The Grid by Sim Lab Officially Licensed Porsche 911 RSR Sim Racing Steering Wheel is the priciest Racing Simulator Wheel we have reviewed at Boosted Media.
With a hefty AU$3,258 (US$2,247 / €2,475) price tag, it is definitely geared towards a small niche.
Even if you can’t afford to buy one, you’ll want to see what an investment of that size gets you.
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Grid by Sim Lab Porsche 911 RSR Features
- Officially licenced Porsche 911 RSR wheel
- 5-inch 854×480 LCD with 300-lumen backlight
- Scratch-resistant tempered glass facia
- CNC machined 6061 anodized aluminium housing
- Carbon Fibre Face
- 80 telemetry controlled RGB LEDs
- 12 X APEM switches with 4 x RGB LEDs each
- 4 X Aluminium Rotary Encoders with 4 X LEDs each
- 3 Mode hall effect clutch paddles (double clutch, analog and switch)
- Aluminium Magnetic Shifter Paddles
- Aluminium Rocker Paddle
- Simhub compatible
- Custom over-moulded PU grips with an anti-static mixture
Cons:
- Very niche product being porsche branded. Would love to see them adopt the same quality in some more generic wheels with wider appeal
- VERY Expensive. You get what you pay for but this certainly isn’t for everyone.
- Wheel is heavy at 2.05kg – This has a noticeable dampening effect on the Force Feedback on weaker wheelbases.
- No power switch – Apparently this is being implemented soon.
- No pulse width adjustment for rotary encoders (although probably not an issue with such clearly defined detents).
- No MultiPosition Switch mode for rotary encoders.
- Not a touchscreen although that means much cleaner bezel design than other alternatives
Pros:
- Good documentation with diagrams
- Strong community support on Discord with DASH and LED profiles
- Build quality is equal to, if not a little higher than GSI and Ascher, which have previously been my benchmarks for quality
- Rotary Encoders and buttons feel perfect to me. They have just the right amount of tactile feedback without feeling overly clunky
- Plenty of adjustments available for shifters and analogue paddles
- Analog paddles use contactless hall effect sensors
- Huge amount of functionality through Simhub with telemetry controlled LEDs and dash screens
- Although a little clunky at first, calibration and clutch adjustment can be done on the wheel itself which means you don’t need to Alt-Tab out of the game
Conclusions:
I have tested many sim racing wheels, and this is the nicest one I have tried so far. However, its price is almost double that of the GSI Formula Pro Elite or Cube Controls CSX3 wheel. Although the wheel is nice, it is not twice as good as those cheaper options.
This product is quite unique and niche, so I believe that most people who purchase it have known they wanted it as soon as they were aware of it. Rather than something that every sim racer should strive to own, this product is more like a collector’s item or show-piece. Naturally, there is nothing wrong with that. Some people just like to have nice things, like expensive watches or jewellery. If you can afford it, then why not?
This product truly shines in the details, from the buttons having a great feel to the ergonomic design, and dedicated power supply. The wheel is incredibly comfortable and, although it is quite heavy, it doesn’t feel too large or bulky, which was a complaint about the GSI Formula Pro Elite. It is evident that a lot of effort was put into creating this product, as shown by the attention to detail.
I’m happy to see products like this on the market, and it’s great that people are able to purchase them. GRID has reported hundreds of sales for the wheel, which is remarkable. However, I am wishing for a non-licensed version that can be used with a range of cars and offers the same quality for a more affordable price point, similar to other wheels we mentioned in this review.
