Fanatec Podium Pedals Tuning Tips and Settings

[Oshawa-Joe]

I'm starting a thread where we can share tuning tips and settings for the Podium Pedals. I've been playing with a set from the second batch. At first, I was having a huge issue with mechanical spring noise and feel. I've got much of it resolved very quickly and will be posting my tune, probably tomorrow once I get a digital caliper to measure everything properly.

But yeah, go ahead and post your experience and any guidance that you may have.

Many are turning to aftermarket springs and lubrication to deal with issues. I dont think this is necessary, at least not at first.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

My background using load cell brake pedals is limited to using Ricmotech-modded T3PA-Pro pedals starting in 2018, then CSL Elite LC pedals in 2019, and CSL Elite V2s in 2024. The Ricmotech LC was like stepping on a brick. I always used the Fanatec brakes with the hardest springs and hardest elastomers, using a Brake Force of 45 on the V2s.

After a number of years using a load cell brake, I pretty much know how much pressure I'm comfortable using to achieve 100% braking. I did a bit of a reality test using the Fanatec App and settled on a Brake Force of 15 as the level that I can comfortably hold 100% braking for over 10 seconds.

I have no idea how someone could use Brake Force at 50. I almost broke my race seat to achieve 100% braking with the Brake Force at 50.

I mentioned earlier that there are complaints about a mechanical noise coming from the load cell stack. To me it sounded like the springs being compressed too much. With all 4 cups fully open there was definitely some noise and the travel was a lot longer than I was used to. I also noticed that no matter how hard I would press, non of the cups/sections would close off or bottom out,

Im currently using top to bottom, green spring, blue spring, elastomer, elastomer, and adjusted the cups so that the green spring bottoms out first, then the blue spring followed the elastomers.

The gaps in the cup spacing are 6.25mm for the green, 6.5mm for the Blue, and 6.75mm for the elastomers. Its my starting point but feels pretty decent, and has the benefit of mostly eliminating any annoying mechanical noise.

Ended up getting metric calipers to measure the gaps.

 

[super_gt]

I also noticed that no matter how hard I would press, non of the cups/sections would close off or bottom out,

In that case, you're not pressing hard enough.This is with BRF set to 45% -76kg.
There should be no noise even with the cups fully open.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

In that case, you're not pressing hard enough.This is with BRF set to 45% -76kg.
There should be no noise even with the cups fully open.

You are using all springs where as Im using 2 springs and 2 elastomers. And I see at least 1 of your cups are not closing. Maybe 2.

If you go to the Fanatec Forum and reddit you will see many complaints about noise. Even Digit had to lubricate his brake.

And my legs are like Oak Trees and I wear shoes, so strength isn't an issue haha.

Im thinking perhaps there are differences in hardware spec or software. Im using the latest Fanatec App and the formula heel cups.

 

[super_gt]

You are using all springs where as Im using 2 springs and 2 elastomers. And I see at least 1 of your cups are not closing. Maybe 2.

If you go to the Fanatec Forum and reddit you will see many complaints about noise. Even Digit had to lubricate his brake.

And my legs are like Oak Trees and I wear shoes, so strength isn't an issue haha.

Im thinking perhaps there are differences in hardware spec or software. Im using the latest Fanatec App and the formula heel cups.

This video is for demonstration, I use two fully closed cups and two elastomers.
Here is another demonstration video with four elastomers and BRF 100%-150kg.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

This video is for demonstration, I use two fully closed cups and two elastomers.
Here is another demonstration video with four elastomers and BRF 100%-150kg.

How comfortable is that? Your leg is shaking like crazy.

 

[super_gt]

How comfortable is that? Your leg is shaking like crazy.

This is just for demonstration, in game I use BRF 45%.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

This is just for demonstration, in game I use BRF 45%.

Do you adjust the cups? All stock springs? How about preload?

 

[super_gt]

Do you adjust the cups? All stock springs? How about preload?

