Simucube vs Fanatec: Which Direct Drive Wheel To Buy?

Simucube has developed a wide ecosystem of sim racing products including high end direct drive wheels. How do they compare to Fanatec? I look at both brands in this detailed comparison.

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Fanatec ClubSport DD+ vs Simucube 2 Sport comparison

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Both Simucube and Fanatec have been producing some of the best sim racing hardware for many years. Fanatec is known for its huge ecosystem consisting of racing wheels, pedals, steering wheels and more.

In comparison, Simucube has become recognised as one of the best premium hardware brands. Their range of Simucube 2 wheel bases is often considered to be the best direct drive wheels on the market.

In this comparison, I’m going to compare Fanatec and Simucube direct drive wheels. I’ll primarily use my experience of the Fanatec ClubSport DD+ and the Simucube Sport 2 wheels throughout my past few years of testing. I will also look at the entire range of wheels from both Simucube and Fanatec.

Simucube vs Fanatec racing wheel comparison

I have spent the past year racing regularly with the Fanatec ClubSport DD+. This racing wheel has been my go-to wheel base during this time, thanks in part to its great performance and compatibility with my Fanatec steering wheels and consoles.

During this time, and before I even started using the ClubSport DD+, I have been using the Simucube 2 Sport wheel base. This is the entry-level wheel from Simucube, however, during my testing and experience, it is far from an entry-level product.

These are the two wheel bases that I’m going to be primarily comparing, as I have had years of experience with the Fanatec ClubSport DD+ and Simucube 2 Sport. Before I jump into comparing these two products in more detail, I first want to review the wheel base lineup that both brands have in 2024.

Simucube direct drive wheel bases

Starting with Simucube, there are currently three different wheel bases that the Finland-based company offer. These are;

Wheel BasePriceTorquePros
Simucube 2 Sport$119917NmEntry point to the Simucube ecosystem
Simucube 2 Pro$138025NmThe entry point to the Simucube ecosystem
Simucube 2 Ultimate$295032NmSome of the most powerful FFB ever

The Simucube 2 Sport is the most accessible wheel base. It is expensive compared to other wheels and those from Fanatec, but this demonstrates that all three of these wheel bases are intended to be premium hardware.

Most sim racers will find the force feedback that the Sport wheel delivers to be more than powerful enough. Having used all three wheel bases, the Simucube 2 Sport is certainly the one I’d recommend to all but the most hardcore drivers. This is backed up by the Simucube 2 Sport being the most purchased wheel base of the three available.

The middle of the range wheel is the Pro. This boosts the force feedback strength up to 25Nm, which is stronger than most other racing wheels on the market, including all available from Fanatec.

At the top of the Simucube wheel base range is the Simucube 2 Ultimate, which is an incredibly premium product. The Ultimate boosts the force feedback up to a staggering 32Nm of peak torque, but it comes with a price tag over double that of the Pro. Having tried this wheel, I can confirm just how powerful and painful racing with 32Nm of peak torque is!

Read our buyer’s guide for Simucube where we explain the entire Simucube ecosystem, which products they sell and which we’d recommend.

Fanatec direct drive wheel bases

Fanatec also offers a range of different wheel bases, much like Simucube. The German brand’s wheels start at a much lower price, making them more accessible and affordable. Below are all the current racing wheels from Fanatec.

Wheel BasePriceTorquePros
CSL DD$349.955-8NmCheapest direct drive Xbox wheel
GT DD Pro$599.958NmPS5 compatible direct drive wheel
ClubSport$799.9512NmNewest wheel offering better FFB detail
ClubSport DD+$999.9515NmMost powerful wheel currently available
DD1 & DD2Discontinued20-25NmDiscontinued

The Fanatec ecosystem of wheel bases offers four products that are all cheaper than the cheapest Simucube wheel.

The CSL DD and GT DD Pro are the two most affordable Fanatec wheels, and both offer very good direct drive performance from their small size. I have spent the past 3 years racing with the CSL DD, and it remains one of the best budget direct drive wheels available.

The ClubSport DD and DD+ wheels are the two most recent releases from Fanatec, both launching in 2023. Both wheels use the same technology, with the DD+ offering better console support and increased power output.

The older Podium DD1 and DD2 wheels used to be Fanatec’s top-of-the-range wheel bases. The DD2 remains the most powerful sim racing wheel that Fanatec has ever produced, matching the peak torque of the Simucube 2 Pro at 25Nm. These two wheels are no longer available to purchase other than some remaining stock in Australia.


