For several weeks now I am a proud owner of a G25 wheel plate from SR Hardware and I want to share my thoughts and experience with this product in a review.
The Package
Like having a christmas present when I was a little boy, I could not wait to open the box to see what was inside. Nicely packed in a solid box with foam and plastics for protection, and there it was, immediately I had a smile on my face when I first saw the plate. The looks of the plate are amazing, shiny but not too shiny and the carbon look is very balanced and not overwhelming.
The package is supplied with an alan key and spare nuts.
Mounting and assembly
This wheel plate is made for mounting the SLI Pro board from Leo Bodnar, but if you have or prefer a SLI M, no worries, there is a wheel plate available for it. Both wheel plates are also available for the G27. When ordering a wheel plate you can even choose different colors for the buttons and rotary encoders to your liking.
The SLI Pro I already had and I grabbed my tools to get started right away, I even skipped diner for it
. The SLI fits like a glove on the wheel plate and is very easy to mount, just unscrew a few nuts, put the SLI on the bolts and put the washers and nuts back on. You don’t need tools for it to tighten the nuts, hand tight will do. There are spacers between the plate and the SLI for a perfect fit.
Now it was time to really get to work as all the wiring still needs to be done. All this is a reasonably easy job to do if you are used to working with a soldering iron. If you are not used to using a soldering iron often, don’t be afraid as you don’t need high electronic knowledge to be able to do the job, it is all very basic. It has taken me 1 to 2 hours to complete the job and I did it in easy mode.
If you really don’t want to do it yourself you can also order a completely assembled wheel plate, including the SLI and wiring, but of course the price will be a bit higher then.
So after doing all the wiring it was time to get the plate and SLI working. Best thing to do is test it while it is not mounted to the wheel, if you need to do a correction it will be much easier to do so off the wheel. After installing the needed software I was ready to go, I plugged in the USB cable that is provided with the SLI and was anxiously looking at my screen….balloon pops up in widows, installing device.…im a happy man
Everything worked accordingly so it was time to get it mounted to my wheel and G25 base, you can do it 2 ways. You can leave the USB cable outside of the base, this option is the simplest, but the cable could get stuck somewhere when calibrating the wheel or while driving if you do not route it with care. The other option is to lead the USB cable through the hub of the wheel and lead it outside of the back of the base so the cable can’t damage the SLI or other things. It will look much better also if you don’t see any wires connected to the wheel. Also this is pretty easy job to do, if you take your time it will all be fine.
I will also make a tutorial to wire up the SLI and mounting the wheel plate so everything you need to know is in one document. So I won’t go to deep into this for the review of the wheel plate.
On the website of SR Hardware you can find a tutorial how to mount the SLI on the wheel plate and how to mount the wheel plate onto your G25 wheel in the downloads section.
The looks
The design and looks of the plate with its nice curves are amazing when mounted to the wheel and the plate itself is really high quality. The plate is build with multiple layers of acrylic, which makes it really solid and is not flexible. The layers fit perfectly on top of each other as they are laser cut and the edges are very smooth. Stainless steel bolts hold the layers together, these are located on the edge of the plate and it gives the plate a racing look, what you expect from a racing wheel, which is very good looking.
The 8 buttons on the wheel plate are matching to the whole design and has a nice solid, not to strong, click. The 2 rotary encoders are very smooth, when turning the encoders, you feel the click but you don’t have to force it into the next position. Ideal for brake bias settings for instance.
The carbon look is really balanced and adds the race look to the plate. The top cover of the wheel plate is transparent which gives a beautiful effect on the carbon and SLI and also protects them.
Conclusion
The wheel plate definitely adds immersion to your simracing experience, and above that it has functionality, which for me is a win win situation. Although the whole package including the SLI Pro may cost a bit, it is money well spent. In return you get a high quality wheel plate, immersion and functionality.
Finally I now have more buttons on my G25, the 2 standard buttons always annoyed me as it was never enough and I always needed to let go of my wheel to get things done with the buttons located on the shifter. The wheel plate has 8 buttons and 2 rotary encoders. All are placed in a good position and when driving you will find the buttons without taking your eyes of the screen.
The SLI is definitely adding functionality also as for me it is not about the “bling bling”. The rev lights are really helpful to find your correct shifting points and you will see in which gear you are while you don’t have to take your eyes of the screen.
The assembly part which took most of the time, for me was a joy. I like to work with my hands so for me this was perfect to add my “own” work into my hobby. I do understand that some people will be scared with the assembly part, luckily for them SR Hardware sells the complete unit assembled as an option, just e-mail them for more info.
The wheel plate does not have a back cover, so all the wiring is exposed. When wired up correctly you will not even notice that there is no back cover and will not give any problems while using it. I never touched one wire or connection when I was driving.
SR Hardware has a good customer service and will support you fully with your purchased product. If you consider buying a product from them, you can ask what ever you need to know. I also had some questions and had a very quick response from their side.
