While many sim racers often focus a lot of their attention on wheel bases and steering wheels, one aspect that sometimes will only later be taken in consideration when creating a setup is the choice of pedals. But they are just as, if not more important, when trying to get up to speed on track and improving your lap times.
Why are pedals so important?
Just like with steering, accelerating and especially braking can make a world of a difference when going for faster times. Being able to finely modulate and thus perfect your inputs is crucial for getting the best performance out of your car and yourself. The CSL Pedals offer an excellent entry point for beginners but are also suited for intermediate and advanced racers. They offer precision hall effect sensors - a contactless system which will not wear over time and give you consistent performance. They are highly adjustable, meaning you can set them up perfectly for your needs and best comfort. If you do not have a Fanatec wheel base, CSL Pedals can also be connected directly to PC using the ClubSport USB Adapter.
What advantages does the Load Cell Kit offer?
The CSL Pedals can be upgraded with the CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit. This kit will replace your pedals’ old brake, which can then be used as a clutch on your existing CSL Pedals.
You can also remove the old brake pedal completely and have a two-pedal setup – ideal for disciplines like Formula racing. With the Load Cell Kit, you will be able to directly connect your pedals to PC via USB without the need for a separate USB adapter.
Using the Load Cell Kit, your input will be measured by the pressure applied – as opposed to travel or distance on the regular brake. This has several advantages. The feeling while braking will be much more realistic and better simulate a real car. Most importantly, applying pressure instead of travel on the brake will create muscle memory over time – making it easier to apply the right amount of braking force, leading to more consistency.
Using a load cell brake can feel a bit “daunting” at first, especially when coming from brake systems that measure pedal travel rather than pressure. Load cells can be quite stiff in comparison, so the travel you feel will be significantly less. However, experience shows that racers can quickly adapt and be able to improve their car control.
If you cannot reach 100% pedal input on the Load Cell Kit with the default settings, or want to put more force into it, you can freely adjust the pressure it takes in the Fanatec Control Panel or your steering wheel’s Tuning Menu with the “Brake Force” setting (note: adjustment via the steering wheel Tuning Menu requires your pedals to be connected to a Fanatec wheel base using the RJ12 connection).
The Load Cell Kit is also available as part of a bundle.
What other pedals with a load cell brake are there?
Besides the CSL Pedals LC, all other Fanatec pedal sets also feature load cell brakes and magnetic hall effect sensors.
The CSL Elite Pedals V2 come as a three-pedal set with similar customizability as the CSL Pedals. Additionally, you can adjust the firmness of the brake pedal with the included elastomer springs. The tool-free stack also incorporates a coil spring to mimic the initial movement of the brake pad.
The ClubSport Pedals V3 and V3 Inverted are the highest tier available right now. Being highly adjustable, they can even be upgraded later on with the ClubSport Pedals Brake Performance Kit and ClubSport Pedals V3 Damper Kit.
If you want to know more about sim racing braking techniques in general, you can read about it here.
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