Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition review

[Jari Vinnari]

Thrustmaster TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition
Background:
Well...im old...ancient someone would say. My first contact with simracing was Geoff Crammond´s excellent Formula One Grand Prix in 1990´s and since then I have driven numerous driving games with Assetto Corsa being the latest one. I have owned and destroyed several wheels from manufacturer´s like Microsoft, Logitech and Fanatec so I would call myself as a experienced driver with average driving skills.
I have been relatively happy with my Fanatec CSR wheel and Clubsport V1 setup but sometimes you just want to try something new and hopefully better. Fanatec Clubsport Wheel would have been one good choice but it was just too pricey and possible future warranty issues made me look elsewhere. Thrustmaster T500 RS is nice but the newer design, brushless motor and better belt system convinced me to buy 458 Italia wheel. Having owned and destroyed a Logitech G25 in my previous life the newly released Thrustmaster TX 458 for 300 Euro´s was the only real choice for me. Luckily it was Christmas so Santa Claus helped me get this wheel. Thanks Santa, I owe you one...or two.

First impression & some numbers:
"What the .... Why in earth did I buy this piece of toy wheel" was my first thought after opening the box and lifting the unattached wheel. The two things that really striked out badly was the yellow Ferrari logo and the 2-way Manettino switch which really makes the wheel look cheap. The wheel rim building material looks and feels almost the same as found in early 90´s Nissan dashboard´s. Luckily appearances can sometimes be deceptive as the wheel "quality" will grow on you.
The wheel rim weight is approximately 730 gramms and its 28 cm in diameter. The power supply is inside of the base unit which weight is about 3,9 kg compared to Fanatec´s 2,9kg including the wheel but without the external power supply. In PC-mode you have total 13 buttons and a D-pad in your disposal.

Gas and brake pedals are made of metal,base from light plastic and the total weight is approximately 1,36kg. Brake has progressive resistance and the gas pedal feels quite stiff. Pedals connects directly to wheel base and they are not USB compatible.

Wheel can be attached to table/cockpit with good clamping system or more permanently with built-in screw threads. After attaching the steering wheel and making the required firmware update for PC I was ready to Rock´n Roll.

Driving impression´s:
I could feel big difference between the CSR and Thrustmaster TX as soon as I accelerated out of the pits with my rFactor 2 Corvette.In straight line the 458 Italia will give you much more information about the car suspension movement and the bumps on the road. In corners I could feel the change in grip much more clearly and earlier stage than I did with Fanatec CSR. Steering response feels faster, more direct and FFB in whole felt much better. CSR has small FFB deadzone where you dont feel any feedback but with TX you feel the FFB almost whole range of wheels turning range.

With Assetto Corsa the difference between the wheels was smaller but Thrustmaster still feels superior of these two. Again the Thrusmaster feels so accurate,direct and fast to react drivers every steering input. Driving BMW Z4 GT3 with CSR feel´s just little bit boring but the TX wheel made the car more enjoyable and exciting to drive.
Gear leavers are made of strong metal and have nice solid feel to them. They are quite short to allow easy access to back buttons so I needed some time finding right position for my hands and fingers. That ugly Manettino switch works but they really shoud have used better quality switch in that one. Other buttons feel OK but for me the Fanatec has better buttons and the wheel rim in whole feels better. Pedals look and feel quite cheap but surprisingly they work much better than their appearance might suggest.

Conclusion: Connect the dots
FFB quality and the base unit are definitely the best part of this wheel . Driving with this wheel is true pleasure because FFB is strong, detailed and fast. Thrustmaster really should have used better quality materials with the rim and the pedals. Luckily you can always use Thrustmaster T500 RS add-on wheels and pedals or use USB pedals from another manufacturer. Thrustmaster plans to release improved T3PA pedals which includes a clutch pedal. I think this package is OK starting point for newcomer but I would definitely buy new pedals if I was serious about simracing. Im relatively happy with the rim so currently I have no plans to buy the 100€ Ferrari 458 GTE wheel add-on which should be much better in quality wise.

