I’d say get a wheel but aim for mid range as most low end wheels are either noisy or have design issues. TBH all designs have pro’s and con’s.
Geared wheels like the old DFGT from logitech have a lot of slack or play which gets worse over time, this means it was noisy and just got louder over the 3 years I owned it (It DID have good powerful force feedback though). It also had a “Notchy” feel to it. pedals were basic but functional. It used optical sensors (basically like in a rollerball mouse) which had less measurements per wheel rotation i.e less accuracy. Seen DFGT’s on Ebay for well under £100, Good entry level wheel even if 2nd hand.
Helical geared wheels are a step up, the gear teeth are angled on all the shafts, this makes it feel smoother has less noise, slack/play and better yet less wear over time Logitech G27, G29 and G920 all use helical gears, the G29 and G920 use Hall Effect sensors not optical as in the G27, these are far more accurate (More measurements per wheel rotation) Had a G27 for years myself and the pedal set are better than most in the same price bracket as it’s a triple set with a solid feel and decent progression in the pedals. looking at around £230 for a G920 to £279 for a G29
Belt drive wheels come next, these have no gears so almost no slack/play, smoother, less noise, MUCH less wear. Here you’re looking at Thrustmaster T series wheels TX, TMX, T300RS, T300GTE, etc. they also use Hall Effect sensors plus loads of additional parts should you want them (TH8A shifter, Wheel rims etc) depending on the model it’s either a 2 (pretty good) or 3 pedal set which are as good as the Logitech set. I’m using a T300RS myself and it’s the best wheel I’ve owned over the years. TX & TMX are Xbox/PC compatible and around £200 with triple pedal set but limited to 900 degrees rotation, T300RS and GTE are PS4/PC compatible but have 1080 degrees rotation around the £280 (2 pedal set) to £300+ range (3 pedal set), newer upgraded models like TS-PC, TS-XW are up in the £400-£500 range.
Been using wheels for 8-9 years now and won’t/can’t go back to a controller. In Forza controllers are favoured as there’s more assistance, e.g. FH3 Goliath exiting Byron Bay you can let go of the steering and floor it, with a wheel you let go you’re off track, what you get in return is more precision of control, better reaction times, less overcompensating, better feeling of what the car is doing at any time.
The BIGGEST problem in transitioning from controller to wheel is the “Ingrained” racing habits built up through years of using a controller can be detrimental once you DO switch, for me this was when the original Race Driver Grid was around, Got my DFGT but after 2 months trying my laptimes were pretty much identical :. Dirt 3 launched and I played it only using the wheel, I played for 6 months then went back to Grid for some track racing… NOW my laptimes fell like a stone because I’d lost the controller habits…
Anywho… I’d say get a wheel as it’s far more immersive… I get upto this with mine…
FH3
FH4
