Pros
Feedback is smooth on asphalt tracks
Great wheel for casual sim-racers
Pedals are included with the wheel
Cons
Can be very loud
Isn’t the best wheel for dirt racing
I have yet to find anyone as competitive as I am when it comes to sim-racing. In the world of simulation, the racing wheel that you use can mean pole position or the end of the pack. While having a cool head behind the wheel is important, the wheel itself is just as important.
If you are a casual sim-racer (or just want to get a wheel and pedal bundle to kickstart your sim-racing career), this wheel is 100% for you.
The Logitech G29, which is compatible with Playstation and PC, is the company’s most popular racing wheel. For the Xbox folks, there’s the Logitech G920 which is similar in features and size, but slightly older. Compared to typical racing wheels that price upwards of $600, the G29 is much more affordable at $399 (deals aside).
For the lower entry fee into the world of sim-racing, how much value are you really getting from the G29? Perhaps, more importantly, how much are you losing? I’ve driven with the Logitech G29 since the start of the pandemic, steering through popular titles like iRacing and F1 2021. Let’s see how it’s fared.
Specifications
|
Logitech G29 |
|
| Wheel dimensions | 270 x 260 x 278 mm |
| Wheel weight | 2.25 kg (4.96 lbs) |
| Pedal dimensions | 167 x 428.5 x 311 mm |
| Pedal weight | 3.1 kg (6.83 lbs) |
|
Compatibility |
Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and PC (Windows 7 and up) |
| Wheel rotation | 900° |
|
Buttons on steering wheel |
20 and one twist knob |
Design
Steering wheel
When you look at a typical steering wheel in the cockpit of a race car, it looks just like a video game controller. Yes, the buttons can seem like overkill, but each color-coded toggle has a specific purpose. That’s no different in sim-racing.
Josh Slate/ZDNet
The Logitech G29 has a total of 20 buttons on the wheel, including the paddle shifters on the back. Additionally, on the bottom-right of the wheel is a knob, which you can turn to make added adjustments — just in case the other 20 buttons weren’t enough.
Along with the wheel controls, a small area at the top of the wheel contains 10 lights that show how high the RPM is getting in the car. These lights make it incredibly easy for beginners to know how fast they’re driving and when they need to shift.
The wheel and pedals weigh 4.96 lbs and 6.83 lbs, respectively. The pedals contain a brushed stainless steel throttle control, brake, and clutch, giving users a very firm feeling when they stomp on either of the three. Stabilizing the pedals is Logitech’s patented carpet grip system. Small plastic spikes located on the platform base give it more resistance to movement.
Lastly, the wheel itself is covered with hand-stitched leather and brushed stainless steel. Its rugged appearance looks ready to hit the virtual racetrack.
Pedals
With the Logitech G29, you get a pedal set including a clutch. With most budget wheels, the pedals don’t contain a clutch — just a throttle and brake attached to the base.
I was extremely impressed with the pedals the more I raced. The brake pedal is a nonlinear pedal, meaning the harder you stomp on the brake, the harder it gets to press. This realism helps in big races with heavy brake zones.
Josh Slate/ZDNet
All three pedal frames and arms are made from cold-rolled steel, while the pedal faces are made of brushed stainless steel. On the underside of the pedals, the carpet grip system I mentioned earlier was incredibly helpful — especially with the nonlinear brake that gets hard to push.
The base also has a textured heel grip to keep your feet from slipping. The feature sounds promising on paper but, in practice, it was rather ineffective at keeping my foot on the pedals.
Overall, these pedals don’t feel fragile at all. With the steel pedal arms, I never had to worry about pushing the pedal too hard. If Logitech offered just the pedals for sale, I would recommend them to gamers looking for great quality at an affordable price.
Performance
Whether I’m racing competitively in Monday Night Racing or having fun in official online races, I have yet to find a major flaw in the Logitech G29 wheel. With dual-motor force feedback (see below) in the wheel, you can feel every bump, dip, and even other cars — I found out the hard way.
A visual of Logitech’s dual-motor force feedback inside both the G29 and G920 models.
Logitech
Within the iRacing platform, there are four major forms of racing: asphalt oval, asphalt road, dirt oval, and dirt road. With each form of motorsport comes a different sensation and feedback on the wheel. Here’s how the Logitech G29 performed.
Asphalt oval: 9/10
Oval tracks are where I spend most of my time when racing online. Each track has distinct characteristics, making the wheel react in different ways at each venue.
Asphalt oval racing is typically about how fast you can go without having the rear end of the car step out from under you (also known as fishtailing). That being said, I wanted to test out the wheel on one of the oldest surfaces in NASCAR: the virtual Richmond Raceway. This track has a lot of character, with a big bump in the first corner and a slick, but bumpy, racing surface.
After a couple of laps, it was evident that the turn-one bump made the car lighter when the handling of the G29 felt the same. While this made the car tougher to control, it ultimately added to the realism of driving on asphalt.
Justin Mellilo
However, when battling the slick track conditions, the low-tier, linear resistance force feedback wheel is noticeably lacking. In some cases, my grip on the handle was not as realistic as I had hoped.
In any competitive race, contact is likely — especially if you are racing against me. I think this wheel does a great job of recreating the feel of hitting another car (or even the wall). There is added resistance when there is something on either side of the car.
For oval racers starting out, I highly recommend this wheel. It has everything you need, including all the controls for adjustments when in the virtual driver’s seat.