The GOOD:
+ FFB is very good
+ Base is made of strong, good quality plastic
+ Many buttons, even behind the wheel
+ Accurate and reacts fast to drivers input
+ Good clamp that will stop the base from moving.
+ Gear leavers are made of thick metal and changing gear feels quite good
+ Ability to use add-on wheels and pedals

The BAD:
- Pedals are light weight,looks and feels cheap. Surprisingly they do work moderately well
- Wheel rim looks cheap and the build quality should have been better. It does work & feels better than first impression might suggest
- Loud fan under stress
- No power switch
- USB cable can't be removed
- No clutch pedal

05.02.2014 UPDATE:

My Thrustmaster TX is dead so rest in peace my friend...you will be sorely missed.
But luckily his twin brother has arrived.

One morning about 10 days ago my wheel went completely dead, no lights or any wheel movement at all so the electronics must have failed.
I contacted my local dealer and they replaced my wheel in 10 days . Whole process could have been 2-3 days shorter but they didnt have the wheel on stock so Im very happy how fast they replaced my wheel. I also e-mailed Thustmaster twice and both time they replied in 24 hours so no complaints about their reply speed.
According to my local dealer over 10% TX wheels have been returned back for warranty repairs. Other users have also experienced wheel failures so there seems to be slight quality problem with first batch of the TX Wheel.

I still like the wheel very much.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

Okay do you know if they changed the setup? on T500RS 60 % is 100 % ffb. 100 % they exaggerate low level forces. So is the TX set up for non linearity or?

I own the F1 Integral rim and it has a lot of plastic parts. I also like bigger rims whereas Thrustmaster seem to think they should shrink them so it´s that as much as the plastics.

If my T500RS fail I hope I have saved up for a servo motor wheel. If not it may have to be a TX lol. Maybe I will like the F1 rim on it more though because the smaller the diameter the more coggy feel I get on my T500RS. I still think it´s really cool to race with though.

As for clubsports can be okay I kind of preferred my T500RS pedals with bushings though. But I imagine the majority go for the clubsports.

My benchmark for wheel feel and ffb is rFactor 2. I hope AC can improve until release. It´s good but it´s not quite as good yet

 

[Blkout]

Okay do you know if they changed the setup? on T500RS 60 % is 100 % ffb. 100 % they exaggerate low level forces. So is the TX set up for non linearity or?

I own the F1 Integral rim and it has a lot of plastic parts. I also like bigger rims whereas Thrustmaster seem to think they should shrink them so it´s that as much as the plastics.

If my T500RS fail I hope I have saved up for a servo motor wheel. If not it may have to be a TX lol. Maybe I will like the F1 rim on it more though because the smaller the diameter the more coggy feel I get on my T500RS. I still think it´s really cool to race with though.

As for clubsports can be okay I kind of preferred my T500RS pedals with bushings though. But I imagine the majority go for the clubsports.

My benchmark for wheel feel and ffb is rFactor 2. I hope AC can improve until release. It´s good but it´s not quite as good yet

Honestly, I have never seen anything officially from Thrustmaster that stated that 60% in the control panel is equal to 100% FFB, I have only read hearsay online that people claim that anything above 60% causes clipping. I find it hard to believe since FFB is also adjustable in every game which may need to be adjusted based on what you set in the control panel. You cause clipping even at 40% in the TM control panel if you adjust the in game FFB high enough. I think TM simply decided 60% was a good starting point for most people and they could adjust up or down as needed. Same with the TX starting at 75% by default. I raised the TX FFB up to 90% and didn't noticed any more clipping than usual as long as you adjust the in game FFB accordingly so I'm not inclined to believe that anything less than 100% is 100% in the control panel.

To be honest, I think I prefer a smaller rim, I always thought the G27 had a good size diameter, then I got the T500 and it felt huge but I thought that is actually more like a real car sized wheel, but after going back to a smaller rim with the TX, I actually prefer a slightly smaller rim than the stock GT wheel on the T500.

I have not tried the Clubsports, but everyone's glorious reviews make me very interested in trying them, although Fanatecs apparent rapid breakdown of all of their products scares me. Even their CSP V2's have issues from what I've seen with Hall sensors dying and various squeaking noises. I can honestly say I very much like my T500 pedals with realistic brake mod. The only thing I would like improved is the actual spring tension on the gas and clutch. I feel they are both a little too soft for my liking and I do like that I can adjust them on the CSP V2's.

