Thrustmaster are one of the most popular sim racing wheel manufacturers on the market, and they have an extensive lineup of wheels to suit all experience levels. However, it’s important to know what to consider when choosing which Thrustmaster wheel to buy.
Thrustmaster was founded in 1992 with the goal of creating products that solved problems for gamers of all kinds. Their journey started with the designing and making of specialized joysticks, but they now produce a wide range of sim racing wheels and other peripherals for all kinds of racers.
In this article, I’ll be sharing my passion and knowledge of Thrustmaster products as I look at their various product lines, before reviewing which Thrustmaster sim racing wheels you should be buying!
Main Features Of Thrustmaster Wheels
Passion
Thrustmaster aim to make products that gamers truly want, and it’s this passion for creation of these various solutions and inventions that truly sets them apart from other manufacturers in this sector.
Innovation
The field of sim racing continues to advance and grow with every day that passes, and Thrustmaster don’t want to be left behind! Since their early creations, they’ve been acquiring licenses from top-notch institutions and improving their workforce’s training so that they can consistently deliver the newest and best gaming hardware.
Affordable Quality
Even products that are designed for those on a tamer budget feel well put-together and don’t compromise any of the quality seen on their more expensive hardware. Looking at the company’s development history, they are consistently releasing new products to improve upon previous iterations and a large part of this is using better, sturdier materials to create a lasting legacy.
Part of what makes this manufacturer so attractive to sim racers out there is their respect for decent pricing that people can afford. Sure, some of their products can be on the expensive side, but overall their main line of hardware often comes bundled together for an affordable price so that anyone can give it a go.
The Thrustmaster Ecosystem
The Thrustmaster Ecosystem, as they call it, is a guarantee that all wheels and wheel bases they design will work with all Thrustmaster products. This will save you money down the line if you buy different gear from them as you won’t have to check if their products are compatible with each other.
Thrustmaster’s Main Line Of Sim Racing Wheels
T150 Pro Force Feedback
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation / Xbox
The Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback is undoubtedly Thrustmaster’s entry level force feedback wheel. The T150 was designed for the PlayStation, making it an ideal choice for beginner sim racers on console.
Entry Level Choice
The T150 is made out of plastic, so it’s definitely an entry level wheel at a fairly entry level price. However, for its all-plastic construction, you do still get a responsive wheel that offers the ideal way to get into the world of sim racing – and into the Thrustmaster ecosystem.
You do get metal paddle shifters behind the wheel, which are a nice touch, and they are definitely not present on all entry level sim racing wheels out there. Plus, the plastic on the rim itself is coated in rubber, offering plenty of grip.
Decent Force Feedback
Another entry level trait present on the T150 is the system you use to secure the wheel to your rig. It’s a simple clamp, which is enough for some setups, but it won’t provide the same level of security that more advanced sim racing wheels offer. The force feedback offered by the hybrid gear-belt system is decent, but it usually won’t move the wheel around too much as long as you have it in secured in place.
Overall, the T150 is a great way to get into sim racing, and it’s an excellent entry level wheel from Thrustmaster.
TMX Pro Force Feedback
Compatibility: PC / Xbox
This is essentially the same wheel as the T150 Pro, although it’s built for PC and Xbox rather than the PlayStation. As such, you’ll find much of the same quality and many of the same features on the TMX that you find on the T150.
Entry Level Xbox Wheel
As you can likely tell from the names of each wheel, they offer fairly realistic force feedback for the price. You can easily change the levels and intensity of this feedback too, in order to fully personalize your driving experience. With these bundles, you’ll be getting the racing wheel, with its force feedback base attached, plus the T3PA 3-pedal set.
Another nice part of this product series is the fact that the wheel base doubles as a clamp so that you can easily attach it to a desk or suitable surface of your choice. Given many beginners and those on a budget use a desk for sim racing, this is a useful feature.
Note: The T150 & TMX wheels can't be hard mounted with screws without an adapter, meaning you won't be able to mount it to a dedicated sim racing rig with screws out of the box!A Versatile Option
Both wheels are 28 cm in diameter, which is ergonomically designed for all kinds of racing games. Suitable for everything from GT and F1 cars to rally and NASCAR sim racing games, these wheels are highly versatile, which makes them hugely appealing if you aren’t quite sure whether you want to commit to a certain type of racing sim game.
