RGT Force Feedback Pro Clutch Pedal Racing Wheel
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My final test sim was rFactor, which is considered by many hardcore racing sim nuts to be the ultimate racing simulation. In this sim, almost any kind of race car is available as part of the base game or as a mod: stock cars, open wheelers including Formula One, Australian Super Cars, Prototypes, and many cars from the GT circuit. The combination of rFactor and the RGT CE rocked my world.

Retaining the standard settings used with the previous test sims, I found drag and vibration feedback to be twice as strong and tactile in rFactor. Moreover, the clutch pedal function seemed to work more realistically with this sim. More than once, I lost my engine because of misapplication of the clutch pedal with the accelerator and gear changes. To restart my engine in the middle of the track, I had to clutch and downshift.

Hooked up and ready for action.


As a real life driver of a car with automatic transmission, I’m not certain if what I did was correct but it worked and it was fun as hell. Over-revs were frequent, as I struggled to remember how to use the clutch correctly. Frankly, I found it all too much to think about in the heat of a race, but the feeling of total control of my Formula Nippon car on Shanghai’s Jijiang Circuit is unmatched by any other combination of racing wheel and pedal system and racing simulation that I’ve had the pleasure to try.

Frankly, I found the clutch pedal superfluous in the older NR2K3, and unnecessary in GT Legends. But engaging all five axes with the clutch on RGT CE, in rFactor, is racing simulation nirvana. It’s almost as good as having an actual simulator in one’s home. And unlike the other test sims, rFactor is the only one that automatically recognized the wheel’s force feedback. I didn’t have to press the button on the wheel’s force feedback button to activate it.

(Note: GTR 2 was also tested and yielded results similar to GT Legends, which was developed by the same company. And arcade/sim-lite racers like NFS: Porsche Unleashed and Toca Race Driver 3 work extremely well with this system)

Overall Impression

If your style is understated force feedback, you can have it. If you prefer a force feedback wheel that shakes, rattles and rolls even while your race car is idling, jack up the Static and Aggressivity settings and you can have that too. The RGT CE is versatile and sturdy racing gear that should please both the hard core racing sim freak and the arcade racing gamer. Despite its flaws, the Thrustmaster RGT Force Feedback Pro “Clutch Pedal Edition” Racing Wheel is now my favorite wheel and pedal system.

Review by Walter Hurdle.



Highs
Excellent force feedback; clutch pedal option; progressive flippers; changeable pedals; easy to use software.

Lows
Pedals feel too close together for sim drivers with big feet; table clamp will loosen under extreme gaming action; pedal base moves around a bit too much on a carpeted floor.

Final verdict
Yes, it’s plastic. But the easy to grip rubber wheel and unmatched versatility and quality make it a super buy. The only thing better cost twice the money.

89%

Nov 6, 2006


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