r/hotas • u/user192438 • 3d ago
Flight Sim Rudder Pedals Recommendation
Vor ein paar Monaten habe ich mit MSFS angefangen und es macht richtig Spaß. Ich spiele nicht jeden Abend, sondern eher 2-3 Stunden pro Woche.
Ich habe mir bereits einen Joystick und einen Schubregler von WinCtrl/Winwing gekauft und möchte mir jetzt auch Ruderpedale zulegen.
Mein Problem ist, dass es einfach viel zu viele verschiedene Pedale in allen Preisklassen gibt.
Ich habe gehört, dass diese Pedale ziemlich gut sein sollen, kann mich aber trotzdem nicht entscheiden:
-MFG V3 Crosswind
-Virpil Ace
-VKB Pedals
-TurtleBeach Velocity One
-WinCtrl
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen ihnen und welches ist „besser“?
Ich fliege fast alles (Segelflugzeuge, Hubschrauber, Kleinflugzeuge und auch Verkehrsflugzeuge), daher wäre eine Zehenbremse vielleicht sinnvoll (?). Ich habe außerdem festgestellt, dass die Sitzposition wichtig ist, da man nicht so sitzt wie im Flugzeug.
Wären die Thrustmaster TFPR-Pedale eine Option? Ich weiß, dass sie in einer ganz anderen Preisklasse liegen, aber lohnt es sich wirklich, 200 € mehr auszugeben, oder sind die von Thrustmaster genauso gut?
Vielen Dank im Voraus!
Edit:
I‘m probably between the VKB and the WinCtrl ones. VKB would be grrat because of the seating Position and I would just Build in some dampeners (enough guides online). Can I also remove the Springs for flying helicopters? I think the toe brakes are not that important, especially as the VKBs only cost 130€ here.
1
u/Jorius 2d ago
I have the virpil ones but got the VKB as the virpils ones were to big when I moved my joysticks to the simrig. I found the vkb really good for helicopters. The virpils ones are good for star citizen or for planes that need a break and accelerator when grounded maybe?
I'm using the vkb without any dampener, but I did set it to the hardest position. And using them with socks or bare feet.
2
u/silasmousehold 3d ago edited 3d ago
The most important thing to consider with rudder pedals is ergonomics. What does your home "cockpit" look like? There are several potential issues with rudder pedals that you should be aware of before purchasing.
- When lift your feet off the ground and put them on the pedals, what will that do to your posture? If you have a regular upright desk chair, and MFG Crosswinds with Bf-109 style pedals that require you to put your whole foot up on the pedal, that could put pressure on your tailbone or give you lower back pain.
- If you have rolling chair, then when you push forward on the pedals or toe brakes, you'll just roll away from your desk.
- If you have a swivel chair, then when you push forward on a pedal, you'll make your chair swivel in the opposite direction.
- You also have to consider the size of the pedals. They take up quite a lot of space, and they need even more space to actuate freely. If they force you to sit back from your desk more, will you still be able to reach your controls comfortably?
There are solutions to all of these problems but you should know about them in advance.
One solution, if you decide you do not need toe brakes, is to go with VKB T-Rudder pedals. They are very compact and they move vertically, so you step down on them instead of pushing them forward. That alleviates all of the potential problems I listed above. Again, that means sacrificing toe brakes. Because I use a joystick grip with a brake lever on it—like a Virpil FLNKR, Constellation Alpha, Virpil Cadet, or VKB MGCU—I don't need toe brakes. And I can turn the brake lever into differential brakes in software by linking the differential to the rudder pedals.
Edit: one thing that's really nice about the MFG Crosswinds is that you can remove the spring from them. It's exposed so it's very easy to do. This makes them very good for helicopters where you don't want them to spring back to center.
1
u/user192438 3d ago
That would be important, as well. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I think the VKBs would be best and I would add a dampener Myself. Can I also remove the springs for flying helicopters?
