If you are looking to add a greater level of realism to your video game racing experience the T248 racing wheel and magnetic pedals is a great option. Thrustmaster’s latest racing wheel packs plenty of feedback power and features that will appeal to both arcade and sim racing fans. Its premium design and sturdy materials perform well against the wear and tear of racing action. When it comes to features, the hardware packs a next-generation hybrid drive system, 25 action buttons, dynamic force feedback modes and more. I’ll be hitting the track and breaking down all these elements and how they impact your racing experience.
Unboxing the Thrustmaster T248 racing wheel and pedals
Inside the box you get everything you need to connect the hardware to the compatible platforms. The T248 is designed to work with the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC hardware.
The package includes all the components to get you set up:
- T248 Wheelbase
- Magnetic pedals
- One Power cable
- Power adaptor
- User Manual
- Table clamp bracket
- Metal fastening screw
- Optional spring to increase resistance
- 1 (2.5mm) Allen key
- 1 USB-C / USB-A cable
Configuring the Thrustmaster T248
In terms of setup, the hardware is “plug and play” when it comes to PS4 and PS5 setup. Compatible home consoles do not require any updates or software installation. On the PC side of things an update is required to get the wheel up and running.
My experience with setup up on the PlayStation 5 was fairly seamless only taking roughly 15 minutes to plug in and mount the hardware. Just be mindful of the tabletop you are mounting the wheel to, the hardware gets a better grip with completely flat ledge. If your mounting surface has a ledge it is much harder to mount properly. Keep this in mind while picking a proper spot to mount the race wheel.
Other than that, I was able to connect the wheelbase and pedals with no other issues. A single cable plugs into the bottom of the wheelbase. The T248 setup process is nearly effortless, getting you into the action quickly.
Thrustmaster T248’s design and performance
I really like the design and look of the T248’s wheel and pedals. The components themselves are relatively light in comparison to other setups. The steering wheel is on the smaller side measuring in 27cm in diameter. The design is very sleek and modern looking, coming close to what you might find in an entry level sports car. The all-black body with orange accents and brushed metal pedals looks quite sharp. Although the wheel is mostly made of heavy -duty plastics the fix of the materials makes it look more high-end.
The magnetic pedal set offers 12-bit resolution precision that offers excellent accuracy. The set also comes with a spring that you can swap out to further adjust the tension of the pedals.
T248 wheel grip and performance
One area of the wheel’s design that could have use improvement is the materials in the wheel’s grip area. The outside is wrapped in synthetic leather which is great for grip and overall comfort. The inside is an exposed hard plastic, which doesn’t feel as high quality. It would have been ideal if the entire wheel was wrapped in leather to carry through the material. It doesn’t impact the overall grip or performance of the wheel, but it would be a nice touch to have it fully wrapped.
Durable construction
The rest of the wheel’s housing is made from a high-grade plastic, but Thrustmaster mixed in a few different patterns and accents to give it more visual variety. The wheel features a whopping 25 buttons including 2 encoder selector switches on the left and right of the controller space. The 2 buttons that could have used a different design are the paddle shifters. Their response time is excellent, but the sound they make when “clicked” is extremely loud. You can hear the paddle shifters echo is your gaming space, even with a headset on. Their tactile performance is great but the noise they emit leaves a lot to be desired.
LED on-wheel display
There is even a small display that flashes through telemetry data like engine RPM, speed, number of laps, fastest lap and more. Not all games support this data display on the T248’s LED screen, so keep this in mind. For the games that do support the function, it creates a cool effect that delivers more on track information in real time.
T248 Hybrid drive force feedback
The T248 force feedback is a major highlight in the hardware’s performance. The wheel outputs some serious resistance and torque that is sure to keep racing purists happy. Thrustmaster has stated that the new wheel delivers “70% more power than other hybrid racing wheels,” it really delivers on this promise. The T248 far and away has the most power I’ve ever experienced with a home console racing wheel.
Adjustable dynamic intensity
Along with all this power, the wheel comes with a lot of versatility. There are three force feedback presets available that can be adjusted on-the-fly. They are available with all racing games, working with both older and newer titles. In my testing I felt some subtle differences in each mode, but they weren’t as big of a difference as I expected. The first mode uses the 1-for-1 feedback data from the game, the second offers a rally-style setting and the third enhances the “feel” of the road by dialing up the tactile feedback.
Capture the checkered flag with the T248
I really enjoyed my time with the T248 Racing Wheel & Magnetic Pedals, they performed extremely well adding a new dimension to gameplay. The construction quality, dynamic feedback and bevvy of customization options offer excellent value for racers. If you are looking for an excellent entry level race wheel the T248 will exceed your expectations.
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