Are Fanatec pedals that much better than Thrustmaster?

  • Thread starter MITchip
  • 14 comments
  • 16,488 views

Which wheel/pedal set should I buy?

  • T300 Ferrari Alcantara with TP3 & conical brake mod

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • CSL Elite with Elite pedals & load cell brake

    Votes: 20 100.0%
  • Total voters
    20
M

MITchip

2
United States
United States
I'm getting ready to move from controller to a full rig. I'm going to be using this as an enthusiast, not as a hard core racer (for starters anyway), so I'm looking for a setup that I will be happy with for several years without any major component swaps. After a week of research I thought I was going to get the T300 Ferrari Alcantara edition that comes with the T3P (not pro) pedals and then add the conical brake mod. Now, after another week I feel like everything I read about the Fanatec Pedals with the load cell brake is that they are in a class all by themselves around that price point. Are they really that much better that I should just pay up for the Fanatec CSL Elite, pedals and load cell brake? I'd be grateful for input from anyone who has used both wheel/pedal sets.
 
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Yes, yes and yes.

There is a pretty big gap between the quality and performance of TM pedals and TM wheels. It's kind baffling TBH. They have had years to make a loadcell brake and for whatever reason have chosen not to.

Fanatec is definitely a step up in price, but IMO it is worth it. I went from a G27 to a CSW V1 (now V2) and CSPV2 and IMO, I didn't really "need" the V1 base. It felt better, and the increased force was "fun" but it didn't really make me "faster". The CSP V2s on the other hand100% improved my driving. You can feel the difference between 100% and 80% or 10% and 20% brake application.

I have owned my CSP V2s since release. It's a long term investment.
 
I have a set of CSL Elites at home that I need to add to my cockpit at some point. But I have the CSR Elites and they are sublime. I've tried the T3PA pedals with the conical brake mod and there's just simply no comparing them. It's like comparing me to Michael Jordan, sure I can play basketball but I'm nothing compared to Jordan (neither is LeBron - oh snap!).


Jerome
 
I've recently went from T500RS pedals to a set of CSP V3s. I was pretty ok with the T500RS and I've had the basherboard mod done for a long time and I have tried it with different bushings also. In the end I have some additional budget and with products like Drivehub making cross platform use easier I bit the bullet and bought the CSP. I have to say it has been pretty good. I like that not only it is loadcell but with the brake performance kit and the adjustable preload you can tailor the feel between travel and stiffness pretty well. I am also surprised by how much more control I have with a throttle pedal with more travel(TM pedal's travel is still pretty short). The CSP's clutch isn't that special as they made it out to be.

I am not a fan of the serviceability of the pedal though as it is kinda fiddly to replace pedal faces and it does need some relubing to prevent from squealing after a while. It also seems CSL Elite pedals are just better designed from a product stand point and I might have gone that route given the choice again.
 
Haven't checked prices lately but I remember the T3PAs being $150 and at that price you look at it as "Well, things are getting expensive these days" Whereas the Fanatec pedals, while they're $50-150 more your impression is "Wow, how can these cost so little?"

RacingManiac
It also seems CSL Elite pedals are just better designed from a product stand point and I might have gone that route given the choice again.
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Interesting, never really heard that before (other than the ability to move the pedals laterally), how do you figure?
 
For what its worth, I have a basic set of Fanatec's CSR Pedals. They do not come with a load cell, and they are known for having issues with dirty potentiometers sending erratic signals to the wheel/sim. I had to buy a pedal filter from Basher Boards to fix that problem. Since doing that, the pedals have been performed exceptionally well.

A few years back, I considered ditching the CSR setup for a Thrustmaster TX, but even when I considered the T3PA Wides as a replacement set of pedals, I just couldn't justify the switch. With out the Loadcell, the CSRs are very adjustable. I've ran with a pretty stiff brake pedal, and using it feels like I am judging my braking by how hard I step on the pedal. That's one of the reasons I don't see the T3PAs as a good replacement. Granted the conical mod does do the same thing, but the rest of the kit is so blah. Also I have the pedals set to where heel and toe is effortless. With the pedals being full size (even larger than the pedals in my WRX) I am comfortable when using them. I don't think I'll find the T3PAs as comfortable.

Granted, I haven't used the T3PA pedals, and I am going off of looks alone here, but I just don't see them as appealing at all.
 
AbeFroman75
Interesting, never really heard that before (other than the ability to move the pedals laterally), how do you figure?
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CSP feels fiddly. It looks cool, but to adjust things like installing those pedal faces or change the stiffness of the brake performance kit or something isn't easy or simple. Requires unscrewing many things and generally tool access isn't great. CSL looks like with their stack of spacers is actually pretty easy to make big changes fast. There are also a lot of wires just hanging around exposed.
 
Fanatec produces much better products.
I still have a CSR Elite from 2011 that works.
Compare that to an 8 month old T150 that is already showing signs of imminent failure.

I do have a side question....

I have a set of T3PA pedals. I'm looking at buying a CSL Elite, can I use them all together on the PS4?
 
Have you considered the T3PA Pro's?

I replaced my old T3PAs with a set of Pros and it was well worth it, as the difference in construction between the standard and Pro's is massive.
 
Fanatec pedals with a loadcell brake are a definite upgrade from anything TM makes. I've got a set of CSR Elites that are over 5 years old and are still going strong. I wouldn't trade them for any of the TM sets.
 
They are more expensive but do yourself a favore. Buy Fanatec pedals either the V3 or the CSL with the loadcell brake. In racing game the biggest benefit are from the braking and with the Fanatec pedals you will be more consistent. Plus they have long durability and they are well made. Can't go back to Thrustmaster anymore after I bought the V3
 
Corsa
Fanatec produces much better products.
I still have a CSR Elite from 2011 that works.
Compare that to an 8 month old T150 that is already showing signs of imminent failure.

I do have a side question....

I have a set of T3PA pedals. I'm looking at buying a CSL Elite, can I use them all together on the PS4?
Click to expand...

I wonder if this could happen using a DriveHub adapter?
 
I am still using my CSR Elite wheel from 2011 and my original Club Sport V1 pedals. A few of my friends have the CSR Elite pedals also from 2011/2012 none have reported any issues with them in the 5-6 years they have been using them. I prefer the Club Sport over the CSR Elites but both are very good and either would be acceptable in my rig.

I also have a Turbo S wheel which still works just like it did when new.

On another note I also have a cheap set of Thrustmaster pedals and a cheap set of Fanatec pedals. The cheap Fanatecs are junk, the cheap Thrustmasters look and feel cheap but they work just fine. The first set of the cheap Fanatecs I got gave me nothing but trouble, they sent me a new set for free and they too were nothing but trouble. Throttle not responding, brakes coming on all by themselves and such. I spent about as much time trying to get them to work properly as I did racing with them.

Edit to add: The load cell brake is great, It works really really well and is adjustable but to be honest I modded a set of cheap thrustmasters and they work pretty well also. For the mod I used an egg shaped grip exerciser and placed it behind the brake pedal, it basically acts like an adjustable load cell.
 
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