10 Best Racing Wheels for iRacing

April 5, 2021

What is iRacing?

iRacing is a PC-only competitive sim racing game – one of the best out there. It has a tonne of cars and tracks to choose from (which are laser scanned for maximum realism), along with many well-organized leagues and series. Plus, the fact that it’s a bit pricier than other racing games means that it attracts more serious drivers and offers some of the cleanest online racing you’ll find. Not to mention, you also have a real chance of racing against professional drivers like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Because it’s a serious sim, you need a proper wheel and pedals – but this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to break the bank.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

In this article we’re going to focus on wheels (if you’re interested in pedals as well, check out our article on the best sim racing pedals). We’ll highlight and compare the best sim racing wheels for iRacing no matter what your budget is: small, mid, high or very high (for direct drive). We’ll show you what features you’re getting with each option, including pros and cons, so that you can find the wheel that best suits your needs.

If you’re really into dirt racing, make sure to check out our dedicated article on the best steering wheels for iRacing dirt as well.

Our picks for the 10 best iRacing wheels at different budgets:

Thrustmaster T150 (or TMX for Xbox) – Low Budget
Logitech G29 (or G920 for Xbox) – Mid-Range [Editor’s Choice]
Logitech G923 – Mid-Range
Thrustmaster T300 RS GT – Mid-Range
Fanatec CSL Elite – Mid-Range
Thrustmaster TS-XW (or T-GT for PlayStation) – High-End
Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 – High-End
SimXperience Accuforce Pro V2 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive
Fanatec Podium DD1 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive [Editor’s Choice]
Fanatec Podium DD2 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive

Before we get into it, let’s quickly talk about the key considerations involved in buying a sim racing wheel for iRacing. Skip this part if you’re familiar with sim racing wheel features and jump right into the best wheels for iRacing by budget.

How to Choose a Wheel for iRacing

There are a few important factors to keep in mind when shopping for your sim racing wheel, namely: console compatibility, brand ecosystem, peripherals, force feedback, mounting options and wheel rotation.

iRacing & Console Compatibility

First of all – you’re here because you want a wheel that will work with iRacing. Well, good news, all sim racing wheels are compatible with PC, so all wheels are technically compatible with iRacing!

While all wheels are compatible with PC, they are not all compatible with Xbox and Playstation. Wheels that work on consoles are usually only compatible with one of the two systems. So, if you also own a console and plan on playing sim games on it, keep an eye out for wheels that are compatible with your console. That being said, there are console compatibility adapters like CollectiveMinds DriveHub that can you can use to make your wheel compatible for Xbox or PlayStation.

Xbox and Playstation Consoles

Brand Ecosystem

With bigger brands like Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec you’re guaranteed high-quality products with lots of selection and large user bases. There are many smaller brands out there with high quality sim racing equipment as well, but selection can be limited and the smaller user bases these brands have can make it harder to troubleshoot problems.

It’s also important to keep in mind that some brands do things a bit differently than others. For example, with Fanatec, wheelbases are separate from the rims (steering wheels), so you start by choosing the wheelbase with the specs you want, and then you can select from different compatible steering wheels. On the other hand, with Logitech the steering wheel and wheelbase are combined into one piece of equipment, so you can’t switch out different steering wheels. Thrustmaster offers both combined steering wheels/wheelbases as well as separate. This can be confusing if you’re just getting started with sim racing, so always double check that whatever you’re buying comes with both a steering wheel and a wheelbase.

Finally, you’ll want to take a look at the software that comes with each brand. Most brands offer free software that allows you to play with the wheel’s tuning and different settings so you can get the right feel. Some software comes with more options than others, making your experience more customizable.

Fanatec’s Fanalab Tuning Software

Peripherals

Over time you might want to switch out certain elements of your set up. Maybe you’ll want to upgrade your wheel rim and pedals, or maybe you’ll add a shifter or handbrake for drifting. If you go with a brand that has a big ecosystem of “plug and play” ready peripherals, then you’ll have more flexibility in this regard. It’s easier to create a set up from a company that produces all the different types of racing hardware (wheels, pedals, shifters etc.) because they will generally all work together without any extra effort or tinkering required.

