Our Verdict
Pros
- Great value for money
- Good performance
- Smooth force feedback
- Interchangeable steering wheel
- Upgraded pedals available
Cons
- Slightly old looking design
- Rubber hand grips
- A lot of plastic
- Pedals on the two-pedal set not great
The Thrustmaster T300RS was originally launched back in 2014, making it 10 years old in 2024. That is an incredibly long time for a product to stay relevant, but that’s exactly what the T300RS has done.
Over that time, the T300RS has become one of the most popular PS4 and PS5-compatible sim racing wheels around, and remains one of the best-selling wheels even today! In this Thrustmaster T300RS review, I take a look at this racing wheel and just what makes it so popular. Ultimately, this review should help you decide whether this is the right mid-range racing wheel for you.
What is the Thrustmaster T300RS racing wheel?
The Thrustmaster T300RS is a very capable mid-range racing wheel. Due to its release date being back in 2014, it doesn’t follow the trend of small direct drive racing wheels that many manufacturers have opted for recently. Instead, this racing wheel utilises belt-driven technology for its force feedback.
It is one of the first racing wheels to use Thrustmaster’s H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology) system. This essentially utilises contactless hall sensors in place of traditional potentiometers allowing for better durability and up to 16-bit resolution.
Externally, this racing wheel has a very simplified design with minimal inputs on the steering wheel. This racing wheel really is designed to operate in the sweet spot of both performance and cost.
How much does the Thrustmaster T300RS cost?
The T300RS has an RRP of just £329.99 or $399.99. You can opt for the GT Edition which increases this price but does improve the pedals that you get included substantially.
- Thrustmaster T300RS – £329.99/€149.99/$399.99 – Buy Thrustmaster T300RS
- Thrustmaster T300RS GT Edition – £379.99/$449.99 – Buy Thrustmaster T300RS GT Edition
Thrustmaster T300RS vs T300RS GT Edition
You can buy the T300RS racing wheel in two forms, the base version, or the GT Edition. There are two main differences or three if you include the increased price.
The first difference is incredibly minor and that is a Gran Turismo logo on the steering wheel itself. On the base T300RS, there is a PlayStation logo in its place. The other difference is more significant and that is that you get a better pedal set.
With the T300RS, you get a full three-pedal set which includes an upgraded brake pedal. If you can afford the small price increase, I’d highly recommend opting for the GT Edition as the upgraded pedal set is a fairly significant change.
The design and aesthetics
The overall aesthetic of the T300RS is incredibly understated. It features an all-black design with simple elements throughout. This is a mid-range racing wheel that is priced on the lower end, so it’s no surprise to see an ample amount of plastic in its construction.
Build quality
The good news though is that there are some nice materials in use throughout mixed in to break up the plastic. The steering wheel utilises perforated rubber on the hand grips and a metal chassis.
The hand grips certainly aren’t as nice as the real leather you get on some Thrustmaster racing wheels. But the rubber does have a nice texture to it and should wear well over time. You can also swap the steering wheel out if you don’t like the included wheel.
Using Thrustmaster’s built-in quick release, you can attach other Thrustmaster wheels. This process isn’t as smooth as it could be, with the plastic quick release really trailing behind higher-quality solutions from other brands. But I’ll take this clunkier approach over a racing wheel that doesn’t include an interchangeable wheel like the newer T248 or T128 wheels.
Pedal design and quality
The pedal design is incredibly simple, following suit from the simplified design found on the steering wheel. The base of the pedals are constructed from plastic and so are the pedal arms. The only metal parts of these sim racing pedals are the faceplates which can be adjusted.
Both the two-pedal and three-pedal sets in the base T300RS and the GT Edition look incredibly similar. In fact, the two-pedal set probably looks a bit nicer as the design is a little more interesting whereas the three-pedal set is incredibly boxy.
