It has bugged virtual racers for years. It has driven new markets like the playseat and caused for creative interpretations like the iron board solution. Because the truth is that console gamers have never really been able to use a steering wheel with their consoles because the living room wouldn't allow for a proper setup of the wheel. But now there's a company from Poland that claim to have the answer, and it's called the Wheelstand Pro.
Because the description noted above fitted my bill, I decided to take a gamble on this solution. It had enjoyed raving reviews and with exciting new racing games coming out I really needed a stable solution that's easily movable when not in use.
So I placed my order on the wheelstandpro.com website. I payed and left my address, within a couple of days my order had been paid for and accepted. The ordering process literally went painless. The nice people behind the website helped me whenever I had questions and they kept me posted on the entire progress.
I was even more surprised when my order arrived at my doorstep just 5 days after the order, a whopping 7,6kg package straight from the 9th biggest country in Europe, yes I used Wikipedia on that. The shipment included a weekend too, so technically the package could've arrived even sooner.
The stand was neatly packed and, aside from some cupboard marks, didn't leave food for thought. So the purchase was painless and easy, as was the shipping, but how about the product?
Set up
I'm not a very practical person, and to be honest I wasn't sure at first how to get the gear shifter metal plate together with the main plate. But after seeing a video and taking an extended look to the manual, things went smooth and easy. The only problem you might face is attaching the pedals to the stand, as it requires access to the back of the stand. I recommend doing this before you attach the wheel, because it's easier to flip the stand this way.
The Wheelstand pro comes with almost all equipment you need for set up. It comes with bolts, an Allen key, cable management wires, gear shifter plate and a premium looking manual. The only thing you need to find is a Philips screwdriver (cross).
After everything was set and done the stand was looking neat and stable. There was no movement to discover from the pedals, the wheel or the gear shifter. In fact the only problem I had was cable management, because the Logitech G27 has a lot of cables and it's hard to get them all neatly tucked. Ultimately managed to get it right though.
Another issue was the height control. The stand can be adjusted to each height but at it's highest it's still just under 1 meter. So make sure you've a low chair, bench or similar.
Needless to say the stand performs best when you give it the right ground to stand on. So make sure you have a good space in your room when in use.
Racing
To test this I popped in F1 2010. This new Codemasters title has great force feedback and is the perfect candidate to test the sturdiness of the design. Before I do this however I have to say that I generally am a very smooth driver, so take that in account.
The wheelstand Pro performed very well during my tests. In fact it was so good that I forgot all about its existence. I was pilling on the laps, consistently and improving, and I never EVER felt anything from the stand that interfered with the racing. Although as joke I should mention that the stand vibrates a little during heavy FFB moments, causing the loose plastic bolts of the gear shifter to make an annoying noise. Better take those off.
To be honest that was the testing part of the review. It's just extremely sturdy and stable, perfect for even the most intense of races.
Practical
You might consider this stand not only for its quality but for practical reasons too. In that case I can assure you that this stand does the job. Even with the wheel attached it's not too heavy or big to move around. And the adjustability means that it can be folded easily, although the brake pedal prevents the stand from becoming completely flat.
Unfortunately there's a sweet spot with the bolts. They've to be tight enough to keep the pole from moving, but not too tight because otherwise you can't get the lever fully closed. Until you've found this balance, on-the-fly adjustments may take longer than you bargained for.
Conclusion
The Wheelstand Pro is an amazing product. It's very sturdy and easy to set up. During the race you will forget all about your 130$ purchase, and that's a good thing. It's however not small/adjustable enough to get it completely out of sight. And initially it's hard to find the right balance between setting the bolts too tight or too loose. But the Wheelstand Pro is simply fantastic and recommended to anyone looking for a product to hold their wheel.
Wheelstand pro review
