Thrustmaster T818 Price & Honest Thoughts From An Old Sim Racer 

Perfect for me. Someone who has already invested in the Thrustmaster ecosystem. I have various rims, T-LCM pedals and currently using a TX base. This is the cheapest way to get a DD base.

It looks like this benefits people that are already in the Thrustmaster ecosystem already. Especially, the ones that do not want to leave.

I like that they haven’t bundled a rim with it so you can either use one you already have or decide which one you want buy. That’s what has annoyed me with Asetek and their entry DD, you have to get it with the rim they have chosen.

If this has come out 2 years ago (before the CSL DD) it would have cleaned up the market, as there was a demand for DD wheels that weren’t as expensive as the Podium.

I use the csl dd nowadays but before that i started with the t300rs and it was an absolute pleasure to own and use so i have high expectations with their new dd...!

I think its a good option for people with TM wheels. I trust the quality more than Fanatec with less hassles for returning and warranty issues.

more competition in this market, will result in more cheaper and competitive pricing. this can only be a good thing. Sim racing has to expand to the mainstream!

All this competition is all ThankS to you & other hard working racers/content creators who do an awesome job of relaying the info to us🤘🏼🏎️Thanks man🏁

I LOVE seeing DD is becoming the new standard in budget wheels. Great for us consumers.

This is perfect for people like me who don’t want to start completely over between this, rims and pedals. I was considering switching over to the Moza ecosystem but to have a setup similar to what I have now (wheel base, open wheel rim, full sized rim, pedals with clutch) would essentially cost me over $2000 USD. Obviously there’s better options but I think this is a niche product perfect for my needs. Also being in America seems to limit my options anyways

Thank you for such a thorough analysis. I’ve been waiting a while for this announcement (I have a TS-PC with a couple of good wheels), but am left feeling that it will be best to wait a while for the reviews rather than excitedly pre-order. It all feels a bit disorganised and full of blag on Thrustmasters part so far and other more mature products are looking like the better option. I look forward to your full review!

I have just pre ordered one as my whole eco system is TM. Meant to be shipped before xmas

Cheers for the thoughts. Like you we will know a lot more when people can actually review it in the flesh, I look forward to when that happens. I have a SF1000, the open formula wheel and the 599xx wheel so here's hoping the review turns a thumbs up.

No console support was a deal breaker for me so after many years of TM I jumped ship to Logitech and love it .p.s I only found out last week that Thrustmaster were French and it made a lot of sense lol

I was in the thrustmaster ecosystem, had 2 rims, a TS-PC etc. I bought a simagic alpha mini for £50?!?! Less than this, sold my rims on eBay and bought a 3Drap F1 style rim (for admittedly more money than I wanted to) I have to give it to thrustmaster. Their rims are fantastic for the price.

The more competition the better. Good luck buying Fanatec, all but one of their wheel bases are out of stock. As far as the T818 is concerned, I do not like the idea of all that plastic on the connections. It's asking for trouble with the amount of torque going through it. I hope they have done their homework properly for both durability and ensuring the plastic is not going to creak and drive the user mad. Its a bit pricey for what I want, I think the Moza R5 bundle is looking good, particularly as its priced the same as TMs belt drive systems such as the TS-PC. Will wait until Black Friday and hope a deal comes up.

Great analysis on the new TM DD base. I think it will be a great upgrade for current TM users

I didn't think the price was that bad. If this was around when I was replacing my old Fanatec CSR, I would have considered this and one of the TM Lether wheels. But thrusty's didn't think direct drive was worth getting in as early as possible. Their loss.

You have to add 40.- €, becaue there is neither a table clamp nor a plate to fit this on a game rig. You can buy this at thrustmaster store. The QR adapter to older whells is about 35.- €. This is ok and one of this is included. I am a little bit skeptical about 10 NM and the plastic wheels from thrustmaster.

The last time I owned a Thrustmaster racing wheel was the Nascar Pro Digital 2 right around the turn of the millennium. I had gone through 3 TM wheels in relatively short order starting around 1996 and was looking for something a bit more stout. I went after the Logitech Momo Force (the red one with leather rim) and that beast lasted me until 2007 when it finally broke from heavy use. Having been impressed by Logitech's quality, I bought a G25 which I've had since. 15 years later it's still going strong(ish). I'll very likely attempt to find a G Pro on sale at some point, but this TM wheel looks nice as well.

