Do You Change Wheels for Different Cars?

Porsche 919 and 917 at Brands Hatch Indy in Assetto Corsa.jpg

Do you use different wheels for different cars?

  • Yes

    Votes: 242 58.0%
  • No

    Votes: 175 42.0%

  • Total voters
    417
The amount of choice when it comes to circuits and cars is one of the elements that makes sim racing amazing. Similarly, hardware is not limited to just a few options anymore, unlike a decade ago, and as a result, it is possible to match steering while size and shape to what you are driving – do you strive for maximum authenticity for each car or are you fine with one type of wheel?

Most modern wheels come in a Formula-style shape – F1 cars, prototypes, GT3 racers and even some Touring Cars have moved to a somewhat rectangular shape of wheel in recent years. Hardware manufacturers have followed suit, and almost all that produce wheels have some sort of Formula wheel on offer, some even incorporating big dash displays and more buttons than most sim racers could ever assign.

Screenshot_ks_porsche_919_hybrid_2016_ks_brands_hatch_5-4-123-15-11-17.jpg


While it is possible to drive older cars with these wheels, of course, this does not feel quite right for some (including the author of this article). As a result, GT-style or even completely round wheels are a nice option for them to have and switch to whenever it is appropriate for the car they are driving.

Cockpit and Steering Wheel of a Lotus 49 in Assetto Corsa.jpg


This is entirely subjective, as some prefer wheel rims with a small diameter, while others are more comfortable with bigger wheels. Others want to go the route of full immersion and match the wheel of the car they are driving as accurately as possible, even building their own versions including LED warning lights and functional buttons.

To Change or Not to Change?​

Which side do you take regarding this question? Do own multiple wheels and change them regularly, or are you fine with one multi-purpose rim that you are simply the most comfortable with? Let us know in the comments and show your collections!
About author
Yannik Haustein
Lifelong motorsport enthusiast and sim racing aficionado, walking racing history encyclopedia.

Sim racing editor, streamer and one half of the SimRacing Buddies podcast (warning, German!).

Heel & Toe Gang 4 life :D

Comments

Fanatec Mclaren GT3, Porsche & P1. I have to change wheels!
I mean, drive a Lotus 49 with an F1 wheel...auto gears!?!?
 
I use Fanatec and have three rims, the Formula steering wheel, the 320 mm diameter GT rim, and a 320 mm diameter round rim. The different diameter makes a big difference between the Formula and the other two - it changes my approach and adds to the immersion. The two are almost interchangeable but it's nice to have the round one for rallying.

I play in VR so looks don't play a part.

The only thing I am missing is a small round rim for vintage formula cars. At this point, I am using the 320 mm round one for them.

So, to answer the question: yes.
 
Yes I do. I try to match a wheel as close as possible to the wheel the car would have in real life. I have a DD1 with 6 different wheels.
 
Premium
Round wheel for dirt and retro cars (and most others that have a round wheel in real life), Mclaren wheel for everything else.

Using VR 90 percent of the time, I still like to match the shape of the wheel to what I see.
 
I just upgraded my Rim for my G29. Alien Sim products, Loving it so far BTW. I feel more consistent than the stock wheel.

But now having done the hard part of removing the stock wheel. Getting an adapter, and a third party wheel for cars like the 917K or others that would be more towards a rounder wheel does sound enticing.


I just want to put out there I'm aware if I spent that much money i might as well get (insert DD here) but the reality is I've bought this over time, so for me, this is a good investment.
 
When I bit the bullet and went Fanatec from Logitech, I got the Mclaren and BMW wheels, thinking I'd use the Mclaren wheel for GT3, and the BMW wheel for Oval + ATS + ETS.

That lasted about one whole day - all it took was the realization that the buttons don't map the same between the two wheels, and I don't have time or inclination to map out every button I use with Car-Specific setups in iRacing, when I like to just hit up "What's Next" and pick something interesting that starts in 14:49 or less. I'd need to set up, like, 5 different profiles each day for probably a month before I had something workable for each car if I were a 'swapper'.

And besides, My hands never leave 9/3 anyway, so in VR I can't really tell that the top and bottom of the wheel aren't really there...
 
1 - original Nascar steering wheel, used in race, for Nascar Racing 2003
2 - WTCR Cupra steering wheel, build by myself, for RRRE WTCR cars
3 - Lotus49 steering wheel for GPL and AMS2 historic F1
4 - Lotus 109 Petro Lamy, build by myself for RRRE and AMS2
5 - Ferrari 643 steering wheel for RRRE and AMS2
6 - DTM BMW M3 steering wheel for RRRE DTM cars
7 - 300mm suede steering wheel, used for all classic gt cars, curently in use for RRRE trucks
8 - Porsche 911 GT3 wheel, Fanatec rim, the rest is build by myself
9 - Thrustmaster Open Wheel addon, modified, for all modern open wheeler
10 - Audi/Lambo GT3 steering wheel, carbon rim is from Aliexpress, the rest is build by myself
11 - AMG GT GT3 steering wheel, build by myself
12 - modified Thrustmaster 599XX Alcantara wheel with 2 additional buttons
13 - WIP Ferrari 488GT3 steering wheel - guess this will be my last one, once finished

So...YES!
 

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Premium
I use Fanatec and have three rims, the Formula steering wheel, the 320 mm diameter GT rim, and a 320 mm diameter round rim. The different diameter makes a big difference between the Formula and the other two - it changes my approach and adds to the immersion. The two are almost interchangeable but it's nice to have the round one for rallying.

I play in VR so looks don't play a part.

The only thing I am missing is a small round rim for vintage formula cars. At this point, I am using the 320 mm round one for them.

So, to answer the question: yes.
Can recommend the Motamec 270mm wheel for vintage F1. It's relatively reasonably priced and comes either with suede or regular leather. Mine is a bit modified, fits nicely with all vintage formula cars.
20230507_203304.jpg

I think it's probably the same wheel as the Fanatec branded one, but at less than half the price...
 
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Premium
we only got the g29 and g923 in our shitty country, so its only round wheel for me, even tho i absolutely hate it...
I actually want a completely round wheel, so I can pretend I'm driving a 60's 70's car, I also need a gated 4 to 6 speed gear selector, flappy paddles are fine for today's cars but remove immersion for historic racing.
While immersion is a goo thing I can't go as far as cutting myself off from reality with a headset, but I guess I'll need to have a custom made 600mm if I wan't to be Julian Mazube at Goodwood.
 
I switch between a G29 and a gamepad, does that count? Don't have the space or funds for anything else at the moment, maybe in a year or two.
 
I absolutly do :)
But there are more cars in the world then i have time to replicate :)
27A31FAF-AA49-4FCE-8A05-81A80A9F4D8A.jpeg
 
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Simple answer: no.

With prices for sim racing gear nowadays I'm lucky to afford one.
 
- Round blue Momo 32 leather wheel. For H-shfiting. No buttons.
- Ascher-racing button plate with OMP Superquadro 32 D-shaped. For sequential shifting.
- Porsche P911 30 by Grid/SL. For sequential shifting. This recently replaced the Ascher/OMP.
- To buy: round leather 32/33 and attach to the Ascher plate. For ETS and other 'driving' sims/games. Then the (worn suede) OMP can go to the display cabinet.
 
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