Take This VERY Seriously! | Thrustmaster T818 Hands-On Review 

Do you have any questions about the Thrustmaster T818? Let us know in the comments below and we'll try to answer them!

When I first saw anything about it I got excited, then I saw the new quick release and my excitement dropped instantly. Then I saw the adapter and my excitement came back. This is what I will get so I can continue to use the wheels I already have.

Video is well done and glad TM have come to the DD market. One thing I would say though, this feels more of a marketing video rather than a balanced review.

I have invested into the Thrustmaster ecosystem, so it's good to hear from these early reviews that TM has been able to deliver. I think a lot was hinging on this being good considering they promised the DD in 2021. So considering how long it's taken them to finally get a product out, it's giving me some reassurance about making the step up from my TS-PC. Will likely end up getting some Asetek Forte or the mid-tier Moza pedals to pair with it until TM announces their higher-level pedals.

This is a good first look at Thrustmaster's DD. I primarily play GT7 in PS5, so the T818 is just not for me at this time. But I really want TM to release a PS5 compatible version soon! I am knee deep in the TM ecosystem, so I don't necessarily want to jump brands right now. But at $800 for the base alone, it's still a tough sell. Mostly because my T300 on GT7 feels "good enough". I do want more torque as I can easily overpower the T300 when I'm really going for it, but I still question wether it is worth it just for GT7. And for the people that will attack me for playing in console, I do play on PC too. But for me, there is no contest between the simplicity of turning on my PS5, turning on my monitor, and sitting down in my cockpit and I'm already in game; as opposed to turning on my PC, going through my game list, picking a game, making sure I remember what every button on the wheel does, having that particular game not be able to be navigated with the wheel on its own, dealing with the mouse and keyboard. It is just plain easier on console, and the racing itself is pretty satisfactory.

It's still a tough pill for me to swallow financially. $440 for the Moza R9, $500 for the CSL DD w/ booster kit. But, over $600 for the T818 with a plastic quick release? I know Thrustmaster has loyal customers who will buy them, but I struggle to see the value proposition.

It finally arrived!! Hopefully they would release these close to retail on brick and mortar stores on the Asian region

to be completely honest just watching these reviews make me want to be a sim racing gear reviewer lol, great review as always

Thanks for the great video. Since 6 months I am a happy owner of a Tx300 and I think this T818 will be an interesting upgrade in the future as I can use current pedals and wheel. Later, step by step I can further improve.

Nice review mate!

Hey, I just wanted to tell you this is one the best(if not the best) reviews I’ve ever watched for anything. keep up the work.

Now I can't wait for my unit to arrive 🥳

Nice Review!!!👍

Thanks for the review. Will most likely upgrade eventually to this DD wheel. Glad Thrustmaster took their time with it and also made it so I only have to buy is the base. Very impressed and hope it sells like hotcakes.

I like that it only has 2 sliders to "play" with. One for overall ffb strength and one for damper. Nothing else. Hope it feels good too!

This review put my mind at rest, getting one soon as the console version is available. I'm already in the Thrustmaster echo system so its a no brainer for me. will not be splashing out on another brand. HELL NO!! very glad they took their time. glad I was patients. sure I have to wait a little longer but boy was it worth it. My TS XW is serving me very well for now. great review.

Great review, mind blowing though this has been released without console compatibility. Such a big player base being overlooked, hopefully at some point they rectify this but wouldn’t imagine that’s going to be any time soon

With the wheel adapter fitted, does it sit further away from the base when compared to an existing TM base? It looks like it does and could potentially be a stress point over time especially being made of plastic.

I pre-ordered this the day it came out. And today I finally got an email to say it's being shipped soon

Good job on the review. I'm ready now but looks like I'll have to wait until it hit the US. I'm hoping they have better pedals than what is shown at the web site. The prices look very inviting and hope they hold up for the US release. If you still have the base for testing I'd like to hear what you think about using it without force feed back. I'd like to see more on the software also. I'm not a bug fan of "G" software.

When using the older F1 wheel, do you still need to go into the settings everytime and change it to advanced mode to use all the buttons?

