Disclaimer:
I'm not a reviewer and haven't tried that many wheels/bases/pedals in my life.
I've been using Fanatec CSL DD 8nm with McLaren V2 and no-name loadcell pedals for past year or so.
I've pre-ordered the bundle and spent only a month with it (at the time of writing), so this is not long-term review.
Why I bought it:
While I don't mind paying a considerable sum of money for something that is ethical, high quality, long-lasting and can be considered a good investment, I don't like paying for things I don't need or want or for something that is overpriced. La Prima is exactly that - I don't want RGB LEDs, I don't need nor want 40 buttons and encoders on my steering wheel, I don't need two-color pedals, I don't need my wheelbase to serve as a USB-C HUB, etc, etc. If you're like me - This is it.
What is absolutely mind-blowing is that I really do thing this is currently the best deal in (higher-end) simracing gear while everything being designed and MADE IN DENMARK. I know manufacturing in China is not that cheap anymore, but how the hell can Asetek make any money on this bundle I really don't know. Perhaps this is a loss-leader and they expect people to buy upgrades and other/future Asetek gear, but idk.
I like how Asetek is open about what they are doing and I especially love them for opening their Quick Release system for other manufacturers to use. This is stark difference to Fanatec, which from my point-of-view is not a likeable company and some of their business practices are questionable (162EUR for cheapo 180W power adapter, or the whole quick release debacle).
And I think Asetek is just getting started: 3rd party wheels with their QR are already in the works; They say they are working on console compatibility (which can't be easy, wouldn't count on it and is not really deciding factor for me); There is definitely a room in the market for a nice shifter?; Looking at reviews, the Invicta wheelbase is apparently the best of the best at the moment and hopefully will generate some revenue; etc..
I do plan to upgrade one or two things, depending on how the upgrade kits will look like - for example if I can buy a hydraulic brake mechanism from Invicta without the things I don't want like LED strips and pedal plates. But even without any upgrades I'm perfectly fine tbh.
LP Wheelbase:
Straight from the box you can feel this is thing has the same motor as the 18nm 6.7 Nm/ms 400W Forte wheelbase. Simply because it's double the weight of the CSL DD!
I didn't expect that big of a difference with the included 180W power adapter (12nm) compared to the CSL DD, but wow, it's on another level, I could immediately catch slides which I previously wouldn't. Love it.
The power button is something I didn't know I needed! The button itself feels like something you would find on industrial level 10 ton machine. I enjoy pressing it lol.
It is not yet know how the upgrade kits will look like, If I'll be able to buy just a bigger power adapter without changing the PCB and adding LED strips, I'll go for it for sake of having a faster slew-rate(not that I really need it, but my OCD brain wants to unlock the motor's potential) The amount of power is already more then enough here. I lowered the FFB gain in ACC so there is no clipping at all and it's still quite a workout on full 12nm, will need to lower it for longer races
dislikes:
I don't love the mounting options, definitely prefer the side mounting like for example Fanatec bases allow, but even a standardized front mount would be better than what Asetek suggest - removing the plastic front cone and buy their mount plate. I've opted for bottom mount, as I already had alu profiles for it, but if I didn't, it would be a pain to decide how to mount it to be honest.
I was going to write the overall esthetic design, incl. the plastic cone in the front, but honestly? It looks much better in person than on pics/videos and I quite like it.
LP Steering Wheel:
Yeah, this is my first encounter with high-end wheel and my lord the McLaren V2 suddenly feels like a cheap child's toy. I would not be afraid to use this wheel in real-life car.
The LED lights customization in software is lovely.
Here I already know I will not be upgrading anything, as there is already enough buttons and encoders I'll ever need, I don't drive formula cars with two-stage clutch and prefer clutch pedal anyway. And well, having display on simracing wheel never made sense to me.
Only thing I'll be getting is some circular wheel. Asetek pls make one so I don't have to buy from elsewhere
dislikes:
The blanked places where rotary encoders are on Forte looks bad. Personally I could not care less, but I know some people will. I might put some stickers there - would be cool to have some custom ones that would point to nearest button(s) with pictogram/text for what the buttons do. Asetek/someone pls.
LP Pedals + LP Clutch:
Same build as Invicta, same brake as Forte in this price-point? I'll take it! The build quality is insane, it's almost like something you should would put on a display as decoration instead of kicking it with 100Kg of force lol.
When unboxing, I initially thought the throttle pedal is way too weak, even though there is stiffer torsion spring(I'm used to stiff throttle), but when I actually started using it, I didn't even notice there is anything different, it's stiff enough. It's a throttle, who cares. Probably won't be upgrading that.
