Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition review

[Jari Vinnari]

Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition
Background:
Well...im old...ancient someone would say. My first contact with simracing was Geoff Crammond´s excellent Formula One Grand Prix in 1990´s and since then I have driven numerous driving games with Assetto Corsa being the latest one. I have owned and destroyed several wheels from manufacturer´s like Microsoft, Logitech and Fanatec so I would call myself as a experienced driver with average driving skills.
I have been relatively happy with my Fanatec CSR wheel and Clubsport V1 setup but sometimes you just want to try something new and hopefully better. Fanatec Clubsport Wheel would have been one good choice but it was just too pricey and possible future warranty issues made me look elsewhere. Thrustmaster T500 RS is nice but the newer design, brushless motor and better belt system convinced me to buy 458 Italia wheel. Having owned and destroyed a Logitech G25 in my previous life the newly released Thrustmaster TX 458 for 300 Euro´s was the only real choice for me. Luckily it was Christmas so Santa Claus helped me get this wheel. Thanks Santa, I owe you one...or two.

First impression & some numbers:
"What the .... Why in earth did I buy this piece of toy wheel" was my first thought after opening the box and lifting the unattached wheel. The two things that really striked out badly was the yellow Ferrari logo and the 2-way Manettino switch which really makes the wheel look cheap. The wheel rim building material looks and feels almost the same as found in early 90´s Nissan dashboard´s. Luckily appearances can sometimes be deceptive as the wheel "quality" will grow on you.
The wheel rim weight is approximately 730 gramms and its 28 cm in diameter. The power supply is inside of the base unit which weight is about 3,9 kg compared to Fanatec´s 2,9kg including the wheel but without the external power supply. In PC-mode you have total 13 buttons and a D-pad in your disposal.

Gas and brake pedals are made of metal,base from light plastic and the total weight is approximately 1,36kg. Brake has progressive resistance and the gas pedal feels quite stiff. Pedals connects directly to wheel base and they are not USB compatible.

Wheel can be attached to table/cockpit with good clamping system or more permanently with built-in screw threads. After attaching the steering wheel and making the required firmware update for PC I was ready to Rock´n Roll.

Driving impression´s:
I could feel big difference between the CSR and Thrustmaster TX as soon as I accelerated out of the pits with my rFactor 2 Corvette.In straight line the 458 Italia will give you much more information about the car suspension movement and the bumps on the road. In corners I could feel the change in grip much more clearly and earlier stage than I did with Fanatec CSR. Steering response feels faster, more direct and FFB in whole felt much better. CSR has small FFB deadzone where you dont feel any feedback but with TX you feel the FFB almost whole range of wheels turning range.

With Assetto Corsa the difference between the wheels was smaller but Thrustmaster still feels superior of these two. Again the Thrusmaster feels so accurate,direct and fast to react drivers every steering input. Driving BMW Z4 GT3 with CSR feel´s just little bit boring but the TX wheel made the car more enjoyable and exciting to drive.
Gear leavers are made of strong metal and have nice solid feel to them. They are quite short to allow easy access to back buttons so I needed some time finding right position for my hands and fingers. That ugly Manettino switch works but they really shoud have used better quality switch in that one. Other buttons feel OK but for me the Fanatec has better buttons and the wheel rim in whole feels better. Pedals look and feel quite cheap but surprisingly they work much better than their appearance might suggest.

Conclusion: Connect the dots
FFB quality and the base unit are definitely the best part of this wheel . Driving with this wheel is true pleasure because FFB is strong, detailed and fast. Thrustmaster really should have used better quality materials with the rim and the pedals. Luckily you can always use Thrustmaster T500 RS add-on wheels and pedals or use USB pedals from another manufacturer. Thrustmaster plans to release improved T3PA pedals which includes a clutch pedal. I think this package is OK starting point for newcomer but I would definitely buy new pedals if I was serious about simracing. Im relatively happy with the rim so currently I have no plans to buy the 100€ Ferrari 458 GTE wheel add-on which should be much better in quality wise.

The GOOD:
+ FFB is very good
+ Base is made of strong, good quality plastic
+ Many buttons, even behind the wheel
+ Accurate and reacts fast to drivers input
+ Good clamp that will stop the base from moving.
+ Gear leavers are made of thick metal and changing gear feels quite good
+ Ability to use add-on wheels and pedals

The BAD:
- Pedals are light weight,looks and feels cheap. Surprisingly they do work moderately well
- Wheel rim looks cheap and the build quality should have been better. It does work & feels better than first impression might suggest
- Loud fan under stress
- No power switch
- USB cable can't be removed
- No clutch pedal

05.02.2014 UPDATE:

My Thrustmaster TX is dead so rest in peace my friend...you will be sorely missed.
But luckily his twin brother has arrived.

