Thrustmaster T500RS vs TX 458

[Z OH 6]

In case anyone was curious, I own both the T500RS and the TX wheel and I play mostly PC racing games and sims which include iRacing, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Stock Car Extreme, Race07, GTR 2, and Dirt 2 and Dirt 3, as well as some GT5, GT6 and Forza 5 on consoles.

My first impressions were that the TX was inferior, the FFB didn't feel quite as strong right out of the box, but then again admittedly, I never use the T500RS at full strength either. So after a week of playing with the TX, I've come to the conclusion that it is superior to the T500 from a FFB standpoint and I think my initial impressions were a bit mislead by the fact that my T500 feels very damped and somewhat heavy even with the control panel damping turned down. The included pedals are not as good as the T500 but thankfully you can use the T500 pedals on the TX and there's no H shifter available yet for the TX but you can still the TH8RS with the TX on the PC, just not with the Xbox One.

I'm not going to rehash what most others have already said except in summary I feel the TX is quicker than the T500 to react, it seems less damped and just makes my T500 feel slower in general. I can catch slides much easier with the TX than the T500. The FFB is about 10-20% weaker than the T500 at identical settings but the truth is, there's still FAR more than enough FFB in the TX than you'll actually ever use and the power is there if you choose to increase the gain settings in the Thrustmaster control panel. Make no mistake, its much stronger than a G27 which I also used to own. It certainly does have the power to snatch the wheel right out of your hands if you hit a wall in some sims. What I like most about the FFB in the TX though is the speed at which it conveys whats going on, it feels smoother and quieter than the T500, less cogging and less jerky, and you can feel subtle effects much more naturally. Also, for all the complaints about the cheapness of the TX 458 wheel, its true that it has more plastic on it than the T500 wheel and when you touch it, it does feel cheaper, but when you actually use it, your hands are almost always on the rubber grips on the wheel so you rarely ever notice the cheaper plastic parts. And of course there's the GTE wheel if you really dislike the factory 458 wheel. The TX paddles are wonderful as well, they are much smaller since they don't have to be as large due to the fixed position of the T500 paddles. They have a nice firm click to them when you use them and immediately, I felt quicker using them compared to my T500.

I do not plan to get rid of my T500 wheel as it may still has a purpose on the PS3 and may have a purpose on the PS4, which remains to be seen and I think its still an awesome backup if my TX should fail, but there's no question for me that the TX base is superior to the T500 base. I do of course prefer the T500 pedals and TH8RS shifter. The TX had a bad reputation for a higher than normal failure rate right after release. I do not know if that is till the case but I do know that during those early months, a firmware update was not just optional, it was a REQUIREMENT for TX users before using their wheel and I suspect a lot of people didn't do that before trying to use it and may have caused it to die prematurely. I notice far less reports of failure since the most recent firmware update and I feel like I've given mine a pretty good workout in a variety of games over the last 2 weeks and its not failed or done anything unusual yet. It also seems to run cooler than my T500 and the fan doesn't come on as much as it does in my T500. The noise of the fans are about the same to me, maybe the TX fan is slightly quieter. I highly recommend the TX for anyone buying a wheel and I can even recommend it as an upgrade to existing T500 users. I got mine from Amazon which is listing them now as shipping with the latest firmware so I assume that's the newest version available and mine did indeed have the most current firmware.

For what its worth, I've beaten almost every one of my previous lap records in my racing sims in the last two weeks since switching to the TX from the T500 and I honestly wasn't expecting that to happen but the TX just gives me so much feedback about what's going on and the speed at which the wheel reacts inspires greater confidence at the limit.

[Familia Silva]

Thanks for the review. I am actually considering the TX to replace my old logitech momo but the pedals and h-shifters are taking very long to be released.

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Cold One:

Thanks for the review. I am actually considering the TX to replace my old logitech momo but the pedals and h-shifters are taking very long to be released.

I agree, and that's dissapointing. If it weren't the fact that I have a T500 and using the pedals and TH8RS shifter already on the PC, I would be dissapointed also, however I can tell you that if you're forced to use the paddles for the TX, they are very good, its just that the pedals aren't quite as good as the T500 pedals. Hopefully the add-on pedals and shifter is coming very soon.

