15.8.2012

I purchased my wheel last month from my local Game store for a rather cheap £80I hadn't really read reviews of it but having previously owned a couple of thrustmaster wheels for my ps2 and ps3 I felt confident that it would be worth the money.Initially, it was extremely impressive as I took it out of the box, the wheel diameter is quite big which makes it easier to use, and coming from a cheap Madcatz MC2 that I bought to fill in until I could get a better wheel, the quality of the wheel through the plastic on the rim to the metal on the shifter paddles was astounding! The pedals have great resistance which give a better gaming experience and the resistance on the wheel, though non force feed back,is good enough.Setting up the wheel was easy, there's a great claw like clamp included in the box which helps you clamp the wheel down to a table or a playseat and the wheel connects to the xbox via USB. Controls are easy to use apart from the D-Pad being quite hard and fiddly to use and in my case, the xbox button not working unless the wheel was turned to a certain angle.Using the wheel, the resistance felt great and the whole driving experience is a lot better than using a controller or the MC2 wheel, initially, my lap times were a lot slower with the new wheel, but after about a week of Forza playing, my laptimes were better, having reduced 5-7 seconds a lap on most circuits! Downside is that there's no vibration so I have to rely on the sounds of the game to see when I'm losing grip or understeering a bit. The shifter paddles have a great feel and the metal that they're made of helps the game feel a lot better, they have a super satisfying click when changing gear and feel weighty and superb. Again, there's quite a bit of resistance in the pedals which make for a better gaming experience, there's also a headset jack on the base of the wheel so you can listen to 11 year olds whining about racecars or talk to friends whilst driving around in Forza.Now to the bad bits, the pedals tip forward if you are one-footing the accelerator and the brake because there's not much weight on the base due to it's plastic construction, the plastic on the pedals aren't very kind to your feet. The accelerator is also "backset" in relataion to the brake pedal, as in its further behind it so it's quite hard to not left foot brake which for me is annoying, the mannetino switch is actually just a toggle switch which does the same thing as the button on the back left of the wheel which I find frankly stupid, the D-Pad is horribly hard to use and I find myself having to switch back to the controller to navigate menus and tune menus.And the even worse bits!My wheel is three weeks old, two weeks ago, the wheel started to lose tension in the first 15 degrees of rotation either way which was a minor annoyance but noting much, after an enthusiastic drifting session, I found my wheel to have completely lost tension in it's zone of action so the whole wheel had become loose and floppy and it was completely unusable, to add to this the xbox button decided to completely stop working and the downshit paddle has gotten a mind of it's own, it won't downchange when you pull the lever and then out of nowhere, it will randomly downshift two gears causing you to lock up your driving wheels and skid, so, so far I've had a weeks worth of use out of an £80 wheel which is utterly ridiculous, I'm currently midway through the process of fixing or repairing my wheel via Thrustmaster Customer service and it's horrible, it's been three days and I haven't even recieved conformation on whether or not I'll be getting a new wheel or getting mine fixed;All in all, if you've already purhcased the wheel, it's awesome and works super well- When it is working- Be firm with the customer support team as they aren't very good with communicationAnd those of you wanting to purchase it, though it's a good wheel, it really is, I'd say avoid it and get the new F458 GT Cockpit from thrustmaster, sure it costs more but it's got vibration, sturdy pedals a better build quality overall from what I've experienced, however stil no force feedback. The problem with reliability in my mind is too much for anyone to handle, especially if they're super obsesed with driving/racing simulators and I've been without a wheel for 2 weeks now which has forced me to go back to playing Gran Turismo 5 on a controller :(

24.1.2012

My wife bought this steering wheel for me for Christmas. The pre-order date kept being put back so presumably Thrustmaster were struggling to fulfil the order.Anyway, I got my steering wheel for Christmas and when I opened it I was really happy with the quality of the product. The rubber grip for the steering wheel is excellent and the gear shifters are second to none, I have used the official Xbox steering wheel and both of these components wipe it clean out of the water. The pedals, again are excellent quality. I have seen some reviews on here about broken brake pedals. I actually am slightly confused how that could happen, they are solid! I do only wear socks though when using them,maybe people are wearing shoes. The pedals offer good feedback and resistance, meaning that you can really control the speed around corners, rather than being like an on/off switch.I have only used this wheel for F1 2011, which is what I wanted it for and it offers a great driving experience. OK, it hasn't got force feedback, but I used to race on the PC and had a logitech G25 which at the time was the creme de la creme, but after a while with force feedback it can really make your arms hurt, restricting game time in my opinion. I can play F1 for hours at a time, with no vibrations through my fingers and really decent control of the steering wheel.Now for the negatives. Within 2 weeks, the downshift was becoming irresponsible, at first I thought maybe I had a gearbox failure on the game (no joke), but then it started to get worse. To the point where it didn't work. Another reviewer said that people with this problem must be hamfisted, I don't think this problem is to do with how it is used, more down to the contacts within the wheel to be dodgy. I noticed that this wheel actually comes with 2 years manufacturers warranty. Usually i'd just send it back to Amazon, but I contacted Thrustmaster customer services, who were excellent and I sent my wheel postage paid to France for repair. They sent me another wheel within the week. I personally feel the wheels were initially rushed out of factory to meet the Christmas deadline and therefore quality control points may have been skipped. I am hoping this wheel will prove to be more reliable. If so, then fantastic, for £60 you really won't find a wheel of this quality anywhere!To sum up: -Pros -Great gearshifters, really good quality.Great steering wheel gripPedals are better than anything else i've used on the Xbox 360Buttons are really well placed with ease of use.Only £60.Cons -Suspect reliability (however this does come with 2 years manufacturers warranty)No force feedback (Not a con for me, but maybe for the purist)Microphone socket - Not a problem for me as I use a Turtle Beach headset, but normal Xbox 360 headset will require an adapter. Also get feedback when speaking into the microphone using this wheel.

