Innato GT3 Steering Wheel – Review

Innato GT3 Steering Wheel – Review

For just over 350€, the Innato GT3 is currently probably the cheapest option for a steering wheel in the style of the Audi R8 Wheel. It is equipped with a rim made of rubber, magnetic shifters and a total of 33 function keys.

Order and shipping

The steering wheel can be purchased from Innato itself as well as from various third-party suppliers. The manufacturer currently charges 325€ for the steering wheel, plus relatively high shipping costs of 39€ to Germany.

Scope of delivery

Besides the steering wheel, which is securely packaged, there are only three screws with matching nuts in the package. A (short) manual, stickers or tools, as we are used to from many manufacturers, are missing here.

Even though many of these components would otherwise be classified as goodies, such an empty box turns out to be a bit of a disappointment.

Compatibility / Software

The chapter of compatibility is quickly dealt with the GT3 steering wheel from Innato. Due to the 70 millimeter standard hole pattern, the steering wheel can be used with almost every wheel base with the appropriate quick release. For this review, the steering wheel was operated on a Podium Hub from Fanatec. For this, the included screws are used, which can be screwed directly to the hub.

Afterwards, you only have to connect the included USB spiral cable to the PC, where the steering wheel is directly recognized as an “Innato GT3” device and is immediately ready for use. It should be noted that you should plan for a USB extension if necessary, since the cable length is rather short.

Scope of functions

Function keys

In total, Innato’s steering wheel offers 33 functions, 29 of which are distributed among the following components:

• 8 buttons, mounted directly on the PCB and with a clearly defined pressure point.
• 3 CTS288 encoders, which are relatively smooth, yet have clearly defined detents.
• Two 7-way funky switches (up, down left, right, click, turn right and left), These are very creditable for a steering wheel in this price range and can be used very well for various in-game functions (for example, menus and box settings). However, the relatively high surround makes it a bit difficult to use the rotate function.

Shifter

In addition to the feature on the front of the steering wheel, you’ll find two magnetic paddle shifters on the back. Compared to the Advanced Paddle Module from Fanatec, they have a slightly longer travel and are louder in operation. Due to the magnets used, however, they provide a rich shifting feel, which could be refined a bit more with stronger magnets.

Materials and finishing

Innato has found a good balance when it comes to the materials. Both the front and back are made of solid plates of black anodized aluminum, which means you don’t have to worry about flex. Between them sits an injection-molded ABS housing, which is clearly preferable to the 3D-printed versions of many budget steering wheels. The shifters are made of black anodized aluminum, as are the front and back plates, and we didn’t notice any annoying flex here either in the test.

The steering wheel’s grip, which goes all the way through, is made of polyurethane resin and has a hardness of 65A Shore, according to the manufacturer. Just like the injection-molded encoder caps, it is cleanly finished and has no annoying seams.

The first cost cuts can be seen on the glued sticker at the front. It is not of the best quality, especially when you take a closer look, and the screw connections could have been done a bit cleaner.

Driving impression

The steering wheel was quite convincing in the review. All functions were recognized without any problems and there were no input errors at any time. Only the grip could definitely use a bit more volume to have a better feel. Otherwise, the rubber steering wheel rim is a clear upgrade to the Alcantara-covered versions.

Conclusion

With their GT3 steering wheel, Innato offer a very good alternative at the lower end of the price range. Especially owners of a Simucube base can find a cheap entry into the world of GT3 steering wheels here. The materials used are also convincing during testing and are more than adequate for the price. The two 7-way funky switches should also be mentioned positively, which can make up for the small scope of delivery and the rather slim steering wheel rim.