Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition review

[Jari Vinnari]

Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition
Background:
Well...im old...ancient someone would say. My first contact with simracing was Geoff Crammond´s excellent Formula One Grand Prix in 1990´s and since then I have driven numerous driving games with Assetto Corsa being the latest one. I have owned and destroyed several wheels from manufacturer´s like Microsoft, Logitech and Fanatec so I would call myself as a experienced driver with average driving skills.
I have been relatively happy with my Fanatec CSR wheel and Clubsport V1 setup but sometimes you just want to try something new and hopefully better. Fanatec Clubsport Wheel would have been one good choice but it was just too pricey and possible future warranty issues made me look elsewhere. Thrustmaster T500 RS is nice but the newer design, brushless motor and better belt system convinced me to buy 458 Italia wheel. Having owned and destroyed a Logitech G25 in my previous life the newly released Thrustmaster TX 458 for 300 Euro´s was the only real choice for me. Luckily it was Christmas so Santa Claus helped me get this wheel. Thanks Santa, I owe you one...or two.

First impression & some numbers:
"What the .... Why in earth did I buy this piece of toy wheel" was my first thought after opening the box and lifting the unattached wheel. The two things that really striked out badly was the yellow Ferrari logo and the 2-way Manettino switch which really makes the wheel look cheap. The wheel rim building material looks and feels almost the same as found in early 90´s Nissan dashboard´s. Luckily appearances can sometimes be deceptive as the wheel "quality" will grow on you.
The wheel rim weight is approximately 730 gramms and its 28 cm in diameter. The power supply is inside of the base unit which weight is about 3,9 kg compared to Fanatec´s 2,9kg including the wheel but without the external power supply. In PC-mode you have total 13 buttons and a D-pad in your disposal.

Gas and brake pedals are made of metal,base from light plastic and the total weight is approximately 1,36kg. Brake has progressive resistance and the gas pedal feels quite stiff. Pedals connects directly to wheel base and they are not USB compatible.

Wheel can be attached to table/cockpit with good clamping system or more permanently with built-in screw threads. After attaching the steering wheel and making the required firmware update for PC I was ready to Rock´n Roll.

Driving impression´s:
I could feel big difference between the CSR and Thrustmaster TX as soon as I accelerated out of the pits with my rFactor 2 Corvette.In straight line the 458 Italia will give you much more information about the car suspension movement and the bumps on the road. In corners I could feel the change in grip much more clearly and earlier stage than I did with Fanatec CSR. Steering response feels faster, more direct and FFB in whole felt much better. CSR has small FFB deadzone where you dont feel any feedback but with TX you feel the FFB almost whole range of wheels turning range.

With Assetto Corsa the difference between the wheels was smaller but Thrustmaster still feels superior of these two. Again the Thrusmaster feels so accurate,direct and fast to react drivers every steering input. Driving BMW Z4 GT3 with CSR feel´s just little bit boring but the TX wheel made the car more enjoyable and exciting to drive.
Gear leavers are made of strong metal and have nice solid feel to them. They are quite short to allow easy access to back buttons so I needed some time finding right position for my hands and fingers. That ugly Manettino switch works but they really shoud have used better quality switch in that one. Other buttons feel OK but for me the Fanatec has better buttons and the wheel rim in whole feels better. Pedals look and feel quite cheap but surprisingly they work much better than their appearance might suggest.

Conclusion: Connect the dots
FFB quality and the base unit are definitely the best part of this wheel . Driving with this wheel is true pleasure because FFB is strong, detailed and fast. Thrustmaster really should have used better quality materials with the rim and the pedals. Luckily you can always use Thrustmaster T500 RS add-on wheels and pedals or use USB pedals from another manufacturer. Thrustmaster plans to release improved T3PA pedals which includes a clutch pedal. I think this package is OK starting point for newcomer but I would definitely buy new pedals if I was serious about simracing. Im relatively happy with the rim so currently I have no plans to buy the 100€ Ferrari 458 GTE wheel add-on which should be much better in quality wise.

