The Best Direct Drive Wheels for iRacing in 2026

With many people picking up sim racing or considering investing in iRacing as their new simulator of choice, you may be looking for your first wheel or an upgrade to suit your growing interest in the hobby. Here are our top recommendations to consider when choosing what wheel to use in iRacing.

What is iRacing?

iRacing is a PC racing simulation with true-to-life physics and millimetre-perfect laser-scanned tracks and cars. When choosing a direct drive wheel to use in iRacing, it’s important to keep in mind that the software uses a model of force feedback that attempts to replicate the forces that go through the steering wheel in a real car. 

This differs from some other simulations that attempt to emulate the sensations of being in a real car by adding additional forces to the force feedback. What this means is that, while iRacing’s force feedback is very useful for getting information about what the car is doing, it may require a wheel with a high torque output for an ideal experience. That’s why all of our recommendations are Direct Drive wheels.

What are Direct Drive wheels?

Direct Drive technology is the most realistic offering in sim racing wheels on the market today. They used to be some of the most expensive pieces of equipment out there, however, in the past few years they have become far more affordable and can compete with the traditional gear-driven and belt-driven wheelbases that older sim racers would have started with.

The difference between Direct Drive and traditional equipment is simple. It’s all about how the wheel delivers force feedback to mimic the forces of the car.

Older wheels were gear-driven or belt-driven, which meant that only the bigger forces were felt in the wheel and a large amount of the energy was passed off as heat or sound. Direct Drive wheels use motors to deliver more energy-efficient forces, meaning that you can feel more delicate forces such as when your formula car is on the edge of its grip and is about to spin.

Fanatec CSL DD

The CSL DD was the first on the market as an affordable Direct Drive wheelbase and was initially announced as part of an April Fool’s stunt. However, not long after, it was announced as the real deal and was available for purchase from late 2021. It symbolised a transition in the sim racing market, as Fanatec discontinued their belt-driven range and started selling solely Direct Drive units.

By now, the CSL DD has become the market standard. With 5Nm of force as standard, upgradable to 8Nm with the Boost Kit, users are able to get the feeling of strong resistance as they muscle around their favourite tin-top racers whilst not having to fork out the money to buy an actual race car. It’s affordable, it’s dependable, and it’s got a massive ecosystem of add-ons and upgrades that will keep you invested for years to come.

Thrustmaster T818

The newest Direct Drive offering from the traditional “big three” alongside Fanatec and Logitech, Thrustmaster arrived on the scene with the T818 earlier in 2023. It was designed with both the past and the future in mind too, as the quick-release system that can let you change a wheel in 5 seconds is compatible with all current Thrustmaster steering wheels and it is also designed with an as-of-yet unreleased ecosystem in mind as well.

With a maximum output of 10Nm of torque, it is more powerful than the Fanatec offerings mentioned earlier in this list. And with affordable add-ons that feature licensing from top brands in the racing world such as Sparco as well as iconic manufacturer collaborations with Ferrari, if you’re a racing fan looking for something extra special to keep you invested in your sim racing then the T818 is a fantastic offering to look at.

Moza Racing R12

Moza Racing have been an up-and-coming brand on the budget Direct Drive wheel front for over a year. With their name being attached to such series as the iRacing Formula 3 Championships in recent seasons, if you’re into iRacing you will more than likely have seen their name somewhere or other. Their entry-level wheels give the likes of Fanatec a run for their money, and their CR-P Load Cell pedals give specialist firms a tough challenge to beat.

In the middle of their range is the R12. With 12Nm of torque and being constructed with aviation-grade aluminium as part of the package, it certainly puts up a tough fight compared to the Logitech and Thrustmaster wheels that are in the same power band. And, with software designed to accentuate understeer and oversteer built in, it is a competitive alternative to the mainstream options available on the sim racing market.

