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You almost know what to expect from an updated Moza steering wheel these days.
The Chinese company expanded upon its range of camera equipment to include sim racing hardware in 2021 and it has made frightening progress since.
Traditional big-name sim racing brands like Fanatec, Thrustmaster and Logitech have struggled to keep pace, with the Shenzhen-based business releasing a huge variety of steering wheels, pedals, shifters and handbrakes over the last four years, including licensing deals with Porsche, Lamborghini and Xbox.
As a result of so many product iterations in a short space of time, Moza’s steering wheel range shares many common characteristics and components. Having tested a few, to me this feels less like a cost-cutting exercise and more like confirmation that its components just work.
Its FSR formula rim was, on paper, all the wheel open-wheel and sportscar fans could ever need in 2022, but it was let down by a lack of Sim Hub compatibility. The FSR2 doesn’t change this, but it does offer other improvements.
The question is, however, is the FSR2 now picture-perfect, or has Moza’s all-encompassing approach to releasing new products made it lose focus? Read on to find out.
Buttons, buttons everywhere
On first impressions, you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing had changed between the FSR and FSR2. Both are 280mm wide, both have a 4.3-inch screen and both have near-identical button layouts.
However, the FSR 2’s screen is now a 1.3GHz quad-core processor-powered touch-screen, the rear paddle count has increased from four to six and there are now two flag indicators sitting astride the rev strip.
The changes aren’t huge, then, and the FSR2 retains Moza’s soft-touch mechanical buttons (there are 10 on the face of the wheel), five rotary encoders and perforated leather grips. The FSR2 is solidly built too, with an all-aluminium chassis fronted by a 5mm-thick carbon fibre faceplate. Your average sim racer needn’t worry about snapping it in half, then.
Additionally, all its paddles are shorn in 3mm-thick carbon fibre and divided into four shifters and two analogue levers. Six paddles are a bit overkill, in my opinion, but extra inputs are no bad thing in this era where managing complicated hybrid systems is almost ubiquitous.
The FSR2’s buttons, shared across its latest RS, GS, and CS wheels, are satisfyingly tactile in their operation and feature customisable backlit LEDs. The paddles are purposeful when grabbed but perhaps lack the clarity and slickness of higher-end wheels. Attempting multiple quick downshifts requires a bit of effort but mis-shifting is near-impossible thanks to the definitive ‘clunk’ that accompanies each pull.
The two depressible thumb encoders feel very plastic-y, though. The notched exterior of these is difficult to grip and sometimes unresponsive, which is disappointing considering how tactile the FSR2’s other inputs are.
The FSR2 also has two seven-way switches (joysticks that can be depressed, have four-way directional movement and spin clockwise and anti-clockwise) that really ramp up the wheel’s mapping options.
Build quality
The overall unit construction feels very tight as a result of its (mostly) quality materials, but the aesthetic won’t be to everyone’s tastes. I don’t like how Moza has printed function names and numbers on the faceplate and buttons for example; I’d rather do this myself using stickers (Moza provides an expansive sticker sheet).
Sadly, there’s not much I can do with the default inlaid buttons; replacing these appears to be a trickier task.
The quick release feels reliably meaty with nary a hint of wobble, and the chassis feels comfortable in my hands; although my initial testing did lead to me grabbing the wrong paddles to change gears. I quickly adapted, however.
At £649 / €699 / $699, it’s perched somewhere in the upper mid-range of formula steering wheels, with some genuine top-class functionality.
Sim Snub
For many sim racers, the lack of Sim Hub compatibility will be a deal-breaker. However, the FSR2, via Pit House, now allows users to create custom dash backgrounds using their own images and gauge designs.
If this sounds like too much work (and it will be initially), then there are pre-made designs available to download from the Moza website, some of which are based on real-world racecar displays.
It may not match Sim Hub for customisability but at least FSR2 users now have options.
Third-party support
The FSR2 can also be used on wheelbases other than Moza’s, so long as you purchase the MOZA Universal HUB and Third-Party Wheel Base Mount Adapter. This bundle can be picked up for around £35 from most resellers and is compatible with the vast majority of major wheelbase brands.
Due to having a Moza R12 wheelbase on my cockpit, I wasn’t able to sample the FSR2 as a standalone rim.
Again, the FSR2 is not supported by Sim Hub so users are locked into using Moza’s Pit House software. If you’re not put off by the relatively limited range of customisability, however, then the FSR2 is still an enticing prospect.
Testing time
Although the FSR2 is a compact 280mm in diameter, it feels comfortable, with most of its controls within easy reach. The two buttons residing above the rotary encoders are a bigger stretch, however, and best mapped to little-used functions.
At higher force feedback settings, and after around 30 minutes of driving, I would experience pain in my palms, perhaps showing the FSR2’s chunky profile may not be ideal for endurance racing. Toning this down did help, however.
This is a shame, as the FSR2 is ideally placed not only as a formula wheel but also as a sportscar and prototype rim. I found it to be perfect for Le Mans Ultimate, for example, where the complicated hybrid systems on its LMH and LMDh cars demand many, many buttons.
The screen is crystal clear and lag-free while driving, and the touch screen is fairly responsive when not wearing gloves (I found the microfibre leather to be much grippier and feelsome without gloves).
Although most of the info on display can be found within your chosen sim’s HUD, I still found it easier to read the FSR2’s screen thanks to its clarity, which was surprising given its 480p display.
Conclusion
The FSR2 is a steering wheel with a lot going for it. It has an insane number of buttons, paddles, encoders and switches, a beautifully clear screen and high-quality componentry (mostly).
If Sim Hub functionality is important to you, then the FSR2 won’t satisfy, although Moza does allow users to customise and build their own dash pages, with several professional-looking community-made options available to download and install (albeit not very many at the time of this review).
The FSR2’s ergonomics caused me a little hand strain in extended periods of high-torque racing, which I put down to its bulky chassis, but its controls felt pleasant to operate – especially the mechanical buttons. The plastic thumbwheels were a lowlight of an impressive package, however, and require a re-design in my opinion.
At £649 / €699 / $699, the FSR2 compares favourably with mid-range offerings from Fanatec and Asetek and offers premium features at a price that will embarrass higher-end manufacturers. After using it back-to-back with a £2k+ Sim-Lab Mercedes-AMG F1 wheel I genuinely felt Moza’s example was the better option, which says a lot about the FSR2’s qualities.
If you’re part of the Moza ecosystem and need a formula or sportscar wheel that covers all bases, the FSR2 is easy to recommend.
If you want to use the FSR2 on a third-party wheelbase, you should consider how important Sim Hub is to you first, as Moza’s FSR2 Formula Wheel blurs the line between mid-level and top-of-the-range steering wheels.
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