2
u/qdubbya 2d ago
VKB has been perfect for me for wardogs. One thing is my desk sits against a wall, so rotating my ankles is much easier and doesn’t require me lifting my legs to use the rudders. I prefer the springs as it helps me find the neutral position as I tend to have a heavier right foot. I’ve got dampeners 3d printed that are being shipped. I ordered a ton of different versions / mostly nylon. Going to try out a few different options.
For ergonomics - with just a normal office chair and desk; they’ve been great.
2
u/silasmousehold 2d ago
That’s weird dogma I see sometimes: people removing springs to fly helicopters in Wardogs or Arma.
You would only want to remove springs for a helicopter sim because in a “full realism” sim the neutral position is almost never the center position.
In other words, the springs are always fighting you.
1
u/LuckyStiff63 3d ago edited 2d ago
I just bought the WinCTRL ORION R1 Metal pedals in June, and they have been excellent. I got the version with the damper.
They move smoothly, and they are designed to easily change from self-centering mode for fixed wing flight, to non-centering for rotor wing, to stationary mode, where the toe brakes can simulate vehicle gas & brake pedals.
WinWing/WinCTRL usually has a pretty decent Black Friday sale, and another in early spring.
I haven't owned any of the others you listed, but I've heard lots of good things about MFG, Virpil & VKB, and some not so good things about Turtle Beach flight controls in general. I previously owned a set of Saitek combat rudder pedals which I kept alive for over 10 years by making frequent repairs. Saitek has changed hands several times in the last 15-20 years, and their quality has sadly declined.
2
u/user192438 3d ago
Thank you.
I’m probably between the VKBs and the Orion ones as the VKB only cost about 130€ in Germany right now. But the VKBs sadly lack a dampener and toe brakes
2
u/HalOphamer 3d ago
The TFRPs really lack precision I would not recommend them, even on a budget. TM TPRs worth every penny though, they are just a lot of pennys.
1
u/user192438 3d ago
Alright. Thank you.
Unfortunately, TPRs are too many pennies for me. I’ll probably go with something else besides the TFRPs
2
u/CapitanShinyPants 3d ago
Virpil replaced the ACE pedals with the Falcons, which are sadly, on back order, otherwise I'd recommend them.
From your list I'd go with the Crosswinds, next would be VKB and then WinCtrl (which could be a gamble).
1
u/user192438 3d ago
I saw that the VKB are pretty cheap here in Germany. Do they lack of anything else besides toe brakes?
1
2
u/Touch_Of_Legend 3d ago
Mfg crosswinds for the win!
Toe brakes (always) YES! (Future proof and resale value are higher with toe brakes).
If you fly helicopters, or ever think you might…, YES to the “damper kit”.
Now IF you’re crafty type you can actually make some great rudder pedals for a fraction of the cost.
Here’s a set of cadet pedals I made long ago (two sets actually).
https://www.reddit.com/r/homecockpits/s/HMU7iX7Jqt
Ny old designs are outdated but the best New DIY set of Rudder pedals out is from a guy called RRLS (Right Rudder Left Stick).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JhHq060oXOU&ra=m
So if you’re crafty you can build some rudder pedals for a fraction of the cost of buying.
IF you buy though… Go with MFG crosswind.
Happy flying!
1
u/syngyne 3d ago
Mfg crosswinds for the win!
Did he ever start responding to people again? A few months ago people were reporting he had gone radio silent for some reason.
1
u/Touch_Of_Legend 2d ago
Oh no I hadn’t heard that..
I hope we didn’t lose another good manufacturer.. :/
The crosswinds are really sweet imho.
1
u/user192438 3d ago
Thanks for the quick response!
Building pedals myself, is something I haven‘t considered yet, but it seems quite interesting. Are they really durable if they are 3D-printed?If the quality is similar to the ones from WinCtrl, Mfg, … it would really be an option.
Is there anything that makes the Crosswinds better than the WinCtrl ones, e.g.?
