A look at all the factors to consider when buying a sim racing steering wheel, including wheel styles (F1, GT and Rally), PCDs, compatibility and more.

INTRODUCTION

Steering wheels matter, although pedals and wheel bases are more important… but hey! What are you doing with your wheel base if you don’t have a steering wheel!?

There are various things to consider when buying a steering wheel. Is it compatible with your base? Does it match the car you are sim racing? Do you care whether it matches the car you are sim racing? 

This short guide will give you an overview of everything you need to look at when buying a steering wheel.

STEERING WHEELS VS WHEEL BASES▲

The Moza Racing GS Steering Wheel attached to a Moza Racing R9 direct drive wheel base. Available on Simplace.

It’s worth distinguishing wheel bases and steering wheels. A wheel base is the motor that produces the force feedback while steering. Wheel bases are either gear-driven (like the logitech G923), belt-driven (like many of the Thrustmaster options) or direct drive (think Fanatec, Simucube and the like.)

Steering wheels are then attached to the wheel base and that is what you lay your hands on. The common folk call it a steering wheel. There are a couple of different ways that steering wheels attach to wheel bases:

 

All the wheel bases with fixed steering wheels are budget or entry-level. You can see this table of every wheel base on the market, compared by price, fixed vs swappable wheels, torque and more.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER▲

Bolt Patterns (PCDs)

Steering wheels come with various bolt patterns, also called Pitch Circle Diameters (PCDs). For example, Ascher Racing has a PCD of 6 x 70mm. What does that mean? That’s 6 bolts evenly spaced around a circle with a 70mm diameter. These are the PCDs of some selected brands:

* To see a more comprehensive list of PCDs click here.

The PCD is the specification for how you attach your steering wheel to your base. But, there is a part sandwiched between the two: the QR hub.

 

The Quick Release (QR) Hub

The Fanatec Podium Hub allows any 6 x 70 mm or 3 x 50 mm steering wheels to attach to a Fanatec wheel base. (Image from Fanatec.)

QR hubs are the what connect your steering wheel to your wheel base:

 

You screw your bolts through your bolt pattern on your steering wheel onto a QR Hub, and then the QR Hub slides on to the wheel base shaft. 

Now the issue is that many wheel base brands want to keep you within their ecosystem. Take Fanatec as an example. Firstly, depending on what wheel you use within their ecosystem, you may need one of two QR hubs. 

Secondly, if you want to connect a non-Fanatec wheel, you will need to buy their Podium Hub for around $200. That’s a pretty penny, but it’s versatile. It has various PCDs to accommodate any of the major steering wheel brands.

 

Wheel Styles: Shapes, Sizes and Weights

The Simplace GT3 Steering Wheel with an open D shape.

There are three main styles wheels take. So, what are the different styles of sim racing steering wheels?

 

If you’re new to sim racing, it’s important to figure out what type of racing you want to main in. Maybe you want to race with a sleek BMW M4 GT3 or maybe you want to emulate Kimi Raikkonen… note that for that, you’ll also need a short temper. You can find that anywhere on Twitter. 

Obviously you can race all types, but note you might need multiple steering wheels in that case. A D-shaped GT wheel is a good all round wheel, especially if immersion is not that important to you.

So does size matter? Well yes. Smaller wheels will have more torque, will steer sharper, but can be a little less precise. Smaller wheels also tend to be lighter, which can influence how responsive the wheels feel, although a heavier wheel can feel more real.

Of course, the material used can also influence the weight of the wheel and the feel, so be sure to check that out. A full aluminium wheel will be far sturdier and have less flex than one with plastic parts.

 

Wireless vs Wired Wheels

Most steering wheels come with USB cables that plug into your PC. This does introduce a risk: ripping out your cable mid-race for a sim racing mechanical DNF… who would’ve thought? It is a rare occurrence so don’t stress about it.

Many steering wheels support wireless connection to the PC, like Cube Controls for example.

 

Console Compatibility

Almost all wheels are compatible with PC, but when it comes to Xbox and Playstation, it’s not as straightforward. Both really on specific security chips inside the hardware.

Playstation requires the security chip to be within the wheel base while Xbox requires them in the steering wheel. That’s why you can’t buy a Playstation compatible steering wheel, only an Xbox compatible one.

 

Buttons

The P1 Sim Formula Steering Wheel, with clutch paddles and a display. Available on Simplace.

