Cammus C5 review: the cheapest all-in-one direct drive
Researched overview Manufacturer listings and owner reports, with no hands-on testing.
The Cammus C5 holds 5Nm of torque and peaks at 7Nm from a direct-drive motor built into the back of the wheel itself. There is no separate base: the motor, the electronics, and a fixed 280mm rim are one unit that clamps to a desk in the footprint of a wheel. That makes it the smallest and cheapest true direct drive you can buy, starting around $249 for the wheel and base alone. The trade is that nothing comes apart: no rim swap, no quick release, no add-ons.
| Drive type | Direct drive, motor integrated into the wheel (all-in-one) |
|---|---|
| Peak torque | 7Nm peak (5Nm holding) |
| Price | ~$249 wheel + base; ~$299-328 bundle (+ CP5 pedals + clamp); ~$399 e-Pedal bundle; often ~$260 on sale |
| Platforms | PC. Cammus's compatibility list covers PC games and names no console; the listing states no port |
| Quick release | None. Fixed 280mm wheel, no rim swap or add-ons |
| Software | Cloud/app-based FFB config; 19V supply with turbo-blower cooling |
| Best for | The tightest budget or smallest desk that still wants real direct drive |
Who it’s for
Section titled “Who it’s for”Real direct drive for the smallest desk or the tightest budget, as one self-contained unit.
Buy it if:
- Budget or desk space is your hard limit and you still want genuine direct drive.
- You want it small and portable. The motor lives in the wheel, so it mounts with T-shaped flanges in the footprint of a wheel, with no base box on the desk, and packs away between sessions.
- You want a complete bundle cheap: wheel, CP5 two-pedal set, and a clamp for around $300.
Not the one if you’ll ever want to swap rims, add accessories, or run a console, since the C5 is a closed unit you replace whole and Cammus states no console support; for a path forward see the Moza R3 or Moza R5.
What it’s like to drive
Section titled “What it’s like to drive”The jump off gears. 5Nm holding and 7Nm peak is real direct drive, and the jump off a gear or belt wheel is the one you feel most. Kerbs and the front tire scrubbing come through with detail a G29 smears away.
Cooling does the work. The small motor needs help to hold that torque, so a 19V supply and a turbo-blower fan keep it cool under load. FFB is configured through Cammus’s cloud/app tool, and the C5 runs Assetto Corsa, ACC, iRacing, rFactor, F1, Dirt, and the rest of the PC field.
Where to set it. Set the torque near its ceiling and trim in-game gain to avoid clipping. The per-base FFB guide covers the approach.
Watch-outs
Section titled “Watch-outs”- It’s a closed unit. The 280mm wheel is fixed: no rim swap, no quick release, no add-ons. Nothing detaches, so you replace the whole C5 rather than upgrading a part. That makes the total cost of growing past it higher than it looks.
- The CP5 pedals are basic. The bundled set is a potentiometer two-pedal unit with no load-cell brake, so you brake by position, not pressure. A load-cell pedal set is the upgrade that matters most.
- No stated console support. Cammus’s compatibility list covers PC games and names no console, and the listing carries no console license, so plan on PC.
- A smaller brand behind a sealed unit. Cammus sells through a shorter retailer list than Moza or Fanatec, and nothing on the C5 comes apart, so a warranty claim covers the whole wheel rather than a part of it.
Alternatives to consider
Section titled “Alternatives to consider”- Moza R3: a real upgradeable ecosystem with interchangeable rims and an Xbox option, for a little more money.
- Moza R5: a $599 bundle you can upgrade piece by piece, keeping the wheel and pedals when you swap the base.
- Fanatec CSL DD: 5Nm with a Boost Kit path to 8Nm and a full rim ecosystem, if you want headroom.
Because the C5 can’t be upgraded inside itself, plan the spend as a complete unit you’ll replace whole. See the buying guide by budget for where it sits and what the next step up costs.
Which platforms it works on
- PC
- Yes“RACING FORCE FEEDBACK COMPATIBILITY LIST” “GAMES FOR PC” CAMMUS’s own listing, checked July 2026.
- PlayStation
- Listing does not say
- Xbox
- Listing does not say
- Console license
- Not recorded
- How it connects
- Listing does not sayRead for a port, a cable in a box list, and an operating system under system requirements, and the listing prints none of the three. What it does describe is the mount: "The C5 steering wheel includes two T-shaped base flanges ( size : 124mm*15mm*64mm ) to mount to the CS5 desktop clamp or optionally hard mount directly to frame without desktop clamp", which answers how it fixes to a desk and not how it reaches a machine.
Both quoted lines are text inside the compatibility image on the C5's own product listing, transcribed from the image rather than from the page source, which is why no page text supports them. The list is headed with Cammus's own brand and covers its range rather than the C5 alone, so it says these titles run on a Cammus force-feedback wheel and states nothing specific to this model. Cammus prints no specification table for the C5 on any of the three pages, so there is no operating-system line, no port, and no console line to read beside it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Cammus C5 work on PS5 or Xbox?
Cammus does not say. Its compatibility list for the C5 covers PC games and names no console, and its listing states no console license and no port, so nothing the manufacturer publishes supports a PS5 or Xbox. Buy it as a PC wheel. If you need a console-legal direct drive, look at the Fanatec GT DD Pro or Thrustmaster T598 for PlayStation, or the Moza R3 for Xbox.
Can you change the wheel on the Cammus C5?
No. The motor is built into the back of a fixed 280mm wheel, so there's no quick release, no rim swap, and no add-ons. The C5 is an all-in-one unit. When you outgrow it you replace the whole thing rather than upgrading a part, which is the main reason to weigh an upgradeable ecosystem like Moza instead.
Is the Cammus C5 real direct drive?
Yes. It holds 5Nm and peaks at 7Nm from a direct-drive motor bolted straight to the wheel, with no belt or gears between motor and rim. A 19V supply and a turbo-blower fan keep the small motor cool enough to hold torque. It's the cheapest and smallest genuine direct drive on the market.
Cammus C5 or Moza R3?
The C5 is cheaper and smaller; the Moza R3 is a real ecosystem you can grow. The R3 takes interchangeable rims, adds an Xbox option, and lets you keep the wheel and pedals when you upgrade the base. Buy the C5 if budget or desk space is the hard limit and you accept replacing it whole; buy the R3 if you want a path forward.