I've not long had the TGT-2 with TCLM's. Got a couple of TM wheel's aswell. I love the whole lot but when this becomes compatible with PlayStation then I will seriously consider moving to DD. Provided though that the reviews are good.

Had the opportunity to test it at the Paris Motor Show, didn't get as much time with it I would have liked because I had a train to catch but I really liked how it felt, and you're describing my sensations well, except I didn't find it to be that extreme, but I had just spent a week working with Simucubes on the Alpine rigs and only had time to run the 60% power profile (they offered to switch it to a 90% setting but I prefered to let my colleague have enough seat time with it). The 60% profile was nice, extremely quick reactions, felt a bit power steering like to me regarding idle resistance (which I'm stating as an observation, not a negative), I'd be curious to hear how you think that compares VS a 90 - 100% power setting. Anyway, I agree it's a shame console compatibility is not a thing yet, because I think the T818 would shine in that environment. One thing though, you keep mentioning fans: it doesn't have any. I know because the test unit they ahd there was vibrating a bit and immediately thought out loud "the fan is a bit noisy and has a weird vibration", to which they replied "there's no fan in it" 😂 Apparently that noise / vibration was just due to the prototype being hand built, with the actual production units not having that issue - and it seems like the unit you tested was fine in that regard.

Got to be honest i feel like i didn't learn anything about this wheelbase in this ''full review'' that you called a first impression in the video. no comparison to any other wheelbase on the market besides logitech, how exactly is it different from fanatec or moza, simagic or simucube, how ''raw'' is the feeling in comparison to those other bases in which a few of them can go from feeling extremely raw with no interpolation to smoother and more refined with some interpolation. How does a wheelbase with effectively no customizable settings compare, how smooth is the rotation etc I just dont know anything about the base from this it just smells like a sponsored video and all im hearing is its good. On top of that the wheelbase looks like its moving all over the place in the review so that mounting solution looks terrible. Its all very amateur, ill wait for a boosted media review i think.

Just managed to order one today. Can't wait to try it out.

Thrustmaster said in their reveal first preorders will receive bases before Xmas. Well mine still hasn't been sent out for delivery and Xmas is very near.......

Great review. I for have been waiting for TM to bring this wheel to the market. And was gutted when it was announced that it wouldn't have console support. Being someone that is on ps5 and currently has a number of TM products this would make the most financial sense for me. Fingers crossed they don't take to long bringing console support.

Thrustmaster just knows how to use ffb aggressively. They understand we want to feel the weight. They somehow made a dd wheel have the weight of a belt while having the smoothness and detail of dd. Its amazing.

I got mine on the 22nd December to replace my old faithful TX, my goodness it's powerful &, as you rightly describe here, visceral; I think I might need to borrow Popeye's arms to run it at full strength. In short I love it, really smooth yet brutally powerful. Great review!

Been waiting or this 🙌

Buying mine today. Been looking it up for some time

I currently own a TS-PC and love it. I find it to be a powerful and fun wheel but when the T818 releases in USA/Canada I am buying it as soon as they release it. Great video by the way!

Mine is arriving on Wednesday.... can't wait

so good to see a real solid product from TM. amazing!

Very nice review, I’ve been wanting a direct drive base, and I’m already in the a Thrustmaster eco system with 5 other rims, I waited for a Christmas deal, and I was able to get one direct from the Thrustmaster eshop for $550, been using it now for about w plus weeks and a great upgrade from my TS-PC. Hard to explain the difference but it is just smooth, my only issue is not being able to get more quick release adapters, I need more. Another note is if you get the new Thrustmaster app you can make on the fly adjustments,.

Great review John! Looks like a great offer for those who are already in the TM eco system especially as they can keep their old rims. Is there an issue with the F1 rim and RF2? Or is it just not compatible yet as I noticed no screen or LEDs there but there was on ACC

i have a few wheels for the T300 and I think this is the DD that's going to get me to upgrade.