I do hope I will be able to buy just the Invicta hydraulic THORP mechanism (who the hell needs LED trips on their pedals?), but if not this brake system is great anyway. I don't think there is a big difference compared to any other higher-end elastomer-based systems, but from what I've learned it's important to have the elastomer(s) in some kind of cylinder to avoid its 'bloating'. The major advantage for me is(will be) consistency.
Keep in mind you don't need mounting plate, as it is part of the design(efficiency, minimalism yay) - if you don't already have a mounting mechanism, other pedals in this price point suddenly are not such great deal in comparison
dislikes:
The heel rest is uncomfortable for people driving in socks. @ Asetek people: just because you all think people should use shoes, it should not be a reason not to think of shoe-less drivers when designing your products. I genuinely hate the stupid indented logo there, sheesh. Simracing in shoes is stupid anyway, at least if you don't intend to also drive in real-life racing cars with FIA-approved fireproof shoes, as you have much more feeling bare-feet. I'll die on this hill (and yes I also drive my real car without shoes, don't even try this argument)
Lack of bump stop for throttle and clutch - it is metal on metal, doesn't feel right and is quite noisy. I solved it by 3dprinting this , but apparently those rubber things for furniture also works.
Clutch - first of all, this is not a part of the bundle. You can buy Invicta instead or no clutch at all. Plus, like everything La Prima, you can upgrade it later.
Unfortunately right now, without any spring mechanism it's just...meh. Don't really feel any better than random consumer-level Thrustmaster/Logitech pedals.
I don't use clutch normally, so at the moment it's non-issue, but going forward will definitely need to somehow upgrade it.
Overall:
As you can probably tell, I really really it, that's why I decided to spend time writing this in the first place. I'm happy to leave Fanatec for good and happy to buy more stuff from Asetek in the future, as it ticks all the boxes. The `made in Denmark` might not be as big deal for other people as it is for me but even without that fact I can recommend this bundle for sure.
I also like the smaller things, like the fact that there was basically no plastic in the packaging. The boxes are foldable and I easily store them instead of throwing them away, packaging didn't include useless 'swag', etc..
Asetek Simsports community is quite small but people from within and outside of company are very helpful and friendly.
One small dislike I haven't mentioned yet - the T-nuts and screws are meh, they definitely get the job done, but I wouldn't call them high-quality.
If anybody has any question, I'll try to answer at some point
I'm not a reviewer and haven't tried that many wheels/bases/pedals in my life.
I've been using Fanatec CSL DD 8nm with McLaren V2 and no-name loadcell pedals for past year or so.
I've pre-ordered the bundle and spent only a month with it (at the time of writing), so this is not long-term review.
Why I bought it:
While I don't mind paying a considerable sum of money for something that is ethical, high quality, long-lasting and can be considered a good investment, I don't like paying for things I don't need or want or for something that is overpriced. La Prima is exactly that - I don't want RGB LEDs, I don't need nor want 40 buttons and encoders on my steering wheel, I don't need two-color pedals, I don't need my wheelbase to serve as a USB-C HUB, etc, etc. If you're like me - This is it.
What is absolutely mind-blowing is that I really do thing this is currently the best deal in (higher-end) simracing gear while everything being designed and MADE IN DENMARK. I know manufacturing in China is not that cheap anymore, but how the hell can Asetek make any money on this bundle I really don't know. Perhaps this is a loss-leader and they expect people to buy upgrades and other/future Asetek gear, but idk.
I like how Asetek is open about what they are doing and I especially love them for opening their Quick Release system for other manufacturers to use. This is stark difference to Fanatec, which from my point-of-view is not a likeable company and some of their business practices are questionable (162EUR for cheapo 180W power adapter, or the whole quick release debacle).
And I think Asetek is just getting started: 3rd party wheels with their QR are already in the works; They say they are working on console compatibility (which can't be easy, wouldn't count on it and is not really deciding factor for me); There is definitely a room in the market for a nice shifter?; Looking at reviews, the Invicta wheelbase is apparently the best of the best at the moment and hopefully will generate some revenue; etc..
I do plan to upgrade one or two things, depending on how the upgrade kits will look like - for example if I can buy a hydraulic brake mechanism from Invicta without the things I don't want like LED strips and pedal plates. But even without any upgrades I'm perfectly fine tbh.
LP Wheelbase:
Straight from the box you can feel this is thing has the same motor as the 18nm 6.7 Nm/ms 400W Forte wheelbase. Simply because it's double the weight of the CSL DD!
I didn't expect that big of a difference with the included 180W power adapter (12nm) compared to the CSL DD, but wow, it's on another level, I could immediately catch slides which I previously wouldn't. Love it.
