Best Sim Racing Pedals

Potentiometer, Hall sensor, load cell or hydraulic

A potentiometer or Hall sensor measures how far the pedal travels. Fanatec's CSL Pedals use contactless Hall sensors on throttle and brake, and the Moza SR-P Lite clutch uses a Hall sensor. A load cell measures how hard you press. Because it reacts to pressure, like a real car's brake, a load cell makes it easier to repeat the same brake pressure lap after lap.

Hydraulic and pneumatic brakes use a fluid or air damper to shape the feel. They cost more and appear in this guide only as add-ons, such as the hydraulic options Simagic sells for the P1000.

Whether to upgrade pedals before the wheel base is a common debate. Long-running GTPlanet threads lean towards pedals first, but plenty of people learn happily on basic pedals, so it depends on your budget and what bothers you most. Our sim racing setup guide covers upgrade order.

Brake force in kg

Pages list the load cell range. Logitech's RS Pedals list 75 kg, Moza's SRP2 and Thrustmaster's T-LCM list 100 kg, and Moza's CRP2 lists 200 kg. Fanatec's CSL Pedals LC page gives only a sensitivity setting of about 10 kg minimum.

That number is the sensor's range. It is not the force you will use, and most drivers use well under the maximum. Springs and elastomers set how the pedal feels across that range, so a higher rating mainly gives you more room to tune.

Mounting: a load cell needs something solid

Load cell pedals need a rig, a seat or a very solid stand. Without a fixed mount the pedals and your chair move when you brake, and your braking becomes less consistent. This is the most common reason a load cell set disappoints.

Check the hole pattern before you buy. Pedal sets and pedal plates use different patterns, and some combinations need an adapter plate or new holes drilled. The CRP2's vertical layout in particular does not suit every plate.

How pedals connect: USB, base or both

Moza's SRP2 and CRP2 connect to a PC by USB, per Moza's FAQ, so on PC they work with any base. Consoles are different. Thrustmaster's support page says the T-LCM connects to a console only through the base's RJ12 cable. Fanatec says its CSL Pedals work on consoles only when connected through a Fanatec wheel base.

Logitech's page does not say how RS Pedals connect. Logitech's Racing Adapter ($39.99) lets older G25, G27, G29, G920 and G923 pedals work with an RS50 base. Check that a set works with your base before you buy it.

Do you need a clutch?

You need a clutch only for manual cars with an H-pattern shifter or for rally games that use one. Moza's SRP2 clutch is $45.90 and the CRP2 clutch is $99. Logitech sells the RS Clutch Module for $44.99. Thrustmaster's T-LCM page lists a 3-pedal set. Fanatec's CSL Pedals LC page lists clutch and throttle Hall sensors with a load cell brake.

Clutches are sold to match a pedal set, so buy the clutch made for the set you own rather than one from an older Moza range.

Brands owners name that are not picks

Simsonn, Simnet and Simjack also make lower-priced load cell pedals with a lot of adjustment. We could not confirm their US availability or prices, so they are not picks. Heusinkveld shows the Sprint 3-pedal set at 539 euros on its own site, not in dollars, so we left it out.