Logitech G29 / G920 – The Best Sim Racing Beginner Wheel

Logitech G29 and G920.jpg
Logitech’s G29 and G920 wheel and pedal sets have proven for years to be a perfect option for both beginners and enthusiasts on a budget.

Sim racing hardware runs the risk of becoming unnecessarily costly for beginners and those on a budget. Pictures you often see online of massive triple-screen, direct drive and load cell-based systems look awesome, but it’s more than what most people will need, especially as new sim racers.

Both the PlayStation compatible G29 and its Xbox-friendly G920 counterpart are known as great options for the more limited world of console sim racing hardware, but they make great options for PC as well. For beginners or those on a budget, cost and reliability are two primary considerations when choosing a wheel. Logitech’s G29 and G920 offerings check both of those boxes nicely.

2020 was a tough year for finding used sim racing gear, but things seem to have calmed down in 2021. It’s not hard to find a used Logitech wheel in most areas now, with prices sometimes dropping 30% below MSRP. And for those looking for to buy new, major retailers frequently have stock of new G29 and G920 sets.

These Logitech wheel and pedal sets aren’t known for incorporating the most coveted sim gear technology, but they are becoming synonymous with dependability. The nearly 9,000 reviews left on Amazon.com have averaged to 4.7 out of 5 stars. That figure is extremely impressive and speaks to not only the quality of the product, but also the reliability. Logitech’s more recent G923 set uses improved technology but comes with a ~$120USD premium versus the outgoing models, so the G29 and G920 remain a leading option for your first sim racing wheel.

Direct drive wheels give a more detailed level of force feedback than the gear driven force feedback in the Logitech wheelbases, and the load cell used with higher end brake pedals use is superior to the potentiometer utilized by Logitech, but an important thing for new sim racers to remember is that higher-end sim gear won’t immediately lead to better lap times. In fact, many of the fastest sim racers you’ll encounter race with the same technology used in the G29 and G920. Upgrading one’s sim racing gear should be viewed as improving immersion rather than speed.

The G29 and G920 may be aimed toward newer or inexperienced sim racers, but the wheel sets have several impressive features, including clamping arms for mounting the wheelbase onto a desk, a clutch pedal, upgrade compatibility for adding an H-pattern shifter, carpet grips for the pedal set, leather wrapped steering wheel, threaded holes for mounting the wheelbase or pedals to a cockpit, and RPM lights on the G29 wheel.


Buy a Logitech G29 bundle from Amazon for $291.50
Buy a Logitech G920 bundle from Amazon for $304,43
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Logitech is not the only company that makes budget-friendly sim racing gear, of course. Thrustmaster and Fanatec also have great offerings for entry level sim racers, though either company will be a more costly option versus Logitech. There are also racing wheels on the market that come in cheaper than Logitech’s sets, but there is typically a noticeable drop in quality. Logitech seems to have found a healthy balance of price and quality with the G29 and G920 models.

For the new sim racer or those on a budget, maximizing dependability while minimizing costs is key. Logitech’s G29 and G920 are excellent wheel and pedal sets for this demographic. Major retailers and even the used hardware market seem to have consistent stock of either, so these seem like the perfect option as a starter or budget-friendly wheel in the world of sim racing.
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

Personally i ended up going for the TMX from Thrustmaster, cheaper entry price and better FFB (in my modest opinion). Only complaint i really have are the stock pedals, the spring tends to get fatigue fairly quickly. Planning on upgrading to the Pro ones.
 
I have a G25, and while bits of it are not working perfectly right now, it's 15 years old, and still works. I'd like to upgrade to something better, but I can't afford to. Those that look down on entry-level like this, be ashamed. Not everyone can afford to buy the good stuff. You want to help? Paypal me. :D
 
My G25 has ripped leather, rusty pedals, the shifter's top has been glued...

Still works like new thanks to wheelcheck and LUT generator :)
 
Really good Article- and there's no doubt especially the older Logitech Wheels bring the best value for the Money. I bought a G27 when it was still fairly new, shortly after the transition form the G25. I have driven thousands of hours with it, for it's time the features were impressive- not everybody had 900° Rotation back then :O_o: and H- shifter and Clutch pedal was most of the Time, not included in the Base Package. Look at the Fanatec Entry- Level stuff of today: No Clutch pedal, that would be mandatory for me. The reliebility of my trusty old G27 has allowed me to buy my Fanatec Setup one by one: When that Light sensor finally bit the dust for good and I got a Clubsport belt- Drive, I still used the Pedal Set and Shifter happily for a long Time. If I would be on a really tight Budget today- I would always buy a used G27 or G25- those things are realy durable.
 
