Customer Ratings & Reviews

Missing a 50 dollar spring evwrything 9ve bought used is missing parts cant returm for same price bc by the time i got it sale was over so keep it or rwturn it and dont have a wheel..

The Thrustmaster T248 is an excellent entry for those looking for a fully immersive gaming experience to make driving games more enjoyable. I definitely recommend it if it is your first wheel purchase with all the features you get and Thrustmasters's proprietary magnetic tech that should in theory make this set last a lifetime. The Force Feedback system makes this a joy to play with and it is tunable in 3 levels (FFB1, FFB2, FFB3). With the steering wheel and pedals, you get a full simulation experience with all controller buttons laid out on the wheel. It easily mounts using a clamp system on most desks and if you have a lip on the desk it is optimal. I does not include a shifter as it is an mid-tier set that offers EXCELLENT features overall. Let's get setup now. After I plugged everything in using the instructions, On my PC, I visited the Thrustmaster support site and found a firmware update, drivers, along with tons of manuals and information you'll find helpful. After installing, go to your apps and find the Thrustmaster folder where the control panel, firmware updater and webupdater are. Here is where you can make customizations and ensure you have installed things properly and update to the newest firmware. I did the firmware update from 1.55 - > 2.00. I rebooted, then took advantage of the glorious cable management system built right in! It automatically calibrates itself when powering on for center. The Wheel It has a great build for the price, made of mostly plastic, it feels hefty and strong enough to last for years. The execution of the steering wheel "leather wrap" leaves much to be desired. It is a rough transition that detracts from the overall experience of driving barehanded. I get the feel of maybe an Asian two-door roadster street steering wheel. You get a little BMW feel with the display built-in to the steering wheel offering 20+ display options. In game, the display can show your gear, speed, position, etc. depending on how you have configured. You will also feel a "grind" when turning the wheel. It doesn't feel smooth like more expensive ones but that is part of the mechanism used to make this affordable. Sacrifices and compromises must be made to get to this price point. This does NOT mean this is a bad wheel AT ALL. I nitpick and want to share as much as possible so you can definitely feel the belt drive. The Controls There are a total of 25 configurable/remappable action buttons and magnetitic pedals and paddles for faster response times. The paddle shifters are THE BEST part of this wheel with it's realistic and tactile feel BUT it is also the biggest problem! The paddle shifters are EXTREMELY LOUD, you will NOT be playing this at night in MANUAL mode with many happy people around you at night. The experience overall is excellent but the noise could REALLY be a dealbreaker. The buttons feel high quality and tactile all the way around. The Pedals The pedals slid a lot when braking for me. I press on the harder side so if you have a lighter foot, maybe you will be fine. My recommendation is to use a box or something to stop it from sliding forward. I love the fact the brake pedal is customizable. It has 4 levels of pressure PLUS two springs to change to your liking. The whole magnetic system Thrustmaster has here is the beginning of something nice! The Experience The T248 employs a hybrid system that generates a lot of power and feedback. The hybrid drive system is a cross of a belt and a pulley system to alleviate the slightly cheaper feel when turning the wheel. There is friction resulting in a decent level of resistance and torque, but it definitely makes it feel a bit like a cheaper entry level pepper grinder LOL. FFB3 is my preferred setting for the most detail and feedback while playing. Bumps in the road are felt until you make a turn. It has to make a choice to lose the bumps in the road in favor of the resistance/feedback and stiffness on the wheel itself. You get more force but lose detail in the feedback when turning. The Verdict In all this is a very nice entry level set up for anyone looking to get into the simulation space. If you're ever tired of playing racing games with a controller and want another experience, this may be for you. I think it is a little on the higher side with regards to price but if you wait a little bit I'm pretty sure you'll catch it on a deal. We all understand how the game works and Thrustmaster has a history of dropping the price after launching really high. Be on the lookout this is definitely a nice

I had only used it once and it stopped working all together it never worked for me to even play it once so I returned it

I used this wheel maybe 10x and in the middle of the race i lost all force feedback and now have a terrible notchy click for every degree you turn the wheel. It wont even calibrate itself when first plugged in rendering the wheel COMPLETELY unusable. Very very disappointing. DO NOT BUY. Worst $300 i ever spent.

