Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Sprint Interview and First Impressions

[Paul Jeffrey]

We talk to Niels Heusinkveld and try out the soon to be released Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Sprint.

Catching up with Niels Heusinkveld at the recent very busy Sim Racing Expo over in Germany, we took the opportunity to quiz the man behind Heusinkveld Engineering about his newly announced Sim Pedals Sprint set of high end sim racing pedals. With Niels in a buoyant mood following what appeared to be a largely very positive reception to the new hardware, we took the opportunity to question him about the features and improvements of the new gear, learning plenty about how some dramatic software features and production improvements have moved the product range on from the already very impressive offerings of HE Engineering.

Not content with merely taking Niels at his word, we also couldn't quite resist the chance to get strapped into the cockpit and have a go ourselves, recording a short but sweet talk and drive segment as we give our first impressions based on the limited time we had with these brand new set of pedals.

Frankly, I was very impressed, although it is exceptionally hard to gather any serious kind of feel with something like a high end set of pedals with such a short period of time behind the wheel... not helped any by a crowd of people watching on, and a camera and microphone in my face!

However, with that said I'm going to be lucky enough to take receipt of a review set of these pedals in the very near future, so please consider this more of a taster video, with a much more in depth and detailed look at the HE Sim Pedals Sprint set to appear on our various social media channels in the near future. So stay tuned, get subscribed and watch out for some new footage in the (hopefully) coming weeks...

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[Kieran527]

I'll PM you for your ordernumber!

Thanks Enzo, much appreciated

 

[diabolus79]

Hey all,

After moving the throttle pedal travel one notch, I have a grinding noise at the end of the pedal travel which I also can feel like something gets stuck. I'm almost certain it's not the spring, I rotated it fully 360 degrees and nothing seems to help. I also lubricated the joints with lithium grease and still no luck. I also ordered a ptfe lubricant to see if it helps.

Here's a video of it:

Also my pcb is loose, I used a velcro tape to avoid any tension on the usb cable, it seems to be working but do you think it may cause any problem?

I'll contact support but since Enzo seems to monitor this thread frequently I wanted to hear your opinions as well.

Thanks in advance,
Erşan

 

[Enzo Fazzi]

Hey all,

After moving the throttle pedal travel one notch, I have a grinding noise at the end of the pedal travel which I also can feel like something gets stuck. I'm almost certain it's not the spring, I rotated it fully 360 degrees and nothing seems to help. I also lubricated the joints with lithium grease and still no luck. I also ordered a ptfe lubricant to see if it helps.

Here's a video of it:

Also my pcb is loose, I used a velcro tape to avoid any tension on the usb cable, it seems to be working but do you think it may cause any problem?

I'll contact support but since Enzo seems to monitor this thread frequently I wanted to hear your opinions as well.

Thanks in advance,
Erşan

Hey, it sounds like the small plastic bearing at the end of the pedal, where the rod goes through. You can use a little bit of (ball) bearing grease for this.
You can simply glue the little metal block back to the yellowish squares on the pcb. But the bit of tape you used should work fine too.

 

[diabolus79]

Hey, it sounds like the small plastic bearing at the end of the pedal, where the rod goes through. You can use a little bit of (ball) bearing grease for this.
You can simply glue the little metal block back to the yellowish squares on the pcb. But the bit of tape you used should work fine too.

Hey Enzo, thanks for your reply, actually I applied lithium grease on the plastic bearing, I also tried and wiggle the part that holds that plastic bearing and it seems nothing is wrong in there. I'll try ptfe spray when it arrives and I'll let you know if the problem goes away or not.

 

[White Hawk]

Hey all,

After moving the throttle pedal travel one notch, I have a grinding noise at the end of the pedal travel which I also can feel like something gets stuck. I'm almost certain it's not the spring, I rotated it fully 360 degrees and nothing seems to help. I also lubricated the joints with lithium grease and still no luck. I also ordered a ptfe lubricant to see if it helps.

Here's a video of it:

Also my pcb is loose, I used a velcro tape to avoid any tension on the usb cable, it seems to be working but do you think it may cause any problem?

