Should You Buy/Use a Wheel for Forza Horizon 5? | In-Depth FH5 Wheel Review 

Driving rear-wheel drive cars are now so much better and I love it. Even though I tune cars with a controller I can easily transfer to the wheel and it’s really nice. 👍

As a wheel user, for the fun aspect I’d say yes go ahead, it’s great fun and adds to the immersion even if the physics are (obvious not like a sim). Just wish they’d fix the damn controls not saving and wheel ffb not working without disconnecting your wheel and replugging it in. That has happened since pre public launch...

Playing FH5 with a wheel unlocks a new side of the game that i couldn't really appreciate with the controller, which is cruising around and enjoying each car to their full extent (handling, accel., interior, engine sound), instead of just mindlessly going fast, drifting 80% of the time and going offroad randomly to rack up points. I beat all the SP content with a controller and was about ready to move on to a different game, then tried the wheel and now i'm hooked again.

I'm so glad I got my t300. I was thinking the other day about what 12 year old me would have given to have something like this. It's like having one of those racing arcade cabinets but even better with the force feedback. And you don't need quarters.

I still find it extremely difficult not to spin out when. Taking the slightest turn. The second an even tiny skid happens there’s no correcting it

I would like to see more FFB options mainly for effects for loosing grip or understeering like in Assetto corsa

csl DD user here- glad you covered wheels, been using wheels exclusively since horizon 2.. 5 is a big improvement but honestly 2 still remains the best for wheels especially dirt. storm island with a wheel was glorious. Road racing is good on the wheel in 5, cross country just requires an adapted driving style and different racing lines than your controller opponents, Rally though needs a lot of work. oversteer in general is a bit iffy and the settings in 5 do not provide the same level of feedback you got in motorsport 7. basically controller players even on 'simulation steering' are still basically driving assisted steering compared to a wheel user. rivals is great with a wheel but online is tough because 1. cockpit/bonnet cam means you can't see rammers before they hit you 2. the FFB from your wheel if they ram you can be so severe with a strong wheel that its impossible to recover properly so be prepared to 'take the hits' and move on

For the visibility issues, try turning the drift camera on and sensitivity to ~90, speed~50, max angle ~20. I dont play on a wheel but i love playing in 1st person, and adding a tiny bit of sway can help incrrease your FOV while turning while also letting you know when youre slipping too much. Hope this helps!

I bought a Thrustmaster TMX for Motorsport 7 but only used it a few times before shoving it in a cupboard. I was surprised at how good it is on Forza Horizon 5 and the physical effort required to keep the car on the road or dirt track at S1 or S2 is challenging, but my God is it so much better than just using a controller.

Thanks for the video! The section where you went over settings helped me out so much, my wheel (G923) feels much more usable now. I agree with you about the centering spring settings, with all the other load adjustments, even having it at 0.1 makes the wheel snap back too hard at almost any speed. Anyway, thanks again, my drifting days are even closer now!

I would definitely like a guide on personalising the FFB settings.

You make the road racing look so easy. I’m gonna test these settings as soon as I can

Set up looks just like mine, I recently built a shelf under my desk for my pedals to sit horizontal with my chair, now my legs go straight out to the pedals instead of down to the floor. Made a massive difference all around, driving feels better, seating feels better. Way more enjoyable. Keep it up.

I’ve used a G923 on FH4 & FH5 and i have to say, it is immediately more noticeable which game is more fun to play with a wheel. FH4 makes me feel disoriented, whereas I now have more practice with a wheel than a controller on FH5

I’m so used to the G29 feeling with project cars 2. I love that feedback. When I started playing forza 5 I was disappointed with the default settings. Really appreciate this video and the setting setup.

Man, thanks for the details and specially, for just put the answer straight forward at the start

Nice video man! I've been playing FH5 with my CSL DD since release and have had a ton a fun. I would definitely be interested in a full settings video. That would be super useful as I still adjusty settings every now a then depending on what type of driving I am doing

Loving my wheel on fh5. Still trying to fine tune my settings. And have a hard time w the rally and cross country races w it.

Yes please do a settings video!!! I got my first wheel this year and have no idea what I'm doing.