The GOOD:
+ FFB is very good
+ Base is made of strong, good quality plastic
+ Many buttons, even behind the wheel
+ Accurate and reacts fast to drivers input
+ Good clamp that will stop the base from moving.
+ Gear leavers are made of thick metal and changing gear feels quite good
+ Ability to use add-on wheels and pedals

The BAD:
- Pedals are light weight,looks and feels cheap. Surprisingly they do work moderately well
- Wheel rim looks cheap and the build quality should have been better. It does work & feels better than first impression might suggest
- Loud fan under stress
- No power switch
- USB cable can't be removed
- No clutch pedal

05.02.2014 UPDATE:

My Thrustmaster TX is dead so rest in peace my friend...you will be sorely missed.
But luckily his twin brother has arrived.

One morning about 10 days ago my wheel went completely dead, no lights or any wheel movement at all so the electronics must have failed.
I contacted my local dealer and they replaced my wheel in 10 days . Whole process could have been 2-3 days shorter but they didnt have the wheel on stock so Im very happy how fast they replaced my wheel. I also e-mailed Thustmaster twice and both time they replied in 24 hours so no complaints about their reply speed.
According to my local dealer over 10% TX wheels have been returned back for warranty repairs. Other users have also experienced wheel failures so there seems to be slight quality problem with first batch of the TX Wheel.

I still like the wheel very much.

 

[Blkout]

Weird guys. Mine doesn't do that. It turns on and off.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

Have you put your ears to it? It can be easy to miss if you don´t think about it. I guess there is a chance mine always done this. I forgot to pull the plug last night and when I wake up it was still going with my ears to it. But I can´t for sure say it´s the fan or if it´s some trafomator hum going.

 

[Blkout]

Have you put your ears to it? It can be easy to miss if you don´t think about it. I guess there is a chance mine always done this. I forgot to pull the plug last night and when I wake up it was still going with my ears to it. But I can´t for sure say it´s the fan or if it´s some trafomator hum going.

No, mine turns on and off. Its very quiet in my house. I can hear it when it comes and goes off. There's also a slight hum/vibration that I can feel when the fan is running.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

okay well mine for whatever reason doesn´t. Need to remind myself of pulling the power.
Good practise anyway

I have one huge con that make the TX F458 rim almost entirely useless for endurance racing that I don´t think is mentioned much. The D-pad. So incredibly bad. I have had occasions where I changed every setting in the menu at once in rFactor 2 because of accidently simultaneously pressing down and to the left/right. It take ages to revert that. I frequently get one intermediate, one soft one hard and one wet tire It´s so hard getting a clean left or right swap while racing. Even stationary there is not a 100 % successrate easilly. Changing 4 set of tires sometimes it´s hardly enough with a lap to get through that where normally I am done on the first straight. I wonder if there is a way to make it a 4-way pad instead of an 8 way. That would increase the odds of success.

GTE and F1 rim is perfectly suitable for the task but not this. Form over function sadly will need to use other buttons for this purpose or I am just going to stick with the F1 rim.

 

[Blkout]

So in preparation of my CSR Elite pedals, I removed my TX wheel and installed my T500RS wheel again on my wheel stand pro. I plan to use the TX with the CSR Elite pedals on a second wheel stand pro. Using the T500RS again the last few days has made me realize just how much better than the TX is. I feel so slow using the T500RS, it has gobs of FFB but it feel very jerky and rough compared to the TX and the T500 just feels significantly slower to react and change direction compared to the TX. I feel like I'm missing a lot of subtle FFB that I was getting with the TX. The T500 can provide a lot of raw torque, but its rarely needed or appreciated compared to giving up the speed and smoothness of the TX. I can't wait to get my TX and CSR Elite pedals going today. The T500RS will be used only for PS3 and PS4 use from here on, its just too hard to enjoy that wheel after using a TX.

 

[Skazz]

So in preparation of my CSR Elite pedals, I removed my TX wheel and installed my T500RS wheel again on my wheel stand pro. I plan to use the TX with the CSR Elite pedals on a second wheel stand pro. Using the T500RS again the last few days has made me realize just how much better than the TX is. I feel so slow using the T500RS, it has gobs of FFB but it feel very jerky and rough compared to the TX and the T500 just feels significantly slower to react and change direction compared to the TX. I feel like I'm missing a lot of subtle FFB that I was getting with the TX. The T500 can provide a lot of raw torque, but its rarely needed or appreciated compared to giving up the speed and smoothness of the TX. I can't wait to get my TX and CSR Elite pedals going today. The T500RS will be used only for PS3 and PS4 use from here on, its just too hard to enjoy that wheel after using a TX.

