Miguel V. tells us about his days with the Simucube ActivePedal Pro and what he thinks of these pedals that are the second most top of the Finns of Granite Devices under its Simucube brand.
Simucube has accustomed us to be a pioneer in the development and marketing of the latest technology in hardware for simracing. Although they were not the inventors of the OSW, they planted the foundations for everything that came later. A wheelbase with electronics and controller plug & play to evolve to what is still today the best direct drive technology on the market; the Simucube 2 Ultimate already with integrated electronics.
As for pedals they have always been a bit out of time, not that their products were of poor quality or anything, simply that they did not offer anything that other companies did not have in the market years before and with more affordable prices. Knowing that in the segment of pedals they had a clear disadvantage with their rivals, they had to give a blow of effect to reverse this situation. And they did.
Introduction
The launch of the Simucube ActivePedal Ultimate was what the Anglo-Saxons call game changer. A product that came to change the course of the technology used until then in high-end pedalboards that had as their maximum technological exponent the pedalboards based on hydraulic or pneumatic actuation systems.
The Active Pedals employ direct drive motors used in their bases that together with a worm screw are responsible for the movement of the pedal offering a resistance and smoothness never seen before. In addition, thanks to the use of its own software, it was possible to implement force feedback functions such as ABS, G-force effects, RPM or traction control along with a wide range of pedal configurations in force, travel and to move from an F1 type pedal to a GT type with just one click. And what was the biggest drawback of these pedals? Well the price, its excessive price. Not even for those who did not mind making a large financial outlay was it a recommended option.
Due to the number of units sold, those of Tampere knew that they had to give a twist to the product. Reduce costs without drastically reducing the functionalities of the pedals. As a result of the development and listening to those of us who had the opportunity to try those first units of Active Pedals, today we have the Simucube ActivePedal Pro .
Packaging
The first surprise I took was when I received the product at home. I expected a series of large boxes already knowing the experience of the previous version that are now called Ultimate. Well this time the friends of Simucube have sent us a small pallet with defenses and the boxes of the pedals inside. All very comfortable and manageable to enter it in a house. Anecdotes aside, the truth is that from Simucube they have always treated us very well and this time it has not been less. They have been kind enough to send the complete pack of Active Pro pedal + Accelerator + Base + Link Hub connection to the PC. All with screws and tools necessary for installation in addition to manuals and some sticker that already adorn the cockpit.
Construction
We take the Active pedal out of its beautiful case and as soon as we see it we notice a slight change of design with its predecessor. Looking at the technical specifications we see that in terms of size and weight both pedals are practically identical but the feeling to the eye and once mounted on the chassis we have the feeling that this new Pro version is something more collected, not so bulky.
This may be because in this version it is not necessary to make physical changes in the arm of the pedal to change between F1 to GT positions, everything is done by software. This has led Simucube to dispense with the electronic piece located in the middle of the arm of the Ultimate version that served as pressure sensor and carries a cable connected. This gives us a cleaner vision in this Pro pedal along with a better integration of the rear connection ports within the metal body of the pedal which indicates an improvement work in the electronic section.
If we talk about the accelerator pedal I have to say that visually it is much more beautiful than any I have had until now. The truth is that the black finish with the details in the orange corporate of Simucube is a combination that I personally love. As for the adjustments to customize the response of the pedal we find the already known by all of the regulation of the extension of the spring to modulate the response of the same and travel of the pedal, as well as being able to raise or lower in height the tread of the pedal in which we find the logo of the company.
Connecting and mounting
The electronic connections are all made through the Active pedal in which we find a port for power, an interconnection port with the gas pedal and a connection port for the Link Hub that will connect to our PC. The communication of the pedals with our PC is done through the Simucube Tuner app. In Simucube they are already working to unify in a single app the possible configurations of their pedals and their bases, since today two different apps are used for each device which is very impractical although both have a very similar interface.
You will ask what are the differences between the Pro version and the Ultimate version. Well, apart from a slight change of design, the main difference is the force of the motor. The Pro version is capable of reaching 110Kg of force by the 170Kg of force reached by the Ultimate. Also as we have already mentioned the Ultimate version has small additions of personalization as the possibility of mounting in inverted position. The guarantee of the Pro version is 3 years while that of the Ultimate version is 5 years, although as a Simucube user I can assure you that this is the least of it.
