Reddit reviews Thrustmaster TH8A Add-On Gearbox Shifter for PC, PS3, PS4 and Xbox One

For anyone wondering, it's a T300 RS wheel, TH8A Shifter and T3PA pedal set. All from Thrustmaster. The chair is a Challenge from Playseat. And a PSVR, obviously.

Edit: /u/StephenSchleis requested that I add Amazon links, so here you go.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T300RS-Officially-Licensed-Feedback-Racing/dp/B00O8B7D02/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480328681&sr=8-1&keywords=T300+RS

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480328694&sr=8-1&keywords=TH8A+Shifter

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T3PA-3-Pedal-Wide-Pedal-Add/dp/B00KX75W9O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1480328694&sr=8-4&keywords=TH8A+Shifter

https://www.amazon.com/Playseat-Challenge/dp/B009ZELZDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480328735&sr=8-1&keywords=playseat+challenge

Bonus tip, the T3PA pedals come with the conical brake mod. It’s well worth installing. Also, cut out a piece of carpet and stick it to the pedal base for a bit of extra comfort.

Get a Thrustmaster wheel over the Logitech wheels. The technology in the Thrustmaster wheels is far far superior to the notchy gear drive of the Logitech. I suggest getting the following

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015KJ0SES/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B004J6KRD6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ET5925JQKKMT3HMJ4TA

You get a full size rim (logitech uses a very small unrealistic rim size.) You can also add a shifter if you prefer that.

http://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Add-On-Gearbox-Shifter-4060059-videgame/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=pd_bxgy_63_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZJ22XYZZ13QGCVHA7HB

https://www.amazon.de/Thrustmaster-4160681-Lenkrad-3-Pedal-Set-schwarz/dp/B014UOF0S8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491824607&sr=8-1&keywords=t300&th=1

&

https://www.amazon.de/Thrustmaster-TH8A-H-Shifter-XBox-4060059/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=pd_sim_63_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=02XVN3TS6KQ36TYZ9MZX

Could get the cheaper T300 GT if you want but the alcantera rim is worth it for that small price increase.

From what I've seen/read, the Thrustmaster TS-PC is overpriced by $100 or so at the moment.

For c. $1000 I'd probaby get:

Thrustmaster T300RS

ProtoSimTech PT-1 Pedals

Thrustmaster TH8A Shifter

But you say you don't want a T300 (I've got one, it's amazing) so... I guess the nearest alternative would probably be the Fanatec CSL Elite, but I've got no experience with it, so someone else would have to chime in.

For me, if not going for the T300, I'd probably want to jump up to either the Fanatec CSW V2 or an AccuForce (or more likely an OSW).

Entirely depends on your budget - but at the very least something with Force Feedback, like the Logitech g29 with shifter - that's a very common setup. $200-450 is the figure you'd be looking at - depending on if what you want is on sale. A bit cheaper if you don't want a shifter and want to use the paddle shifters behind the wheels.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G29-Driving-Shifter-Bundle/dp/B016JBE8LU $299

I chose one a little higher priced, the Thrustmaster T300RS GT edition (3 pedal setup not the cheaper 2 pedal one without the clutch) as well as the TH8A shifter. I got the wheel on sale, full price on shifter. https://i.imgur.com/Y8Gg5oO.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T300-RS-Racing-Wheel-PlayStation/dp/B01M1L2NRL?th=1 $388 + https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-PC-PS3-PS4-Xbox-One/dp/B005L0Z2BQ $149


These wheels are much more than toys. You can feel the wheels on the road, traction loss, how much torque the cars have, if you slam into a wall the wheels can damn near rip your hands off (you can change the % of feedback to lower it). It makes the experience in VR feel super real. I'd say a wheel carries as much importance in VR racing as the headset does.

The craziest feeling I've gotten so far as just sitting at the start of a race idling in a '66 Mustang. The entire hood of this car is shaking back and forth like Dom's muscle cars in Fast and the Furious.....and the WHEEL is shaking left and right with the car exactly how you would expect something with that much power to. That thing was like 100% torque and it felt amazing.

Even if it takes some saving, I highly recommend one of them - although I would definitely wait until Black Friday to get $100 ish off of either one you choose. The sale prices for these are quite tolerable when they occur.

A stand for the wheel is much nicer than a table for mounting, but they can be pricey as well. From $100 and up. My Apiga AP2 stand was $280 but worth every penny to not have a bar in between your legs. Only $240 now and supports most wheels. https://www.amazon.com/APIGA-Foldable-Racing-Simulator-gearshift-ALL/dp/B00XBPYUIY

Cheap, or expensive, is relative. What budget do you have to work with? Basically, I would say in total for the rig, around $700-800 can get you something pretty decent, then you're looking for the actual console/PC and the games themselves as an additional price.

For a fairly cheap, but still best bang-for-buck rig, I would recommend:

• Any of the T300 + T3PA bundles, for example the T300 Ferrari Alcantara Edition - Great wheel, best entry level wheel by far. With decent pedals, optional brake mod included that, imo, improves the feel a lot. Clutch included.
  