Thrustmaster was founded in Oregon in the 90s, Guillemot Corporation bought it in 99. I wouldve liked to have heard that, never a bad thing to know your Sim History. ;)

Been thinking about getting a direct drive wheel for some time now. But always put it off because i would need to buy everything new. But with this i only need the base because i already have, pedals, rim and shifter. It just makes sense to buy this so might finally make the jump

Good review. I wonder at 5KG is this okay for a Wheel Stand Pro including the drill holes without an adapter, as I don't have space for a permanent rig setup. Currently using a TS-PC with T3PA and 2 TM rims. There were references on Reddit to the standard rims being shook to bits given the >6 NM force, I assume not though?

Like many, this is my clear upgrade path from my current the t300 RS+T-LCM+Shifter and open wheel add-on. My issue is that I hope I can at least temporarily mount it to a playseat challenge while I hunt for a new rig. Maybe possible without unlocking the full torque. I guess I have to figure that out in Canada anyway I'm also curious if the open wheel add-on would be better for it since it's already so light

Waited patiently for a year. Now waiting patiently for March '23

I love it. Definitely enjoyed my tspc racer but it is upgrade time .

I just purched this wheel. This is a new awesome wheel and base (the SF 1000). I play all of the Formula One that I can take!!! And it is compatible with PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, AND XBOX SERIES X/S AS PER FIRMDATE 5.72.

What does raw and unfiltered mean? Are the others filtered?

Crazy this does not work on consoles.

When will it be available in the US? Seems like getting direct drive wheel stuff is impossible in the US...

SOOO glad i preordered on reveal day!! im already all in with the TM eco system so really excited to play ACC, iracing and defo dirt rally 2.0 on the extreme settings!!!

The software is the worst part of TM, you should be able to change things without exiting the session

Is the base compatible with older games? Or how does it work ? A game like F1 2012, for example, would the game recognize the base or do I have to change some files to get it ?

It's looking good, informative vid. I really want one, but it must be compatible with PS5. I'd like to see them put out a QR system that would work well with the T300 or TGT.

I will consider purchasing if and when my two T300 bases fail eh!

Great review! Where on 2024 but still no signs this beast is coming to consoles? Also there’s no ports for shifters? Thank you!

How much of an angle upward for the Desk mounting kit is it? i am a little worried since i mouting it on a flat surface. Just wondering how much it raises the rim upward.

strategic release, right before christmas

Looks like an expensive toy instead of a cheap toy like usual. Great video though, great channel. Thank you for making this video.

Check. Added to the list of new products that has no stock and wont be available for months at best.

I have no ffb with rf2. I solved an issue with steering pull but no ffb. I have the car specific in negative 70 but still no ffb. Any advice on how you set up the t818 with rf2 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Can't wait to have it ion my hands.

Tbf I was expecting it to be an abomination, I'm pleased its a solid piece of kit. It's just the low end plastic wheels that would put me off

If i pre order the base today will i get it before christmas? It says that it will be shipped before christmas but since it day pre order i’m confused

Really happy w my r5 bundle (upgraded from g27)

The problem for me, being on a fixed income, is that for 1,000 usd I got the Moza R5 bundle and a cockpit but if I bought the T818 and a cockpit and pedal set and wheel I would most likely be over 1,500 usd. The Moza setup setup will be miles better than the Thrustmaster T248 I was using.

The T818 has software issues but it has the SF1000 rim. The Logitech G Pro has better software but it only has 1 rim. What do I do? Help!

Last year Fanatec CLS DD /GT Pro was a gamechanger, than Moza R9, this year Logitech DD Pro with their TrueForce and now Thrustmaster has invented the (dd) wheel(base) again? Does it really respond quicker than the very lightweight carbon fibre composite motor shaft of the CLS DD, or is this just marketing? I feel TraxionGG could have done a better job making a well balanced review. Why not showing the woodscrew you still need for the adapter? And why no close up's of the QR?

I genuinely feel that there should have been a single, removable adapter to support the existing wheels. But, new wheels would come with the new QR. One adapter per wheel is a bit of an unfortunate cash grab in my opinion. They likely made their own as the French do not like relying on other countries for terms, brands, designs, etc. They also don't have to license or contract with another supplier. I, personally, am excited for this DD and was quite confident that TM would bring something solid and more broadly available than most other brands given their current distribution which had to be considered. If you don't like it, you have options. Cheers!

fantastic review, quick question is it night and day over the TSXW which I currently own?

