Guides
Is Direct Drive Worth It? What 592 Wheel Owners Say
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Short version. Yes, if you are on PC and already know you like sim racing. Across 592 owners, direct drive owners were only slightly happier, 74% positive against 71% for belt and gear wheels. But the 45 owners who said they moved from a belt or gear wheel to direct drive were 86% positive, and only 1 was negative.
Why the Overall Gap Is Small
Most belt and gear owners in our data are happy too. The difference shows up in what goes wrong, not in how often people are pleased.
The problems are different, not just fewer. Per 100 owners:
| Problem | Belt and gear | Direct drive |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped working | 2.4 | 0.3 |
| Noise | 3.3 | 1.4 |
| Build quality | 6.1 | 5.2 |
| Price or extra parts | 2.8 | 5.2 |
| Compatibility | 0.8 | 3.5 |
| Feel | 0.8 | 2.9 |
Direct drive owners report far fewer failures and less noise. They report more price and compatibility problems. You trade a wheel that breaks for a wheel that costs more than you planned and may not work on your console.
What Upgraders Say
“I went from G27 to Moza R5.. Best way to describe it was going from crawling to running!”Verified owner, MOZA R5
“Got mine about a week now. Brilliant fun. Major upgrade coming from a g920.”Verified owner, MOZA R3
The one negative upgrader was not unhappy with direct drive. They were comparing a G29 that failed with a T150 that did not.
When It Is Not Worth It
- You race on PlayStation. Few direct drive bases work there. In our data, the Fanatec GT DD Pro and the PlayStation version of the Logitech RS50 do
- You are not sure you will stick with it. Belt and gear owners in our data were mostly happy, and used G29s and T300s are easy to find
- Your budget stops at the base. Price was the top direct drive complaint, usually once pedals, rims and mounts were added
Where to Start
If the answer is yes, the cheapest direct drive options with strong records in our data are the MOZA R3 and MOZA R5 on PC, and the RS50 or GT DD Pro on PlayStation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is direct drive worth it for a beginner?
On PC, owners who made the jump say yes. 37 of 45 upgraders were positive.
Is direct drive too strong?
You can turn it down. One R3 owner coming from Logitech said their wrists got tired after a few minutes, which is rare in our data.
Do direct drive wheels break less?
In our data, yes. 0.3 failure reports per 100 owners against 2.4 for belt and gear.
How We Put This Together
We do not own this hardware. We read the people who do. 592 verified owner comments on 11 wheels, 7 direct drive and 4 belt or gear, were classified one by one with the same questions, including whether the owner said they had upgraded from another wheel type. Those 592 came from 762 comments under 44 reviewer videos.