Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-On Review

Introduction

We are certainly familiar with Thrustmaster here at PC Perspective. I have done more than a few reviews of their products through the years, and it has been very interesting to see the changes not only in the company and its products, but also with the sim market in general. Thrustmaster at one point had relatively little competition in the affordable sim gear market, but now we have several pretty solid manufacturers all competing for those sim dollars.

Not only are there more manufacturers, but we have seen the move from a majority of base units being gear and belt driven to direct drive. This has increased the power that these base units can apply to the wheels and sim racers themselves. We now see the 10 to 12 Nm mark being the sweet spot of the market with other units offering up to 26 Nm of force. This requires add-on wheels to be far more robust than what they used to be.

Any market that exists for decades will see an evolution of products that improve overall capabilities and quality. The now ancient wheels and joysticks of the 1990s have now transformed into parts that could easily be modified to work in real race cars. Inexpensive plastic and rubber wheels have progressed to units featuring Alcantara (ultrasuede produced in Italy), leather, aluminum, and forged carbon fiber.

My first force-feedback wheel was the Thrustmaster F430 that retailed for around $115 back in 2009. It was a limited 270 degree base with a non-detachable rim. The feedback was weak, but it served its purpose in getting me more interested in sim racing. The two products we are looking at today are priced higher than that initial set of base and pedals that I purchased exclusively to play DiRT 2.

The Hypercar Wheel Add-On retails for $399.99 in the US. I realize inflation has played a part on prices over the past 16 years, but the add-on rim alone is almost 4x as expensive as the full, beginner kit that the F430 represented. Once we consider the construction (multiple premium materials, high stiffness vs. injection molded rim with a rubberized surface) we can see where exactly that money was spent and how it impacts the sim racer.

I will be digging deeper into this unit which is the latest product introduced into the Thrustmaster ecosystem.

Hypercar Wheel Add-On

Almost a decade ago I purchased the Thrustmaster Ferrari 599XX Evo add-on wheel for my T300R wheel base, and I thought I was in heaven. It was so incredibly much nicer than the original base rim that was injection molded plastic with a rubberized grip. The Alcantara covering gave a much more authentic feel. The rim had a larger diameter than the stock unit. The internal metal bracing kept the wheel stiff, all the while keeping weight down.

The Hypercar Wheel is light years beyond that. There is a solidity and presence with this rim that the older Ferrari 599XX Evo can not match. The older wheel is still a good piece of kit that was only around $175 when introduced, but in all of the important areas it does not compare with this latest rim from Thrustmaster.

Unpacking the wheel is a very satisfying experience. The packaging is well thought out and has a very premium feel. The black box has a smooth exterior and tasteful graphics. Once opened we see the wheel which is encased in a fabric bag with the Hypercar logo emblazoned on the front. A small packet is attached to the top portion of the box which features Thrustmaster stickers, button stickers, and a membership card to the Thrustmaster club. The wheel itself is very securely held in place by a molded cardboard insert. Also included is an Allen wrench and spacers to adjust the paddles as well as a pair of forceps to place and remove the button stickers. The packaging does help make the product feel that it is worth the $400 paid.

The wheel itself is 320 mm wide, but it has the squashed oval shape. It is inspired by the luxury hypercars that cost millions of dollars, but luckily for us it is only $399.99. That is still a chunk of change for the average sim racer, but it is still less than many competing options from other manufacturers that feature many of the same materials. The side grips are wider than the rest of the rim, so it gives the hands a natural resting place. These grips force you to be at 9 and 3 instead of the 10 and 2 position that most of us were taught when being taught to drive.

The materials used are the largest selling point of this unit. The top and bottom parts of the rim are covered in Alcantara. The top portion is split by a red, anodized aluminum strip. The side portions of the rim are covered with perforated leather that is dyed a dark black. The leather is tastefully stitched with red thread that matches the top aluminum ring. The center plate is a black anodized aluminum that is relatively thick. The bottom support legs are forged carbon fiber. For those unfamiliar, “forged” means that carbon fiber weave is cut up and forced down into a mold. Epoxy is then injected to give it a smooth and soft surface texture, all the while getting glimpses of the carbon fiber contained within.

The paddle shifters are two big chunks of metal that do feature adjustability via screws and 3 (possibly 4) positions. These are magnetic shifters which feature two large, rectangular magnets that make the paddles absolutely pop when depressed and released. There are two analog levers that are activated from the front of the wheel that can be assigned to clutch duties. For example the left lever can be programmed to reach the bite point of the clutch, while the right lever can be programmed to handle the rest of the clutch travel. This is essentially what Formula 1 drivers have on their rims, but instead of on the front they are located on the back. Users will have to use their thumbs to activate them. This is not exactly optimal, but it works perfectly fine once the racer gets used to them.

