Fanatec Porsche 911 GT3 R Podium wheel kit Review

Final thoughts on the Porsche 911 GT3 R Steering wheel from the guys at Fanatec. Here we have four different components coming together to create a very close replica of the wheel used in the real race
car. The new rim is available in either smooth leather or suede leather. When comparing it to my MOMO MOD 88 wheel, it feels very much the same. Sturdy build, a well applied leather wrap, and nice brushed finish. Even the grip shape is very close to each other. This makes me think that buying the rim alone would be a good choice if you are looking for a real racing wheel for your Sim racing duties.
The Podium hub is a nice addition from Fanatec. It’s foot print is less than that of Fanatecs universal hub. But it is a bit taller. Of course this hub is made to accept the very good APM module that I have
reviewed earlier. And can also accept Fanatecs button pods. The QR assembly is replaceable, so this hub will be ready for any future mounting solutions that Fanatec might come out with. Attaching the paddle modules to the hub was easy to do with minimal dramas.  Fanatec’s new button module also comes with this kit. Being made from carbon fiber and Fanatec’s own injection molded glass fiber reinforced plastic. In hand it feels light and stiff. It has plenty of buttons and rotary’s to meet most drivers input needs. It has nice bright leds for the rev indicator and flag functions. The 2.7 inch display is also bright and easy to read. Although it is limited to only one telemetry screen as of this review, it should be adding more with the next firmware update. The screen that is available now does do a good job of providing the telemetry it is designed for. So much so, that I am looking forward to getting more of them. Using this wheel is a treat. It feels just as good as my MOMO in use. I think a wheel like this covers a lot of different cars when driving. And trucks too, if like. Not something I would want to use for formula cars, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. The APM unit provides nice crisp shifts. At the same time they are very quite due to the rubber stops used on the unit. Never had a problem with the shifters or the clutches. All the buttons on the Endurance module worked as designed. They have a decent feel to them, and good tactile feedback for buttons of this type. The rotary’s also worked well with their nicely spaced detents and spring tension. It’s hard to find much for me to complain about here. Maybe that lack of a fully functional display for telemetry monitoring. But I’m sure that will get sorted in the not too distant future. The way that Fanatec packages this wheel with four different components that can be used on other wheels is a good thing I think. Gives you future options moving forward for other wheels you may want to use. You can tell that this is a Podium level replica wheel setup from the build quality and component selection. I hope we will see more of this type of wheel package with other wheel shapes in the not to distant future.