Logic3 Red Steering Wheel and Pedals (PC/PS2/PS3)

I've always wanted a steering wheel to use with my driving games. I spotted the Logic3 Topdrive GT on the high street, retailing at £50. I felt that price was too steep for a wheel of this brand so didn't buy it, until I found it online for £30 with free delivery.

I had a few concerns when placing the order about the brand, although I've never used their products in the past I had a bad feeling. When the wheel arrived I just couldn't wait to try it with OMSI (German bus simulator) instead of the 11 year old joystick I used before. The wheel has suction pads to hold it to the desk, which work pretty well, although if you force it too much it can slide around. The pedals on the other hand slide around on the floor too easily.

I set up the controls in the simulator, and set the indicators to the paddle switches. It quickly became apparent the right paddle switch was faulty. Very rarely it would work when pressed hard. The other one would press by itself for no reason. Not a huge problem I thought, as there are more buttons that do the same thing on the wheel. I continued with the game. The wheel doesn't go round much, but I felt in full control of the bus and the rubberised grip did feel nice. The rumble feature felt really powerful. The pedals were fine apart from sliding on the floor. The gear lever and the paddle switches however make an awful tacky click sound.

But something was going really wrong in the game. I would drive down the road, and hear a crashing sound, and the bus would literally turn on the spot and face the other way. I made sure I wasn't colliding with AI vehicles, or crashing into objects but the problem kept happening. The next day, I left the bus in neutral and watched from the cabview very carefully. It was a revelation. At random irregular intervals, the game would sense that the right pedal was being tapped when it was't, and the steering was turning fully when it wasn't, all for a split-second. If it wasn't for the hiss of the brakes I would never have noticed. But from the outside view, the front wheels of the bus were clearly twitching to full steering lock occasionally.

I tried another game, this time UK Truck Simulator, then Euro Truck Simulator and 18 Wheels of Steel Haulin. Driving fast down the motorway I heard the revs drop slightly, and saw the steering wheel move fully. Unlike the bus sim, this didn't cause an immediate crash but put the truck off course a bit. I also noticed I just couldn't maintain position on the road, and certainly couldn't reverse the truck with a trailer attached. I never had any issues with driving with a joystick though.

I disconnected the wheel from my PC and connected it to my PS2 and played Gran Turismo 3, a game which I'm familiar with and achieved 100% completion in. I couldn't maintain a straight line, let alone take corners using the wheel, no matter what steering sensitivity option I selected on the wheel (there are 3).

Because of the faults, I returned the wheel and asked for a replacement. When I received the new wheel I was too scared to open the box because I knew what was going to happen. But I had to eventually. I was pleased that all buttons did work this time, but the left paddle switch is loose and could be pulled out. I tried it with OMSI, and UK Truck Simulator, the left indicator (which I mapped to the left paddle switch) would randomly trigger in-game without me pressing it, just like the first steering wheel did. I then crashed my lovely bus while driving in a straight line down a representation of a German road, without doing anything. I loaded the truck game, and observed the steering go to full lock without me turning it. Although not as bad as the first wheel, make no mistake, this is BAD.

Whether one wants to race with people online, against the computer, or just go for a relaxing cruise, nobody, and I mean nobody should have to put up with this pathetic excuse of a steering wheel, a waste of the Earth's resources. How frustrated would you feel if you were driving down the final straight, in pole position and the car skidded for no reason and crashed? That's what would happen if I played racing games instead of large vehicle simulators, and is quite unacceptable.

I just can't be bothered to pay out of my pocket again to send it back just to get another wheel with the same fault. I'm pleased I didn't spend that much on this piece of rubbish. I will be taking ithis issue up with the manufacturer, Logic 3, who have wasted my valuabe time, and money.

I will probably have to dispose of the wheel and buy a better more expensive one from a brand I trust, e.g. Thrustmaster who made the joystick that has given me 11 years of trouble-free use.

Whether you're a serious racer or like simulations, this steering wheel is unacceptable and rubbish. Don't make the mistake I did.

I bought this for my son about a year ago, he has written this review:
I use it fairly heavily, a few hours per week. The most annoying thing is that on computer at least, the gear paddles only function as the throttle/brake in conjunction with the peddles. After a few months, the steering motion began to get twitchy, it was annoying but it was still usable. The twitchy steering got steadily worse and now going in a strait line is a challenge, this makes it mostly suitable for rally games or games with no sections that require small movements or straits. This week I was using it normally, I braked heavily only to find the the pedal snapped off.
Overall, for the price the product is pretty good value and would recommend for anyone looking for a cheap setup.

works well on ps2 but not so good on pc (hard to calibrate it properly)
gear lever on wrong side for the uk but ok after you get used to it
could do with better suction cups to hold it steady
overall good