PS2 Wheel dead zone issue

[cuemasterfl]

I have a PS2 with a Cobra Pelican racing wheel which I got yesterday. There's a "dead zone" in the steering. By this I mean that I have to turn the wheel a good inch or two before there's any response. I've tried confuguring the wheel per the enclosed instructions but it makes no difference. It's very tough to make minute driving corrections with this. Is this just the way it is or is there something I can do about it? I got into my real life car earlier and noticed how much more responsive it is