Spend the extra money and get a direct drive wheel. This wheel is less than 6 months old and has broken already wheel just freely spins

The t248 is provides an insanely good driving experience, with incredibly lifelike haptics that make it feel like you're actually driving a car. Overall, this is a great racing wheel, though it does have a couple of downsides. Setup was not quite as straight forward as I was expecting on the PC. Surprisingly, plugging it in did not prompt any automatic installs on Windows 10 like every peripheral I've tried in recent years. After a trip to their site, all the necessary drivers were installed and I was off to the races. The main downsides to this wheel were very immediately apparent. First, the mounting mechanism is woefully low tech. It's secure after some adjustment, which is the most important thing, but it just feels slightly out of place with the rest of the package. The other issues I have are with the pedals. The brake pedal is inexplicably significantly stiffer than the clutch or gas pedals. While it seems configurable, I can't understand why they made this decision. Additionally, I had issues with this sliding on my carpet. A more legit setup would probably help, but I frankly don't have the space to dedicate to a cock pit setup. Finally, I found that the wheel didn't work with some older games (DiRT3 and Grid were two I already owned that didn't pick up the wheel for whatever reason). I didn't expect any of the advanced haptics to work with these games but I was surprised I couldn't get the wheel to work at all. After during firing up WRC10, it was immediately apparent why these are so desirable, even given their price point. While I admittedly have not used a racing wheel for a decade or more, the T248 feels unlike any racing experience I've had. The force feedback is amazingly realistic and adds a new depth to racing games. The adjustability is great, and in games that support it, the display at the top adds an additional level of immersion. Overall, if you're in the market for a high quality racing wheel, the T248 has to be on your short list. While it's not perfect, it adds an incredible depth to racing games that's seldom experienced outside VR gaming.

Everything works, but the pedals the pedals are not working

Stopped working after a month. No longer calibrates when you plug it in, just twitches. So many people have the same issue with this wheel. Do not buy thrustmaster

On the third week I owned it, The wheel was plugged into the Xbox, no one was using it and it started smoking. I went to return it and bestbuy stated there’s only a two week return policy. Don’t buy it! Not with the risk!

DO NOT BUY!!! Motor overheats and fries after less than 10 hours of use rip off.

This came in a completely destroyed box, with all the pieces loose and jangling around. It stopped working after a week of use. BestBuy giving me hard time with replacement as its just barely out of 15 day window. 350 dollar mistake.

Thrustmaster T248 Racing wheel makes racing and driving games feel real. The wheel and pedals are hefty, not flimsy or light. The size makes them feel real and the wheel fits the hands just right. They automatically calibrate when connected and the calibration has been spot on for me. There is an additional spring for the pedals if the installed springs are not to your liking. I have only used the one installed and it works and feels great. The wheel and pedals are very receptive to my input. It's a very nice set and built very well. It adds authenticity to driving games and lets you really immerse yourself in the excitement of racing. I did have some trouble getting the games to recognize the setup. The PC had no problem recognizing it. This is my first wheel/pedal set for PC so for those more advanced it may seem obvious when this happens, but I had to troubleshoot for awhile before finding my problem. The instructions tell you to update the drivers and firmware and give the website to go to for the downloads. I could not get the files to download at first. I, of course, thought it was the popup blocker and disabled it, but that did not work. After several trial and error attempts, I found that I had to completely disable my malware protection on the site to get the files. Just thought I'd put it here for anyone who might be having trouble getting the files for the same reason. Once I got the files installed it was recognized with no problem and the software that comes with it popped up. There is plenty of button customization options, and the display on the steering wheel is easy to read. I do have one con to share. It did some damage to my table. The wheel attaches to a desk or table top by clamping it. The underside has some thin padding, but where the wheel base sets on the top is hard plastic. In order to steady the wheel as much as possible, I needed to really tighten the clamp and still there was some give to it, but it didn't affect the game play. It did, however, cause damage to my table. There are 2 good sized dents and scrape marks where the wheel base was. I will be setting it up at the desk in the future with some thin padding placed between the base and desktop.

