EDIT - Turned out to be user error, or maybe in this case PC driver error.

For some godawful reason. Thrustmaster control panel set my wheel rotation to 800 degrees and damper to 100% when I launched AMS2. Which is really weird, as that's definitely not what it was set at.

So it seems the default FFB is way better than PCARS2 after all.

Posted this over at /r/simracing, but thought I'd get some more input here.

System spec for context:

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600x
• GTX 1060
• 16 GB DDR 4 3200
• Windows 10
• Sceptre 35" ultrawide 3440x1440 100Hz display
• Thrustmaster TMX Pro wheel and pedals

I bought AMS 2 on sale last night, but so far I'm relatively unimpressed. The FFB is some of the muddiest, heaviest feedback I've felt in a sim game and it's not providing any sort of feedback on the car's handling, at least to me. I've tried tweaking down the gain, but that just makes it lighter but muddy and dead handling.

Also, the way the cars handle, all bouncy and such, I'm having an impossible time keeping them on the track. Even cars like the stock car, or the Mini Challenge. I had some better luck with the Sprint car, but that's it. The driving feel is so unlike the original AMS, and in fact, unlike any other sim I play. What translates in terms of handling between my other games just doesn't seem to apply in AMS2.

I don't get the handling and FFB issues as it feels nothing like other games. I have R3E, AC, PCARS2, PCARS, and the original AMS. I tested out some of the same (or when not possible, similar) cars in PCARS 2, R3E, rFactor 2, and AMS1 just to confirm and it's a night and day difference. It's like in AMS2 the wheel is relatively dead for feedback, but just heavy to turn. Like, people have raved about the better FFB in this game but my feedback in PCARS2 is much more responsive and informative as to what the car's doing. And that's not good, since PCARS 2 has the worst feedback of all the games I play (until now) but still good enough to know what the car is doing.

Another handling issue is with snap steering for corrections. No matter how I turn the wheel, the "on screen" driver or wheel always turns slowly, and doesn't respond to snap corrections. I can whip the wheel hard 45 degrees and watch the wheel on screen do the same, but at like half the speed, and it's not just what's on screen, it feels like the car is responding like what I'm seeing as opposed to what I'm doing.

Lastly, the game seems to be running like shit. Which is surprising from all I've read about it, it's supposed to be low spec. If I turn down a bunch of settings I do get up to 100 fps, but even at 80-100 fps I'm seeing micro stutters. Which is odd, because I don't have these issues on much higher settings in PCARS2 on the same engine.

What's the deal? Can anyone help me with this stuff? I've got another hour of play within the refund window, and I'm seriously considering it. I had a good time with the sprint car, but with the issues I'm having overall, this doesn't feel like a keeper. If it matters, gameplay-wise I've got the most hours in PCARS 2 because of the career mode, but my main game is rFactor 2, with a bit of R3E on the side recently.