Looking forward to getting my hands on this to go with my SF1000

The wheel I got with my Logitech looks well worth £400 [compared to what others charge ] so I reckon the base is about £600 for 11nm

My initial impression is that while backwards compatibilty on wheels is nice it gives me some doubts on how nice the QR solution willl be compared to a dedicated solution like simagic etc. Hard to say for sure until we get some independent hands on it. Still, it's nice with more competition for simracing hardware, more choice and lower prices will be nice for us consumers.

A very strange launch from Thrustmaster but more competition in the DD space from the big names is fantastic , hopefully we get to see and use this motor so we can really see how it stacks up against the competition.

yep, it is a bit of a gamble how it actually feels, but.... ordered one anyway!! coming from tspc racer I will be plugging in that wheel and the g25 pedals with load cell, it is comparing to other options a nice budget friendly upgrade!

hmmm, you were quite right to mention the filtering, that was a huge red flag to me as a DD user, its like they are aiming at users who dont know much about DD drives. they wanted to make a point about how there was no filtering and thus you will lose some smoothness but it will be more raw 1 to 1 feedback... now anybody that uses a direct drive already as you mentioned would know filtering like interpolation with fanatec or force reconstruction filter for simucube are really quite valuable options in the software and disabling them leads to some VERY raw FFB, uncomfortably raw in fact so having the option to filter the feedback and smooth out the resolution is essential... it just screams that they couldn't work it out or they didnt want to invest the time into making a more advanced software suite to suit the new DD wheelbase and i think that's kind of where much of the value is in these products, so quite right of you to point it out, that was what struck me instantly aswell.

Go with the Moza r9 and CS wheel. Its will cost you the same and the QR alone is worth going Moza 👍

I was considering moving to Fanatec, but this is interesting!

Perfect for me who already are in their system. I'm just a bit sceptical against the "fast" release system. I hope it holds up over time

GM, with a very down to earth view on the wheel, same thing i said to some friends yesterday, at that price point it makes absolutely no sense at all to go for it, instead of a logitech or a CSL DD, unless someone already owns lots of other TM ecosystem products. A shame but lets wait and see how low those DDs drop prices next year.

Works for me as I have too many wheels for the eco system already . But if I didn't...... There are so many good options

I will wait and have a look at the first tests. Still riding T-GT Wheelbase + T-LCM pedals. Could be a nice upgrade :)

A video comparing cost per nm of force amongst direct drive wheel bases would be an interesting study

They haven't added a wheel rim because they don't have it yet. I'm betting it will be at least another 6 months before this is available to purchase. This announcement is just buying more time not understanding that they're already done.

Thanks your your Honest thoughts. Very clear and understandable. For whom is this product? It is for the experienced Trust Master User with some Equipment who would Upgrade. For These people the Price is really only the Cost of the base. Everything Else is Not needed. Changing to others Like Fanatec DD1 would Double the Price.

Got the Fanatec DD1 F1 Podium with Clubsport v3 pedals for the discount price of 1500€. Still unsure if that was the right decision in the long run 😅

As a sim racing weirdo I got a direct drive because I want the best quality driving experience that I could afford. I ended up with a simagic alpha mini and I'm very happy with it. (its like a mini simucube) so when I look at Thrustmasters DD at similar price point I'm not impressed. Simagic and moza stomps all over this product from a quality of construction point of view. I'm not trying to sound like a snob I just want to inform people that you should do your research. Sim racing product quality has evolved a lot over the last two years.

But now the T-GT II makes even less sense unless they bring the price down.

A 500 euro 10NM sustained torque would be the sweet sport for a DD

Looks like it would be good to use in a semitruck when I am not driving.

The QR is awfully close to the HRS XeroPlay on my SC2 Pro. I’d imagine it’ll be fine if the electronics connections hold up. It’s fantastic TM finally embraced the newest ffb standard. For me personally I don’t like the design of this or the Logitec. For the kind of money these things demand I want options. I can mount my SC2 Pro a bunch of different ways. I can choose from lots it different QR systems, I can add extensions to the shaft as well. Plus other things.