Peripheral compatibility is less of an issue for PC gamers, because pretty much all sim racing equipment is built to be PC-compatible and you can connect multiple individual devices through USB. If you’re a console gamer, then you can’t mix and match as easily between brands, but there are often workarounds.

Examples of Fanatec Peripherals

Force Feedback

What is force feedback? Simply put, force feedback is the haptic information the wheel gives you about what is happening in the sim. This is what makes sim racing feel like you’re actually driving a car, so it’s an essential feature in a sim racing wheel.

Ideally you want the force feedback to be as quick and smooth as possible, so there’s no lag between what you see and feel. Wheels that can output more torque (while maintaining smoothness) are preferable because they allow you to feel more of what is happening with the car. For example, you’ll be able to feel the difference between a small vs a big turn, which allows you to react more accurately. This improves the driving experience as well as your performance. But, higher torque doesn’t always mean higher quality. The smoothness and the speed of feedback are the most important elements.

Some wheels have such high torque that they actually come with warnings, but don’t worry, you can always turn down the force feedback while still maintaining the feel of your car.

How does force feedback work? There are three main ways that force feedback is generated in sim racing wheels: gears, belt and direct drive. Each of these technologies provides a different level of power and smoothness – and the more power and smoothness you get, the higher the price.

Gear-Driven

Gears are the most basic and oldest form of force feedback technology, and are often found in cheaper wheels. Gear-driven force feedback tends to produce a more grainy feel (this feeling can also be described as grindy or notchy) and can be a lot louder than belt or direct drive wheels because of the friction between the mechanical parts.

Logitech G29 Gears

Belt-Driven

Belt-driven force feedback is newer, and provides significantly more power and smoothness when compared to gears. They are also usually less noisy compared to gears (but this is highly dependent on the model). There are many belt driven wheels on the market, and this is where you will find some of the best options for new and veteran sim racers alike.

One of the downsides with belt-driven wheels is that the belts themselves can wear and stretch over time, so they can require more maintenance than direct drive wheels. They also don’t have as fast and accurate feedback as direct drive wheels.

Thrustmaster T-150 Belt-Pulley System

Direct Drive

Direct drive wheels have the highest fidelity when it comes to replicating the feel of a real race car. Gear and belt driven wheels have a natural damping due to their drive system, which limits the maximum torque they can put out. The extra mechanical parts can actually absorb some of the force feedback, sending less into the wheel. Direct drive wheels however, are connected directly to the motor driving them. This is what gives them unparalleled power and feel. The torque on direct drive can more than double that of high quality belt drive wheels. Coupled with the immediate feedback you get from the un-dampened motor, direct drive wheels allow you to feel every bump in the road. The removal of belts and gears also means that you don’t have to worry about the wear of extra mechanical parts, so direct drive wheels often require less maintenance.

The downsides of direct drive wheels are that they are much more expensive, require more tinkering to get them to feel right, and the motors are large and heavy (so you will need a dedicated rig to mount them to).

Fanatec Podium DD1 Direct Drive Motor

Mounting Options

When shopping for iRacing wheels, keep in mind where you’re going to be doing your racing. If you don’t have the space or money for a full cockpit, then you probably want to limit your search to wheels that can be mounted to a desk. Some wheels have built in desk clamps while others need to be hard mounted with screws. Wheels with high torque (including all direct drive wheels) should not be desk mounted. High-torque wheels need a rig that’s sturdy enough not to bend under high forces. If your rig isn’t stable, you’ll lose fidelity because the vibrations of the wheel will go into warping your rig, rather than into your hands.

