MOZA R5 Bundle Review – Direct Drive Racing Wheel Setup
Unboxing was a simple process and the instructions for finding the solution were painless. The Pit House is installed and the unit is connected after the wheel is installed. Mounting was also easy, but the standard stand I used had no support for the pedals. I had to press things in there to make it work, but in the end I only used two bolts. Thankfully, these are full steel pedals made from solid cold rolled steel. Even without using every bolt hole, the pedals were stable and solid. The hole pattern on the base of the direct drive matched the mounting plate, so that didn’t require me to drill any holes.
The ES wheel with a diameter of 12 inches is a small thing at first as it feels small compared to other competing solutions. This idea disappears as soon as the setup is activated and using the sim. The tire is light and transfers power very well. The grip is comfortable and all buttons are easily accessible. The included rev panel is a nice addition at this price point. The only real issue is the missed shifters and paddles.
Force response feels stronger than the 5.5 Nm claimed for this device. Nations is stronger than the same unit of Asetek Initium. It is also very detailed in feel. The interesting thing about sim racing is that most of the information has to be wheeled, as full motion rigs are rare and expensive. Also, the sensations of acceleration, deceleration, and lateral g’s are completely absent. So to give the driver as tactile a feeling as possible about how the car works, things tend to be more pronounced when compared to the actual steering wheel in a performance car. Different profiles adjust the response curve of the FFB input, and this is a good thing for any racer hoping to customize their experience to their liking.
The pedals are perhaps the weakest feature of this collection. The brake pedal in stock condition is not very good. There’s no continuous feel to the brakes, so it’s really hit or miss when starting and getting used to the setup. Adding a performance upgrade is a no-brainer for $29. Once that part is installed the user will feel more confident about their braking. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s a very useful addition.
The Pit House has an auto-enabled power/heat setting that automatically adjusts the power of the base while also keeping it within certain temperature limits. This setting can be disabled to give the user full FFB power for hours on end. When this is enabled the base stays cool to the touch and the experience is great. If disabled, the base may become very warm to the touch after heavy driving. I didn’t see much difference between these two settings, but the range will vary depending on the user. Even warming as it does, shouldn’t have a negative impact on the component’s lifespan. Things are still within tolerance. There is no integrated fan with this setup, so the noise was minimal when running.