30.5.2016

First off, let me just say that, for the money this wheel costs, it is a fantastic and worth while piece of kit.The hand grips on the steering wheel, and the overall feel of the wheel and peddles is fantastic and the mounting is easy and simple. The metallic gear changing triptonic paddles are metal and feel very smooth and nice in your hand when changing gear, and the rest of the buttons on the steering wheel work very well with in game menu's.All of the above has been said, so I'll move on to F1 2015 and Project Cars (PC):Project Cars - Project Cars works great with this wheel. Unfortunately, there is no setting for the Thrustmaster F458 Italia wheel on the PC version,meaning you're forced to use the setting labelled "Xbox One Controller - Classic". Using this setting, you're able to use all of the buttons on the steering wheel very well, and with no issues. I found it best to increase the sensitivity of the wheel in the Project Cars Menu, and also found that setting the Deadzones to as low as possible also helped. The only downside to this is that, when you come to the leaderboard menu, it will show that your fastest laps were set on a controller and not on a wheel. A small price to pay, I'd say.F1 2015 - I was able to get this wheel to work on every other F1 game I own on PC (12, 13, 14) however COULD NOT get it to work on F1 2015. This might have been down to something I was doing, but after many attempts I couldn't get the peddles to work. When launching F1 2015, you're warned that the steering wheel is not supported, but after that, the menu works pretty perfectly. I believed this to be a good sign, however after jumping in to Time Trial, it became clear the wheel would not work, as the accelerator stuck on, and I could not move the car. This is my experience each time, and unfortunately I have found no fix. Would love to hear if anyone else got this to work.EDIT: After much more time, I have managed to get this wheel to work on F1 2015. You will need, once again, to use the "Xbox One Controller" Configuration, and create a Custom Preset when in the controls menu. This will allow you to control the car normally, and with a high degree of accuracy. I have found that micro adjustments are fine,but for the time being, I am happy that it works :)All in all, for Project Cars and F1 games besides 2015, this wheel is fantastic. As a product, it works perfectly, is very responsive and durable. The peddles are tough, responsive as well, and progressive when depressed. The only reason I am giving this product a 4 star rating is down to the fact that, on the PC, getting games to pick it up either at all, or as a wheel and not under the control setting was few and far between.Hope this helps, any comments on F1 2015 etc. welcomed.

3.3.2013

I bought this wheel the other day (new for £50 - shop around) and I think it is coming in for some really unfair criticism. It has already made my time on Forza 4 both more enjoyable and more challenging. No, it doesn't have force feedback and that is it's one big problem, but for a decent force feedback wheel you're looking at hundreds of pounds. Comparisons between this and Fanatec wheels are pointless. For a Fanatec wheel, pedals, shifter and stand (just to get started in other words) you could pay in the region of £400-£500, and frankly, most people don't have that kind of money lying around for what is basically a bit of fun: a toy.Straight out the box with the 458 wheel you have everything you need.

14.1.2017

This is a great budget wheel. It won't be as good as the super expensive counterparts, but it will give you that racing experience at a low price!The wheel is a good size and fits nicely in the hands (I have medium sized hands for a guy), with all the buttons being easily accessible. Turning the wheel feels natural and responsive. It does have a bit of resistance, but snaps back into position if you let go of it (although you're best controlling returning the wheel to neutral while racing). It has all the buttons from an Xbox 360 places in nice positions. The pedals are also very nice, quite heavy feeling - good resistance and overall feel accurate and satisfying.The wheel doesn't require any drivers,

19.3.2015

The Ferrari F458 arrived safely and looks really good. The buttons on the wheel are nice and clear and the grip on the wheel is perfect. The two metal paddles for gear change are really nice and smooth and feels great. But there is a real problem, the cord that connects to the xbox 360 simply isn't long enough, unless you have your TV about a metre away, which I'm sure most families don't, so you'll have no choice than to purchase an USB extension kit to make the cable longer, so this delays your enjoyment, because you don't know this until you try, like I did. I think this is poor, I think that another metre would of been perfect. I think it's bad for you, if you watch your TV or play games that close to the screen.

