After much anticipation, Thrustmaster has revealed their first direct drive wheel base – the Thrustmaster T818. As a French manufacturer, this new product offers players an exceptional and unparalleled experience that’s unlike anything we’ve seen from them before.
As we all know, sim racing has recently witnessed an explosion of direct-drive wheels, with MOZA entering the market and Asetek gearing up to join in on the fun. But what about Logitech, one of Thrustmaster’s traditional entry-level wheel competitors? Well, they released their first direct drive wheel late last year.
So what sets the T818 apart from its rivals? And more importantly, is it something you should invest in? Fortunately, we had the opportunity to get our hands on the new wheelbase, and we have everything you need to know about Thrustmaster T818 Review.
Technical Details
Thrustmaster’s T818 may not have the highest torque on the market, but it still produces a continuous 10 Nm of force – enough for most drivers. What sets it apart is its lack of saturation and filters, resulting in an impressive level of fidelity and realism in gameplay.
Using the Thrustmaster Control Panel, players can customize their driving experience by adjusting the steering rotation, force feedback strength, and damper forces. And for added personalization, the RGB LED strip on the front of the wheel can be set to any color of your choosing.
While the T818 offers four different modes – Comfort, Sport, Performance, and Extreme – the latter two are only available to more experienced, esports-level players. But even with the warning, the lower torque output makes it safe for drivers of all skill levels – just remember to let go of the wheel if you crash at max torque!
Overall, the T818 may be a mid-range direct drive wheel, but it certainly packs a punch when it comes to delivering an authentic racing experience.
Driving Proficiency
As we take a closer look at the driving experience, we can attest that the Thrustmaster T818 wheel has performed impressively in a range of games including F1 22, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and WRC Generations. While it boasts of no filtering of feedback, this only holds when you activate the Extreme setting.
In the Comfort setting, the wheel tends to have a bit of sponginess that requires tuning out, whereas the Extreme setting provides a rather intense level of feedback that some may find overwhelming.
Although the wheelbase is generally suitable for all levels of players due to the damping and filtering, the options for tuning beyond the FFB strength and damper forces are rather limited.
While we were able to achieve a happy spot with Performance and 50% strength of all forces and damper, players who cannot find their ideal setting with these tools may struggle with the lack of tweakability in the software compared to other wheelbases.
On the downside, we did notice a frustrating amount of play in the wheel connection which could become problematic for rally drivers. We suspect this is caused by the quick-release mechanism and adapter used to mount existing Thrustmaster wheels to the base.
Despite the play in the wheel connection, the Thrustmaster T818 delivers everything a direct drive base should. The player can feel the car’s grip and every bump on the track surface, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the driving experience.
Design
As we examined the design of the T818 wheel, we couldn’t help but notice some awkward aspects. While the hexagonal shape may be eye-catching for some, we found it to be a bit rough around the edges.
One major drawback we encountered was that the bolt holes did not align with our GT Omega Prime cockpit or any other cockpit we tested it with. In fact, the holes were so closely aligned that attempting to drill new ones would only result in overlapping and destroying other holes.
Luckily, Thrustmaster provided a desk mount that could be used as a cockpit mount, but this had to be purchased separately and added extra height and tilt to the wheel.
In addition, the build of the wheelbase seemed to rely heavily on plastic components, which detracted from its overall look and feel when compared to its metal competitors. The air intakes, front LED surround, and quick-release system all appeared to be poorly designed and executed, which ultimately made the T818 seem inferior.
The quick-release system itself was not exempt from this issue, as the plastic adapter for each wheel rim was both large and unattractive. Moreover, this adapter proved to be tricky to remove for transfer to another wheel, often requiring the use of a screwdriver to leverage it off. Over time, this additional wear and tear would only exacerbate the existing play in the wheel.
Conclusion
Overall, the Thrustmaster T818 direct drive wheelbase offers an impressive level of fidelity and realism in gameplay with its lack of saturation and filters. Although it may not have the highest torque on the market.
Its mid-range price point and safe torque output make it suitable for drivers of all skill levels. However, the design could use improvement with its heavy reliance on plastic components and awkward bolt-hole alignment.
Despite these drawbacks, the T818 delivers everything a direct drive base should, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in the driving experience.ย
Also Read: Best PS5 Sim Racing Wheels 2023 Edition