Good vid! Thanks. More please. Settings, racing, tips all for wheels! Just ordered me a G920 for Series X. I've had a G27 for years on PC.

The wheel support in this is the only reason I'm still playing FH the immersion is amazing yet still competitive, I'm loving that dashboard view without the wheel, would be nice to see this with triple screen support but I doubt we'll ever see that.

I am waiting on the cockpit in the mail and then BOOM: My first Sim Rig (for Drifting/Hoonigan Mainly) Is complete! I am extremely Excited for this! Been wanting to get into SIM Racing for a LONG time; I finally made the Investment! I also love your videos! Cheers!

Dude. Got my first wheel a week ago for FH5. OMG so much fun. Thanks for this video. Here's to gateway wheels!

Everything you said was right on. I bought a wheel (Thrustmaster T150) for BeamNG after not enjoying a controller, and once I switched to FH5, I have played wheel only. I can't imagine this game being nearly as enjoyable with a controller. That said, I was more competitive using the wheel in BeamNG on the racetrack, and a car with superior handling and well driven normally won out. In FH5, it seems to be better to tune a car for acceleration and speed and use the walls, rather than steering, to make turns. In BeamNG, that was impossible because the car was affected by damage. Unfortunately, I tune my cars more for handling. I feel completely outclassed in cross-country races with FH5. On tight race circuits, such as Cathedral and Chihuahua, the wheel is especially competitive, and I feel on equal ground with controller users, even when they do use the walls to change direction. Where the wheel completely outshines the controller is when you're not in competition and just want to cruise the roads. It's very relaxing and far more immersive. Please post a video for settings. I have used another RU-vidr's video before, and it was a big help. I'd like to see your take on it.

My experience : It can be loads of fun. I already had a wheel. Think I looked up some settings online to improve the experience. B Class rally was super fun. Some faster night race was super intense. However, when road racing: once you're off, you're off. Where as with a controller you can sometimes kind of save it. Pick your classes and cars well and you can have so much fun with a wheel.

Hello, Hoki. Great video! I would really enjoy to see a fully guide video for wheel settings. I recently bought a G29 and i would like to learn to drive using it with the optimal settings so that i don't struggle too much in the future.

One thing you can do when your car yaws on a corner is 'left foot brake'.. watch a FD drifters footwork. I have found success with reducing the off-road sensitivity for rally racing(cross country is wonky from another wheel player)... love your content btw 🤙🏻 keep em coming

This fully reflects my experience as a wheel user. A note on the spatial awareness: for anything that is not "real" racing (stunts, playground, etc) I use a controller and 3rd person view and use the wheel for everything else including racing, tuning and driving around. However my big issue with the wheel is drifting. I don't mind doing everything I mentioned with the controller but I'd really love to drift with a wheel and I just can't. Not sure if it's me or the game, I just can't. Overall, very good video with really good information for people that are thinking about buying a wheel. I didn't recommend buying one for FH4 but I do for FH5, even with a considerable amount of caveats.

Glad to hear this. I ordered a G920 last week, should be here this week. :)

Ey, in first place, nice video! I've to say that IMO a wheel gives U an adventage over a wheel everytime, Im 255th in the Mountain HillClimb S2 ranking ATM and I've been able to do it thanks to having a wheel. Controllers have an adventage over wheels about having faster corrections and that's totally right, but U can get more from having a good line that someone with a controller because every input that u can give to the game would be way way more smooth that one gave by a controller, same happens to rally, offroad it's an exception but I think that mostly because how big are some of the jumping impacts that u get in the tracks that make near to impossible to make a car stay straight properly. Using 900º in a wheel is hella fun and the experience is way better but is proved that getting lower numbers gives U slightly better results, U've to be smooother in your movements but is literally the same that using or not using abs, not everybody is faster without it because not everybody has the sensibility to know how much and when. With this, what I want to mean is If U have a look a lot of the top tier simracers use between 400º and 500º, no matter if it's F1, WRC or Iracing, U've to get used to it but It's true that it gives U and edge. The point is that a Wheel need way way way more practice but once U nail it U're capable of way more that someone without one, it's a hard path but ey, it's one that really conforts U when U do things properly. As tip, try to train U in other games, other disciplines like Rally in WRC or F1, is more about what requires every discipline that about driving in general, rally asking for a lot of trackreading and circuit racing asking for constancy, it would make U way way better racing in general. Have a nice day sir.