Whether or not that plastic QR will hold-up for 2 years or more is hard to determine. Plastic can degrade and is more prone to wear and tear.

Hey, I have T300 and play in Gran Turismo 7, is DD worth buy for this game? I know that is worth for Assetto Corsa or other sims, but what about semi sim GT7?

Looks awesome. Plenty enough power but both logitech and thrusmaster need to work on their software for their "serious" racer wheel bases. They have 1 or 2 things to change in their software. Just for reference in Moza you can change: ( Besides steering angle) Road sensitivity game force feedback intensity Max wheel speed wheel spring strength Wheel damper Max output torque limit Natural Inertia wheel friction speed dependent dampening and start speed of the dampening. You have no clue what to set it up to? Its ok.. there are presets for drifting, formula1, Gt rally..etc

I'm currently mostly running in the Thrustmaster ecosystem (T300RS, no additional wheels), T-LCM pedals and the shifter and I'm looking for DD upgrade. Which in your oppinion is the better option: Moza R9 + one of the moza wheels or T818 + one of their current wheels?

Does the base support older games? Or all racing games ?

Does this have a shifter input or not? Cause if it doesn't thats a big step backwards from the tsxw

Big question, it seems that the handbrake or shifters aren’t compatible with this servo, completely different female plug???

Does the T818 have a physical rotation limit like they did on the Logitech G pro? Or is it limitless rotation when powered off?

I want this because I want a DD wheel and I like the look of thrustmasters wheel better than any of the competitors.

Yes, but which DD system should I buy? It seems there are suddenly (in the last couple years) too many choices.

Awesome review!

What sort of input lag were you getting looks like a fair bit from the video clip and watching your arms and hands ?

This will be the perfect upgrade for my T300RS cockpit next year! The only thing that i'm not liking is the base mounting situation... i really want to mount directly to the rig!!! (I also have a Next level Racing cockpit) For me that is a very important aspect and is a very bad decision from thrustmaster... they just want to capitalise on the accessories IMO!

As a product for someone upgrading from say a t300, this is a great option. They will already have a wheel they can use and pedals It's definitely good to see the big boys coming in with DDs that are good though regardless. It's going to push the rest of the industry to have that higher quality we expect from the Logitechs and thrustmasters of the world

Too late i bought the Logitech G Pro base, wheel pedals desk clamp free shipping and a further £50 off in a Logiday sale total bundle arrived in 4 from the Netherlands to the UK £1212.48p and it's premium and solid. And it was in stock had it around 3 weeks now i love it. Console support too.

Good review. I do feel Thrustmaster are missing a massive market by not having console compatability from the off. This would make the most financial sense for me, I have Thrustmaster pedals and 3 wheels already, would just need the base and a couple of adaptors..... But no, not console compatible! Any word on dates for a console version? Not desperate for dd and only a casual player so don't fancy splashing out best part of £1k on fanatec.

8:29 why is the desk mount angled so much? I need that for my desk, but the wheel would be pointing upwards rather than straight out. The only reason it looks straight-ish in your video is because the rig you’re using is slanted, unlike a desk. @traxxion

I'm Australian so it will be end of 2023 until I can get one. I have several DD bases from fanatec, simucube, Logitech, moza and accuforce. I honestly had zero intentions of getting the T818 because the rest of there ecosystem is just lackluster, the only time Thrustmaster produced quality products was with their early flight Sim sticks, pedals and thruster controls in the late 90's and early 2000's. I have been seeing positive things about the T818, I will probably get one BUT their current wheel ecosystem needs be be stepped up to a more premium feel. In terms of the FFB giving every detail of the surface, I found that the CSL DD over pronounced bumps at max FFB with minimal filters to a point where it was distracting. Is it the same feeling on the T818??

the day after i got the t300rs gt i see this but got it for 210 as my first wheel how long before i should make the switch to direct drive?

it's compatible consoles with Drivehub ? time to have firmware update for console ? thank you

I keep hearing that the T818 is not that great compared to the G pro or the csl DD I already got a few TM wheels (sparco r383, 599XX wheel, and the cheap F1 like wheel + the one I got with the T300RS) and now I'm wondering if I should go for it

🏁Hi, do you recommend the t818 if you don't yet have a direct drive, or is it better to choose another ecosystem like simagic for example?🤔

Looks promising the only thing was a bit disappointed about was only 1080 degrees of rotation. I dont just race when I want to chill I play American Truck Simulator and trucks have over 2000 degrees lock to lock 😕 be nice to have unlimited rotation. Think some other DD wheels do that.