Fanatec vs Simucube technical spec comparison

Before jumping into our comparison based on my experience with both Fanatec and Simucube wheels, I want to compare the nuts and bolts. Below is a comparison of the Simucube 2 Sport and Fanatec ClubSport DD+ wheels.

Simucube 2 SportFanatec ClubSport DD+
Torque17Nm15Nm
Price$1199$799.95
Slew Rate4.8Nm/ms“Class-leading”
RotationInfinite2520 degrees
PlatformsPC OnlyPC, Xbox & PS5

Setting up both Simucube and Fanatec wheels. Which is easier?

The first thing I want to compare and share is my experience of setting up both the Simucube 2 Sport and Fanatec ClubSport DD+ wheels. This should help us narrow down which of the two wheels is easier to set up, and more accessible.

Setting up a Simucube 2 Sport wheel base

I’m going to start with setting up the Simucube 2 sport, as this is the product that I’ve had for longer, and was the first I set up out of the two. Out of the box, you get the wheel base, the cables required to connect the wheel to your PC and a on and off button.

Mounting to a sim rig or cockpit is as easy as any sim racing wheels, and once you’ve connected all cables, you can start setting up the software side. This is very easy as you download a single piece of software from Simucube, True Drive. This can be used to upgrade the firmware, ensuring your wheel is up to date, and you also use this software when tweaking the force feedback settings.

Simucube 2 True Drive software

At this point, you would connect your steering wheel using the quick release system included. You can use most third party steering wheels, such as those from Cube Controls, MOZA and more, or you can use one of Simucube’s own steering wheels.

If you opt for a Simucube steering wheel, you can manage the firmware and settings through the same software as the wheel base, making everything very streamlined. If you opted for a third-party wheel like I did, then you would use the third-party software to manage everything to do with the steering wheel. I mounted a MOZA FSR wheel to my Simucube 2 Sport, and this was easy to configure using MOZA’s own Pit House software.

Setting up a Fanatec ClubSport DD+

The set up process for the Fanatec wheel was equally simple. Much like the Simucube wheel, you mount and connect all cables, and use the quick release to attach any Fanatec steering wheel. Using a third-party wheel is slightly trickier with a Fanatec wheel base, but I’ll discuss that more later.

Fanatec QR2 Quick release attached to ClubSport DD+ wheel

You then have to download the Fanatec Control Panel which lets you check for software and firmware updates. There is also an additional piece of software called Fanalab, which gives you access to additional settings, such as LED behaviour on your steering wheel. This extra piece of software isn’t required but does add another step to the process.


Performance and force feedback quality

With both wheels mounted and configured, the next area of comparison is performance. This is one of the main categories when deciding to buy any racing wheel.

Both brands have been in the sim racing game for a long time and have had direct drive wheels available for 5+ years. Fanatec’s direct-drive racing wheels have always been very good. The first wheels to use direct-drive technology were the DD1 and DD2, and both felt epic when launched.

Fanatec direct drive performance

The strength, combined with the detail that the force feedback was able to deliver compared to the older belt-driven ClubSport V2.5, was outstanding. When I first raced with a DD1, I believed it was the best force feedback I’d ever felt.

Shortly after that, the much smaller and less powerful CSL DD and the GT DD Pro came along. These two wheels started the generation of small and affordable direct-drive wheel bases. No other brand was making racing wheels that offered direct-drive performance at the same low price point, and these wheels were a real game changer in sim racing.

The launch of the CSL DD coincided with the huge increase in popularity of sim racing around 2021, making it the most popular Fanatec wheel by far. I purchased one at launch due to the affordable price tag, and my experience was outstanding.

Most recently, Fanatec launched the ClubSport DD and DD+ wheel bases, and these once again innovated the space. They introduced FullForce and Force Feedback 2.0. Two terms that Fanatec gave the wheel due to the increased responsiveness and the new vibration technology used to simulate tyre slip and RPM.

Before using the ClubSport DD+, I thought that Simucube had the edge over other wheels in just how smooth and intuitive the force feedback felt. The ClubSport DD+ really changed this as the force feedback is equally as smooth and offers additional sensations that older direct drive wheels cannot.

Simucube direct drive performance

As mentioned, I had believed for years that Simucube had the edge over other wheel bases in the performance department. Yes, the Sport, Pro and Ultimate all cost significantly more than most other wheels, but the performance backed this up.

My first few races using a Simucube 2 Sport left me considerably impressed. I first drove the Simucube 2 Sport at an exhibition where there was also a Pro set up on the sim rig beside it. Moving from the Sport to the Pro, the first thing that is obvious isn’t the increase in peak torque. Instead, it was the increased responsiveness that impressed me the most, and this is thanks to a better slew rate in the Pro wheel.

