Thrustmaster T818 Direct Drive Wheelbase Revealed

Thrustmaster T818 Revealed 01.jpg
Thrustmaster’s first direct drive wheelbase has been revealed on a Twitch stream after a long marketing campaign.

After a long marketing campaign which gave sim racers only a trickle of teaser images, Thrustmaster’s first direct drive wheelbase, the T818, has now been revealed.

Thrustmaster’s Twitch channel was host to a reveal showcase hosted by marketing manager Tim Gorham. Viewers got their first look at the hexagonal wheelbase, which houses a motor rated for 10Nm of constant torque.

The T818 has a new quick release, which allows fast and easy switching between various wheels in the Thrustmaster’s ecosystem. The wheelbase is designed for PC only at this time, but future editions are planned for console. Thrustmaster also teased future products by mentioning an RJ45 port on the base which will not be used yet, but gives connectivity options for upcoming products.

And speaking of upcoming products, there are four new wheel rims expected from Thrustmaster in 2023. These wheels may be included with the T818 in future bundles.

The wheelbase includes a customizable light strip at the front of the base, which can be customized or disabled depending on user preference. Another customization option offered by the T818 are exchangeable metal plates for the side.

For pricing, the T818 wheelbase alone will cost $649.99/€649.99, and pre-orders are now open on the Thrustmaster EU e-shop. If and when the T818 sells out, a second wave will be available at the end of December. The first wave of orders for the US market should be ready for order in March of 2023.

What are your thoughts on this wheelbase? Would you order one for yourself? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below.
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

Premium
10NM base for $650, that's not that bad of a price. If I had the need for a direct drive wheelbase, I would consider the T818. But that is purely on the price and the looks, I have to learn more about this base.
 
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This new thing is expensive, very expensive if you compare it to the Fanatec
smaller base which is "only" 350 Euro.
Good luck buying one of those at that price point. They haven't been available since launch and I doubt they ever will be again. It surely looks like it's a business strategy employed to enable Fanatec to claim they sell direct-drive bases at €350 to draw people in hoping to sell them something more expensive.
 
Beautiful base and high price but so all the "old" steering wheels will go into disuse right? Fantastic so you will also be forced to buy new compatible steering wheels and not just the base. Fanatec in this is better, too bad. :( :(
 
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Finally it has arrived! cant wait for proper reviews and see how it holds up. Price seems fair yet. See if TM didn't make any quality shortcuts after prolong delays . Pc only but at least they sorted the idea for older wheel compatibility. I think that's the most important thing so any current TM users doesnt have to shell out more to get new wheels for their new DD.
 
Staff
Premium
Good luck buying one of those at that price point. They haven't been available since launch and I doubt they ever will be again. It surely looks like it's a business strategy employed to enable Fanatec to claim they sell direct-drive bases at €350 to draw people in hoping to sell them something more expensive.
I went to the Fanatec website because I was curious about this. Shedloads of sold-out stuff, indeed.
I then selected to filter the list by "Immediately available" and bizarrely that only took two items away from the list: 8 items were still listed, 7 of which were "Sold out"... Way to go, Fanatec! :roflmao:
Meanwhile, I'm also very curious to see the reviews for the T818.
 
Confused... When they say ecosystem, does that mean older rims like the ferrari 599xx and F1 wheels will work?
Yes, they already stated this a year ago. However for each wheel you will want to use, you will need to purchase a QR adapter. One comes with the T818 itself. The adapter is £35 each, so you connect the adapter to your existing wheel and they that connects to the T818. An article I read earlier did say that 3 new wheels are on the way and they will have native compatibility with the T818.
 
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Premium
Good luck buying one of those at that price point. They haven't been available since launch and I doubt they ever will be again. It surely looks like it's a business strategy employed to enable Fanatec to claim they sell direct-drive bases at €350 to draw people in hoping to sell them something more expensive.
According to Fanatec's blog, they still had problems getting the chips for the CSL Direct drive wheelbases. They're looking to have that issue resolved in Q1 of 2023. Its part of the reason they put the Podium F1, DD1 and,DD2 bases on sale.
 
Premium
What's with the multi-colour LED light strips?
Asetek pedals have these too and you have to wonder who wants lights on the pedal heel rest. You won't find LEDs under the pedals in a McLaren 720S GT3 race car
 
I know they mentioned RJ45 but I haven’t noticed a shifter port like on all other bases except T500 as I have a ricmotech sequential modded TH8a that is convenient to have plugged into the base as it mimics the paddle shifter inputs.
 
Viewers got their first look at the hexagonal wheelbase, which houses a motor rated for 10Nm of constant torque.

The CSL requires the boost kit to reach 8nm, personally I'd prefer no boost kit and just the motor, let's not forget the insane shipping cost to some countries and fanatec's excellent customer service lol
Actually, for me Fanatec customer service is not bad at all. The replaced my v3 pedals after a problem, even send me new screws for the pedal plate for free when the alan head broke.
 
D
Great that it's finally the era of the DD's.. I am still pondering if I should sell my CSW 2.5.. It's still the best belt-driven base. 8NM, lots of detail, and looks great too. Hmmm. Maybe I should use it until it's dead... But buying Thrustmaster DD or Fanatec DD1, or any .. and then get 300-400 for the CSW 2.5 is still tempting.
 
Yes, they already stated this a year ago. However for each wheel you will want to use, you will need to purchase a QR adapter. One comes with the T818 itself. The adapter is £35 each, so you connect the adapter to your existing wheel and they that connects to the T818. An article I read earlier did say that 3 new wheels are on the way and they will have native compatibility with the T818.
Well that's not strictly true. There's no need to have an adapter for each wheel. It takes less than 30 seconds to unscrew from one wheel and put it on another.
 

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