Is Assetto Corsa Rally’s Force Feedback Really Realistic?

You’re sitting in your cockpit, lights low, a desk fan pointing at your face because in your mind that simulates 140 km/h wind we all do it, it’s fine. You launch Assetto Corsa Rally, place your hands on the wheel and…

BAM!

Is this realism…?

Welcome to this improvised talk, where we dive into a question that divides friendships just as easily as it divides online forums:

Is the Force Feedback in Assetto Corsa Rally actually realistic?

Because wow, the opinions are all over the place. All colors, all extremes, as if the FFB came with optional DLC depending on your nationality.

The Big Question: What on Earth Is Supposed to Feel “Realistic”?

Before we start arguing, let’s define something: realistic does not mean “rips your arm off,” nor does it mean “feels like you’re steering a parked city car from 1998.”

Realism in a rally sim should be:

• feeling grip without guessing it,
• sensing when the car floats on gravel,
• distinguishing a bump from an existential crisis,
• and above all, having a wheel that talks to you… but doesn’t scream.

And here’s where AC Rally becomes a philosophical instrument: it tells each player something different.

“The FFB Lacks Detail”

There’s a large group of players who, on their first run, genuinely wondered if something broke:

“Is this rally or guided meditation? Why is the wheel so silent?”

They describe it like this:

• little to no weight around center,
• asphalt too smooth,
• fine details missing,
• a general sense of “I need more… though I don’t know what exactly.”

These are people coming from sims where the wheel vibrates so much you could mix a smoothie with it, so when AC Rally decides to be minimalist, they feel emotionally abandoned.

For them, the FFB isn’t weak it’s quiet. Like a friend who says “everything’s okay,” but you know it isn’t.

“It Feels Like iRacing in Rally”

And then there’s the other side.

The group that steps out of the virtual car smiling, saying:

“Hey… this feels refined. Like serious physics, you know? Like iRacing but dirty.”

For these folks, the game doesn’t need to shake like an industrial blender. They see something more elegant in AC Rally:

• clear weight transfer,
• pronounced suspension movement,
• a clean read of the terrain,
• a feedback loop that’s less cartoonish than in other titles.

Interestingly, many of them use strong direct-drive bases with carefully tuned filters. And perhaps because of that, they perceive details others miss: their hardware is better at interpreting the poetry of terrain.

You listen to them talk and it sounds like they’re describing wine:

“You sense the body of the suspension, the bouquet of damp gravel, and then… that lingering aftertaste of lateral weight transfer. Magnificent.”

So How Can Some Feel Too Little and Others Feel Perfectly Zen?

Here comes the fun part: the game sends very pure signals, but each wheel interprets them differently.

-> Ultimate Guide to Force Feedback in Assetto Corsa Rally

• A Logitech G29 receives the signal and says:“I’m doing my best, boss.” while sounding like a vintage robot internally.
• A Thrustmaster receives it and takes a philosophical pause before transmitting anything.
• A Fanatec DD analyzes it like a Swiss algorithm and sends it back with surgical precision… except when it decides the whole thing feels too soft.
• A Moza simply says: “I adapt, you drive.”
• A Simucube explains the physics to you in classical Latin.

So of course:

One player feels “there’s no detail.” Another feels “this is elegant and physical.”

Both are right… within their own ecosystems.

The Surface Factor: Asphalt, Gravel, and a Constantly Changing Physics Personality

Another ingredient adding to the confusion:

the game changes dramatically depending on the surface.

• On asphalt, AC Rally behaves like it wants to be a pianist: smooth, precise, quiet. Many players find it too quiet.
• On gravel, it wakes up the heavy metal: vibrations, slides, clear breakaway cues.
• And when snow arrives someday, expect yoga mode with very little grip.

So if you tune your FFB on gravel, then jump to asphalt, of course you’ll feel like the car just fell asleep.

So… Is It Realistic or Not?

The truth is: yes, it is… but not yet in a way that pleases everyone.

The physics and signals are there. They’re coherent, consistent, and meaningful. But the game still needs tuning to satisfy the full range of wheels and tastes. It needs stronger defaults for some hardware, more detail on asphalt, and deeper customization.

The potential is absolutely there. It’s a new engine finding its voice. It’s like a singer with a great tone who hasn’t quite found their musical style yet.

But when you sync with the game when you find that sweet spot in the settings the magic shows up.

You can buy it by clicking here:

• Assetto Corsa Rally

And if there’s one lesson we can take from all these debates, it’s this:

The perfect FFB doesn’t exist… but chasing it is part of the sport.