Logitech G29 / G920 – The Best Sim Racing Beginner Wheel

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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
We've included these affiliate links which you can use to help support the website. RaceDepartment earns a little commission when you purchase through these links. We are grateful for your support.

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.
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About author
Mike Smith
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

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Comments

Metla
Premium
Dazmaniac said:
It's an article by Mike Smith (604Racing) and presumably based on his opinion that the Logi G29/G920 is the best entry/budget wheel for a sim racer.

So if we asked you what in your opinion was the best budget sim racing wheel, could we also say your answer was an advert?
Click to expand...

In all honesty it does read like advertising/marketing drivel more then an article.
 
T
Slapped said:
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.
Click to expand...

Do you know the worst of all?, my vanilla G25 pedals from 2006 don't spike at all and are totally linear, and I have used them more than 20 hours/week for years when I was still a student and had a lot of spare time. Now I use my own DIY custom pedals, but I used the G25 original ones for 13 years or so.

And the only reason I buit my own ones was because I wanted to have a load cell brake pedal and a hall sensor throttle and clutch to avoid the possibility of what it happened to you happening to me in the future to come, to future proof them. A close friend of mine had his G27 working fine for a decade until the famous wheel encoder broke, but the pedals still worked fine.

What you do report only happened to me with the logitech wingman formula and with the logitech momo racing, those had really cheap made in plastic non standard pots that you couldn't find anywhere, but they learned their lesson with the G25. Not only that, the original G25 pots are standard sized and easily replaceable.

It seems to me as if the bean counters decided that it was more profitable to not pay engineering hours in releasing and improving new models, and instead they simply lowered the quality of internals, removed features as the shifter, increased the price (they went from 237 to 299€), just added some buttons and did small changes in the cosmetics to fool people into "step up" to the new wheel.

Oh man, how low logitech has falled in both quality and lack of engineering. The logitech wingman formula felt like a chinese cheap toy, the logitech momo felt like a big step up (it had way better ergonomics than even the G25 and all it's successors). The G25 upgrade felt like a quantum leap to a premium product for what at the time was also a reasonable price having in mind that it was the best wheel on the market if we don't take in account small luxury manufacturers of the time, and after that inspiring product their products only went downhill. I loved them so much back then when they still innovated and cared about the product quality and features.
 
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J
Neilski said:
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?
Click to expand...
My G27 pedals have been working perfectly fine for 8+ years of (almost) daily use. I did upgrade the brake and throttle springs (GTEye) though.
 
Kyuubeey
After a few years I kind of made it a thing not to clean my Logitech stuff. I think the G27 is going to pass year 10 soon without being opened or maintained, my old Attack 3 lasted perhaps 5-6 years although I was too rough on it and eventually it just lost center. The G27 has been making some mechanical sounds for a few years now and I reckon it's somewhat looser than a decade ago, but a G29 would have likely let go by now.

I've heard a ton of stories of the pots failing but I don't think mine have even deteriorated, they calibrate well.

Not sure what this means; maybe when I eventually get a professional setup it will just immediately explode.
 
Slapped
Kyuubeey said:
I've heard a ton of stories of the pots failing but I don't think mine have even deteriorated, they calibrate well.
Click to expand...
Given the amount of people who have had no problems with their G25/27 pedals, and the amount of people who have had problems with the G29/920 pedals, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that Logitech made some cost cutting measures with the production of the G29/920, and the pots were one of those things that came under the cost cutting hatchet.
 
Kyuubeey
Slapped said:
Given the amount of people who have had no problems with their G25/27 pedals, and the amount of people who have had problems with the G29/920 pedals, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that Logitech made some cost cutting measures with the production of the G29/920, and the pots were one of those things that came under the cost cutting hatchet.
Click to expand...
Which is kinda ridiculous because a good pot vs a bad pot is a matter of a few cents; but I suppose it's more about availability. CH Products for example just happened to have good pots available so they put very high quality ones into their flightsim stuff. I can imagine that these peripheral companies skimp on every cent they can and go for some crap, sadly.
 