These sim racing pedals certainly won’t win any awards on the design front due to their simplicity. I would say that the Logitech G29 or G923 pedals are better designed and better quality thanks to more metallic parts.
How well does it perform?
Its no secret that this racing wheel utilises internal belts to translate the force feedback from the motor to your steering wheel. This is increasingly looked upon as older technology as many sim racing wheels released recently use direct drive technology.
And this does mean that the T300RS cannot compete with the fidelity and power that you get from a direct drive racing wheel. however, it also doesn’t come with a high price tag like many of those wheels do.
The H.E.A.R.T technology powering this racing wheel does an incredibly good job at producing force feedback that is both smooth and conveys in-game forces with more than enough punch. The peak forces generated top out around 3.9Nm which is pretty respectable, especially at this price point.
In comparison, racing wheels that don’t cost too much different such as the Logitech G923 produce only 2.3Nm of peak torque. There are a few downsides to a belt-driven racing wheel. The first and primary one is that you don’t get as much detail or fidelity in the force feedback. The internal belts often smooth out details making smaller details harder to decipher.
Another negative is that they can run quite warm. All of the moving internal parts require an internal fan to remove some of the heat build-up. And this in turn makes the T300RS a little noisy. The noise isn’t too bad, and if you’re racing with headphones on you almost certainly won’t notice it.
Despite these cons, the performance of the T300RS is still very good. You can feel how your car is behaving in game, you’ll feel bumps and weight balance changes as you race. And that is what you want from a racing wheel.
How do the included pedals perform?
You get two options with the included pedals. If you opt for the base T300RS, you’ll get a two-pedal set which is rather underwhelming. The weakness of many budget or lower cost racing wheels is often the pedals, and this set is no exception.
The pedals themselves in the two-pedal set are constructed mainly from plastic but do feature metal face plates. For a little bit more money, you can upgrade to the GT Edition of the T300RS which introduces a different pedal set.
The upgraded pedals feature three pedals rather than two, giving you an additional clutch pedal. You also get an additional brake mod included which is a piece of rubber mounted to a metal arm. This reduces the pedal travel and stiffens the brake substantially.
I would definitely recommend upgrading to the T300RS GT Edition if possible as the improvement to the pedals is well worth the extra initial outlay. The overall pressure, even with the brake mod installed isn’t incredibly high, and they’re definitely on the lower end in terms of the amount of pressure you need to apply.
Overall, I can’t really recommend the two-pedal set, but the improved T3PA-GT pedals in the GT Edition are certainly better.
Thrustmaster T300RS compatibility
I mentioned it right at the beginning of this review, but the Thrustmaster T300RS is only compatible with PlayStation consoles and PCs. It won’t work on any Xbox console. If you’re looking for a T300RS equivalent for Xbox, the Thrustmaster TX should be your go-to wheel.
This racing wheel does work on both PS4 and PS5 consoles, however. This is great for those with both consoles or who are looking at upgrading at some point in the future. It is also fully compatible with a PC, meaning you can play iRacing with this wheel with no problem.
You can also swap the steering wheel for any other compatible Thrustmaster wheel using the interchangeable quick release. This is great if you want to buy both a formula-style and a more traditional steering wheel. Changing your wheel rim can increase immersion.
You can also mix and match various Thrustmaster peripherals including pedals and shifters. You can connect a gear shifter directly into the rear of the T300RS allowing you to use a shifter on console and PC. And Thrustmaster has a range of different shifters to choose from.
Conclusion – Should you buy a Thrustmaster T300RS?
The T300RS has done a fantastic job of remaining current amongst the plethora of small direct drive racing wheels that have been launched throughout the past few years. This is an old racing wheel that does a very good job of performing well above its price.
It makes for a fantastic upgrade from a cheaper racing wheel like the Logitech G29 or Thrustmaster T128. Despite its age, its performance is very respectable and it bridges the gap between budget racing wheels and direct drive wheels perfectly at a very good price point.
Technical Specifications
Review written by Felix König