My concern would be that plastic quick disconnect between the wheel base and rim at 10nm. Do the current TM rims have a metal support in the base of the existing rims? Fracturing would be a concern without those.

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 ?

Can I ask will the Thrustmaster T818 be able to use the older Thrustmaster wheel rims as I have a TSxw racer with a sparco wheel ?

No disrespect but your comment about the quick release not being important at being quick is a bit off since the current way that the Thrustmaster wheels are attached to the wheel always gets criticized by every reviewer that I've ever seen. To me, the current system with the twist-on collar and screw isn't that bad but Thrustmaster had to do something about the quick release since everyone and their mother were always complaining about it even though it wasn't that bad.

The adapters are not 80 quid but 35 at MSRP, so probably cheaper in store. Edit: changed 40 to 35.

GamerMuscle, how does the Accuforce V2 hold up against the wheelbases you've got to use over the years? Originally I wanted one of those but ended up getting the 8Nm Fanatec CSL-DD. I'm feeling some serious FOMO here, and wonder if the Accuforce would have been the better way to go?

It would be ace if you did a video with loads of different bases listed with price and performance headings……..

So if I have a T300 already with pedals then I can buy this base and use my current pedals and wheel rim?

For me is perfect, i have a ferrari t300 alcantara and the thrusmaster gear box… this will be just a base replace, perfect upgrade

Great to see more options in the DD market - what’s DD girls view??

I hope you review how it feels, its value and the expected durability. I've known you for years, you value habtics and feedback, you're honest, you're bald (I mean bold, brave to say your opinion), and you've never been a shill.

Just bought one being the inpatient man that I am. I like Thrustmasters products, so I've bit the bullet and gone for it.

This dosnt look budget at all. Looks cool

they said there will be a bundle with the sf1000 wheelrim.

I got the vibe that the whole unfiltered thing might have been a jab at truforce, but who knows.

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

My son uses thrustmaster stuff. Tx base, 458 wheel rim, t3pa pedals, and the th8a shifter. Was planning on upgrading his rim and pedals to the load cell version. Then his TX base took a sh** so I said screw it and handed my Xbox csl elite base down to him and bought him a used set of csl load cell pedals and he gets my beat up BMW wheel to start IRacing with. I plan on buying a csl dd 8nm for myself whenever fanatec gets it together and has them in stock or allows you to order and wait. His TX base wasn't that old or used up by any means it just died. I hate to ditch thrustmaster but the quality of the fanatec gear is just much better. Hopefully thrustmaster can offer some higher end wheel rims, gain console compatibility with their dd, and lower the price point to be more competitive with fanatec. Fanatecs ecosystem and the csl dd's price point is just mopping the floor with thrustmaster and Logitech at this point. But competition is definitely a good thing.

Didn't know you had an accuforce. Still decent in 2022?

I have a DD1, but at least with Thrustmaster Vs Logitech Pro you get to choose what wheel you use or buy. Choice is good.

Thrustmaster entering the Direct Drive market now is massive, they imo already had the best lineup of customizable options out of everyone..yes I know Simucube etc the quality might be far superior but in terms of affordability and options Thrust has a great lineup already in place, so now people who have already invested in their ecosystem can now have a great direct drive to pair with that beautiful SF1000 wheel which I'll be honest leaving thrust to go Fanatec because I wanted direct drive is now making me second guess my decision and want to bust out the SF1000 and purchase the direct drive. The only thing i think they missed the target on was not coming out with a new upgraded version of the now aging T-LCM pedals..you've got this new beautiful DD but...plastic low quality T-LCM pedals to pair with it..? Don't get me wrong they do a pretty decent job for what they are which is a entry level loadcell pedal set but it would just be nice to get a refreshed version with an improved loadcell with customizable options

I think it may be good for me to use in a semi truck. I don't need a hardcore heavy duty DD plus the cables. I am 57 so I am not running it real hard.

I had had a CSW V2 and when I used to drive R3E (last time I played was before they introduced the new FFB system so I don't know if this changed). R3E FFB used to feel sharp and erratic as if there was a crazy monkey inside the wheelbase. You and others always praise R3E physics and FFB while some of my friends with DD's found it unplayable due to the FFB. Can you please help me understand the problem? It's important that I learn the right terminology to describe the problem, for future application. What is the solution? It is more filtering or smoothing or dampening (whatever those things mean)? Thank you mr. muscular muscle!

