Gomez Sim Industries is renowned for the quality of its steering wheels which place them in the very high end. Incredible finishes, durability, complete functionality… We were lucky enough to have a GSI Formula Pro Elite loaned for 2 months. Here’s what we thought!
The Gomez Sim Industries FPE in brief top of the top
What does the Gomez Sim Industries Formula Pro Elite technically look like?
| Diameter | 31cm |
| Materials | 5mm thick carbon fiber plate. 6061 CNC aluminum rear case. |
| Grips | Injected silicone grips |
| Pallets | 2 magnetic aluminum pallets OPTIONAL : – Carbon fiber paddles – 2 clutch paddles |
| Configurable buttons | 10 configurable buttons |
| Encoders/Switches | 5 clickable rotary encoders 1 7-position switches |
| Rev counter | 16 LED |
| Screen | USBD480 touch screen 4.3 inches in diameter. |
| Quick Release | Not included. It’s up to you to install your QR with the 6×70 center distance at the back of the steering wheel. ALL QRs with 6×70 center distance are compatible. OPTIONAL : Hub AH50 Hub AH100 QRS1 |
| Compatibility | PC |
| Weight | 1.78Kg to 1.90Kg depending on installed options (excluding QR) |
Ergonomics and design
Rotary encoders, buttons, switches, markings… everything is customizable!
Right out of the box, it’s a blast. The aggressive design very typical of RedBull, the choice of materials combining carbon and aluminum, the huge 4.3-inch screen, the massive silicone handles… The beast really has everything of a professional racing wheel. The finish is absolutely flawless, each element is perfectly fitted and aligned.
In the box:
- The Formula Pro Elite steering wheel
- USB/DIN cord with aviation plug (screws onto the steering wheel)
- Sheet of stickers to customize the outlines of the buttons.
The silicone grips are thick (4cm at the widest) and injected directly onto the 5mm thick carbon fiber board which supports the buttons, encoders and screen.
Around the touch screen, we are treated to an aluminum surround in which 16 holes are drilled which reveal the LEDs. These will be used to display the lap minutes obviously, but also the DRS zones, the flags, the spotter, or any other data that you would like to have in front of you. Because yes, as you can imagine, the screen and LEDs are fully configurable on the SimHub software. Where everything is possible!
Here we can see the demarcation between the thick carbon fiber plate (5mm) and the CNC aluminum bottom.
The 10 configurable buttons are all made of metal and have a clear click with a movement of 2mm. The magnetic paddles are made of aluminum but you can also have them in carbon as an option. They also have a clear and very pleasant click but are quite noisy. Their sound volume will be measured during the test. And to my greatest pleasure, the model that we were lent has two clutch paddles, also made of aluminum. Their particularity is that their movement is not linear, but I will come back to that during driving!
A GSI steering wheel weighs its weight!
After the visual slap, it is also a slap on the weight, because you have to keep it in mind, this Gomez Sim Industries steering wheel will weigh at least 1.8Kg on your steering shaft. What to add your Hub or Quick Release to. We therefore pass the 2Kg bar quite quickly as long as we add the clutch paddles and a full aluminum QR. Which therefore brings me to a first observation: for Direct Drive bases with low torque (less than 12-15Nm), move on.
Compatible Quick Releases systems
As with the vast majority of steering wheels from independent brands, I have the pleasure of finding a standard fixing system: 6x70mm at the rear of the wheel. Which makes it automatically compatible with 99% of Quick Release systems on the simracing market. Whether you are on a Simucube, Asetek, VRS, Simagic, Fanatec, etc. base. It is possible to install a GSI steering wheel.
Personally I am going to do this test on my Asetek base, so I install the Asetek Invicta QR, which is done literally in 2 minutes with the watch in hand.
When configuring your steering wheel on the GSI website, you can choose to purchase one of the three Hub and QR models offered by the brand as an option.
Download the GSI Control Center
Before going any further we will take a look at the PC. Now is the time to download and install the GSI Control Center. It is a small piece of software that will allow us to calibrate the pallets and the Dual Clutch system.