Costs
The basic wheel plates (for SLI-Pro /SLI-M) for G27 and G25 are £69.95 plus shipping and include buttons/rotaries already installed
A fully assembled wheel plate, including SLI-Pro and wiring (ready to plug n play) costs £225 plus shipping and a plug n play SLI-M version is £180 plus shipping
Links
SR Hardware
Mounting Tutorial
G25/G27 Wheel plates
The Package
Like having a christmas present when I was a little boy, I could not wait to open the box to see what was inside. Nicely packed in a solid box with foam and plastics for protection, and there it was, immediately I had a smile on my face when I first saw the plate. The looks of the plate are amazing, shiny but not too shiny and the carbon look is very balanced and not overwhelming.
The package is supplied with an alan key and spare nuts.
Mounting and assembly
This wheel plate is made for mounting the SLI Pro board from Leo Bodnar, but if you have or prefer a SLI M, no worries, there is a wheel plate available for it. Both wheel plates are also available for the G27. When ordering a wheel plate you can even choose different colors for the buttons and rotary encoders to your liking.
The SLI Pro I already had and I grabbed my tools to get started right away, I even skipped diner for it
. The SLI fits like a glove on the wheel plate and is very easy to mount, just unscrew a few nuts, put the SLI on the bolts and put the washers and nuts back on. You don’t need tools for it to tighten the nuts, hand tight will do. There are spacers between the plate and the SLI for a perfect fit.Now it was time to really get to work as all the wiring still needs to be done. All this is a reasonably easy job to do if you are used to working with a soldering iron. If you are not used to using a soldering iron often, don’t be afraid as you don’t need high electronic knowledge to be able to do the job, it is all very basic. It has taken me 1 to 2 hours to complete the job and I did it in easy mode
. If you really don’t want to do it yourself you can also order a completely assembled wheel plate, including the SLI and wiring, but of course the price will be a bit higher then.
So after doing all the wiring it was time to get the plate and SLI working. Best thing to do is test it while it is not mounted to the wheel, if you need to do a correction it will be much easier to do so off the wheel. After installing the needed software I was ready to go, I plugged in the USB cable that is provided with the SLI and was anxiously looking at my screen….balloon pops up in widows, installing device.…im a happy man
Everything worked accordingly so it was time to get it mounted to my wheel and G25 base, you can do it 2 ways. You can leave the USB cable outside of the base, this option is the simplest, but the cable could get stuck somewhere when calibrating the wheel or while driving if you do not route it with care. The other option is to lead the USB cable through the hub of the wheel and lead it outside of the back of the base so the cable can’t damage the SLI or other things. It will look much better also if you don’t see any wires connected to the wheel. Also this is pretty easy job to do, if you take your time it will all be fine.
I will also make a tutorial to wire up the SLI and mounting the wheel plate so everything you need to know is in one document. So I won’t go to deep into this for the review of the wheel plate.
On the website of SR Hardware you can find a tutorial how to mount the SLI on the wheel plate and how to mount the wheel plate onto your G25 wheel in the downloads section.
The looks
The design and looks of the plate with its nice curves are amazing when mounted to the wheel and the plate itself is really high quality. The plate is build with multiple layers of acrylic, which makes it really solid and is not flexible. The layers fit perfectly on top of each other as they are laser cut and the edges are very smooth. Stainless steel bolts hold the layers together, these are located on the edge of the plate and it gives the plate a racing look, what you expect from a racing wheel, which is very good looking.
The 8 buttons on the wheel plate are matching to the whole design and has a nice solid, not to strong, click. The 2 rotary encoders are very smooth, when turning the encoders, you feel the click but you don’t have to force it into the next position. Ideal for brake bias settings for instance.
The carbon look is really balanced and adds the race look to the plate. The top cover of the wheel plate is transparent which gives a beautiful effect on the carbon and SLI and also protects them.
Conclusion
The wheel plate definitely adds immersion to your simracing experience, and above that it has functionality, which for me is a win win situation. Although the whole package including the SLI Pro may cost a bit, it is money well spent. In return you get a high quality wheel plate, immersion and functionality.
Finally I now have more buttons on my G25, the 2 standard buttons always annoyed me as it was never enough and I always needed to let go of my wheel to get things done with the buttons located on the shifter. The wheel plate has 8 buttons and 2 rotary encoders. All are placed in a good position and when driving you will find the buttons without taking your eyes of the screen.
The SLI is definitely adding functionality also as for me it is not about the “bling bling”. The rev lights are really helpful to find your correct shifting points and you will see in which gear you are while you don’t have to take your eyes of the screen.
The assembly part which took most of the time, for me was a joy. I like to work with my hands so for me this was perfect to add my “own” work into my hobby. I do understand that some people will be scared with the assembly part, luckily for them SR Hardware sells the complete unit assembled as an option, just e-mail them for more info.
The wheel plate does not have a back cover, so all the wiring is exposed. When wired up correctly you will not even notice that there is no back cover and will not give any problems while using it. I never touched one wire or connection when I was driving.
SR Hardware has a good customer service and will support you fully with your purchased product. If you consider buying a product from them, you can ask what ever you need to know. I also had some questions and had a very quick response from their side.
Costs
The basic wheel plates (for SLI-Pro /SLI-M) for G27 and G25 are £69.95 plus shipping and include buttons/rotaries already installed
A fully assembled wheel plate, including SLI-Pro and wiring (ready to plug n play) costs £225 plus shipping and a plug n play SLI-M version is £180 plus shipping
Links
SR Hardware
Mounting Tutorial
G25/G27 Wheel plates
