RaceDepartment Review: Fanatec CSL Elite Loadcell Pedals

[Paul Jeffrey]

RaceDepartment take the Fanatec CSL Elite Loadcell pedal set on a long term review.

Over the next few weeks and months you can expect quite a few more hardware reviews here at RaceDepartment, where we will be trying a wide variety of different sim racing equipment and giving you our honest opinion on how they stack up from a sim racer perspective.

If you are looking for us to take them apart and review the quality and materials of the individual parts, then you are probably going to be disappointed. The aim of our reviews will be to try and give you a clear, honest and fair opinion of the products in question, from quality, feel and performance right down to value for money.

I can clearly remember when I started out in sim racing and found the whole hardware scene somewhat overwhelming - with plenty of contradictory information available (or none at all in some cases), and this is what has inspired us to pick up the baton and hopefully give you a bit of entertainment, whilst at the same time shining a light on the good, and bad, features of a wide variety of different products - from entry level to high end, we've got quite a bit to get through already!

First of our new series will be the Fanatec CSL Elite Loadcell Pedals. We've got the three pedal set strapped to the rig for these tests, with a loadcell brake, and we've been running them for quite a long time in various different sims to give a solid overall picture on how they perform in competitive racing environments.

I sincerely hope you find the review both enjoyable and informative, and I'm looking forward to bringing you plenty more of this type of thing into 2019 and beyond!

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[Ernie]

I'm a little bit shocked that Pauls couch doesn't look like this ...

 

[Gustavo da Silva]

I've been considering to replace my T300 twin pedals for the T3PA pedals, but I might just get these CSL Elite pedals instead. Will probably just get the twin pedals first and then update to the load cell at a later date.
From the video it looks like the twin pedals will be a good upgrade from the Thrustmaster pedals. My main problem with the Thrustmasters is the springs are just not stiff enough.

Get them, you won't regret it!!

 

[Paul Glover]

The Sofa matching RD colors is the best thing ever

I spotted that too, wonder if that came out of the RD budget? haha

 

[Case_]

Maybe it's the other way round and the RD colors were chosen with Paul's sofa in mind.

 

[Terry Rock]

Wait just a minute!.
As was stated the pedals cost just about 90 pounds for the two pedal set...yet 200 pounds for the three pedal set?
Where is the value in that?
You could go out and purchase a good used set of Clubsport V2 for less than this set and still have load cells.
At most 160 pounds for the three pedal set.
!00 pounds for essentially a clutch?....really?
A good review but....No thanks.

 

[alexSchmurtz]

!00 pounds for essentially a clutch?....really?

Nope, it is not for the clutch: the 3rd pedal is a load-cell brake pedal, and you switch the initial brake pedal as a clutch.

 

[larre90]

Fanatec is good.
I do own the ClubSport Pedals V3 with orange Color-Kit and Brake-Performance-Kit. Pretty awesome!

 

[Terry Rock]

Nope, it is not for the clutch: the 3rd pedal is a load-cell brake pedal, and you switch the initial brake pedal as a clutch.

Still not great.
Too much of a premium over and above the two pedal set.

 

[Emery]

Has anybody modded the gas pedal to use a Hall effect sensor? As I recall, that used to be something people would do with the Logitech G25/G29, so should be possible here?

 

[SAGY31]

I'm on my second year with these, and had to replace two potentiometers, since it's plastic gears grind against the metal gears of the pedals. It's also awkward to heal-toe with these, I wish there was a full-height throttle pedal option. Still a good price for a load-cell.

Did you get new potentiometers from Fanatec or somewhere else? I'm asking because I guess potentiometers are not that expensive and if someday I buy these pedals I'd like to know if potentiometers can be bought and replaced without Fanatec interference/help.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Nice review Paul.

 

[Hiro Abe]

I've been using these pedals for over a year but in a modified configuration. First, i have them mounted individually directly to my 8020 rig inverted. I also only use two pedals. I found the gas pedal to be too light in terms of resistance so I'm using the clutch pedal as my throttle. I don't use the heaviest resistance set up for the load cell but next to it. I like the feel of them and experience a nice level of precision. They've done an excellent job with delaying my inevitable purchase of a set of high-end pedals. My wallet is thankful for the CSL Elites!

 

[Durge Driven]

Personally speaking if I had to choose, I rather a lesser wheel with good pedals then a good wheel with lesser pedals

 

[belevezero]

Did you get new potentiometers from Fanatec or somewhere else? I'm asking because I guess potentiometers are not that expensive and if someday I buy these pedals I'd like to know if potentiometers can be bought and replaced without Fanatec interference/help.

I had to get them from Fanatec, not aware of another source. The usual back and fourth with them, send a video showing the problem, do some pointless troubleshooting steps, and eventually they send them. I wish they would just sell them, it's really annoying.

 

[SAGY31]

Yeah that's exactly what I thought about the procedure. Thanks for the reply!