I've started using a wheel and pedals for racing games ever since they take advantage of the fact that you can modulate the throttle and brake with the trigger buttons on the Xbox 360 and PS3

Great content mate, big thanks! Looking forward for controller/gamepad setup video as well! Cheers!

Would love a full settings video, was seriously thinking about that last time haha

I would also greatly enjoy seeing a full settings video!

damn, those heel toe downshifts were satisfying to watch

Yes please settings video! This one was great too!

I've been playing it on a wheel since launch and it's absolutely awesome... with the right settings of course.

I think I’m gonna get one, lost my right leg halfway up the shin in a motorcycle accident about a year ago. Had a lot of free time and started playing forza. It’s kinda my hobby now and a replacement for riding.

Very good video brother. Watching this while a I wait for my Fanatec DD.

I've been using my G-25 Logitech wheel in FH5 for several weeks now. It's good. Really enjoyable. Was able to tune wheel to be nice to drive, and give a reasonable sort of feedback. FH5 is a great game to make the transition from controller to wheel. After you've done that the world of sim racing is wide open.

finally the video ive been waiting for

I always wondered how the Steering Lock Assist/AI worked in racing games with controller/keyboard, so thanks for providing some input on that. In FH4 on PC, I had a bug multiple times where the Steering Lock was allowed to go FULL left/right regardless of speed, and it just gave understeering all the time which was interesting.

Thank you Jim Halpert for this informative video.

thanks for answering the question right away :)

I bought a Logitech G923 for me to use in the game, and I don’t regret it myself!

@HokiHoshi I would love to see a video revisiting this topic 1 year later because I am very interested to hear your thoughts about how much improvement you've gained with your wheel on FH5. I myself used to agree with this review but since then I eventually upgraded my wheel to CSL DD and , man, I am almost as smooth as controller and am loving it now after finally mastering settings. Cheers 🥂

YES, it's really worth it i love playing with my logitech g923, it's a very good experience! i also have the manual shifter and it's a joy!.

maybe havent found the right settings yet for fh5 . But i found racing competitively in fh5 was near impossible. In the slightest unsettling of the car you lose way too much speed to correct with a wheel , unlike the controller where u are just 2 taps of a joy stick and a little bit of brake . Its fine for playing against rivals and AI . but online is way too tilting, you get pushed off slightly and u lose 4 seconds and half your speed in order to stay on road. It feels weird when in a full sim like A . C . feels so much easier to drive than an arcadish game

Thanks for the great content. It really helps.

I have a Thrustmaster T248. I tend to set my rotation a lot tighter in FH5 and in rally games like DR2. I saw that a professional rally driver sets his wheel at a low rotation in DR2. Give it a go if you suffer from the problem of controller bias. You don't have to turn the wheel so far and can make more refined turns similar to a controllers stick flicking. Sure it's not as realistic but it does work better in this instance.

yes full steering settings video please

Sounds like it's time to connect my wheel again :) As for much of the rest of the points in the video, those sound very much like my experience with sim steering on keyboard (still running that since I started it in FH4 after the game got too easy). I think my solution to the fuul steering output was to biuld more understeary cars (even though FH5 tones the input down at high speed), and in particular do offroad only in AWD cars with specific setups as those were very difficult to get to grips to.

Thank you for this Review. It was the video i was looking for to convince myself. I will buy TSXW 😌

I appreciate the video amazing visuals 🔥🔥.

Holy shit the way he breaks and presses the gas pedal to Rev it up for down shifting, SAY WHAT! beautiful driving!

Thanks for saying yes in the beginning, it's late and I got to get to bed

I'm exited for how wheel support in fh6 will be improved when it comes out and we're all racing in Japan!

i like your videos, really informative

I would love to see your Thrustmaster wheel settings too!

Cockpit view makes taking lines much easier. You can plan your line well more in advance on a succession of turns

It is funny because when I started to watch the video in my head I was like OK, can you beat the best of the best. And you told us straight up, NOPE. So I know even with the best controller I will never ever get into the top 1000. Still, I enjoyed the video and the time you put in to make this for us. So thanks.

