This is one of those products I have wanted to get my hands on for some time now. Luckily for me the man in the red coat with the white beard slipped down the chimney and left one for me under our tree.
I’ll be brief with this post as I intend to review this product along with the advanced paddle module in detail at a later date after giving both products enough time for my opinion to carry some credibility.
In short the Fanatec Podium hub is an upgraded version of the Clubsport quick release system. The Podium hub also attaches via the familiar Fanatec clubsport quick release system but comes packed with a fair few upgrades. Most notibily for me is the wheel attachment which accepts 3rd party after market rims with a bolt spacing of 6x70mm or 3x50mm bolt pattern. This in turn allows the majority of wheels you see bolted to race cars to suddenly become a possible rim to use for sim racing. But how do I change gear I hear you ask? Well fortunately the Podium hub has a removable cover to allow access to some plugs, for attaching the wiring of the Podium advanced paddle module. There are also another two plugs for attaching 2 sets of button clusters along with a dataport – C connector for attaching the newly added ‘Podium Button Module Endurance’ which can be seen on the Porsche wheel.
Out of the box my attention was quickly drawn to the Gold monocoque frame of the hub. Not one for gold usually, but I must say I’ve been very drawn to it and it certainly doesnt appear out of place. The Hub is heavy but not as heavy as I expected but this doesnt remove any of its premium feel, I put this weight saving down to the hollow monocoque hub design. I have since attached the Advanced Podium Paddle Module to the hub along with a 320mm Motamec flat 3spoke round rim. I will return with a part 2 and share any findings that I may or maynot come across.
Average Sim Racer 