A sim racing wheel is a control device for use in racing games, racing simulators, and driving simulators. They are usually packaged with a large paddle styled as a steering wheel, along with a set of pedals for the accelerator, brake, and clutch, as well as transmission controls. An analog wheel and pedal set such as this allows the user to accurately manipulate steering angle and pedal control that is required to properly manage a simulated car, as opposed to digital control such as a keyboard. The relatively large range of motion further allows the user to more accurately apply the controls. Racing wheels have been developed for use with arcade games, game consoles, personal computers, and also for professional driving simulators for race drivers.
One of the earliest racing wheels for the PC mass market was the Thrustmaster Formula T1, released in 1994.[1][2] It had no force feedback, only some form of spring-based centering resistance proportional to the steering angle.[3] Two of the earliest FFB wheels for the consumer PC market were the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Wheel,[4] released in 1997, and the Logitech Wingman Formula Force.
Force feedback
Force feedback sim wheels have motors to simulate steering kickback. Racing wheels started off as simple plastic wheels hooked up to a rotary potentiometer, which were sprung by springs or bungees. These spring-based wheels had a reactive torque that increased proportionally only to the steering angle, without regard for the simulated vehicle dynamics.[5]
Eventually manufacturers began to use electric motors in the controllers, in place of springs, in order to achieve a level of force feedback (sometimes abbreviated FFB), first seen in Microsoft's Sidewinder wheel. At first this technology simply provided the centering force and other artificial effects such as shaking the wheel in a crash or other vibrations. However, as driving simulations have evolved, their physics engines have become more elaborate,[citation needed] allowing also for linking the force feedback close to the simulated vehicle dynamics of the in-game physics.[5] This allows the user to truly feel what forces go through the steering rack, instead of just artificial effects, and genuinely enhance the realism of the game.[citation needed] A fundamental factor for an adequate subjective steering-feel and perception of drivability from a force feedback wheel, is the transfer function from steering torque to steering angle.[6][7]
In 2015, a preliminary comparison of gear-driven and direct-drive wheels in the 0–30 Hz frequency range, for a study on hard real-time multibody simulation and high-fidelity steering wheel force feedback, concluded that direct-drive wheels are preferable.[8]
Buttons
Sim racing wheels, like real-world racing steering wheels, can have many buttons. Some examples are cruise control or pit-lane limiter for the pit lane, button for flashing lights, windscreen wipers, radio communication with the team, adjustments to the racing setup (such as brake balance, brake migration, differential braking (entry, mid+, exit, hi-speed; to make use of torque effectively at different points in a corner[9]), traction control (amplitude and sensitivity), anti-roll bar adjustment (front and rear), engine program (strat mode/ engine mode to get extra power or conserve fuel and engine life), engine braking (the engine's throttle or absence of throttle when there is no input from the gas pedal, i.e. whether the engine contributes to the car slowing down or is keeping its speed), etc.), seeing sideways or in the mirror, or to browse various menus (for example using a 7-way «funky switch»).
Comparison of racing wheels
Subsections by motor type: no FFB, gear- or belt-driven, and direct-drive wheels.
Other features by which pedals can be compared are whether they can be inverted (hanging pedals), build material (plastic, aluminum), adjustability (position, pressure, travel), measured pressure, travel length, sensor resolution.[55]
^Julien Jay SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel review
^ ab Dell’Amico, M., Marzani, S., Minin, L., Montanari, R., Tesauri, F., Mariani, & Tango, F. (2007) Design of an adaptive feedback based steering wheel, p.181, in Marvin J. Dainoff (Ed., 2007) International Conference on Ergonomics and Health Aspects of Work with Computers (pp. 180–188). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
^Chen, W., Chugh, T., Klomp, M., Ran, S., & Lidberg, M. (2017) Design and control of the steering torque feedback in a vehicle driving simulator, in Maksym Spiryagin, Timothy Gordon, Colin Cole, Tim McSweeney (Eds., 2021) The Dynamics of Vehicles on Roads and Tracks, ch.7 (pp. 213–219). CRC Press, p.215
^Harrer, M., Pfeffer, P., & Braess, H. H. (2017). Steering-feel, interaction between driver and car. In Steering Handbook (pp. 149–168). Springer, Cham.
^Pastorino, R., Desloovere, M., Vanneste, F., Degezelle, P., Desmet, W., & Optidrive, N. V. (2015) Development, implementation and validation of a hard real-time multibody simulation for high-fidelity steering wheel force feedback, in Proceedings of the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics, Barcelona, Spain (Vol. 10).
^What all the controls do on a modern day F1 steering wheel
^The Red Chip Review, Issues 2–6, Crown Point Publishing, 1997, p.40
^Logitech Wingman Formula Force Installation Guide, Copyright 1998
^ abAndrew Evans Logitech G Teases New Racing Wheel, Reveal Due August 5, gtplanet.net, August 4, 2020
^ abLogitech Momo Racing Force-Feedback Wheel, Joel Santo Domingo, pcmag.com, Mar 17, 2005
^BEN KUCHERA Logitech G25 Racing Wheel review, arstechnica, 10/25/2006
^ ab "Logitech G27 a Step Up From the G25?". Tekcore Magazine. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
^ abcPorsche Carrera Wheel Review & Clubsport Pedal Preview, Inside Sim Racing, Feb 14, 2009
^ abAndrew Williams Thrustmaster T300 GTE Review, November 3, 2014
^ abCatz Pro Racing Force Feedback Wheel Review, Inside Sim Racing, Aug 10, 2014
^ abcLogitech G923 Review: Mainstream Mainstay, August 22, 2020 (updated Aug 24, 2020), Andrew Evans, gtplanet.net
^ abSim / By FLOW RACERS Thrustmaster T300RS GT Review
^Smoljic, Hrvoje THRUSTMASTER T150 PRO RACING WHEEL REVIEW: ENTRY LEVEL EXCELLENCE, keengamer.com, 2020-04-18
^t150-pro-forcefeedback at thrustmaster.com (retrieved October 2021)
^"Thrustmaster T248 Wheel Kit Review, Sim Racing Garage". YouTube. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
^ ab"Thrustmaster T3PM". Retrieved 23 January 2023.
^"T128: The Force Feedback racing wheel to get started in racing simulation". Thrustmaster website. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
^"Thrustmaster T128 Wheel Kit Review, Sim Racing Garage". YouTube. Retrieved 23 January 2023.