I just got my first wheel. Went with fanatec and a 3d motion rig. All in like 3.75k not including the PC. Honestly I rarely play driving games but it's really fun to play.

I ordered a Thrustmaster T300 RS GT. I'm not planning to improve my driving but to enjoy the driving itself even more.

dude I've been waiting for this video for a while. I've had a wheel for close to a year now and when I first launched FH5 with it, I instantly noticed a massive difference between FH4 & 5. I mainly play on my wheel now and I've definitely noticed that I've gotten better across all of my simulator games while spending most of my time in FH5. it's totally worth it now.

I use a wheel, and am pretty fast. The biggest problem for road racing for wheel to be competitive is the dreaded power build. Power builds are the one place I've found where wheel FFB and control entirely falls apart. Since power builds are ridiculously faster on many courses, that leaves you out. I was able to get 7th overall S1 on Estadio Circuit and 10th on Sierra Verde overall (once weeding out glitches/cheaters) using a RWD all rounder build that is easy to drive. Both of those limt courses limit power builds, yet still they are the top times. Also, many top tunes from top tuners don't work with a wheel. Many do, but others play to the controller advantages style wise and are undrivable on a wheel. S2/X class can be rough too. Rally is doable on a wheel. I was able to take 5th overall on S1 El Pipila, only .7 seconds behind Rocklxd's top time. It takes work though and a good tune responsive to the wheel though. Used a smaller DoR (630 instead of 1080 I usually use), so I can manage to correct quickly. It also makes FFB more pronounced in slides in a way that makes them easier to control. I use a formula style rim, so I can't afford for it to be spinning around on me anyways. And for the record, I am terrible on controller and too old to get used it. like 2-4 seconds a lap slower, and much less consistent. I've also raced pretty competitively in sims like ACC and Raceroom, but had a ton of fun on PC3 and Grid 2019. FH7 is awful with a wheel, but this gives me hope that 8* might be worth it.

Wow this was a great video!

I couldnt do much on wheel in fh4 outside of casual driving, but in fh5 i can keep up with awd cars in a rwd street tune car on rally courses

I play this game with a Fanatec DD1 and I absolutely love it. All the cars feel different. More ppl really need to play these games with a wheel, its a whole new experience. Also…. Forza Horizon 4 I feel has been updated because it works well with my wheel, very similar to FH5. And still.. Forza Motorsport 7 is the best force feedback of all these Forza games.

I have the G29 and the Open wheeler frame. I have fun in FH4,5 but I live in Assetto Corsa VR. I think wheels can make it more fun, but they do require more work.

Nice Drifting Bro!

2:32 this is a perfect description of how the wheel feels on fh5

I don't get the complaints about wheel support in FH4. I have a G27 and I love the feel. The key for me was balancing linearity and sensitivity. Turn them down to arrive 20-40. It took a little time dial it in but I think it's great. FH5 is even better though.

Cool setup! I bet that handbrake placement took some getting used to haha

as a game pad gamer that really loves FH5 I found this very helpful and detailed. Thank you for touching on such large variety of scenarios and topics. 👌🏼

playing with a wheel was really the game changer for me. I was never a fan growing up with racing games but recently for my birthday i got gifted one and man the fun never stops. I woudl say if youre happy to spend the money for one go ahead but i think for people who are a bit reluctant its better of not getting one.

My personal experience: I set my max wheel range smaller to compensate against controller speed (this needs some personal fine tune). After doing so I'm able to hold more grip due to constant input compared to controller and overall I can't get as fast with my controller as with my cheep g29 wheel. You talk about cross country difficulty (s1 class), have you tried be lighter with your right foot? (not to be sarcastic, it helps for me). It's way more relaxing to play with a controller tho.

Great vidéo. I bought a tmx, th8a and TLCL to play forza and I love thé feeling but for race I continue to use my controller cause im too bad with wheel. I need to improve with it but definitively the feeling is great.

Exactly ! Good review ! I have the g920 its so much fun to drive but vs controller you cant be compétitive!

I never had a wheel before but I just bought a G923 and a Logitech shifter, the fun is incomparable to a controller. Its so much fun.

