MOZA CS Pro Wheel and R9 V3 DirectDrive Base Review

Introduction

One thing often leads to another. This particular review is the perfect encapsulation of that simple statement. This was supposed to be a standalone review of the MOZA CS Pro, but circumstances occurred that precluded that option. Instead I had a situation where one simply required the other to work well.

Stories are important, but this one is not particularly unique or interesting. When the CS Pro wheel was released in late 2025 I was quite excited about it as it provided a wide range of features at a very impressive price. I had received the MOZA R5 Bundle some time earlier and was in the final stages of reviewing said bundle. It turned out to be a very impressive product for the price. I thought the purchase of the CS Pro would only enhance the value and capabilities of the R5 base.

I was wrong.

The CS Pro is too much for the R5. Too big of a rim, too heavy as compared to the included ES wheel. The ES wheel is the perfect size and mass for the 5.5 nm R5 base. It is very stiff, has a smaller diameter, and weighs half of what the CS Pro does. When the CS Pro is installed it has a dramatic dampening effect on the R5 base. The R5 simply is not strong enough to provide the experience that the lighter, smaller ES wheel enables.

I contacted MOZA about this issue and they agreed to send out the R9 V3 base so I can see what a stronger unit will do for the new CS Pro wheel. Essentially doubling the strength of the R5 base unlocked the true experience of the CS Pro.

It makes a lot of sense to cover both of these products in one fell swoop.

MOZA is still a relative newcomer to the sim racing market, but they are incredibly aggressive with what they offer in terms of price and technology. The original MOZA R9 wheel base was introduced in early 2022. Since that time we have gone through three official revisions (though there were some changes in some of the previous revs that didn’t get their own distinct number). That is a lot in only four years due to retooling manufacturing lines to account for the changes. MOZA still did it because they saw the need with the rapidly changing landscape of the sim market. To make further inroads their products needed to be cutting edge and affordable compared to top tier units from Simagic, Simucube, Fanatec, and Thrustmaster.

Let’s take a look at the product that started this particular journey.

CS Pro Steering Wheel

When the CS Pro was announced in 2025 it sent shock waves throughout the industry. MOZA was introducing a fully featured, high end wheel for the unheard of price of $329 US. The competition could field similar units, but pricing would begin at $600 and rise quickly from there. In terms of materials, design, and functionality it was offering top end features at a very midrange price.

The basic design is that of a fully featured round wheel that is appropriate for multiple types of racing styles and simulations. The addition of a 2.99” full color LCD is again huge for this price point. MOZA has not skimped on the software side either, because all of the LCD and RGB functionality of the wheel can be configured in Pit House in very exacting ways. Users can even program their own custom LCD view with the integrated tools that MOZA offers.

The 325 mm diameter makes this a relatively large wheel. The R5’s included ES wheel is 280 mm. The larger size of the CS Pro makes it feel far less “toy like” and provides some extra heft and a bit more accuracy in driving. The problem therein is that the extra diameter basically acts as a larger pulley that decreases the perceived force that the direct drive unit can apply. The lowest powered drive that should be used with the CS Pro is the R9. The R5 just feels too dull when using it, and the R3 is going to be way too anemic to have any kind of good experience.

The basic construction of the CS Pro is centered around an aluminum frame with forged carbon attachments. It utilizes MOZA’s quick release system which is essentially automotive grade and can handle their top end 25 Nm R25 base (and theoretically beyond). The rim is wrapped in hand stitched “microfiber leather” which is just another way of saying synthetic leather. It is a good quality, finely textured material that feels natural in the hands.

The rest of the body is constructed of “forged carbon fiber” which is another term that is stretched a bit further than is necessary. These are essentially plastic/epoxy parts that were constructed using forms and having carbon fiber fragments pressed in and then allowed to dry/cure. It is not the layer by layer carbon fiber material process that has been around for decades. It is relatively strong and light as compared to other materials, and it has a pleasing finish without the cost of traditional carbon fiber production with vacuum sealing and high temperature curing. The combination of all these parts and materials makes for a relatively heavy rim overall. It is easily double the weight of something like the Thrustmaster SF-25.

The LED lighting control is extremely granular with each button and dial being assigned their own lighting effects. The user can also customize every button and light through the Pit House application.  When moving the rotary encoders, the current setting is highlighted by a brighter LED light behind the translucent numbered dial. The effect is pronounced and makes it easy to quickly glance and see what position the dial is in. There are literally dozens of independently controlled LED lights throughout the wheel, including the warning lights as well as the rev lights.