Example of a Playseat Sim Rig

Wheel Rotation

For iRacing you’re going to want a wheel with at least 900 degrees of rotation, because the sim is configured to match the wheel rotation and actual steering 1:1. Having a wheel with less than 900 degrees of rotation means that you’ll actually end up needing to turn the wheel beyond the in-game sim wheel, making it much harder to control your car. Almost all high-quality sim racing wheels have at least 900 degrees of rotation, and all the iRacing wheels we recommend in this article meet this threshold. It’s really only toy wheels that have less than 900 degrees – these are not what we would consider to be true sim racing wheels.

Trustmaster T150 Wheel Rotation

Ok now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s compare the best iRacing-compatible wheels based on these features as well as your budget.

10 Best Wheels for iRacing

The real deciding factor when shopping for an iRacing wheel is price. If you have a big budget, you might as well get the best out there, because it will have all the features. So, think about how much time you spend sim racing and how competitive you want to be when planning your budget. The smaller your budget is, the more features you’ll have to compromise on. Because of this, we’ve broken down our list of the best iRacing wheels into budget-based categories: small (<$200), mid ($200-600), high ($600-$1000) and very high (>$1000) i.e. direct drive.

Thrustmaster T150 (or TMX for Xbox) – Low Budget
Logitech G29 (or G920 for Xbox) – Mid-Range [Editor’s Choice]
Logitech G923 – Mid-Range
Thrustmaster T300 RS GT – Mid-Range
Fanatec CSL Elite – Mid-Range
Thrustmaster TS-XW (or T-GT for PlayStation) – High-End
Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 – High-End [Editor’s Choice]
SimXperience Accuforce Pro V2 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive
Fanatec Podium DD1 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive [Editor’s Choice]
Fanatec Podium DD2 – Top-of-the-Line Direct Drive

iRacing Wheels on a Small Budget (<$200 USD)

Since iRacing is a pretty serious sim racing game, you’re going to want a more serious wheel (i.e. a wheel with force feedback). Luckily, Thrustmaster has a couple of good options for force feedback wheels under $200 USD. These are perfect if you’re just starting out and want to get a feel for sim racing before investing a lot of money in it.

Thrustmaster T150 & TMX

Thrustmaster T150 Wheel

Price: $179 USD on amazon.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase, steering wheel, 2 pedals (gas and brake)
Force Feedback: Hybrid belt pulley and gears
Resolution: 12 bit
Wheel Rotation: T150 1080 degrees / TMX 900 degrees
Torque: Unknown
Console Compatibility: T150 PC and PS / TMX PC and Xbox
Peripheral Compatibility: Thrustmaster pedals and shifters (cannot switch out wheels)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp
Wheel coating: Plastic with rubber grips
Internal cooling: No
LED display: No

The Thrustmaster T150 is a solid low budget wheel from a reputable brand. You get force feedback, plus a full 1080 degrees of rotation. It’s a powerful wheel, but the mechanism can be felt slightly, taking away some smoothness. It has a desk mount, making it easy to set up if you don’t have a full rig (note: if you do want to hard mount it you’ll need to buy something like this Ricmotech Adapter). There also aren’t a lot of options for pedal adjustments, and the pedals are made out of plastic, so they lack resistance and are prone to breaking. You could always upgrade to the T3PA pedals which are made out of metal, or take it to the next level with the T-LCM load cell pedals (more info on these in our best pedals article), but with that added cost you might as well look at the mid-budget wheels in the next category.

The Thrustmaster TMX is the Xbox equivalent to the T150, with no differences in specs except for the lower max wheel rotation of 900 degrees (but this is still more than enough rotation for most racers).

Thrustmaster TMX Wheel

Thrustmaster does make an even cheaper model, the T80, but with no force feedback and only 200 degrees of rotation, this won’t really cut it for iRacing.

Mid-Range iRacing Wheels ($200-$500 USD)

In this price range you’ll find belt driven force feedback systems. These provide more powerful and smoother drives, compared to the lower-budget gear driven wheels. You’ll also get more flexibility with peripherals, and the ability to switch out wheels.

