In our review of the Moza Racing R9 steering wheel base, we mentioned that Moza is a relatively new company when it comes to simRacing hardware, but in just a few months, and thanks to being a functional and established company for ten years, is evolving very quickly and already has several rims (already four), several bases, two pedal models, and even two dashboards.
The Moza Racing CS , the brand’s most affordable steering wheel, is featured this time. In this review, we will attempt to share with you all of our impressions gleaned from weeks of testing.
Presentation & Features
The steering wheel box is of the Moza variety, with attention to detail such as the wheel well collected in solid foam on the sides and the QR. Instructions, an allen key, parts for adjusting the position of the paddles, and a set of stickers to place on and around the buttons are included.
The wheel is completely round in synthetic leather with 33 centimeters in diameter. It is a large and heavy wheel. Very large and very heavy. The 33 centimeters are noticeable and more after having been so many weeks with its smaller brother Moza Racing GS . And the weight too, it is almost two and a half kilos. Also noteworthy is that part of the body of the steering wheel is made of high quality aluminum, which visually makes it look very good.
The steering wheel has a total of 10 buttons: 6 of them one touch, 2 joystick and 2 rotaries. The one-touch buttons and the joystick buttons are of the same type as the Moza Racing GS steering wheel we recently tested for SimRacer, and the feeling is the same: we like the buttons but the joysticks don’t convince us. A free movement of a button of this type makes it not so direct and we do not get feedback when making use of the corresponding function we want to do, so we miss that at least one of them is funky type (to see if they take note), both for feedback and functions, as this usually also rotate and with these functions you can handle the menu completely without pulling more buttons. Finally, note that the two rotaries also have a push function and, although it is difficult to operate them unintentionally, by the hardness and shape, they are not as pleasant to use as its more expensive brother, the Moza Racing GS , they are a level below.
At the top of the steering wheel we have, as in other Moza steering wheels, an LED line that lights up according to the engine revolutions. This is fully customizable both in % of maximum revolutions to illuminate according to which sector, and to choose the color we want for each of the LEDs.
At the rear it has a pair of medium sized magnetic paddles with a good feel although with a little long travel for our taste. They are as noisy as we are used to Moza but it is solvable.
In the visual part we find a LED strip for the increase of revolutions that is configurable from the Moza Pit House application, in addition to the lights of each of the buttons, although these are configurable directly from the wheel itself without entering the software. To say that the connection to the base is made through the internal pins of the QR so for the user is “wireless”, without the need to configure devices or be concerned about the batteries.
Obviously, we don’t even need to mention again the quick release of the wheel, as it is the same as in all models, but we are delighted by its robustness and finish. Recently we will have a small article dedicated to the Moza Quick Release , as this can be purchased separately to use any wheel that we have with the Moza bases.
Installation, software and configuration
Once again we use the application that Moza has for the configuration of its entire ecosystem: Moza Pit House. For this wheel the configurations that we can make are even less than for another, since in this case we do not even have to configure the use of the clutch paddles because it does not have one.
In the only configuration screen of the wheel that we find in its software, we can only select the mode of 4 or 8 directions in the joysticks, configuration of the brightness of the 7 LEDs and the color of its illumination, to choose between 7 colors.
Tests and conclusions
As we have said before, the first impression we have when we pick it up is that it is very heavy, very heavy. The second is more obvious, the wheel is very large, much more than any other we are used to. However, the Moza Racing R9 base does not falter moving the wheel at any time. It is surprising how it maintains sustained power in fast zigzagging climbs or long curves.
With this wheel we have been able to enjoy more counter-steering and other types of vehicles in titles like Asseto Corsa, as this form is a little more versatile and allows other types of driving that are not possible with a formula wheel. In this way we have been able to enjoy the Moza Racing R9 base in another way and have corroborated the good feelings we already had about it. Undoubtedly, the base moves perfectly the heavy steering wheel, and once you put it on, you forget about its weight and enjoy it as with any other wheel.
Although we always use the wheel with gloves, the leather of the steering wheel is very pleasant to the touch and the seams are well finished, although it is very hard, it does not yield to pressure. The central part of the wheel stands out, which is made of very good quality aluminum and is pleasant both in appearance and feel.
The buttons, for our taste, are a bit far away from the thumbs, so it is difficult to operate them comfortably and this is particularly important if you have VR, as you can’t see them. The distance we’re referring to is a bit annoying to use the joystick buttons which are very necessary to use the menu, I repeat, with VR sometimes you find yourself moving your thumb trying to find that button.
Lastly, and as is often the case with other Moza wheels, the magnetic paddles are very noisy, easy to fix with the rubber bands that come with them, but very effective. In the case of this steering wheel, the travel is a little longer than the formula steering wheel of the brand, but they are still of good quality for the type of wheel we are talking about.
Final Thoughts
As an entry-level wheel, it is a very good-looking, versatile wheel, with quality materials and details such as aluminum, magnetic paddles and QR, all of which are on a par with wheels that are a little higher in price. The points to improve are undoubtedly the absence of the funky switches and the somewhat distant arrangement of the buttons, especially the joystick type ones, which are the ones we use for the menu. And since we are asking, but this is even more personal, a slightly shorter travel of the paddles, just a little closer.
Pricing and availability
All Moza Racing products, with discounts of 2% using our links or our code (SFYOPTF7ZMR98), can be found on the Simufy website. In this case, the Moza Racing CS steering wheel costs 319,90 euros and is in stock for immediate shipping.
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