Sim racing is a bottomless money pit. You start looking for a basic setup to play Forza or F1 24 and suddenly you're staring at motion rigs that cost more than a used Honda Civic. But for the vast majority of people just trying to shave a tenth of a second off their lap time on a Saturday afternoon, the xbox racing wheel logitech ecosystem—specifically the G923 and its predecessor, the G929—remains the undisputed king of the living room. It isn't the smoothest. It definitely isn't the quietest. Honestly, it sounds like a printer having a mid-life crisis when you hit a curb in Assetto Corsa Competizione. Yet, it sells.
Why? Because it works every single time you plug it in.
The Gear-Driven Elephant in the Room
If you go onto any sim racing subreddit, the purists will tell you that gear-driven wheels are "ancient technology." They'll push you toward Direct Drive (DD) bases from Fanatec or Moza. And look, they aren't wrong about the feel. A Direct Drive motor connects the wheel rim directly to the motor shaft, offering silent, buttery smooth feedback. The Logitech G923, however, uses a system of helical gears.
When you lose traction or rattle over a sausage curb, you feel those gears. You hear them, too. It’s a clacker-clacker-clack sound that can be annoying if you’re playing in a room with someone trying to watch TV. But there’s a flip side to this old-school tech. Gears are durable. You can find Logitech G25 wheels from 2006 that still run perfectly today. That kind of longevity is rare in gaming hardware.
Logitech also introduced something called TRUEFORCE with the G923. It’s basically a high-speed haptic system that vibrates the wheel based on the car's engine physics and road surface. Some people think it's a gimmick. Others, like Lando Norris (who has appeared in Logitech marketing but actually uses high-end gear in his personal rig), have noted that it adds a layer of immersion that basic vibration just can't match. It makes the wheel feel "alive" even when you’re just idling at the starting line.
Setting Up Your Xbox Racing Wheel Logitech for Success
You can't just slap a wheel on a coffee table and expect to beat Max Verstappen’s qualifying times. The biggest mistake beginners make with their xbox racing wheel logitech is mounting. These wheels put out a surprising amount of torque—about 2.1 Newton-meters (Nm) for the G923. If your desk is flimsy, the desk will shake more than the wheel.
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Let’s talk about those pedals
The pedals that come in the box are actually the star of the show, specifically the brake pedal. In older models, the brake felt like a linear spring; it was too easy to accidentally lock your tires because there was no resistance. The G923 updated this with a progressive spring. It gets harder to press the further down you go.
It mimics a real car's hydraulic pressure.
But here is the catch: if you're using a rolling office chair, you're going to push yourself backward across the room the first time you try to brake hard into Turn 1 at Monza. You need a way to lock your chair or a dedicated wheel stand like the GT Lite or something from Next Level Racing.
- Sensitivity Settings: On Xbox, go into your game’s advanced controller settings. Set the "Steering Sensitivity" to 50 (neutral) and check your deadzones.
- The G Hub Factor: If you have a PC, plug the wheel in there first. Update the firmware. It’s annoying, but Logitech occasionally releases fixes that solve "ghosting" inputs on Xbox consoles.
- FFB Strength: Don't max out the Force Feedback (FFB). It causes "clipping." This is when the motor reaches its limit and stops giving you detail, turning every bump into one big, muddy vibration. Back it off to about 75% or 80%.
Is the Logitech G Pro Direct Drive Worth the Massive Jump?
In late 2022, Logitech finally blinked and released a Direct Drive wheel. The Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel. It’s a beast. It puts out 11 Nm of torque, which is enough to actually hurt your wrists if you aren't careful.
It costs about three times what the G923 does.
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For the average person playing Forza Horizon 5, the Pro is overkill. The G923 is plenty. But if you find yourself spending 20 hours a week in iRacing or serious F1 leagues, the G Pro offers a level of fidelity—especially with the load-cell brake pedal—that makes you more consistent. Consistency is how you win races. In a load-cell brake, the game measures how hard you press, not how far the pedal moves. Muscle memory is much better at remembering pressure than distance.
Common Myths and Frustrations
"Logitech wheels are just toys." I hear this a lot. It’s a weirdly elitist take. Yes, a $2,000 Simucube setup is better, but the xbox racing wheel logitech G923 is a precision instrument. It has a hall-effect steering sensor (magnetic), which means it doesn't lose calibration over time.
Another annoyance? The cable management. It’s a mess. You have a power brick, a USB cable to the Xbox, a cable to the pedals, and potentially a cable to the optional Driving Force Shifter. It’s a literal rat's nest. Pro tip: use Velcro ties. Do not use plastic zip ties because if you ever need to tear down your rig, you'll end up accidentally snipping a wire.
Also, the "leather" on the rim is real. It's hand-stitched. It feels premium, but it will soak up the oils from your hands. If you don't want your wheel to look gross after six months, wear some basic cycling gloves or just wipe it down with a damp cloth every few weeks. Honestly, wearing gloves feels a bit dorky at first, but it saves the material and gives you better grip during long endurance races.
Making the Choice
If you're looking at an xbox racing wheel logitech right now, you’re likely deciding between the G29/G920 (the older ones) and the G923.
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The G920 is often $100 cheaper. It lacks TRUEFORCE and has a slightly worse brake pedal. If you are on a strict budget, get the G920 and spend the saved money on a decent stand. A cheap wheel on a solid stand is always better than an expensive wheel on a wobbly desk.
However, if you can swing the extra cash, the G923's brake pedal alone makes it worth the upgrade. It’s the difference between guessing where the limit of grip is and actually feeling it through your foot.
How to Get Started the Right Way
Don't jump straight into a high-powered GT3 car with all assists off. You will spin out. You will get frustrated. You will put the wheel in the closet and never touch it again.
Start with a slow car. A Mazda MX-5 Cup car is the gold standard for learning. It’s slow enough that you can see the weight transfer happening. You’ll feel the wheel get light when the front tires lose grip. That’s the "Aha!" moment. Once you feel that communication between the game and the xbox racing wheel logitech in your hands, you’ll understand why people spend thousands of dollars on this hobby.
- Check your desk height. If the wheel is too high, your shoulders will ache after thirty minutes. Your elbows should be at roughly a 90-degree angle.
- Hard-mount the pedals. If you can't buy a rig, DIY something. Even a piece of plywood that connects your chair to the pedal base will work.
- Update firmware. I can't stress this enough. Many "broken" wheels are just running outdated software.
- Ignore the "meta." You don't need the most expensive gear to be fast. There are guys at the top of the iRacing leaderboards still using Logitech wheels from ten years ago.
The tech is just a tool. The skill is in your hands and feet. The Logitech ecosystem provides a reliable, tactile, and relatively affordable entry point into a world that is otherwise prohibitively expensive. It’s not perfect, but it’s exactly what most people need.
Actionable Next Steps
Before you click buy, measure your desk's thickness to ensure the integrated clamps will fit (they usually open up to about 2 inches). If you already own the wheel and find the brake pedal too stiff, don't take it apart yet—go into your game settings and increase the "Brake Sensitivity" or "Brake Gamma." This allows you to reach 100% braking force without having to stand on the pedal with your full body weight. Finally, if you're planning on playing Forza Motorsport, make sure to toggle the "Input Mapping" to "Simulation Steering" to get the most un-filtered feedback from the motor.