these are a great addition to my setup work as expected love the screen on wheel

Good starter wheel especially on sale this wheel is the best bang for your buck

This is my first wheel and I’ve got to say: it gives driving games a lot more depth and tactility. For the scope of this review, I used the wheel on a PC playing Formula 1 2021. To begin with the quality, it was all really nice, especially the metal pedals. I also liked the leather-like material that they used on the outside of the wheel, but I wish they used the same material on the inside of it instead of plastic. The plastic on the inside rim of the wheel definitely made it feel cheaper. The buttons on the wheel are pretty average, and serve their purpose. I think the center section of the wheel is pretty good looking but it should be noted that it is all plastic. As for my experience with it, I think it is very good especially for a first wheel. Setting it up was all relatively easy, after plugging it in and downloading the software from thrustmaster’s support website. However, I also would say that if you intend to use this in a temporary position such as on a desk, it may be a little finicky to set up and take apart with the three wires but it is manageable. The pedals are very nice, and I like how the brake pedal has an interchangeable spring. On the other hand, the pedals are prone to moving when pressing the brake, even on a hard surface. They also don’t have any sort of grippers if you intend to use these on a carpet. As for the wheel itself, I think this had a good amount of force feedback, although it is hard to describe it in words. The force gives a lot more feeling of the car such as when I’m understeering or going too fast into a corner, which was really cool. I liked that it was easy to play around with the modes using the buttons on the wheel. I really liked the convenience being able to control the Force Feedback and the degrees of rotation right on the wheel. On the contrary, I did find myself accidentally going into the modes setting when trying to press the “view” button, but I think this is not a big problem. The display is also a nice feature and it helps a lot when playing around with the settings. On the flip side, the paddle shifters, while they feel nice, are obnoxiously loud. There is a very loud sound of the shifters hitting the plastic on the return and I could even hear them through my headphones. The paddle shifters and the plastic on the inner side of the wheel are my only complaints with the product, everything else was awesome to play with. Overall, I thought that this was a really great product and it really did make driving a lot more fun for me. It is in an awkward price range, but I would recommend this wheel if you really enjoy racing and can afford it.

This is a really well-built racing wheel, which is expected from a name like Thrustmaster. But I was even still surprised by the build quality. Everything feels and looks premium about this set. The instructions are generally clear, and they give you what you need to get setup and working, and configuring the wheel. I recommend connecting it to a PC and installing the software first so it can get the latest firmware update. This seems to add some options that aren't mentioned even in the manual, such as the strength of the wheel feedback. But you can also still adjust the strength curve that enhances the feedback inputs from the game. Anytime I move to a racing wheel from a controller, it takes some adjustment, and this is no exception. The wheel worked no problem in Forza Horizon 5, but still took some getting used to. As with any racing wheel, your setup is just as important as the wheel. But fortunately Thrustmaster includes mount points on the wheel and pedals that allow you to attach it to a "cockpit" for a more secure, and ideally adjustable setup. For me, the pedals actually felt great, but almost too realistic. I felt all the pedals were too stiff for barefoot, and also caused the whole pedal set to move and rock when trying to race, which made using it very difficult. I've used other pedals that include spikes on the bottom to secure it to carpeted surfaces, which this doesn't have, so it just slid away from my feet. The brake pedal does allow you to adjust it by mixing and matching springs and a spacer to increase/decrease the spring resistance. But I don't think you'll be able to increase the spring resistance without securing the pedals to a surface, otherwise they'll just flip or slide away from you when trying to brake. The wheel does support using the pedals mounted backwards, so they are oriented more like a real car, and I really think these would work great in that position. The pedals also support slightly adjusting the angle and positioning of the plates to suit your preference, which is a nice touch. Some games support extra things on the wheel LCD like position, speed, or RPMs, but the game list is somewhat limited. Some things don't make sense either, like it works With Horizon 5 on Xbox, but not on PC. Even if I switch the wheel to Xbox mode. Also, playing Horizon on PC, the buttons in game were displayed as generic "1", "2", "3" etc... instead of RB or "A", "B" etc.... making controlling the game a bit more difficult on PC if you don't know the controls by heart or the button mapping. This is frustrating given an Xbox controller shows as an Xbox controller on most games on PC, but this wheel won't, even in Xbox mode. At the end of the day, this adds more realism and arcade experience to your racing games, and adds more excitement to the games. The build quality and configurability of this controller is really awesome. But, you'll probably want to consider how you will secure the wheel and pedals in a way thats comfortable, usable, and keeps everything in place.