The power button is something I didn't know I needed! The button itself feels like something you would find on industrial level 10 ton machine. I enjoy pressing it lol.
It is not yet know how the upgrade kits will look like, If I'll be able to buy just a bigger power adapter without changing the PCB and adding LED strips, I'll go for it for sake of having a faster slew-rate(not that I really need it, but my OCD brain wants to unlock the motor's potential) The amount of power is already more then enough here. I lowered the FFB gain in ACC so there is no clipping at all and it's still quite a workout on full 12nm, will need to lower it for longer races
dislikes:
I don't love the mounting options, definitely prefer the side mounting like for example Fanatec bases allow, but even a standardized front mount would be better than what Asetek suggest - removing the plastic front cone and buy their mount plate. I've opted for bottom mount, as I already had alu profiles for it, but if I didn't, it would be a pain to decide how to mount it to be honest.
I was going to write the overall esthetic design, incl. the plastic cone in the front, but honestly? It looks much better in person than on pics/videos and I quite like it.
LP Steering Wheel:
Yeah, this is my first encounter with high-end wheel and my lord the McLaren V2 suddenly feels like a cheap child's toy. I would not be afraid to use this wheel in real-life car.
The LED lights customization in software is lovely.
Here I already know I will not be upgrading anything, as there is already enough buttons and encoders I'll ever need, I don't drive formula cars with two-stage clutch and prefer clutch pedal anyway. And well, having display on simracing wheel never made sense to me.
Only thing I'll be getting is some circular wheel. Asetek pls make one so I don't have to buy from elsewhere
dislikes:
The blanked places where rotary encoders are on Forte looks bad. Personally I could not care less, but I know some people will. I might put some stickers there - would be cool to have some custom ones that would point to nearest button(s) with pictogram/text for what the buttons do. Asetek/someone pls.
LP Pedals + LP Clutch:
Same build as Invicta, same brake as Forte in this price-point? I'll take it! The build quality is insane, it's almost like something you should would put on a display as decoration instead of kicking it with 100Kg of force lol.
When unboxing, I initially thought the throttle pedal is way too weak, even though there is stiffer torsion spring(I'm used to stiff throttle), but when I actually started using it, I didn't even notice there is anything different, it's stiff enough. It's a throttle, who cares. Probably won't be upgrading that.
I do hope I will be able to buy just the Invicta hydraulic THORP mechanism (who the hell needs LED trips on their pedals?), but if not this brake system is great anyway. I don't think there is a big difference compared to any other higher-end elastomer-based systems, but from what I've learned it's important to have the elastomer(s) in some kind of cylinder to avoid its 'bloating'. The major advantage for me is(will be) consistency.
Keep in mind you don't need mounting plate, as it is part of the design(efficiency, minimalism yay) - if you don't already have a mounting mechanism, other pedals in this price point suddenly are not such great deal in comparison
dislikes:
The heel rest is uncomfortable for people driving in socks. @ Asetek people: just because you all think people should use shoes, it should not be a reason not to think of shoe-less drivers when designing your products. I genuinely hate the stupid indented logo there, sheesh. Simracing in shoes is stupid anyway, at least if you don't intend to also drive in real-life racing cars with FIA-approved fireproof shoes, as you have much more feeling bare-feet. I'll die on this hill
(and yes I also drive my real car without shoes, don't even try this argument)Lack of bump stop for throttle and clutch - it is metal on metal, doesn't feel right and is quite noisy. I solved it by 3dprinting this , but apparently those rubber things for furniture also works.
Clutch - first of all, this is not a part of the bundle. You can buy Invicta instead or no clutch at all. Plus, like everything La Prima, you can upgrade it later.
Unfortunately right now, without any spring mechanism it's just...meh. Don't really feel any better than random consumer-level Thrustmaster/Logitech pedals.
I don't use clutch normally, so at the moment it's non-issue, but going forward will definitely need to somehow upgrade it.
Overall:
As you can probably tell, I really really it, that's why I decided to spend time writing this in the first place. I'm happy to leave Fanatec for good and happy to buy more stuff from Asetek in the future, as it ticks all the boxes. The `made in Denmark` might not be as big deal for other people as it is for me but even without that fact I can recommend this bundle for sure.
I also like the smaller things, like the fact that there was basically no plastic in the packaging. The boxes are foldable and I easily store them instead of throwing them away, packaging didn't include useless 'swag', etc..
Asetek Simsports community is quite small but people from within and outside of company are very helpful and friendly.
One small dislike I haven't mentioned yet - the T-nuts and screws are meh, they definitely get the job done, but I wouldn't call them high-quality.
If anybody has any question, I'll try to answer at some point
