The Sim Racing wheel market has incredible options that meet many people’s needs. However, it is easy to get lost, so this is the guide to the best Sim Racing wheels in 2024.
You can’t drive a motorcycle without handlebars or a car without the steering wheel. But you can certainly drive a sim racing car without a racing wheel. Well, if you are a pad racer, that is. Racing on the controller or keyboard may have merits, but if you wish to make a mark in the sim racing scene, you must hone your skills with a quality racing wheel.
The Sim Racing wheel market has incredible options that meet many people’s needs, including tens of bases to attach these wheels to. This makes it easy to get lost, so let us guide you through the best Sim Racing wheels in 2024.
How to Choose a Sim Racing Wheel
The primary doubt we may all have, especially the amateur sim racers, would be how to pick “the right” sim racing wheel. Things are lovely with a controller, and some legends even race with a keyboard (more power to you), but you can only extract the maximum out of yourself with the best means, and a racing wheel helps you achieve precisely that. Here’s why you should consider switching to a racing wheel, and how to choose a Sim Racing Wheel.
Performance
Performance is an essential metric when deciding how you will race. Your sim rig, racing wheel, display, hardware, and much more will depend on what gives you maximum performance. With that in mind, no control scheme out there can provide you with better performance than a racing wheel.
A wheel certainly helps turn your car with the most minute of angles. All the buttons and controls you need are just a thumb’s reach away. A racing wheel offers a one-stop solution for all your requirements allowing you to focus on only one thing; racing.
Realism
What can be more realistic than driving a car with a steering wheel? Perhaps, a vehicle that is driven using a controller, or better yet, a keyboard? As fun as it may sound, it is so impractical and awkward to control. A racing wheel helps you bridge the gap between real-life racing and virtual cars in sim racing.
After all, a car is best driven with a wheel, physically or virtually. You can even find racing wheels that are custom-built for different racing categories. You can even score some racing wheels that have been made explicitly for a particular game/franchise!
Miles Above Controller/Keyboard Racing
There is an argument for the trusty gamepad and the evergreen keyboard, no doubt. These control options offer a quick and easy way to get into any sim racing title you like. You also have the simplicity and ease of use to be happy about, and almost anyone can pick up and play any game with these devices.
However, that is where the pros end. While controllers and mouse/keyboard are suitable starter devices, they are still a long way off good simulation accuracy. If you wish to engage in sim racing professionally or even consider it seriously, it is highly recommended to switch to a racing wheel.
Our Recommendations
There are numerous factors to remember when considering a particular racing wheel. While the budget is the deciding factor, it is certainly not the only one. The racing wheel shape, force feedback mechanism and compatibility are equally important. However, these are some of our top recommendations for racing wheels you should buy.
Our Top Pick – GSI Hyper P1 Wheel
The GSI Hyper P1 is a high-end sim racing wheel designed for serious enthusiasts and competitive racers. Its premium materials, extensive features, and thoughtful design make it a standout option in the high-end sim racing wheel market.
The Hyper P1 starts at 1,650 USD for the standard version, which includes standard colour schemes and aluminium paddles. The price can go close to over 2,000 USD if you opt for carbon fibre shifters, two additional paddles and customisation services that GSI offers.
The HP1 features a 4.3-inch LCD touchscreen and 72 mappable inputs, including 12 RGB backlit push buttons, four thumb encoders, five rotaries, and three seven-way directional switches. The wheel also includes 20 RGB LED rev lights, with 14 in the middle and three on each side. The rev lights, backlit buttons, and touchscreen display can all be configured through SimHub.
The build quality and performance are among the highest on the market. The display is bright, clear, and high-resolution, with even the tiniest fonts easy to read. The rotaries, thumb encoders, and button grooves are all aluminium, with no plastic used anywhere on the wheel.
Simagic GT Neo Wheel
The Simagic GT Neo, priced at 289 USD, stands out as one of the most affordable mid-range sim racing wheels today. It features two rotary thumb encoders, two sway fun switches, four 12-digit encoders, ten customisable RGB backlit buttons and four paddle modules on the back.
The GT Neo feels exceptionally solid on track, with no flex or movement. The density of the wheel contributes to its stability, and it maintains this robust feel even with high Nm wheelbases.
One of the most exciting features is the MagLink, which allows you to use this wheel with any direct drive base, provided it supports an NRG-style quick release. This adapter is a 19.90 USD upgrade that greatly expands the wheel’s compatibility, a feature that sets Simagic apart from many competitors.
As an entry-level model, the GT Neo does have some trade-offs compared to higher-end models. The grips are rubber rather than Alcantara or leather, the buttons feel less premium, and the rotary encoders are plastic. Despite these small drawbacks, the GT Neo delivers exceptional value for its price.
Formula Wheel Add-On Ferrari SF1000 Edition
The Thrustmaster SF1000 is designed as a replica of the wheel from the actual Ferrari SF1000 Formula One race car, the upgrade to the previously licenced older generation Ferrari F1 rim from the early 2010s.
