If you’re looking for the ultimate sim racing setup, the VRS pedals are definitely worth considering. These pedals are designed with the serious sim racer in mind and boast a range of features that set them apart from other products on the market.
We put these pedals to the test to determine if the hype is justified and if they might be the best choice of high-end sim racing pedals for your rig.
If you would like to support our work at Boosted Media while saving yourself 10%, you can use the link here and a 10% discount will be applied at checkout while a small commision from your sale will come to us!
Please make sure you accept cookies when prompted or we won’t receive the commission.
Pros
- Tried, tested, and used by some of the fastest sim racers in the world
- Pedals are designed to prioritize important aspects of sim racing
- Load cells are used for all three pedals
- Extensive pedal face adjustability, including height, angle, and depth
- Clearly defined threshold point on the brake, promotes consistent braking
- Extremely quiet and smooth operation
Cons
- Tools required for adjustment
- Adjustment can be a little awkward
- No base plate option is available from VRS
- Additional mounting hardware may be required
- Software has a dated appearance (but works well)
Load Cells for precise, consistent input
The VRS pedals use load cells for all three pedals, just like the Heusinkveld Sprint and Ultimate pedals. This means that the deflection of a strain gauge is used to determine the pedal position for the throttle and clutch and the foot force of the brake. This results in a level of precision that makes it easy to develop strong muscle memory for precise input to your sim.
The brake has a 200kg load cell and can achieve a maximum braking force at the pedal face of 140kg with the stiffer spring option, or 65kg with the default spring. This is a significant improvement over the Heusinkveld Sprint Pedals which max out at 65kg. This makes the VRS pedals more comparable to the more expensive Heusinkveld Ultimate+ pedals.
The use of Load Cells in the throttle and clutch is less important, but the lack of moving part that come with a potentiometer does reduce the potential for wear and tear, or dirt and debris impacting your input.
Adjustability Galore
The VRS pedals offer extensive pedal face adjustability, including height, angle, and depth. This allows you to fine-tune your setup to your exact specifications, resulting in a much more enjoyable and comfortable experience. Add to that the huge range of pedal stiffness available and these pedals are among the more adjustable pedal sets we have used.
There is plenty of scope of adjustment in the pedal throw of each pedal. By moving the bump stop and limiting the pedal throw you are also able to minimise or remove the effect of the dual-stage clutch mechanism.
Adjustments can be a little awkward to make, but once done you are sure to be able to dial them in to your liking.
High End Build Quality
The VRS pedals come with fully shielded pedal controller box, cables, and grounded load cells. This means that you won’t have to worry about EMI (electromagnetic interference) disrupting your racing sessions.
Constructed using FEA (finite element analysis) optimized laser-cut stainless steel, the VRS Direct Force Pro Pedals are built tough! They feature custom PTFE inserts, which ensure very smooth operation allowing the most precise user inputs to be made.
Shielded and flanged ball bearings eliminate free-play from the construction. There is no side-to-side play and no slop in the pedals. This gives a very high-end feel under your foot with no unwanted movement to speak of.
Driving Experience
Throttle
The rodless design of the throttle pedal ensures a very smooth feel, amongst the smoothest I have ever felt. Add to that a very progressive spring tension as you go through the travel of the pedal and you have everything you need for consistent and precise inputs. I had no trouble adjusting the throttle to stiffness that felt just right with just minor adjustments to the spring preload. The throttle can go to a maximum of 8.4kg of required force in it’s stiffest configuration.
The adjustable bump stops have a slightly padded but solid feel. There is a slight reverberation from the spring felt when hitting the bump stop, but they are all in all very quiet and solid.
Brake
The most important aspect of any Sim Racing brake pedal in my opinion is having a well-defined threshold point that you can hit accurately and consistently. The VRS brake pedal delivers this very well! With a huge range of adjustable stiffness available with the two spring options and preload adjustment, you will have no problems getting this pedal right for you.
The brake pedal has a very unique design when it comes to pedal curve adjustment. The rocker system and pull rod adjustment enable you to manipulate the progression of brake force required throughout the stroke of the pedal. At its shortest position you can achieve a very light initial phase, or at it’s longest position you can create a quite linear curve. This is great for dialing in that all important threshold point which you can hit perfectly every time. The pedal then has the smoothness and force available to be able to modulate your braking pressure around that threshold point very accurately.
While some brake pedals such as the Asetek Invicta or Asetek Forte pedals do a great job of replicating the feel of a real racing car, VRS have really focused on making this as Sim Racer friendly as possible. They’ve done a great job at giving you everything you need to drive as fast as possible.
Clutch
The stand-out feature of the VRS Direct Force Pro clutch pedal is the very defined dual-stage feel. I personally find a strong dual-stage sensation a little challenging to launch smoothly so it is great to be able to limit the throw on this pedal enough to be able to minimise the impact of the dual-stage design. The clutch as a very solid feel when slamming it to the bump stop on quick gear changes and provides all the adjustment you need to get it working really well for your preference of clutch feel.
Mounting The VRS Direct Force Pro Pedals To Your Rig
With no base plate available from VRS you’ll need to figure out mounting, but it’s about as standard as mounting comes for Sim Racing Pedals. With 4 slots for mounting each pedal to a base plate or directly to your cockpit there is a good amount of movement forward and back to be sure your pedals line up to profile channels or base plate holes.
We had no issues mounting them to our Trak Racer TR120 test rig, and I definitely recommend a similar mounting solution if possible, with the pedals mounted directly to aluminium profile and the addition of a heel rest.
The mounting brackets are strong with no flex apparent when pedals were under full force.