This is my first foray into gaming wheels, and I am blown away. I have had the “controller wheels” on Wii, PS2/3, etc. and have always thought it was a fun, but forgettable, gimmick. But once I setup the T248 for optimal usage, it completely transformed the way I play racers. First impressions. Upon unboxing, I was impressed with the look and feel of both the wheel and the pedals. Sturdy with a solid amount of weight. I have seen other higher end wheels, and I feel this wheel’s aesthetics strikes a great balance between pro level wheels and beginner models I have seen. The instructions are fairly sparse and being a beginner, I struggled to understand the clamping system, but after viewing a few vids online, I was set to race in no time. Locked and in place, all felt sturdy. The pedals have a good weight to them and grippers, but on some of the more intense races, I found that the platform was susceptible to slight shifting, even on hardwood. The game I put the most miles on was Forza 5 on PC. The game instantly recognized the wheel configuration so no additional setup was necessary. The first notable point of immersion was the force feedback. The raring engine, the gravel road, sharp turns, you get all of it with varying intensity. I kept it on the default feedback level and that was plenty enough to pull me into the action. Next was the handling. Superb. Slight wheel adjustments translated straight to crenn with no latency. I did/still had/have a few spinout moments where the wheel lost control for a bit, but as a newbie, I can’t tell if that’s the wheel, or that I suck at it. Probably the latter. The pedal pressure is perfect for me, so I didn’t need to adjust. It’s great they give the option, though. The lcd is a nice touch, but I found it to be more aesthetic than useful as most pertinent information it provides is on the HUD in game. It does come in handy for cycling through modes and settings. As for settings, there is quite the learning curve for a newbie such as myself. I tried connecting the wheel to Assetto Corsa and got lost in all the configuration options. Looking forward to learning it all. For me, this is a fun, well-put-together peripheral that adds a great new element to racing games. It’s about as close as I’ll get to driving at high speeds. :-) Once again, not a pro, but I’d absolutely recommend it.

This thing is amazing. It makes driving games so much more fun and engaging. It comes in a solid box that you can use to store the devices when not in use if you don't tear them up upon opening. It comes with everything you need in the box (except a gear shifter if you are into that). Setup was pretty straightforward. It comes with some setup instructions in the box. Follow them and you'll be fine. It had me walk through downloading software/drivers, and then a firmware update. Both processes were simple and worked smoothly. The USB connection made it easy to connect to my gaming PC. My main driving game recognized it immediately. I did notice that, in game, it shows button numbers vs the symbols that are on the hardware. I can't definitively say if it's like that with all games or just mine. It really wasn't an issue for me, because I have all of the buttons memorized from using a controller anyway. It took me a few hours to get used to where everything is on the wheel, but it's an easy curve. The settings are super cool and very customizable. It can be set for a full 900 degree rotation like a standard street car or it can be cut down to fewer degrees like a high performance racing vehicle. You can find settings online for specific games that will make things easy for beginners, or super realistic if you are into simulation driving. Between the hardware and game sensitivity settings, you can really make is feel however you like. It's really fun to play with. The little LCD screen on the wheel makes it easy to see what settings you are changing, and it's cool in game since it can show your gear, speed, etc depending on how you have it set up. The paddle shifters have a nice tactile feel to them. The forced feedback is awesome. You can set it at different levels to suit your tastes. Having the wheel pull back on you and vibrate when you hit things or run off road really helps with immersion. The pedals have decent grip to the floor. In my case, I have hardwood floors, so I decided to put a book between the pedals and the wall just to reinforce it since I tend to stomp on pedals. I used it for a couple of days without the book, and it's playable, but I found that not having to worry about it moving on my slick floors was a better setup for me. I don't think you'd need anything if it were on carpet. There are a couple of springs that you can swap out to control pedal stiffness. It feels like a real break peddle. Be advised, that the steering wheel needs to clamp onto the front lip of a desk. I ran into a problem out of the box because my desk didn't have a lip. I was able to remove the center drawer and get it to clamp, but I can't use it with my desk if the drawer is in place. You need at least 3-4 inches of lip if you want a solid clamp. It is quite solid when clamped, but unusable when not. You need a lip or a work around. You can't just let it sit on the desk. So there you go. I love this thing. It makes gameplay super fun and immersive. It's easy to set up and the customization options are extensive. The in game syncing and responsiveness are very good. When you turn the wheel, the car responds and the on screen driver graphics stay in sync really well. If you are into driving games, I think you will love this little gem.