One morning about 10 days ago my wheel went completely dead, no lights or any wheel movement at all so the electronics must have failed.
I contacted my local dealer and they replaced my wheel in 10 days . Whole process could have been 2-3 days shorter but they didnt have the wheel on stock so Im very happy how fast they replaced my wheel. I also e-mailed Thustmaster twice and both time they replied in 24 hours so no complaints about their reply speed.
According to my local dealer over 10% TX wheels have been returned back for warranty repairs. Other users have also experienced wheel failures so there seems to be slight quality problem with first batch of the TX Wheel.

I still like the wheel very much.

 

[Blkout]

I sure hope not. Should be able to pick one for less than $10 since its a common cable. The XBox 360 has been using them for years on all of their wired periperherals.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I did find the adapter very last. Not much time for driving but the little I did it was kind of exactly what I expected. The stock rim was better then expected. Sure it´s light but I can´t feel much flex in it while attached. I preferr round rims so I sure expect to be biased to the GTE if only for that reason. The wheel did feel more alive with the 458 rim then the F1 rim though.

I really like how quiet it´s over kerbs. To bad the fan is as always of the loud kind and paddle shifters is quite clicky but anyway it´s looking good.

one odd thing with calibration it hesitates slightly when calibrating right for whatever reason.

 

[Blkout]

I think mine does the same actually, I think its just a delay between sending the signal to move it back to the right side.

The stock 458 Italia rim isn't terrible which is why I waited a while before going with the GTE rim but I think once you change over to the GTE, you may never go back. I do like the button layout on the Italia rim and I do like the paddles slightly better than the GTE paddles, but the GTE just feels more solid. The stock Italia rim has a little flex at the very top of the rim under hard load, you can feel that its two pieces of plastic screwed together, but you rarely ever grab that part of the wheel so its goes almost unnoticed. I'm glad you have positive first impressions so far, keep us posted.

If I might recommend the following settings for the stock Italia wheel in the TM control panel.

Overall strength: 75%
Constant: 100%
Periodic: 100%
Spring: 80%
Damper: 60%.

With the GTE wheel, I bump the Overall strength to 80%.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

Messed around for a few days. Not much to argue with the original review it would be the fact that the F458 rim perform better then heavier rims on the wheel though in regard of force feedback perhaps

I like it a lot with the smaller 280 mm rims. I don´t quite like how it performs with my 365 mm rim it get so low feel of resistance on that it feels like I am turning a wheel in the air and I sure get the feel of it lacking torque running the F458 rim on both wheels in RBR. It felt really light driving GT in rFactor 2 also. I don´t want to compensate by bumping the ffb until it clips constantly then I don´t get any more info anyway quite the opposite.

However I was in absolute simracing nirvana after booting up RBR was so long since I ran it last with my HE sim Ultimate pedals and F458. Never felt so much in control. Like once every 10 seconds or so On the T500RS I really have to fight the wheel whereas on the TX it feels like it help me countersteer. On the other hand the T500RS feel way more brutal with ffb that can throw me off line but no doubt the overall better experience here is the TX.

GTE rim did feel quite heavy here which dampened the ffb and also made me slower with the countersteer.

GTE rim in rFactor 2 GT there the extra weight is no big deal but it did no favour for the ffb here either. But if you like a more heavy feel in the steering it will help there.

RBR was the only sim I honestly preferred with the G27 if only for that 270 mm rim but like the TX it also have very low own resistance.

Also it truly delivers on my biggest nitpick with the T500RS. The gravel feel of it while turning. It just feels smooth all the time. But I wish it could be a bit closer at least to the T500RS on ffb strength while still having this smoothness. It differ quite a bit on my wheels I feel though the heavy feel of it is partly due to it´s self resistance so the contrast is not greater between weak and strong ffb.

As for the pedals I don´t know if I ever will come around testing them. They don´t seem totally awfully bad probably perfectly good to race and be fast with for a sock racer but the T500RS pedals is of course quite a bit better if only for the ability to use skateboard bushings on it. Then there is the T3PA pedals.

 

[Blkout]

Sounds about right, glad you took the time to write up your impressions and it sounds like you're enjoying the TX. I do prefer the GTE rim, mostly because it just feels right in my hands, but I've stated over and over that the stock 458 rim isn't nearly as bad as its all plastic build quality would lead you to believe. Its pretty solid and I still love the button layout. I also prefer a 270-280mm rim to a larger one.

