Our Verdict
Pros
- Fantastic design
- High-quality materials
- A good number of inputs
- All inputs feel great
- Perfect dimensions & weight
- Quick release is brilliant
Cons
- Rev counter delay after shifting
- Alcantara grips force use of gloves
- Some buttons not sensitive enough
- Sticker alignment is not great
What is the MOZA Racing GS Wheel?
I’m going to say this straight away. The MOZA Racing GS GT Steering Wheel is a fantastic new sim racing steering wheel from the folks over at Moza Racing. This is a high quality wheel rim that is designed to give you all of the functionality you as a sim racer needs.
Who are MOZA Racing?
MOZA Racing wasn’t an overly well-known or well-established brand within sim racing when it released the GS steering wheel. They are relatively new to the sim racing scene, and the GS wheel was only the second steering wheel that MOZA Racing released. However, they do have three different wheel bases currently for sale.
It seems that MOZA Racing is really looking to disrupt the sim racing community with a new range of products. Many of Moza Racing’s products are similar to others that are already available.
A wider range of products available is good news for the community as a whole. More choice is never a bad thing, and more competition between brands should mean a better focus on quality and competitive pricing.
The Design of the MOZA GS Steering Wheel
The MOZA GS Steering Wheel looks to be extremely well-designed and thought out from the outset. It features a wide range of inputs, all within easy reach while flying through Eau Rouge at over 150mph!
Although, the design does look an awful lot like another well-designed formula-style wheel rim that has been around for a few years…
MOZA Racing must have taken inspiration from Fanatec when designing this steering wheel, as similarities run throughout the wheel’s design. The position of the push buttons, the thumb encoders, and the shape of the hand grips are all extremely similar. Both wheel rims also incorporate a carbon fibre face plate and Alcantara hand grips.
The GS Steering Wheel differentiates itself because it is slightly larger than the Fanatec Formula V2.5X. It comes in at 300mm in diameter as opposed to 270mm of the Fanatec wheel rim.
MOZA Racing has also tried to outperform Fanatec by adding a few extras to this steering wheel that aren’t present on the Formula V2.5X. Two extra rotary encoders are located at the front of the wheel, which allows for a little extra input during a race.
There is also a dual-clutch system at the rear of the steering wheel, and all shifters are constructed from the same forged carbon fibre on the faceplate.
I don’t know how any of this “inspiration” sits legally, or if Fanatec is too happy about the similarities between the two wheels. But I have to say that all of these design choices and the improvements that MOZA has made lead to one heck of a good looking steering wheel.
Before the GS Steering Wheel came out, I always believed that the Fanatec Formula V2 series of wheels was one of the best-designed sim racing wheels available within its price range.
Price
That leads me nicely onto the price point of this sim racing wheel. The GS Steering Wheel isn’t the cheapest. The high-quality materials used and the features included make this wheel a little on the expensive side.
The MOZA GS Steering Wheel is available for £450 or $500.
To put that price into perspective, below are a few steering wheels that would be considered direct competitors, and their pricing.
- Fanatec Formula V2.5X – £399/$399
- Thrustmaster SF1000 – £329/$349
- Cube Controls Formula Sport – £470/$630
The Fanatec Formula V2.5X which is the wheel that is closest to the GS is around £50 or $100 cheaper. You can argue that this GS Steering Wheel has more functionality which warrants the price increase.
Thrustmaster sells the Ferrari SF1000 steering wheel for over £100 and $150 cheaper. That wheel is a Ferrari replica that features a carbon fibre faceplate and a huge 4.3-inch LCD screen. It isn’t quite built to the same quality that the MOZA GS wheel is but isn’t far off.
Then you have the Cube Controls Formula Sport wheel. This is where things start getting to a professional level. All Cube Controls wheels mean business, and while the Formula Sport is an entry-level wheel, it isn’t any different.
At £450 or $500, I think the MOZA GS is priced ever so slightly too high. MOZA is a relatively unknown brand that seems to be looking to compete with brands such as Fanatec rather than super-premium brands like Cube Controls and Ascher Racing.
