Moza R9 & GS GT Wheel Review - As Good As They Say?

My review of the Moza R9 direct drive wheel base and their GS GT Wheel, do they live up to the hype?

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐒 + 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.

[KarlGosling]

To clarify my amperage speculation.... Amps = Watts divided by Voltage.
So the Moza PSU 180W / 36V = 5A which makes sense and the CSL DD PSU is of course 180W / 24V = 7.5A and is why it has a bigger cable... the main take away is that the PSU is cheap and of poor quality which is not want you want to see powering your precision DD wheel base.

[diedforurwins]

I appreciate you shelling out and making the effort to get a review out to us. Its not cheap. I do however find it CRAZY how I just reached minute 30 and were back to the power supply again.

[TNYT]

I have a CSL DD with Clubsport V2.5 wheel. My friend just got the the R9 with GS wheel so I had a look and tried it out. For the money and if it was availible when I bought My CSL DD kit, I would have rather gone the Moza offering than what I have. I cannot agree with you assesment of build qaulity as from my perspective, the Moza R9 and GS has better build quality than my CSL and Clubsport for the money. The Moza QR is absolutely fantastic and the performance is on par if not slightly better than my Fanatec. Still happy with my Fanatec though.

[glennvs]

Usually I don’t really comment on videos but this one might be helpful. After using the Thrustmaster T300 RS GT for half a year, I was choosing between Fanatec and Moza but due to availablity I chose Moza. I watched this review the day after mine was shipped out, so it made me a little nervous tbh. This week I’ve received the Wheel, R9 base and CRP pedals and they are the improved versions. There is no more spring in the pedal, so the dangling noise you showed in the video is no more. Also, the finish on the wheel has improved. I choose the Alcantara version and on my wheel it is precisely finished, it is not going over the upper part as showed in this video. Even the “squish-able gap” on the top that you’ve showed is all gone and solid.

The gear hasn’t been installed and I have yet to try it out, but so far I am stoked! Keep up the good work Karl.

[vanquist]

It felt like someone reviewing an ex girlfriend.

[flyingphoenix]

In some ways, it's not so much a question of "will there be cost-cutting" as "where would you prefer there be cost cutting?" As a Fanatec user who has had to rebuild his QR and clean the pins multiple times (and I have the metal quick release), I would infinitely prefer cheap plastic on a power supply I only notice once over a terrible, flimsy QR that I interact with multiple times per session. I'm a die-hard Fanatec user, but I definitely appreciate where Moza has spent their money compared to Fanatec (and for generally offering a superior product to Fanatec at a similar or lower price point).

[powerboost]

I think it's very good that you present the R9 and its peripherals in such critical detail. The impression is often left on the channels that products are only being pushed, come hell or high water. I am interested in the R9, so thank you very much!

[Arkkis]

After watching the whole video, I now understand why they didn't send you review unit. Bashing things like power supply without fully understanding them is interesting way to review things (since you come out as professional while not knowing how electricity works). Also your expectations with money vs quality are way off. Take a look what is base quality on csl dd and you will be surprised how good Moza has done theirs. And when it comes to steering wheels, please compare them to right equivalent. The steering wheel with all its features is compared to wheel like Fanatec formula v2.5 + their podium paddle module and makes it actually great value (not to mention the QR). Your take on small quality control things felt way out of touch on this price bracket.

Anyways, thanks for the honest review. I only hope that in the future you could make it more clear that these are only your opinions and not actual facts (like suggesting this power supply looks like it will catch fire in any second).

[WaywardSn]

I actually swapped my CSL DD Pro for the R9 with GS wheel and don't really regret my decision. I had the issue with the GT wheel slipping when under high load, the DIY quick fix is gaffa tape on stem to fill the tolerence issue. Fanatec response was essentially "we know of the issue, we'll sell you a discounted QR1". I didn't like that response so took my business elsewhere. The Moza Quick release is awesome.

Agree with the GS wheel being a bit more expensive than it should be. At £320 - £350 i think its a compelling option. The finish on my unit does seem to be slightly better than yours though, no glue can be seen around the alcantara and the plastic part doesn’t have a gap at the top. The Fanatec Mclaren rim is £300 without shipping once you have added the QR1 instead of the QR Lite which IMO is absolutely needed.

PSU plastic does feel cheap, no doubt about that. In regards to the cable thickness its a non issue because its running a lower amperage and higher voltage.

The FFB produced by the R9 and CSL DD is basically the same but i like the FFB equalizer in the Moza Pit House software which allows some real fine tuning of the different effects produced by the game engines.

Customer service is the only unknown with Moza for me. i have had a few dealings with Fanatec CS over the last few years and not felt like a valued customer, the last contact with them was the straw that broke the camels back.

[skxdlxx]

I disagree with some of what you’ve said here mate.

I think a good way to sum it up is when you’re comparing it to the mclaren wheel being half the price and how it’s ok for the mclaren to feel cheap - Well I recently swapped my fanatec gear to Moza, including that same mclaren wheel, and IMO the quality feels like way more than ‘double’ that of the Mclaren. WAY more.

I have some drunk buttons and questionable plastics, but I think you’re really holding this stuff up to high end simucube level stuff, because the Fanatec gear I had is just as cheap, badly built and not to mention terribly supported. Especially the QR, which is just awful and the main interface between wheel and wheelbase.

I really tuned out when you mentioned the knobs feeling cheap. They’re aluminium and feel fantastic to me! The comparison product from Fanatec has issues with going wobbly and snapping.

