Upgrading from Fanatec CSL Elite LC or V3s to Heusinkveld Sprints: what makes you faster?

[Rusty911]

At the moment I am using the Fanatec CSL Elite LC pedals. I am considering upgrading those pedals to Heusinkveld Sprints.

In a couple of videos people have said they became a faster driver when upgrading from CSL Elite LC or V3s to Heusinkveld Sprints. I was wondering why they became faster, because all three sets have loadcell brake pedals and have customizable rubber elastomers in their brake pedal to customize the feel. Does the hardware make the difference or is it the software, because with the Sprints you can create your own output curve for each pedal? I find it hard to believe that the fysical customization possibilities of the Sprints make the difference.

I would like to know from people who upgraded from one of the aforementioned sets or other Loadcell pedals to the Sprints: which feature of the Sprints do you think made you a faster driver (or maybe they didn't)?

 

[Raysy]

The site state included VAT for me. I’d expect it however to be a little lower if it was against 20% VAT, but it’s close

 

[TShrimp]

It can't be VAT, can it?
Actually it says right there, INC. VAT on your picture. Mine is to US.

I am in the US as well. What was your total out the door price? Base Plate (if you purchased), shipping, exchange rate, etc.? Europe seems to have better choices on the sim hardware than we do in the US .

 

[RCHeliguy]

I am in the US as well. What was your total out the door price? Base Plate (if you purchased), shipping, exchange rate, etc.? Europe seems to have better choices on the sim hardware than we do in the US .

I ordered through DemonTweeks a while back, they show everything in USD if it makes it easier.

 

[Kieran527]

The only thing I wish was that the HE clutch pedal face had an option with a lot more curve to it. This wasn't an issue for me until I inverted the pedals, upright the pedal faces are fine.

Since I got my HE sprints, I said I’ll model and 3D print a D plate for the pedals, but never got round to so far.

It’d be easy enough to model and locate on the existing pedal face, it’s just making sure the print the is strong enough to withstand wear and tear.

with your skills I’ve seen in your build thread, you’d be more than capable of getting it done before I get round to it, so if you do, post the 3D model for us slowcoaches

 

[RCHeliguy]

Since I got my HE sprints, I said I’ll model and 3D print a D plate for the pedals, but never got round to so far.

It’d be easy enough to model and locate on the existing pedal face, it’s just making sure the print the is strong enough to withstand wear and tear.

with your skills I’ve seen in your build thread, you’d be more than capable of getting it done before I get round to it, so if you do, post the 3D model for us slowcoaches

I've got a working solution that feels great just cutting down some adhesive back neoprene. It's pretty stiff, but has a bit of give. It feels great on the clutch pedal in my inverted arrangement.

It may look a bit ghetto compared to most of my other solutions, but I'm pretty OK with it right now.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Just search for Tilton (Tilton style) pedal pads.
And you can also bend existing pads a bit.

 

[jamescarruthers]

Shame they’re not included in the package (sorry, couldn’t resist )

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Because for 99.9999% of users, including pro drivers, stock pads work just fine.

 

[RCHeliguy]

This is a bit of a gray area.
Before you dismiss me as being an outlier out to 1/1,000,000, let me walk you through my process.

Also I've seen a lot of people with heel stops and inverted pedals and I don't think all of those people are outliers. I also seriously doubt HE has sold a million copies of these pedals.

For all it's lack of adjustment options, the Fanatec CS 3.0 does come in a good fixed ergonomic form. With their curved pedals, I was happy with how mine felt from a foot deflection point of view. My throttle heel did move bit, but it wasn't much.

Having adjustable pedals a la cart does put some of the responsibility on you to set them up in a way that feels right.

With the HE Sprints set upright I could not get my throttle action to feel right. My right foot would drag on my foot plate. I adjusted the foot plate height relative to the pedal. I shortened the throw. I tried a heel stop, but I was not happy with it and it took away from the smooth feeling I wanted to have.

This shows my throttle pedal inverted and I loved how it felt. My heel stayed put and the throttle input was smooth as silk. Technically the brake and clutch were fine at this point.

Then I decided to invert them all and let me say emphatically that it took a lot of experimentation before I was happy with how they felt, but inverted the clutch has too much throw and the ball of my foot was bending backwards uncomfortably.

So I ended up with this which allows my foot to roll forward on the pedal enough that the ball of my foot barely bends and is much more comfortable.

As a follow up, I had told a number of people not to mess with inverting their pedals unless they felt like something was wrong. It took a lot of trial and error to get my inverted pedals to feel right to me. Also many race cars have floor mounted pedals.

However I will say that when I finally did get the pedals dialed in inverted I did like them better than upright. Because of how they are mounted I could adjust their height to any point and I did set my throttle so it could be both lower and angled more which works well for that pedal.