Im thinking about pulling the trigger on the logitech / simplicity, looks great(wheel) & I know It will just work, waiting on your opinion of that one

They really love to charge premium for plastic...bet ita a beta and pre buyers will wait till sprint or summer 2023 to get it. Atm either moza or asetek feel like the better options for the price and ammount of gear.

Dont critize them for not adding a rim. It is much better to choose a rim yourself than being stuck with a rim that tries to do everything like the Logi pro wheel. I rather buy it with a dedicated rally wheel and f1 wheel.

I have the sf1000 wheel and it look great and it fantastic to use Logitech only have one wheel for there DD I think

Alternatively you can go with MOZA R9 & CS wheel. The product is on the market for some time now,it got matured after initial release (software and firmware related problems - NOT HARDWARE ONES). I have it for over a month and I can only recommend it. Switching from T300RS was a huge leap in the joy, immersivity and driving precision departments :)

I myself am very happy at the moment with my tgt and sparco rally wheel along with my tlcp sparco handbrake and th8 shifter i also have the ferrari evo 530 and the f1 wheel so i will be staying with thrustmaster its not worth me getting the tgt 2 as an upgrade now this dd wheel has launched however i need to wait for them to bring out the console version as i have a ps5 but i do want to upgrade to a DD wheel and this new thrustmaster will be my choice over anything else 10nm is more than enough for me as i turn thr Force Feed back down any way as i like the wheel light for rallying games i think this will appeal obviously to firstly people who are already in the thrustmaster eco system just got to save up now lol

Adapters are £35 but you get one with the T818.

The announcement today, and the lead-up to the announcement over the last two years or so with the base, has been frustrating. I get COVID did a number on supply chain stuff, but originally TM promised to have this base out there by either the end of 2020 or 2021. Here we are end of 2022, and the base really won't be available to the masses outside of Europe until spring 2023. I think to your point about early adopters, being in the U.S. and having to wait until March will be good. I'll be able to check out reviews from European content creators and the like and really get an understanding of if it'll be worth $650 of my money plus taxes and shipping. And hopefully by March TM will have a firmware patch or two rolled out to help work out any bugs. I was a bit more disappointed not by the fact it doesn't come with a companion wheel rim, although they mentioned they'll be selling a Ferrari edition with the base and the SF1000 rim, but more so by the fact they didn't include pedals or hint at an upgraded pedal set in the pipeline. They did hint that they'll release three new rims to compliment the base over the course of next year, and that those rims will have the quick release built in. But I do see who exactly they're catering this base to, and so I guess I shouldn't be so miffed about the pedals. Since it's a PC-only base, they probably figure if you're going to get a DD base, you either already have separate higher-level pedals like Heusinkveld Sprints or Mozas, or you're rocking with the T-LCMs. So to your point I guess when you factor in the fact if you're someone who isn't already invested in the TM ecosystem, you might as well consider Fanatec, Logitech, Moza, Simagic or another competitor because you'll have already spent the same amount of money on the wheel base, pedals and a wheel rim. I'm invested in the TM ecosystem already, so the wheel base will definitely be something I consider picking up in March when it releases here in the States. I will want to upgrade my pedals, though, since I'm rocking T-3PAs. So I have options there considering it's PC-only. Will likely get some Heusinkveld Sprints, but am weighing my options between them, Logitech's Pro pedals, the Moza CRPs or ClubSports.

Honestly atm Asetek Wheelbases seem to be the best value at the moment...

I think anyone pre ordering this will be in for a wait. I don't believe it is a finished product at all, Thrustmaster has a reputation for fudging the truth, I would be very surprised if this is a finished product ready for sale.

Wait,. How is it possible that you haven't put out a video on the Logitech DD?

for me thrust master makes the most sense, buying any Fanatec product here on Mexico means buying it at more than 2.5 the original price because of the taxes, shipping, etc. Also i already have thrustamster rims and tlcm pedals, im just waiting for a ps5/ps4 compatible version to launch, because i also plan to use it occasionally on console too

I'm more interested to see what the next DD wheelbase offerings from Thrustmaster and Logitech will be... Surely they will step up their game... Right?

are you going to do a moza base review?