  
• TH8A shifter - Fairly cheap, all things considered,
  
  
• Simetik K2 cockpit - Very sturdy and customizable for its price, and also doesn't have that annoying bar down the middle that basically inhibits you from heel-and-toe downshifting that most of the other cheap rigs have.
  
  All in all this comes down to $885 as of right now, if you want to save a little bit you could go for the original T300 GT Edition instead and it'll be $817.
  
  The Simetik K2 is by far the best rig you can get in that pricebracket, but if you must save some more either skip the shifter for now or get a Playseat Challenge, it isn't the sturdiest but again, I do not recommend getting a rig with the pole in between your legs, I would personally rather play at a desk and an office chair than that, as it, at least for me, makes it really hard to heel-and-toe, and I love racing old DTM and GT cars with manual gearboxes and couldn't do without that.

I'd say the T150 is your best bet. I'm not sure if you're in the US or how the price would change depending on region, but the T150 Pro is on sale for $220. Comes with the T3PA pedals instead of the regular two-pedal board, it's great if you plan on using the TH8A shifter with your wheel. If not, the regular T150 and a DIY brake mod should do the job just nicely.

You can buy lt from amazon or any good game retailer.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1427667065&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=thrustmaster+shifter&dpPl=1&dpID=31IeTgHKflL&ref=plSrch

If you want it for the xbox one make sure you get the TH8A shifter. There's another shifter which doesn't I nearly made the mistake.

You have to update the firmware on this before it works. Yep this shifter has its own firmware, So does the wheel. Easy enough to update unplug both and plug them into a pc and download updates

> Does the wheel come with transmission stick?

I wouldn't call it a transmission stick. This is my wheel, wich is on the cheap side. It has a stick but is just like two buttons you can push with it. More expensive wheels let you connect better sticks: https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/

or if you have money to burn you can buy something like this

I posted this above, It can be cheap but if you want something that feels right.. it's not so cheap.

>[Thrustmaster](https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-Force-Feedback-racing-wheel-WINDOWS/dp/B01CI97DNM/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1537753451&sr=1-4&keywords=thrustmaster+steering+wheel+pc&dpID=51bn3uOuWAL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
) on amazon is $160. It comes with pedals. But honestly after a month I upgraded to much better pedals and then bought a shifter ended up costing me over $400 by the end of it all lol. You can get away with just the wheel and default pedals though.

The 3 pedal is the best part of these wheels, and a lot of people continue to use them even after upgrading to Fanatec/TT. The Logitech shifter is sold separately now, and imo it's not worth the $60 they charge for it--save up for better quality. G25/27 wheels used to be a great value because they included 3 pedals + shifter for around $250-300 in an era when higher tier belt drive Thrustmaster wheels were around $500 just for the wheel and pedals.


A good shifter is going to cost you 100-150, so will a good set of pedals. But you should own a basic wheel like the TT TX for a few months to decide if you use it enough to warrant investing in higher end pedals/shifter. A lot of people buy these things and they just end up sitting in a closet being used a few times a year (if that).

/u/alsenan This isn't true, but the answer is unfortunately not great. The better one is made by Thrustmaster at $150:

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ?th=1

I can recommend my setup:
Thrustmaster T300 Ferrari Alcantara Integral Edition

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015KJ0SES/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487172453&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=thrustmaster+t+300

Get a extra shifter like the TH8A

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487172565&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=thrustmaster&dpPl=1&dpID=41AEMeEQwUL&ref=plSrch

SimRig GT Omega Pro RS9

http://usa.gtomegaracing.com/racing-simulator-cockpits/pro-racing-simulator-cockpit/gt-omega-pro-racing-simulator-basic-rs9-seat-canada

Total cost: 1070$

Of course you could get even better options on the market. But IMO it is the best compromise between cost, reliability and quality.

Amazon UK and Zavvi (reputable UK seller) both have the TH8A in stock:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Shifter-PS4-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ

http://www.zavvi.com/xbox-one-accessories/thrustmaster-th8a-add-on-shifter-for-ps4-xbox-one-ps3-pc/11073267.html

• Thrustmaster T300 Alcantara Edition
  
  
• Thrustmaster TH8A Shifter
  
  
• Fanatec ClubSport Handbrake V1.5
  
  
• Fanatec ClubSport USB Adapter
  
  
• Playseat Challenge
  
  
• 2 of these RAM mounts
  
  
• Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
  
  
• HTC Vive
  
  
• Tek Republic USB 3.0 Hub
  
  You also need a drill and a bunch of different size M6s to attach everything to the Challenge.
  
  Oh, and I put a bunch of foam behind my pedals.

You could also go for the Thrustmaster T300 with the Alcantara wheel and T3PA pedals and the TH8A shifter for less money than the bundle with a better wheel.

Not bad. I think I saw it at £200 the other week for all 3.

I’ve heard that the G920 has some reliability issues and that the TMX is probably better to go with if you get the Pro set with the T3PA pedals.

