Excited to try out Assetto Corsa Evo when it releases on January 16? Me too. And a big part of that is because I’ll be using the Moza R5 direct drive racing wheel and pedal bundle to play it, and any excuse to dig it out again is a good one in my book.
When I reviewed the Moza R5 back in April, I was frankly blown away by how good it was for the money. Then Moza put the price up, and it was still the best budget direct drive racing wheel we could think of. Now I’ve found it as part of Moza’s Black Friday deals for $439 again, and that means I can rave about it once more.
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So why’s it so good then, I hear you cry from the other side of the screen. Well, it’s got a direct drive wheelbase for a start. Unlike many other drive mechanisms, this attaches the wheel directly to the shaft of the motor providing all the feedback, and it’s normally the go-to choice for professional sim racers and enthusiasts with very deep pockets.
Somehow, Moza has managed to make one of the best ones I’ve ever used for significantly cheaper than the rest. It comes with clamps to attach it to a desk (or sim rig, if the mounting holes don’t line up), and delivers 5.5 Nm of torque right to your wrists via the included ES steering wheel.
The effect is truly impressive. You can feel every bump, every change in road surface right through the palms of your hands and the tips of your fingers. This sort of feedback creates the uncanny effect of driving a real car so much better than other methods, and the R5 is fantastically sensitive—while still possessing enough grunt to throw you around in your seat like you’re driving a real racing car at its limits.
The wheel itself is superb, too. Nothing about this bundle feels budget, so the stitching is pin sharp, the buttons are positive, and the magnetic shifters click and clunk with an incredibly satisfying feel.
And I haven’t even got to the pedals. They might be basic-looking but they’re also extremely robust, and I’ve put many miles on mine without a hint of damage or tell-tale flex.
Herein lies the only real downside of this kit, if I’m honest. You really, really should pick up the optional Performance Kit to add a load cell to the brake, so it resists your foot pressure like the brake pedal in an actual car. It’s only $29, but I’m still slightly annoyed with Moza for not including it as standard.
And for bumping the price up right after I said it was massively good value, while we’re at it. Still, it’s back at its proper pricing for now, so if you’ve been waiting for the right deal on a racing wheel combo that can deliver the full experience for less, well, here it is.