I'll contact support but since Enzo seems to monitor this thread frequently I wanted to hear your opinions as well.

Thanks in advance,
Erşan

That sounds very similar to what I was getting when I pushed too hard on the throttle when I first got my set, and that was the metal of the pedal digging into the soft end stop then rubbering against it as it separates and from looking at your video you are definitely pushing the pedal too hard into it.

Not saying it’s definitely that but just a thought.

Also try lifting the swinging bit the spring goes into at the end gently just a bit as that stopped some squeaking I had.

 

[diabolus79]

That sounds very similar to what I was getting when I pushed too hard on the throttle when I first got my set, and that was the metal of the pedal digging into the soft end stop then rubbering against it as it separates and from looking at your video you are definitely pushing the pedal too hard into it.

Not saying it’s definitely that but just a thought.

Also try lifting the swinging bit the spring goes into at the end gently just a bit as that stopped some squeaking I had.

I just checked it and the sound comes before the pedal reaches to the rubber stop. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[Kieran527]

Got my new sprints installed on my rig over the weekend, a few things have become immediately apparent.
What a bit of kit, coming from Clubsport v1s, I knew there’d be a difference, but the hardware is built well and the options to tweak small details easily are a world away from what im used to where I just had to sort of make do as there was no finesse in changing setting.
I need my new rig quicker than expected, I’m flexing my pedal plate, so 8020 is required, just another excuse to spend more money. Oh, and I’ll need to wear my race boots, my socks won’t cut it anymore.
I’m only used 40kg of brake pedal force currently as well.
And the software customisations options, this is what swayed me over the edge of buying the sprints, and it’s everything I expected it to be.
Heusinkveld, you have done a very good job, and I look forward to clocking up many many hours with these pedals. Not a single piece of buyers remorse here

 

[diabolus79]

Hey all,

After moving the throttle pedal travel one notch, I have a grinding noise at the end of the pedal travel which I also can feel like something gets stuck. I'm almost certain it's not the spring, I rotated it fully 360 degrees and nothing seems to help. I also lubricated the joints with lithium grease and still no luck. I also ordered a ptfe lubricant to see if it helps.

Here's a video of it:

Also my pcb is loose, I used a velcro tape to avoid any tension on the usb cable, it seems to be working but do you think it may cause any problem?

I'll contact support but since Enzo seems to monitor this thread frequently I wanted to hear your opinions as well.

Thanks in advance,
Erşan

I've found the culprit!

It's the main joint which is either over tightened or lacks lubricant. It was a bit hard to undo the screws since one of them gets loose and the other one keeps turning around indefinitely but I managed to undo them both and when I pressed the pedal the grinding noise and feel disappeared! I screwed them back a little bit tight and the noise and feel came back.

Now I'll wait for the ptfe lube to arrive and soak the joint with it and hope for it to work so I can enjoy these great pedals without any annoying sound or feel.

I wanted to post this here so anyone with the same problem can solve it and this may serve as a feedback for @Enzo Fazzi.

 

[jayk]

I got my Sprints this weekend, wow a lot better than I expected. The quality and feel is awesome. So i set my brake pedal up as per the manual for the GT car feel, using 3 hard adapter/washer things and a L rubber. Now i have some push in the pedal which is when the spring compresses at this point there is nothing registering but soon as the spring is compressed and the brake is hard it registers. Is this right, just means there i no brake for the first bit of travel until the spring is fully compressed.

I did have the XL and L rubbers in and that was instant brake load.

 

[diabolus79]

I got my Sprints this weekend, wow a lot better than I expected. The quality and feel is awesome. So i set my brake pedal up as per the manual for the GT car feel, using 3 hard adapter/washer things and a L rubber. Now i have some push in the pedal which is when the spring compresses at this point there is nothing registering but soon as the spring is compressed and the brake is hard it registers. Is this right, just means there i no brake for the first bit of travel until the spring is fully compressed.

I did have the XL and L rubbers in and that was instant brake load.

You need to recalibrate pedals after every adjustment.