Think of how complicated iRacing’s UI can be! You’ll need an array of buttons to navigate menus, change settings and adjust things during the race, for e.g. a pit limiter. Button plates allow you to do that and come either as a part of the wheel or as a separate stand-alone. 

There are 4 switch types to look out for:

 

Pay attention to the layout and build quality. When you are in a race you will want to find the button easily, without fumbling about, and you want visual and/or audio feedback that your input took effect. For example, a rotary that clicks into place is preferable to a smooth turning rotary.

 

Paddle Switchers

These sit right behind the steering wheel, where your fingers can reach while your thumb holds the wheel. They're for shifting and/or clutch control.

Not every steering wheel comes with paddles and for some brands you can add it as an option. Fanatec has the Podium Advanced Paddle Module in case you want the shifters and clutch paddles on your steering wheel (it can be mounted on any Fanatec steering wheel or the Podium hub).

You’ll want something that has a stiff, responsive feel. A flimsy switcher will put your timing off and so too your confidence.

 

Displays

Some wheels come with screens embedded in the wheel plate. It can communicate various important pieces of information: tire health, brake bias, lap times, position, lap number, etc. All the stuff you want to know on the fly.

Displays are not a budget option, but you can DIY! You can set up mounting brackets on your wheel base or wheel for your phone so that it can serve as a display.

 

Grips, Gloves and Longervity

You don’t even need racing gloves, garden or golf gloves also work! (Image by GardenerGloves from Wikimedia.)

As for the grip, there are a three different options to choose from:

 

Alcantara is very common because it has the best grip and has great durability. However, do not use it bare hand: the sweat and oils from your hand will ruin it. 

That is generally why gloves are recommended, because they prevent your natural bodily fluids from destroying the grip. Look after your stuff!

Check out the F33L Gloves available on Simplace.

ARE SIM RACING STEERING WHEELS WORTH IT?▲

A good quality steering wheel, with no flex, a great layout of buttons and an in-built display will do wonders for immersion. Yet, it is a small factor in pace. You don’t need a high-end steering wheel to be fast and consistent.

So, if immersion is important, by all means, splash out. If not, you're better off choosing an entry-level steering wheel and spending the rest on git gud^TM.

Browse and purchase F1, GT and rally sim racing wheels from Simucube, Innato and several other brands on Simplace.

We have plenty of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, from a variety of manufacturers including Moza Racing, Cube Controls, Sim-Lab and more. Check out this article with tables that specify which products and brands have discounts, and how much those discounts are. It also contains some general tips for tactically approaching the Black Friday craze.

 

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in late-2022. It has been updated to match our new design standard.

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Sim Racing Knowledge Base

SIMPLACE KNOWLEDGE BASE ▲

We aim to create a comprehensive repository to help you make your sim racing gear decisions. Check out some of our other detailed articles:

> A Beginner's Guide to a Sim Racing Setup: This article provides an overview of your entire setup.

> Best Sim Racing Cockpits: This article recommends the top ten cockpits for all budgets and compares ~70% of all the cockpits on the market in a simple table.

> The Wheel Base Guide: A comparison of every single wheel base on the market. We show the torque, platform compatibility, price and other relevant information in tables. We also have an article that analyses the value of entry-level direct drives, and one that recommends Xbox wheel bases.

> The Steering Wheel Guide: See types of wheels and the other considerations when buying one. We also have one that ranks the 12 Best F1 Steering Wheels.

> The Wheel Compatibility Guide: See the bolt patterns and QR Hubs of all the major wheel and wheel base brands.

> The Shifter and Handbrake Guide: A comparison of every sim racing stick shifter and handbrake on the market.

> The Pedal Guide: A comparison of all the budget and entry-level pedal sets, and the most popular mid-range and high-end pedal sets on the market.

> How to Earn Money in Sim Racing: An overview of the various ways in which you can get income from your favourite hobby.

We've started a series of posts where we spotlight different brands. To start off with, check out our spotlight on Moza Racing, and our spotlight on Simons Gaming Solutions, an up-and-coming manufacturer.

We also publish sim related news, like analysing the value of the Fanatec ClubSport DD, reviewing the Fanatec QR2 or looking at the latest WRC updates. You can also find articles about us, like this article about our visit to the recent ADAC Sim Racing Expo.