VRS DirectForce Pro

VRS, also known as the Virtual Racing School, are well-known in the iRacing world for their setups and long-running sponsorship of iRacing’s GT3 series. However, did you know that they sell sim racing equipment? More specifically, did you know that they have a fully-fledged Direct Drive solution that is designed with iRacing in mind?

VRS’ DirectForce Pro solution is one of the leading examples of fully customisable and build-your-own sim racing solutions. On top of the wheelbase, which is designed to replicate the finer details of iRacing’s force feedback system through its 20Nm MiGE motor, you can purchase their in-house Formula rim as well as adapters that let you use your third-party rim with the wheelbase. Add on some exceptional two-pedal and three-pedal solutions and you’ve got something that takes your iRacing experience truly to the next level.

Fanatec Podium DD

For years, Fanatec’s DD1 and DD2 led the sim racing marketplace as iRacers could only dream of affording Direct Drive wheels. Now that they’ve become the standard, and now that the rivals have caught up, Fanatec have had to respond. And the Podium DD is their response.

The older flagship models stored their customisation on the wheelbase, as this was the most accessible way of doing this a few years ago. The Podium DD does this through the Fanatec app, which has combined the old Tuning Menus with the FanaLab app that allowed you to have presets that matched to the game and even to the car with programmable options for your LEDs and even the vibration motors in your pedals if you commit fully to the Fanatec ecosystem.

The Podium DD continues to innovate by including features that have since become industry-standard, whilst also managing to make a more compact solution compared to the behemoths that were the DD1 and DD2. The QR2 system means that you can hotswap wheel rims without having to restart the game, or in the case of iRacing without having to turn the wheelbase off and on again occasionally. Plus, in a world where it is now common for racers to mount their wheelbase behind their monitor to maximise their Field of View, the Podium DD comes with a 10cm shaft extension so that you don’t have to compromise on FoV.

Simucube 3 Ultimate

Simucube are often spoken about in the highest of high-end circles. The Simucube 2, with 3 different levels on offer, held the highest of industry standards for the past few years. Their latest generation, the Simucube 3, goes even further.

The Ultimate is the tip of the top of the range. 35Nm of torque output is well-and-truly industry leading, and will allow you to more-than-accurately simulate pretty much any machine that is on the iRacing platform. All of this in a wheelbase package smaller than 6l of size. It’s even energy-efficient, with a peak power output of 450W that is slower than the standard rating for some of its rivals on the market today.

Simucube is innovating at the front of the sim racing market in so many different ways. They now offer a variety of different top-line wheel rims to go with their bases, as well as adapters if you’re looking to bring over your own wheel rim. They also offer industry-leading active pedals, as well as the Simucube Link that allows you to connect all of your technology to one device rather than having to take up your already-limited choice of USB ports.

Asetek Simsport La Prima, Forte, Invicta

Did you know with a Coach Dave Delta subscription you get 10% off all your Asetek orders! Meaning you can save anywhere between $60 and $110 when buying any of their La Prima, Forte or Invicta wheel bases and over $250 if you purchase the top of the range complete bundles including pedals, wheel and direct drive base!

Asetek have been long-known in the sim racing world for specialist technologies for PC sim racing and the 18Nm Forte is the second most powerful offering in their range after the gargantuan 27Nm Invicta.

What works in favour of anyone looking to invest in Asetek Simsport’s offerings is the customisability and how easy it is to upgrade your unit to the next level. If you’re looking at a full solution including pedals, you can start off with an entry-level and upgrade to a top-level solution that features a hydraulic brake with ease. 

Right now you also get a 3-month iRacing coupon with every purchase as well. It’s sounding like a win-win-win for anyone going the Asetek route for iRacing.

Conclusion

To conclude, you are pretty spoilt when it comes to top-quality wheels for iRacing! Any wheel from this pick will suit your needs perfectly, no matter your price point. Make sure you check out what our best picks are when it comes to pedals for iRacing. No matter your choice, Coach Dave Academy also has you covered on the technical side with our precision-built iRacing setups.