If they priced the GS Steering Wheel at the same price or ever so slightly below those from Fanatec, that might convince some more sim racers to bite. But let’s look at the performance while racing to see if this wheel is really worth the extra price.
MOZA GS Steering Wheel Features
Before jumping right into how this wheel performs under load, let’s take a quick look at its features, as there are plenty on this wheel.
Push Buttons
When you first power up this wheel, you’ll instantly be drawn to the 10 RGB backlit push buttons, as they perform a little dance every time you turn the wheel on. These buttons are all positioned extremely well and are easily accessible without taking your hands off the wheels.
Unlike the super stiff buttons found on the Fanatec McLaren GT3 V2 steering wheel, all of these push buttons are extremely easy to use.
Although I did notice one button in particular, the “S1” button in the top left wasn’t as sensitive as the others. Every time I used this button I had to ensure I pressed it fully for it to activate. On many occasions, I pressed this button during the heat of a race and nothing happened. I’m not sure if this is just a small niggle that is unique to my wheel or not.
RGB Rev Indicator
The second thing you’ll notice is the rev indicator bar at the top of the wheel. This is an RGB light bar that can be customised to behave and look however you fancy. Within MOZA’s Pit House software, or via the MOZA app, you can change how quickly these lights light up, and what colour each part is.
I found it very handy to be able to adjust the speed at which each light activates. This allowed me to adjust how early the shift light would flash at me. And the customisation of colours is a quirky feature that many will appreciate.
I did notice that the flashing shift indicator did have a slight delay. It would continue to flash for a split second after you shift. While this wasn’t a game-breaker, and I did stop noticing it after a while, it would have been nice for it to stop flashing the instant you shift up.
Rotary Encoders
On the face of the wheel, you have five individual encoders. Each one can be programmed individually, and it was great to have so many available. In ACC I could use these to adjust anything from my engine map to my traction control, my ABS to my brake bias.
All of these encoders have very positive engagement, so you certainly won’t be accidentally turning it too much. However, I did notice that the encoder doesn’t fully line up with the sticker behind it. The alignment is slightly off, making it hard to see what number you have engaged. You would have thought this would be an extremely easy fix and something that should have really been addressed during quality control.
On top of the five main encoders, there are also two extra thumb encoders. These allow for very quick adjustments to be made without removing your hand from the wheel. I often used this to adjust my brake bias. It was so easy to access and use I could change my brake bias multiple times each lap without any bother.
Shifters
On the reverse of the wheel are two carbon fibre magnetic paddle shifters and two additional analogue shifters that can be used as a dual-clutch. Each paddle is constructed from 3mm thick forged carbon fibre and feels great. I do love the use of carbon fibre throughout. It gives the whole wheel a premium feel.
The shifters use contactless magnetic technology to avoid wear over time and ensure a really positive engagement. One thing I really love is that MOZA has included silencing pads for the shifters. These are essentially two small foam pads that can be attached behind the shifter to stop the loud engagement sound.
This will help if you are trying to eliminate noise from the wheel or racing late at night and don’t fancy keeping everyone up!
Quick Release
Finally, I have to mention the quick release as it is fantastic. For a start, it looks the part being finished in a metallic bronze colour. Bonus style points there! But more importantly, it works perfectly. To attach the wheel to your wheel base you push the wheel against the wheel base until you hear a loud click. Then you’re good to race.
Then to remove it, you push the main quick release plate against the steering wheel while simultaneously pulling the wheel away from the wheel base. It is extremely simple yet very effective.
MOZA GS Steering Wheel Performance
I spent a considerable time play testing and reviewing this steering wheel. And I do have to say that I love it! As far as formula and GT-style wheel rims go this has to be one of the best.
The wheel’s size and weight are just about spot on. Its increased diameter, at 300mm across, feels perfect and is ever so slightly more realistic than the smaller Fanatec Formula V2.
That was something I always liked about my McLaren GT3 V2 wheel rim, as that also came in at 300mm across. 300mm diameter for me is the sweet spot, as I always felt that my hands were ever so slightly too close with the Formula V2 wheel rim.
