Thrustmaster T248/T3PM Review


Here is the RaceDepartment review of the Thrustmaster T248 Hybrid Drive wheel and T3PM pedal set.

Thrustmaster is set to release their latest wheel, wheelbase and pedal set to consumers on October 21st. Using a single USB connection, the wheel and pedal set is compatible with PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The T248 bundle is aimed at the intro to mid-tier sim hardware market, and the MSRP is set at £300, or €350, or $400 USD. At that price, I believe this is the best all-in-one hardware bundle on the market.

Buy now from Amazon.com for USD 399,99

Much of Thrustmaster’s marketing of the T248 bundle has centred around the evolution from the T150 and TMX wheelbases. The Hybrid Drive system utilizes belts and pulleys within the wheelbase to generate the force feedback and steering forces and can produce peak torque forces 70% higher than the T150/TMX.

The difference between the Thrustmaster TMX and the T248 is astounding. Whilst just over 1NM of torque difference, it feels way more than that. For an entry level wheel the T248 feels punchy, providing a great level of information to the driver. Cosmetically, I believe Thrustmaster have taken a giant step back - as the T150 and TMX look far more "serious", whilst the T248 has a "toy like" feeling to it. Although nearly all the visible components and surfaces in the T248 are plastic, the quantity and placement of the buttons is very well done.

The steering wheel itself has a firm but spongy surface, which feels nice on the hands over longer racing sessions. But perhaps the best part of the T248 is the screen mounted about the centre of the wheel. Not only does this allow you to display live data like speed, RPMs, and lap times in compatible games, but also to adjust FFB flavours, set wheel rotation degrees on console, and to switch between PC, PS4 and PS5 modes.

The pedals are another highlight of this hardware bundle for me. These pedals feel great, both the throttle and clutch feel incredibly smooth and accurate, the brake pedal is a gigantic step forward in the right direction over the T3PA pedals that came with the T150 pro and TMX pro. I used the T3PA pedals for a while and I had to modify the brake pedal to get any feel of resistance, so that I could brake consistently. The brake on the T248 is adjustable, coming with two springs and a rubber bung, which allows you to stiffen the brake pedal. Whilst it'll never be as stiff as a load cell, slapping on the stiffest spring with the rubber bung (hardest option), provides you with a fantastic brake pedal.

I would go as far to say that these pedals felt better than the new Fanatec CSL pedals, though the build quality of the Fanatec pedals are far superior and they come with an optional load cell.

Positioning these pedals is key, as they tend to slide on both hard and carpeted surfaces, so plan to mount the T3PM pedals onto a cockpit or against a wall. It's also worth noting that when the hardest brake option has been fitted, they are almost impossible to use on the floor.
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About author
Damian Reed
Damian Reed
PC geek, gamer, content creator, and passionate sim racer.
I live life a 1/4 mile at a time, it takes me ages to get anywhere!

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Comments

Mekonrider
blot said:
I bought a T300RS and TP3A pedals to replace my G25, I think it was a nice step up, One of the problems with the T300RS wheel is that with hard, Prolonged use it can get very hot, Stuff inside melts and that's what seems to cause a lot of the wheels problems, I tweaked it so the cooling fan runs continuously, I've had zero problems so far and when the original cooling fan finally wears out i've got a nice Noctua fan to replace it with.
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Not really had that problem. I've set it not clip in Raceroom and AC and the level of feedback at those levels is quite weak. I can't see the point of turning it up melting point if it's just clipped feedback anyway.
 
MJQT
2112 said:
I don't understand this part of your post. DD is far more responsive than a belt or gear drive wheel. I had a CSL Elite that was great once I understood how to tune it properly. I was hesitant to get a DD but I found myself with the means to get one and pulled the trigger.

The improvement in my ability to control the car, the speed at which it reacts, the fidelity, etc...make DD the avenue (if you can afford it) for a more immersive and responsive wheel base. Even with the torque key removed (only allows for low torque) the fidelity and speed over my CSL Elite wheelbase were noticeable.

If you can afford the CSL DD I would highly recommend getting it as opposed to any similar priced non-DD wheel. If you can afford a DD1, DD2 or other, stronger wheel base, then get that if you are serious about sim racing.

That being said, if you cannot afford DD because it is at your limit, or you continue to have doubts, a belt or gear wheel, if tuned properly, may be the best route for you. I am quite sure have been beaten by more than one racer who has basic gear.
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Thanks for the reply. Yeah, of course a DD like the CSL will be more immersive and responsive! I'll keep your comments in mind about the improvement a CSL DD is, even without the boost kit. Good to know. I'll give it (and my pocketbook) a hard look.

But a CSL DD would be a huge budget stretch for me to say the least. It's interesting - both the T300 GT and T248 complete packages cost less than the CSL DD wheelbase without a rim or pedals. You get what you pay for, I get it, but still. And I suspect this is why Thrustmaster thinks they have a market for the T248.
 
