How to Improve Your PC Racing Experience with a Racing Wheel

Racing games have been part of the gaming industry for years. Gamers love to compete against the clock, and against other people to see who will come out on top in a race. Games like Mario Kart, Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, and Project Cars 2 all bring out the competitiveness in the racing crowd.

Eventually gamers started looking for advantages they could use to have an edge over the competition, and racing wheels were born. Racing wheels simulate a real world driving experience by putting a wheel and a set of pedals in your hands that allow you more precise control over the car you’re driving in game than you’d get from a controller. This article will go over the types of racing wheels available and make suggestions for the best ones to purchase depending on what you’re looking for. Whether you’re an amateur racer or looking to get deeper into sim racing, this article will have something for you!

Table of Contents:

1: Gear Driven Racing Wheels 2: Belt Driven Racing Wheels 3: Direct Drive Racing Wheels 4: Which Should You Buy? 5: Final Thoughts

Gear Driven Racing Wheels:

Gear-driven racing wheels are typically the first choice for people getting into racing games and simulators seriously for the first time. Gear-driven wheels, as their name implies, are racing wheels that are internally made up of a system of gears and cogs that are attached to a small motor. Those gears and cogs turn when power is channeled through the motor and the gears are used to simulate feedback from the car being driven in game.

If your brakes lock up in game, the gears will lock up on the wheel. If your car goes over gravel or bumps, the gears will simulate that motion so you can feel it. This is known as force feedback. The gears and the motor work together to produce torque and a strong force feedback sensation.

Gear driven wheels are extremely popular because of their cost. They’re typically the cheapest types of racing wheels on the market, but they do have a few disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage being the gears themselves, they can feel extremely clunky at times depending on the racing situation that you find yourself in. So instead of having a smooth ride, it could end up feeling like the wheel is jerking and pulling away from you, and that could easily take you out of the action and lessen your enjoyment of the experience.

Pros of having a gear driven wheel:

1: Cost effective 2: Perfect for just starting out 3: Typically small form factor that can be mounted to a desk

Cons of having a gear driven wheel:

1: Can be clunky and at times unresponsive 2: Not always the smoothest ride 3: Gears can be loud and distracting

Examples of Gear Driven Racing Wheels:

1: The Logitech G29/G920

The Logitech series of gear driven racing wheels are pretty much the gold standard. They have a decent size to them, they’re well constructed, partially from plastic and partially from metal. And they also function as a full sim racing kit because they come with both a racing wheel and a set of pedals, something that is extremely uncommon when buying a sim racing setup. The difference between the Logitech G29 and G920 is the G29 is for PlayStation consoles but can also be used on PC, and the G920 is for Xbox consoles and PC. The G29/G920 fluctuate in price between $250 and $300.

2: Hori Force Feedback Racing Wheel DLX

Like the Logitech series of racing wheels, the Hori Force DLX also uses a gear system to simulate torque and force feedback. While not as powerful or as popular as the Logitech offering, Hori still makes some pretty decent wheels if you’re on a budget. The DLX can typically be purchased for between $250 and $300.

Belt Driven Racing Wheels:

Belt driven racing wheels are among the most popular choices for aspiring sim racers, or sim racers that are looking to upgrade their setup. They are often far cheaper than a direct drive racing wheel and they produce a decent amount of force feedback. Belt driven wheels have a system of belts and pulleys inside of them that are constantly working to generate force feedback and simulate real world conditions when racing. They’re often more powerful than gear driven wheels because the torque generated by the belt and pulley system is much stronger. Because of this, the driving experience is much smoother and more enjoyable, and you’re able to feel more of the force feedback than you would on a lower end wheel.

Pros of Belt Driven Wheels:

1: Inexpensive so they’re a good option for upgrading your setup from an entry level wheel 2: Strong force feedback

Cons of Belt Driven Wheels:

1: Force feedback isn’t always the most accurate. The abundance of power that comes from the belt system can lead to an inaccurate representation of force feedback and driving conditions.

