As we all know, sim-racing made its PC debut a long time ago, thanks to brands like Thrustmaster and Logitech. At the time, simus were rather limited, but this has changed over the years, and today we have highly immersive games on both consoles and PCs.

Fans of sim-racing have specific preferences in terms of peripherals. As far as I’m concerned, if I don’t have a Direct Drive base, a swappable steering wheel and a pedalboard with Load Cell in my setup, I won’t be doing any sim-racing for a long time. This setup is rather high-end, but that doesn’t mean I don’t take the time to try out entry-level products, aimed at beginner sim-racers looking to get started in the discipline.

There are lots of products like this, with a vision that differs from one manufacturer to another. In what follows, I’m going to introduce you to the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spideran entry-level bundle aimed at beginner drivers looking for their first experience of sim-racing.

Main and technical features of the steering wheel

• 28 cm diameter wheel
• Bundle with pedals
• Ferrari wheel replica steering wheel
• Metal pallets
• Compatible with Xbox and PC
• No force feedback
• No vibration
• 240° rotation angle

Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider design

If you bring out a steering wheel that’s a replica of a Ferrari’s, its design is bound to be good. And the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider does the prancing horse brand proud. With a design identical to that of a 458 Spider, except for the scale, which is 7/10, Thrustmaster’s wheel is sublime.

This steering wheel uses two colors: red and black. The former is on the sides of the wheel, while the latter is in the center and on the base. In absolute terms, it’s very handsome, even if the choice of materials isn’t quite up to Ferrari standards. But never mind! This steering wheel costs a fraction of the price of the prancing horse cars.

As for the paddles, they are metal and of a good size, suggesting ease of use. As for the pedals, and the entire steering wheel structure, it’s all plastic with a simple, sober design. Once again, the choice of materials and design were dictated by the product’s price.

Customized assembly

The Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is mounted on a table or desk using a clamp system for stable, secure attachment. Once in place, this steering wheel won’t budge at all from its setup.

When it comes to cockpits, the story is different. Some chassis provide mountings for the base of this steering wheel, but most of them are not compatible because this steering wheel is so basic. At the same time, if you have a cockpit or are thinking of buying one, it’s not the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider that will be your preferred choice of steering wheel. So…

Manufacturing and finishing

To judge the build quality and finish of the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider, you first need to consider its price. Once you’ve got that in mind, you’ll see this steering wheel in a whole new light.

The finish of the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is pretty good as far as I’m concerned, with plastic and rubber for the wheel and metal for the paddles. It’s far from premium, but it’s well finished all the same.

The whole thing is well built, in line with Thrustmaster standards. Admittedly, the plastic moves when you press on it, but this is not really a problem, and has no impact on the driving experience. You’ll get some noise, but that’s all.

The base parts fit together very well, leaving no protruding edges. The crankset, too, is made of plastic with a good finish. It’s quite heavy, which gives it a certain stability when in use. Personally, I wouldn’t go into brawling mode on it, but in my opinion, it should handle heavy braking with relative ease.

Handling the steering wheel

Even though the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is an entry-level sim-racing steering wheel, its grip is very good, especially when compared with other models from the manufacturer. The rubber on the parts of the wheel where your hands rest is both comfortable and secure. What’s more, these areas are quite large, covering I’d say a good half of the wheel.

The buttons are surprisingly well placed, very close to your fingers. So you don’t have to take your hands off the wheel to use them. The paddles are also well positioned, close to the wheel, making them easy to use.

As for the pedals, they’re good to use. Its size is small, and I didn’t like that too much, just like the steering wheel, which is only 28 cm in diameter. However, you can change the position of the pedals to accommodate your feet. It’s just a plus, and won’t in any way change the immersion or realism of this peripheral.

Sensations during play

Before considering anything else, it’s worth noting that the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is an entry-level wheel, and even the first wheel on the entry-level list. As a result, in-game sensations are limited.

To put it simply: there’s no motorized force feedback system. The Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider uses a Bungee Cord mechanism to provide a modicum of resistance, and this is linear over the entire angle of rotation.

As far as I’m concerned, I find it a little better than racing with a controller, as long as the purchase price remains reasonable, and I’ll come back to that later. However, there are no vibration motors in the steering wheel, which considerably reduces realism and immersion. In other words: the steering wheel communicates nothing at all about what the car is doing, which is problematic for some sim-racers.

The only positive points I could find with the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider are the fact that the wheel returns to the center all by itself, and the ergonomics, which are quite good.

Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider compatibility

The Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is compatible with everything currently on the market for Microsoft platforms, namely PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. As for Sony consoles, this steering wheel is not compatible with them, as it is licensed for Xbox. So, if you’re looking for a compatible with Playstation consoles, please click here..

As far as chassis are concerned, you should know that some of them don’t take the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider into account, which limits your choice of cockpit. As far as I’m concerned, this is logical, given that this steering wheel is very basic, and will only find takers among sim-racers on a limited budget who want to improve immersion just a little. But maybe you’ll be curious and interested to have a look at my my reviews of the various cockpits I’ve tested by clicking here..

Value for money

On Amazon, the Ferrari 458 Spider is listed at €129.99, which I think is not too bad a value for money, if you’re someone who’s just looking for a little more realism than with a controller.

Let’s face it: an Xbox controller with battery kit costs around €80, and sometimes even more. So you might as well buy a Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider and do some sim-racing with better immersion than that offered by the controller.

My verdict on the Ferrari 458 Spider from Thrustmaster

Still, Thrustmaster has managed to offer a much better product than the competition at this price, especially when compared to those found in supermarkets. Admittedly, there’s no force feedback or vibration, but some players aren’t looking for that kind of functionality for quiet sim-racing games.

In my opinion, this wheel is good for sim-racers with a very limited budget, who want to get started in the discipline, but only until they have more money to afford a higher-quality wheel. The Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider is also the ideal choice for young people who want to have fun on Forza Horizon 5, for example. If you’re one of these two groups, I’d say yes to the Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider. But if you’re looking for a higher-quality wheel on a lower budget, then I strongly recommend you read my review of the 6 Best Steering Wheels for Sim Racing in 2025.