Logitech G29 & G920 🏆 [Editor’s Choice]

Logitech G920 and G29 Wheel and Pedals Sets

Logitech G29 and G920 Wheels and Pedals

Price: $249 USD on logitech.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase, steering wheel, 3 pedals
Force Feedback: Helical gears
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 900 degrees
Torque: ~2.1Nm (estimated)
Console Compatibility: G29 PC and PS / G920 PC and Xbox
Peripheral Compatibility: Logitech pedals and shifters (cannot switch out wheels)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp, hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: Leather
Internal cooling: No
LED display: RPM lights

The Logitech G29 (or G920 for Xbox) is the next step up from the Thrustmaster T150/TMX. It’s the ideal starter set, that won’t break the bank. Logitech’s high-quality hardware will give you the full sim racing experience, with relatively powerful force feedback and a full 900 degrees of rotation. The LED RPM lights are also very handy, and the leather covered wheel has a luxury feel. The Logitech pedals are also significantly better than the Thrustmaster pedals, since they are made of metal, include a clutch and are more adjustable. Like the Thrustmaster T150, the Logitech G29/G920 wheel has a built-in table clamp, so you can easily set it up without a full cockpit.

The only real downside is that it uses a gear-driven force feedback system, so it’s less powerful and not as smooth as a belt or direct drive wheel.

Logitech G923

Logitech G923 Wheels and Pedals

Price: $399 USD on logitech.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase, steering wheel, 3 pedals
Force Feedback: “TrueForce”
Resolution: Unknown
Wheel Rotation: 900 degrees
Torque: ~2.1Nm (estimated)
Console Compatibility: PC and PS / PC and Xbox (two wheel choices)
Peripheral Compatibility: Logitech pedals and shifters (cannot switch out wheels)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp, hard mounting with screws
Wheel coating: Leather
Internal cooling: No
LED display: RPM lights

The Logitech G923 was released in August 2020. It’s more or less the same as the Logitech G29/G920, except for two main elements: the brake pedal and the force feedback system. The rubber block underneath the brake pedal was replaced by a progressive spring for a more responsive and accurate feel. In terms of the force feedback, Logitech introduced a new system called “TrueForce”, that’s supposed to provide a more realistic drive with quicker and more accurate force feedback. Users have reported mixed experiences with it; we tried it and we couldn’t feel a huge difference from the G29/G920. It’s also important to note that currently the TrueForce system is only compatible with certain games (and is unofficially compatible with iRacing). For these reasons, the Logitech G29/G920 is still our preferred choice.

Thrustmaster T300 RS GT

Thrustmaster T300 RS GT Wheel and Pedals

Price: $479 USD on amazon.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase, steering wheel, 3 pedals
Force Feedback: Dual belt
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 1080 degrees
Torque: ~4.5Nm torque (estimated)
Console Compatibility: PC and PS
Peripheral Compatibility: Thrustmaster pedals, shifters and wheels (with quick release)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp, hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: Rubber
Internal cooling: No
LED display: No

The Thrustmaster T300 RS GT is a huge step up from the T150. It has a dual belt drive, wheel-mounted paddle shifters and a full-3 pedal setup (made of metal). This is Thrustmaster’s replacement of the popular T500 wheel. It’s an all-around great wheel, that’s easy to set up and has a built-in table mount. Plus, the wheels and pedals are swappable if you ever want to upgrade down the road. It’s compatible with Thrustmaster’s F1 and classic style steering wheels, as well as the T-LCM load cell pedals if you want to upgrade. This is the cheapest belt-driven model out there, offering a smoother drive with more power than the Logitech options, but there are a couple of downsides to the T300 as well. Despite not using gears, the T300 can still get pretty loud – so if noise is a concern, keep that in mind. A lack of internal cooling means it can be more prone to overheating – something to consider if you live in a hot country.

