Moza’s R3 PC Wheel and Pedals bundle is a competitively priced and compelling pit stop for any newcomer trying to dip a leaden foot into simming. Also, it’s an superb, ready-to-race package deal that may rev the engines of anyone who desires much less of shaving PBs on a observe and more about shredding POS automobiles in Wreckfest 2.
That’s just about what I made a decision to throw my Moza R3 at. I took a pretty, metal-twisting vacation away from my common MO of testing Direct Drive wheels with hypercars and good traces. Was that an unorthodox take a look at mattress? Kinda. But I preserve that the Wreckfest sequence is a low-barrier gateway racer that may create severe rally addicts ultimately.
Better than that, although, it’s simply massive gobs of enjoyable with physics a-go-go and punchy drive suggestions aplenty.
While the 3.9Nm thrumming on this wheelbase doesn’t precisely redline with its peak energy, it’s nonetheless a strong and fashionable DD unit that hums alongside like a finely tuned machine. Unlike its clunkier, noisier gear-and-belt-driven rivals at the entry degree, the R3 is whisper-quiet and ridiculously compact compared. Better but, the bundle is extraordinarily mod-friendly, so upgrading your trip down the highway is a cinch—no need to swap out the entire chassis.
Moza R3 – Design and Features
The Moza R3 Racing Wheel and Pedals bundle is a full-throttle, plug-and-play racing system. Inside the field, you’ll discover Moza’s new 3.9 Nm R3 wheelbase, a 280mm PC-compatible steering wheel, a set of SR-P Lite pedals, and a separate desk clamp can be included. Believe you me, you’re going to need that final bit of equipment as soon as the FFB will get going. Nothing jerry-rigged or half-arsed goes to carry this sucker down when the automobiles begin cartwheeling.
Said clamp is made totally of metal and is inflexible as hell—fairly sturdier than the plastic alternate options, and it has a beneficiant 50mm of clamp space. Via the chaos of Wreckfest 2, I actually gave that rigidity a run for its money. Thanks to a beefy desk and a easy system of 4 mount holes to secure the R3 wheelbase, this setup holds up effectively beneath the stresses of drive suggestions.
Weighing in at simply 2.29 kilos and measuring a compact 120mm high, 135mm huge, and solely 93mm long (excluding the steering shaft), the R3 is a pocket rocket of a wheelbase. Its boxy, industrial design provides it a severe motorsport aesthetic—far more race-ready-looking than some of the older, plastic clamshells which might be on the market competing.
I additionally like that the ports on the back are neatly organized for straightforward entry, with slots for pedals, a sprint show, a shifter, a handbrake, and even an emergency stop gadget. Out of the field, the just one you’ll need is the pedal port, however enlargement is as simple as including aftermarket mods to a mission automobile. There are additionally two threaded holes up high for mounting Moza’s sprint show.
Wheel-wise, the one you’re getting default right here is a comfortable D-shape affair with a grippy polyurethane wrapping. I like the really feel of the clicky, short-throw paddle shifters which might be crafted from sturdy black metallic. And I dig that Moza permits for some customisation right here—the brushed metallic wheel rim is detachable, and various rims can be found to higher serve your race self-discipline of selection.
Heading beneath the equator, now we have the R3’s pedal set, which is just an accelerator and a brake. If you’re trying to find a clutch expertise—and that’d make good sense for OG muscle automobiles in Wreckfest 2—you may make an additional pit lane buy of a third pedal. Prices appear to be cheap for that, and I do know from expertise that Moza’s ecosystem is all about simple set up.
Beyond that, these metallic pedals really feel a heck of a lot more sturdy than some of the plastic-heavy alternate options on the market. Resistance comes from springs reasonably than a load cell, so whereas they’re not championship-grade, they need to be more than enough for entry-level sim racers. There’s additionally a shocking degree of adjustability, with pedal pads that may be repositioned larger or decrease, and the complete pedal items might be moved left or proper.
Moza R3 x Wreckfest 2: Performance
With 3.9 Nm of peak torque, the R3 isn’t precisely a torque monster, however it’s proper in the slipstream of different entry-level contenders with related price pricepoints. It’s additionally good for some low-stakes, throw-around enjoyable in a physics-heavy (but nonetheless arcade-y) title like Wreckfest 2.
I’m not going to deceive you, although; I did need to do some tinkering to make Wreckfest 2 communicate accurately with the R3, at the least initially. However, because of the ever-changing panorama of Early Access, a few hotfixes meant I no longer needed to continuously rebind/reverse my pedals in Moza’s (normally fairly succesful) Pit House software program. Everything works just about because it ought to now, and, clearly, assist will solely get higher as but more fixes roll out.
The R3’s FFB feels fantastic once you laterally thunk into different automobiles—sometimes once you’re utilizing “dodgem cars” cornering logic to pinball previous an apex whereas pinging some competitor off into a tree. Likewise, the emotions you get by way of the wheel once you’re on the receiving finish of such techniques and are compelled to shred by way of some random fence or tyre pile are good and visceral.
Car-nage collisions apart, I’d even be remiss if I didn’t spotlight how satisfying a stretch of clear racing might be—that primary but intimate FFB dialog between balding tyres and terra firma. Obviously, with Wreckfest 2 having nearer DNA to a rally expertise than a staid, single-surface observe racer, each lap can (actually) really feel like a sequence of plot twists. You’d higher imagine your fingers will discover the distinction once you drift in and out of bitumen to gravel to mud and back again.
Oh, and it goes with out saying that any time there’s a momentary lull in any and all drive suggestions adopted by a wrist-rattling jolt, that’s simply…effectively, a chef’s kiss expertise. I can furnish you with two memorable examples of this. One, everytime you get some sick Dukes of Hazzard air and land on one thing you shouldn't have. And two, reversing from a dangerous nook upset, flicking into impartial, and then getting completely and unexpectedly blindsided by some AI attempting to interrupt the land speedbump report by way of you.
Incidentally, I wish to say that POV racing in Wreckfest 2 with a respectable FFB wheel equivalent to that is the tough racing equal of a mini horror game. With your peripherals more and more blinkered by the cabin of a crumpling automobile, each race is principally a sequence of untelegraphed bounce scares that attain out and grab you thru this wheel. Obviously this “driving on eggshells” sensation turns into more pronounced once you’re engaged in an precise demolition derby occasion, and some bastard has simply bent your bonnet up over 80% of your windscreen.
I truthfully shudder to suppose what these sudden crashes will really feel like for any gamer gripping a Moza R12 or larger. Those impacts you’ll get with 12 or 16 Nm value of grunt will certainly be the stuff of warning label justification. Hell, even a shock bash by way of the 3.9 Nm drive of the R3 delivers a respectable hand rattle. As unthinkable as it could sound, you may very well end up turning it down.
All that being mentioned, multiplying the Moza R3 Bundle with the Early Access antics of Wreckfest 2 is one of the funnest issues I’ve executed all yr to date. Even as a proud proprietor of a Moza R12 wheelbase and just about each fancy add-on that comes with it, I used to be impressed by the efficiency and worth proposition of this youthful brother bundle. If you may have price range aspirations of becoming a member of the simming scene—otherwise you simply wanna really feel stuff crash more durable than a stock market after tariffs—I say flip the key on an R3.
Adam Mathew is our Aussie offers wrangler. He plays virtually the whole lot, usually on YouTube.