Not long ago, Novitas Racing Tech came to me asking if I would like to see their new Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 steer wanted to test and reviewen. This is something I obviously didn't say no to! The Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 is an authentic steering wheel inspired by the beautiful Lamborghini Hurucán GT3 steering wheel, which I personally think is one of the most beautiful steering wheels in modern GT racing. 

I think it's cool that with my platform I can give smaller entrepreneurs a stage and exposure by testing their products, reviewen them and showcase them to the sim racing community by creating cool content. Because I too once started at the beginning and I know how valuable extra reach can be. 

Now, several weeks on, I have tested this steering wheel extensively. In this comprehensive review, I tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful steering wheel and give my unvarnished and completely objective opinion on this steering wheel from Novitas Racing Tech. At the end you will find an exclusive surprise 😉 Are you ready for it? Then read on quickly!

Trending

Simagic Q1S Sequential Shifter Review: Top or Flop?

Who Is Novitas Racing Tech?

Good, Novitas Racing Tech is a name you may not have heard before. Novitas Racing Tech is a small and young company from the Netherlands that has been run since April 2024 by Louran, an enthusiastic and passionate sim racer who makes high-quality and authentic products with his company. Novitas Racing Tech started as a hobby and from a passion.

At the time of writing, the range is still minimal, offering only the Novitas NRT-HC-GT3 and some DIY files and products. Novitas aims to expand the range in the future to include displays, pedals and more. So that bodes well for the future! The company stands out because all products are handmade and made from the best quality and materials. Time to take a closer look at this authentic handlebar and describe all its features and details.

Packaging and Content

Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3

The Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 is an advanced sim racing wheel designed by Novitas Racing Tech. The NRT-HC-GT3 is designed as an accurate replica of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 steering wheel. The wheel costs €736.95 including VAT, putting it in the mid-range segment.

With its robust aluminium frame finished in black anodised coating, this handlebar exudes style, authenticity as well as sturdiness. The integrated hub and gear shifters, also with black anodisation, give it a sleek and professional look. 

The wheel features a 5mm thick carbon front plate and 4mm thick gear shifters, adding to its durability and performance. The gear shifters are equipped with ball bearings, ensuring smoother operation and a more realistic racing experience. Love an authentic replica steering wheel? With USB compatibility for PC, the NRT-HC-GT3 is an essential addition for any enthusiast striving for realism.

Top Pick

Specifications

• Diameter: 300 mm, height: 182 mm, grip thickness: 34 mm
• Black anodised aluminium rear plate and gearshift paddles
• 5 mm matt carbon fibre front panel
• Suede grips, black resin button guard and rotary knobs
• 10 Otto P9 push buttons, 3 CTS rotary encoders, 2 switch flippers
• Weipu connector and spiral USB cable

Build quality and design

What immediately struck me about the NRT-HC-GT3, is how sturdy and solid the handlebar feels. With a diameter of 300 mm and 34 mm thick suede grips, the wheel sits well in the hand and the finish is very nice. However, I do experience that the wheel feels a bit hard during longer racing sessions and the suede grips do not provide enough cushioning. When using good sim racing gloves, I experience this much less and the experience is authentic and realistic.

What I personally really like is the open-top design of the Novitas NRT-HC-GT3 steering wheel. The big advantage of an open-top design is that it offers more visibility and space, which improves the focus on racing. Because the top of the steering wheel is missing, you have a clearer view of your dashboard and screens. Of course, this is especially useful for quickly reading information such as speed, lap times or settings. And be honest, it looks great and realistic, doesn't it?

The combination of materials is good. For instance, the front plate and gear shifters are made of 5 mm and 4 mm thick carbon fibre. This creates a solid and premium look, while still keeping the steering wheel light enough. Unfortunately, I find the finish of the carbon gearshift flippers insufficient (on this specimen). The carbon fibre paddles do not have rounded corners, making them quite sharp which can cause you to hurt yourself.

The back plate and gear shifters are made of black anodised aluminium, which not only looks sleek, but also feels quite robust. All in all, the steering wheel exudes quality and the design is not only beautiful, but also super functional. I really appreciate the robust and authentic look-and-feel of this steering wheel! The steering wheel looks realistic, like it comes straight out of a Lamborghini Huracan. And that sense of realism is exactly what I want to experience in sim racing and what makes this wheel so unique and good. 

Ergonomics

The ergonomics of the Novitas NRT-HC-GT3 is excellently designed and, as mentioned earlier, reflects the authentic design of the popular Lamborghini Huracan GT3. With a diameter of 300 mm and 34 mm thick suede grips, the wheel sits comfortably in the hand, giving you a firm and comfortable grip. The wheel's open-top design and good workmanship offers comfort and maximum control during prolonged racing sessions.

The placement of the buttons and rotary encoders is good and all buttons and functionalities are easily accessible. This ensures intuitive operation and quick adjustments during racing. The shift paddles, made of 4 mm thick carbon fibre, feel smooth and responsive and are easy to operate without having to use much force. All in all, this ensures that the wheel not only feels comfortable, but is also functionally perfect for both short and long racing sessions.

