I have £150-£200 and want to buy a steering wheel. Which would be the best? I want a clutch, gear shifter and force feedback.

Is the G27 the best one to get?
I found a G27 on ebay for £180.

Every other day it seems, some price-conscious newbie asks about "a good wheel"


I've been using my G25 for years - and although I would like to take a step-up from it, it really took me a loooong time to actually hit it's limits.

G27 is practically the same wheel with a few improvements: less noisy/notchy gears inside (or so they say), mod-friendly pedal-faces, more buttons on the wheel.

What it doesn't offer is a load-cell brake. But that can be modded later on, albeit at a price. As a whole package, you cannot go wrong with a stock G27.

If you want an alternative in the same price range, take a look at the Fanatec "CSR" and "911 GT3" "911 GT2"-wheel. Fanatec will leave you the choice of what kind of pedal-set and/or shifter to get in addition to the bare wheel. They do offer better/ more expensive stuff as well as cheaper options.

Virtually all affordable stuff is made in cheap-labour asian countries and then shipped over here. Logitech might be found on store shelves more often than Fanatec.
A notch above the aforementioned wheels would be the Thrustmaster "T500RS" albeit at a much higher price-point and still without shifter & load-cell brake. Fanatec has the "CSR-elite" and "Clubsport Wheel" to match it's price and level of performance.

All in all: you get what you pay for. G27 is a solid choice for potentially years of trouble-free use. Just remember to treat it with respect, as some aspects of it's construction are more toy-spec than hard-core-tough. Same story for every relevant alternative.

Quote from DrBen :

Every other day it seems, some price-conscious newbie asks about "a good wheel"


I've been using my G25 for years - and although I would like to take a step-up from it, it really took me a loooong time to actually hit it's limits.

G27 is practically the same wheel with a few improvements: less noisy/notchy gears inside (or so they say), mod-friendly pedal-faces, more buttons on the wheel.

What it doesn't offer is a load-cell brake. But that can be modded later on, albeit at a price. As a whole package, you cannot go wrong with a stock G27.

If you want an alternative in the same price range, take a look at the Fanatec "CSR" and "911 GT3" "911 GT2"-wheel. Fanatec will leave you the choice of what kind of pedal-set and/or shifter to get in addition to the bare wheel. They do offer better/ more expensive stuff as well as cheaper options.

Virtually all affordable stuff is made in cheap-labour asian countries and then shipped over here. Logitech might be found on store shelves more often than Fanatec.
A notch above the aforementioned wheels would be the Thrustmaster "T500RS" albeit at a much higher price-point and still without shifter & load-cell brake. Fanatec has the "CSR-elite" and "Clubsport Wheel" to match it's price and level of performance.

All in all: you get what you pay for. G27 is a solid choice for potentially years of trouble-free use. Just remember to treat it with respect, as some aspects of it's construction are more toy-spec than hard-core-tough. Same story for every relevant alternative.

Top answer. Thank you for the info. I'm not a newbie to the game its self. But I play with mouse and keyboard. Thank you so much. I'll look into the G25 and the 911's.

dont always look on ebay, gumtree has some bargains too!

I'd get the G27 over the 911 one. Trust me when I say that G27 is one heck of a wheel. The G25 is awesome and the G27 is practically the same wheel with helical cut gears to make it more silent

Get a CSR or GT3RS V2 if you can. You won't even consider a Logitech wheel when you got one.

Quote from Bose321 :

You won't even consider a Logitech wheel when you got one.

Incorrect

As I have a g27. Buy fanatec. G27 is not that good, if I were you I would go get a feel for all the different wheels out there to conpare if you know people who have one.

Quote from pärtan :

Incorrect

Please do elaborate. I have noticed from personal experience that it's true. Also everyone that I know that have switched say the same...

Have you ever tested a recent Fanatec wheel and compared it to a G27? I guess not, otherwise you wouldn't say that.

Quote from SebbieHE :

I have £150-£200 and want to buy a steering wheel. Which would be the best? I want a clutch, gear shifter and force feedback.

Is the G27 the best one to get?
I found a G27 on ebay for £180.

I own a g27. I like mine and it works fine as of now. Problem is that it seems quality varies greatly. Ex: my brothers is sewed a bit more loossely than mine, his pedals spike. I would go fanatec

My friend have a fanatec wheel. Not sure which one (it doesn't have the orange casing but it's got the porsche wheel on it). He's been trying and trying to get responsive yet non wobbly force feedback settings on his wheel. He says that the only way some people have fixed it is to use Logitech drivers but that it didn't work for him. I base my dislike for Fanatec on my friends experiences with it.

With the proper settings, the G25 (and G27 for that matter) have a very linear and mechanical feel to the FFB response and stability. It doesn't start wobbling at high speeds and it's still right on target angle within a very short amount of time (even on high force settings).

The G25 also have versatile components for different kinds of sim-rig applications. Each individual pedal for instance is it's own component made out of sturdy metal and with pre-drilled and threaded holes they can easily be mounted on different pedal frames (if you want reverse mount pedals that is)

Negatives about the G25 or G27. The biggest downside of the G25 is the loud noise it makes, which is reduced in the G27 with the helical cut gears. Some people have also had problems with their shifters, certain gears won't engage properly. I have no experience with this problem what so ever. I guess it's a matter of bad luck. If you get a faulty shifter, maybe you can get it replaced?