–> Link to download the GSI Control Center
Connection to PC
To connect the GSI Formula Pro Elite PC you must connect the USB-DIN aviation cable to the back of your steering wheel. Of course by screwing the tightening ring tightly, which will prevent the cable from being torn off during your shopping. Then plug the USB into a powered port on your PC.
For the few owners of Asetek bases, you can connect the cord directly to the Invicta QR, it will take care of transferring information and electricity between the PC and the steering wheel. Practical !
Configure the display with SimHub
This is where you will be able to have fun for a few hours! Because now that you have a superb GSI Formula Pro Elite, you will have to configure its displays. Whether for the screen or the LEDs, everything happens on SimHub. There you can change your Dashboards, choose keys to configure to move from one display to another. Or even make brightness or contrast adjustments even when you’re running.
Of course, I invite you to check out the host of Dashes available for download, for example on the Racedepartment site. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, nothing stops you from creating your own display, but here we’re entering a slightly more technical aspect…
LED level, again, everything is configurable. They can obviously serve as a lap counter but you can for example put:
- Display of flags;
- Pit Limiter;
- DRS zone and DRS trigger;
- Spotter (signaling a vehicle to your left or right);
- Fuel level;
- Time to prepare your coffee;
- Etc !
GSI has really very well detailed the entire procedure for configuring the displays, I’ll let you follow their Guide right here! But obviously if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments, I will answer them and update the article accordingly.
Comfort and sensations
Well, we’re not going to hide it… As soon as we install a steering wheel of the caliber of the GSI FPE, it inevitably puts a big smile on your face! We instinctively have the feeling of having a professional steering wheel between the knobs, and we feel that it is there to last for years and years if it is well maintained.
After finding a Dashboard that suited me, I was able to start my tests on the track. The first thing I had to do was a small adjustment to the force feedback of my base. Because the steering wheel is heavy! And that weight had eaten up some fine detail and responsiveness. A small adjustment quickly corrected the situation, but keep in mind that if you drive on a base below 12-15Nm, this type of steering wheel is not very suitable. Your engine will quickly reach saturation with clipping in fast turns. But I hope that you are not thinking of installing this GSI FPE on an entry-level base anyway?
GSI FPE pallets
The clicks of the magnetic shift paddles are very pleasant under the fingers but still quite noisy. I measured 74 to 76db on gear changes. Which places them among the loudest paddles we’ve tried. I also regret that the paddles have a little up and down movement. It’s only a small millimeter of movement but it’s the kind of detail that tends to annoy me during a race, my fingers spend their time playing with it… Yes, I’m quibbling. But at this price I have the right, right?
The clutch paddles (optional) on the other hand, are a very nice discovery. What I love about these paddles is that their movement gradually stiffens as I press them in. I was able to really enjoy using them in Dual Clutch mode. This “progressive” feeling gave me the sensation of better control of my clutch.
A big piece of wood?
So, despite all the pleasure I had riding this GSI formula pro elite, there is still an important aspect to take into account. An aspect which means that I personally would not buy this steering wheel. This is the diameter of the grips. At their widest, they are 4cm thick which really doesn’t suit my hands and tended to tire my wrists more quickly. Flo, who has smaller hands than mine, was not able to take full advantage of the steering wheel.
The size of the grips hampered Flo and her small hands a little when it came to using the paddles.
This is therefore an element to take into account! If you have small hands, these grips will probably feel like large pieces of wood that are difficult to handle.
The options available to customize it
One of the points that I also really liked about GSI is that you can customize your steering wheel from top to bottom before purchasing. The GSI configurator allows you to change each color of button, encoder and sticker. But also to create labels with personalized text and logo to select from around thirty models.
You can change the color of each button, selector, switch, but also of each label sticker by adding a logo to select and a personalized text.
Among the options we also include (as a reminder) carbon paddles. Clutch paddles, HUB and QR as well as spare USB-DIN cables.
My verdict on the GSI Formula Pro Elite
