Moza R9 Vs Simagic Alpha Mini

Lodgey · Oct 20, 2022

Hi there,

Im looking for some comparisons between the Moza R9 and the Simagic Alpha Mini.

The price is quite substantial for the Mini having 1nm more torque and also does the Mini fit on a GT Omega Prime wheel deck?

Im swaying towards the R9 due to the lower cost plus i like the GS steering wheel and not to much of a fan of the Mini's wheel selection.

Has anyone been lucky enough to try both and have a comparison to share?

Thanks in advance for any information.

uff_ · Oct 20, 2022

I do not own any, but I've been looking for this stuff. Yes the Mini should a superior base with reported 12Nm (215W power supply versus R9's 180W). But depending on where you look, it can be as much as $200 USD difference between the two bases. Is the Mini worth that difference? I'm not sure. Personally, I'd pick the R9 and invest that $200 in other stuff.

Lodgey · Oct 21, 2022

Thank you for your feedback.

I am starting to think that the R9 is the better option in terms of cost. Like you say is the Mini worth the $200 extra that could be spent elsewhere.

Coming from a Logitech G29 the R9 should be a great first step into direct drive wheels.

Dave Robinson · Oct 22, 2022

I bought the Mini bundle which came with the FX wheel 3 weeks ago and was blown away by the quality. Have not tried the Moza wheels but I can say you will be more than ecstatic with the Simagic Alpha Mini.

Terry Rock · Oct 22, 2022

I own the R9 with the CS rim
It is very well built and feels amazing on track.
The feedback is excellent at every level.
Titles like RF2, AMS2 and ACC excel when using this wheel.
You can feel even the slightest bits of granularity in road textures since the latest update. As to FFB...had to turn down the max torque value even at 'only' 9nm.
The only down side to purchasing was the higher shipping cost.

mechsicko · Oct 22, 2022

Mini is 1Nm more torque on paper but 3.5-4Nm more torque measured on a torque wrench.

Had a CSL DD for a bit and 8Nm was nowhere enough torque for DD, like effects felt fine but the soft lock/end stops were way too easy to overpower and found myself crashing a lot in DR2.0 when I would blow past the stops and lose track of wheel position in VR. Wasn't a problem with 8Nm CSW2.5 cause the belts/pulleys have mechanical advantage in this scenario, and isn't a problem with DD at 12.5-13Nm but any lower I've discovered is an issue for me.

pullmehome · Oct 22, 2022

I haven't used both but I own the alpha mini. Since I usually have mine cranked to max on the strength slider I wouldn't want the R9 for having less. I'm by no means a bodybuilder in fact I'm skinny and weight 160lbs in a good day. If I bought mine again I would go with the alpha at 15nm. I've never needed more power than the 10nm the mini has but knowing it's always maxed out I'm sure it will come up sooner than later. For the difference in price save up for something you won't want to upgrade for a while and you will save money. (Ask me how I know) like me buying clubsport v3 pedals and upgrading a month later to Heusinkveld. I lost about 175$ more reselling used pedals that were almost new.

Matt_SI · Oct 24, 2022

mechsicko said:
Mini is 1Nm more torque on paper but 3.5-4Nm more torque measured on a torque wrench.

Had a CSL DD for a bit and 8Nm was nowhere enough torque for DD, like effects felt fine but the soft lock/end stops were way too easy to overpower and found myself crashing a lot in DR2.0 when I would blow past the stops and lose track of wheel position in VR. Wasn't a problem with 8Nm CSW2.5 cause the belts/pulleys have mechanical advantage in this scenario, and isn't a problem with DD at 12.5-13Nm but any lower I've discovered is an issue for me.

Can you point me where they measured torque? I had DD 0.5 and had so many problems, I had to returned it, and had to ask for my money back. First, I contacted customer support which is one mail per 2 weeks. Then I had to sent the unit back, got the same one back (I know because I marked it in spot where only I knew about it). And they haven't fixed anything. Daily wheel disconnects were not solved, random FFB jolts (experienced by many if not majority of customers),... The DD disappearing from Device Manager.

So I started to hate Fanatec. Even so, I want to know where I can find the information about measured torque.

mechsicko · Oct 25, 2022

Matt_SI said:
Can you point me where they measured torque? I had DD 0.5 and had so many problems, I had to returned it, and had to ask for my money back. First, I contacted customer support which is one mail per 2 weeks. Then I had to sent the unit back, got the same one back (I know because I marked it in spot where only I knew about it). And they haven't fixed anything. Daily wheel disconnects were not solved, random FFB jolts (experienced by many if not majority of customers),... The DD disappearing from Device Manager.

So I started to hate Fanatec. Even so, I want to know where I can find the information about measured torque.

It was first found by an iRacing dev I think, later measured by others with a digital torque wrench confirming the numbers. . The numbers are mathematically consistent with being 16mm shorter than the 15Nm Alpha, motor torque is roughly linear to motor length. Here's links to the relevant conversations

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/comment/83870#Comment_83870

Here is a force sweep of the alpha mini. The horizontal axis is commanded force (in direct input units) and the y axis is measured torque in Nm

https://imgur.com/FCGddcN

I don’t remember off the top of my head how the firmware was setup, but I try to turn off all effects and maximize the force when testing a wheel.

If you have IRacing you can see how I tested in this forum post.

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/comment/49681/#Comment_49681

Matt_SI · Oct 25, 2022

I don't have iRacing account but I read reddit thread. They are not discussing DD 0.5 but SiMagic.

Anyway. If I was buying now, I would go with Moza R9 primarily because of their GS wheel. GS wheel is 300mm which is the sweet spot for me. FanaShit Formula is like a toy to me, but the quality of GS buttons are also not something to write home about. But I still think GS provides more value. The only thing Fana has going for, is recognizable brand and resale value. But if you're buying for long term use, you don't care about that.

I don't know about SiMagic because they have strange customer support. You have to find a good reseller that offers support because I heard "horror" stories when a couple bought the wheels, and the reseller didn't provide any support. If this has changed, then I guess it's a coin toss between R9 and Mini.

mechsicko · Oct 25, 2022

Thought you were asking about where people were getting the 13Nm figure from for Alpha Mini because it is sold as a 10Nm base. After my experience with CSL DD/boost I have discovered that at least for myself 8Nm is too low for a convincing DD. The effects were perfectly fine, but the ability to hold at the stops was so weak and mushy I kept blowing past them and losing track of the wheel position in VR. Thought it would have been enough cause my CSW2.5 has rock solid softlock but I guess a lot of it's strength to hold comes from the system of belt and pulley mechanical advantage.

At 12.5/13Nm however I find it's enough but any softer for me personally is a nonstarter because it led to me crashing my car a lot (rally driving) in ways I normally don't.

SGETI · Oct 26, 2022

I bought the Simagic Alpha Mini couple months ago primarily because of their GTC Cup wheel which is 330mm, my sweet spot. You may like blondes, I prefer brunettes, both of us are correct. Came from T300rs , plenty of FFB in this simagic for me at 90% wheel and adjust in game FFB per car. None of that macho shitz 20+Nm and 100% FFB in a GT3 for this old guy.