Sim-racing setups are diverse and varied, but always include 3 essential elements: a basea steering wheel and a pedals. With the multitude of players in the industry and their range of products, it’s sometimes, even often, difficult to choose between so many options. Personally, I’m sometimes faced with a situation where I don’t know what to buy for my sim-racing setup, and I imagine it’s worse for novices and amateurs in the discipline.

At present, virtually all manufacturers of sim-racing peripherals have a wide range of products which they make available to their customers. It’s only natural that they should do so, since the main aim of such a company is to sell its products, and so it has to offer items for a wide spectrum of racers. We have those looking to have fun on fun titles like NFS, or those looking to race in a more or less realistic environment à la Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo. And of course, pro sim-racers and racing drivers looking to train on simu and iRacing/AssetoCorsa.

Every category of rider is looking for a setup that’s complete, realistic and, above all, within their budget. Many brands such as Fanatec, Logitech and Thrustmaster offer bundles that are tailored to different classes of racers, and I have to say that Fanatec has the widest choice as far as I’m concerned.

For 25 years now, Fanatec has been a major player in sim-racing, present in the hearts and certainly in virtually every configuration of racers the world over. Since its inception, the German company has never ceased to innovate in the field of sim-racing, and the latest products developed by Fanatec attest to this, with notably brand-new Quick Releases that promise virtually no steering wheel flex, and two new mid-range bases that are there to compete with other manufacturers.

In order to satisfy the needs of racers, Fanatec offers several ” Ready To Race ” bundles that are perfect for just about anyone, depending on your budget of course. In what follows, we’ll take a look at a few of Fanatec’s offerings, whether for racers on Xbox, PC or Playstation.

Fanatec bundles

At present, Fanatec offers just 1 type of bundle in its “Ready To Race” catalog, in several variants of course. These are bundles with base, steering wheel and pedals, depending on your racing preferences and budget. Prices start at €400 inc. VAT, rising to €800. We’ll look at the most popular ones, and I’ll try to appeal to different pockets and riding styles.

The CSL DD READY2RACE BUNDLE FOR PC

This bundle is the least expensive in Fanatec’s catalog, and comes in 2 variants: with 5 nm and 8 nm CSL DD. Prices are €400 for the 5 nm and €500 for the 8 nm.

This bundle includes the CSL DD base, which is renowned for being the best in its range. The steering wheel is the CSL Steering Wheel P1 V2 , and the pedals are none other than the CSL Pedals.

Let’s start with the steering wheel. The CSL Steering Wheel P1 V2 is an entry-level steering wheel made of composite and measuring 30 cm in diameter, making it perfect for different driving styles such as rallying, drifting, GT and chill driving on Forza, for example. The steering wheel features a carbon-fiber design, with 2 large metal paddles at the rear and a multitude of buttons and controls. On the steering wheel, you’ll find a rubber-like material that provides good grip for its price range. There’s also a RevLED at the top of the steering wheel and the QR1 Lite at the rear.

For pedalboards, the CSL Pedals do the trick if you’re new to sim-racing. Consisting of 2 pedals with simple resistors and magnetic sensors, this metal pedalboard is decent, but nothing more. As an option, you can attach a clutch pedal and even swap the brake pedal for a Load Cell, thanks to a special kit.

As for the CSL DD, there’s not much I can say about this base other than that it’s simply excellent for its range. The force feedback is both precise and flexible, and adapts to virtually any situation.

As far as I’m concerned, this bundle is perfect for sim-racing beginners. You’ll get 1 pedalboard, 1 nice steering wheel and an excellent base for €400, and PC compatibility to boot, as the base is also Xbox-compatible. What’s more, you can upgrade thanks to Fanatec’s extensive catalog. Also, you get the same bundle with the 8 nm CSL DD for €100 more, which is really not bad at all.

The CSL DD READY2RACE R300 BUNDLE

Here, we’re on a bundle that includes the same base and pedals as before, but with a more premium steering wheel featuring a CSL control hub.

As for the steering wheel, it’s the Podium Wheel Rim R300 , 30 cm in diameter with a flat bottom, making it particularly perfect for GT and touring type competitions. The structure of the street wheel is made of anodized aluminum, giving it a more premium feel for its price. All around the wheel, we have quality leather, with gold stitching and a band of the same color at the top center. Frankly, it’s a very nice steering wheel, with excellent ergonomics. However, you won’t have any controls or buttons on it, which is why the bundle comes with the CSL Universal Hub V2.

This is a GT-style hub, with specific buttons and a small LED display at the top, as well as controls all positioned above the hub. In terms of construction, we’re talking about composite, with 2 highly-designed paddles (honeycomb structure). At the rear of the hub is the QR1 Lite, part of the CSL range, which is quite good on a 5 nm torque basis.

As for price, expect to pay €480 at the moment, thanks to a special offer that saves you almost €100, which isn’t too bad considering the competition in the same segment. As for compatibility, it’s always PC because of the steering wheel.

The CSL DD MCLAREN BUNDLE FOR XBOX & PC

This bundle uses the same base as the previous ones, i.e. the 5 nm CSL DD, as well as the CSL Pedals, with the only difference being the steering wheel, which is the McLaren GT3 V2. So I’m not going to talk too much about the base and pedals, which are exactly the same as those we’ve seen.

As far as the steering wheel is concerned, we’re talking about a rather specific category of racers, namely those who enjoy GT and F1 racing in general. The McLaren GT3 V2 is an official replica of the steering wheel used by McLaren in its GT3 cars. It features a carbon fiber structure, with a rectangular shape, making it perfect for GT and Formula racing if you’re a fan of these motorsports.

