The Thrustmaster T150 is one of the best sim racing wheels in the gaming arena. It’s popular not just because it’s from Thrustmaster but because it packs a punch of awesome features at a pocket-friendly price.
Despite its wide-spanning popularity, the Thrustmaster T150 can sometimes prove problematic to pair with a PC. If you’re here because your PC isn’t recognizing this wheel, you’re in good company because discussed herein are various ways to fix Thrustmaster T150 not working on PC.
Five Methods to Fix Thrustmaster T150 Not Working on PC
There’s nothing as frustrating as excitedly setting up your racing wheel to your PC only to realize it’s not working. Before you smash it to pieces in frustration, here are a few hacks you could try to fix Thrustmaster T150 not working on PC:
- Set the Wheel to the Correct Mode
If this is the first time you’re using a sim racing steering wheel to elevate your gaming experience, and you can’t get the Thrustmaster T150 to work with your PC, then it’s probably not set to the right mode. So, before you let the problem go over your head, check to see if the Thrustmaster T150 is set to the right mode. If it’s not, slide the USB switch to the PS3 position.
- Update Thrustmaster T150 Drivers
As with any other sim racing wheel manufacturer, Thrustmasters regularly updates drivers and firmware for all its products.
So if you have been using your Thrustmaster T150 with PC for a while and it suddenly does not detect the racing wheel even after you try the trick above, you should consider updating your drivers.
You can find and install these updates right from the company’s official website. Follow the steps below to download the latest Thrustmaster T150 drivers and firmware:
- Head over to Thrustmaster’s official page and hover your mouse cursor over the “SUPPORT” tab at the top of the page
- Click “DOWNLOAD” on the drop-down list that appears
- Click the “ Racing Wheels” tab on the top left corner
- Choose “Thrustmaster T150” on the options that appear
- Click “Drivers” to reveal the download option for Thrustmaster T150 drivers and firmware
- Click download to install the updates
Driver updates usually come with security tweaks and performance enhancement features that enable the racing wheel to better communicate with your PC. In that light, updating drivers and firmware should fix the problem but if not, try the hack discussed next.
- Try Bootloader Shortcut Method
To use this method, first switch to PS4. Next, try connecting the Thrustmaster T150 racing wheel to your PC in bootloader mode by simultaneously pressing the L3 and R3 buttons while you plug it in.
Switch to PS3 once again and disconnect it again.
Now, connect the wheel as you normally do and check to see if it has been detected by heading over to Start> All Programs> Thrustmaster>FFB Racing Wheel> Control Panel. The wheel appears as the Thrustmaster T150 instead of the usual Thrustmaster FFB Racing wheel.
If this doesn’t work, then you should try out the entire Thrustmaster Bootloader method, as explained below.
- Reset Wheel Firmware Using Bootloader Method
You may install the latest drivers, but if your Thrustmaster T150 has firmware issues, it will still not work with the PC. So, if the above trick proves unsuccessful, you should try restoring the wheel’s firmware to default.
An easy way to do this is through the bootloader method. It will eliminate any existing software issues your Thrustmaster T150 may have, and at the same time, ensure it’s running on the most efficient firmware version. Here’s how to reset the Thrustmaster T150’s firmware using the bootloader method:
Before Computer Restart
- Install Thrustmaster T150 drivers if you haven’t done so yet. Avoid connecting the wheel to the PC unless requested. Instead, connect the Thrustmaster T150 directly to your PC’s USB port. Also, don’t click on any Windows that might appear during installation.
- Restart your PC
Also, note you don’t have to go through the steps highlighted above if you have already installed Thrustmaster drivers.
After Restart
- Unplug racing wheel USB from PC
- Simultaneously press L3 and R3 buttons, and while still pressing them, reconnect the USB plug with the PC again
- Release L3 and R3 buttons after connecting USB plug to PC
Note: if done right, a dialogue box with the message “installing device driver software” will appear on the lower right corner of your computer screen. Don’t do anything until the second message showing the driver software has been installed successfully appears. During this time, the Thrustmaster T150’s auto-calibration procedure and the MODE LED will also be off, and that’s normal.
- After successful driver installation, click Start> all programs> Thrustmaster> FB racing wheel.
- Click “Firmware update,” and a dialogue box with the label “Thrustmaster Firmware updater” will appear on the screen.
Note: The device and firmware fields on the dialogue box should give you more information on the details of the firmware that’ll apply once the reset is complete. If nothing appears in these fields, try connecting the Thrustmaster’s T150 USB plug into another port and repeat this procedure from the beginning. You could also try running it on another PC to see if it’ll work.
- Click “OK” to update Thrustmaster T150 firmware. Avoid disconnecting the wheel from the port or the power adapter during the update.
- Once the update is 100% complete, click “OK” to return to the main window and the X button to exit the program. The wheel will run the auto-calibration procedure, and the mode LED will light up again to signify the update is complete.
Your PC should recognize the Thrustmaster T150 wheel once you’ve completed the steps. Go to Start> All Programs> Thrustmaster>FFB Racing Wheel> Control Panel> Properties to test the wheel. Do the following:
- Click on “Test input” to test the wheel, the buttons, the D-pad, and configure the rotation angle.
- Click “Test forces” to test the twelve force effects
- Click “gain settings” to configure force feedback
- Click “OK” to save and exit
This method should fix the Thrustmaster T150 not working with PC because it equips your steering wheel with the latest firmware and fixes any existent software issues. After this step, you can choose to either start racing right away or calibrate your steering wheel.
- Optimize Windows for PC Gaming
Sometimes the problem is not the Thrustmaster T150 racing wheel but your PC. For instance, Windows may send driver and firmware updates that interfere with existing gaming software and settings. So, if you’ve tried all the above hacks and your Thrustmaster T150 is still not working with a PC, consider optimizing Windows for PC gaming.
To optimize Windows for the Thrustmaster T150 racing wheel and other gaming hardware, start by activating the built-in game mode. It allocates more of your PC’s memory to the game in question, consequently limiting power-hungry background processes and applications.
This mode also prevents Windows from automatically installing driver updates or displaying restart notifications while you game. This mode is usually on by default in recent versions of Windows 10. If you’re using previous versions of Windows, or want to confirm if it’s on, go to “settings> gaming> game mode” to switch it on.
Besides turning game mode on, here are other ways to optimize Windows for PC gaming, so it detects not only the Thrustmaster T150 racing wheel but also other gaming hardware:
- Update your GPU
- Improve your Wi-Fi or connect Ethernet
- Check for pre-installed software that might be interfering with the wheel’s connectivity
If the problem remains even after you try all the above, consider contacting Thrustmaster’s technical support for more solutions on how to fix Thrustmaster T150 not working with PC.
Last Updated on April 26, 2021