Fanatec CSL Elite Wheelbase (steering wheel not included)

Fanatec CSL Elite Wheel Base

Price: $399 USD on fanatec.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase only
Force Feedback: Single belt
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 1080 degrees
Torque: 6Nm torque
Console Compatibility: PC and PS or Xbox
Peripheral Compatibility: Fanatec pedals, shifters and wheels (with quick release)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp, hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: No steering wheel included
Internal cooling: Yes (single fan)
LED display: Lights

The CSL Elite wheelbase provides a huge jump in torque, even compared to the Thrustmaster T300 RS GT (~4.5 vs 6Nm)! If that’s too much torque for you, don’t worry you can adjust it with Fanatec’s tuning options. With the CSL Elite you’re going to get an even smoother and more precise feeling drive compared to the T300. The CSL Elite also has rev lights built into the wheelbase and an internal cooling system to keep your wheel from overheating when playing for long periods of time.

Like we mentioned earlier in the article, Fanatec works a bit differently in that their wheelbases are always separate from their rims (steering wheels), so you’ll want to start by choosing the wheelbase and then you can select from a wide range of beautifully-designed Fanatec steering wheels and pedals to complete your setup. The CSL Elite wheelbase is compatible with any Fanatec CSL, Elite or ClubSport steering wheel, giving you over 20 different steering wheel styles to choose from to match your driving style (including F1, classic, GT, NASCAR, rally or drift). Fanatec is pricey, but they are known for their high-quality German engineering and large ecosystem of peripherals.

Fanatec also offers a CSL Elite Starter Kit bundle, including the wheelbase as well as a steering wheel and pedals.

Fanatec CSL Elite PS Starter Kit

High-End iRacing Wheels ($500-$1000 USD)

In the high-end range you’ll still get the belt-driven force feedback systems, but with even more torque and internal cooling to prevent any issues when playing for long periods of time. You’ll also get suede or alcantara wrapped wheels in this section, which provide more grip than rubber or leather. These are great options if you’re serious about sim racing, but don’t have the budget for direct drive. The wheels in this category are pretty powerful, so we highly recommend hard mounting them to a cockpit rather than trying to desk mount them.

ProTip: you should always wear gloves when racing with a suede wheel in order to get a bit of extra grip, avoid friction burn when the wheel slips, and also to preserve the material (your hand oils are not good for it).

Thrustmaster TS-XW

Thrustmaster TS-XW Wheel and Pedals

Price: Currently unavailable on amazon.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase, steering wheel, 3 pedals
Force Feedback: Dual belt
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 1080 degrees
Torque: ~6.4Nm torque (estimated)
Console Compatibility: PC and Xbox
Peripheral Compatibility: Thrustmaster pedals, shifters and wheels (with quick release)
Mounting Options: Desk mount clamp, hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: Suede
Internal cooling: Yes (motor cooling embedded system)
LED display: No

The Thrustmaster TS-XW Sparco P310 Competition Mod is a powerful belt-driven wheel with very precise force feedback, allowing you to really feel bumps and turns like you would in a real car. Plus, it’s a beautiful wheel – a 1:1 scale replica of the Sparco P310 Competition wheel covered in suede. With a quick-release base, you can easily switch out the Sparco wheel for other Thrustmaster F1, classic or rally style wheels. A lot of people don’t like the pedals that come with the TS-XW, but you can always upgrade to the Thrustmaster T-LCM load cell pedals.

While the TS-XW is only compatible with PC and Xbox, the PS equivalent is the Thrustmaster T-GT, but this does not come with the 1:1 scale replica of the Sparco P310 Competition wheel.