2: Cars can be difficult to handle due to the abundance of power. Having a lot of power in your hands is great until you can’t control it and go spinning out of a turn, which happens often if you can’t control the amount of torque and force feedback the belt driven system generates.

Examples of Belt Driven Racing Wheels

1: Thrustmaster T300 RS

Thrustmaster is a brand known for quality, and the T300 RS is one of the best products they make. Like the Logitech G29/923 the T300 RS comes with a wheel and a set of pedals, so you can start racing as soon as you take them out of the box, no additional accessories required. The T300RS has extremely strong force feedback to simulate the grip of a car when it’s on the road or the tumultuous conditions you might encounter when driving offroad in something like Dirt Rally. And with the belt driven system providing a smooth ride, it makes the experience that much more enjoyable. The T300 RS typically goes for upwards of $500 unless you can find it on sale.

2: Fanatec CSL Elite

Fanatec is well known in the sim racing community for their high end products, they’re considered to be the cream of the crop of racing accessories, and the CSL Elite is no different. It comes with an extremely powerful base station that houses its belt system in a sleek fashion. The driving experience is impeccable, extremely smooth, and often feels like you’re driving a real car. One of the best things about the CSL Elite is the fact that you can replace the wheel on it with a different one that suits your tastes or the type of game that you’re playing. It’s hard to put a price on the CSL Elite because it’s no longer in production by Fanatec. You can typically find the base alone going for between $400 and $500, but with a wheel and pedals you can end up spending nearly $800 all together.

Direct Drive Racing Wheels

Direct drive racing wheels are the most well known, sought after, and powerful racing wheels on the market. They can be almost prohibitively expensive, but they’re worth every penny if you can afford one. Direct drive racing wheels are special because unlike a gear or a belt fed system, direct drive wheels have a motor that’s attached directly to the wheel, just like in a real car. So direct drive systems offer the most realistic driving experience because they’re simulating real world driving conditions, just on a smaller scale.

Examples of Direct Drive Racing Wheels

1: Fanatec CSL DD

Fanatec makes high quality products and the CSL DD is its more affordable option for a direct drive wheel. It’s smaller than the typical direct drive setup, and has less power because of its smaller size, but for someone that wants to own a direct drive setup without having to spend thousands of dollars, it’s a worthy investment. The CSL DD starts at about $500 and goes up in price depending on what accessories you pair with it.

2: Logitech G Pro

Logitech recently entered the direct drive wheel market with its G pro racing wheel. Much more powerful than its G29/923, the G pro offers 11 Newton meters of torque, which makes for an extremely intense racing experience if you’re able to handle all of the force feedback. While expensive at about $1000, it’s worth a purchase if you have the money to spare, especially if you’re playing on console, because it’s compatible with both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Pros of Direct Drive Racing Wheels:

1: Extremely powerful 2: Most realistic driving experience

Cons of Direct Drive Racing Wheels:

1: Extremely expensive 2: Can be extremely large because of the motor inside

Which Racing Wheel Should You Buy?

The racing wheel you should buy will be determined on what you’re trying to do. If you’re an entry level racer, you more than likely don’t need a full on sim racing rig with the top of the line direct drive wheel from Fanatec installed. A belt fed system or a gear driven system will more than likely give you the kind of performance you’re looking for. But if you have some experience under your belt, you’ll likely be looking to upgrade to a belt driven system or a direct drive system.

If you’re playing an arcade racer like Need for Speed, a direct drive wheel would likely be wasted, but if you’re playing a simulator like Forza Motorsport 7, that might be a more viable option. So before making a purchasing decision, decide on what you want to do with your racing wheel, then look at your budget and purchase accordingly.

Final Thoughts:

Racing wheels are a surprisingly diverse topic. There are multiple different types of wheels at different price points, and they all offer something unique and special. There really is something for everyone in sim racing, and the wheels available on the market reflect that.