The design is just sublime, with carbon fiber, rubber grips, 4 paddles, a small screen in the center and numerous controls. Apart from the bright orange paddles and McLaren logo, the steering wheel is sober and unassuming.

Speaking of paddles, there are 4 of them, including 2 analog ones, so you can use them for Launch Control, handbrake, clutch and so on. Just perfect. What’s more, the gearshift paddles are in Push-Pull configuration, just like on a real McLaren, so you can shift gears with just one hand.

As far as ergonomics are concerned, I’ve got nothing to say about this steering wheel: everything is designed to be within easy reach of your fingers, and that’s to be expected given that the McLaren GT3 V2 is an official replica. The only weak point I can find with this steering wheel is its plastic QR1 Lite; you’ll get some flex and a bit of play when driving a bit hard. If you’re planning sim-racing sessions on Asseto Corsa or iRacing, I’d recommend upgrading to the QR1 or the new metal QR2.

Let’s move on to the price. This bundle retails for €480, which is an excellent price if you ask me. Well, the pedalboard isn’t extra, but you can upgrade it with a Load Cell kit, and I’m all for taking the QR1 or QR2 while you’re at it to get a near-perfect setup. And as for compatibility, we’re still on PC and Xbox licenses.

Gran Turismo DD Pro 5 nm

It’s about time we talked about a bundle for Playstation racers, don’t you think? And what better way to represent Sony than with a Gran Turismo steering wheel. So Fanatec, in partnership with Sony, has developed a bundle specifically for Playstation consoles, and which is accessorily compatible with the PC.

For the base, it’s still the CSL DD with 5 or 8 nm of torque, but this one is compatible with Sony consoles and its design is slightly changed for that. It’s subtle, you’ll agree, but with a few distinctive elements all the same. In terms of performance and feel, it’s all the same, as is the pedalboard supplied in this bundle, which is the CSL Pedals.

The steering wheel used for this bundle is specific to the Gran Turismo saga, with its logo in the center, a RevLED at the top and numerous controls on the sides, easily accessible when racing. Unlike other steering wheels in this price range, the GT DD Pro uses a plastic structure, with a kind of textured rubber on the contour, as well as plastic paddles on the back, which are rather minimal in size. In terms of diameter, the wheel is a compact 28 cm, but you soon get used to it, with a slight flat bottom too.

In your hands, this steering wheel looks a little cheap, especially as the price is not at all. In fact, this steering wheel is very similar to Thrustmaster‘s, in terms of feel of course. As for price, the GT DD Pro is €700 for the 5 nm version and €800 for the 8 nm version. A word of advice: avoid the 8 nm version because the QR1 Lite doesn’t match the torque.

The CSL DD F1 ESPORTS PREMIUM BUNDLE FOR PC

We end with a bundle that’s pretty complete from Fanatec. This is the CSL F1 Esports Premium, with a CSL DD with 8 nm of torque, a CSL Pedals Load Cell kit and a ClubSport F1 steering wheel.

Basically, it’s like a CSL DD 5 nm, but on steroids. Sensations are excellent, with superb feedback and not that much clipping, even if 8 nm is sometimes a bit short in sim-racing these days. Nevertheless, you’re going to get a great driving feel from it, believe me.

For the crankset, it’s CSL Pedals with the Load Cell kit. This kit swaps the standard brake pedal for a Load Cell, and it’s a completely different experience. Braking is very realistic, with a feeling of resistance worthy of a real car. The harder you press on the pedal, the harder the car brakes, without your foot digging into the spring.

As for the steering wheel, it’s the ClubSport F1, which is an excellent metal steering wheel for F1 and GT fans, with a diameter of 27 cm. On it, you’ll find a small display, a RevLED and numerous controls. The design is flashy, with lots of colors on the faceplate and only 2 paddles on the rear and alcantara on the grips. As for premium, there’s nothing to say about this steering wheel, and even the QR is upgraded to metal, which means virtually no flex on the driveshaft.

This bundle is PC-compatible only, as the steering wheel is not licensed for Xbox. The price is €740, which isn’t bad at all if you ask me. You get an excellent metal steering wheel with aluminum QR1, 8nm CSL DD and Load Cell pedals. In the same vein, and for €60 more, you can choose the CSL DD READY2RACE MCLAREN ELITE BUNDLE (8 NM) FOR XBOX & PC which includes the same base, the McLaren GT3 V2 steering wheel and the CSL Elite Pedals V2 which is superior to the CSL Pedals in Load Cell. However, the steering wheel is delivered with the QR1 Lite, which is not at all the right size for the CSL DD 8 nm, so you need to upgrade the Quick Release to get a great setup.

Which bundle to choose?

At Fanatec, we’ve only seen 5 bundles, but the manufacturer offers almost twenty on its site, not to mention custom configurations that are more or less limitless. So, choosing a bundle is no easy task, and here are my recommendations.

Choose a bundle according to your driving preferences (steering wheel shape) and the degree of realism you want. On titles like Forza Horizon, for example, a 5 nm CSL DD bundle will do the trick perfectly. But if you’re looking for a more immersive experience, you’re better off with an 8 nm torque base.

You also need to consider the pedalboard: the standard one (CSL Pedals) will give you a little feel, but the Load Cell kit is much better. And I’m not talking about the CSL Elite Pedals, which are years ahead in terms of feel.

And finally, your budget needs to be considered too. Fanatec offers bundles ranging from €400 to €800, which should leave you with plenty of choice. At worst, you can build a custom setup with different products from the Fanatec catalog, which isn’t too bad either.