Our Verdict
Pros
- High-quality materials
- Genuine leather & carbon fibre
- Good selection of inputs
- RGB backlit buttons
- Shifters feel good
- Excellent quick release
Cons
- Would prefer individual rev lights
- Plastic rotary encoders
- Similar overall design as the cheaper CS wheel
What is the MOZA Racing RS V2 Steering Wheel?
The RS V2 steering wheel shows how far MOZA has grown over the past year or so. It is the first steering wheel in MOZA’s lineup to receive a V2 upgrade, and the additions to this wheel really showcase the company’s progression.
I’m going to start by saying that this steering wheel isn’t a huge leap away from the original RS wheel. But when you break down the additions that are present and the design and aesthetic tweaks that have been made, it elevates this steering wheel into another category.
Now, ever since I’ve known about MOZA as a company, I have thought that the original RS wheel was slight, well, how do I put this nicely, fugly. The combination of bright-coloured buttons and the large round horn on the front put me off this wheel a bit.
Well, I’m really happy to say I no longer think this about the RS V2. It is a wheel that has really found its big boy pants, and it’s grown up to become pretty elegant.
I’ll touch on the upgrades and the design tweaks in a minute, but first I just want to disclose that this wheel has been sent to me for review by the folks over at MOZA Racing. This in no way impacts the outcome of this review, and if I don’t like a product, I’ll certainly let you know.
Price
Before I go any further, let’s just talk about how much this RS V2 steering wheel costs. With the improvements that have been made, including the step-up in material quality in places, you may think that this wheel would become more expensive.
However, in a few regions, including the United States, Europe and Australia, this wheel is actually cheaper than the original retailed.
- Buy the MOZA RS V2 Wheel (United States) – $469
- Buy the MOZA RS V2 Wheel (United Kingdom) – £499
- Buy the MOZA RS V2 Wheel (Europe) – €449
- Buy the MOZA RS V2 Wheel (Australia) – $689
This price point groups this wheel in with a few other big players in the sim racing world.
You have wheels such as the Fanatec Podium R300 wheel which is extremely similar to this in functionality and price. However, that wheel doesn’t quite look as nice as this wheel, in my opinion.
Then there are wheels such as the Cube Controls GT Sport, which offers a similar product but is a fair chunk more expensive than the RS V2.
This allows this RS V2 wheel rim to be towards the lower end of this group of premium wheel rims in terms of price, and that’s a good position for MOZA.
The Design of the Moza RS V2 Steering Wheel
Moving onto the design of this wheel, I’d like to point out some of the improvements that have been made over the original wheel. I think the combination of improvements has elevated the overall design of this wheel.
Improvements over the previous wheel
To start with, removing the large round horn button was certainly a good choice. While that was a fun little gimmick at the time, I’m sure almost no sim racer used it, and it did look a little odd. In its place is a really nice piece of forged carbon fibre.
MOZA has also done away with the brightly coloured buttons that were on the original wheel. The same RGB backlit buttons from the FSR and GS steering wheels have replaced these.
This improvement makes a huge difference to the wheel. They look a lot classier and more grown up when the wheel is turned off, allowing the whole wheel to embrace an all-black aesthetic.
When you turn the wheel on, the customisable backlit buttons are more beneficial in-game after the little dance that they do. You can assign different colours to each button to allow you to spot specific buttons while racing easily.
I always go green for my go faster buttons such as DRS, ERS or KERS. Then I’ll opt for a red button for actions such as my pit limiter. This makes finding the right button in the heat of a race much easier, especially if I have a complete brain fart and forget my button mapping.
Adding to the more evolved aesthetic, MOZA has also removed the bright yellow stickers that were all over the original wheel.
Changes to the shifters
The shifters have also changed a little, becoming a touch smaller. The shifters on the old wheel were pretty large and looked a bit OTT. These smaller, more refined shifters fit the wheel a bit better.
Another change is with the rotary encoders, which are actually a part of the original wheel that I prefer. The new encoders are one of the only plastic elements on the wheel, and they feel really out of place compared to the other high-end materials used.
Also, the new encoders don’t have any indicator to show you where the dial is pointing. This prevents you from really using these encoders as positional switches, instead relegating them just to be plus and minus selectors.
Improvement to materials used
As I mentioned, the materials used in the construction of this wheel have improved. There is much more forged carbon fibre in play compared to the original wheel, and that’s never a bad thing.
For the first time on a MOZA wheel, the hand grip has been wrapped in genuine leather. I’m not normally someone who smells their sim racing products, but who doesn’t like the smell of genuine leather?
It also feels much squishier and plusher compared to the synthetic leather found on other racing wheels. This is certainly a comfy wheel to race with.
Moza RS V2 Steering Wheel Features
So now I’ve touched on the improvements over the original wheel, I’m going to look at each part of the wheel in more detail for those who aren’t familiar with the original product.
Push Buttons
On the wheel’s face, you get 10 mechanical push buttons. As mentioned, these are all LED backlit and can be fully customized to a range of colours. Each button’s activation is really positive and intentional. They’re firm without being too hard to use.