 

[Jari Vinnari]

There is way to have lighter wheel if you have F458 GTE wheel.

With Zalem adapter You could use F458 GTE as base and then change the steering wheel for something lighter->
http://www.zalem.es/es/accesorios-volante/90-pack-de-volante-desplazado-para-thrustmaster-t500.html
Adapter+paddles is 58€ + postage.
Some wheels like Momo mod 27C will come undrilled so you could bolt them "directly" to your GTE 458 base.

 

[Blkout]

Sounds interesting. I do love the solidness of the GTE rim but I would prefer it to be about a 1/2lb lighter. The GTE rim weighs even more than the stock GT rim on the T500 and its a 330mm rim compared to the 270-280mm GTE rim, 2.6lbs vs 2.2lbs.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I think the T500RS is 300 mm?

Another option for PC is to get a cheap SRW S1 adapter and put on it. Then instead of a meager 9 button plus d-pad on the GTE rim you get 15 buttons plus D-pad. The rotaries only work in simraceway I believe. Not as elegant but very functional also get rev lights.

Not sure what weight more the SRW S1 minus handles and shifters or the GTE button box.

As for aftermarket rims most weight in more then the F458 Italia rim. And those that do is generally quite expensive with carbon parts.

 

[Blkout]

Yea I think you're right, I measured mine at 11.5" which is around 292mm, that would put the 458 and GTE at about 270'ish.

 

[Domenic Alfano]

is there a way besides basherboards to make the wheel and csr elite pedals work?

 

[Blkout]

is there a way besides basherboards to make the wheel and csr elite pedals work?

Not on the Xbox One, it will work fine on the PC though.

 

[Domenic Alfano]

I have a fanatec gt2. Was thinking of either the TX or the ClubSport. Is the TX an upgrade from the gt2?

 

[Jari Vinnari]

I have a fanatec gt2. Was thinking of either the TX or the ClubSport. Is the TX an upgrade from the gt2?

Almost like they said in The Six Million Dollar Man " Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first brushless wheel. Thrustmaster TX will be that wheel. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster".

 

[Domenic Alfano]

I'll take that as a yes? Lol

 

[Blkout]

I'll take that as a yes? Lol

Domenic, the TX should be better, but in all honestly, wheel selection is a very personal thing. Some people love the G27 even though it wasn't even close to a T500 or TX to me. Some people love the DFGT, some people love wheels with no FFB at all. Its hard for me to tell you which wheel is better for you. All I can tell you is that the TX is probably smoother, very likely stronger and quieter. I have not owned a Fanatec wheel due to their reliability issues so I can't make a direct comparison for you.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I have owned a couple. As for smoothness I don´t know. The fanatec wheels was really smooth which made the gravel in the T500RS the more annoying

The ones I had the GT3 RS V2, Turbo S being the lastest revisions did have a bit more damping though more then the TX and T500RS.

I don´t know how much would differ in torque. Perhaps not to much compared to the TX which I find considerably weaker then the T500RS but if you are like me feeling they all are lacking in ffb capabilities the more the merrier perhaps.

I had zero regrets getting the T500RS though so I would vote for that or even more the TX if you are fine with smaller rims

 

[Domenic Alfano]

Sounds good. Stronger ffb is always welcome. The one thing I don't like about the Fanatec wheel is that when making a chicane turn. When moving the wheel from left to right or vice versa, it seems the first 10 or 20 degrees lose ffb

 

[Blkout]

I don't find the TX to be considerably weaker than the T500 by any means. Slightly weaker, I agree with. Both are overkill for most people. I have yet to meet anyone that has run these wheels at maximum FFB.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I wouldn´t say they are overkill for most people. Important to only talk for ourselves. Most real word racers have to deal with torque way higher then what the T500RS or TX can bring. Depending on car how much power steering assists there is of course.

I know many that overdrive the T500RS and TX wheel. Running the TX at 75 % it regularly clips in rFactor 2 running the default 1.00 setting for example. It´s not exactly brutal even on the light 280 mm F458 italia rim and that is coming from a weak computer nerd

As for deadzone the Thrustmasters have it also. In some sims you can overcome this by setting a minimum torque settings like rFactor 2 and iRacing for example. Mean more oscillation on the straights which is probably the primary treason for the deadzones but unless you like to take a brake it´s not really work to keep it straight.

 

[Domenic Alfano]

Well I just picked up the wheel, though the rim sucks compared to the gt2 rim, the ffb is miles better. I didn't install the firmware in boot loader mode but the wheel seems to be working OK. Hope that doesn't make a difference. Thx for the input