Please review the Thrustmaster T818 DD wheel

Fanatec GT DD premium bundle seems like the best value so far. compared to T818 and Logitech pro.

Maybe within 5 years if my 2 ,T300 bases give up the ghost eh!

No comments based on actual performance - ??

When you say iRacing FFB doesn't have detail and dynamicism, what it means is that it doesn't have baked forces that don't go to the wheel. rfactor 2 puts things that the car is doing (like the rear) into the wheel, but that's not more accurate, it's adding things to the wheel that you wouldn't feel in the real wheel.

I have used Thrustmaster flight sim gear for years and more recently, the t300. I'm a fan, but disappointed to learn it is months away from shipping to North America. The holidays and bonuses are coming soon and I'm in the market to buy now. I think Thrustmaster lost a great opportunity for 4th quarter sales on this side of the pond. No doubt many were like me, waiting to see this launch before making a final decision. March shipping makes the decision easy if your ready to buy now. Several other good options. For me, I think the Alpha 15nm even though it will cost more. For sure, if I was deep in the tm ecosystem, I would wait. I'm not, and I won't but I wish them great success.

Can anyone confirm if the Thustmaster Shifter TH 8A works on the new Thrustmaster DD ? I have the TSXW base , 3 Thrustmaster wheels , and TM Load cell pedals so I think I’m stuck in the eco system and how long is it /if it will be Xbox compatible ? 😢 Not convinced on the Quick release system as it looks mostly plastic ! My Sparco 310 wheel has about 5-7 mm of wobble! The other two wheel s (Sparco Rally 383 and Ferrari Evo 599) have a little flex . All of it purchased 9 mths ago . Leaves me wondering about flex and reliability, particularly with the adapter in which u really need one each for the extra wheels to attach quickly without mucking around ! Thrustmaster are very vague on the DD, it’s new release system and up and coming wheels. Guess no really knows much yet !

Got a nice wheel...just watch the video and comment for the algorythm :)

Problem is, fanatec NEVER has stock anymore

The delay is annoying but I think they did good for the fact that Logitech way over priced their DD. If I'm paying $1000 then I'm going fanatec or moza so there will be a market for the thrustmaster, I personally would rather just save up a little more and get the moza r9 and wheel

wheels, rims or wheel rims??

what would be good is something that is worth for me to buy as a beginner and this really isnt it when i can just get the fanatec gt dd pro but oh wait i cant buy that either..

think you are forgetting the use case for many. Already owning a thrustmaster set and easily upgrading to a DD set. think also its about availability

the adapter seems to be £35 thats not bad rly if you have a rim.

I possibly fit in the demographic of 'interested' as I have 4 rims (which I really like) with my ageing T300 base ; though I also have the Fanatec DD1 borrowed from my company, so if the reviews are right up there with the recent Logitech DD base, and prices are reasonable here in Oz (ha) then... um... anyone got a Venn diagram with a very narrow middle area handy? :P

As of today, it seems to me that the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel is better, and most importantly, available immediately. It will be very difficult for me to convince myself of this plastic connector

I love seeing the Accuforce V2 sitting there all pretty like. It’s a very underrated wheel and doesn’t get much attention these days even though I feel like it has some of the best FFB in a few titles.

I already have wheels and pedals. I ordered this for 680 that includes the base, the table clamp and the wheel adapter. I think that's good if you ask me, the Logitech is 1000 and is ugly.

I mean you can say that True Force its Marketing BS because it mostly is, but, Engines make the car vibrate, and sim games are about immersion, not only giving useful information tru a periferic

If you review this will you please test compatibility with arcade racers eg: nfs most wanted absolutely no one does this they only test sims like ACC I bought a CSL DD pro and 90% of my driving games dont work with it. I watched almost every youtube review of it and not a single person mentioned that this would be the case, my Logitec g25 worked with everything so I assumed the Fanatec would as well

VRS DD 20nm meatl housing and only $799 price gap i would just save $ to get higher end.

i have a t300 and for the upgrade i still thing MOZA its a better choice,all metal quick release,fanatec no way

$600 for a plactic DD... seems like Thrustmaster to me