Interesting.... Which rims are you using on the two wheels? (I'm wondering if the stock TX rim is much lighter than either the stock GT or aftermarket GTE rims and whether that's actually the main difference)

 

[Blkout]

Interesting.... Which rims are you using on the two wheels? (I'm wondering if the stock TX rim is much lighter than either the stock GT or aftermarket GTE rims and whether that's actually the main difference)

I'm using the stock GT rim on the T500, the GTE rim on the TX. The GTE rim is just slightly heavier than the stock GT rim on the T500. I have found that lowering the Constant and Periodic settings in the TM control panel to 80% feels much closer to the TX and reduces the jerkiness significantly. I believe the Constant setting has much more impact but it does seem like the Periodic has a smaller effect as well.

I think its surprising what you get used to. Before I got the TX, I could have sworn the T500 was the best wheel available after using a G27, now its hard to go back to the T500 after using the TX.

 

[drivatar]

Good to know we have a great wheel in the TX (it's my first one so I can't compare)...

Is it worth the Ferrari GTE 458 Wheel Add-on? I am pretty happy with the stock rim but perhaps in the future I will upgrade to this one as it seems less toy-like (first I want to upgrade the pedals as they don't live up to the quality of the base)...

I have been using the wheel with Forza 5 on the XBox One so far, but I want to test the water also with my old PC, I got Race 07 (fortunately my computer can run it properly) and I am planning to play with it at least until next year, so anyone can share a good setup in the Thrustmaster Control Panel? is it ok by default?

Cheers! ;-)

 

[Blkout]

Good to know we have a great wheel in the TX (it's my first one so I can't compare)...

Is it worth the Ferrari GTE 458 Wheel Add-on? I am pretty happy with the stock rim but perhaps in the future I will upgrade to this one as it seems less toy-like (first I want to upgrade the pedals as they don't live up to the quality of the base)...

I have been using the wheel with Forza 5 on the XBox One so far, but I want to test the water also with my old PC, I got Race 07 (fortunately my computer can run it properly) and I am planning to play with it at least until next year, so anyone can share a good setup in the Thrustmaster Control Panel? is it ok by default?

Cheers! ;-)

I prefer the GTE rim, it just feels very sturdy in your hands like a real car wheel. It has less buttons than the stock 458 Italia rim so that is a drawback. I am also using the T500 pedals so I would agree the stock pedals must go but fortunately, the T3PA pedals are set to be released this month if you need some.

The TX wheel is MUCH better on PC racing sims than Forza 5.

I use TM Control Panel settings as follows:

Overall Strength: 80%
Constant: 100%
Periodic: 100%
Spring: 0%
Damper: 10%

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I owned both and I sold the GTE rim as I preferr the F458 rim. I am a 9 and 3 user particularly on these smaller rims so the plastic has yet to ever bother me. Both have similar hard rubber otherwise. 10 and 2 is still rubber. The grips differ GTE being more safe but the ergonomic grip really works on the F458 for me.

The GTE weight doesn´t make it feel more realistic much because it´s shrinked so you don´t get the leverage to counter the added weight of it. It´s quite a mystery why Fanatec and Thrustmaster beside price points deliver such heavy rims maybe it´s just for that first impression (oh this weel is solid rather then the F458 impression this is a plastic toy when weighing it by hand. First impression is important no doubt about that but it´s not all ruling . If it´s designed for the T500RS which has quite a bit of resistance a more effective way to deal with that is offer bigger rims rather then heavier.

F458 rim on the T500RS on RBR that is really violent throw the car of course ffb .

 

[Pär Öqvist]

how much wiggle do you guys have on your TX. Feels mine got a bit worse or it´s just my HE Sim Ultimate pedals making me all pedantic about flex lol. It´s not the rim I get the same with all my wheels. I can nudge it a bit in all directions but particularly horizontal it´s getting a bit distracting.

 

[Blkout]

how much wiggle do you guys have on your TX. Feels mine got a bit worse or it´s just my HE Sim Ultimate pedals making me all pedantic about flex lol. It´s not the rim I get the same with all my wheels. I can nudge it a bit in all directions but particularly horizontal it´s getting a bit distracting.

