Back in May Rexing announced the introduction of their new carbon fiber GT Steering Wheel, offering customers the opportunity to mod the wheel to their own specifications. A few months later and I’m happy to share my review of the GT wheel. Having previously purchased the wonderful formula wheel I have become somewhat acquainted with the high quality offered by Rexing, and the GT wheel is no exception. The flat-bottom rim has a 320mm diameter coated with alcantara, weighing just 600g. However, perhaps the most unique part of this wheel is the infinite modding options on offer to customers, meaning no two wheels are likely to be the same. The hollow carbon fiber centre offers supreme freedom for integrating components, differing from many other rims, where the centre of the wheel is already occupied. Appearance With regards to this wheel Rexing gave me multiple layout options. In the end I opted for eight buttons, four encoders and two two-way toggle switches. This is also accompanied by a Leo Bodnar SLI Pro display and Q1R that I’d sent over to Rexing for incorporation into the wheel. It’s important for me to stress that the wheel is sold without any electronics or components, though as a returning customer Rexing were kind enough to offer me this option. However, for a limited period the base GT wheel is currently available at a reduced price of €389 – VAT not included – including the carbon fiber shifters! Weight Thanks to the carbon fiber centre the GT wheel is unbelievably light, tipping the scales at a remarkable 1.2kg. I anticipated that the attached Q1R would probably weigh down the rim to a certain degree, however this isn’t apparent at all. Performance As with anything the proof is ultimately in the pudding. Setup time is minimal, fire up the SLI Pro through Fanaleds and you’re more or less good to go! With everything set up I decided to head to iRacing to give the wheel its first test. I’ve recently been running the Porsche Cup car in iRacing and figured the wheel would correlate well with this vehicle. After heading to the track it became immediately evident how good the GT wheel felt in-hand. The lightweight construction allows for quick, subtle changes of direction, while it also ensures that none of the FFB from my Bodnar SimSteering [53] system is nullified. The shifters exhibit a positive, tactile feel, as do the rotaries and toggle switches. The positioning of the buttons/toggle switches/rotary encoders is ideal; every switch is easily attainable during a race. I initially opted for the standard buttons from Rexing; although they do a good job I do miss the feel of the knitter buttons. Having spoken to Rexing I’ll likely be sending the wheel back at some point to exchange the standard buttons for the knitter option. Next up I decided to fire up Automobilista [Beta]. With Reiza no longer faking [their words, not mine!] the turbo model I took the Formula Classic for a spin with the insane turbo boost turned up to 4.00 bar! With in-game FFB at 100% I wanted to test how the rigidity and structure of the wheel held up on a direct drive wheelbase. It was safe to say that that the wheel felt excellent in AMS, relaying every detail of FFB to me. As anyone who’s tried this car in the AMS beta will testify to, you spend a lot of time attempting to catch slides once the turbo kicks in, and during these occasions the nimbleness of the GT wheel helped tremendously. My final thoughts For anyone looking to complement their OSW, Bodnar or Accuforce wheelbases with a competitively priced, high-quality GT wheel, this offering is certainly an option worth considering. The opportunity to configure and modify the wheel in diverging ways is certainly a unique equation provided by Rexing, while the quality and craftsmanship delivered is unquestionable. In closing, I have no doubt that I’ll be getting plenty of use out of the GT wheel and I certainly regard it as a welcome addition to my rig. For anyone interested in modding a GT wheel you can find more info at Rexing.eu or by emailing sales@rexing.eu.