J
Had a G27 for ten years, loved it, perfect for the price and plenty good for my needs, easy clamping system the more expensive wheels should copy, now have a G923, loving it as well.
 
guidofoc
Dazmaniac said:
It's an article by Mike Smith (604Racing) and presumably based on his opinion that the Logi G29/G920 is the best entry/budget wheel for a sim racer.

So if we asked you what in your opinion was the best budget sim racing wheel, could we also say your answer was an advert?
Click to expand...
Hey, the article title says "Logitech G29 / G920 – The Best Sim Racing Beginner Wheel". Which is a statement, not an opinion. It doesn't say "Mike Smith says Logitech G29 / G920 is The Best Sim Racing Beginner Wheel" or "Why I think Logitech is the best sim racing beginner wheel" or "Poll: what is the best sim racing beginner wheel?", or "Offer! Discount on the best simracing beginner wheel!". There is a big difference.

If you ask me what is the best budget racing sim wheel and I say "it's Logitech!" and you then write a news article with the title "Logitech is the best budget racing sim wheel", it means you have no idea what you're doing. Good luck.
 
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Jean-Pierre Sarti
Kyuubeey said:
. I think a G27 under load is not even physically capable of spinning fast enough to go lock-to-lock as fast as any real steering system can.
Click to expand...
You’re very right. I have a G920 and its spin rate is nowhere my long-gone 1982 Chevette’s wheel, especially on ice :). And it self-centered handily. And for you youngsters, a the Chevette wasn’t a “hardcore drift machine”.

Let‘s face it, the job of a sim wheel to trick us into thinking we’re driving a real car. Paying attention to the sensations you have driving a real car a block on a suburban street will demonstrate the difference in about five minutes.
 
P
John Fuqua said:
Had a G27 for ten years, loved it, perfect for the price and plenty good for my needs, easy clamping system the more expensive wheels should copy, now have a G923, loving it as well.
Click to expand...
And you probably paid more for your G923 than you would have paid for a far better T150 pro, or maybe even more than for a far far better T300 if you paid it full price (Logitech always release their "new but still the same" wheels for $400+, which is crazy, at least 2 times what they worth and what is asked for the previous model).
 
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Kyuubeey
Jean-Pierre Sarti said:
You’re very right. I have a G920 and its spin rate is nowhere my long-gone 1982 Chevette’s wheel, especially on ice :). And it self-centered handily. And for you youngsters, a the Chevette wasn’t a “hardcore drift machine”.

Let‘s face it, the job of a sim wheel to trick us into thinking we’re driving a real car. Paying attention to the sensations you have driving a real car a block on a suburban street will demonstrate the difference in about five minutes.
Click to expand...
It's unfortunate but that's how it is.

You can still destroy people using DD rigs even on a G-wheel but we still have to be realistic about what they are. This applies to Thrustmaster and Fanatec belts wheels too, albeit somewhat less.

Almost all of the complaints I get about my cars' physics behavior is due to people using cheap wheels and trying to drift them, or alternatively people using DD wheels cranked up way past the torque of the real system and with inadequate damping and friction. I think it kind of illustrates that there is an issue with cheaper sim wheels, and that a DD setup isn't a plug-and-play magic bullet either. :D

The CSL DD in this way, at least as an idea, is a good solution for people who want to fix the slow acceleration and rotation speed issue but also don't need to get their arms torn off.
 
N
Staff
Premium
TRASGU said:
What you do report only happened to me with the logitech wingman formula and with the logitech momo racing, those had really cheap made in plastic non standard pots that you couldn't find anywhere, but they learned their lesson with the G25. Not only that, the original G25 pots are standard sized and easily replaceable.
Click to expand...
Huh? I had understood that the G25 pedal pots were identical to the G27 (and G29 etc.) pots.
And I'm quite certain that the G27 pots are NOT at all standard or easily replaced; indeed I've criticised Logitech on several occasions for refusing to sell spare pots. In my view, they are the main weakness of the G27 package.
Slapped said:
Given the amount of people who have had no problems with their G25/27 pedals, and the amount of people who have had problems with the G29/920 pedals, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that Logitech made some cost cutting measures with the production of the G29/920, and the pots were one of those things that came under the cost cutting hatchet.
Click to expand...
For sure, a number of people have said they have no problems at all despite prolonged use, so maybe it's a dust thing rather than a wear & tear thing.
However, I don't think I'd conclude that the quality is any different on the newer wheels, because lots of G25/7 users have experienced issues with their pots (me included).
 