None here.

 

[Jari Vinnari]

Sim Racing Review's initial review of the TX wheel.

 

[Karl Brankin]

I'm intrigued by the Thrustmaster TX. I have an ageing Fanatec Porsche Turbo S wheel and ClubSport V1 pedals. I mainly now use the wheel for PC Sims = Assetto Corsa, iRacing, rF2, Raceroom / DTM etc.

I have been hearing great things about the TX wheel (on PC sims) and I might get an Xbox One at some point with Forza 5. I already have a PS4.

Obviously I would continue to use The ClubSport pedals direct to PC. Is the Thrustmaster TX a worthwhile / noticeable upgrade over the Fanatec Turbo S ?

Cheers

 

[Blkout]

Karl, unfortunately, I have no experience with the Turbo S but the TX base has gotten great reviews and has also been criticised for the cheap steering wheel and pedals. I would agree with everyone that has stated as such. The wheel base is fantastic, its quick to respond, very smooth and quiet and has enough FFB for most people that can't afford a very high end ECCI 7000 or Bodnar wheel. Recently the price on the TX has been around $330 so its not a terrible deal for that price and the stock 458 Italia steering wheel is certainly ok to live with for a while. The pedals are really the only major drawback to me but the T3PA 3 pedal set is supposed to be released this month, although today is the 28th and I haven't seen a set in stock anywhere yet. For $99 those pedals are basically the same as the T500 pedals with more plastic than metal but they look durable enough to me. Anyway you spin it, you're probably looking at $500 or so for a TX, T3PA pedals and a F1 or GTE add-on rim, to make up for the TX short comings out of the box. However, when you get those missing pieces to complete the set, it becomes a very nice wheel and pedal set. You could continue to use your Clubsport pedals on the PC with the TX wheel, and if you buy a CPX adapter from Basherboards, you'll be able to use them on the Xbox One also.

 

[Karl Brankin]

Thanks very much Blkout - I was looking at the Fanatec Clubsport and BMW rim (no pedals) as the other upgrade option but that`s about £560 = $840. I can find the TX (& pedals) for under £250 = $375. I will probably get the GTE rim too at some point and a basherboard adapter for £40 = $60 when they go back on sale.

I could afford the CSW if I thought it was going to be noticeably better but the FFB and "quickness" of the TX seem to be universally praised.

Any views as to whether the feeling of the CSW is better at all ?

 

[Blkout]

Never owned a Clubsport wheel but those that have one seem to like it. Fanatec's wheel reliability is what scared me from their wheels. The Fanatec customer slogan seems to be "it was great when it worked." Too disturbing for me for a wheel of that price.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Have you put your ears to it? It can be easy to miss if you don´t think about it. I guess there is a chance mine always done this. I forgot to pull the plug last night and when I wake up it was still going with my ears to it. But I can´t for sure say it´s the fan or if it´s some trafomator hum going.

I think it is the internal PSU humming, mine does it too.

Had zero problems with it tho, the noise goes away when you remove the USB cable even if the wheel is still powered, which counters my above observation unless it cuts the juice when it senses it is not plugged in any more.

I have a few types of kit here, some very high end kit, and even compared to that my modded TX still stacks up very favourably, especially when you consider the price, it is performing nearly as well as something 3 or 4 times its price.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

@Mark Reynolds Do you by any chance have a Fanatec Porsche wheel (GT2 or GT3, I reckon they are pretty identical?) to compare the TX with?
I'm using a GT3 RS v2 these days and have been pondering a upgrade for quite a while, would love to know if it's a big upgrade or not from someone who's actually tested both. ^^

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I have owned the Turbo S. It´s a nice wheel. I can´t do a 1:1 comparison since I sold it quite some time before I got the T500RS but yes I am quite sure I would preferr the T500RS or TX over it if only for the fact I can use real rims not just Thrustmasters rims. They are generally very functional though minus the GTE rim which is just way to heavy for me. I havent tried the stock 300 mm rim on the T500RS. The Turbo S is very smooth but higher internal resistance then G27/TX.

The noise of my TX was a bit more today but yes it´s possible it´s just the trafomator and not the fan.

Now we got more in if you guys wiggle your TX left and right you get no visible movement of the rim? I can easilly see and feel it but it´s okay for race unless it get worse.