I got this to replace an almost 2 years old "other brand" controller. I mainly use it to play the Euro Truck Simulator game. I really love the true feeling of driving. Steering has true feeling and very accurate. The controllers available are useful I only wish it had a shifter lever instead of shifter pedals for manual transmission simulation. The build material is high. Very solid and long lasting. Steering is not as noisy as the old one but the shifter pedals are. The floor pedals are ok but they need some special rubber pads to limit their slip. Installation was very easy. The kit is nicely designed to have all the cables connected in the right way. I just wish they were a bit longer... By default the pedals are very stiff. I had to adjust that. The kit is complete with all what you need. Over all, very good racing wheel and pedals with a lot of improvements and better price indeed. I'd recommend it to any one looking for close to real driving experience in a racing game or simulator.

This is my first wheel but it won't be my last. The experience is far superior than using a keyboard or joystick. In fact, once you use a wheel - you will most likely find it difficult to use anything else. I say this even though I was unable to test the force feedback which is the flagship feature of this wheel. I was only allowed the basic steering and pedal functions. First thing I did was check for an update of the firmware. it updated 2.0. It did not help fix the force feedback problem. In spite of the wet-noodle feel the steering wheel has, I can tell that it has very high potential once the force feedback is added to the experience. Alas, I was unable to activate that though. A quick search to verify game compatibility led me to choose Wreckfest and Forza H5 both for PC for my testing. Each game had their own compatibility issue(s). Wreckfest refused to activate force feedback and only offered basic steering and pedal use while Forza H5 did not detect the wheel until you held down the [ENTER] key the whole time. If you were OK holding the key down the whole time you played, you could get through a couple of tracks but force feedback still did not work on Forza H5. I was able to verify that the actual force feedback function works and tested it fully in the Thrustmaster configuration and control panel so I believe it's truly just a compatibility issue and not a defective unit. After hours of searching online for a real solution my last resort was to call the manufacturer but I was quickly directed by automation to email them instead. At this point, I'm kind of dead in the water and it's just a waiting game for a patch. The wheel itself seems very well-built. The attachment system is very good and easy to install and uninstall quickly. Everything is very sturdy especially the pedals. They are very well-made and should serve you for years of play. The pedals can be adjusted to variable pressures to match your driving preference. You can also unscrew and reposition the pedals as needed. Customization is clearly the key here as evidenced by the aforementioned pedal setup and the ease of key mapping and encoders which, from what I can tell, allow you to access certain features in games. The paddle shifters are magnetic and are very loud. I'm not sure if I (or anyone in the room) would enjoy hearing the loud click on every up and down shift but it's there. I really wanted to love this wheel and I can forgive the loud paddles but because the force feedback function was absent, I can't recommend this wheel until the compatibility issues get ironed out.