Thrustmaster Warthog Hostas "Stiction" problem

[Navy Chief]

I had recently bought a Thrustmaster Warthog Hostas/Throttle setup. I had not bought a high-end set of controllers previously because I had always saved my cash for other components or add-ons. But with the recent purchase of a new gaming rig (should be here this Thursday), I spent the cash. I was impressed from the start. But I had also read that, even though the reviews are overall quite favorable of the Warthog controllers, one complaint seems to be prevalent, which is that there is a slight friction problem during movement of the stick. The issue has a nickname; "Stiction". There is a fix for the issue, and I decided to take on the challenge. I read up on what is needed to fix the problem, which is a small amount of 400, 600, 800, and 1000 grit sandpaper, plus a special type of grease (marine grease, to be more specific). YouTube videos are a godsend to me, and I definitely took advantage of someone else's knowledge. The process took me about 3 1/2 hours. Would have taken me less time, probably, but I was paranoid about screwing something up. Once I finished, and put everything back together, I immediately saw/felt a difference in the stick's movement, as it is "buttery smooth" now. Well worth the time/effort!!! NC

[Mach3DS]

Glad that worked for you, NC! I also suffered from the same stiction issue. Unfortunately for me, over time it just kept happening. I eventually needed to replace the TMWH stick base. Should you be inclined to follow suit, my unsolicited experience is, I went with the VIRPIL CM2 Stick base. If you ever decide to make a switch later on, I have loved it. I find the virpil base to be superior to the TMWH base in every way. Because it's not a ball joint, but a set of cams with 2 springs that can be removed for more or less tension on the fly. You can also remove and replace the cams for different sim setups like exclusive Space or Flight. Anyway, hopefully that solves the issue permanently for you! These flight controls setups are not cheap!

[Navy Chief]

Glad that worked for you, NC! I also suffered from the same stiction issue. Unfortunately for me, over time it just kept happening. I eventually needed to replace the TMWH stick base. Should you be inclined to follow suit, my unsolicited experience is, I went with the VIRPIL CM2 Stick base. If you ever decide to make a switch later on, I have loved it. I find the virpil base to be superior to the TMWH base in every way. Because it's not a ball joint, but a set of cams with 2 springs that can be removed for more or less tension on the fly. You can also remove and replace the cams for different sim setups like exclusive Space or Flight. Anyway, hopefully that solves the issue permanently for you! These flight controls setups are not cheap!

Thank you so much for your tip! I will definitely consider the VIRPIL if the problem becomes persistent. I did not that the guy who made the YouTube video I watched, stated that his Warthog stick has remained problem free for well over a year now, and he attributes it to the marine grease, mostly. I also had bought the F-18 grip.

[Sundog]

The problem with my Warthog HOTAS in FS is FS only registers the throttle between 50% and 100% of the throttle movement. from 0% to 50% there's no adjustment in thrust, which makes it difficult to modulate thrust. Also have the stick extension for my JS, which takes care of any PIO's.

[Navy Chief]

The problem with my Warthog HOTAS in FS is FS only registers the throttle between 50% and 100% of the throttle movement. from 0% to 50% there's no adjustment in thrust, which makes it difficult to modulate thrust. Also have the stick extension for my JS, which takes care of any PIO's.

Have you checked for possible solutions on other forums? Contacted Thrustmaster?

[IanHenry]

The problem with my Warthog HOTAS in FS is FS only registers the throttle between 50% and 100% of the throttle movement. from 0% to 50% there's no adjustment in thrust, which makes it difficult to modulate thrust. Also have the stick extension for my JS, which takes care of any PIO's.

Is it worth uninstalling the drivers and download the one's from Thrustmasters website, it's got to be worth a shot.

[DaveWG]

I removed one of the springs from the stick. That made a huge difference for me.