@TraxionGG Do you have some kind of noise minimize Thing at your shifters? I think i saw some red caps in this Video at the sf1000. Back to topic, good Reviews. I think the t818 is at the beginning for all which have already Thrustmaster Hardware for racing. The only thing, i think there are a little Bit to late. Some of my Friends are already going to fanatec...

that's why i like established brands rather than the new brands. They're taking their time with DD technology and doing it right

hello guys. from where can i order it?? i cant reach it somewhere to order it :(

For a proper cockpit style rig like mine, the base is just WAY too big imo. I'd have to raise my monitors 4"+ to be able to keep them at the same distance I currently have them at for this base to fit under them. I also HATE the safety stop button location. You want to try and reach around an F1 rim whipping around at 600RPM to try and hit that tiny button? There's a reason they're remotely mounted, so you can hit it with a knee or foot if hands are injured.

Honestly it looks good. But having to buy a separate mounting bracket, when thrustmaster clearly states that they are aware it doesn't fit on *most* cockpits, is a tough pill to swallow. If they include the bracket and bump the price accordingly it'll be an easier buy for me. Selling it separately tells me they expect everyone to change the standard for their design.

I think the biggest downside I see is the limitations to 1080. Sure sure most who sim race won’t use it, but sim drifting is a growing market, being able to recreate the degree of steering of your actual car in your sim can have actual benefits. It’s not necessary but it would be nice

TM shot itself in the foot by not releasing a T818 for consoles. With the weak feedback from the PC version, they will have triple the effort to leverage the expected sales.

When I see these reviews it makes me appreciate my R9 more and glad I got it when I did.

Shorter-"don't buy t818 for drifting" I had a t300 with both belts bearing mode(by the way I really recommend it I makes big difrence) , with all eco system from thrustmaster, so I got a t818, and first i was blown away how it works, and how good and quick the response is, but by the time I can figure it out how to set it up for drifting(99% time on sim drifting). One of the biggest problem of t818 is it smells like hot electronics after a quick session if it's intense like drifting and it's simple drivers, you just can't get It how u want it to be, with damper about(20-50%) the whell was to sponge, and without or little bit about(0-20%) it was to brutal(performance mode was the best). The biggest problem of this base(t818 for drifters) it's his constant torque, you can make it smoth like it should be with wheelcheck and lut for Assetto, but then the most of the details are gone. So you need to choose a pill. By the way flex on my with sparco wheel was very little. Soo I order moza r9 with cs steering wheel and spr pedals with load cell, I just download the moza pit house, choose drift preset, changed only force for about 3,5-4nm to make sure I'm driving all 3 wheels at exact same force, just open Assetto and drift like I was driving on this wheel all the time, it's just simply works. I linked the corners I never used to link that good. Moza just works and if u want you just can tinker the serting to your liking. Moza quality is like 2 levels above thrustmaster. Making my top 3 for the t300, t818, moza r9: sim racing 1.t818 (the best, fastest, and informative ffb) 2.moza r9(i think I can get most of it by the time I learn the pit house settings) 3.t300(just the belt driven wheel.) Drifting: 1.Moza r9 (it just works how it needs to and you can change it to your liking) 2.t300 (with bearings mode or without it's just good but the details are a little bit too late, to slow and soft) 3.t818(in other games it works better it's not as constant force or brutal like in assetto, but for me is the best sim drifting game, so the force is too constant and brutal, and after damper to spongy and slow so if you want to buy t818 for drifting just pick something else).

Will we eventually get a long term review