The rim comes with four paddles; two analog and two magnetic shifters. There are two removable panels at the top back of the rim that allows for the installation of two additional paddles that are sold seperately. The analog paddles can be used to set the clutch bite point and the full clutch functionality. The magnetic shifters have a very positive feel, but are still relatively quiet as compared to other solutions with physical switches and springs. Unlike some other solutions I have used, I have never had a misshift with these paddles. The construction of them are relatively thick aluminum spines attached to more forged carbon for the actual paddles.

There are four rotary encoders, two thumb encoders, two “funky switches” (4 way toggle, press downwards, and rotational functionality), and 10 buttons located on front and back. All seem of good quality and have a positive feel.

The quick release mechanism is the typically solid MOZA mechanism which can handle the 25 Nm+ of force that will be required with the higher end units. It does take a little force and attention to successfully remove the rim from the wheel base. It could be an easier activity if MOZA would attach small handles to it like Fanatec does with theirs. Lining up the rim to the wheel base also takes a little more attention as there is no key that guides the rim into the correct position. These things will take a few tries to get correct and repeatable, but once the user figures it out it is easy to pop on and off. It is a little shocking at first to press the rim home and the very loud spring noise and “tuning fork” like hum that it emanates for the next few seconds.

All of this combines into a single package that is packed with features, has excellent quality, and a tremendous amount of flexibility and functionality. My experiences with this are overall very good. The wheel has a great feel to the rim, and is easy to clean if the user does not use racing gloves when running their sim. The paddle shifters have nice travel and great feel, all the while being fairly quiet as compared to earlier examples of rims I have used. Most of the buttons and encoders are within easy rich of thumbs and fingers while racing.

This all comes down to a price being paid for being relatively big and heavy. It requires a user to have at least a 9 Nm wheel base to get the best experience out of. This rim really wakes up at the higher strengths, but anything below 9 Nm makes it feel dull and weak due to the physics involved.

For $329 though, it is a tremendous buy. It is rare to find a product with a LCD color screen on it for under $400 that has all of the features it does. While I think the actual feel of the wheel is great, I found that I very rarely looked at the screen while racing. I saw the rev lights out of my peripheral vision, but very rarely would I glance down to see other information from the screen. Other information can be displayed there, depending on the application and how extensive the telemetry is that the game outputs to the wheel. The screen is a nice touch, but mileage will vary due to its relatively small size and the amount of information that is typically presented on the primary display that users race on.

I still believe it is a very good product for the price, but the buyer needs to be informed of any potential limitations. A comparable part would be the Thrustmaster EVO Racing 32R round wheel. It has a very similar build with quality materials, but it forgoes many of the forged carbon parts and no display. It also does not feature as many programmable LEDs. It is of a similar cost, but it weighs again about half as much.

MOZA R9 V3

This base might just be the king of mid-level direct drive units. It features a strong 9 Nm force along with all the bells and whistles that MOZA has introduced with their latest products. Currently the base is being offered at $299 which is an absolute bargain.

This is obviously the 3rd major revision of this product since it was introduced in 2022. It is strange to think that in these past four years we have seen 3 major revisions (and one minor one). Here is a quick history of what has changed with the design:

• R9 V1 (discontinued): Did not support the ES steering wheel; no ports for MOZA shifter, handbrake, or pedals; no front mounting support. Standard four-port layout (dashboard, emergency stop, USB, power). 15-bit magnetic encoder.
• R9 V2 (discontinued): Added support for the ES steering wheel; still no ports for shifter, handbrake, or pedals; no front mounting support. Same four-port layout. 15-bit magnetic encoder.
• R9 V2 (updated, discontinued): Supported ES steering wheel and introduced a new 7-port interface, adding ports for shifter, handbrake, and pedals.
• R9 V2 (die-cast version): Further added a front mounting interface. 15-bit magnetic encoder.
• R9 V3 (currently available): Upgraded the magnetic encoder from 15-bit to 21-bit, significantly improving force feedback detail and precision. The rear interface layout is similar to V2, but with more functionality compared to V1, resulting in an overall better force feedback experience.

That is a lot of work in just a few years. There are offerings from other manufacturers that have never been revised since their introduction in 2020 and before! Thrustmaster still sells the T300RS and Logitech continues to flog the G920 and G29.

There is a lot of debate about how much precision is needed for wheel bases. 15 bit encoders have been used in quite a large variety of products, with the higher precision units being used in much higher end products. 15 bit accuracy essentially converts into 32,767 values for 360 degrees of rotation. This is already pretty high. Now that we are starting to see more titles embrace enhanced telemetry and effects, we are starting to see some instances where the higher precision encoders are performing better with improved physical results. Going to a 21 bit encoder gives a theoretical 2 million plus steps per rotation. It also features a 280 MHz processor in the unit, but it gives no real information about the specs of that unit other than clockspeed.

