Moza R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals Review
Moza’s new Xbox-compatible R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals bundle is the latest addition to the company’s increasingly extensive sim racing ecosystem, and it’s a complete, ready-to-race set that could prove quite attractive to Xbox users on the hunt for their first racing wheel.
While the 3.9Nm R3 wheelbase doesn’t pack an especially potent punch at its peak, it is nonetheless a sturdy and elegant direct drive unit that’s whisper quiet, easily outclassing its noisier and clunkier gear- and belt-driven peers at the lower end of the sim racing gear price spectrum. Better still, the bundle itself is extremely upgrade-friendly, so it’ll be very easy to make improvements to your setup down the track without needing to replace it entirely.
Moza R3 – Design and Features
The Moza R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals bundle is a complete, plug-and-play racing system. It comes with Moza’s new 3.9Nm R3 wheelbase, a 280mm Xbox-compatible steering wheel that appears to largely resemble Moza’s existing ES wheel, and a set of SR-P Lite pedals: everything you’ll need to set it up and be driving immediately. It also includes a separate table clamp for those of you with desk-style racing set-ups, so there are no nasty surprises or hidden additional costs.
The all-steel clamp itself is genuinely excellent, and it may well be the best wheel clamp I’ve ever used. It is absolutely rock solid – far stronger than the plastic systems regularly employed by some competitors. While most wheels I’ve used tend to rock forward slightly under the weight of my hands and arms when using table clamps, the R3 wheelbase and rim are rigidly held in place and I’ve detected no tilt at all. I did notice that the Allen bolts holding the wheelbase to the clamp did begin to the loosen after some particularly aggressive force feedback while playing CarX Drift Racing, but the mild, 15-degree lean on the clamp makes it simple enough to access the bolts and re-tighten them without removing the clamp from its surface entirely. Clamp space extends to 50mm, which should suit even a thick table or desk.
Purchasing Guide
The Moza R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals bundle is available from Moza and Walmart for $400.
The clamp itself has six pre-drilled mount holes, meaning it suits the smaller R3 wheelbase but also Moza’s existing range of slightly longer wheelbases. The wheelbase itself has four mount holes, but it’s smaller than other wheelbases so if you use a bespoke sim rig you may need extra holes in your wheel stand to match the R3’s bolt pattern.
The R3 wheelbase itself weighs just 2.29 kilos and is just 120mm high, 135mm wide, and (excluding the steering shaft) only 93mm long. It really is surprisingly small, but I am a big fan of the utilitarian aesthetics of these boxy little direct drive systems over big plastic clamshells, which tend to look a little more toy-like in comparison. That said, Moza has indulged slightly by adding an overt X shape to the R3 wheelbase, but it’s a cute touch for its first Xbox wheel bundle.
The brushed aluminium alloy housing has a nice, premium appearance, and the firm plastic case on the rear seems sturdy. The rear ports are easily accessible, with inputs for pedals, a dash display, a shifter, a handbrake, and an emergency stop device all lined up in a neat, practical row. The only one you’ll need with the items included in the R3 bundle is the pedal port, but expanding your setup will be simple if you choose to do so (there are also two threaded holes on top of the R3 for Moza’s dash display).
Entry-level system or otherwise, I will say there is something impressive about a direct drive wheelbase that can literally fit in the palm of my hand.
Granted, I do have large hands, which do me a mild disservice when it comes to the wheel rim itself; at 280mm in diameter, it’s a fraction smaller to the wheels I use most regularly. It’s admittedly only a 20mm difference, but it is noticeable. It does feel a little more petite to me overall.
That said, the contouring on the D-shaped wheel is comfortable under the hands, and the polyurethane wrapping for the rim itself may look a little cheap but it also feels fine and suitably grippy during use. The brushed metal wheel face looks good and, even though there’s a bit of play in them, the buttons have a nice, firm action under the thumb. The wheel rim itself is actually removable from the core, and Moza does sell other rims that fit on this button template, including a 12-inch round wheel and a butterfly-style wheel called the “ES Formula.”
The black metal paddle shifters have a satisfying click after just a few millimetres of travel, though they are a little thin and will continue to flex by another half-centimetre or so under a strong squeeze.
Moza’s ball-bearing quick release system is excellent. Just push the rim onto the wheel shaft; one click and it’s done. No need to grab the collar or make any further twists or adjustments. It’s very snug and rigid, and I can detect no shimmy or wiggle in it whatsoever.
It’s also very important to note the Xbox compatibility in the Moza ecosystem comes inside the wheel itself, and not the wheelbase. This means you can actually snap this wheel onto other Moza wheelbases like the R5 or R12 as well. The only downside is that, if you already have an existing Moza base, the Xbox wheel is only available in this R3 bundle at the moment.
The pedal box in the R3 bundle comes with two pedals – an accelerator and a brake. A standalone clutch pedal is available from Moza and can be easily added to the SR-P Lite base, but just be aware it doesn’t come with a clutch by default.
The pedals and pedal box are all metal, so they feel very strong. Certainly beefier than the pedal sets in some other wheel systems I’ve used over the years, which utilise a lot more plastic in their construction. They also have a wide range of adjustment possibilities, with the pedal pads able to be reattached higher or lower, and the whole pedals themselves moved left or right. Resistance for the pedals comes from a pair of springs rather than a load cell, however.
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Moza R3 – Performance
With 3.9Nm of peak torque available from the R3 wheelbase we’re admittedly not talking about forearm-shredding levels of force here. It is, however, well within the vicinity of other entry-level wheels. That is, it’s more powerful than the Logitech G923 and essentially on par with the Thrustmaster T300 (and only a little below the 5Nm Fanatec CSL DD bundle, which is also Xbox compatible but slightly more expensive).
The benefits of the Moza R3 over the gear-driven G923 and the belt-driven T300 is that the R3 is direct drive. As a result, force feedback is smooth, silent, and instant. The effect is night and day. The R3 does particularly well communicating subtle feedback, and it’s very hard to go back to gear- or belt-driven alternatives.
Yes, the peak strength is considerably lower than you get in mid- to high-range direct drive wheelbases, but the R3 isn’t for racers who already own such a set up (or have the budget and desire for one).
If you’re playing on Xbox, force feedback settings for the R3 can be made via the bespoke Moza Racing app, which painlessly connects to your wheelbase via Bluetooth. It’s simple to use and there are a ton of adjustments available, some of which can add a bit more punch to the lower-end feedback if you want more zest.
Game support at launch is a little more extensive than the recently released Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race, which does otherwise live at a different (that is, higher) price point than the R3. The R3 handily supports a slightly bigger range of older, fan-favourite racing games, and I was very pleased to be able to use the R3 to play the likes of Project CARS 2 and Forza Motorsport 7, despite the fact both of these games have been delisted for years. Unfortunately, there are a few heavy hitters that aren’t officially supported on Xbox yet, including the most recent F1, plus Assetto Corsa Competizione.
As mentioned, resistance in the pedals is provided by springs, and your input is determined by Hall effect sensors that are detecting the position of the pedals rather than the force you’re applying to them. For the throttle this tends to be fine, but for braking it’s a little harder to maintain consistency without the progressive resistance you get in more advanced load cell pedal setups. I expect it will still be sufficient for a large portion of the compatible racing games on Xbox, but if you find yourself getting quite serious a standalone brake mod is available that adds a lot more resistance and will give you a more consistent brake feel. Just know that if you’re thinking of adding this to your pedals, you’ll probably need some kind of wheel stand or sim rig at this point. With the extra braking force it’s unlikely you’ll be able to just leave the pedals on the floor (even with the included grip pads).
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