I think rFactor 2 is good too, but I just prefer the feel of AC, I dial down some of the effects though, kerb at 50%, road at 50%, slip at 40%, overall FFB gain at 70% and it seems to give me a pretty good feel for what the car is doing at all times through the wheel. I understand people's hate for those effects since you wouldn't feel those effects through the wheel in a real car but sim racing is not the same when all you have is a wheel to give feedback unless you're using a very expensive motion cockpit simulator. I need those effects to know what the car is doing in a virtual world. Arguably Game Stock Car EXTREME has very good FFB as well, all three of those are the top of my list.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

There has been measurements prooving that. I don´t think it´s strange also in the Logitech drivers you can enhance low level forces by running ffb at 150 % for example.

So what happen max forces is the same but low level forces is enhanced.

 

[Blkout]

There has been measurements prooving that. I don´t think it´s strange also in the Logitech drivers you can enhance low level forces by running ffb at 150 % for example.

So what happen max forces is the same but low level forces is enhanced.

I would need to see something official from Thrustmaster stating that, otherwise it makes no sense that 100% FFB should not be 100% in the control panel, not 60%. You can't believe everything you read on the internet even if you lack the means to disprove it yourself and honestly, it doesn't make any sense to believe that. Name a single reason why Thrustmaster would default the control panel to 60% knowing that's as much FFB the wheel can give, it just doesn't make any sense logically. If you choose to believe that, that's your choice, I don't though and it really has nothing to do with this thread at all or a comparison between the TX and T500.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Just for the record I run a 320mm Sparco Mugello on my TX (previously on my T500 as well), works just fine, yes it loses a very small amount of detail but still very quick reacting with this wheel fitted, well, more than quick enough for me

I honestly love my TX, the smoothness its definitely an improvement above and beyond my T500.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

It´s not about believing it´s about facts. I think you can find the charts at isiforums I believe if you search around a bit. There is also an epic T500RS topic at gtplanet It´s not about believing everything you read... Everyone can use this guide to optimize their ffb http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.p...s-in-rFactor-2-The-key-to-being-in-the-Zone-D

Does it make sense that you can put the ffb in the logitech profiler to 150 %? It´s just a number somebody think it make perfect sense. Who know what is in the software developers head

 

[Blkout]

It´s not about believing it´s about facts. I think you can find the charts at isiforums I believe if you search around a bit. There is also an epic T500RS topic at gtplanet It´s not about believing everything you read... Everyone can use this guide to optimize their ffb http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.p...s-in-rFactor-2-The-key-to-being-in-the-Zone-D

Does it make sense that you can put the ffb in the logitech profiler to 150 %? It´s just a number somebody think it make perfect sense. Who know what is in the software developers head

As I stated, you can believe what you want to believe. Lots of pretty charts in that link but still doesn't explain why Thrustmaster has chosen the default setting of 60% if that's the theoretical maximum FFB. I own both the T500 and TX and was providing a comparison between the two. I'm not really sure how you got off on a tangent about what is the actual max FFB compared to the control panel setting. That discussion has no relevance to the TX wheel so if you would like to continue to discuss the TX wheel, then we can, but otherwise I'm done discussing what the actual max FFB is until it comes from Thrustmaster who designed the wheel.

 

[Blkout]

Just for the record I run a 320mm Sparco Mugello on my TX (previously on my T500 as well), works just fine, yes it loses a very small amount of detail but still very quick reacting with this wheel fitted, well, more than quick enough for me

I honestly love my TX, the smoothness its definitely an improvement above and beyond my T500.

Nice to know Mark. I have the GTE wheel here and I believe its a bit heavier than the stock 458 wheel but have yet to install it since I find that I don't hate the stock 458 wheel quite as much as you do. It could be better for sure, but I don't hate it so badly that it has to go immediately. I'll probably keep the GTE wheel if nothing else, it may go on the T500 if I ever use it again for the PS3 or PS4, or maybe I'll mount it in TX just for the heck of it. ISR prefers the GTE wheel too over the 458 wheel too.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

I don´t understand why you get so defensive? You can have a look at http://f-wheel.com/reviews/csr-elite-wheel-benchmarked?page=1. Doesn´t include the TX would be interesting to find someone benching that one also. I was curious about the ffb capabilities of both wheel so I do think it´s relevant what settings you run them at when you test them.

 

[Blkout]

I don´t understand why you get so defensive? You can have a look at http://f-wheel.com/reviews/csr-elite-wheel-benchmarked?page=1. Doesn´t include the TX would be interesting to find someone benching that one also. I was curious about the ffb capabilities of both wheel so I do think it´s relevant what settings you run them at when you test them.