I have over 500h in Assetto Corsa, not to mention ACC, RBR and other sim titles. I was pleasently surprised how good FH5 feels on the wheel.

Can we get a setting video? Saw some on fh5 but there is a lot of discrepancy and I trust you so would be very happy to see it

I've just purchased a wheel for Forza mainly because while I think it works well with a controller (I use a PS4 controller, blasphemy, I know), I got an intro level wheel and pedal setup (Logitech G920) because I feel like it'll ultimately make it easier to control my throttle and brakes. I find on controller, even when I try to slowly increase my throttle so as not so slide, I still slide. It's hard for me to get consistently good launches on controller. I also think it'll be fun, I remember a friend brought over his Xbox and $60 wheel set and I had fun with it, so I'm sure a $300 setup will be even more fun. I didn't get the gear shifter or special chair, I plan on using my desk to put the wheel on for now and the floor for the pedals, but that may change later on.

I made sure to change a few settings to make things less sensitive. It makes me completely uncompetitive (not that I ever cared about online stuff in Forza tbh), but it makes driving so much more realistic. Then I tune my cars to behave much more like they should. Whether that's through making more unstable setups or just reducing grip in general. Also, tuned suspension steering is FAR too sensitive on the wheel. This can be easily fixed by using Rally or Drift suspension rather than race, and just tuning the car for whatever you're trying to do.

I will have to give it another try. First time I tried wheel on there it was way way off for some reason.

Please make a in depth vid or a comment on the wheel settings you are using for your Thrusti :) I use the the same wheel with the cheap stock pedals and consider to upgrade to the new Fanatec Csl Lc pedals cause i am struggling badly after switching off the controller.

A gaming wheel is the equivalent of full body tracking in vr. It is great but optional if you cant offered it then don’t worry about it but if you can then go for it

Most race cars use either a steering quickener or a high ratio steering rack that requires very little movement of the steering wheel. For example an F1 car has only about 180 degrees of steering wheel movement. Also, a Subaru WRX sti has a quicker steering ratio than the base model.

Answer: Yes. I play with a Fanatec CS V2, and Once I got the wheel setting dialed in, as well as the in game "advanced wheel settings", this game feels good and is so much fun with wheel, pedals, stick shift and a hand brake. I should probably make a video sharing my wheel settings, especially the Forza Advanced wheel settings.

Guess I need to try the wheel, though I don’t have a shifter so would need to be auto or manual no clutch. My biggest challenge on FH5 is braking, I can’t get the feel of it in this game. It goes from nothing - nothing - nothing straight to full lock. I’ve had to turn on ABS for the first time in a racing game because I just can’t get the feel, maybe pedals will help. Well, off to buy a folding chair to try it out!

Great video

Thanks for this video. I play Forza quite a bit and make videos on RU-vid of my gameplay too. I have been wondering about the Steering Wheel idea since all I use now is a Microsoft Xbox controller. 🙂

Would love a setting’s video!

rear wheel drive cars are hella fun on the wheel now, lol it's all i build for road races

I challenge anyone to go drive your car with an Xbox X controller. There’s just so much of a learning curve with a controller. Lag on braking and turns etc. I’ve learned, from being new to the game series, to throw out whatever you were taught when you were learning to drive. This is “totally different.”( which I just heard you address in the video 😀) Wheel and pedals are not easy at all! I’d rather stick with a controller but .. it’s just going to take hours to master either one I guess.

I just got a second hand G920 for about €100, which I think is a pretty decent deal. I bought it for FH5, but also for WRC9 and the upcoming FM8

as an amateur, i remember using a wheel for gran torismo on a PS3 instead of the controls and the force feedback wheel worked great but it was weird getting it to lock down. i'm not gentle enough with the sticks on the controller.

Yes, Yes you should. I tried playing this with a controller on stream and looked like a 5 year old who never played a racing game before. Used a wheel and I had WAY more control and feedback.

Yes, much better with wheel. Fanatec DD pro and wrc wheel. Not perfect, but pretty good 😀

great video

5:26 It always surprises me that people still don't rock forward the analog stick for driving. I use a wheel, but in games that just don't work with them, you push the analog stick forward and roll it back and forth for turning. This gives very precise controls for any amount of turning you would need, and lets you hold any soft angle that isn't full lock.