iRacing still is one of the most popular racing simulators (while others call iRacing a video game); but, it is not as lenient on the gamer to just use a gamepad like Gran Turismo and Forza. To make up our 2021 list, I’ll be recommending 3 of the best racing wheels to use with iRacing.
Keep in mind, this small list is a mixture of both entry level racing wheels with easily upgradable racing wheels while meeting quality, reliability, and durability factors out on the virtual race-track.
Best Entry-Level Wheel: Logitech G920 Force Feedback Racing Wheel
Currently the racing wheel I use with iRacing and could easily be used with Assetto Corsa, the Logitech G920 Force Feedback Racing Wheel is a 900 degree compatible racing wheel bringing a near-realistic feel as being behind the wheel of a short-track late model to a GT4 car.
One benefit of the Logitech g920 racing wheel is the minimal configuration…basically plug the racing wheel in a USB 2.0 port to install the drivers, install the Logitech Gaming Software to communicate with the racing wheel, and it’s ready to go.
Speaking of the Logitech Gaming Software to use with the G920 racing wheel, the software automatically creates a game profile for iRacing in the software in order to save any customized settings from sensitivity, operating range, hotkeys, and commands to use in-game.
The best benefit of the Logitech G920 Racing Wheel is it is cross-compatible with Fanatec CSL Elite Pedals which means there is an alternative option to upgrade to a 12-bit pedal set…this would be recommended since the provided logitech pedal set has some delay that is not reliable with iRacing and there will be some maintenance to cleaning the potentiometers after long-term usage.
Best Wheel Upgrade: Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel
Considered a nice upgrade from the G920, the Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel is a belt-driven racing wheel instead of helical gear driven that provides one benefit of a smoother force feedback which means less lag and backlash…a difference between finding tenth’s of a second to half a second on the track.
In the upgrade of moving to the CSL Elite Racing Wheel expands the wheel operating range from 900 degrees to 1080 degrees and is a compatible wheel to go “drifting” with if you’re into Rallycross, 2wd/4wd off-road truck racing, or performing slide jobs in dirt late model racing.
The CSL Elite Racing Wheel has an advanced drifting mode programmed into the wheel that allows the driver to fine tune the dampening of the wheel for the wheel to rotate faster; but, it is not a necessary setting to go into for regular road/oval racing.
Other simple upgrades with the Fanatec CSL Elite Racing Wheel is there is easy accessibility to use a handbrake for iRacing Rallycross the G920 does not have as an add-on and the base has a quick-release hub to interchange between steering wheel types whether you’re wanting to swap to a F1-style wheel if going IndyCar or LMP2 racing or a traditional rim to go stock-car racing.
Overall it’s one of the best belt-driven racing wheels for iRacing when paired with the CSL Elite Racing Pedals and load-cell brake kit…accuracy paired with trail-braking!
Best Pro Wheel: SimXperience AccuForce Pro v2 Racing Wheel
Capping off this short-list of best racing wheels to use with iRacing, we couldn’t complete a list without including a “direct-drive” racing wheel option…a category of racing wheel the iRacing pros use. One of the best direct-drive racing wheels to use with iRacing is the SimXperience AccuForce Pro v2 Racing Wheel.
The SimXperience Pro v2 Racing Wheel has an advantage over both the Fanatec CSL Elite and Logitech G920 due to the fact there is no worries about gear and belt slippage within the internals of the drive since the racing wheel “directly” connects to a brushless motor in the case.
In addition to elimination of slippage, the AccuForce Pro v2 Racing Wheel raises the bar from 12-bit to 16-bit resolution the CSL Elite wheel has giving the total steps/value a whopping 65,536 steps in the wheel accuracy department.
With a very quick response rate at less than 2ms, the AccuForce Pro v2 Racing Wheel has very efficiency for eliminating any dead-spots while driving in-game since the drive controller and driving system is integrated on a single circuit board.
For the operating range, it can get up to 4500 degrees; but by default it is configured to 900 degrees starting out and can freely be optimized to your liking through the Sim Commander software suite where you can save each wheel setting for each SIM here.
There is 6 possible modes to choose from in the Sim Commander software to be set as a template for beginners and experienced sim racers ranging from recruit (this would be the child mode wheel configuration) to responsive (there is a high peaks option in the software which removes some filters) configuration.
Beyond fine tuning, there are other settings to tweak in the AccuForce Pro v2 Racing wheel like dynamic force boost (increases the torque range output by a certain percentage) and wheel effects (this can be road/curb strike effects, suspension effects, etc.) that can be customized in the software suite.
The only disadvantage for this racing wheel is that it must be mounted in a simulation cockpit since the base is not really meant to be mounted to glass-top or flimsy office desk which means more add-on expenses just go SIM racing especially on iRacing.