All the buttons on the face of the wheel are easy to reach without taking your hands off the wheel, so you can easily make adjustments during races.
Ergonomic Design
You’ll also find reinforced rubber grips on each wheel to cushion your hands and minimize the discomfort that can come from long racing sessions.
Overall, these racing wheels mark a true cornerstone of Thrustmaster excellence while opening the door for beginner sim racers who want to have room to grow. The ceiling for development as a racer with these bundles is very high indeed!
T-GT II
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation
First and foremost, Thrustmaster specifically designed this wheel to be used competitively in sim racing competitions. The force feedback included in the wheel base is the best they’d ever developed at the time, courtesy of the brushless motors that help produce realistic depth to the steering.
Excellent Force Feedback
This wheel specifically employs feedback linearity so that all inputs you make are felt through the wheel rim in your hands as they would feel in a real race car. There’s a highly dynamic feeling about using this wheel and that’s down to how the car’s behavior is replicated through the wheel’s incredible force feedback.
As you can likely tell from the name of this wheel, you unlock a special interface to use with Gran Turismo games that allows you to seamlessly adjust all settings for the wheel. It is also designed with forward compatibility so that all future Gran Turismo games will work with this wheel, unlocking even more potential.
The highest level of competitive design condensed into a single racing wheel – that’s the best way to describe the T-GT. It’s perfect for high-level sim racers looking for an edge in races.
Thrustmaster’s Sparco Line Of Sim Racing Wheels
TM Competition Wheel Sparco P310 Add-On
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation / Xbox
Part of the excitement for this wheel rim is the fact that it is a direct replica of the Sparco P310 wheel found in real rally cars. It’s 31 cm in diameter makes it a realistic wheel to handle without feeling like a toy, as a lot of cheap sim racing wheels can tend to feel.
Buttons Within Easy Reach
Unlike a lot of other wheel rims, the P130 houses its buttons on supports that protrude from the top and bottom of the wheel’s center. Due to how your hands will typically be positioned, this will make the buttons easier to reach as opposed to reaching all the way to the center panel of the wheel.
In terms of shape, this wheel is quite unique to look at. Thrustmaster describe it as a flat oval, something which is often seen in race cars because the shape makes the cars easier to handle.
Not only that, but the oval shape is also better to help fight fatigue from long racing sessions. The suede used to wrap the wheel rim assists with the overall shape as a soft, forgiving material that isn’t slippery to hold.
High-Quality Materials
Every component of the wheel is very high-quality, from the sturdy faceplate section all the way to the paddle shifters made from black brushed aluminum. It all feels not only realistic but just the right amount of luxury.
Overall, this wheel rim is designed for a multitude of sim racing games, but specifically rallying sims. The ergonomic shape is one part of this specialization, due to the odd angles you’ll often be keeping the wheel at to complete drifting turns. If you’re a fan of rally sims, this could be the wheel rim for you!
Sparco Rally Wheel R383 Add-On
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation / Xbox
This is another perfect replica of a rally wheel, this time it’s the R383 Sparco rim. Measuring in at 33 cm in diameter, it provides a true-to-life representation of the real thing.
Versatile Rally Wheel
Like most sim racing wheels on the market, it’s a circular shape, and this opens the door to different types of racing sims as opposed to pigeon-holing you into a specific genre. With the R383, you’ll find rally-specific features on a more versatile wheel rim. One such feature is the inclusion of protruding button areas and a carbon-styled design around the buttons themselves.
The wheel itself is covered in a soft, supple-feeling suede that offers great grip without the discomfort that can come from other materials. You can choose to wear sim racing gloves or not with this comfortable material choice!
That extra cost translates into a more well-rounded wheel for people who enjoy rallying, but might not want to commit to a full oval wheel rim so that they can still race competitively in other sim racing games.