Not defensive at all, just trying to keep this thread on topic. As I've already stated, the maximum FFB of the TX is probably 10-20% less than the T500 which was complete overkill for most people anyway. I do not have my control panel maxed out using out the TX, and I have most in game FFB settings to 50% or less which varies from game to game and the FFB is very good with the TX. I don't know how else to compare it for you and I'm not setup to do lab measurements. I can only give you my opinion based on what I've observed with both wheels. I understand people cringe at the thought of getting a wheel with less max FFB but the T500 was already so strong that almost no one ever used its max anyway so you would likely never notice the TX is 10-20% weaker when its setup similar to the T500. In my opinion, the speed and precision you gain with the TX over the T500 more than makes up for giving up 10-20% max FFB that you will never use anyway.

 

[Pär Öqvist]

Well I certainly do feel that the ffb of the TX is on topic. I do value your input.. As for torque well that is individual what we preferr. I do wish the T500RS had more capabilities here then it does as well as I would like it smoother. Torque may not be an issue on a Leo Bodnar wheel or similar servo drive wheels but they are for the T500RS.

 

[Blkout]

Well I certainly do feel that the ffb of the TX is on topic. I do value your input.. As for torque well that is individual what we preferr. I do wish the T500RS had more capabilities here then it does as well as I would like it smoother. Torque may not be an issue on a Leo Bodnar wheel or similar servo drive wheels but they are for the T500RS.

Are you saying that you find that the T500 doesn't have enough torque for you? If so, WOW is all I can say to that. The TX is smoother than the T500 as I stated before, but obviously nothing you can do is going to make the T500 smoother as that's just part of its design, not to say that I think its not smooth, but in comparison to the TX, its just not as smooth. It may be the brushless motor in the TX which eliminates a lot of friction compared to a brushed motor, or maybe its in the belt design, but either way, its immediately noticeable going from a T500 to a TX, how much quicker it reacts and how much smoother it feels in its FFB delivery.

I've seen plenty of comparisons of the CSR Elite vs T500 and the T500 has more overall torque but the CSR Elite about 75% of it and much smoother too, so if I guess if I had to draw a conclusion bassed on what I've read since I have no personal experience with the CSR Elite, I would say the TX is probably very close to that wheel. FFB feels very detailed, the wheel reacts very quickly and it still has plenty of FFB for most people, but it may not be enough for you if you think the T500 is lacking.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

You know something, there is different kinds of power between the kinds of wheel we are talking about here, let me explain

T500 - never used it on max feedback......it is quite savage and not that smooth IMHO, I remember rFactor 2 when I first tried it before they fixed that offroad vibration thing, wow.....nearly ripped itself off my hard mounted frame lol.

TX - used it near max, and it is defintely smoother, however I still tend to only run around 75% FFB

Then you have these servo motors, well I had a go with a couple now, I have driven the Leo Bodnar wheel in their old office at Silverstone, and a IIRC Ball Racing Developments very heavy duty pro rim in an full size F1 Simulator I used to help run.

Both those wheels have a firmness to them neither the Fanatec, Logitech or Thrustmaster can hope to deliver to a home user, a firmness which doesn't even have to be powerful, just firm and solid feeling even on low ffb situations, when they deliver firm FFB however they can really do some damage if you mishandle them, but they are still always composed and firm and solid......polar opposite of the home stuff we all generally use, they always feel like they are about to self destruct when outputting near their maximum, and I think that for me at least is the core difference

I have my eye firmly on the SimXperience kit one day hopefully

 

[Blkout]

You know something, there is different kinds of power between the kinds of wheel we are talking about here, let me explain

T500 - never used it on max feedback......it is quite savage and not that smooth IMHO, I remember rFactor 2 when I first tried it before they fixed that offroad vibration thing, wow.....nearly ripped itself off my hard mounted frame lol.

TX - used it near max, and it is defintely smoother, however I still tend to only run around 75% FFB

The you have these servo motors, well I had a go with a couple now, I have driven the Leo Bodnar wheel in their old office at Silverstone, and a IIRC Ball Racing Developments very heavy duty pro rim in an full size F1 Simulator I used to help run.