Metla
Premium
Overpriced, ugly as hell, and using rubbish internal tech.

Whats not to love?

The two mainstream manufacturers are still hanging their hats on cheap and nasty gear drive plastic wheels being sold at a premium.....

Bin it. Burn their ships, No survivors.
 
smeisinger
MJQT said:
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, of course a DD like the CSL will be more immersive and responsive! I'll keep your comments in mind about the improvement a CSL DD is, even without the boost kit. Good to know. I'll give it (and my pocketbook) a hard look.

But a CSL DD would be a huge budget stretch for me to say the least. It's interesting - both the T300 GT and T248 complete packages cost less than the CSL DD wheelbase without a rim or pedals. You get what you pay for, I get it, but still. And I suspect this is why Thrustmaster thinks they have a market for the T248.
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You're massively overthinking this.

A fancy wheel won't make you race better. Just buy whatever you feel comfortable with. There are no bad wheels out there. Even the old DFGT is still capable of being used competitively.

You can always upgrade later.
 
Kyuubeey
smeisinger said:
You're massively overthinking this.

A fancy wheel won't make you race better. Just buy whatever you feel comfortable with. There are no bad wheels out there. Even the old DFGT is still capable of being used competitively.

You can always upgrade later.
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Sure it will. It's a complete gamechanger if doing something like rally or drifting where you need the response time and rotation speed.

Saying anything else is coping and you know it. Although even with a crap wheel you can still drive well, especially in hotlapping where it's more like a speedrun than a drive.
 
Kveilkur
Metla said:
Overpriced, ugly as hell, and using rubbish internal tech.

Whats not to love?

The two mainstream manufacturers are still hanging their hats on cheap and nasty gear drive plastic wheels being sold at a premium.....

Bin it. Burn their ships, No survivors.
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'Overpriced, ugly as hell, and using rubbish internal tech.'

All correct but Racedepartment gave it the same number of stars as the Fanatec CSL DD, and Mike in his Sim 604 vid said he was 'very impressed' with the free one TM sent him - so much so that it's a 'new go-to' for him.
 
smeisinger
Kyuubeey said:
Sure it will. It's a complete gamechanger if doing something like rally or drifting where you need the response time and rotation speed.

Saying anything else is coping and you know it. Although even with a crap wheel you can still drive well, especially in hotlapping where it's more like a speedrun than a drive.
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No, I don't know that.

I upgraded from a DFGT to a G29 to a CSL Elite because they felt better, I didn't gain a anything from those upgrades though.

One of the best racers I know still uses a G25 (Ted Hough).

Admittedly I don't have a clue about drifting though. A better wheel might actually make a difference there.
 
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Kyuubeey
smeisinger said:
No, I don't know that.

I upgraded from a DFGT to a G29 to a CSL Elite because they felt better, I didn't gain a anything from those upgrades though.

One of the best racers I know still uses a G25 (Ted Hough).

Admittedly I don't have a clue about drifting though. A better wheel might actually make a difference there.
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If you consistently drive under the limit in easy cars, or have all of the timings and everything nailed down well enough that you could be driving without FFB for all you care, then sure, it might not seem to matter.

It matters a ton once the car starts to oversteer and you have to catch it, or if you care about the reactions of the wheel being correct. It's not so much about the low torque as much as it is about the slow reaction time and extremely limited maximum rotation speed in entry-level wheels compared to a real one.
 
smeisinger
Kyuubeey said:
It matters a ton once the car starts to oversteer and you have to catch it
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Oversteer? What's that and why would I want to catch it??? Sounds dangerous. I hope I'll never experience that. Sounds like you need a DD wheel when that happens!
 
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Kyuubeey
smeisinger said:
Oversteer? What's that and why would I want to catch it??? Sounds dangerous. I hope I'll never experience that. Sounds like you need a DD wheel when that happens!
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Yep, you would like to have one unless you want to lose a bunch of time while being behind the car's reactions and have to drive it by eye more than by hand. Or just memorize by heart what movements the car will do at every point of the track and you can mitigate it.

I used to hotlap about 1s~ from top times (Semi-professional leagues, not some public leaderboards) on a G27 and I still drive on the same wheel, before someone posts something silly. I drift on it too. Even if I am quite good and can get the car around the track with it, I'm not going to pretend that it's just as good as a DD or even a belt wheel.
 
Trava
Went DFGT > G29 > T300RS.
Upgrading to T300 made G29 feel like DFGT and a DD would probably make good belt wheels feel like a DFGT too.