Thrustmaster T-GT Wheel

Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 Wheelbase (steering wheel not included) 🏆 [Editor’s Choice]

Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 Wheelbase

Price: $549 USD on fanatec.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase only
Force Feedback: Dual belts
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 900 degrees
Torque: 8Nm
Console Compatibility: PC and Xbox (no options for PS compatibility)
Peripheral Compatibility: Fanatec shifters, pedals and wheels (quick release)
Mounting Options: Hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: Steering wheel not included
Internal cooling: Yes (dual fans and heat sink)
LED display: No

The Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 wheel base offers even more power than the Thrustmaster TS-XW with a peak torque of 8Nm, and a hyper-precise drive with “dual hall” technology where one sensor is mounted on the motor and a second one on the axis. This is built to feel as close as possible to a direct drive wheel. It also comes with Fanatec’s extensive suite of tuning software, meaning you can set it up to feel just right. Although the wheelbase does not come with a steering wheel (rim) or pedals, the Clubsport V2.5 wheelbase is compatible with any Fanatec ClubSport or CSL steering wheel or pedals. This gives you over 20 different steering wheel styles to choose from at varying price points, as well as multiple pedal choices. There’s no desk mounting option built into this wheelbase, and although there is an optional ClubSport table mount that Fanatec sells, we highly recommend hard mounting it to a sturdy cockpit.

Very High Budget (Direct Drive) iRacing Wheels (>$1000 USD)

This is it ladies and gents. Everything you could ever want in a sim racing wheel. Compromise on nothing. With a direct connection between the steering wheel and the motor, you get extremely powerful, high-quality force feedback for the smoothest and most realistic driving experience possible. You’re going to truly feel the vibration of the motor and every bump in the road – so prepare yourself. Direct drive also comes with insane rip-your-arm-off torque (don’t worry, you can always dial it down). Just keep in mind that you cannot desk mount these bad boys because of the torque, so you’ll want to look into cockpits.

A word of caution on direct drive: because of the ‘raw’ nature of the direct drive system, these wheels can take a lot more effort to set up in order to make them feel right. This is because direct drive wheels don’t come with any natural dampening (like gear or belt driven wheels do), which means it is entirely up to your software settings to make the wheel feel smooth. This means direct drive wheels will often not “feel right” with their factory settings as compared to gear and belt driven systems which are much more “plug and play”. This is also why it is important to pick a direct drive wheel from a reputable company who provide good software.

SimXperience Accuforce Pro V2

Sim Xperience Accuforce Pro V2 Wheel and Direct Drive Wheel Base

Price: $999 USD on simxperience.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase and steering wheel
Force Feedback: Direct drive
Resolution: 16 bit
Wheel Rotation: 4500 degrees
Torque: 13Nm
Console Compatibility: PC only
Peripheral Compatibility: Accuforce steering wheels
Mounting Options: Hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: Alcantara
Internal cooling: Unknown
LED display: No

The SimXperience Accuforce Pro V2 is a great direct drive wheel at a much lower price point than the Fanatec Podium lineup. It also comes with an alcantara wrapped steering wheel and Sim Commander tuning software. Unfortunately with SimXperience there aren’t many directly compatible peripherals to choose from, but they do offer both classic and F1 style compatible wheels. It’s also worth noting that the Accuforce Pro is only compatible with PC, so may not be the best choice if you’re a big console gamer.

Fanatec Podium DD1 Wheelbase (steering wheel not included) 🏆 [Editor’s Choice]

Fanatec Podium DD1 Direct Drive Wheel Base

Price: $1,199 USD on fanatec.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase only
Force Feedback: Direct drive
Resolution: Unknown
Wheel Rotation: Unlimited
Torque: 20Nm
Console Compatibility: PC and Xbox (options for PS compatibility)
Peripheral Compatibility: Fanatec shifters, pedals and wheels (quick release)
Mounting Options: Hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: No steering wheel included
Internal cooling: Yes (single fan)
LED display: OLED for tuning and real-time data

If you’re serious about sim racing and have the money, the Fanatec Podium DD1 wheel base is hands-down the way to go. The direct drive force feedback is extremely smooth and accurate, and with 20Nm peak torque you’ll have more power than you know what to do with. There are lots of other settings you can play with too – Fanatec has great software to get your settings just right, plus there’s an OLED display on the wheelbase to help you with tuning (it can also display real-time motor and force feedback data). If you’re into drifting, this wheel is perfect because of it’s endless rotation, and with a wireless connection between the wheelbase and the steering wheel you don’t need to worry about wires getting caught. Keep in mind that it does not come with pedals or a steering wheel, but it’s compatible with the entire existing and upcoming Fanatec ecosystem, so you have plenty of choice. It’s not cheap by any means, but it comes with a 5 year warranty to help put your mind at ease.