Anyway, love your work but this one felt like a bit of an unnecessary hyper focus on some minor details - you didn’t cover barely any of the software or driving experience and I was really looking forward to getting your feedback on that. The stuff that really matters yknow?

[scorps]

I recently purchased an r9, cs, srp pedal set.
I'm quite happy with the quality to be honest, pedals feel good, wheelbase is strong and sturdy. QR is amazing.
QC is an issue tho. My CS wheel Right Hand paddle shifter is not working from brand new. I've tested everything without voiding warranty.
I'm in the process to testing out the warranty. I purchased from a local official retailer. Let's see how it goes.
But overall I'm really happy it.

And yes, the English isn't perfect at times, the software has some inconsistency which has gotten better over time.

Tiny little issues don't faze me as I'm on a budget and understand this.

[Jonno]

Honestly I love your reviews, but super disappointed this time ☹️ probably about 20 minutes of just talking about how bad the PSU feels, although you acknowledged they weigh about the same, so if anything with less heavy plastic they may have put more into the actual components, but also only a couple of mins where we acknowledge the driving experience is actually good, and you then say right at the end that's what actually matters. I've looked it up since and can't see any reviews of the PSU being insufficient, failing or being hazardous, why was this such a focus ☹️ and the machining waviness, worth a mention but if it doesn't affect performance, that's all it needed in my opinion.

I thought I'd check your CSL DD review again and it's such a different vibe. Didn't even look over the fit and finish, showed us the ports and functionality, gave us all the specs and values, showed us mounting options. The other comments are commending your objectivity which I usually agree with, but I honestly felt like you'd decided you disliked it before you'd even put it on your rig and driven it, and people are going to write it off long before you actually mention it drives well. Love your videos but not what I was hoping to hear about on this one ☹️

[OnlySCHUMI]

My GT DD Pro has just been returned to Fanatec for refund after owning it for 10 months, absolutely shocking ownership experience I’ve had for the most part! Started randomly turning off, then it just stopped working, they had it for repair and sent it back and the pedal connector fell out, so back it went. Next time they sent it back the wheel base was grinding at the 9 o’clock position! No offer of exchange so I stand to lose money as I paid duty to import it, plus the peripherals I bought for it are now useless and I have to sell them, most likely for a loss. Their attitude the whole time was nonchalant to say the least, they didn’t communicate with me unless I made a fuss, they claimed they hadn’t received which they did, then they told me it was being looked at claiming I’d been notified via email (I wasn’t) and later the same day it turned up at my door! Honestly have never gone off a brand so much in my entire life! I’m looking at getting the R9 as a replacement and praying it’s not as bad as the GT DD Pro!

[garybond]

I have had my Moza since April with No problems at all the GS wheel has been great and if you ask me the price is not much different than the V2.5 with the paddle module added which i used to own, Moza has a better quick release, and you don't get the same problem you get with the Fanatec shaft coming lose in the csl dd base as mine did.
Im sorry about the way you feel but none of the problems you have shown where on my products and like i said i have had mine since April and still going strong, I might of been lucky or you were unlucky but im quite happy with mine and wont be going back to Fanatec any time soon

[kyus]

The R9 is great imo. Compared to the csl dd wheel base, the R9 is smaller, more powerful, cheaper, has the best quick release on the market, can be used with any USB wheel.

[theRooster]

Fair points regarding the power supply and the wheel (based on it's price). I've had the R9 for 6 weeks and my experience has been all good. My housing has none of the defects you mentioned, it is machined quite well. They must have sent you a 2nd for revenge lol. I use it with the CS wheel which is very nicely built as well. I would purchase the Moza R9 10 times over just to avoid the Fanatec CSL DD' s garbage QR. My experience with Fanatec has been all bad.

[olintopalito]

I moved from Csl dd 8nm to R9 and Gs. I was using the Mclarem V2 and for me the Moza fells a way better. Maybe because I had problems with all my Fanatec products. My Fanatec PSU had just a high coil whine good enough to make the Dog cry. It's being 6 months with Moza and I never had a single problem. The only thing that annoyed me was the on/off button. If you ask me I would say, I would never buy Fanatec again for upgrade better go with Simagic or Simucube. The reason? Fanatec QR
Ps. I think they send you a steering wheel that was already disassembled. I looked my one and everything is perfectly on the place different from yours.

[Zanaga]

Watt = amp x volts. So if both are 180W they have the same power capacities, no difference.

But higher amperage requires thicker cables and can produce more heat and
electricity consumption.

So the higher voltage allows Moza to use thinner cables and probably save more electrical energy.

[nickn]

When I update to a Direct Drive wheelbase I'm going to forensically examine the power supply casing...don't care about the internals of it, I don't even care about what the wheel base is like all that matters is the plastic casing of the power supply.

[grayzedynamics]

As always honest review. I think the QC issues at any price point need to be better. Whether I spend a dollar or $1000. I also owned and reviewed both products. And I now use the Moza gear and do enjoy it. Is it perfect, no but I think ultimately it has some pros over the fanatec system. I do think $499 USD compared to the $199 Mclaren is quite substantial but like in my review. Once you add the subpar Fanatec QR1 and aftermarket magnetic shifters, my Mclaren wheel was $430 and was still plastic where my GS is carbon fiber front, far superior NRG style QR, magnetic carbon fiber paddles just to name a few and still plastic wheel from Fanatec. I agree tho that for the money we spend we need better results. Ultimately, I think I may upgrade to simucube pro 2 and a GSI Hyper wheel. Keep being honest and doing a great job.