Currently the ball of my left foot is centered on the brake pedal. The roll of the clutch feels good and as I said earlier the throttle pedal feels smooth and very comfortable. I am running minimum throw with the throttle, but it feels very precise.

I'm a bit of a nut about cockpit ergonomics and I tried out a lot of permutations before I settled on what I'm using now. But my pedal settings work for my body, and seat angle and foot size etc.. etc.. There is no one size fits all for pedals.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Mark, you are a tweaking legend. Name one thing that worked for you out of the box, or the one that worked fine and you didn't change it anyway.
I can promote you to 0.1%, if it makes you feel better.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I'll settle for 0.25%

My work desk is motorized, my chair Herman Miller, my 3 main monitors are on Ergotron arms staggered at different focal lengths. My keyboard is a Kinesis Advantage, my mouse Evoluent Vertical. Everything fits me perfectly. I can work for hours on end with no eye strain or back and wrist pain.

I have seen a LOT of pedal configurations. I've also seen people unhappy with HE Sprints or Ultimates and they end up with other even more expensive pedal systems. One product can't please everyone.

I'm very happy with my Sprints and can't imagine anything improving the feel I have, and "most" people seem to agree with that sentiment, but not everyone. That is perfectly fine. Find what works for you.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Never liked Herman Miller, Steelcase Leap seems to be taking market from them.
My company replaced all Aerons, people just didn't like them.
Got Leap for my home office as well.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Never liked Herman Miller, Steelcase Leap seems to be taking market from them.
My company replaced all Aerons, people just didn't like them.
Got Leap for my home office as well.

I've heard people feel that way about the Aeron. I've got a Mirra that I've been using for over 12 years now. It is still extremely comfortable.

 

[Jivesauce]

An Aeron is the only chair I've ever used that I can sit in all day and just not have even a slightest bit of soreness anywhere, it's incredible. I had always figured the hype was overblown, but man I love mine at work. I've never used a Steelcase Leap though, it could very well be just as good.

 

[RCHeliguy]

An Aeron is the only chair I've ever used that I can sit in all day and just not have even a slightest bit of soreness anywhere, it's incredible. I had always figured the hype was overblown, but man I love mine at work. I've never used a Steelcase Leap though, it could very well be just as good.

I've always liked the Aeron. The Mirra and Aeron have similar bases, but the lumbar support between them is very different. Also the Mirra has a back that flexes with you if you decide to lean one way or the other. I have yet to try out their "Embody" which is supposed to be great and should be for $1500-$1800. I've meant to try one out on 3 separate occasions and just never made it.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

If you ever decide to go office chair shopping, which can be overwhelming considering variety of choices, I would recommend this web site as an educational and shopping aid.

BTOD Reviews From The Learning Center at BTOD.com

We are your #1 resource for everything office furniture. BTOD.com is an education first office furniture retailer, providing honest and transparent information.

www.btod.com

 

[RCHeliguy]

If you ever decide to go office chair shopping, which can be overwhelming considering variety of choices, I would recommend this web site as an educational and shopping aid.

BTOD Reviews From The Learning Center at BTOD.com

We are your #1 resource for everything office furniture. BTOD.com is an education first office furniture retailer, providing honest and transparent information.

www.btod.com

Websites are great, but there is NO SUBSTITUTE for trying them out for yourselves.

A lot of the ratings on that website have to do with specific features or how a feature may or may not work for you. If a chair fits you to a tee, it doesn't matter if it doesn't fit someone else to a tee.

If you are just using a site like that to help you narrow your choices down, that could be useful, but typically if you go to a store that carries a brand, they will have a larger variety of chairs by that brand and it is worth trying them out while you are there.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

I don't disagree, this is how I didn't buy Aeron in the first place few years ago, tried it in the store to see how uncomfortable it feels. But as a homework to narrow your choices when you walk in, I think the site is great. Plus they do more rigorous "endurance" testing that you won't experience after sitting in a chair for a few minutes in the store, or whatever time they'll let you spend there.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I don't disagree, this is how I didn't buy Aeron in the first place few years ago, tried it in the store to see how uncomfortable it feels. But as a homework to narrow your choices when you walk in, I think the site is great. Plus they do more rigorous "endurance" testing that you won't experience after sitting in a chair for a few minutes in the store, or whatever time they'll let you spend there.

Yeah, I can only speak to the 12 years and countless hours I've spent in my chair.

I don't think anyone here is trying to ding your Steelcase Leap. I'm glad you are comfortable in it. I'm a bit surprised that you seemed to go on the offensive about an office chair. I think we can agree that we are talking about chairs that tend to make the top of most lists and from that point as long as you find one that fits "you" and makes "you" comfortable, all is good with the world

Sooooooo... about those pedals.....

 

[Enzo Fazzi]

It can't be VAT, can it?
Actually it says right there, INC. VAT on your picture. Mine is to US.

577,69 is indeed excluding 21% VAT. Depending on your cookie and privacy settings, the website will adjust for location.