Spiking and flickering in the pedals is another thing. My pedals do that occasionally. I then disassemble and reassemble the pedal which takes about one minute and it's good for another month of active driving. Keep in mind that the potentiometers of my pedals are exposed to dust since I have them reverse mounted. That might be the cause of this.

I've brutally abused my G25 for about 3-4 years (can't remember exactly when I got it but I've been playing quite actively all around this time with a couple of breaks). I've been drifting a lot with it and my drifting style isn't exactly easy on the wheel, so to speak. I've also taken apart all the components as I've done mods. I've also lubed the wheel once.

I love the FFB, versatility in the design and it does what it's supposed to do for a long time (in my case). I dislike the cable management (which I've modded to suit my liking), the loud noise which is fixed with the G27 anyways, and that's about it.

Final words, I love my G25. I think it's a great wheel. There are certain aspects that I just need which the G25 and G27 provides. I bought my G25 when there was no Fanatec around (at least I don't think). My friend seemed to like his Fanatec as he bought it so I'm sure it's a good quality wheel. However, he haven't been able to get it setup properly with FFB (not sure it's even possible) and it's just less versatile to modify to your liking from what I understand..

Would I take a Fanatec over a G27? No way, but it's up to you and what you're looking for in the wheel.

Quote from pärtan :

I base my dislike for Fanatec on my friends experiences with it.

That's where I stopped reading.

You don't even know which wheel you're talking about.

And the problems your friend has are things I have neverd heard of or experienced on a Fanatec wheel.

I don't really get most of the rest, Fanatec pedals can be mounted too. They are actually sturdy, in contrast to Logitech. I don't see how a big lump of plastic is great. Like you said, the pedals are spiking for a lot of people, the shifter isn't working properly anymore and it's noisy.

But then again, you never experienced something else, so you can't really compare or discuss about this...

Quote from Bose321 :

That's where I stopped reading.

Alright, I'm not trying to convince you anyways. I'm just disagreeing with you.

Quote from Bose321 :

You don't even know which wheel you're talking about.

I know that my friend bought a Fanatec wheel (probably thanks to you TBH) that he can't use the way he wants. Shouldn't all their wheels have acceptable FFB settings? Are there certain cheaper Fanatec wheels that are there just to fool people?

Well, I believe the cheapest wheel they sold (the 911 Carrera) was not really that great compared to their other wheels. He could have that one.

However, that model does not have the problems you mentioned. I could give him a hand to look at his settings if he wants. Most likely he's changing settings that he doesn't know what they do.

They don't sell that 911 Carrera wheel anymore, but even the cheapest wheels they sell now are great.

Quote from Bose321 :

Most likely he's changing settings that he doesn't know what they do.

He's usually good at figuring out settings and stuff like that though. He's also good at googleing and researching.

G27. Fanatec sucks.

Quote from DarknessPainF1 :

G27. Fanatec sucks.

Trole

Quote from pärtan :

My friend have a fanatec wheel. Not sure which one (it doesn't have the orange casing but it's got the porsche wheel on it). He's been trying and trying to get responsive yet non wobbly force feedback settings on his wheel. He says that the only way some people have fixed it is to use Logitech drivers but that it didn't work for him. I base my dislike for Fanatec on my friends experiences with it.

With the proper settings, the G25 (and G27 for that matter) have a very linear and mechanical feel to the FFB response and stability. It doesn't start wobbling at high speeds and it's still right on target angle within a very short amount of time (even on high force settings).

The G25 also have versatile components for different kinds of sim-rig applications. Each individual pedal for instance is it's own component made out of sturdy metal and with pre-drilled and threaded holes they can easily be mounted on different pedal frames (if you want reverse mount pedals that is)

Negatives about the G25 or G27. The biggest downside of the G25 is the loud noise it makes, which is reduced in the G27 with the helical cut gears. Some people have also had problems with their shifters, certain gears won't engage properly. I have no experience with this problem what so ever. I guess it's a matter of bad luck. If you get a faulty shifter, maybe you can get it replaced?

Spiking and flickering in the pedals is another thing. My pedals do that occasionally. I then disassemble and reassemble the pedal which takes about one minute and it's good for another month of active driving. Keep in mind that the potentiometers of my pedals are exposed to dust since I have them reverse mounted. That might be the cause of this.

I've brutally abused my G25 for about 3-4 years (can't remember exactly when I got it but I've been playing quite actively all around this time with a couple of breaks). I've been drifting a lot with it and my drifting style isn't exactly easy on the wheel, so to speak. I've also taken apart all the components as I've done mods. I've also lubed the wheel once.

I love the FFB, versatility in the design and it does what it's supposed to do for a long time (in my case). I dislike the cable management (which I've modded to suit my liking), the loud noise which is fixed with the G27 anyways, and that's about it.

Final words, I love my G25. I think it's a great wheel. There are certain aspects that I just need which the G25 and G27 provides. I bought my G25 when there was no Fanatec around (at least I don't think). My friend seemed to like his Fanatec as he bought it so I'm sure it's a good quality wheel. However, he haven't been able to get it setup properly with FFB (not sure it's even possible) and it's just less versatile to modify to your liking from what I understand..

Would I take a Fanatec over a G27? No way, but it's up to you and what you're looking for in the wheel.

So basically, you like everything you changed in your wheel.

PS: I've had my g27 for atleast 2 yrs and never had to disassemble the pedals, compressed air did the trick.