Once with the pedals fixed to the cockpit which I recommend you ask for collaboration because the Active Pedal weighs its own and with all the connections made we press the rear power button and we hear a beep that indicates that everything is ready to use. We open the Simucube Tuner app and we see how it has perfectly detected both pedals. In the tab corresponding to the brake pedal we look for the option to calibrate, action that is only necessary the first time you start the pedals. The brake pedal comes to life, begins to make adjustment movements and at this time is when you realize that this is something completely different.
Testing
Without touching anything else, we went out on the track with the default configuration. In my case, I went out with the Super Formula of iRacing in Monza. A combination of car and circuit that is familiar to me and possibly one of the best for testing a brake pedal.
It is very difficult to explain in words what it feels like to activate the brake pedal; those of you who have read the review of the Ultimate version can already get an idea. The smoothness of the movement is incredible, the feeling of control of the braking is very good at all times, and the response of the motor to the pressure is immediate, reminiscent of what it feels like with a direct drive base.
A typical linear configuration of the pedal allows you to apply a constant force with an equally constant response, very appropriate for single-seater cars. On the other hand, with a logarithmic scale configuration, the pressure at the beginning of braking is much less than at the end, which means that we are going to clearly differentiate two sensations along the travel of the pedal. And this is precisely where the magic of this technology lies, which differentiates it from the others.
Unlike with elastomers or a fluid that is compressed, the response of the motor can be modulated at each mm of the pedal travel, and the incredible resistance that a motor can offer allows the user to experience the best sensation with a brake pedal. As I said, translating sensations into words is somewhat complicated, so I decided to make a small comparison of this Active Pedal Pro against my usual pedal set, a BJ Steel F1 with elastomer.
For the test, I used iRacing since it is my favorite simulator and I have more experience. The cars used were the Super Formula Light, Super Formula SF23, Toyota GR86, and Ford Mustang GT3, all of them on the Monza circuit with clear weather and 45ºC on the track. The data in blue will always correspond to the BJ Steel pedal set with elastomer, and the data in red to the Simucube ActivePedal Pro . Let’s go.
We start with the Super Formula Lights, a single-seater with low power and great cornering speed where the key is not to brake the car excessively and let it run in the curves. The Active Pedal configuration will be the default one for F1 created by Simucube.
We approach the end of the straight, the first variant, and observe in the braking graph how with the Active Pedals (red) I brake a few meters later and harder, which makes us enter the first apex at a higher speed. As I gradually release pressure from the brake, I approach the second apex slightly slower than with the BJ, which gives me the possibility to follow a better line and exit giving gas earlier with a time gain of 0.1s.
The next point of comparison will be the second variant. As in the previous chicane, with the Active Pedals I manage to brake a few meters later and with greater power, reaching 100%, and again, as in the previous braking, I achieve a faster cornering speed, facing the exit with more confidence and opening the gas a few meters earlier. In this case, the time gain is only a few hundredths of a second.
In the total lap, as you can see, the time gain is barely 0.1s, but in the analyzed braking points, I was able to brake a few meters later and exit faster with the Active Pro pedals.
We move on to the next car, which is undoubtedly the one I know best of all the ones I have chosen to make the comparison. The truth is that the Japanese Super Formula is my favorite car of the entire simulator, and there are countless hours that I have spent on the track with it. Therefore, it is easy to interpret the sensations that new pedals can transmit to me, although here I leave you the telemetry data so that everyone can draw their own conclusions.
This time we go with the most technical curve of the entire Monza circuit, Ascari. It is a triple apex curve where maintaining a high speed throughout its entire trajectory is key, and with a car with high aerodynamic load like this, it becomes even more decisive. As you can see in the telemetry, the same patterns that we observed in the previous car are repeated. With the Active Pedals we managed to brake a few meters later, although what is really decisive is that we managed to reach 100% braking force without locking the brakes and then remove force more quickly and efficiently, making a very good regressive braking. If we pay attention to the speed data, we appreciate how what was said in the braking is reinforced by seeing the cornering speed increased and how we reach full throttle to gain a little more than a tenth.
