Thrustmaster T598: One-minute review
In a previous era, the line in the sand for racing wheels was drawn between those with force feedback, and those without. Today it’s about direct drive vs. belt-driven force feedback, and with the arrival of this innovative new T598 comes an affordable way to enjoy direct drive’s benefits.
Specifically, it delivers an ultra-smooth, cogging-free steering experience, powered by an axial DD motor which doesn’t judder or feel grainy when it sends resistance through your hands like belt-driven wheels can.
In fact, Thrustmaster says the new axial design allows for even smoother, more detailed feedback than existing – and much pricier – direct drive bases, and having spent months using this as my daily driver, I’m inclined to agree.
There are concessions to hit a competitive price point, most notably an all-plastic wheel with very basic inputs and no rotary dials, but importantly, the wheel itself is swappable for other Thrustmaster or third-party units. That makes this an excellent starting platform to build upon in the long term, especially when you consider the high quality pedals bundled with it.
Thrustmaster T598: Price and availability
- List price: $499.99 / £449.99 (around AU$899.99)
- Similar pricing to Fanatec’s CSL 5Nm Ready2Race bundle (around $399.95 / £400)
- Also up against Moza’s R5 bundle: $599 / £460
What a time to be alive – multiple direct drive bundles available for under $500 / £500. Fanatec and Moza have the most popular products in this range, and the T598’s priced to take them on directly. It’s also considerably cheaper than Thrustmaster’s own belt-driven T-GT II wheel, and excellent as the latter may be, it makes sense to spend less on newer tech that provides better driving sensation.
While the Fanatec CSL 5Nm bundle may look cheaper on paper, the online pricing doesn’t include VAT for UK customers, and you may need to buy extras like the desk mount, depending on your setup. Availability is an ongoing issue with Fanatec stock, too.
Thrustmaster T598: Specs
Thrustmaster T598: Design and features
- Basic but functional wheel rim
- Odd wheelbase shape
- The pedals look pro
Let’s start with that axial direct drive. What does it mean? It’s all about the design and positioning of the internal components that generate the torque resistance inside the wheelbase. While traditional motor design can generate an undesirable ‘cogging’ sensation where operating the wheel feels grainy or juddery, the T598’s axial flux motor has been designed to eliminate it and deliver smoother steering and feedback.
And that’s why, one suspects, the wheelbase itself is such an odd shape. While Fanatec and Moza offer box-shaped motors, the T598’s hexagonal base sits much taller. It’s been styled with some jet engine-like lines, but the fact remains that this thing looks quite conspicuous. Fortunately I was able to install it onto my Playseat Sensation Pro’s wheelbase shelf without too many dramas, and the tall base doesn’t impact visibility.
The wheel rim itself attaches via a quick release mechanism, although in name only - it takes considerably longer to install or take off the wheel from the base than Logitech’s G Pro wheel, or Fanatec’s QR2 system. Like the wheelbase, the rim’s predominantly plastic, with textured rubberized hand grips and a carbon fiber effect in the central panel that, frankly, isn’t fooling anyone.
A decent array of input buttons have been placed around the wheel in ergonomically sensible fashion. On the bottom-left and bottom-right corners you’ve got two four-way d-pads, with three console controller-style buttons in the middle. The four face buttons and two of the shoulder buttons are translated to two three-button clusters within easy reach of your thumbs. Then to the rear, of course, you’ve got two nice big aluminium magnetic shifters, with a satisfyingly mechanical thunk to their action.
The pedal offering here is particularly strong for a bundle, and features two load cell pedal units on an all-metal base. This is a modular design, so you can add a pedal and shift the unit placements to your taste, and swap out springs of varying stiffness to get you the brake and accelerator feel that you’re looking for.
Personally, even the stiffest spring set at the highest tension position doesn’t quite get me that high resistance, GT car-like stamp that I’m looking for, but I wouldn’t expect to be able to dial in such an exact preference from a bundle at this price. The main thing is that I’m able to swap parts in or out later to fine-tune that.
Similarly, you can use the wheelbase itself with multiple different wheel rims, including those already part of Thrustmaster’s range via an adapter, or natively using the new Hypercar wheel. Adapters can sometimes disrupt the immediacy of feedback, or the smoothness, so I’ll have to reserve judgment on how well it works with this particular wheelbase until I test it with some different wheels.
One final note on the design - tweaking the settings is currently handled via physical controls and a small LED screen on the wheelbase itself, rather than via Thrustmaster’s proprietary software. This is far from ideal, but I was able to dial in a few different profiles in this way without too much hair-pulling.