There are four rotary encoders located at the top of the center portion and the bottom. Neither set is conveniently placed and the racer will have to remove one hand or the other from the wheel to adjust these encoders. These encoders do appear to be metal rather than plastic. There are five more metal levers/buttons that have a good tactile feel when depressed. The top two units are used to program certain features into the wheel (such as LED lighting for safety car, or setting up the analog levers to act as the clutch).

The rest of the buttons and d-pad are plastic units, but they also have a very solid and tactile touch to them. Stickers denoting function or numbers can be applied to these plastic buttons. There are also two trapezoidal buttons that are easily missed at the top of the central spar, located next to the top rotary encoders. These are extremely handy as they are right next to where the racer’s thumbs are located. While they are made of plastic, they do again have a nice, solid feel to them and the tops of the buttons have raised, spiky areas that make them easy to find during intense racing sessions.

The rim does not feature any display panels or decorative LED lighting. It does feature two small LED lights that can display information such as yellow for safety car, or red for engine speed. Other functions can be enabled by supported games.

Impressions

This is an impressive rim. Physically it is extremely stiff, solid, and responsive. Thrustmaster did a very good job in keeping weight down, yet extremely stuff. This results in a better transmission of forces unencumbered by excessive mass. It also allows for the transmission of subtle effects that might be masked by a heavier rim.

The design and materials used makes this an excellent road racing rim across a variety of disciplines. This is probably not the rim for F1, drift, or rally racing. Each of those requires a different design, especially rally and drift. Something like the EVO Racing 32R Leather would be a better option for rally and drifting, while the SF1000 would be the ultimate F1 wheel for that application. Hypercar, GT3, and other grip racing models make this a fantastic option.

The new quick release mechanism has received some criticism from more hardcore sim racers, but I have found it to be a very large upgrade from the previous “quick” release mechanism that Thrustmaster has used for decades. There are some claiming that the mechanism would not be able to handle higher forces like the 26 Nm bases, but considering that Thrustmaster only offers at the top end a 10/12 Nm unit (T818) it is of little concern. It is a much better mechanism from the past, and it is designed to be relatively inexpensive and require less materials than competing options that often feature machined aluminum components and spring loaded locking rings. In the past two years I have used my T818 I have no complaints about the “watchband” style latching mechanism. It just works and is extremely solid in this application.

Programming the analog levers and LED lights is something of an arduous ordeal. The user needs to keep the manual close by to program them effectively. A lot of trial and error is required to get the analog levers to be programmed as dual clutch units. I am sure the designers are well familiar with the process of making these changes, but first time users will be intimidated by the lack of an onscreen, GUI based application to get these set up. Thrustmaster has finally upgraded their control panel on Windows, but it is essentially a repackaging of their old control panel (which still exists even if the new one is installed). Hopefully Thrustmaster will include more functionality with the updated control panel that will make programming this rim a whole lot easier.

Conclusion

Thrustmaster has significantly upped its game over the past few years. The introduction of their first Direct Drive parts, a new quick release technology, and a push to compete against the top tier manufacturers while retaining a more consumer friendly pricing structure has kept them in the mix. Thrustmaster still offers the T150 and the newer T128 as their affordable, entry level devices. They are also addressing the more premium end of the spectrum with the T818 base and products such as the Hypercar Add-On Wheel.

This add-on wheel is worth every penny of its $399.99 MSRP. Some months back I saw it being offered at $330, which was a little odd considering it was just newly released. Prices since then have gone back up to around $400 at third party sellers. Users can buy directly from Thrustmaster, but keep an eye on Amazon as every once in a while the price dips below that $400 mark. Those users lucky enough to pick one of these up for $330 have a really outstanding product at a relatively low price.

Materials, design, and stiffness add to the positives of this product. Thrustmaster was very careful in what they chose to use for the design, and the price point (while high for most users) is not only competitive against the competition… often undercuts them in terms of features, quality, and build. Similar rims from Fanatec, Simucube, Asetek, and Moza retail for $40 to $100 and above and will give the user a comparable experience to what Thrustmaster offers.

I tend to use this rim weekly on titles such as the Assetto Corsa series (original, Competizzione, and EVO), the GRID series, and Forza Horizons 5. I do swap it out with the EVO Racing 32R Leather when running EA WRC and DiRT Rally 2.0. Once I got used to the thicker rim on the Hypercar, it was a pleasure to drive and felt very natural in the grip style racing titles. The paddle shifters are a joy to use as compared to other options as they have a serious “thunk” when engaging. The paddles are solid and thick as well.

It is truly an outstanding product that is well worth the MSRP that Thrustmaster offers. For those serious enough of a racer and are wedded to the Thrustmaster ecosystem, the Hypercar Wheel is an excellent (and almost required) element for the racing experience.