6.5.2015

This is my first racing wheel and I love it.It is well made and no corners have been cut in manufacturing this moderately priced wheel. Everything feels well made from the USB plug to the click of the metal gear paddles. The wheel is of an acceptable size and the bracket attaches it to the desk quiet securely, the pedals can slip on a wooden floor when things get frantic, but that is not surprising and I will find a way to work around this.You may have to adjust the sensitivity of the wheel in each game to get the best performance out of it to suit your driving style.I have used it in Dirt 3, F1 2010/2012/2014 and it has raised the enjoyment and immersion of the games to another level.The only thing that is missing is force feedback,

5.8.2015

Very solid feeling wheel and pedals. The controls are very progressive and the pedals especially are well weighted. The wheel feels nice in your hands and the wheel self centres strongly.I bought this for Windows 7 and as with a lot of others it did not self install. Eventually I found the answer which turned out to be easy.First off go to device manager where you will see the wheel listed. Right click on it and select Update Driver Software > Browse My computer for Driver Software > Let Me Pick from a List of Drivers.You are looking for Xbox 360 Controller for Windows" (version 2006). If it's there install it (ignore any warnings).If it's not there select Microsoft>Microsoft Common Controller for Windows Class> Xbox 360 Controller for Windows" (version 2006)

12.9.2012

Having used this for several hours now for Dirt 3 on my PC, I really like this wheel. My driving was dreadful at first compared to how I had performed with the keyboard, but I was trying too hard. The wheel is quite sensitive and requires small movements to wind through curves. You can throw the wheel over hard on a tight hairpin bend, but level out too late and you're in a a spin (or the wall!). The gear-change paddles work very well. The pedals have resistance when pressed and are progressive in effect, not just on or off. It all adds up to a sense of realism (or really good escapism!). The necessary software drivers already exist in Vista and Win7, so the rig is truly plug and play.

3.6.2016

Basically this is an Xbox controller in the form of a steering wheel. There's nothing wrong with that for the price, as the Xbox controller is a very good piece of equipment.It is not however a true PC steering wheel because of the above, but if you're like me and baulk at some of the high end prices for wheels, this is a great choice.Adjusting the wheels settings via game controls (dead zones etc), configuration and calibration is simple and leads to a very good, easy to use, and responsive wheel.It feels well made, clamps securely onto my desk and is quick to both attach and remove. It sits nicely in your hands and both the wheel and pedals are nicely weighted.For the price, this is a great wheel.

4.6.2016

i bought this for use with euro truck simulator and American truck simulator. it loaded no problems on my windows 8.1 pc and was recognised by both games. once everything and buttons were assigned it works great and really makes a difference to gameplay. Build quality is good clamps to my desk fine pedals are stiff so you do need to put something behind them to stop them moving. i know the force feed back is bungee cords but it works well. for a steering wheel setup for this price i cant recommend it enough. the only down side is it could do with a few more buttons but all i have done is make a shelf to put my keyboard just behind the wheel so if you like your trucks sims and want a entry level

23.9.2013

I bought this steering wheel when I got F1 2011. I tried playing it with a controller thinking that as with Forza, it's easier to keep control with a pad. That turned out not to be the case and 4 hours after having bought the game I ordered this wheel and sat out the wait. The wait was worth it, the accuracy of turning that you get from this wheel for a game like F1, where being smooth counts, is amazing. The gears are positive and the pedals give a good range.If you want a wheel for a great driving experience this IS the one to get, and it's unfortunate that games like Forza aren't programmed to play to their strengths leading to plenty of disappointed gamers and their negative reviews.

28.1.2012

Having read the previous reviews I had some concerns about this product, but have nothing but praise.Amazons delivery was 'first Class' even though I only used the Standard Delivery Service with the wheel arriving well ahead of the projected delivery date.The product is superb, living up to expectations. The wheel makes the driving games very realistic and I can't see any problems with the pedals. It has been in virtual constant use by an adult and a child with no issues so far. The pedals look fine for use when playing the games normally so not sure how the previous negative reviews have arisen.Would recommend it to anyone.

9.7.2016

Bought as a gift and has been thoroughly enjoyed by the recipient.When I started looking online, I was frustrated that I couldn't find a wheel within my budget that had feedback or better rotation but missing those features has not been a problem for the recipient at all - in fact, when I mentioned this afterwards they were adamant that it would have been daft to spend more money just for those features because they were perfectly happy with the item as it was.Some reviewers have experienced difficulty getting their PC to recognise the wheel but for me it worked perfectly as 'plug and play' on two different PCs.

23.11.2014

Won this as a prize the build off it is good there's no vibrate built in which is a shame as its really good steering wheel and feels like a real car with power steering. I have tested it on forza 4 and has won me a lot off online races compare to a pad which I used to love using .driving on for a 4 and this wheel is ace and smooth even on high end cars .also tested on forza horizon which is OKThere's no battery's just plug it into your USB on your Xbox and off you go the engine start button is a d-pad so no need to use the Xbox pad other all if you love for a you love driving this

Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Italia - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail