As a long-time motorsport enthusiast, I have been driving my own simulator racing wheel since I was very young. The older you get, the more experienced you become – that should be clear to everyone. Nevertheless, you should make sure that you equip your growing talent with the best equipment. It is important to buy a steering wheel that is as suitable and, above all, as realistic as possible. Ideally with Direct Drive, as this technology comes closest to the real driving experience. The biggest problem in most cases is the price. If you look at the Pro racing steering wheel from Logitech, you quickly pay over €1000 for your hardware. A similar price picture can also be seen with competitors such as Fanatec or Thustmaster.
The MOZA R5 bundle, on the other hand, seems to be a really good offer with a price of € 509.00 * and at least visually conveys a simple and at the same time high quality on the product images. For this reason, we want to take a closer look at the R5 Bundle in today’s test. What can the R5 Bundle from MOZA do and can I use it to improve my personal sim racing performance? You can find out this and much more in the following sections.
Specifications
| MOZA R5 Bundle | |
| Platform | PC |
| Force-Feedback-Drive System | Direct Drive |
| Maximum force | 5.5 Nm |
| Maximum steering angle | Infinite rotations |
| Steering material | Aluminum |
| Steering wheel material | Aluminum & microfiber leather |
| Steering wheel size | 11 inch |
| Steering wheel buttons | 22 |
| Steering wheel RPM indicator | available |
| Pedals material | High-strength steel |
| Pedals Sensor | Hall sensor |
| Pedal configuration | Individually adjustable |
| Price: | € 519.99* |
Scope of delivery
MOZA delivers the bundle in a relatively small box containing the base, the steering wheel and the pre-assembled pedals. In addition to the table clamp, power supply unit and connection cables, everything needed to mount the set on a sim racing rig is included. This is also exemplary compared to other manufacturers. On the other hand, there is no elaborately designed manual, so if in doubt, you should look it up online. Overall, the package is well tailored to the target buyer group and includes everything you need for a successful racing start.
If you want to go into even more detail, you can buy additional add-ons for the set in the online store on the MOZA website. These include, for example, another pedal, which is then needed as a clutch, for the gear knob, for the handbrake and so on. My kit also includes another clutch and the performance kit. More on this in detail in a moment.
Assembly
With the MOZA R5 Bundle, you don’t need much time to assemble it – it’s almost an out-of-the-box product. The steering wheel has a quick-release, i.e. just like a real racing car, you can attach the steering wheel to the base and remove it again in one easy step. The quick-release is attached to the base with four screws and you’re ready to go.
The cabling then only needs to be connected to the system, whether table or racing chair. Here the cables have different plug types/plug formats and are therefore always unique. So you can’t plug anything into the wrong slot and then wonder why something isn’t working. The base is also labeled on the back – so everything is more than clear for the end user.
The supplied add-ons are also quick and easy to install. The clutch pedal is simply connected to the brake pedal with an RJ45 connector and attached to the pedal base with two screws. There are also additional holes there so that you can adjust the distance between the pedals individually. A feature that I find particularly useful and successful. The performance kit is basically nothing more than a small spring that is attached to the back of the brake pedal with a small rod at the top and two screws at the bottom. This requires a bit of dexterity, but nothing that you can’t do yourself.
The centerpiece – R5 Base
The base is of course responsible for the realistic driving experience in virtual racing. The R5 Base is a “Direct Drive Base”. The direct connection between a torque motor and the steering wheel creates very strong and, above all, precise force feedback effects. Compared to conventional belt and gear steering wheel bases, you have the feeling of sitting in a real car with power steering. In direct driving comparison, belt and gear steering systems feel like children’s toys. A more realistic driving experience is currently only possible with the “Direct Drive” bases. This puts us in the upper class of sim racing equipment.
The designation “R5” stands for the variant with the maximum force of the force feedback of the steering wheel base. The R5 can compete with a strong torque of 5.5 Nm. MOZA also offers an R3 bundle, in which the base is delivered with less torque, as well as bases with significantly more torque such as the R16 or R21. However, these are intended more for truly professional sim racing.
If you look at the base as a whole, it impresses with its very high-quality appearance. High-quality, matt black alloyed aluminum was used. This gives the product a very high-quality feel. The white lettering on the side also stands out elegantly.
The steering wheel – ES Steering Wheel
The base reflects the forces of the racetrack, the steering wheel in your own hands should control them in the best possible way. The ES steering wheel supplied is the 11 inch (approx. 28 cm) ES Steering Wheel. It has the classic shape of a sports scale with a white 12 o’clock marking and a flattened lower end. Feel the high-quality artificial leather that has been applied to the steering wheel by hand.
The quality has been taken to the extreme to ensure the steering wheel lasts as long as possible. The hands-on feeling completely surprised and convinced me at the same time. No other steering wheel that I had in my hands at the time could offer me this quality.
If you look at the aluminum base of the steering wheel, no expense has been spared here either. The material matches the rest of the product perfectly and its appearance and quality of workmanship significantly enhance the overall impression of the steering wheel. Anyone who thinks that the quality of the 22 buttons has been compromised is also mistaken. Every single button sits firmly and smoothly in its position. I couldn’t detect any slight lateral slippage or play in any of the buttons. MOZA advertises luxurious quality and you can feel it here. There is also an LED speed display with decent brightness slightly above the center.
As already mentioned, the MOZA R5 Base is equipped with a “quick-release adapter”. This allows the castor wheels to be simply attached to the base. There are gold-plated contacts in the middle of the adapter, which are responsible for transmitting the Joy-Con inputs. The system works without any problems and offers another major advantage – variability. MOZA offers a wide range of steering wheels in various formats (GT, Truck, etc.) in its store, which means that the boundaries of sim racing are almost completely open. Even if you want to mount your own steering wheel or a steering wheel from another manufacturer, you can do so easily with an adapter set for the base and dive deep into the asphalt of the racetracks. This fact alone would be an essential part of my decision to buy a product.
The pedals – SR-P Lite Pedals
Another important factor in the race car are the pedals – only with precise pedals and fine footwork can you catch the perfect braking points and acceleration zones on the race track. The MOZA pedals are the right tool for beginners, but with one small disadvantage from my point of view.
The accelerator and brake pedals are made of sturdy, matt black aluminum and are each individually bolted to the pedal base. Here you have the option of adjusting the distance between the pedals by drilling additional holes, which I see as a major advantage of MOZA pedals compared to other manufacturers. There are rectangular anti-slip pads at the top and bottom of the pedals. These are large enough to transfer the pedal forces to the ground when riding and ensure a non-slip grip. In addition, the individual pedals were screwed together so tightly that no screws had to be tightened after unpacking. In addition, the pedals have no lateral play and, thanks to the solid and high-quality construction, will not have any even after prolonged use.
However, I think that the pedals should be supplied with the performance kit as standard. The brake pedal only gets the necessary shine with the accessories that can be purchased. The pedal resistance is very low on both the accelerator and brake pedals. This is not a problem with the accelerator pedal, but it is with the brake pedal. With the performance kit, the increased resistance gives you a better feel when braking on the racetrack and makes you feel closer to reality. At the same time, the increased resistance on the brake pedal makes it much easier to assess how hard you are braking and is simply more precise and accurate in the braking zones. For me and many other enthusiastic sim racers, this feature is simply a must and should not be sold as an add-on.
Software
The entire system can be controlled with the in-house software “MOZA Pit House”. This has a very modern design. After installation, you are shown the start page, where you can see your connected steering wheel, base and pedals. The various settings menus are available on the left-hand side. On the right-hand side, you can switch directly from the software to one of the simulators already installed on the PC.
In addition to the strength of the force feedback (torque), the Base has a wide range of settings to adjust the driving experience according to preference and simulator. If you don’t know your way around, you can fall back on various presets, all of which I found to be useful and good. Beginners, advanced drivers and professionals all get their money’s worth here. The steering wheel is also natively supported in most simulators, so that in F1 2023, for example, the steering wheel is automatically selected in the settings and every button on the steering wheel is pre-programmed. Unpack, plug in and drive off is the motto here – simply perfect.
Driving experience with the R5 Bundle
Is the bundle ready mounted on the seat and everything wired up? Then all that remains is for the traffic lights to turn green and the race to begin. For the practical experience, I tested the bundle in several different sim racing simulators (F1 2023, WRC, Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione & Forza Horizon). Each game has its own peculiarities in driving behavior and these differences are also clearly noticeable in the presets of the different games.
In WRC you have the feeling of feeling every stone on the tire, in Formula 1 you have a lot of grip but at the same time the feeling of always being over the limit and in Forza Horizon the rear can be turned in smoothly when drifting with the car. The feeling you get with the R5 Base on the steering wheel is a world of difference compared to the Logitech G923 TRUEFORCE, which I have already had the pleasure of testing. With the base and its power transmission, you have a much more precise feel in your hands than you would expect at first glance. The significantly higher torque is not only felt in the arms, but is much closer to the realistic limits of the vehicles.
Another decisive factor for me is the noise development when driving with the R5 Bundle. With the classic steering wheel bases with belt drive and gear drive for the smaller price range, there is always a louder background noise when you drive over one of the many curbs, for example. If you hold the steering wheel firmly and straight, you can hear the cracking and rattling of every single gear tooth on the Logitech G923 TRUEFORCE. This is much more pleasant with the R5, with the same transfer effect to the steering wheel. The shift paddles also have a pleasant click, so you can shift gears at night without waking the whole house. In the normal grip position, all the buttons on the steering wheel are also easy to reach, even with slightly smaller hands than mine.
That leaves the pedals – with the performance kit and the built-in resistance, I was able to improve my lap times by a few hundredths after just a short time. Riding without resistance in the pedals took a bit of getting used to at the beginning of my test, but afterwards I was still able to brake reasonably precisely. This may be a personal preference, but I would recommend the performance kit to any beginner. Apart from that, the pedals are fine and big enough for feet with size 49 shoes without hurting your feet if you only use the pedals with socks.
Conclusion
Looking at the entire R5 bundle, I can only praise it from my point of view and the experience I have gained in the field of sim racing over the years – the product range and the prices of the add-ons are more than fair in my opinion and simply a must for anyone going in the enthusiast direction. As a newcomer, the simple R3 bundle is more than enough to get you started. At the same time, I would spend a few euros more and buy the R5 bundle rather than the R3 bundle, as the base with more torque, even if not at the highest setting, achieves better steering performance overall.
If you’re willing to spend the money on a direct drive base, you’ll use the whole bundle more often than you think – simply because driving in the virtual world with the MOZA R5 is mesmerizing. Even I, as someone who has been sim racing for several years, fell in love with virtual racing after my first test drive with the R5.
If you look at the competition in direct comparison, the Logitech G923 TRUEFORCE with a list price of approx. 430 € (current: € 273.00*) compared to the R3 bundle with a list price of 438 €, is such a cheeky announcement to all competitors that I was astonished at first. Unfortunately, the availability of the bundle is currently not very high.
MOZA R5 Bundle
Workmanship
Base
Steering wheel
Pedals
Force feedback
Features
Software
Value for money
96/100
With its price, the MOZA R5 Bundle is a clear challenge to the competition on the sim racing market. If you are looking for something high quality and durable, the R5 Bundle is the right choice.
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