Premium
I would think a high percentage of sim racers at one time owned a Logitech wheel. Like others, my experience was very positive. Great bang for the buck and good resale value. I would not hesitate to recommend to any new sim racer.

The only issue is I consider it a gateway sim peripheral. A year or two of the Logitech, you will want something stronger and more addicting. I have not been able to kick the addition in over 35 years.
 
I still have the original G25 from the year of release, 15 years later still works as if it were new. Logitech understood that the wheel reliability would make them loose money and then they started to release dumbed down G25 wheels with lower quality based on the same internals, with every new facelift and name change the wheel has more plastic parts, less reliability and sometimes even less features (first they removed the sequential shifter function, and then they made the shifter a separate product). All the while rising the price of the product, I purchased the original G25 by 237€ almos 16 years ago and it had shifter included, now you get only the a dumbed down wheel with no shifter by 250+.

The article author made a disservice to the readers by praising that product instead of recomending to the reader a short visit to ebay to purchase a g25 for a third of the price that is more reliable despite it's age and it comes with a combined manual and sequential shifter.
 
My only complaint about the G29 as a beginners wheel is that in my personal experience the pedal pots tend to wear out quite quickly. They start spiking after around 6 to 9 months of usage, and while the pots can be quick cleaned with contact cleaner - it's a 5 minute job when you've got the take apart down, or they can be thoroughly cleaned by stripping the pots down themselves - a much longer job, the spiking eventually comes back to such a degree that cleaning them further only helps for a short period of time. I've had two sets of pedals from Logitech and both eventually died as a result of the spiking.

Contrast that to the Thrustmaster T3PA pedals which I've been running for 2 years now, and apart from the odd squeak from the gas pedal they are still perfect.

I have a feeling that Logitech uses cheap pots in their gear as I also have a pair of throttle quadrants from them which spiked from the very beginning.

The Logitech solution is good as an entry level solution, but IMO if you can afford it then the Thrustmaster T300 with the T3PA pedals is a better bet to get you into sim racing.
 
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Premium
The Logitech wheels have a lot of positives.
- great build quality for the price
- nice pedals
- reliability is awesome
- low base resistance (compared to TM)
- cheap shifter that does the job. G25/27 a nice set of buttons on the shifter too!

And then there is that dead zone in the center... You can decide whether you want to have a hole in the ffb or a clunky overlap of force and a shaking wheel.
It's never smooth (apart from in AC with my lut, lol hehe).

I loved my G27 and I really wanted to throw it out of the windows when the dead zone annoyed me...
Get a Thrustmaster T150 RS instead. Thank me later.
Yep.. The dead zone is so massively annoying that the downsides of the Thrustmaster wheels in the same price range is not out weighting the dead zone of the Logitechs.

So I always recommend to get something other than the Logitech wheels if you are at least somewhat easily annoyed by some clunkyness.
 
For someone just starting wanting to try driving a Sim with a wheel, a used wheel is a much better purchase, if you like it you can easily upgrade or if you don’t like it you can get rid of it since you can in both case selling it back for what you paid it, since there is no depreciation as when buying new and no tax either.
 
I've been very happy with my G920. When I was getting ready to buy a wheel about a year and a half ago I looked at TM and Logitech. I saw too many online comments about low-end TM wheel reliability problems. I was about to upgrade to to a TM TS-PC when Fanatec dropped their CSL DD bombshell. Logitech owns the low end but will TM survive getting squeezed between Fanatec and Logi?

G920 tips:
  • Dump G-Hub and get the older "Logitech Gaming Software" from their web site.
  • Make all setting (FFB, centering, etc.) in the game and not in the Logitech software.
  • Use a look-up table if your games supports it (e.g., Assetto Corsa with Content Manager).
  • Fiddle with the FFB strength, sometimes lower is better.
  • Don't be in too big a hurry to mod the pedals. When you get enough experience to really feel the need for new pedals get TM T-LCMs, which are (normally) very affordable and a better value, in my opinion, that some mod gadgets. Example: TrueBrake seems to be the best Logi mod, but it's $88 shipped to the US; I got mine about 4 months ago for $200 from Amazon (you can't do that at the moment :().
 
