Should You Consider the Asetek La Prima Wheelbase?!
This is the Asetek Sim Sports La Prima direct drive wheelbase—why was it named "the cousin" in Spanish? I'm not sure. But what I can tell you is that at $750, this entry-level wheelbase from Asetek comes with anything but an entry-level price tag…
Outfitted with a fully aluminum body, 12nm of torque, and several impressive specs, today I'll be sharing my thoughts on the Asetek Sim Sports La Prima wheelbase. I'll cover all the good, the bad, and discuss if it's a worthy contender in the highly competitive direct-drive market. And if you do decide to pull the trigger on this or any other Asetek Sim Sports product, note that using the code OCRacing at checkout will get you 5% off.
Sent over by Asetek for review literally months ago, I've been using the La Prima wheelbase on and off for quite some time. This extended period has given me ample opportunity to understand how it stacks up against competitors like Simagic, Moza, and Fanatec wheelbases, all of which boast similar torque specifications. Before delving into its in-game feel and performance, let's first discuss its specifications and features.
Specs & Features
At just under 12 inches in length and 5 inches in height, the La Prima wheelbase is a sizable direct-drive unit, especially when compared to the recent trend towards smaller cubes. Weighing in at just under 20 pounds, it's definitely not light, making desk mounting something I wouldn't recommend. Similarly, I wouldn't advise using this wheelbase with PlayStation or Xbox consoles, as it's not compatible.
Constructed from entirely anodized extruded aluminum, the design may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but it's undeniably functional. It features bottom mounting facilitated by slidable T-nuts, with both side and front mounting options available, albeit with a few extra steps. One improvement I'd like to see is the inclusion of T-nuts with a ball spring instead of the current ones, which tend to slide all over the place, making mounting quite tedious. Roll-in Ball Spring T-Nuts would allow for easy placement while preventing constant movement when you're trying to align them to your wheel plate upside down.
Behind the wheelbase, you'll find all the connection ports where you will plug in the 2-meter-long USB-A to Type C cable, the on and off button, which, interestingly enough, is a separate thing, the emergency off button if you buy one separately, and of course, the power supply. I was pleasantly surprised to see it comes with US, UK, and EU cables. Not too sure why they include all three instead of making users choose which one they want upon checkout, but it's nice to see, albeit you are the one paying for all three. Finally, upfront, you’ll see the unique quick release system used by Asetek, which I’ll talk more about soon.
On the software side of things, Asetek has developed its own in-house program called RaceHub, which is pretty great. With the exception of it giving me problems updating the firmware of my Asetek pedals, which I'm still trying to figure out and is actually really annoying, the software for the wheelbase side of things has been flawless. I found the included presets to be strikingly good, albeit if you do want to configure your own, lots of customization is available here.
As opposed to the Forte and Invicta wheelbases that are the higher-end versions of this, the La Prima wheelbase outputs a max 12nm of force as opposed to the 18 and 27nm of the others. As you would imagine, it comes with a smaller 180W power supply, unlike the 400W power supply found in the others, and most noticeable of all, doesn’t come with the integrated RGB strips on the wheelbase as the others do. Regardless of all that, the $750 La Prima wheelbase still packs a significant punch, so let’s take it out on track and talk about its in-game performance.
In-Game Performance
Used mainly on iRacing, I’m just going to make it as simple as possible: this thing genuinely feels great. At 12nm of torque, it won’t be the strongest offered by Asetek, but it's certainly more than enough for most, and most certainly enough for me.
Apart from its strong torque capabilities, the 22-bit encoder gives a resolution of over 4 million steps per rotation, making the wheel extremely responsive and pinpoint accurate. One thing I can confidently say about the performance of this wheelbase, something I can't say about many others, is that apart from being extremely responsive and quick to react, the road textures and effects I feel when going over bumps, kerbs, or even just going flat out on the road feel very pronounced and realistic. There was never any point where the wheel felt dull or anything of that sort; it always felt like I was genuinely planted in the car, feeling those same effects which I would expect in the real world.
Overall, with the Asetek La Prima wheelbase, I feel very connected to the car and have all the force I could want. As for the quick release, it works well and zero flex is felt on the wheel rim. Asetek uses its own in-house quick release system, but with a special adapter, you will be able to use third-party rims on this base. With the exposed push pins on the wheelbase that connect directly with the wheel, reliability is a concern, as in fact, when I first received this base for review, it came with a damaged pin making the entire unit have to be sent back for repairs.
Other than that, though, I can confidently state that the driving feel, dynamics, and capabilities of this wheelbase are seriously impressive, and a top contender in the mid-range wheelbase market. Its $750 price tag is competitive, but being fairly new to the market, Asetek doesn’t have a wide range of wheel rims as others in this segment do. If you want to hear my thoughts on this Asetek La Prima wheel, feel free to watch my dedicated review on that over here and stay tuned for my review on the La Prima pedals coming out soon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Asetek Sim Sports La Prima wheelbase establishes itself as a formidable and impressive contender in the mid-range direct-drive market. Despite being the entry-level unit, the La Prima still delivers strong performance, high torque capabilities, and highly responsive and accurate on-track details. Its unique quick-release system and the inclusion of all necessary power cables are commendable features, although the exposed push pins might raise some reliability concerns.
Priced at $750, it competes well against its rivals, offering an immersive driving experience, albeit with a narrower selection of compatible wheel rims. For sim racers in search of a solid mid-range option that excels in force and fidelity, the Asetek La Prima is definitely worth considering. Based on my experience, I can confidently recommend it.
OC Score