Asphalt road: 8.5/10
When considering most motorsport fans around the world, road course racing is the most popular with series like Formula One, IMSA, and IndyCar. When testing out a wheel, I had to try my hand at taking left and right turns on road courses.
The biggest factor in road course racing is how the car feels going over curbs. I put the curbs to the test at the virtual Daytona International Speedway, home of the famous Rolex 24.
One observation I made when hitting the curbs was the sound the wheel made: it can be a little loud even with headphones on. The sound is generated when the motor inside is rapidly generating the feedback.
In terms of how the wheel felt when hitting the curbs, it seemed realistic. Most curbs at tracks around the world are ribbed, meaning they have slight bumps that you will feel when you drive over them. I experienced that feeling when testing, and it makes racing even more immersive and enjoyable.
Justin Mellilo
While the tracks on the iRacing service are all laser-scanned, I figured I’d test out how it felt when you go off the track an into the grass. Being able to navigate through the terrain is important when trying to re-enter the track, and the wheel provides proper feedback when hitting bumps and driving on hills. I was quite impressed with how realistic the force feedback felt during this off-track excursion.
The last thing I wanted to test is how the wheel feels when the car transitions from one surface to another. Like curbs, it felt very realistic but it also made the loud noise when I hit the surface a certain way.
Dirt oval: 6.5/10
There’s no type of track that demands a good wheel more than dirt ovals. The track changes throughout a race, and you need to be able to keep up with it. I wanted to try racing a dirt street stock on one of the roughest tracks, getting a feel for how the wheel could handle to bumps and ruts of the virtual Limaland Motorsports Park.
I have some of the most fun on the sim while dirt racing. The only thing that could make dirt racing more enjoyable would be a better wheel. Remember the sound I mentioned when I hit curbs earlier? It happened again and was even louder.
Justin Mellilo
Due to the nature of a dirt track, the car hits a multitude of bumps on every lap, and they are never the same. Before I was even able to make it onto the racetrack, the car hit bumps on pit road and the sound returned. The rapid changes the motor in the wheel must make likely causes the ruckus. Granted, the wheel provides excellent feedback. But if someone is sleeping in the room next to you, the noise is loud enough to disturb them.
Once I was able to start turning laps, the wheel felt exceptional, but I could still tell there is a lot of room for improvement.
As the famous Pixar movie, Cars, says, “Turn right to go left.” That is the truth when it comes to dirt racing. When turning the wheel to the right in the middle of the corner, it feels as if the wheel slips. The force feedback jumps due to the bumps on the track, making it incredibly challenging to drive, especially since Limaland is one of the bumpiest tracks iRacing offers.
If you’re an avid dirt racer, this wheel isn’t for you. Direct-drive wheels are the most popular kind of wheel today, but those come at a high cost.
Dirt road: 6/10
With most dirt road tracks containing both asphalt and dirt areas in iRacing, the wheel was truly put to the test.
Dirt road racing contains a lot of drifting and trying to get the car — or truck — to turn. Having a handbrake can be very beneficial if you are a dirt road racer. While Logitech does not offer an external handbrake, you can purchase one online.
Justin Mellilo
In the Lucas Oil Pro 4 off-road truck I drove, I wasn’t able to turn fast laps, but I was able to get a feel for how the wheel performed. On the dirt portions, I didn’t notice that awful sound inside the motor like I did on the dirt ovals. That’s likely due to the fact that off-road trucks have a much softer suspension than the dirt street stock I drove at Limaland.
Another similarity I found between dirt road tracks and the dirt ovals was the need for a direct-drive wheel. Especially through the jumps, a direct-drive wheel would be incredibly beneficial and give the driver a better feel in the car.
Much like in asphalt road racing, the lights at the top of the wheel help tremendously. With so many slow-speed corners, the question of whether you should downshift or not arises a handful of times each lap. Sometimes, downshifting can help the car turn. By using the RPM lights on the wheel as a guide, I could tell if I was able to downshift in the corner without over-revving the engine, which was crucial in improving my lap times.
After 20 laps around the track, I could easily tell why this form of racing has the least amount of racers. In order to be competitive, you need add-ons (like the handbrake). That being said, this wheel provided a great feel of the track, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Bottom line
If you are a casual sim-racer (or just want to get a wheel and pedal bundle to kickstart your sim-racing career), this wheel is 100% for you. But it also comes down to what kind of racing you will be doing. For asphalt racers, this is the perfect starter wheel. For dirt racers, it’s worth searching elsewhere.
There are many steering wheels and pedals on the market, but the overall value you get with the Logitech G29 makes it worth the price.
Alternatives to consider
Want to look at more alternatives to the Logitech G29 before you start your sim-racing journey? Here are additional steering wheels to consider before purchasing.
This Thrustmaster T248 gives you a futuristic wheel at the same price as the Logitech G29. With 23 buttons on the wheel, you are able to make adjustments on the fly. That being said, this wheel is for more advanced sim-racers, but, if you are serious about your start in sim-racing, this could be the wheel for you.
Want a more realistic, authentic-looking setup? This wheel could fit that need. The Thrustmaster T300RS has an ‘ecosystem ready’ base, meaning it has a detachable wheel allowing you to purchase other wheels and use the same T300 base.
The sim-racing community is a very brand-loyal community. If you love all the features of the G29 but want a slightly newer version, the G923 could be for you. This wheel offers TRUEFORCE force feedback which connects straight to the game you are playing to provide a realistic experience.