I'm too lazy to adjust the cups. Instead of closing them, I use two wooden blocks that are the same size as the elastomers and add two elastomers to them, I like brake pedal with a very short travel.
I add a little bit of preload just to remove the play.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

I'm too lazy to adjust the cups. Instead of closing them, I use two wooden blocks that are the same size as the elastomers and add two elastomers to them, I like brake pedal with a very short travel.
I add a little bit of preload just to remove the play.

View attachment 1562561

Interesting. So you are using 2 wood spacers and 2 elastomers? Couldn't you just close 2 of the cups instead of using the spacers? Maybe Im not understanding.

I have to try higher brake force again.

 

[super_gt]

So you are using 2 wood spacers and 2 elastomers?

Yes, sometimes I need to try other configurations for testing purposes and with the wooden spacers it is faster and more convenient to disassemble and assemble.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Yes, sometimes I need to try other configurations for testing purposes and with the wooden spacers it is faster and more convenient to disassemble and assemble.

You mentioned that you do a lot of testing. Can you share any set ups and tips? I did try closing one of the spring cups and found it much easier to achieve much higher brake pressures. Doesn't make much sense, but yeah, much easier to use 45 to 60% brake force vs 15 to 20.

Im off work tomorrow and plan to test a few different spring and elastomer combinations with less than fully open cups to reduce travel.

 

[super_gt]

I did try closing one of the spring cups and found it much easier to achieve much higher brake pressures.

Yes.
Do you remember the video with the four elastomers where my whole leg was shaking under 150 kg of pressure?
With four fully closed cups, I reach that 150 kg much more easily.
When the travel is shorter, the pedal arm remains more upright, allowing more force to be applied.
With a long pedal travel, once the pedal arm tilts significantly, you can no longer push forward with your leg, instead, you have to press down, which makes it significantly more difficult to apply much force.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Yes.
Do you remember the video with the four elastomers where my whole leg was shaking under 150 kg of pressure?
With four fully closed cups, I reach that 150 kg much more easily.
When the travel is shorter, the pedal arm remains more upright, allowing more force to be applied.
With a long pedal travel, once the pedal arm tilts significantly, you can no longer push forward with your leg, instead, you have to press down, which makes it significantly more difficult to apply much force.

Can you share a pic showing the pedal plate vs seat height and the angles of your legs and feet? Im thinking I need to increase the height of my pedal plate.

And its overwhelming how much adjustability is available with the Podium Pedals. Any idea how much total travel you have in the brake pedal?

 

[super_gt]

Can you share a pic showing the pedal plate vs seat height and the angles of your legs and feet?

Unfortunately, I cannot do that because my Podium pedals are currently not mounted on the cockpit.
But since I use a Formula-style cockpit, you can guess that the pedals are positioned significantly higher than the seat.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Tuning Tip: Adjust the total amount of desired brake pedal travel by reducing the gap for each cup. If you want 15 mm total travel, adjust the cups to a combined total opening size of 15mm at 100 % brake input. I use digital calipers to measure the gaps.

Im tuning to hit 100% brake input in game and not have extra brake travel and compression much more beyond that point. Tuning this way appears to make the release in brake pressure more predictable.

Although not necessarily the best way to brake in GT7, my brake trace looks much smoother now vs my previous v2s.


100% brake before cups are fully closed → you still have mechanical compression/travel available → close the cups further, not open them.

Cups fully closed before you reach 100% → you've reached the mechanical limit while the load-cell signal is still below 100% → open the cups to allow more pedal movement/compression.

100% brake occurs essentially as the cups reach their mechanical limit → that's the relationship you want at the braking force you find comfortable. ..this will be impacted by many variables, so don't feel the need to use a brake force number because a youtuber is using it.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

I'm too lazy to adjust the cups. Instead of closing them, I use two wooden blocks that are the same size as the elastomers and add two elastomers to them, I like brake pedal with a very short travel.
I add a little bit of preload just to remove the play.

View attachment 1562561

How much total brake pedal travel are you using? Measure the gaps.

 

[super_gt]

How much total brake pedal travel are you using? Measure the gaps.