Both those wheels have a firmness to them neither the Fanatec, Logitech or Thrustmaster can hope to deliver to a home user, a firmness which doesn't even have to be powerful, just firm and solid feeling even on low ffb situations, when they deliver firm FFB however they can really do some damage if you mishandle them, but they are still always composed and firm and solid......polar opposite of the home stuff we all generally use, they always feel like they are about to self destruct when outputting near their maximum, and I think that for me at least is the core difference

I have my eye firmly on the SimXperience kit one day hopefully

Mark, my brother has a SimXperience Stage V rig in his house, but he's using a T500RS setup for now, maybe upgrade to Accuforce later. I can tell you that the SimXperience kit especially with the GS-4 G-Seat is a much bigger upgrade than any wheel or pedals in my opinion because you can actually feel what's going on with the car better than you can any wheel. The rear traction loss module along with the G-Seat gives so much feedback.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Cool, I tried a friends Stage V with traction loss etc, its also on my want list

I think a combination of Accuforce and Stage V would just be my own little Nirvana, I still love my "modded" TX tho

 

[Blkout]

Cool, I tried a friends Stage V with traction loss etc, its also on my want list

I think a combination of Accuforce and Stage V would just be my own little Nirvana, I still love my "modded" TX tho

Even though I enjoy iRacing, I have often complained about its lack of feedback or its physics design when losing traction because its very hard to correct when you actually lose traction based on the feedback I get from just a wheel, so traction losses often end up in a spin. When I played iRacing on the SimXperience Stage V, I could feel the wheels breaking loose with the rear traction loss module and I was able to correct about 75% of my slides and I was speechless telling my brother how that normally would have ended in a spin or loss of control. It was a game changer for me in iRacing honestly.

 

[Blkout]

For anyone curious, I finally got around to installing the Thrustmaster 458 GTE wheel on the TX base this weekend. I really never hated the stock 458 Italia wheel but everyone seems to say the GTE wheel is so much better so I had to give it a go. Out of the box I can tell you that the GTE wheel feels nice, its has good weight, completely rubber coated and feels extremely solid in your hands. I'm not a huge fan of the GT style button layout on the wheel and even though it has 6 buttons, its not enough for me and I continue to get them mixed up after remapping controls to them but that will probably pass in time. I just think the stock 458 Italia wheel is more intuitive and has more buttons to map which is always a plus.

Now on to how the wheel feels on the TX base. Right away, it took some getting used to. The wheel certianly feels very solid, no creaks, squeaks, or other noises. However, I also noticed that some of the very subtle force feedback that I got with the Italia wheel was gone or muted to the point where it was difficult to feel which was really a big pro of the TX base compared to the T500 base so that was a dissapointment. It's likely due to the added weight of the wheel. I played with the settings a lot in the TM control panel and never could seem to get it to feel like the Italia wheel. I did adjust overall FFB in each game I played and bumped them up about 10-15% and that seemed to help the situation in all games, but I would be lying if I said that I could feel everything with the GTE wheel that I felt with the Italia wheel.

So, while it might sound like a dissapointment using the GTE wheel, this is where things are going to get confusing. After using the wheel for about 2 days and increasing the in-game FFB up about 10-15%, I have become quite accustomed to the feel of the wheel and I can say, strangely, I feel like I have more control of the cars now than I did before with the Italia wheel. Playing R3E I was easily surpassing my fastest laps that I had one with the Italia wheel with less off-track mistakes. its hard to put my finger on why I feel like I have more control, maybe its because the wheel feels so solid and there's literally no flex unlike the Italia wheel which has some flex in the plastic portions of the wheel. Maybe its that the heavier wheel gives a more natural feel. I can't really say but I can simply say it makes me drive better than the lighter Italia wheel. I'm still not happy about the button layout but that's a personal thing and some people may prefer the GT style button layout. I'm just having trouble adjusting right now to the button layout and having less buttons at my disposal.

I would give this weel a thumbs up for sure, but I wanted anyone considering this wheel on the TX base to at least understand how much different it feels and its pros and cons that I've noticed. I don't have my T500 connected anymore but the GTE wheel feels like the T500 GT wheel in build quality but its a smaller diameter wheel which I prefer so I could see me using this wheel on my T500 also if I ever use it again.

 

[Jari Vinnari]

There is interesting GTE F458 wheel mod with real Momo wheel shown in ISRT forum.
Im considering making it too.

 

[Blkout]

There is interesting GTE F458 wheel mod with real Momo wheel shown in ISRT forum.
Im considering making it too.

I say if you're considering the GTE wheel to give it a go in stock form first and see what you think. You may be happy with it as-is. I only wish it had more buttons.

 

[Jari Vinnari]

I say if you're considering the GTE wheel to give it

I have it and thats why im thinking about modding it.