Best Racing Wheels For Gran Turismo 7: Buyers Guide 2024

Gran Turismo 7 was one of the biggest racing launches of the past few years. It took the foundation that GT Sport had created and added all of the usual Gran Turismo flair to create a pretty complete car collecting and racing experience.

To get the very best out of this racing title, you can pick up a racing wheel for the most realistic experience. A racing wheel will allow you to feel like you are driving the car, which is a feeling that a controller doesn’t quite give you.

But when it comes to choosing a racing wheel for Gran Turismo 7, there are loads to choose from. So where do you start? In this guide, I’m going to round up the best sim racing wheels for Gran Turismo 7 at a variety of different price points.

Best Racing Wheels For Gran Turismo 7

Below, I’ve chosen three of the very best racing wheels at different budget price points. I’ve included two fantastic entry-level racing wheels, as well as a more premium high-end racing wheel if you are looking for maximum performance.

These three wheels are;

All three of these racing wheels perform great within their respective budgets. If you’d like some more information on why I’ve chosen these three wheels in particular, please keep reading. I’ll dive into each of these wheels much deeper, including how they look, perform and how compatible they are with Gran Turismo 7.

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Best High-End Racing Wheel For Gran Turismo 7

The Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro is the only direct drive racing wheel available for the PlayStation 5 currently. And as you can probably tell from the name, it was developed alongside Polyphony Digital, the studio that created the Gran Turismo series.

The GT DD Pro features perfect compatibility with Gran Turismo 7 thanks to its partnership with its developer. And it is completely plug-and-play. You can simply connect the racing wheel to your PlayStation 5 or 4, and it will start working right away. No fiddly setups here!

As I mentioned, the GT DD Pro is the only racing wheel at this price range to feature direct drive technology. The only other direct drive racing wheel available for PlayStation 5 is the much more expensive Fanatec Podium F1.

What is direct drive force feedback?

Direct drive refers to the technology that connects the motor that produces the force feedback to your steering wheel. Many racing wheels such as the Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T248 below use a combination of gears or belts to connect the motor and steering wheel.

Belts and gears help a smaller motor produce stronger force feedback. But this comes at a cost. Some of the force feedback detail and fidelity is lost in translation meaning the force feedback will never feel as good as it does from a direct drive racing wheel.

Also, with belt and gear driven racing wheels, you can’t achieve the same amounts of strength that a direct drive wheel produces. A direct drive racing wheel connects a much larger motor directly to the steering wheel. This gives you a true 1:1 connection with the force feedback much like in a real-world car.

This is why direct drive racing wheels are the pinnacle of sim racing.

The Gran Turismo DD Pro offers direct drive technology at a fraction of the cost of other direct drive racing wheels. And, with the GT DD Pro you get everything needed to start racing included in the box. You get a steering wheel that is specifically designed for Gran Turismo 7, and you get a set of pedals.

Simply put, at this price range, this is the best racing wheel for PS5.

There are a few options when it comes to buying a Fanatec GT DD Pro. You can get it in a few different configurations. There is the base model which features a two-pedal set and produces 5Nm of force feedback torque.

Then you can upgrade to an 8Nm version which produces stronger force feedback. And then there is a Premium version which nets you the more powerful wheelbase and a three-pedal set. See our comparison of each version below.

Wheel – Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC
Pedals – Included
Price – From €699.95/$699
Where to buy – Buy from Fanatec

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Best All-Round Racing Wheel For Gran Turismo 7

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly racing wheel, then the Logitech G923 is one that I have been recommending for years. It features everything you require from a solid budget racing wheel, with a much higher level of quality compared to other wheels in this price range.

The Logitech G923 features gear-driven force feedback technology producing around 2.1Nm of torque. This isn’t as powerful as the GT DD Pro, but Logitech does have a trick up its sleeve. This comes in the form of a technology named TRUEFORCE.

TRUEFORCE is a vibration/rumble technology that is built directly into the steering wheel itself. This is designed to emulate the feedback you would feel from sitting in a car. As you rev your car, the vibrations become stronger. In theory, this should increase the immersion and in testing, it works relatively well.

I could definitely notice TRUEFORCE in action, and it did add to the experience, although it certainly isn’t a game-changer.

On the design and build front, the Logitech G923 is certainly one of the nicer looking racing wheels in this price range. The wheel features a perforated leather wrap, and the wheel itself has one of the nicer designs of any racing wheel.

There are a number of buttons that can control elements of your car mid-race, as well as a rotational dial allowing you to select different values. I often set this to control my traction control or brake bias, allowing for on-the-fly adjustments.

I’ve been racing with a G923 on and off since launch and have never run into an issue. At this price point, it is the racing wheel I would recommend above all others.

Racing Wheel – Logitech G923
Compatibility – PS5, PS4, PC
Pedals – Included
Price – £299.95/$299.95
Where to buy – Buy from Amazon

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Performance on a Budget Racing Wheel For Gran Turismo 7

The Thrustmaster T248 is a relatively new addition to the sim racing world. Thrustmaster is extremely well known for producing all sorts of gaming peripherals, from controllers to flight sticks and racing wheels.