I've been very happy with my G920. When I was getting ready to buy a wheel about a year and a half ago I looked at TM and Logitech. I saw too many online comments about low-end TM wheel reliability problems. I was about to upgrade to to a TM TS-PC when Fanatec dropped their CSL DD bombshell. Logitech owns the low end but will TM survive getting squeezed between Fanatec and Logi?

G920 tips:
  • Dump G-Hub and get the older "Logitech Gaming Software" from their web site.
  • Make all setting (FFB, centering, etc.) in the game and not in the Logitech software.
  • Use a look-up table if your games supports it (e.g., Assetto Corsa with Content Manager).
  • Fiddle with the FFB strength, sometimes lower is better.
  • Don't be in too big a hurry to mod the pedals. When you get enough experience to really feel the need for new pedals get TM T-LCMs, which are (normally) very affordable and a better value, in my opinion, that some mod gadgets. Example: TrueBrake seems to be the best Logi mod, but it's $88 shipped to the US; I got mine about 4 months ago for $200 from Amazon (you can't do that at the moment :().
Hi friend, good afternoon.

I do own a g920, and I'd like to know if your suggestion would work with any sim such as Dirt Rally 2.0?

Thanks for your time.

RIcardo V. Soares
 
Premium
What steered me towards Fanatec and not one of the Logitech wheels (G27 at the time I considered getting a FFB wheel) was console compatibility. I got my Fanatec CSR set in November of 2012 because it was compatible with the Xbox 360 at the time. It was entry level priced and on sale. I remember spending $350 (about $387 after tax and shipping IIRC) for it brand new with a set of the basic CSR pedals included. It's still going strong, despite my mild efforts to force a need for replacement.

These days Fanatec doesn't have a product that serves the low end of the market, and every wheel base they make takes at least $600 to be up and running. Had I wanted to get into sim racing today, I definitely would have gone with a Logitech G29 or Thrusty's T150/TMX Pro.
 
Staff
Premium
Logitech G2x wheels: awesomely robust.
The pedals on the other hand... wow, the pots are kinda naff, as many people have said already above.
However, some comments have implied that their pedals/shifters (both of which use pots) have lasted for ages. Just to be clear - have any of you got a well-used set of pedals or a shifter that HASN'T needed regular cleaning on the pots?
 
Premium
I have a second hand G27 - I’ve done the brake pedal mod and it’s superb. Granted I don’t know what I’m missing as I’ve never used anything any better, but I think I’m competitive enough and have fun while racing. This is what it’s all about.

I have ordered a Fanatec CSL DD however :D
 
These days Fanatec doesn't have a product that serves the low end of the market
I would love to know the manufacturing cost of various wheels. I wouldn't be too surprised if the CSL DD is actually very cheap to make given that Fanatec has designed the motor and that their DD wheel is actually mechanically simpler than a gear of belt driven wheel. I bet they have very high margins compared to TH and Logitech; they're borrowing from Apple's playbook: get people hooked on an "ecosystem" and control the supply chain.
 
Premium
iRacer Glenn McGee won a $100,000,00 (US) scholarship to race in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series using a G27 strapped to a small wobbly table. His seat is a wooden kitchen chair with a leopard skin print his wife fashioned. Top that with half the buttons on the wheel don't work either. :)
 
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Logitech G2x wheels: awesomely robust.
The pedals on the other hand... wow, the pots are kinda naff, as many people have said already above.
However, some comments have implied that their pedals/shifters (both of which use pots) have lasted for ages. Just to be clear - have any of you got a well-used set of pedals or a shifter that HASN'T needed regular cleaning on the pots?

Wish I could say otherwise, but no.

As I said earlier, I own a g920 (bought brand new in a store), and after 2-3 months I had to clean the pedals.
I do use a spray called "limpa contato" (Contact cleanser) in Brazil. Works well.

Regards.

Ricardo V. Soares
 

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