These are the same buttons found on other MOZA wheels, and I’ve always liked them.
RGB Rev Indicator
The same can’t be said for the multi-coloured rev bar across the top. This rev bar features a series of individual LEDs that can again be customised to any colour you like. They are hidden behind a diffused plastic strip, creating a gradient light effect.
It works well while racing and is bright enough to help you know when to shift. You can also change the timing of each LED to fine-tune when the bar starts to light up.
As I’ve said in most of my other MOZA reviews, I’d much prefer MOZA to remove the diffused plastic strip and show the individual LEDs. But this seems to be a point of difference that MOZA is sticking with, so I will have to get used to it.
Rotary Encoders
There are two rotary encoders that are positioned towards the bottom of the wheel. These are relatively stiff to rotate, allowing for fine adjustments to be made.
These encoders are constructed from plastic, though, and seem to not fit with the other high-quality materials in use.
Knobs
Then toward the top of the wheel, there are two 20-segment knobs. These can be used to look around your car, or as a D-pad in menus. They can also be pushed in, allowing for two additional inputs.
These are nice to have, but could maybe do with a little extra resistance. When pushing them down mid-race, I almost always knock the knob in a direction by accident. Some additional resistance to the rotational movement could help prevent this and allow them to be more usable as push buttons.
Shifters and dual clutch
Around the back are four paddles, all constructed from forged carbon fibre. Two magnetic shifter paddles sit above two analogue dual clutch paddles.
I can’t pick a fault with these. The paddles have a really solid engagement, albeit slightly noisy. But you can easily fix that by following my video on how to fix noisy MOZA shifters.
The dual-clutch paddles are extremely smooth, allowing you to use them as a true dual-clutch for the perfect standing start or as a throttle and brake if you aren’t using pedals.
Quick Release
On the reverse of the wheel is the classic MOZA quick release. This works flawlessly and is one of my favourite quick releases in all of sim racing.
Your wheel can be removed from your wheel base and re-attached in just seconds. And there is zero play in the quick release during use.
The quick release on this RS V2 wheel also features a wired connection, allowing it to work with the smaller and less powerful R5 wheel base.
Moza RS V2 Steering Wheel Performance
In use, this RS V2 wheel holds up really well. Every part of the wheel that you interact with during a race feels premium and mechanically sound, except for the cheaper plastic rotary encoders, which are a little bit of a letdown.
The wheel is 330mm across, which is about spot on for a circular wheel. The perk of the wheel not including a flat bottom is that it is ideal for rallying and drifting.
The shifters are positioned relatively far away from the wheel rim, so younger sim racers or those with smaller hands may struggle to reach them. But there are a couple of shifter extension blocks included in with the wheel, which allows the shifter distance to be reduced.
The positioning of all the buttons is pretty spot on with no button being too far to reach. All of the top buttons can be easily used without removing your hands from the wheel.
The six lower buttons require you to slide your hand down the wheel slightly. You’ll only need to remove your hand from the wheel when activating the front-facing rotary encoders.
One very small thing to note if you plan on doing a lot of drifting is that there is a very small kink on the outside of the wheel rim on both sides. This doesn’t really affect you too much, but you can feel it as the wheel is spinning through your hands.
Things I didn’t like
I have to say, my only real issue when using this wheel, other than the LED rev bar, which I’m not a fan of, is the rotary encoders. Compared to the rest of the wheel, they feel a little cheap, as they’re made from plastic. I much prefer the higher-quality encoders found on the MOZA CS wheel. However, if you’re racing with gloves on, you won’t really notice this.
Compatibility
The RS V2 wheel is compatible. It is fully compatible with all MOZA wheel bases via wireless technology. It also features a wired connection via the quick release, so it can support the budget-friendly R5 wheel base.
Unfortunately, the rear of the wheel doesn’t have a data port like the FSR wheel. This means you won’t be able to use the wheel’s functionality if it is mounted to a different brand’s wheel base.
Also, the MOZA product range still lacks console compatibility, although this could change over time if they release a console-compatible wheel base.
Should you buy the Moza RS V2 Steering Wheel?
So, now that we’ve come to the end of our review, would I recommend buying this wheel? It is undoubtedly a fantastic steering wheel, and it rightly replaces the original RS wheel as one of the top dogs in MOZA’s lineup.
If you ever considered purchasing the original RS wheel, this rim improves on it in almost every way, making it a no-brainer.
The big question really is, does the RS V2 wheel bring enough to the party to be worth upgrading over the CS steering wheel that MOZA already offer?
After all, the CS wheel looks very similar to this, and it’s around half the price. However, with that said, you have to break down the improvements that you’re getting here. You get a dual-clutch system, expanded compatibility, additional inputs, upgraded push buttons and much higher-quality materials.
For me, that’s more than enough to make me want to buy this wheel over the CS wheel.
Technical Specifications
Review written by Felix König