 

[Enzo Fazzi]

I got my Sprints this weekend, wow a lot better than I expected. The quality and feel is awesome. So i set my brake pedal up as per the manual for the GT car feel, using 3 hard adapter/washer things and a L rubber. Now i have some push in the pedal which is when the spring compresses at this point there is nothing registering but soon as the spring is compressed and the brake is hard it registers. Is this right, just means there i no brake for the first bit of travel until the spring is fully compressed.

I did have the XL and L rubbers in and that was instant brake load.

@diabolus79 is right in that you have to recalibrate after making changes to the rubber stack.

However, having no braking until the spring is fully compressed is correct if you prefer this feeling. The small spring is there to simulate the 'pad-to-disc' movement of cars. The small physical gap between the brake pad and the brake disc in any car. This is the little bit of deadzone you'd feel in your daily driver as well.

 

[jayk]

@diabolus79 is right in that you have to recalibrate after making changes to the rubber stack.

However, having no braking until the spring is fully compressed is correct if you prefer this feeling. The small spring is there to simulate the 'pad-to-disc' movement of cars. The small physical gap between the brake pad and the brake disc in any car. This is the little bit of deadzone you'd feel in your daily driver as well.

Thanks Chaps, will re-calibrate. I can't remember how my Radical is as it's been a long winter but I'm sure it doesn't have that long disc to pad travel. I feel the same firmness.

 

[Enzo Fazzi]

Thanks Chaps, will re-calibrate. I can't remember how my Radical is as it's been a long winter but I'm sure it doesn't have that long disc to pad travel. I feel the same firmness.

In that case you can increase the pre-load on the spring by turning the black knob clockwise, to make this gap shorter and stiffer.

 

[White Hawk]

I got my Sprints this weekend, wow a lot better than I expected. The quality and feel is awesome. So i set my brake pedal up as per the manual for the GT car feel, using 3 hard adapter/washer things and a L rubber. Now i have some push in the pedal which is when the spring compresses at this point there is nothing registering but soon as the spring is compressed and the brake is hard it registers. Is this right, just means there i no brake for the first bit of travel until the spring is fully compressed.

I did have the XL and L rubbers in and that was instant brake load.

This is how I have mine set up, for me putting 13% dead zone at beginning makes it only register after the spring stops compressing and the rubbers begin to, feels good to me.

 

[MiJax]

I just got around to installing my Sprints, had them for about a month just sitting in the box. Coming from a set of CSL Elite LCs, I was hesitant. First off I really like the feel of the CSL Elites and I knew the HE's would be different. Also I'm a sock racer so I initially thought that may prove a challenge as well. And lastly pulling the CSL's off the rig was always going to be a pain with their mounting solution. As a side note, the HE heel plate didn't strike me as particularly great (although its not poorly designed by any stretch) so I decided to go a different route. But in all honesty, if I had it to do over I would have just bought HE's plate.

As for the pedals, initially I had mixed feelings. I still haven't found a setup that is as comfortable as the CSLs. But I settled on something that's close enough to not worry about it. Just like most, I was slower for a solid 50 miles or so. But running them unaltered (software wise) I was able to use the brake much better than the CSLs. Surprisingly, the same with the throttle, and I can't explain that. No curves, no manipulation, just a pedal throw adjustment (one notch back from default), pivot angle, and preload adjustment to soften the pedal and I could use the throttle better than the other set of pedals. The brake I expected, but the throttle I did not.

Once I got comfortable, I started playing with the brake's curves and end point setting. I use iRacing almost exclusively now, so cars like the 911 Cup car and the GTEs really take a sensitive brake foot. After finding a single setting that worked well for all the cars I drive, I noticed a significant drop in lap times. While its hard to pinpoint, because I'm still dropping a tenth or two almost every few sessions, I noticed that over the weekend I found about .500 - .750 improvement on most cars. On the high side was the 911 Cup car, as this car requires very diligent braking. Playing with the end point REALLY helped here. Stopping the car is almost a no-brainer now. I was surprised that that same setting really helped on the GT3s as well. That was surprising because those cars have ABS, but not getting in to the ABS does prove to be faster.