The next curve to be analyzed is the famous last curve, the Parabolica. A very important curve to arrive with good top speed at the end of the straight and thus take advantage of the possibility of overtaking. In this case, in addition to the brake, special attention must be paid to the moment in which you can give full throttle. Again, the pattern of braking a few meters later with the Active Pedals is repeated, although in this particular curve the time gain is not in braking a few meters later but rather in reducing the speed of the car quickly enough to be able to make a trajectory as close as possible to the apex and give full throttle as quickly as possible. The telemetry data shows us how again the braking is more efficient with the Active Pedals but above all how the speed decreases more drastically at the moment in which we trace the apex of the curve allowing to exit more closed and with better traction translating into a time gain of almost a tenth.
In the total lap we have a time difference of 0.1s, demonstrating that with a car and a track in which many laps have been given, we are not going to find much benefit between high-end pedals like the BJ and the Active Pedals, although the telemetry data clearly indicates that we are being more efficient in braking.
We continue and move from single-seaters to GT cars with the fun Toyota GR86, a small street sports car with slight modifications to be able to race on circuits. It is to be expected that it will be a nervous car under braking due to an excessively soft suspension. On this occasion, we change the brake pedal configuration to the default profile for GT cars, which allows for a greater travel of the pedal and much less hardness than the single-seater profile, in addition to being able to feel the feedback of the ABS effect.
Let’s go with the first chicane of Monza. As you can see in the telemetry, we managed to brake slightly later with the Active Pedals, but above all, we maintain a higher percentage of braking for more meters, perfectly taking advantage of the ABS system, which allows us to approach the first apex at a higher speed and manage to brake the car sufficiently in the cornering. That better approach to the apex of the curve allows us to gain something more than 0.2s in just one braking.
We arrive at the second chicane and again, as in the previous curve, the same patterns that we are seeing are repeated. We brake a few meters later, achieving a better approach to the first apex, and if we pay attention to the gas pedal, we can see how we exit with a better line that allows us to open full throttle earlier and without needing to hollow out a bit. The time gain is again something more than two tenths of a second.
With the Toyota GR86 we have obtained the greatest difference in time from one lap to another, almost 0.5s. Logically we cannot attribute all the merit to the Active Pedals since it is a car with which I do not have extensive experience and my margin of improvement is very large.
Finally, but no less important, we are going to see how we have done with one of my favorite iRacing cars, the Ford Mustang GT3. If I am honest with you, in this car it was in which I hoped to find a greater gain of time with the Active Pedals but as we are going to see with the telemetry data it has not been as great as I expected.
Analyzing the second chicane we observe what has already been mentioned previously, we managed to brake somewhat later and approach the apex with greater speed, but we must take into account something in this car that differentiates it from the other cars analyzed. GT3 cars are heavy cars and somewhat rough when making them turn, therefore facing the apex of a curve will not always translate into a gain of time especially if we are tracing a chicane in which we have to make a very fast change of direction to trace the next apex.
Both in the second chicane and in Ascari we gained almost 0.2s in each one but in Monza the curves are as important as the straights and it is vital to get out of them quickly so as not to waste time, which is precisely what has happened to us. The time gained at the end of the lap is just over 0.1s.
This last comparison is valid to make a final conclusion about these Active pedals.
Conclusions
The first thing of all is that these pedals are not focused on a user who is starting in the world of simracing, but rather someone with several years in this world and therefore with less margin of improvement.
The pedals are without any doubt the peripheral with which you are going to gain more time on track but this improvement is significantly reduced when we move in high-end pedals to the top of the range. Active technology has arrived to become a reference in the same way that DD bases did, let no one doubt that. The comfort of exchanging braking profiles with a single click giving the possibility to infinite different configurations in a single pedal as well as the magnificent sensations difficult to capture in words offered by the feedback of the pedal make this technology the one that will dominate the high-end peripheral for many years to come.
In the different simracing hardware fairs of 2024 some brand has already shown that they are also betting on the development of active pedals.
The possible competition is always good news for the end user since it is usually translated into a general drop in prices. And this is the main and huge “but” that I put to these Simucube ActivePedal Pro .
Even taking into account the great financial effort that must be made in the development and setting up of this new technology, it is very difficult for me to justify for a user the more than €2200 that they cost. There is only one reason that can understand such a large outlay and that is that you want to have the best of the best without looking at the price.
Because as we have been able to demonstrate, these ActivePedal Pro are objectively better than some pedals with springs or elastomers, but in my opinion, they are certainly not thousands of euros better. It’s the price for being at the forefront of the market.
They can be purchased at the Simufy store (2% discount using our code when making the purchase: SFYJ5IPC1Y1KS)
Or in the official Simucube store:
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