As a sim racing enthusiast, I’m always excited to get my hands on new hardware to enhance the experience. The Moza FSR Formula Wheel recently caught my attention as an innovative entry in the high-end wheel market, so I was eager to put it through its paces on my rig. After extensive testing, I’m ready to share my in-depth review.

Introduction

The Moza FSR Formula Wheel is the new flagship release from Moza Racing, aiming to deliver premium quality and features at a competitive price point. With its integrated digital display, striking carbon fiber and aluminum design, and abundance of controls, it looked promising on paper. But how does it actually perform for sim racing? Let’s dive in and find out!

Overview of the Moza FSR Formula Wheel

On the surface, the FSR makes an excellent first impression. With a diameter of 280mm it has a perfect formula style size, while its materials and construction quality give it a robustness not always seen at this price. The face is crafted from 5mm thick carbon fiber, which provides exceptional rigidity without any unwanted flex. An aviation-grade CNC machined aluminum casing wraps around the back half for a distinctly high-end aesthetic.

Integrated into the wheel are an array of buttons, rotaries, paddles, and other controls. The highlights are the centrally positioned 4.3 inch digital display and an LED shift light strip circling the top. But do these features translate into a wheel that performs as good as it looks? I put it through extensive testing to find out.

Design and Build Quality

The FSR Formula Wheel leaves no doubts about its intentions right from the first glance. It is clearly designed for maximum authenticity to mimic a real open-wheel race car steering wheel. The materials used match the purpose, with Moza avoiding any cheap plastic pieces in favor of premium composites and metals.

Materials used (carbon fiber, aluminum)

The star of the show is no doubt the 5mm thick carbon fiber front plate. This single piece of carbon runs seamlessly through the wheel’s perforated leather grips, providing exceptional stiffness and strength without any unwanted twisting or flexing. The leather itself feels durable and is held securely in place by the quality of the glue up application.

Surrounding the back half of the wheel is an aluminum casing constructed from CNC machined aviation-grade alloy. The workmanship shows the signs of precision automation, with perfectly aligned edges and a flawless uniform finish. Small details like the button housings demonstrate careful attention to quality manufacturing.

Sturdiness and durability

With its premium materials and precise machining, the FSR gives a feeling of sturdiness that should hold up well over time. The carbon and metal construction manages to be lightweight while also feeling indestructible. After using the wheel extensively I found no areas of concern related to potential damage or breakage.

The quick release mechanism provides a reassuring click when fully engaged, ensuring a firm attachment to the wheel base with no slop or loosening. The general fit and finish is on par with any high end racing wheel, so buyers can have confidence in its durability.

Buttons, knobs, and other controls

The FSR Formula Wheel is packed with an array of integrated controls to give quick access to adjustments while driving:

• 10 buttons on the face mimicking a formula race car’s wheel layout
• 5 rotary knobs with defined clicks and push functions
• 2 thumb encoders placed for easy access in motion
• 2 analog mini-sticks that act as an 8-direction D-pad
• 10-stage LED shift lights integrated into an rpm bar
• 2 high quality magnetic shifter paddles
• 2 spring-loaded clutch paddles with dual axis modes

The buttons are designed in a mechanical keyboard keycap style, with plastic constructions and single color LED illumination. They provide reliable activation but lack the concave shape and satisfying click of higher end buttons. The rotaries are a highlight, with subtly notched motion and appropriately firm torque resistance. Their push functions still work, but can be tricky to press using just a fingertip.

Screen size and resolution

The wheel’s standout feature is no doubt the built-in digital display. At 4.3 inches diagonal, it provides enough screen real estate to display meaningful telemetry data without appearing crowded. The 800 x 480 resolution strikes a good balance between crisp text while keeping frame rates smooth. The only downside is a limited viewing angle, meaning you need to align your sight lines for the clearest image.

Shift paddles and clutch paddles

Wrapping around the grips are two sets of well-designed paddles for shifting and clutch functions. The magnetic shifters have strong tactile feedback with an audible “thunk” to confirm activations. Some users may find this noise excessive, so adhesive rubber pads are included to dampen it if desired. The dual axis clutch paddles worked flawlessly, with a smooth spring-loaded action. Modes allow them to act as independent axes or a single combined axis.

Quick release mechanism

The FSR uses Moza’s own quick release system to interface with supported wheel bases. An satisfying click confirms when it is fully locked in, while a button release quickly detaches the wheel after use. The connector feels sturdy with no slop, and uses pins in a pattern meant to avoid issues with miss-alignment. Overall, a well engineered quick release implementation.

Features and Customization

A racing wheel can have all the buttons in the world, but they aren’t very useful without underlying features and customization options to get the most out of them. Here’s an overview of how the Moza software allows you to tailor the FSR to your preferences.

LED lighting options

All of the FSR’s buttons and the integrated shift light bar are illuminated by RGB LEDs. Fortunately, the Moza software grants individual control over each light. You can pick from seven colors to create unique lighting effects, helping identify key buttons at a glance. The lights are also bright enough to remain clearly visible in full lighting.

Display screens and dashboards

One of the most anticipated features of the FSR Formula Wheel is the integrated digital display. Out of the box it comes pre-loaded with 15 different screen dashboard layouts to convey various telemetry and data. These range from mimicking real car racing dash screens to more futuristic designs.

While they look great, a current downside is the inability to fully customize them beyond what is already programmed. The display uses a proprietary processor, so advanced dash creation software like SimHub does not work currently. But Moza has hinted at better integration in future firmware updates.

Software for settings and customization

All programming of the FSR’s many configuration options is handled through Moza’s Pit House desktop software. It automatically detects and connects to the wheel, and presents an intuitive interface for key bindings, lighting controls, screen options, and more. Most users will have no problem making all necessary adjustments for their preference.

My only gripe would be the programming of the mini-stick analog controls, which require some trial and error to get feeling right as a D-pad substitute. But otherwise the software is a perfectly serviceable hub for personalizing your experience.

Compatibility with different wheel bases

An important consideration for any high end wheel rim is compatibility. Here Moza again scores well by offering support for either their own wheel bases or many third party options through use of an adapter. I tested the FSR using Moza’s own R9 wheel base and it functioned flawlessly. But the ability to use it on other common bases like Fanatec or Simucube adds to the versatility.

Performance and Feel

At the end of the day, a racing wheel’s performance and feel while driving is what really counts. All of the build quality, buttons, and features don’t mean much if the driving experience itself isn’t superb. Here’s how the FSR Formula Wheel stacks up.

Force feedback and road textures

Moza’s wheel bases have earned a reputation for excellent and highly detailed force feedback. The FSR transfers every nuance of that fidelity directly into the wheel movements. From the smooth asphalt of a fresh race track to rumble strips and curbs, the textures come alive in your hands. The programmed algorithms provide a true sense of connection to the virtual road.

Feedback is smooth and natural throughout the rotation range without any annoying dead spots or notchy sensations. Subtle road variations shine through while aggressive curbs produce appropriately dramatic oscillations. It’s clear Moza’s engineers have spent countless hours honing the driving experience.

Immersion and realism

A key contributor to immersion is the integrated display. Having live telemetry and data in your line of sight creates an instant connection to feeling like you’re actually sitting in a real race car. This system takes it a step beyond just staring at a fixed screen away from the wheel.