T
Kyuubeey said:
Which is kinda ridiculous because a good pot vs a bad pot is a matter of a few cents; but I suppose it's more about availability.
Click to expand...
It isn't about increasing profit margins, those are marginal gains. It is about making your pedals service live way shorter on purpose, because people that are satisfied with realiable hardware don't purchase new one. So if they engineer them to just barely outlast the warranty period then that people now will need to buy a brand new set of pedals. And Logitech don't sell them separately, so a 1€ worth of hardware ends up costing the average use another 299€.

A clever person simply would open his set of pedals and order to mouser or digikey a new pot and get it changed and in about 15 minutes that person has now a set of pedals as good as new. But most people distrust that repair even though any pot from mouse of digikey is going to be even better than the originals from logitech.

Or maybe that people don't feel comfortable enough with trying to fix their own pedals and some of them end up not learning their lesson and falling in the low budget trap purchasing another steering wheel from logitech. More involved people would purchase a T3PA pedals or similar, or simply do the reasonable thing of step up to a new wheel from thrustmaster (and there is also a lot to say about thrustmaster reliability) or fanatec. But even if only a small minority purchase a logitech wheel again logitech stragegy keeps being more profitable than sell reliable hardware.
 
T
Neilski said:
Huh? I had understood that the G25 pedal pots were identical to the G27 (and G29 etc.) pots.
And I'm quite certain that the G27 pots are NOT at all standard or easily replaced; indeed I've criticised Logitech on several occasions for refusing to sell spare pots. In my view, they are the main weakness of the G27 package.

For sure, a number of people have said they have no problems at all despite prolonged use, so maybe it's a dust thing rather than a wear & tear thing.
However, I don't think I'd conclude that the quality is any different on the newer wheels, because lots of G25/7 users have experienced issues with their pots (me included).
Click to expand...

They are as standard as it gets, It is a simple 10K linear pot. Quick search on Mouser and I found an almost drop in replacement for just 0.99€, look: https://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bourns/PDB181-E425K-103B?qs=gZXFycFWdAN/WCeZwULrxQ==

What you are not going to find is the exact same model as they use with faston conectors. Because they are the same as apple, and they tell to their manufacturer to have that component only made and sold to them and not to anybody else.
 
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Shannon Flynn
Slapped said:
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.
Click to expand...
While the G-wheel pots can get a little spikey, in my experience they FAR outlast the pots in the Fanatec CSL pedals (or whatever they're called -- the entry-level ones with no clutch).
The pots in my DFTGT, G25 and G27 all lasted years and years, while the pot in the Fanatec pedals lasted 14 months before it completely crapped the bed. For what those cost at the time, I was pretty aggravated. Super easy to swap out, tho. I contacted Fanatec and for $10 they had a replacement at my door within a week. Good as new.
Of course after that little fiasco, I switched to the V3's.

Did Logitech ever sort out the problems with the Optical Sensors breaking in the 25/27s?
 
Kyuubeey
@TRASGU

You're right; I was thinking like a reasonable and honest person for a moment there when I typed that. :rolleyes:

You would think that a company's main motivation would be to increase their reputation and fanbase until they have a clear monopoly and everyone loves them, but these companies are all interested in short-term gains instead. It will be quite funny if very capable alternatives for low and mid-end market pop up some day and the old giants become forgotten, but that does not happen very often.
 
whip
imagine someone on a mobile phone forum telling people the nokia 1100 is the best beginner phone ....................................
 