The T248 is Thrustmaster’s product designed to rival the Logitech G923. It can produce around 3.2Nm of torque which puts it just above the Logitech G923. And it utilises what Thrustmaster call Hybrid Drive. This is essentially a combination of belt and gear mechanisms to translate the force feedback from the motor to your hands.

In practice, this works well and the force feedback is decent. There is also magnetic shifters and magnetic pedals which in terms of technology, is a step up from Logitech’s tech in the G923.

The wheel design itself is relatively compatible with the G923. It does lean slightly more on the plastic side, where Logitech has used more premium materials, and there aren’t quite as many inputs on the face as the G923. But the inclusion of an LED screen is nice at this price point.

The interactive race dashboard can display a wide range of telemetry and readouts and it works great. If you position your steering wheel slightly over the bottom of the TV, you shouldn’t worry too much about obscuring your in-game steering wheel, as you can use the in-built screen to view your speed, revs etc.

Much like the Logitech G923 and Fanatec GT DD Pro above, the Thrustmaster T248 is completely plug-and-play compatible with PlayStation 5 consoles.

Overall the Thrustmaster T248 does deliver good performance at this price range, and it may have the Logitech G923 beaten in the performance category. If you are looking for a brand new racing wheel, and like what Thrustmaster is bringing with this new wheel, the T248 is a solid choice.

Racing Wheel – Thrustmaster T248
Compatibility – PS4, PS5, PC
Pedals – Included
Price – £299.99/$299.99
Where to buy – Buy from Amazon

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Overview

If you are looking for a new racing wheel to enjoy Gran Turismo 7 with, all three of these picks come highly recommended. Your choice will come down to your budget and the level you want to be sim racing at.

The Fanatec GT DD Pro is a fantastic performance option. It features the best in sim racing technology and has been specifically designed alongside the developers of Gran Turismo 7. You simply won’t get a better sim racing wheel for Gran Turismo 7.

Both the Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T248 sit a step down from the Fanatec wheel. But both bring their own tricks to the party. The Logitech G923 wins out on design and build quality, while the T248 slightly beats the Logitech wheel in performance.

Bottom line, you really can’t go wrong with any of these three racing wheels. All will enhance your Gran Turismo 7 experience massively compared to a controller.

Read our full guide on the best racing wheel for PS5 here.

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Are racing wheels compatible with Gran Turismo 7?

Gran Turismo 7 is a racing game that is compatible with a wide range of sim racing wheels. In fact, a racing wheel is without a doubt the best way to experience Gran Turismo 7.

Fanatec has worked side by side with the developers of Gran Turismo 7 to ensure their Gran Turismo DD Pro racing wheel works flawlessly. But other sim racing wheels that are PS5 compatible will also work well with GT7.

Check out the best PS5 steering wheels in our complete buyer’s guide.

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How much does a racing wheel cost for Gran Turismo 7?

If budget is one of the main considerations when looking at buying a racing wheel for Gran Turismo 7, then I’m pleased to say they can be pretty accessible these days. You can pick up the most budget-friendly racing wheels from under £100/$100.

Many of these super-budget racing wheels don’t feature the same technology found in more expensive wheels. Elements such as force feedback can be left out of these budget wheels, and that is one part of a racing wheel that you will miss.

The cheapest force feedback racing wheels start from around the £200/$200 mark, with Thrustmaster offering some older racing wheels at this price point.

If you can stretch your budget to around £300/$300 then you can pick up one of our recommended racing wheels above. Both the Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T248 offer great performance, quality and compatibility at this price range.

If you are looking for a more high-end racing wheel for Gran Turismo 7, then the Fanatec GT DD Pro is a great option. The GT DD Pro, which I recommended above starts from £699/$699.

If the GT DD Pro doesn’t offer enough performance for you, then there is the Fanatec Podium F1 racing wheel. This is one of the highest-performing racing wheels you can get for PlayStation 5, but it doesn’t come cheap. The Fanatec Podium F1 starts from €1,799.95/$1,799.95.

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Is a racing wheel better than a controller for Gran Turismo 7?

I spent a lot of hours playing the Gran Turismo series using just a controller. And for the first few games, this was the best way to race in Gran Turismo. In more recent games, especially more competitive games like GT Sport, a racing wheel is the better option.

A racing wheel allows for a level of control that is very hard to come by using a controller. It also adds to the immersion a lot. Gran Turismo 7 is a game where immersion is huge. You are buying, owning, tuning and washing the cars that you wish you could own in real life.

So topping out that level of involvement and immersion with a racing wheel is a huge benefit. If you enjoy racing games in general, then investing in a racing wheel can be one of the best ways to elevate your enjoyment.

And owning a racing wheel doesn’t have to be awkward. If you are short on space there are plenty of wheel stands to which you can attach your racing wheel. And many of these can fold away for easy storage.

Check out our guide to the best, compact wheel stands, where we show you the very best and most versatile racing wheel stands you can buy.

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