From the Vault — originally published December 6, 2010. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
With all of the racing games being released this season you have have given though to or already purchased a steering wheel. Playing with a wheel on your lap is no fun trust me. You need something sturdy and just the right height for your driving game experience. Gran Turismo 5, Midnight Club Los Angeles, Need for Speed Shift all have steering wheel support with force feedback. Hopefully soon even Need for speed Hot Pursuit will join the bunch. If you have seen my review on the Logitech GT wheel you may be wondering what to set the wheel on to get have a sturdy racing experience.
Enter the Wheel Stand Pro. A sleek and seemingly reasonably portable solution to your wobbly racing setup. The Wheel Stand Pro is an adjustable wheel stand that supports Logitech Steering Wheels and the Official Xbox 360 wheel with an additional attachment.
These wheels are currently compatible with the wheel stand:
– Logitech Driving Force Pro / GT
– Microsoft Wireless Driving Wheel for XBOX 360
– Logitech G25
– Logitech G27
The setup does take about 20 minutes though it comes with all of the necessary tools to tighten the pieces together. The pieces are rather large so if you are not so great at putting things together you should not have trouble with the assembly.
The Wheel Stand Pro itself when assembled is very adjustable with multiple points of articulation. You can adjust the height, tilt of the wheel in front of you and the distance of the wheel in front of you. Adjusting the positioning is as easy as opening a lever setting the position and pressing the clasping lever back in place. I never had any issues adjusting the positioning of the wheel stand.
One of the key features is the fact that the stand can fold up so that you can put it away. This feature sold me on the wheel stand and it does fold up nicely. I do not take the wheel off of it though when I am done playing as that requires more effort and though it is possible I do not see why anyone would do that. The stand with the wheel still attached folds up nicely by releasing the bottom most adjustment lever at the foot of the pedals. When folded up you can store it in your closet to have it out of the way. It weighs about 20 pounds or so and is not heavy at all to lift.
The sleek almost minimalist design of the Wheel Stand Pro is nice though the biggest shortcoming of it from my year with it has been the cable management. It ships with plastic cable ties though there is no built in cord management system. Cables from the pedals to the main wheel and the USB cable from the actual wheel to your console sort of dangles unless you use the cable ties and though it kind of works to use the ties there should have been something built in to minimize and manage the cables. Not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination but a shortcoming of the product nonetheless. Cable ties do work and you will use them.
After having and using the wheel stand pro for almost a year it has indeed held together nicely. I have rarely had to re-tighten anything and it is very sturdy. I do not have any wobble issues. No slipping even when playing on hardwood and smooth concrete flooring. The rubber pads that the stand sits on work rather well.
At about $150 shipped to the United states it is an investment. If you would like to have a nice setup that you can breakdown when you are done I totally recommend the wheel stand pro. If you have been playing dozens of hours Gran Turismo 5, Need for Speed Shift, Midnight Club and need a wheel stand this is a solid investment or gift idea. Hopefully they will patch Need for Speed Hot Pursuit with wheel support so I can play this with the Wheel Stand Pro as well. In any case this is a great stand and well worth it if you plan to put your steering wheel to use without the hassle and expense of a bulky racing cockpit in your room. The Wheel Stand Pro lives up to its claims of being a “Compact and stable stand for your steering wheel” and is a recommended product. Two thumbs up!
