Sim racing pedals: load cell, hydraulic or active brake
Sim racing pedals differ mainly in how the brake builds resistance: springs or elastomers read by a load cell, a hydraulic cylinder, or a motor that replaces both in an active pedal.
We carry Simucube, Heusinkveld, Simagic and Sim-Lab pedals, all for Windows PC.
Choose the brake first
Active brake
A motor creates the pedal force. In Simucube Tuner you set the force curve, travel and preload per car, so one pedal can feel like a GT or a formula brake.
In games that send telemetry you feel ABS, traction control, RPM, G-force and brake lockup in your foot.
Limit: the Pro needs a Simucube Link Hub, sold separately, and one power supply per pedal.
Load cell
A load cell reads how hard you press, and the feel is tuned mechanically on the pedal.
Limit: the Sprint has no brake damper, and Heusinkveld wants all its pedals on a very rigid base.
Hydraulic brake
The brake works through a hydraulic system, with a load cell measuring the force.
- Simagic P2000: two-pump hydraulic brake. A lower force level gives a lower maximum force and a shorter pedal travel.
- Simagic P1000: a load cell set you can upgrade with the P-HYS hydraulic brake, which Simagic designed for the damping and rebound of a real car brake.
Limit: ABS and traction control feedback needs the separate Simagic P-HPR haptic reactor with its own power supply, and it works only with Simagic pedals.
Which one fits you
- You drive many different cars and want the brake to change with each one, with ABS felt in the pedal - in iRacing too: Simucube ActivePedal Pro.
- You want more force, a longer pedal travel and an arm you can adjust for Formula or Le Mans seating: Simucube ActivePedal Ultimate.
- You want a hydraulic brake: Simagic P2000, or the P1000 now and P-HYS later.
- You want a mechanical brake you tune with stiffness and damping, up to 140 kg: Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Ultimate+.
Brake force by model
A load cell's capacity is not the force at the pedal: Heusinkveld's 200 kg cell gives 140 kg at the Ultimate+ pedal. Simagic states only the sensor capacity of the P1000 and P2000.
More on how load cell, hydraulic and active brakes differ.
Questions before you order
Do sim racing pedals work on PS5 or Xbox?
No, everything we sell is for Windows PC.
Do load cell and active pedals need a stiff cockpit?
Yes, load cell and active sim racing pedals need a rigid mount.
Heusinkveld says its pedals must sit on a very rigid base and the Sprint always needs a full frame rig, even with its baseplate. Simucube names thin or flexible rigs as the worst base for the ActivePedal.
Which pedals give ABS feedback in the brake?
The Simucube ActivePedal Pro and Ultimate create ABS, traction control, RPM, G-force and lockup effects with the pedal motor, as far as the game sends telemetry.
ACC, AC, AC EVO, AMS2, Le Mans Ultimate, rFactor 2 and RaceRoom support all five. iRacing supports ABS, RPM and G-force.
Simagic P1000 and P2000 get ABS and traction control as haptic feedback from the separate P-HPR reactor.
Can I keep my throttle with a Simucube ActivePedal?
Yes. The Simucube ActivePedal Pro and Ultimate have two inputs for passive pedals.
Heusinkveld Sprint, Ultimate and Ultimate+ pedals connect through the Simucube ActivePedal Connector for Heusinkveld Sim Pedals. Other USB pedals work as usual. The Simucube Co-Pedal connects directly and is set up in Simucube Tuner.
Can I add a clutch later?
Yes. Heusinkveld sells the Sprint clutch and the Ultimate+ clutch on their own, and the Sim-Lab XP1 comes as a clutch-only pedal too.
With a Simucube ActivePedal, a second Co-Pedal works as the clutch.
Can the pedals be mounted upside down?
The Simucube ActivePedal Ultimate supports inverted mounting. Simucube lists the ActivePedal Pro for standard mounting.