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Tactical Snail:

Thanks for the review,i have been thinking of getting the tx wheel.
1 question how was the mounting system?
Do you have it clamped to a desk or hard mounted to a stand ?

I have mine mounted to a Wheel Stand Pro stand so I can't say but I've heard Thrustmasters clamps are very good. I actually use the clamp on the TH8RS shifter.

[Katten]

I had a friend who was curious about this wheel, so I'll pass this on to him.

Though, as a T500 owner myself, this has answered some of my own questions about it. The direct comparison's been very insightful. The plasticy wheel and the cheap pedals is an easy problem to fix for me, since I have great wheels and pedals on my T500RS already. :)

How big/small is the wheelbase compared to the T500's?
How is the fixture on which replacement wheels fit? As I'm finding it quite flimsy on the T500, with a good few degrees of play both ways (bad vibrations in straight lines with higher steering locks)

Thanks

[tonygee]

T500 all the way

[Simon Knight]

OP cant you use your t500 pedals on your tx?

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Lem:

I had a friend who was curious about this wheel, so I'll pass this on to him.

Though, as a T500 owner myself, this has answered some of my own questions about it. The direct comparison's been very insightful. The plasticy wheel and the cheap pedals is an easy problem to fix for me, since I have great wheels and pedals on my T500RS already. :)

How big/small is the wheelbase compared to the T500's?
How is the fixture on which replacement wheels fit? As I'm finding it quite flimsy on the T500, with a good few degrees of play both ways (bad vibrations in straight lines with higher steering locks)

Thanks

The TX wheel base is about 12 3/4" wide, the T500 wheel base is about 13" wide, the TX wheel rim is about 11" wide and the T500 wheel rim is about 11 3/4" wide. The TX and the T500 have the same bolt hole mounting pattern underneath the base. The TX base is slightly lower in profile than the T500 and the depth is a little shorter.

The TX uses the same rim mounting system as the T500.

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by tonygee:

T500 all the way

Do you own both?

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Moorlands:

OP cant you use your t500 pedals on your tx?

Yes, you can use the T500 pedals on the TX and I do. I didn't even bother trying the TX pedals because I wanted a clutch pedal. The TH8RS shifter works also with the TX wheel and T500 pedals but only when connected to the PC since it has its own USB connection.

[Katten]

I was hoping it'd be smaller, but no worries. Thanks :)

Now, I'll be keeping an eye open for places I can buy just the base. May be able to save a few squid that way :D

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Lem:

I was hoping it'd be smaller, but no worries. Thanks :)

Now, I'll be keeping an eye open for places I can buy just the base. May be able to save a few squid that way :D

Yea, it would be really great if they only sold the base itself, but clearly they didn't expect people to want the TX wheel and T500 pedals seperately since they designed an add-on 3 pedal system and a new shifter to be used with the TX, but it still hasn't been released.

I can say that even the TX base has almost the same width, its smaller everywhere else and it just looks smaller side by side, maybe 25% comapred to the T500 which is pretty big.

[Toxic Rick]

Op is your T500rs the update model that came out during GT 6 ? or is it the old GT 5 model?

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by Cowboy Bebop:

Op is your T500rs the update model that came out during GT 6 ? or is it the old GT 5 model?

GT5 model, white box, purchased in January of this year. My brother has a GT6 model in blue box purchased in December of last year. Both have been updated to the latest firmware. There's a very slight difference between them, my white box version has slightly stronger FFB than his GT6 version at the same control panel settings, but the GT6 version runs quieter, since you can hardly hear the fan running at all. The TX FFB strength is much closer to the GT6 blue box model T500.

[LakersHater]

Does anyone know if the T500rs standard rim is compatbile with the TX base. I bought the TX wheel with the intention of getting the 458 add on wheel and maybe the F1 wheel later on, which I know are compatible. But there is no mention if the standard T500rs wheel is compatible with the TX base.

[Z OH 6]

Originally posted by LakersHater:

Does anyone know if the T500rs standard rim is compatbile with the TX base. I bought the TX wheel with the intention of getting the 458 add on wheel and maybe the F1 wheel later on, which I know are compatible. But there is no mention if the standard T500rs wheel is compatible with the TX base.

I have heard that it is but I've also heard some buttons aren't functional, and of course most buttons will need to be remapped in your PC games.