Once adjusted, sock racing is no problem. However, if I'm honest the CSL Elites were still more comfortable (mostly the throttle pedal). I'm still working on a heel plate solution to see if I can get these closer to the CSLs comfort level, but as I said before its not a big difference. The pedals' design are great. They are sensitive to foot placement as any lever based pedal will be, but they are miles better than the CSL Elites in this area.

Overall, I'm very happy I decided to try them out. As I said before, I was actually pretty happy with the CSLs, but I feel these are definitely a step up. The only downsides are the loss of the wheelbase adjustments (the adjustment Fanatec's eco system allows) and the slight comfort advantage I haven't found a fix for yet. If your on the fence, I think you'll find the benefits are worthwhile.

 

[RCHeliguy]

Interesting take.

In hind sight I can tell the geometry of my CS 3.0 pedals was very good and the curved pedal faces worked really well. They were very comfortable to use. They also have a solid cage making it easy to bolt them down with minimal flexing.

The throttle was way too soft. I didn't like the lack of clutch feel in the clutch and the brake was just OK.

When I first got the HE pedals I was impressed and I got used to them before I started to play with their adjust ability and while they worked better in general the geometry wasn't right.

I finally inverted the pedals, mostly to get the throttle to feel right and to stop my heel from dragging on my foot plate.

The brake and clutch weren't bothering me because my heel would come off the foot plate. Now my heel stays put when I brake which has allowed me to drop the brake pressure for better control.

So while I feel the HE pedals are superior, I think they take more effort to get set up comfortably to take full advantage of them. They also have such a small bolt pattern that they put a lot more torque on whatever they are mounted to making having a rigid structure much more important.

 

[MiJax]

...So while I feel the HE pedals are superior, I think they take more effort to get set up comfortably to take full advantage of them. They also have such a small bolt pattern that they put a lot more torque on whatever they are mounted to making having a rigid structure much more important.

I fully agree with you here. I think I just need to move the throttle pedal a little more upright after increasing the pedal travel and I'll be optimized, but the pedals are definitely superior to the CSLs. Its just not 100% win. I'm also adding a SimLab V2 Heel plate with some standoffs to try and get back to what I'm familiar with.

I'm a tinkerer, so I LOVE the adjust-ability. All things considered, I much prefer the brake pedal feel and the throttle pedal's actuation of the HE's, but that took some tinkering. I haven't installed the clutch pedal yet as I'm a left foot braker.

 

[RCHeliguy]

I'm a tinkerer as well. I hate to say how much time I've spent playing with my pedal configuration. This is what I have right now. Notice that my throttle has a VERY different hinge point than the other two pedals.

For my feet and seat angle etc.. this feels much better.

BTW I think the brake pedal face being fairly flat works pretty well. I'm not sure I feel the same way about the throttle and clutch. I think their should have been more arc on those pedals.

 

[MiJax]

Nice, I completely understand why you may have different geometries for the different pedals.

 

[Jivesauce]

I just got around to installing my Sprints, had them for about a month just sitting in the box. Coming from a set of CSL Elite LCs, I was hesitant. First off I really like the feel of the CSL Elites and I knew the HE's would be different. Also I'm a sock racer so I initially thought that may prove a challenge as well. And lastly pulling the CSL's off the rig was always going to be a pain with their mounting solution. As a side note, the HE heel plate didn't strike me as particularly great (although its not poorly designed by any stretch) so I decided to go a different route. But in all honesty, if I had it to do over I would have just bought HE's plate.

This is really interesting to me, as I also have CSL Elite LCs that I am happy with, but am considering moving to Sprints at some point in the not-too-distant future. So the thing that really worries me is that I like a little softer brake pedal than a lot of people seem to, or maybe just something with a little more travel that feels more like a street car or production-based race car than a formula car. I use the medium stiffness bushings on my CSL Elites, and I've always been told that the higher end pedals tend to be extremely firm, so I'm worried even with the largest bushing on the Sprints I won't be able to get something with as much travel as I have right now with the CSL. Any thoughts on this as a former owner yourself?