Fanatec Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R – review

Fanatec Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R – review

The Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R by Fanatec is an official replica of a steering wheel as found in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. It is available both as a set and divided into the four individual components.

Ordering and shipping

The Porsche set can currently only be purchased from Fanatec (link*: https://fanatec.com/eu-de/lenkraeder/podium-steering-wheel-porsche-911-gt3-r-leather).

The shipping of the set is done by UPS, here I recommend in any case a separate account at UPS My Choice to keep track of the progress of the shipment at all times. It should be noted that the four components of the set are each delivered in a separate package.

Scope of delivery

Fanatec Podium Hub

The Podium Hub package consists of the following individual parts:

• Podium Hub
• ClubSport Quick Release in black
• 6 x M5 screws
• Quick Guide

The Podium Hub is equipped with an ARM processor and is the link between Wheelbase, Podium Advanced Paddle Module and the Endurance Module. This includes a ClubSport Series interchangeable quickrelease in black and threads for common 6 x70 mm or 3 x 50 mm steering wheels. Including the Quickrelease adapter, the hub comes to a total weight of about 560g and offers connections for two button clusters with three buttons each, the Podium Advanced Paddle Module and a DataPort-C connector for the Porsche Endurance Module.

Fanatec Podium Advanced Paddle Module

The Podium Advanced Paddle Module includes:

• Left and right module with pre-assembled gold anodized aluminum plates
• 3 mm carbon shift plates for large (GT) steering wheels
• 3 mm carbon shift plates for smaller (Formula) steering wheels
• 4 spacers P1806-. 10928 (for offset mounting of the plates)
• 1 Hex Key WS2 + 1 Long Hex Key WS4
• Total 16 bolts

With a price of around 180€ (as of May 2021), the Podium Advanced Paddle Module is not exactly cheap by Fanatec standards, but in return it offers everything you can expect from a switch module. The 3 mm thick paddles made of carbon fiber (here is occasionally expressed the desire for 5 mm, but in my opinion, the 3 mm thick plates are quite sufficient) can be mounted in both GT and Formula style and allow through the magnets used a much more pleasant shifting feel than the previously standard shifters of conventional design used by Fanatec.

The switching noise is rich but at the same time not (unnecessarily) heavy and the two analog axes can also be operated very accurately and comfortably with good feedback.

The use of two paddles per side in addition to the two analog axes makes them particularly suitable for formula cars, ideal for example as buttons for DRS and Kers/Boost use. The two analog axes can be configured differently, with me they are in use as a double clutch system:

• Bite point mode with dual clutch, is adjusted via the steering wheel and can be set from 0 – 99%.
• Clutch + handbrake
• Brake + throttle
• As analog axles

Porsche leather steering wheel rim 911 GT3 Cup

The 32 cm Porsche steering wheel is a true-to-scale replica of the real Porsche steering wheel based on the original CAD files. The steering wheel rim is made of brushed aluminum, which was covered with high-quality smooth leather (also available in suede). In addition, there is, according to the original steering wheel, a marking in the center and and a Porsche logo. The smooth leather steering wheel rim has a weight of about 825g.

Podium Button Module Endurance

The Button Module Endurance is a faithful replica of the button module of the GT3 endurance series, equipped with the Fanatec typical functions:

• 10 buttons with additional available replaceable buttoncaps and a very pleasant pressure point
• Two 2-way toggle switches
• Two 12-position encoders (also configurable as endless knobs)
• Analog joystick (2 axes) on the left side
• A 7-way FunkySwitch (turn clockwise and counterclockwise, right, left, down up, press)

In addition, some RGB LEDs are installed: In addition to the 9 LEDs for the speed indicator, two times 3 LEDs each are used for flag indicators. The lush equipment package is rounded off with the 2.7-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 256 x 64 pixels in a 4:1 aspect ratio, which can be used, for example, to display various telemetry data and configure the force feedback settings via Fanatec’s software.

A carbon front plate is used as the material on the front, and a rubber-coated back plate reinforced with fiberglass is used on the back. Overall, the buttonplate looks very valuable, but does not quite come close to the products made of full metal/carbon of other premium manufacturers, but in return it costs accordingly much less.

.Included with the Podium Button Module Endurance are:

• 1x Podium Button Module Endurance
• 6x M5x25mm screws
• 1x DataPort-C to RJ12 adapter
• 1x Porsche-style sticker set
• 1x quick start guide

Conclusion / complete package

Assembled, the Porsche steering wheel is an impressive sight. Both the very extensive range of functions, including OLED screen and analog pedals, as well as the high quality of the materials used can be positively highlighted here. On the other hand, the price, which can be classified as high in Fanatec’s range, is also on the higher side, and you could also get the normal Porsche steering wheel and the McLaren Wheel V2 for it.

In any case, this Set is a recommendation, especially for fans of the brand porsche and if your wallet is a bit looser. You certainly won’t do anything wrong here. The single purchase is considerably more expensive at around 730€ than the complete price as a complete package (650€, as of May 2021).

An important note at the end: The set is really only compatible with the system specified on the Fanatec website in this case. A CSW 1.5 is not sufficient here, for example.