If you’re a console gamer, note that the DD1 wheelbase sold alone is only compatible with Xbox, but if you want to use it with PlayStation then you have the option to purchase Fanatec Podium Racing F1 Wheel which comes with a special PS4-compatible version of the DD1 wheelbase (with blue carbon panels) along with a stunning f1-style alcantara steering wheel.

Fanatec Podium DD1 F1 Racing Wheel

Fanatec Podium DD2 Wheelbase (steering wheel not included)

Fanatec Podium DD2 Direct Drive Wheel Base and Kill Switch

Price: $1,499 USD on fanatec.com (subject to change)
Includes: Wheelbase only
Force Feedback: Direct drive
Resolution: Unknown
Wheel Rotation: Unlimited
Torque: 25Nm
Console Compatibility: PC and Xbox
Peripheral Compatibility: Fanatec shifters, pedals and wheels (quick release)
Mounting Options: Hard mount with screws
Wheel coating: No steering wheel included
Internal cooling: Yes (single fan)
LED display: OLED for tuning and real-time data

The Fanatec Podium DD2 is one of the most powerful wheelbases on the market today. The DD2 wheelbase is more or less identical to the DD1 except for the outer casing and the torque. The DD2 reaches an insane peak torque of 25Nm (5Nm higher than the DD1), but this kind of high torque would only ever be reached momentarily in real life and only in violent crashes. Because of the higher torque, Fanatec included a kill-switch (with a remote power button) with the DD2 that enables you to instantly shut it down in the case of an emergency (this is also available as an optional add-on for the DD1). The other big difference from the DD1 is that the outer casing on the DD2 users carbon fibre plates that give it a really cool race-car look, compared to the more standard brushed aluminum casing on the DD1. If you’re planning on using your setup to play Playstation racing games as well, it’s worth noting that the DD2 is currently not compatible with Playstation.

Summary

Since iRacing is a PC only game, and all sim racing wheels are compatible with PC, there are plenty of great options for iRacing wheels at a wide range of price points, from less than $200 USD up to $1,500 USD for a top-of-the-line direct drive wheelbase. Generally, the more you’re willing to spend, the more power, smoothness and fidelity you’ll get (i.e. quicker and higher quality force feedback), but all the wheels listed in this article will give you a great iRacing experience.

Overall, our top picks are the Logitech G29/G920 as a budget-friendly wheel for iRacing beginners, the Fanatec Clubsport V2.5 as a high-end (and high-power) wheelbase for more serious players, and the Fanatec Podium DD1 direct drive wheel for those able to invest in a top-of-the line set up.

If you’re just starting out and aren’t quite ready to shell out the big bucks, our pick is the Logitech G29 (PS) or G920 (Xbox). It’s a great “plug and play” wheel and pedal set made with high quality materials, featuring solid power and force feedback that will provide a great iRacing experience.

For those serious about sim racing, who want a more powerful wheel with high-quality force feedback, then the Fanatec ClubSport V2.5 is the way to go.

But, if you’re looking for the most immersive and realistic racing experience possible (and are able to make the investment), you can’t go wrong with the Fanatec Podium DD1. It’s a direct drive wheelbase with high fidelity force feedback and enough torque to match a real race car, plus access to Fanatec’s wide range of high-quality peripherals.

Logitech G920, Fanatec ClubSport V2.5, Fanatec Podium DD1

If you’re really into dirt racing (or regular oval or rally racing), make sure to check out our dedicated article on the best steering wheels for iRacing dirt as well. Or, if we haven’t answered all your questions in this article, take a look at our sim racing wheel FAQs.

Once you decide on your wheel and are ready to get it set up, we also have some helpful articles on where to find iRacing setups and how to install iRacing setups.