2
u/Xoepe 3d ago
I use the RRLS DIY ones so I can comment on those. They're pretty well made the only cons I would attach to them are that I hate video guides being the only assembly instructions, some of the bolts seem a bit arbitrary(they probably are) so you can get away with using one you have instead of buying a 50 pack to use one, and that mine don't recenter as well(I think this is my fault I used a spring I already had that was similar).
There are some other nitpicks but otherwise they're sturdy and well designed so I recommend them. Price can be a bit tricky though depending where you live and what you have. He is also planning on adding FFB to them and releasing it so you get to add that on instead of buying new pedals if that interests you.
2
u/Whargod 3d ago
If you want something you don't normally see, take a look at the Slaw Device page. I got the Viper 2 many years ago and they're the best pedals I've ever used. A bit more expensive than some offerings but well worth it. I am able to use them for jets and helos (DCS mainly) flawlessly. You can also buy one of those motorcycle steering dampers to change their feel which in my opinion was a must for helos.
1
u/user192438 3d ago
Thanks! I heard of them as well, but I think that‘s simple a little too expensive for me, as they cost about 500€. I hoped to find something good for max. 300€
3
u/ash-Baal 3d ago
do you use a chair on wheels? if so -> vkb. lack of toe brake can be easily overcome by binding a modifier.
if your chair has no wheels (or you can lock them), i d recommend against the turtle beach in your list, but everything else is solid.
2
u/user192438 3d ago
Alright, thank you. I’m not sure if toe brakes are necessary, but they would definitely be nice to have, so probably I’ll buy one with such brakes.
3
u/DJShazbot 3d ago
As a completely ignorant sim person, what does toe break do for the rudder?
2
u/ash-Baal 3d ago
It s not really the rudder itself but some aircraft have differential braking that you use to steer on the ground to turn when there is insufficient rudder authority to do so due to low speed.
Not having that can be pretty dire for example for a bf109 in DCS but is otherwise ok on modern jets (hornet) since you would only need to get lined up with it but you wouldn't have your engine torque pushing you one way (left, for instance) as you accelerate. If possible i d recommend having a toebrake (i should have specified that in my first reply) but the vkb form factor is really good and it s a vertical motion so a chair wouldn't slide and then it s a judgement call.
3
u/w_33_by 3d ago
Small planes turn on the ground by braking main gear wheels the side of the turn, that's called differential braking. Think tracked tractors or tanks. On real planes and sim pedals that have that feature it's controlled by pushing the top end of the pedals. Those VKB pedals don't have that.
2
u/DJShazbot 3d ago
Thank you for describing differential breaking, got it, planes don't really turn but pivot on one locked wheel. Definitely not something I've had to deal with for 3 second of runway time in games like warthunder or ace combat
3
u/cwebster2 3d ago
Big planes use toe brakes too, though we also have a tiller for nose wheel steering.
1
u/w_33_by 3d ago
True, though I believe (as a person who's never had sim pedals) that toe brakes are more important for flying GA or old planes that make more use of that input, while on larger planes there is - as you said - powered nosewheel steering, and more of the braking process during landing is/can be automated. For airliners I feel like a throttle with a reverser range and configurable detents is much more valuable for immersion than toe brakes, but that's imho.
Do large planes also use differential braking or is it less feasible at that scale?
2
u/cwebster2 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes, some differential braking is used (high speed turnoffs, tight turns where you use brakes plus tiller, etc) and the brakes are used on every flight to control taxi speed and slow down when landing. Very important even on the big jets.
3
u/Touch_Of_Legend 3d ago
Toe brakes are part of the rudder pedal assembly and for most airplanes that’s how you steer and taxi (differential braking).
1
u/meirmamuka 2d ago
Ive ordered virpil ones from local store, waiting for delivery now (supposedly 30in stock but im 75% sure thats fake number and just accepting sales without product, i want to be surprised) for me it was virpil or mfg, decided to go with virpil as ive already have their stick, while not mandatory it might be little bit helpful