Thrustmaster T500RS
Advantages & Disadvantages
✅ Excellent value for money
✅ Excellent force feedback
✅ Excellent driving feel
✅ Good crankset supplied with bundle
❌ Rather noisy force feedback system
❌ Compatibility with certain platforms not assured
ㅤ
Sim-racing is a straightforward thing to do these days, thanks to products available all over the market and all, of different qualities. In the past, you had to make do with a single steering wheel for sim-racing, which greatly limited immersion and realism.
Today, we’re lucky enough to have brands like Thrustmaster, which offers its fans a wide range of products, and the T500RS is one of them. It’s important to remember that not all sim-racers are identical, so their need for peripherals differs. You have those looking for bundles and others for individual devices.
In what follows, I will introduce you to this flywheel, the T500RS. I will tell you about its features, design, advantages, and weaknesses, and finally give you my opinion.
Main and technical features of the steering wheel
- 30 cm diameter wheel
- 1080° rotation angle
- Wheel changing system
- Bundle with crankset, base, and steering wheel
- Powerful brushless motor for force feedback
- Metal vanes
- Officially licensed Gran Turismo steering wheel
Design
The design of the T500RS is surprisingly good-looking, especially for a steering wheel over ten years old. The wheel is 30 cm in diameter, which will suit virtually every sim-racer in the world, except perhaps those looking for a steering wheel specific to a motorsport discipline.
Continuing with the wheel, its structure is in brushed aluminum to a lovely effect. It’s magnificent, with 12 buttons, 9 on the wheel. Well, I’m not going to lie to you, but the three buttons on the base (Mode, L3, and R3) are a little difficult to reach “on the fly” during a hot race.
As for the paddles, they are superbly beautiful and made of metal. Thrustmaster has chosen to place them directly on the base so that they have a fixed location. This choice may be debated in the sim-racing community as well as the automotive community. I have no problem with it.
Custom assembly
Like many recent peripherals, the Thrustmaster T500RS has a system that allows the wheel to be removed and changed, and I love it. The system is designed so sim-racers can switch from one wheel to another, increasing their immersion during their race.
Another good thing about having such a system is the ability to switch bases. This system is perfect for sim-racing pros and e-sports players, allowing them to have a base for different car disciplines. At least, it is for recent steering wheels.
Manufacture and finish
Even if the T500RS is relatively old, its build quality would make a modern brand’s steering wheel pale in comparison. At the time, there weren’t many sim-racing peripherals on consoles and PCs.
The T500RS is a very well-made steering wheel, using premium materials for its structure. The wheel is made of brushed aluminum with a beautiful effect and is entirely round, with excellent quality perforated leather.
The paddles are solid aluminum, large, and click very well. The base, or at least its cover, is made of plastic. Admittedly, it’s not a very noble material, but concessions had to be made to reduce the price. Bear in mind that this steering wheel came out over ten years ago. As for the rest, the structure is very well made. It’s solid, stable, and, above all, well-finished.
Handling the steering wheel
With a diameter of 30 cm, this steering wheel is easy to grip. You should know that a car steering wheel is between 30 and 33 cm, which is precisely what the T500RSand that gives it a healthy dose of realism.
This steering wheel is mainly aimed at sim-racers who dabble in a bit of every automotive discipline, although marketing tends to sell it more as an F1 and GT steering wheel. For me, it’s perfect in GT, as are many of the brand’s competitors. But in F1, the shape of the steering wheel doesn’t allow for total immersion, especially after trying out the Fanatec Podium F1 ( to discover cl, ick here).
The pallets of the T500RS are oversized and attached to the base. On the one hand, this means they’re always in the same place, just like on a GT-R. On the other hand, you’ll be forced to reposition your hands to shift gears in the middle of a bend, even if this is inadvisable in real life.
As for the buttons, they’re easily accessible with your fingers, without your hands leaving the steering wheel. At least, they are for the nine on the wheel. For the others, it’s not at all “user-friendly” to have them on the base.
Sensations during play
The steering wheel is the critical element of a sim-racing setup when it comes to in-game sensations, and I can tell you that the T500RS is a well of pleasure. The base Brushless motor is powerful for its time and technology, giving us an excellent feel for everything the car does.
Another strong point of the T500RS is its “Quick Release” system, which is surprisingly well done on such a product. Today, we have steering wheels from Fanatec with plastic QRs that have some play in the center, which is not at all the case with the steering wheel from Thrustmaster. Steering is exact, thanks to a magnetic angle sensor and the powerful Brushless motor. I noticed no blurring during my sim-racing sessions using this steering wheel. What’s more, the maximum rotation angle is 1080°, which is perfect for many motor racing disciplines.
The crankset in this bundle, the T3PA Pro, is a decent product for sim-racing enthusiasts who don’t want to pay for their setup. What’s more, the brake – well, the brake pedal – has an adjustable resistance that lets you modify the braking feel. It won’t make much difference in absolute terms, but it’s always nice to have this extra feature. Even though Thrustmaster has used metal for the T3PA Pro’s structure, this doesn’t prevent it from having a cheap feel overall. After all, you shouldn’t expect too much for a bundle costing less than €500.
Compatibility
It hurts with the T500RSis platform compatibility; given that this peripheral was released in 2011, you should know that this steering wheel was developed to work correctly on the consoles of the time, namely the PS3, and this Compatibility has not been fully transferred to the PS4 or even the PS5. Admittedly, there are a few titles where the T500RS will work wonders on PS4, but they’re not masses. It’ll do fine if you plan to use this steering wheel for sim-racing on PC or PS3. Alternatively, you can discover the 6 Best Steering Wheels for PS5 in 2023 by clicking here.
As for Compatibility with the manufacturer’s other products, it works without a hitch. Thrustmaster’s ecosystem is well-developed enough to ensure excellent interoperability between its products.
Value for money
As much as I enjoyed sim-racing on this steering wheel, let’s face it: the T500RS is old and pales compared to today’s competition. However, it’s still an excellent device for inexpensive sim-racing using modern standards.
For less than €500, you’ll get an excellent steering wheel and a good pedalboard that will give you good driving sensations, except you have to find this bundle to enjoy it. As I said earlier, the T500RS was released in 2011 and is no longer sold by Thrustmaster. You can find them on Amazon or another online store, but you must be lucky. Otherwise, there’s the second-hand market, which should be approached with great caution.
My verdict
I’ve always loved Thrustmaster, and the T500RS is on this list. You get an excellent wheel for amateur or even semi-pro sim racing for a relatively reasonable price.
However, I wouldn’t say I like this wheel’s minimal Compatibility with modern platforms. If you play on anything other than a PS3 or PC, I wouldn’t recommend the T500RS. But if you’re a GT5 fan and you can find this steering wheel for not too much money, it’s still an excellent choice,. If you’re interested, I’ve also done an article on The 6 Best Steering Wheels for Sim Racing in 2023which I invite you to discover.