N
Staff
Premium
TRASGU said:
It isn't about increasing profit margins, those are marginal gains. It is about making your pedals service live way shorter on purpose, because people that are satisfied with realiable hardware don't purchase new one. So if they engineer them to just barely outlast the warranty period then that people now will need to buy a brand new set of pedals. And Logitech don't sell them separately, so a 1€ worth of hardware ends up costing the average use another 299€.
Click to expand...
Not the way things would go for many consumers, I reckon.
Simply put, if I buy a product and it breaks, and I find that a cheap (and unusual) part - that the manufacturer still makes but (perversely!) refuses to sell me and that I can't buy off the shelf - is rendering my product worthless, I learn my lesson and do not buy from that manufacturer again.
TRASGU said:
They are as standard as it gets, It is a simple 10K linear pot. Quick search on Mouser and I found an almost drop in replacement for just 0.99€, look: https://eu.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bourns/PDB181-E425K-103B?qs=gZXFycFWdAN/WCeZwULrxQ==

What you are not going to find is the exact same model as they use with faston conectors. Because they are the same as apple, and they tell to their manufacturer to have that component only made and sold to them and not to anybody else.
Click to expand...
Sadly there are near infinite variations on the simple 10 k linear pot. The one you have found is superficially similar to the Logitech one, but on inspection it has a different thread diameter, and the rotation angle is 300° (vs. ~70° for the Logitech custom pot). There may be other differences too.

I have no fear of soldering the pins into place, but if I'm going to have to fabricate a custom sleeve to make the darn things fit into the holes then I'd far sooner use a 3DRap-style kit which replaces the pots with genuinely standard ones (which is what I did, as it happens), and alters the gearing to extract more angular range from the pedal travel, because 70° pots are... rare.

Meanwhile, the 300° rotation on that pot would knacker the already-borderline digital resolution. It's only an 8-bit ADC on the G27, and it's really not very well configured (judging from mine), with only just over 7 bits of range truly available at the output. The end result of having a pot like the one you chose would be a roughly 5-bit equivalent pedal - not unusable but the discrete steps would be pretty noticeable.
 
Ricardo V. Soares
TRASGU said:
It isn't about increasing profit margins, those are marginal gains. It is about making your pedals service live way shorter on purpose, because people that are satisfied with realiable hardware don't purchase new one. So if they engineer them to just barely outlast the warranty period then that people now will need to buy a brand new set of pedals. And Logitech don't sell them separately, so a 1€ worth of hardware ends up costing the average use another 299€.

A clever person simply would open his set of pedals and order to mouser or digikey a new pot and get it changed and in about 15 minutes that person has now a set of pedals as good as new. But most people distrust that repair even though any pot from mouse of digikey is going to be even better than the originals from logitech.

Or maybe that people don't feel comfortable enough with trying to fix their own pedals and some of them end up not learning their lesson and falling in the low budget trap purchasing another steering wheel from logitech. More involved people would purchase a T3PA pedals or similar, or simply do the reasonable thing of step up to a new wheel from thrustmaster (and there is also a lot to say about thrustmaster reliability) or fanatec. But even if only a small minority purchase a logitech wheel again logitech stragegy keeps being more profitable than sell reliable hardware.
Click to expand...

Seriously, reading your comment made me angry with this strategy of (some?) these companies.

I agree with you, because I suffered such thing in my pockets some time ago with a (then) new video card from a certain brand, and it lasted exactly 2 years and a month, before it burned due to a fan issue, and back then I had to buy another video card (second hand) to solve this issue.

Now, back at the topic at hand, In my humble opinion, the Logitech equipment serves me well, but their pedals do really need maintenance from time to time (and it seems to be a shorter and shorter time span) due to dust inside the equipment, making it a nuisance to perform maintenance on it because of the sensitive wires.

And, to finish this post, hardware such as video cards and sim gear here in Brazil are stratospherically expensive, an equipment set you can pay 299 Euros abroad, in Brazil you pay about R$ 2000-3000 if brand new or R$1500-2000 second hand.

Regards

Ricardo V. Soares
 
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Metla
Premium
Ive gone through 3 Logitech systems, They all failed and ended up in the tip, Last one had the designed to break pontimeter in the steering system.

In truth I liked all three of them when I had them, But my switch to a belt driven T300 (still running fine but now on my xbox) showed them to be a greatly inferior and over priced product. The fact that they only invest in the marketing and packaging and not in the acutal product just gives me the shits.

I just can't fathom how anyone would recommend them to people that are new to the hobby.
 

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