Logitech MOMO Racing Wheel

Reviews: Peripherals

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Bradford Day
Kurtis
Logitech
Mar. 16, 2005

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Introduction

Ok race fans, today is your day - we are having a look at one of the prime pieces of gaming hardware on the market. Racing wheels have almost become a necessity for the majority of realistic driving games. Highly advanced physics models and true to life acceleration, handling and crashes have made it utterly futile to even attempt racing with a keyboard and mouse. A gamepad offers some relief, but for the closest thing to sitting in the driver's seat a good racing wheel is hard to beat.

Today I have one of the best wheel and pedal sets on the market in front of me. Racecar inspired styling, force feedback and even a fancy Italian name adorn Logitech's flagship PC/Mac wheel. The MOMO racing wheel truly looks the part. But looks aren't everything...even if you're Italian.

First Looks

Let's start with the obvious...what the hell is a MOMO? For the non-gearheads out there, MOMO is an Italian racing equipment company with its roots in Formula One racing. In the 1960s, Giampiero Moretti had a smaller steering wheel designed for his racecar. The smaller diameter of the wheel was offset by the unique shape and bolstered hand grips. The wheel caught the interest of the Ferrari race team and MOMO was born.

So, now that you know the brief history, it should come as no surprise to you that Logitech chose a MOMO Italiano design for a PC racing wheel. If it's good enough for Ferrari... Anyway, at first glance there is no mistaking that this gaming device is quality. The wheel itself is nearly a direct copy of its bigger brothers found on Ferrari's, BMWs and Porsches (and the occasional over-dressed Honda). Wrapped in a non-slip rubber, the wheel hides two F1-inspired paddle shifters. In the center of the wheel are six programmable red buttons and two green LEDs. A gearshift knob rests to the right of the wheel but can be placed on either side to suit the driver's preference. The shifter is skinned in the same comfy non-slip rubber as the wheel.

Now, you can't have a wheel this authentic without pedals to match. The pedal set on the Logitech MOMO is solid and hefty. Mimicking real race pedals they are mounted to a large base. The base is about 13" x 13" in size and incorporates a smart grip system for keeping the pedals from sliding away from you on carpet. A row of small, retractable teeth bite into shag carpet and 4 rubber feet keep the base put on hardwood or linoleum floors.

Also included in the massive, product shot-laden package are the quick set-up instructions, driver CD, a Logitech product catalog and an information packet. You'll also find a power adapter and plastic mounting hardware to securely mount your force feedback wheel to your desk.

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Page 1: Introduction & First Looks
Page 2: Testing
Page 3: Head-to-Head Comparisons & Conclusion

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18 User Comments

1 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 19, 2005 - 11:24 pm

Con: No clutch

you would think by now they would catch on, and put a clutch, i mean, they've had them w/ clutch's for PS2 and Xbox for how long now?

you can take a ps2 racing wheel (one that has clutch) buy USB ps2 converter, plug it into comp and race like normal and have a clutch. why won't they just add the little pedal?

2 - Posted by handrail on March 21, 2005 - 9:04 am

because most people don't know how to drive with a clutch anyway!

i wouldn't mind having the option of a clutch pedal though. the only draw back i could see to adding a clutch to that system is that left foot braking in games like Richard Burns Rally would be a bit tougher for those of us with large feet. besides, every car motorsport uses paddle shift now in real life anyway...well almost all.

3 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 21, 2005 - 10:05 am

exact reason why they should make one w/ a clutch, you can somewhat teach a person how to drive a manual (although no games are completely realisitic), thus you can save your clutch and your first gear in real life....

adjustable pedals?

4 - Posted by handrail on March 21, 2005 - 12:36 pm

yup, well if they made them so that you could adjust the spacing between the pedals, not just the height. i think the limiting factor here is if anyone would actually buy it if they added all that stuff.

5 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 21, 2005 - 1:35 pm

i think people would, cause i mean there are people who pay 100 bucks for one, and if you add those things to it (adjustable parts) shouldnt raise the price too much

6 - Posted by PennyManDeux on March 21, 2005 - 2:14 pm

If it was worth doing it probably would have been done. Thing is, I doubt there are many people who would want that features and would also be willing to pay the higher price. Movable parts aren't cheap. To have these features and build it well would cost more than most are willing to pay. How many people have racing wheels to begin with? I am sure that not even close to 10% of the gamers out there have a racing wheel and even less would want a higher priced wheel with these additional features.

7 - Posted by handrail on March 21, 2005 - 2:52 pm

that's kinda what i was thinking. might as well buy this thing
http://www.force-dynamics.com/video.shtml

8 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 21, 2005 - 7:16 pm

i just think there hasn't been a good enough game for PC made, for instance. Look at GT4, is an extremely good game, and look what ends up happening. Racing wheel sales sky rocket, and ppl end up making racing sims why? Cause a great game was made, but unfortunately only for PS2

9 - Posted by Rich on March 21, 2005 - 7:49 pm

I personally would go buy GT4 right now if it were for the PC, but I am not going towaste my money on an unupgradable console which is only really good for a couple of years.

10 - Posted by Dyrewolph on March 22, 2005 - 3:57 am

I'm still playing NFSU2...

11 - Posted by mike on March 22, 2005 - 12:02 pm

[QUOTE=handrail]because most people don't know how to drive with a clutch anyway!

Only if they made a race bar for motorcycle racing games, then you could get away with hand clutch. Ease the populus into knowing how to use a clutch "properly".

(If some corpoartion picks up on my race bar idea, 10% would be nice)

12 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 22, 2005 - 6:04 pm

clutch idea from me for PC, 40% lol

13 - Posted by BCSchnei on March 22, 2005 - 6:57 pm

Sorry, someone beat you to it.

http://www.thomas-superwheel.com/prods.html

One of the best non-Forcefeedback wheels I have ever used!

-BCS

14 - Posted by Brian on March 22, 2005 - 7:03 pm

Welp, there ya go :-P

15 - Posted by handrail on March 22, 2005 - 8:40 pm

eeesh...i can get a real clutch for my real car for that much!

16 - Posted by Bodyshield on March 22, 2005 - 10:12 pm

*runs and sells hand so he can buy one of those*, thats a waste of money, and like u said, you can buy a real clutch for that much, just cuz its not mass produced

17 - Posted by J2T on March 23, 2005 - 8:03 am

Well now, my virus scan here at work caught a virus when I loaded up that page :-|

18 - Posted by Cabot_Teg118 on March 23, 2005 - 4:39 pm

Has anyone had any experience with using a USB PS2 wheel on a pc? I'm looking to get this wheel

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details...

but the only way i'll pay that much is if I can use it on a PS2 and my pc

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