I just drove 5,000 miles with this $1,000 racing wheel — and it's a sim-racer's dream

As you may know, I’m the sim racing guy here at Tom’s Guide. With extensive direct drive wheel experience — you notice after a while that the smoothness and detail in feedback of using magnets over belt-driven motors is rather similar between every company’s wheel (including Fanatec).

And then I drove 5,000 miles with the Logitech G Pro (after upgrading my home rig from the G923), and I’m absolutely blown away. Put simply, this is the best sim racing wheel I’ve ever used.

The beefier wheel rim feels great within your tight embrace with well-placed controls and magnetic gear shifters that pack a satisfyingly meaty snap that makes you feel like Dominic Toretto flying up the gears while saying “family” a lot.

But the real star of the show is its Direct Drive handling with 11Nm of torque — the sharpness, strength and depth of feedback gives you an immensely detailed picture of how your car is doing at every millisecond, and it’s definitely on top when it comes to the pro level of sim racing. Fear not, you can turn that force feedback down if you’d rather not risk injury or have a workout at full torque.

However, that pro level comes at a price — specifically $999/£999. That is steep, and it doesn’t even come with the $349 pedals or the additional adapter I’ve used to keep using my G923’s pedals. Which makes the choice to use a micro-USB port over USB-C all the more hilarious to me.

And on top of that, the learning curve of jumping from daily-driving a beginner’s belt-driven wheel to enthusiast-level direct drive will make you question your purchase for the first couple hundred miles. It’s kind of like if you enjoyed playing “Witcher 3” and thought you’d have just as much unchallenged fun jumping into “Elden Ring.” You get rapidly punished, and it will take you a while to find your groove with the G Pro.

But once you do, it’s every motorsport enthusiast’s dream sim wheel. I can’t guarantee it will make you better at sim racing (git gud, nerd), but Logitech’s wheel gives me such a deep connection with each virtual car I drive, that it’s almost impossible to not be terrifyingly quick.

Got the money and want to step up to the pro level? The Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel is the one to get.

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a direct drive racing wheel — a type of motor that does away with belt-driven force feedback and uses magnets to drive stronger, more accurate responses to your driving.
• Who is it for? At that price, this is for the pros and enthusiasts.
• What does it cost? Up to $999/£999 for the wheel, and $349/£349 for the pedals. There are additional wheel rims for $69 and the new RS Shifter & Handbrake for $149. I connected my G923 pedals to this wheel with the $39 G Racing Adapter. For those scoring at home, this wheel is $300 more than the PS5 Pro.
• What do we like? The driving experience is supremely satisfying, to the chunky click of the gear shifters and the width of the wheel rim, to the strong and intricately detailed force feedback. Make no mistake about it — the G Pro sits atop the pile of direct drive wheels.
• What don’t we like? To get his driving experience, you are paying a lot. And for that price, the difficulty spike from your cheaper, easier-to-use wheel is punishing. You have to learn patience.

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: Specs

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: The ups

Embracing this wheel and taking it for a spin, you’ll feel as if you’ve just upgraded from that old, busted Toyota Camry to a damn Bugatti.

Supercar looks and feels

I’ve seen some people call the Logitech G Pro Racing wheel “dull” and “boring” in its look, and honestly, I’m questioning their judgements entirely by looking at this myself.

Because sure, there are other direct drive wheels that sport a more premium all-metal enclosure with greater levels of compatibility (thanks to putting the screw hole attachments on rails to suit to your liking). But the premium plastics used on the G Pro paired with the stylized utilitarian edges, the back looking almost like the front grille of a muscle car and that eye-catching start/stop button help this exude a luxurious nature.

The real star of the show, however, is the wheel — one of the largest you will hold in the sim racing space at an 11.8-inch diameter (the Fanatec GT DD Pro comes in at 11 inches). The faux leather stitched around the metal plate that forms the rigidity of this wheel feels comfortable in the hands, even for longer endurance challenges.

And speaking of longer races, logical button placement and muscle memory for changes to fuel management are critical. That’s why I’m a big fan of the layout on here with dials placed in just the right places for quick interactions under the thumb.