Sure, in grip it might not be a massive difference but at some point using a cheap wheel definitely becomes a hindrance. It's like driving on a 15ms input lag TV vs 1ms monitor. Of course it's doable but high end equipment will make it a whole lot easier and, in turn, faster and more consistent. You can respond quicker to any situation while driving becuase the wheel isn't lagging behind the car.

Drifting is where the biggest difference is. All consumer wheels barring DD and maybe top end belt wheels are limited by their rotation speed. Why do you think all driftmods aimed at the average dudebro run SUV inertia box? That's right, because cheap wheels rotate anywhere from 5 to 10x slower than a real rack depending on the car. The initial ramp-up is slower too, adding even more delay to already struggling to keep up FFB.

On a cheap wheel, you have to drive 2 steps ahead of the car, predict it's movements and limit yaw rate so your sim wheel can keep up with the rotation of the car. You have to "throw" the wheel to make it countersteer barely fast enough and you can forget about quick lock to lock transitions.
On a high end belt/DD wheel? It's completely effortless and hands free. You just let the wheel spin freely and catch it at desired angle. Car drives itself.

Although admittably, for me the thing that made the biggest difference in my driving was hard mounted rig. You can have the best wheel and pedals in the world but if you're rolling around on an office chair while driving it won't do you any good.

smeisinger said:
I upgraded from a DFGT to a G29 to a CSL Elite because they felt better, I didn't gain a anything from those upgrades though.
Click to expand...
Looks like it wasn't the wheel that was the limiting factor then.
 
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smeisinger
Trava said:
Looks like it wasn't the wheel that was the limiting factor then.
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Yeah, just as it's the case with most of the other semi-serious simracers out there. Us plebs who're somewhere between 2000 and 3000 iRating and for the life of us will always lose a second or two per lap compared to the really fast guys.

In the comment sections and forums all the simracers always need the shiniest toys to keep up in those tremendously serious leagues we all race in, but we'll still get wiped off the track when somebody with actual skill comes around with a 10 year old wheel clamped to their desk.

Buy your shiny toys when you feel like it (my setup is in the lower four digits range too, so no, I'm not just coping with how I can't afford the things I'd like), but don't talk people into buying expensive things they most likely don't need.

edit: Yes. I'm taking this way more serious than I should :D But since I can think it's always the same shi*t: people talk others into buying ridicously expensive stuff they don't need. Motorcycles, Photography, RC Cars, Guitars, Audio equipment. You name it.
 
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Kyuubeey
It's not that anyone who isn't aiming to train seriously *needs* good peripherals, it's more-so that the claim better peripherals won't make you better is completely false. Sure they will. The better you are the more it'll benefit you.

Of course that doesn't mean you *need* a rig in the four digits. You should consider as a buyer how much time you will spend on it to begin with and what your goals are. There is also a minimum skill level where it starts to matter a bit more; if you can't drive at all to begin with it hardly matters what you use.

So perhaps beginners shouldn't be toying around with DD wheels; if only because they can get injured much easier due to bad technique than with lower end wheels and they're more difficult to setup.

Anyone who spends as much time as I do developing for and driving sims should be driving on the best rig they can get, but hey, we're not all made of money.
 
Trava
smeisinger said:
In the comment sections and forums all the simracers always need the shiniest toys to keep up in those tremendously serious leagues we all race in, but we'll still get wiped off the track when somebody with actual skill comes around with a 10 year old wheel clamped to their desk.
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Congrats, you missed the entire point.

Here's TL;DR: a good setup won't magically make you an alien but it sure as hell will make it easier to be fast and consistent, the more so the better driver you are.
 
smeisinger
Trava said:
Congrats, you missed the entire point.

Here's TL;DR: a good setup won't magically make you an alien but it sure as hell will make it easier to be fast and consistent, the more so the better driver you are.
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No I didn't.

Better wheels are better.
Better guitars are better.
Better cameras are better.
Even if you're just a hobbyist.

But do random people who never owned one of those things before need to spend 1000 bucks or more when they want to get into those things? Hell no, because they wouldn't notice any difference.

And chances are that their new shiny toy will end up in their basement as an expensive dust catcher anyways.
 
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Kyuubeey
smeisinger said:
No I didn't.

Better wheels are better.
Better guitars are better.
Better cameras are better.
Even if you're just a hobbyist.

But do a random people who never owned one of those things before need to spend 1000 bucks or more when they want to get into those tings? Hell no, because they wouldn't notice any difference.

And chances are that their new shiny toy will end up in their basement as an expensive dust catcher.
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Your argument still was that there is no benefit from owning one, not what you've changed it to.
 
smeisinger
Kyuubeey said:
Your argument still was that there is no benefit from owning one, not what you've changed it to.
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I never said there was no benefit from owning a fancy wheel. Please point out the part where I said so.

Sidenote: I could pick your argument apart as well for claiming that better wheels are "a complete gamechanger", but unlike you I'm not arguing in bad faith.
 
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