The external case is a nice anodized aluminum unit with a rear plastic endcap. The aluminum provides a very strong base as well as good heat dissipation for the 9Nm motor. No internal or external fan is needed for this unit, but it can get quite warm to the touch after hours of gaming at full strength. The base can be mounted from either the front or the bottom. The package does not include a removable desk mount unlike the R5 bundle which includes one. When getting up to 9Nm and above, I would steer away from desk mounts and move directly to a dedicated wheel stand or a full cockpit.

The motor itself is not as trick as what we find with the R16, R20, and R25 Ultra units. Those feature flat wire windings that cut down on cogging as well as a higher performance control processor. It does however feature a pretty interesting carbon fiber shroud to improve thermals. It still is a modern design that provides a consistent 9Nm of torque with overshoots that approach 12 Nm.

When unpowered there is some noticeable cogging when turning the wheel. Once the base is powered on, that cogging disappears. MOZA utilizes an algorithm that covers up the cogging by applying electrical force to the motor when turning. The first time a user powers up the base, or directly after a firmware update, the Pit House program does a calibration on the base to see where and how cogging occurs. It then applies forces when the wheel is being turned to erase that feeling. The only difference is that the wheel is marginally harder to turn as compared to when it is unpowered. In game that functionality is transparent to the user and no cogging is detected.

While the base unit does not feature any fans, it does have a pretty advanced feedback loop that adjusts load to keep temperatures in check. In Pit House this feature can be enabled or disabled, depending on personal preference. I typically have run it off to get a little better strength, but when enabled it does a very good job in keeping thermals under control. While my usage can make the case really warm to the touch (almost uncomfortable), when this setting is enabled the base never feels much warmer than slightly above ambient.

The rear of the unit features multiple ports. These include pedal base, shifter, hand brake, e-stop, display, power, and USB-C to PC. Previous versions did not have quite that expandability, but it has all been updated and a user can power nearly any racing accessory they could want just from the included ports.

The secret sauce of the unit is the software behind it. MOZA’s Pit House is an all-in-one shop when it comes to adjusting every single setting that one could possibly imagine. Users have multiple pages of settings that include strength, rotation, dampening, smoothing, and dozens of others. Users can tweak to their heart’s content to give themselves the experience that is fully customizable. MOZA seemingly updates the software once every three weeks or so. I have also updated the firmware on the base itself at least four times since I received the unit in March. MOZA adds fixes and feature improvements with every new iteration of the software and firmware.

Users can customize the output to be as raw and unfiltered as possible, as well as enabling that filtering to give a smoother potential experience. I found my personal sweet spot to have only a couple of percent filtering as well as having strength sit between 80 and 90%. Having the force at 100% all of the time made it an overly harsh experience when doing rally racing, but that same force was not as taxing when doing asphalt racing. I also found that lowering the strength in software allowed the wheel to avoid clipping (when a force is being applied, and a new force is then layered on top but there is no longer any excess power to provide for that output).

MOZA does claim that they have implemented a “NexGen 4.0 FFB Algorithm” with this product. Details are again light on what it can do, but they promise that it is a responsive and natural feeling FFB experience as compared to previous implementations. I guess all things are possible when it comes to more advanced software, more detailed inputs from the application, and higher performance compute when converting those signals into physical motion.

So far the R9 V3 has been my favorite direct drive base that I have tried. It is very comparable in strength with the Thrustmaster T818, but comes in far cheaper and has much more flexibility in settings and effects through the Pit House control software. Thrustmaster has improved their control panel quite a bit, but they are still nowhere near what MOZA is offering with theirs. It also features many more ports and additional accessories that Thrustmaster does not.

In terms of performance the 9Nm gives a very good experience with plenty of power to give a very visceral experience on rough roads and crashes where the wheel can be forced out of the hands. We are approaching forces that could easily injure someone who was unprepared. Small children should probably not be using this without direct supervision or with the strength turned down.

Conclusion

The R9 V3 base retails for $299, and the CS Pro Wheel at $329. This combo would set a user back $638 (plus taxes and shipping) and give an experience far above that of many other bundles in that price range. This of course does not include a pedal set, but MOZA has a wide range of offerings there to satisfy nearly any budget.

The R9 V3 is an excellent upgrade for someone who is in the MOZA ecosystem and was previously using a R3 or R5 base. It is also a great starting point for someone looking to get into serious racing right off the bat. Higher Nm parts are available, but it is rare that someone using those run them at 100% strength for hours at a time. The R9 is a great compromise between power and price, and the build quality is outstanding along with having a great overall experience.

Disclaimer: I purchased the CS Pro Wheel for this review. MOZA provided the R9 V3 base, but had no say in the editorial content of this review.