Round wheel advice?
Mike Puhalski
Member
Good day. I am looking for a round wheel (squared bottom like R300 probably ok) for my DD1 so I have an option other than the F1 style wheel. I will be using this in iRacing, rfactor, ACC, etc. - maybe even an occasional rally or oval race, you know, for fun. 😀 I also have a focus RS that I occasionally track, so I think it would be helpful practice.
Sorry for the randomness of my questions below on the ones I am considering, but I can't try any of these in person before buying and I am new to the Sim Racing world.
Anybody have feedback on the CS Porsche 918 RSR setup? I thought I saw somewhere that this wheel does not get updates, but I can't find that info now. Any issues with this wheel? Anybody have one and love it?
Another option is getting the R330 rim with a Podium hub and the CS button pack which I could pair with the stand alone shifter if/when it becomes available (or I could add the Podium Paddle setup). Is the a-la-carte path to building a wheel setup pretty straight forward? Any drawbacks? There is a similar pre-bundled setup in the US available with the R300 wheel, but I think I would like the R330 a bit more.
I also would consider the Porsche 911 GT3 podium, but it might be overkill for me, and it is quite expensive. Also not sure what the differences are with that and the slightly cheaper CS version.
Any other wheels I should be considering, or anything else I should be thinking of? I could also hold off to see what gets introduced later this year, but I am not always great at patience. 🤪
Thanks all!
Comments
The full wheels with a few exceptions (Porche 918 RSR, BMW GT2, and Formula wheels) are just a combination of pieces. Hub + rim + buttons. I don't believe they don't come assembled, so you have to put them together whether you buy a la carte or not. Usually you save $50 - $100 or more though by getting the full kit at once instead of the individual pieces.
Be sure to look at the "What's included" section of each product page.
The Clubsport Classic 2 is worth a look. I like it - properly round so good for rally, slightly bigger than most sim wheels at 35cm so also nice for vintage stuff. I also have the Porsche GT3 wheel which is better for ACC and modern stuff. Flat bottom makes it not ideal for rally, drifting or any cars with slow racks - small flat bottom wheels are really designed for cars with quicker racks.
I was wondering about the flat bottom and rallying. My car's steering wheel is about 38 cm, so that sounds closer in size then the rest.
I was wondering about that BMW wheel, and since posting this and looking around online, it seems like a popular choice. Nice price too! Does it have the quick release setup, or do you need to use the screw on the DD1?
I'm interested in a new round wheel. I have the McLaren GT3, which is good for Formula and GT cars, but I need a round wheel for ovals, dirt oval and dirt road (iRacing). I've been using the McLaren rim, but it's not good enough.
I like the Porsche GT3, but it's not completely round, that D shape may not be ideal. But I really like the Endurance kit.
What do you recommend, the Porsche GT3, or go for a proper round wheel like the Classic 2 or R330 ?
Up to you. I've ended up with three wheel -
the McLaren is the oldest - I like it, great for when you want a "Formula" style (i know it is GT style but you know what I mean),
The Porsche wheel with the Endurance Button Box - I use it 90% of the time - even when driving cars that have a formula type wheel (VR - can't see it anyway!)
Classic 2 round wheel - sometimes you just need a round wheel - even in VR. If you are keeping your hands on the wheel even in tight turns in cars with a quick rack it doesn't matter. But if you are changing hands on cars with lots of lock in rally etc anything other than round gets weird.
Thanks for your answer. I guess I won't be getting the Porsche wheel then. I can do everything the Porsche wheel can. with my McLaren rim. I'm not getting 3 wheels, I'm not that rich. Well, I own VR capable gaming PCs... (one with Index and the other with Reverb, maybe I just spend too much money on this anyway :D)
The Classic wheel 2 is not available now, I'll just get the R330 then. I wouldn't mind the Porsche wheel for NASCAR on iRacing, you don't turn it around all that much, but on Dirt oval and specially Dirt road (which is nearly like Rally) I actually need a proper round wheel. And I also need the APM because I can't use my right foot, so I need a throttle on the wheel (that is why I got the McLaren wheel in the first place).
Hi.
I don't have a podium base, but a CSW 2.5, but I have tested few wheels, because I have a porsche 918, a formula carbon, a BMW GT2, a mclaren GT3 and since today a F1 2020. (yes I would love the new porsche GT3, but it's quite expensive and not compatible with my clubsport base)
I never tried the wheels based on the hubs, but my advice would go to the porsche 918 for several reasons:
-you want a round wheel, so it is
-leather: more resistant than alcantara, so time won't have much effet on it
-lighter than the bmw or "old fashion" clubsport hub based wheel: the force feedback will feel more alive
Like bmw or clubsport hub wheel, the porsche 918 wheel weakness is the paddles feel, but now you can improve it easily with aftermarket addons (simmakerz for example: https://www.simmakerz.com/accueil/22-42-palettes-magnetiques-pour-fanatec-formula-wheel.html#/26-matiere_palettes-impression_3d_avec_covering_carbone )
I like the Porsche 918 wheel, but it doesn't admit the APM. I have a 3drap hand controller on the way, if it is good enough to replace the hand paddles, then I wil consider getting one, if not... I have to get a wheel with APM.
The 918 wheel does seem very nice to me, but I was worried there might be a few too many drawbacks, especially considering the price. Seems like a good one if they do a black friday sale this year (assuming that's part of it at least).
BMW GT2 costs 100 euros less than Porsche 918 RSR.
And I like it more personally.
Porsche has the advantage of lower weight(1690g vs 2120g) - but this can be subjective.
Both wheels offer a more economic solution to anybody looking for a round rim to pair with a DD base.
My only concern would be if these Clubsport wheels are rigid enough to handle the torque of a DD motor.
I dont know for example if there is the same amount of flex between Clubsport Porsche and it's Podium bigger brother and how this can affect the feeling and alter the the final experiene.
Porsche BME wheels: If you mean the steering wheels/rims (not the hubs or shifters) are exactly the same. They ship the components separately depending on the hub you want.
Partially my fault as I was referring to these 2 wheels which have different rims :
My point was that while they are both DD compatible, I wonder if the RSR rim is sturdy enough to deal with high torque efficiently.
Only from the rim quality prespective and leaving the button boxes out of the equation.
no worries.
you mentioned the clubsport and podium Porsched and I thought the latest model that comes in both. 😇
I think (but dont get my word for it) that rims are ok. Usually the hubs are the ones that can’t take the torque and the bases detect that and limit the torque. As a rim flexing from the torque, first time I hear about it. Shouldnt be a problem. 🤔
I have both of these steering wheels and a DD2 no problem using the 918RSR on the DD2
Does anybody know if the podium classic to actually comes with a podium hub?
I have the GT3 podium hub and endurance module, so if I want to switch to the classic wheel easily, do I need a second podium hub?