The gaps are 12 mm, with two wooden spacers and two elastomers.
However, with 45% BRF and 100% input, the cups with elastomers do not close completely.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

The gaps are 12 mm, with two wooden spacers and two elastomers.
However, with 45% BRF and 100% input, the cups with elastomers do not close completely.

From the Podium Pedals explained Blog Part 1

"The Compression Control System

Podium Pedals Compression Control System

At the heart of the brake pedal is the patented Compression Control System. This uses a bespoke elastomer stack to generate resistance, with threaded metal cups that act as mechanical limiters, preventing the elastomers from being compressed beyond their rated range. This ensures a consistent feel over time and long-term durability."

 

[super_gt]

From the Podium Pedals explained Blog Part 1

"The Compression Control System

Podium Pedals Compression Control System

At the heart of the brake pedal is the patented Compression Control System. This uses a bespoke elastomer stack to generate resistance, with threaded metal cups that act as mechanical limiters, preventing the elastomers from being compressed beyond their rated range. This ensures a consistent feel over time and long-term durability."

It appears these elastomers are designed to withstand 150 kg of pressure, because closing a fully open cup equipped with an elastomer requires using 100% BRF and reaching 100% input.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

It appears these elastomers are designed to withstand 150 kg of pressure, because closing a fully open cup equipped with an elastomer requires using 100% BRF and reaching 100% input.

I was tuning the brake the past 2 days using one of the Time Trial Events. I realized that I could push beyond where I was reaching 100% input if the cups didnt close, and the feeling during the release phase /trail braking wasnt as precise. Basically it didn't feel the same releasing as it did applying.

I am aware of this vague feeling on release from when I used the CSL Elite v2s, where I could definitely over stress the elastomers. Setting the cups to close completely at 100% input improved the feeling for me, making trail braking more consistent.

I have a suspicion the cups at full open are a design to accommodate the springs, not designed to protect the elastomers, but I haven't found any guidance from Fanatec. Either way, the brake pressure release felt better to me using closed cups at 100% input.

Ended up getting into the Green on my DG-EDGE score for the TT event, which has been difficult to do recently, so I considered it a successful attempt at tuning the pedals. Now I can focus on building more muscle memory.

 

[super_gt]

I was tuning the brake the past 2 days using one of the Time Trial Events. I realized that I could push beyond where I was reaching 100% input if the cups didnt close, and the feeling during the release phase /trail braking wasnt as precise. Basically it didn't feel the same releasing as it did applying.

So, you use a hard stop when the cups fully close so you can feel that you've reached 100% input, meaning there's no need to press any further and then, as soon as you start releasing the pedal, there is an immediate effect.

I don't use that because I drive with ABS off, and with most cars, I can feel when the tires lock up.
However, there are some cars with brakes so weak that they can't lock up the tires, in those cases, I keep pressing the pedal even after reaching 100% input. Then, when I start to release it, nothing happens at first because the input has to drop—say, from 130% back to 100%—before there is any effect.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Ive run abs off for years for fun. Even did daily races with abs off at one point, in A+ lobbys. ABS off in GT7 is ridiculously easy. With road cars, my abs off lap times are very close to my abs weak lap times.

 

[Kriptical]

Does anyone like/love the pedals?

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Does anyone like/love the pedals?

I really like the pedals. Still a lot of room to improve with tuning. I say that because there such a huge range of adjustability for the brake as far as travel and stiffness that it's overwhelming, and Ive spent very little time tuning.

As this point in time I can't point to anything that I feel needs changing, but that could change with more track time. The next change Im planning is to raise the pedals an inch or 2, but doing that on a TR160 is a pain. The rig is too solid and stiff.

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Raised the pedal deck about 2 inches and using brf 20. GT7 rewards quick 100% brake force vs iRacing.

 

[super_gt]

Nice cockpit!

 

[Oshawa-Joe]

Nice cockpit!

Thanks! I have been upgrading since 2010. TR160 MK4 with the DD Extreme, Formula 2.5 v2 and Clubsport R300 v2, LG 42" OLED