Completing the automotive awesomeness is the bright (and customizable) RPM LEDs, the tiny OLED display for tracking your inputs and seeing the tiny customizations you make, and those magnetic gear shift paddles with dual clutch.

Those last 2 in particular take you straight to the track with peak immersion — that satisfying mechanical click that comes with changing gear feels so good. Plus, those clutch paddles can be used for acceleration and braking too, which is great for accessibility.

Unmatched direct drive feel

After learning to get used to the G Pro racing wheel (more on that later), you start to see how it really does take your driving to the next level — starting with that near 1:1 level of force feedback.

Whether it’s fighting an F1 car around the slow hairpin at Suzuka in F1 24, feeling the upper limits of that Porsche 911 hurtling down to the carousel at Germany’s mighty Nurburgring in Gran Turismo 7, or just trying to keep that Subaru Impreza pointing in a straight line and not ending up wrapped around a tree in WRC, the 11 newton-meters (Nm) of torque can make for quite the workout if you turn it up to full.

But what’s even more impressive is the detail in its feedback. That torque is an excellent blunt tool for pushing back against you in the bigger moments of controlling moments of oversteer. However, it’s the tinier details you detect in its haptics that vastly broaden the scope of your car control — every detail of the surface you’re on is expressed fully in this feedback.

From the loose stones of a gravel rally stage to the slipperiness of corner curbs around Imola, it’s all here in microscopic detail. This gives you such a deep connection to the car with a confidence to experiment and push to find the maximum level of performance.

The end result when comparing my average times speak for themselves.

So buying the more expensive thing does make your times faster, but is that gap worth the price of admission?

Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel: The downs

I’ve got a lot of love for the G Pro Racing Wheel. But in the grand scheme of things, there are a couple roadbumps.

Patience is a $999 virtue

Like I said above, I’ve got direct drive experience, but my main wheel has been the Logitech G923 — a beginner-intermediate belt-driven wheel. Over the course of the past few years, I’ve gotten used to its quirks: Traction Control is an essential, for example, as the force feedback is too weak for you to really detect the early signs of Over/Understeer.

And so, when I moved up to the G Pro, I was excited for what I felt would be a natural evolution, right!?

• Race #1 — ended up flying off into the wall at turn 1 (didn’t account for the turning force needed)
• Time Trial to test the wheel — consistently 15 seconds slower than I was with the G923 (I was at war with the Traction Control)

There is a lot of Soulsborne-esque trial and error needed to truly get the most out of this wheel — to the point that you’ll be left thinking “I spent a thousand bucks on this!?” But trust me, if you’re committed, keep going, and you’ll find your flow.

Pro tip: the detailed feedback is almost at odds with the Traction Control. By all means use it as you get started with the wheel. But contrary to when I was using the G923, I found I was so much faster turning it off and relying on the feel of the car.

2008 called — they want their micro-USB port back

It’s 2024. Why is there a micro-USB port on a $1,000 piece of gaming hardware!? Not only that, but a weirdly recessed one that means you’d have to buy Logitech’s cable for it to fit and stay plugged in without falling out.

The connector itself is a little wobbly, but the recessed socket has grooves to keep it in place. However, USB-C is right there to resolve this issue, be reliable and transport data faster all at the same time. It’s a baffling choice, which fortunately does fade away as you use the wheel. But I’m still left chuckling at this and thinking back to my old HTC Desire Z’s charging port every now and again.

A lovely trip down memory lane, but one I’d rather not be reminded of by my shiny new (and rather expensive) racing wheel.

Logitech G Pro: Verdict

And that’s the story of the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel — easily the best sim racing wheel I’ve ever used. The best doesn’t mean perfect, but this is greatness from the moment you hit the big, red start/stop button.

From its detailed direct drive feedback to the wheel itself that exudes supercar luxury, you’re immediately on the ride of your life. And provided you practice patience while you learn the ropes of driving on the limit with this wheel, you’re rewarded with blisteringly fast pace and a piece of kit you won’t be able to keep your hands off for years to come.

Which is good to know, given you’re spending a thousand bucks on a device that uses micro-USB… Laugh it off and look past it, though. If you’re on the up and coming into serious sim racing territory, I’d seriously consider the G Pro.