If you’re not too bothered about the shifter straight away I’d get the TMX. I have it and the wheel is great for the price bracket, just steer clear of the 2 pedal set if you have the budget to go a step further. Some links below so you can have a look;

ThrustMaster TMX PRO Steering Wheel + Pedalboard https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M5ALXJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6RUpDb20TDV5F

ThrustMaster T3Pa Pro Pedal set - 4060065 (Gaming > Game Controllers) +}b https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UVN21IU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HSUpDbP6YVZ0D

Thrustmaster TH8A Shifter (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, PC - Windows 8, 7, Vista & XP) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_eTUpDbTEV2EHJ

TH8A £99.85 including shipping @ Amazon.co.uk

so you'd suggest the below configuration over the Logitech one? Is there a reason I should stay away from Logitech?

Wheel

shift

seat

For reference, this is my setup, pictured is the F1 wheel, but I have the Alcantara wheel as well, so feel free to ask questions.


https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/.eJwNxksSwiAMANC7sIdACE3obfhpdWzLFFw53l3f6n3U-3qpVW1z9rEClHqY-hjlvGrq3ZRzhzRnKtvejjkALbGwZe9EOHCwBEjIiAs5jv9EKwJ5cYiena4-VU2hZi1ebjq3JkS5lNiyRuesYPABzbPf1fcHVQknLA.M_GwCWqhJqb1iCz30UZ_v9qn0NI?width=2000&height=1500


One of the best packages is this,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015KJ0SES/ref=twister_B01CQAGISE?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1479935435&sr=1-1&keywords=TH8A

Will this work?

Amazon has them for $113 too...

I just checked Amazon UK, where I'm lurking (probably not helpful if you're across the sea), and they have them in stock. However, I couldn't believe the price. They're about 75% more expensive than when I bought mine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Shifter-PS4-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519862290&sr=8-1&keywords=Thrustmaster+shifter

sure thing, I'm in the UK so links are for UK shops

T300RS - you can choose your wheel too, little cheaper with GTE rim but ultimately the same wheel
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-Official-Force-Feedback-wheel/dp/B00NOJJPZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418413732&sr=8-1&keywords=t300rs

T3PA Pedals
http://shop.thrustmaster.com/en_gb/pc/t3pa.html

TH8A Stick - Out of stock just about everywhere at the minute but I pre-ordered at Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Shifter-PS4-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418413837&sr=8-1&keywords=th8a

or

http://shop.thrustmaster.com/en_gb/pc/th8a-shifter-add-on.html

Wheel Stand Pro - comes with all plates and mounts for everything above
http://wheelstandpro.com/products/wheel-stand-pro-for-thrustmaster-tx-racing-wheel-deluxe-v2

Total Cost
£571.46

Realistically however you can get away with just the wheel on its own clamped to as desk or something if budget is an issue. the pedals it comes with are ok but I had some foam down the back of the brake to add a little resistance

Yeah, it just plugs in via USB. This one is pricey, but supposedly very nice: https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-PC-PS3-PS4-Xbox-One/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/

Okay so this is what I bought
https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-T300-RS-Racing-Wheel-PlayStation/dp/B01M1L2NRL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500815622&sr=8-1&keywords=t300+gt+rs


I also have


https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1500815656&sr=1-1&keywords=t3pa+shifter

and I have a GT Omega stand

https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Steering-suitable-LOGITECH-Driving-Shifter/dp/B072PPSJY3/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1500815674&sr=1-1&keywords=gt+omega+steering+wheel+stand

I've used them Twice

I'd be willing to give 20% off if you bought everything.

• Wheel base: $220
  
  
  
• Shifter: $180
  
  
  
• Pedals: $150
  
  
  
• Wheel rim: $200
  
  Grand total: $750
  
  
• Fanatec: $1000
  
  It's really not that far off when you consider that Fanatec is broadly considered higher quality than Thrustmaster. I was ready to go all-in on Thrustmaster before I added it all up and realized I might as well keep saving and get the Fanatec stuff.

If you are on PC you have a number of choices for shifters. Since all of the shifters will use USB it is seen as a separate device and you just map it.

The shifter you asked about is probably the lowest priced option but you do have more options. Here are a few to think about.

The Thrustmaster TH8A can be changed from gated to sequential in about 2 minutes.

Fanatec also has 2 shifters. A sequential and a gated/sequential version.

https://www.amazon.com/Thrustmaster-TH8A-Add-Gearbox-Shifter-Xbox/dp/B005L0Z2BQ

I believe this is the only one that's compatable with modern Thrustmasters, They're extremely popular so the prices probably won't be much lower than $100 any time soon

Its been great!

I have yet to run into any issues with the wheel itself, though I feel I should warn you that if you're on carpet, the pedals don't have carpet spikes. So, you'll need to have something weighty either behind them or holding down the front. Otherwise, they will tip backwards when you hit the brake pedal.

Also, the price dropped to $150 for a couple of weeks not too long ago. It's back to $200 now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it goes on sale again in the next few months, if you're willing to wait.

As for getting a shifter, you can, but it's expensive. The only one I know of that's compatible is the TH8A.

Feel free to reply here or PM me if you have any more questions. :D

Fanatec do some nice ones, expensive though. Thrustmaster also do them.