During use, I can’t complain about the placement or functionality of the various buttons and encoders. Each button had a nice engagement to it, and the rotary encoders felt just right. They weren’t so loose that I’d accidentally knock them or make unwanted changes. And they weren’t so stiff that I had to put any real effort into using them.
Things I don’t like about the GS GT Wheel
With all this praise I’m giving this wheel, I do have to highlight a few negatives.
I’m not a massive fan of Alcantara hand grips but that is a personal preference. While they look and feel great, they do wear badly over time which forces you to wear gloves. There would be no way I could race without gloves with this wheel as the Alcantara would be a mess.
Then I encountered the not very sensitive button issue on the S1 button. While the button does work fine, it needs to be pressed harder and more firmly than the others to ensure it engages. This could be a small issue with my wheel though.
Then there is the small quality control issue of the stickers behind the encoders not aligning, which should have been spotted right away.
Finally, something I haven’t mentioned, I’m not a fan of the rev indicator display. The light bar features 10 individual LED lights that can all be customised which is great. But they sit behind a diffuse bar that blends each light together. This is where the problem starts.
Because of the diffuse material, the leading light isn’t very sharp to look at, and it appears blurry around the edges. I would much rather have individual LED’s much like on a Fanatec wheel or a real Formula 1 car.
Also, the RGB light bar reminds me of some of the cheap and nasty RGB lights you can find online. It doesn’t fit with the rest of this wheel’s high-quality nature.
Pit House Software
Before I give my final overview it is worth taking a look at the Pit House software that allows you to control and adjust the features on this wheel. Pit House is a free software package that is developed by the guys over at MOZA Racing, and it really is the heart of your MOZA products.
You can jump in, calibrate your wheel base and pedals, and select a few options for your steering wheel. The GS Steering Wheel does lack a screen, so unlike Fanatec wheels, you can’t make any changes directly through the wheel itself. Instead, all changes need to be done using Pit House.
The UI itself is really clean and easy to use, but jumping into the wheel options. For the GS wheel specifically, you can adjust how certain areas of the wheel work. You can change how the rev lights display, along with the colour and timing of each light.
You can also adjust the dual-clutch and the joysticks. There aren’t many options available to change, but with a steering wheel, that is to be expected. There are much more options available for the wheelbase, but I’ll cover that in my wheelbase review.
Compatibility
As far as I know, this steering wheel is only compatible with MOZA wheel bases. The quick release system cannot be adapted to make the wheel compatible with other brands. That is a shame as I’d love to use this wheel with other wheel bases, or even on consoles. But for now, we just have PC compatibility with other MOZA Racing products.
However, the bigger ramifications are that you are locked into purchasing a MOZA Racing wheel base to use this steering wheel. While I have been racing with the MOZA R9 wheel base, and it is a good wheel base, there isn’t much option here. You only have a few wheel bases to choose from, and none are console compatible.
Of course, you can still use peripherals from other brands, as third-party peripherals such as shifters can connect directly to your PC.
Should you buy the MOZA GS Steering Wheel?
With everything said and done, would I recommend the MOZA GS Steering Wheel? The answer probably isn’t as clear cut as you’d have thought after reading all of that praise.
I love a lot of things about the GS Steering Wheel. However, one of the big downsides is the only way to use it is with a MOZA wheel base, and MOZA Racing are a relatively new brand. They could thrive over the coming years and release a whole ecosystem of sim racing products, or they may not.
I have been testing the R9 wheel base alongside this steering wheel, and it is a solid wheel base. But not everyone will want to buy one over a much more established brand such as Fanatec, Thrustmater, or Simucube. The lack of adapters means you can’t use this steering wheel outside of the MOZA ecosystem, which just isn’t very established yet.
On face value, if you don’t currently own any sim racing products yet and aren’t tied into a specific ecosystem, then by all means yes. The MOZA GS Steering Wheel is worth buying alongside a MOZA wheel base. It looks and functions almost flawlessly and is a brilliant product.
But it’s a brilliant product that is currently constrained to only two or three wheel bases. Hopefully, MOZA will release a third-party compatible quick release, and if they do, it would transform my verdict into a must-buy!
Technical Specifications
Review written by Felix König