Simucube Tahko GT-21 Steering Wheel Mounted To Simucube Wheel Base

Despite the current Simucube 2 lineup being a good few years old, I am still surprised at just how good the Sport feels when I do attach it to my sim rig. All three wheel bases have stood the test of time, and despite the quicker releases that Fanatec and other brands have been dropping, the Simucube bases still remain among the best in terms of pure performance.


Compatibility with other brands

Compatibility between brands is vitally important when deciding on a path to upgrade your sim racing setup. You need to ensure that all of your products will work well together and with the platform you sim race on.

Both Fanatec and Simucube have an edge in different parts of compatibility. Fanatec has long produced console-compatible sim racing products. The CSL DD and ClubSport DD offer Xbox compatibility, while the GT DD Pro and ClubSport DD+ offer PlayStation compatibility out of the box.

However, Fanatec does lack in compatibility with other brands. You can mount steering wheels from third parties to a Fanatec wheel base. However, you will need to purchase an additional hub to ensure the wheelbase still functions.

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Simucube 2 wheel bases come shipped with a quick-release adapter, the SQR hub, that lets you mount any third-party steering wheel to your wheel base. This makes it much easier to attach any steering wheel and get it up and running with your Simucube wheel.

Simucube Quick Release

Difference in reliability

When you’re looking at spending close to or upwards of $1000 on a racing wheel, you want to know that its built well and will last a good period of time. The good news is that both sim racing brands build their wheel bases to be solid.

All three Simucube 2 wheel bases use high-grade hardware to ensure durability. Simucube offers incredible warranties on its products, which backs up the build quality of all of its hardware. All communication I’ve had with the customer service departments has been positive and quick.

One final thing about the quality of Simucube products is that I’ve had a Simucube 2 Sport for over three years, and it is still working as well today as it was the first day I got it.

Much like Simucube, Fanatec also uses high quality materials in the construction of their products. The ClubSport DD+ that I use almost daily is constructed almost entirely of metal, and feels incredibly premium, as does the QR2 quick release and the Formula V2.5X wheel that I’m using.

Fanatec CSL DD Closeup

There are some exceptions with some steering wheels in particular feeling a little cheaper. The Gran Turismo licensed steering wheel, for example, doesn’t feel anywhere as near as high quality as other products, but this is reflected in the lower price points. Some glaring omissions are the plastic QR1 Lite and QR2 Lite. These cheap, quick-release adapters really aren’t the best and should be avoided.

Fanatec has also had issues in the past with their customer service and RMA procedures, although all communication I’ve had has been good enough. And this part of the business has been improved a lot over the past few months since the end of 2023.


Which brand offers better value for money?

Considering the price of both Simucube and Fanatec products, a Fanatec wheel base offers more bang for your buck. You can pick up a very good direct drive wheel for under $350, and the newest ClubSport DD range starts at under $800.

Simucube products are expensive, and this premium price tag is a result of the high build quality and professional-level performance on offer. However, this makes it more challenging for most sim racers to justify the high price tag.


Is Simucube better than Fanatec?

Defining which sim racing brand is the best of the two is tricky. Both companies have perks and fallbacks, meaning one might be a better fit than the other for you. Having spent 4 years using products from both brands, I can offer a lot of recommendations and pros for choosing either brand.

Reasons why Fanatec are better than Simucube;

  • Better value for money and cheaper products
  • Console compatibility across most wheels
  • Licensed products from BMW, McLaren and Porsche

Reasons why Simucube are better than Fanatec;

  • Incredible levels of force feedback performance, both in smoothness and peak power
  • Build quality is outstanding, backed up by a good warranty and great customer service
  • Wider compatibility with third-party products and a better quick release

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Simucube force feedback better than Fanatec?

Simucube certainly wins by having stronger force feedback than Fanatec, with 32Nm of peak torque available from the Ultimate wheel base. Both the Simucube range and Fanatec ClubSport DD range have outstanding FFB quality and smoothness.

Simucube 2 Sport vs Fanatec ClubSport DD+?

The newer Fanatec ClubSport DD+ produces force feedback that is certainly equivalent to the Simucube 2 Sport in terms of quality, fidelity and smoothness. The Simucube wheel is more compatible with other steering wheels while the ClubSport DD is console compatible.

Does Simucube 2 Sport and Pro come with a quick release?

All Simucube wheel bases include the SQR Hub which allows you to mount most third-party steering wheels to your Simucube wheel base.

Author Profile Picture

Article written by Rich

Founder of SimRacingSetups.com

Rich is the founder, F1 car setup creator and content writer for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com

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