For some years now, the world of sim-racing has been talking about one brand in particular: Moza Racing. The reason is quite simple: this manufacturer of racing peripherals literally came out of nowhere, and competes with big names in the industry such as Fanatec and Simagic. In the case of Simagic, the brand was also created some time ago, but Fanatec is one of the first sim-racing players, alongside Logitech and Thrustmaster.

The Moza brand more or less created a buzz as soon as it appeared on the world sim-racing market, and not for nothing. Right from the start, this manufacturer has been offering racing peripherals that are not only premium, but also powerful, competing with the industry’s heavyweights on their own turf.

This manufacturer’s current range includes the Direct Drive R16 base, which aims to take market share from the Simagic Alphaor the Fanatec ClubSport DD+. The R16 develops a whopping 16 nm of max torque, with a very angry design and a feel that will make you hesitate between the three players and their product. In what follows, we’ll take a closer look at this base model, and I’ll tell you what I think of it.

Main and technical characteristics of the base

• Maximum torque 16 nm
• 1000 Hz refresh rate
• Weight almost 9 kg
• All-metal construction (aluminum alloy)
• Controller with 18-bit resolution
• Wireless communication with the steering wheel
• Compatible with virtually the entire Moza Racing ecosystem

Moza R16 design

Well, first of all, you should know that the current base R16 has been given a refresh by Moza Racing, and now sports a less flashy design. Shape-wise, it’s not that different from the old model: we’re still treated to a very edgy, angular design. It’s very similar to the Lamborghini styling code, and I really like it, even if that’s a subjective point. I must say, it’s a nice change from the competition’s designs, notably the Alpha and ClubSport DD+.

The base R16 is all black, with bright green and white lines. It’s beautiful, and it’s the same design as its big sister, the R21. Admittedly, this new R16 is much more all-purpose than the old one, which means it can be used with virtually any sim-racing set-up.

Customized assembly

With the R16 Gen 2, we have a new member in the mounting department of this base: the front mount, and it’s a good thing, I must say. Of course, the R16 still retains its bottom-mounting system, but Moza has now added front-mounting, opening up a host of mounting options.

It’s easy to do: just align the base with your cockpit and screw on the hardware. Quick and easy. However, we strongly advise you to use a good-quality chassis to mount this base, as it develops 16 nm of torque and weighs around 9 kg.

Manufacturing and finishing

The entire base housing is made of aluminum alloy, which saves weight (9 kg for the R16 versus 12 kg for Simagic’s Alpha). Aluminum also acts as a heat sink for the engine and on-board electronics.

As for the finish, it’s worthy of a Super Car, and not one of those made off the peg. It’s very premium, with special attention to every detail; whether it’s the gap between the various parts, their alignment or the paintwork, everything is spot-on.

At the same time, that’s what you’d expect from a product that claims to be premium and sold at a rather high price, even if it’s lower than the competition. Moza knows how to manufacture its products, especially Direct Drive bases, and we confirm this with the R16.

Getting to know the base

On the scales, this base weighs in at around 9 kg, which isn’t really that heavy, especially when you consider that the motor spits out no less than 16 nm of maximum torque. Nonetheless, you’ll only be taking this base in hand to install it on your rig, and it’ll stay there for a good while, I hope.

As for the QR, it’s Moza’s legendary one, based on the D1-Spec. Basically, it’s one of the best currently available on the market, with wireless connectivity to the steering wheel (when the latter is compatible with it, of course). This QR is very easy to use, as it should be, given that it’s inspired by those found in motor racing, as well as having virtually no flex on the drive shaft.

Sensations during play

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of what this Moza Racing base feels like. First of all, you need to know that the R16 currently on sale is a “Gen 2” model, with changes to the design and mainly to the Force Feedback algorithm, but with basically the same hardware.

All this to say that the R16 Gen 2 is much more communicative than the Gen 1, especially when it comes to small details such as loss of grip in the front end, differences between vibrators, and the whole shebang. Of course, you’re going to feel the normal details, like shocks and all that big feedback stuff. But on top of that, you’ll get an overlay of light, finer-than-usual detail, the same thing you get with the new R12 base.

The 16 nm of peak torque is more than enough for most riders, even more than enough if you ask me. But with an R16, you have the possibility of lowering the force feedback to values of, say, 10 – 12 nm of torque, while still having some margin to increase them in the future. Plus, of course, the ability to use larger-diameter flywheels. Don’t forget that an R12 will peak on 31 or even 32 cm-diameter wheels with lightweight materials, whereas the R16 can handle more.

Moza R16 base compatibility

Apart from the ES, CS V1 and GS V1 steering wheels, the R16 is compatible with all wheels in the Moza range, in addition to other peripherals, of course. As for the platform, it’s the same with all the rest of the Chinese manufacturer’s products: the R16 will only run on PC, which is frankly a bit of a shame, especially when you see that the competition, mainly Fanatec, offers console-compatible bases.

As far as sim-racing titles are concerned, the list is rather long and includes iRacing, AC, ACC, Dirt, F1, rFactor and many more.

Value for money

Retailing at €870, the R16 is a base model offering excellent value for money, especially when compared with the Fanatec ClubSport DD+, which costs €1,000. While the DD+ benefits from the Fanatec brand’s reputation for excellence, the R16 is just as well-built, premium and, above all, high-performance.

My verdict on the Direct Drive R16 base from Moza Racing

If you’re looking for an excellent base with over 15 nm of torque, premium, powerful and above all ultra-communicative on both light and heavy details, and you’re a PC platform-exclusive racer, the R16 is clearly for you. You won’t regret your purchase at all, especially once you’ve done a few laps around the track.

However, if you’re both a console and PC racer, the R16 will only satisfy you on the PC, and that’s, once again, a bit of a shame I think. I just hope that Moza will manage to secure a partnership with Sony and/or Microsoft to make its bases console-compatible, which would put them on a par with Fanatec’s.

As far as I’m concerned, the Moza R16 is a very good, high-performance base to consider.