This wheel includes 21 LEDs, a 4.3-inch display, 7 encoders and up to 25 action buttons. The Formula Wheel Add-On Ferrari SF1000 Edition features a carbon fibre faceplate for balanced, accurate Force Feedback, and incredible realism in racing simulation games. You can also upgrade the rim with the Thrustmaster T-Chrono Paddles paddle shifters as an extra.
The SF1000 rim is compatible with several Thrustmaster T-Series racing wheelbases: TS-XW, T-GT, T300, TX, TS-PC & the newly released T818 DD base. So if you have the Thrustmaster eco-system, this is the top-end rim for you at a fraction of the cost of all other rims in this article – only 400 USD.
Fanatec Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R
The Podium version of the wheel comes with the Podium Hub and the advanced Podium paddle module. This wheel is modular, you can take it apart and build different setups with the parts it comes with. This design allows a lot of customisation over time without needing to spend hundreds on new wheels.
Another point on versatility is the shape. This wheel allows you to drive any discipline with ease. It has plenty of buttons, including rotary encoders for traction control and ABS, up-and-down toggles, a seven-way funky switch, an analogue stick and 10 buttons on the faceplate.
The combined weight of the wheel is over 2 kg, which is pretty heavy. The heavier weight and larger size make the motor feel smoother and add a natural dampening effect. If you’re using low-powered wheelbases, you might want something lighter.
The full kit (wheel, paddles, button module and a hub) costs 579.80 USD. There are cheaper options, but this wheel gives you everything Fanatec has to offer, from RPM lights to the OLED screen, and it provides room to grow and customise.
Asetek Forte Formula Wheel
The Asetek Forte Formula wheel is inspired by real-life formula-style race cars. And this has more rotary switches and thumb encoders than you will know what to do with. With 12 buttons, two-way toggle switches, seven-way kink switches, twelve position rotary encoders, six thumb encoders and 49 programmable LED lights, this will keep your eyes on the wheel instead of the road.
In addition, Asetek offers a new Invicta Quick Release Adapter. This accessory is designed for the Asetek Invicta direct drive wheelbase. It enables compatibility with a wide range of steering wheels.
The adapter is designed to be compatible with various steering wheels and is often used to adapt wheels with different mounting standards to the Invicta wheelbase. This is especially useful for sim racers who frequently switch between different wheels or need to make adjustments.
The Asetek Forte wheel can only be used with the 18NM Forte or 27NM Invicta wheelbases supplied by Asetek. But the wheel itself comes in at a very modest 600 USD.
Moza FSR Formula Wheel
Enter the top-of-the-line all-new formula style wheel from Moza. The FSR Formula wheel comes equipped with a 4.3-inch built-in digital dash with 15 customisable UI options, as well as carbon fibre duel clutch paddles and a split-second quick-release system, with the wheel connecting to any Moza wheelbase via a wireless Bluetooth option.
This is great if you are in the Moza ecosystem and have any of the R5/R9/R16 or R21 bases at your disposal. However, you will need the wheelbase adapter if you have one of the early Moza DD base designs with an older quick-release system.
Again, at the lower end price wise of ‘top range’ wheels, coming in at 600 USD this may just be the best value for money rim in this list.
Simagic FX Pro Formula Steering Wheel
The FX Pro is the higher-level rim in the Simagic lineup. Priced at 779 USD, the FX Pro Formula Wheel offers exceptional value for its features. It outperforms many options in its price range and competes closely with more expensive models. It’s a significant upgrade over previous Simagic products and presents a strong challenge to other rims.
The wheel weighs in at 1.7 kilograms, which gives it a solid, high-quality presence.
The wheel features five central rotary encoders, four thumb rotary encoders, six RGB buttons and six paddles, three for gear shifts and three for clutches.
The display is a 4.3-inch screen with adjustable settings and LEDs that provide useful information like fuel levels, position and delta times. Simagic’s software is intuitive and allows for significant customisation, including adjusting telemetry colours.
In summary, the Simagic FX Pro Formula Wheel is an impressive piece of equipment that stands out in the market. Its build quality, functionality, and performance make it a fantastic choice for serious sim racers. If you’re considering an upgrade or looking for a high-quality formula wheel, this one should be on your radar.
Cube Controls CSX-3 Wheel
The most beloved Cube Controls steering wheel is back with its third iteration. The CSX-3 is designed to push the boundaries of the premium experience further and fulfil the expectations of a real driver. Priced at 1,400 USD, this is from the higher echelon of racing wheels.
CSX-3 is the highly recommended choice for a top-tier racing performance. It incorporates all the benefits of the best F-PRO features combined with the game-changer options of a steering wheel with display, now touch-screen for faster interactions.
Thanks to the compatibility with SimHub, customisation of your dashboard layouts and RGB LEDs guarantees a whole new level of possibilities. The optional paddle set in CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced polymer), will secure total control over your race.
The beauty of Cube Controls wheels is that they are adaptable to all wheelbases with the right adapter usually supplied at purchase. So you don’t need to panic if you have a Simucube, Simagic, Accurforce, Fanatec or even a Thrustmaster base. These cube-control wheels can be mounted to your existing base if you simply want a wheel upgrade without worrying about ecosystems.