Thrustmaster - T248R Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals w/3.1 Nm Hybrid Drive Force Feedback for PS5, PS4, Windows - Black

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  First Wheel, Love it!

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  I've always loved racing games, so adding a wheel seemed like a no brainer. Setup was straight forward. There are 3 different cords you need to deal with: Power, pedals-to-wheel and wheel-to-console. The annoying part of the cables is keeping them out of the way. I may need to take some time to do some cable management. The wheel is easy to move around when you aren't using it, though again the cables can get in the way. I do find that the pedals slice on hardwood, so I have to keep them against the way, otherwise they slide around and it's really annoying. I have it in a good place now, but that's something to keep in mind that you need a good non-slip surface for the pedals. The design is great. I like the carbon look and the red accents. The ergonomics are good. I have it attached to my desk and the height works well. It feels like it had high build quality. The paddle shifters feel solid and like they will task. I like the controller on the wheel, but I prefer the PS5 controller if I'm going to be using the controller for a while. I haven't found a way to look around using the wheel, so that's a minus, but maybe I just haven't figured it out yet. I don't really use the display on the wheel, but if I turned off the speed, etc on the screen to make it more realistic, I'd use that display. I ended up turning the feedback down because it was on 100% in Motorfest and it was way to high and didn't feel realistic. I've used the wheel on the Crew Motorfest and Forza. The wheel performs well in both games. I like the customization options better in Motorfest, but that might just be because I'm more familiar with Motorfest since I play it more often. I'm not 100% confident with my skills yet, so if I'm doing a race, I'll still use the controller, but if I'm just driving around, I'll use the wheel. FYI, I don't think you can use the clutch pedal unless you get a separate stick shift add-on Conclusion This wheel/pedal makes the game more fun for sure. I would definitely recommend it.

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  Birby Posted 3 months ago

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  A great racing setup for beginners & experts alike

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  Thrustmaster’s most recent innovation, the Thrustmaster T248R, is a virtuous choice for traditionalist simulator drivers and beginners commencing their journey in the world of simulator racing. Thrustmaster yet again provides a strong minimalist design that is ergonomic yet multifunctional. Coming in at a diameter of 11 inches, with a height of 11 inches, the racing wheel doesn’t occupy a lot of space and provides a compact driving experience. Weighing in at about 12.6 pounds, the product is super light and portable. Built with synthetic perforated faux leather, and high quality plastic, the wheel provides a very pleasant tactile feel that helps enhance the racing experience. The carbon imitated finish makes the wheel feel similar in terms of looks to authentic GT3 car wheels. On top of this, the shifter paddles on the back of the wheel are constructed with plastic married with magnetic precision technology that helps provide accurate and responsive shifts, minimizing the overall input delay. Overall, the strong build materials that have been used make the wheel durable for continuous long term usage. As for the technical aspects, the versatile Multi Functional Display on the wheel is a huge aid to access crucial information such as engine RPM (helps shift gears), caution flags, and the pit limiter. Moreover, the MODE button helps shift between the gaming mediums, which include Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and PC. The design is symmetrical providing enough buttons and button maps to make the racing experience authentic and customizable without going overboard. The organization of the buttons is a huge positive for the wheel, as every button is within a finger’s reach, reducing distractions when engaged in wheel to wheel battle. The Thrustmaster 248R is an A-grade performer in any sort of racing game. After extensive testing and analysis in the F1 23 game, the Thrustmaster 248R continues to impress. The wheel provides a very strong force feedback increasing the notch of difficulty for avid sim racers. The setup works perfectly in long distance running, without any sort of degradation in input response. Additionally, the wheel doesn’t lose its force feedback after long distance running, nor does it heat up unnecessarily. While still a luminary choice for hardcore simulator drivers, the wheel is also great for beginners due to the user-friendly setup, and due to its complete bundle (wheels and pedals). The quality of pedals is the best part of the whole package. Possessing a built in brake mod, the process of applying the brakes is a lot more immersive and requires a considerable amount of force. While this may aid in quick turns, heavy braking zones do prove to be a challenge, especially if you are a beginner. On the other hand, the spring base resistance provided by the brake pedal makes the exercise of trail braking a lot easier. Additionally, the 3 way pedal system consisting of the accelerator, clutch, and brake makes the whole package compatible with a grand variety of games including Assetto Corsa, iRacing, Gran Turismo, and the F1 games. Additionally, there is a larger angle of input for the accelerator to overcome in order to be considered “flat”. Hence, the process of lifting and coasting itself provides enough reduction in speed to attack high speed corners. All in all, the Thrustmaster 248R is an excellent pick as it works as a great wheel for beginners and experienced drivers alike.

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  Kalai Posted 3 months ago

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Makes racing more real and more fun

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  I do a bit of racing for fun in real life, mostly HPD events at the local race track, but that’s not open year-around due to weather conditions like snow :-) So I have to continue to have some less expensive racing fun indoors during the winter months. To that end, about a week ago I received the Thrustmaster - T248R Racing Wheel and Magnetic Pedals Playstation Edition that also works with Windows PCs. It is a pretty good looking, sporty wheel, on the smaller side at 11”, but comfortable, well built with good quality surfaces. The setup is very simple. The pedals come with a pre-attached cable that needs to be plugged in to the bottom/back of the starring wheel via a proprietary RJ-11/phone like cable that has the plastic locking tab offset to one side, so not to be confused with a phone cable. There is an external power brick with a banana plug that also needs to be plugged into the back of the wheel. Last but not least, there is the signal USB-A to USB-C cable that connects to your PC or PlayStation 4 or 5. There is decent cable routing under the wheel and a built-in velcro strap to help secure all 3 cables to the underside of the wheel. There is an extra connector that looks like the older PS/2 style connector, probably to be used with an add-on manual stick-shift (not included with the setup I got). The wheel has the standard PlayStation controller-like buttons and directional arrows, in addition to quite a few other buttons that can be customized depending on what game you’re playing. The paddle shifters are magnetic, so they’ll work reliably and quickly every time, though I wish they were a bit larger. There is a small LCD display built-in at top center of the wheel which can show things like speed, rpm, lap number, etc and 4 LEDs around the LCD display that can also provide additional information, depending on what game you’re playing. All buttons are easily within the reach of your fingers on both sides, and tons of customizations are available. The force feedback is pretty smooth and not excessively loud or violent since it is one step up from most basic setups. It is a hybrid design that utilizes both gears and a belt system. I mostly play the Microsoft Forza Motorsport and Horizon series on my PC and the legendary Gran Turismo series on my PS5, both work well with this wheel. The pedals are a bit too “vertical” for my taste, and the brake pedal is very hard to press, but it comes with an interchangeable spring and 4 levels of resistance. In my opinion, some of the things that Thrustmaster could improve in future releases of this wheel are: longer cable from pedals to wheel, to allow for better cable routing out of the way. Larger paddle shifters, it would be nice if they were aluminum instead of plastic. More detailed documentation on all the extra buttons and what they do. My biggest complaint is the pedals base is not grippy enough on smooth surfaces and lacks spikey feet option for carpeted floors, so you either have to mount the pedals on the rails of a racing chair setup or prop them against a wall with some 2x4’s like I had to do for the time being. Other than that, this is a well built, well performing Racing Wheel much better than an entry-level, and reasonably priced, especially if you get it when it’s on-sale, so pick one up - it will make a huge difference in your sim-driving experience.

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  SUHD Posted 3 months ago