8: With the shifter rocker reinstalled, give your shifters a pull to make sure they move up and down. Initially the action may be 'tight' until the felt is compressed after early use. Test your shifting within your chosen sim to ensure it operates correctly, as different thicknesses of felt pads may affect your shifter differently to what I have experienced. If you find that your shifters are still loud, you may need to use thicker felt pads. If your shifters are not activating or need to be pulled too hard for your preferences, you need to use thinner felt pads.
I'm really pleased with my Mclaren wheel after adding the material this way. It's not for everyone and you don't need to make this change if you feel no need. The magnetic 'clunk' is muted and therefore the noise emitted, and for now that makes my activity much less distracting to others nearby/below.