Thrustmaster T598: Performance
- Butter-smooth actuation
- Enough torque for most racers
- Compatible games library is growing gradually
If the T598’s design is all about making small compromises to keep the price competitive, its performance and driving experience are where this new contender really shines.
The axial drive system really discerns itself from competitors. You do feel a difference in smoothness, both in comparison to belt-driven force feedback wheels like Logitech’s G923, and direct drive wheels like Moza and Fanatec’s similarly priced CSL 5Nm and R5 bundles, respectively. It’s not night and day, but considering the competitive pricing, it’s impressive to feel the benefits of a breakthrough tech in this package.
Since it hit the market there’s been some discussion among sim racers as to whether the stated 6Nm of torque is enough. Can it really actuate those severe traction loss events, and convey the feeling of dramatic weight shifts while steering under braking? Yes. Yes it can.
Indeed, using some of the profiles Thrustmaster sent me to use with Assetto Corsa Competizione, I found my hands actually aching after 10-15 laps from the sheer exertion of countering that torque. There’s plenty of resistance here.
Indeed, when you delve into the spec sheet you’ll see that the T598 has a 100% torque overshoot capability. So in theory it can actuate signals of up to 10Nm, and that axial arrangement means it’s easier to keep latency nice and low when that happens - torque undershoot or overshoot is usually the result of motor inertia lagging to meet the new torque demand, and that’s exactly what this new internal motor arrangement’s designed to minimize. In short: when torque overshoot does occur, it doesn’t produce cogging.
But let’s get our noses out of the theory books and back into the driving experience. While it’s definitely inconvenient to have to adjust universal wheel settings via a display on the wheelbase rather than using software, there are some cool features in here that add to the experience, like the gearshift jolt effect. When you turn this all the way up, you feel a surge of power which jolts you backwards on upshifts to simulate the momentary disruption in acceleration when shifting, then feeling the power being laid back down.
Like a lot of sim racers, I prefer to dial down the resistance a bit for easier, more consistent lapping, particularly over longer endurance races. It’s here, in the settings sweet spot (about 50-75% effects strength) where I particularly appreciate how smoothly the feedback’s delivered, and how rock-solid the connection between wheel rim and wheelbase is, even if it’s not connected via a fancy motorsport-style quick release mechanism as you’d find on a Fanatec wheel.
Given that such a bounty of great direct drive sensations is bundled with a sturdy pedal base that looks and feels much more expensive than it is, we’ve got a real winner in this bundle.
Should I buy the Thrustmaster T598?
Buy it if...
You’ve been on the fence about direct drive wheels
Now’s the time. This bundle perfectly demonstrates that they’re now affordable in bundles that don’t force major compromises on you.
You’re a smooth operator
It’s incredible how silky the feedback feels, and how the axial motor eliminates that cogging sensation.
You want a solid base to upgrade over time
Everything from the wheel rim to individual pedals can be swapped out or upgraded, so it’s a great foundation purchase.
Don't buy it if...
You’re not a tinkerer
It generally takes some settings tweaking in each game to get the right feel, and that’s done via physical controls on the wheelbase only.
You want a luxurious wheelrim
The rim itself is the weak spot of this package, and doesn’t look or feel very premium.
You like to adjust dials mid-lap
There are no dials or POV hat switches on the wheel rim’s input layout, which means changing TC, brake balance or ABS is a bit more fiddly than usual.
Also consider...
If the Thrustmaster T598 doesn’t grind your gears, consider these rival packages.
Thrustmaster T-GT II
Old school belt-driven force feedback tech, but it still feels weighty and articulate. Less tweaking required than the T598.
For more information read our full Thrustmaster T-GT II review
Logitech G923
It’s ubiquitous for a reason. Well-built, a smart button layout, and Trueforce feedback adds something extra to supported games when it comes to detailed articulation.
For more information read out full Logitech G923 review
How I tested the Thrustmaster T598
- Two months of regular use during testing
- Used with PC and PS5
- Racing sims and arcade titles tested
As an Assetto Corsa Competizione obsessive, I put the majority of my hours spent with the T598 into hotlapping in an M4 and ranked endurance racing. Kunos’s new Assetto Corsa EVO also saw some serious hours, along with The Crew Motorfest on the arcade side of the spectrum, and F1 24. I tested the T598 as a PC racing wheel, and a PS5 racing wheel thoroughly on both platforms overall.
First reviewed February 2025