Thrustmaster’s Ferrari Line Of Sim Racing Wheels
Ferrari 599XX EVO 30 Wheel Add-On: Alcantara Edition
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation / Xbox
If you want to talk about an exclusive, sleek collector’s item, look no further than this detachable wheel rim designed to replicate the famous Ferrari 599XX EVO! It may only be an 8:10 scale replica, but there’s been no expense spared when it comes to the materials that give it the true Ferrari feel.
A Realistic Wheel Rim
The wheel rim’s structure is identical to the real thing, giving it a whole new level of authenticity and realism. It has features such as polyurethane molding to achieve a flexible touch and amazing comfort, paired with an internal ‘hoop’ made entirely from steel.
It has a 30 centimeter diameter, which is essentially the same size as most racing car wheels, and this adds to your overall feel of immersion when sat behind the wheel. And weighing in at less than 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg), it feels both light and responsive yet weighty too.
The paddle shifters are rather special on this wheel rim too, due to how large they ar,e which allows for a larger array of hand positions on the wheel. And they’re designed completely from 2 mm thick metal, giving them a satisfying click with every gear shift.
Entry Level Choice
The wheel rim features quick release technology, so you can easily remove it and switch out for other wheel rims as you see fit. The whole wheel is covered with hand-stitched, hand-fitted Alcantara for that luxurious feel. Overall, it’s a versatile wheel with a nice feature set.
Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On
Compatibility: PC / PlayStation / Xbox
Another collector’s item that oozes luxury, precision and excellence, Thrustmaster’s F1 wheel rim is the pinnacle of Ferrari racing technology brought to your own sim racing setup at home.
An Immersive Replica
The Ferrari F1 wheel rim is a full-sized, entirely to-scale replica of the steering wheels used on Ferrari’s 2011 F1 cars. A lot may have changed between then and now, but the overall composition and high-quality materials definitely haven’t!
The face of the wheel rim is made of reinforced, scratched-brushed metal, which not only guarantees a long lifespan, but also a feeling of pure quality when you’re using it. It has a satisfying, realistic heft to it without feeling too heavy in your hands – a very difficult balance to strike when replicating such a high-tech piece of equipment.
Take just a single glance at the face of this wheel and you’ll feel as if you’re really sitting in an F1 cockpit. All of the buttons are professional-grade and they match functions between the replica and the real thing. It has encoder rotary knobs, push-buttons, 3-position metal switches, 8-directional D-pads, and F1 push/pull style shifters.
Great Feel
The coverings of the wheel are a rubber-textured grippy material, which is ideal for driving with or without gloves for great comfort and overall grip. Also made with the Thrustmaster quick-release technology, this wheel rim can easily be attached and detached in a matter of seconds, so you can experiment with multiple different rims for the best possible racing edge.
This wheel is ideal and perfectly suited to F1 sim racing games, with all of the bells and whistles you need to feel like you’re actually in the cockpit.
Which Thrustmaster Wheel Should You Buy?
Which Thrustmaster wheel you should buy depends on what kind of sim racer you are and what kinds of games you’ll be playing the most frequently.
For example, rally-dedicated racers would do well to buy the TM Competition P310 wheel for its ergonomic oval shape, whereas F1 sim racing enthusiasts would be far better off buying the Ferrari F1 wheel, and lovers of all racing sims should pick one of the Pro Force Feedback wheels that fits their console of choice.
On a personal level, I can’t help but admire the amazing quality and technology of the T-GT wheel, but the price is on the steep side! I also play a lot of Gran Turismo games, so that might influence my personal preference, but the force feedback provided far exceeds that of any of Thrustmaster’s other products.
However, I also can’t help but feel enamored with the Sparco Rally Wheel R383 for its great mixture of rally-specific features and general adaptability to so many types of racing sims.
Final Thoughts
Thrustmaster are one of the most popular beginner friendly sim racing brands on the market, and they have a wealth of sim racing wheels to choose from. Making the right choice depends on what you’re looking for in a sim racing wheel, and what games you play most often.
I created and have been writing on this site since 2019, collaborating with drivers, coaches, engineers and manufacturers to provide you with the most reliable information about motorsport. Find out more about me here.