Buttons and functionalities

In terms of buttons and functionalities, the Novitas Racing Tech has NRT-HC-GT3 everything you need without making it unnecessarily complicated. There are 10 Otto P9 push buttons on it that are nice and responsive and don't have a millimetre of play. Moreover, the buttons make a pleasant sound and feel nice, which is really nice during racing. The 3 rotary encoders are super handy for quickly adjusting settings, such as your brake balance or TC. The Weipu connector with the spiral USB cable makes connecting a breeze. Everything works smoothly and without fuss, which is exactly what you want while racing. Whereas most handlebars these days feature funky switches and thumb encoders, you're not going to find these features on the Novitas. And that's not a bad thing at all. The amount of buttons and rotary encoders is perfectly balanced on this wheel.

Gear shifters: Solid, but with room for improvement

The gearshift paddles feel firm, respond immediately without delay and produce a good, firm clicking sound. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the shift paddles horizontally. For me personally, they are positioned a bit too far inwards, causing my fingers to sit too much on the edge of the paddles.

I personally don't like the feel of the gearshift paddles. For instance, I find the feel too light, due to the magnets not being powerful enough. This makes the overall shifting experience somewhat disappointing. My preference is simply for heavier magnets that offer a more realistic experience. Too bad! Fortunately, this issue is fairly quick and easy to solve. 

User experience

I have been using and testing the Novitas NRT-HC-GT3 extensively for several weeks now. First of all, this steering wheel puts a smile on my face time and again, so I can't help but conclude that I am very surprised by it. The Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 is a beautiful steering wheel and very solid in build quality and finish. I love the plug-and-play principle; you can race immediately by plugging the wheel into your PC's USB port. So no hassle with firmware updates, third-party software packages and SimHub (dashboard) integrations that often cause problems anyway. Wonderful!

This particular review model already came with decals, so I don't know if new steering wheels also come with decals already or if you can add them yourself. I hope so, as it gives the steering wheel a more personal touch. Labels with 'Drink' for example may be authentic, but in-game I can't do much with this in terms of button-mapping. So in this I would personally like flexibility to personalise the steering wheel to my own preference.

Another minor drawback I found is that the suede handles feel quite stiff and hard. I experience this especially where the inside of my thumb rests on the handles. This is probably because the middle arm is too short, so the edge of the handles rests on the hand bone in my thumb. In prolonged sessions, this causes an irritating feeling in my thumbs. If the middle suede grip had extended a little further towards the torque screw, this little problem might have been solved. However, I realise this is entirely subjective and probably completely negligible for others, or they are not bothered by it at all. But I do think it is worth mentioning.

I am a huge fan of the tough, rugged and authentic look-and-feel of this steering wheel. Racing with this steering wheel makes me feel in my mind as if I were in a real Huracan. I love this level of realism and perhaps masks the shortcomings of this steering wheel. Because I have to admit, there is definitely room for improvement. And that's not a bad thing at all! Constructive feedback is precisely what you need to get the most out of yourself and thereby bring an even better product to market.

Room For Improvement

The room for improvement is mainly in the gearshift paddles. Among other things, these are not horizontally adjustable and are far too light for me in terms of shift feel and force, making the shifting experience sadly underwhelming. I solved this shortcoming myself to my own liking by attaching extra magnets. This makes the magnets more powerful and the shifting experience much better. Is it pretty? No, it certainly isn't. But for now, it is a fine solution. I hope Novitas Racing Tech will fit the NRT-HC-GT3 handlebars with stronger magnets in the future.

The carbon fibre flippers have slightly too sharp edges in my opinion, which I have hurt myself on several occasions. Finally, I find the suede handles where the thumb rests on the hard side. Fortunately, these are fairly simple optimisations that take the product to an even higher level.

Advantages and disadvantages

Now that I have used the Novitas Racing Tech steering wheel intensively for a few weeks, it is time to take stock. What are the pros and cons of this steering wheel? Let's find out!

Conclusion

The Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 is an impressive steering wheel that offers a lot, especially if you are looking for an authentic racing experience. No unnecessary and large amount of LEDs, but an extremely robust and solid steering wheel that reflects reality as accurately as possible. Knowing that this steering wheel is Novitas Racing Tech's first product promises a lot for the future. With a score of 3.9/5.0 the Novitas NRT-HC-GT3 is simply a good quality handlebar. Especially at this price.

The design, inspired by the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 steering wheel, provides a realistic feel behind the wheel and high-quality materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium contribute to its solid build quality. The ergonomics of the wheel are good with all buttons and encoders easily accessible. The suede grips sometimes feel a little uncomfortable on the thumb during longer sessions, although when using sim racing gloves no problem due to some extra damping. The open-top design is a great advantage and offers extra visibility of your dashboard, increasing your focus on racing.

While there are some areas for improvement, such as the light gearshift paddles and the lack of horizontal adjustment, these are relatively easy to adjust for future models. At the price of €736.95, this wheel is in the mid-segment and at least offers value for money. Its plug-and-play nature makes it easy to use without complicated installations or software.

In short, if you are looking for a robust, authentic and user-friendly wheel for your sim racing setup then the Novitas Racing Tech NRT-HC-GT3 a very good choice! Especially considering the still small areas for improvement.

Are you interested in this steering wheel after reading this review? Then you will receive the exclusive discount voucher below no less than € 75 discount on your purchase! That's a great deal, right? You'll pay €661 for this wheel, which is a very competitive price for a wheel of this quality.