Recommended Rudder Pedals

[goofey]

Was thinking about getting some rudder pedals. I have a VKB throttle, and a Virpil stick. I’m glad I spent the money for both of those as they are very sturdy and reliable.

I do mostly DCS and MSFS. Mostly planes with some helos.

What should I get?

Thanks.

Michael.

[-OrLoK- Слава Україн]

MFG Crosswinds.

[Troll Norris]

MFG Crosswind with all but BF109 rests. Because with those you will not be able to use pedal properly the modern way to achiveve as high precission as possible. See:
https://youtu.be/iCcMEa5DqwQ
Heels on ground are very important to achieve high precission.

[Gunn]

I use the VKB T-Rudders Mk.V. Probably the most precise pedals on the market. The assembly is all metal, with no plastic, making it a very sturdy piece of hardware. Only downside is no toe brakes. I fly mostly helos so that's not an issue for me. It's not an issue for me when I fly fixed wings either, but some people seem to think they absolutely need toe brakes, and you don't.

[goofey]

Thanks folks!

[startrekmike]

This is an easy one. The MFG Crosswinds are a great choice for several reasons.

1.) They are extremely accurate. both the rudder and brake axis controls will do exactly what you expect without any jitter or the like. I have had mine for a good long time and they are still as accurate as the day I pulled them out of the box.

2.) They offer better ergonomic options than other brands. The pedals themselves are quite wide apart (which is more comfortable) and can be adjusted to be even wider. On top of that, you can (depending on the pedal style you get with them), you can even adjust the pedals to be more comfortable.

3.) They are user-repairable by design. This is perhaps the biggest point in the Crosswind's favor. The designer wanted to make something that could be fixed easily and quickly. This is why the pedals look like they do. As such. You can easily swap out parts and even add extra stuff like hydraulic dampening. This is something I have yet to see from any other brand.

4.) The price is reasonable. This is somewhat rare in the flight sim peripheral scene. The crosswinds are probably the "best bang for the buck" in a lot of ways. There are more expensive rudder pedals that offer far, far fewer features and no user-serviceability.

Publicado originalmente por Troll Norris:

MFG Crosswind with all but BF109 rests. Because with those you will not be able to use pedal properly the modern way to achiveve as high precission as possible. See:
https://youtu.be/iCcMEa5DqwQ
Heels on ground are very important to achieve high precission.

I will second that it is probably best to choose the combat pedal style as opposed to the BF-109 style. I have the 109s myself and while I don't have any significant issues using them, I will eventually get the combat pedals since they will be more comfortable. That being said. I think this video may overstate its point a little bit for the purposes of flight simulation. As I said. I have the 109's myself and while I don't love them, I also don't have any issues using them in a precise manner.

Publicado originalmente por Gunn:

I use the VKB T-Rudders Mk.V. Probably the most precise pedals on the market. The assembly is all metal, with no plastic, making it a very sturdy piece of hardware. Only downside is no toe brakes. I fly mostly helos so that's not an issue for me. It's not an issue for me when I fly fixed wings either, but some people seem to think they absolutely need toe brakes, and you don't.

Not having toe brakes certainly isn't a deal-breaker and as you stated, there are specific situations where it has absolutely no negative impact (flying aircraft that don't have differential toe braking or helicopters) but when you fly a lot of different aircraft across not just DCS but other sims like IL-2 and Microsoft Flight Sim, having those toe brakes will take a significant amount of frustration and fuss out of basic ground handling. Especially when talking about tail draggers. Having your brakes bound to simple "on or off" buttons will work but it can create problems (especially with aircraft that model brake heating/wear and tire wear.)

To be blunt. Considering that there are quite a few great options for pedals with toe brakes, there really isn't any reason to pick something without (aside from that particular flavor of VKB brand loyalty).

One last thing. As is the case with HOTAS setups, metal is more of a sales gimmick than anything else. That isn't to say that metal is bad but it isn't an automatic indicator that you are getting a good setup. For example. I got CH Pro Pedals as my first setup. They didn't use metal but instead a heavy plastic. I used them for years and never, ever felt like they were going to break. In contrast, the internals (the potentiometers) were another issue entirely. Plastic can be extremely durable and in the case of something like flight sim peripherals, you will have to go out of your way to find something were the plastic casing will ever be the problem.

MFG Crosswinds are another good example. They don't use metal but instead a very heavy duty composite material. Again. These are not likely to break at all and considering the quality of the electronic components used, it is unlikely that I will ever have a problem with those parts as well.

Again. I am not saying metal is bad or anything. It is just that there is a sort of mythology in the flight sim scene about metal peripherals being "better" just because they are metal. I have owned a lot of peripherals (some metal like the Warthog HOTAS) and to be honest, it doesn't make a difference.

[Xupicor]

If some people express their preferences that does not constitute a mythology yet. :P

I have a Virpil grip at the moment, would prefer it to be metal, but oh well. I like the cold touch of a Warthog/F-16 grip, but my current one is just more functional.

[The Ferret]

Another +1 for MFG Crosswinds, feels great with the hydraulic damper.

If you remove the spring and use the damper only apparently that's the closest to helicopter pedals you'll get with them.

[Gunfreak]

Publicado originalmente por The Ferret:

Another +1 for MFG Crosswinds, feels great with the hydraulic damper.

If you remove the spring and use the damper only apparently that's the closest to helicopter pedals you'll get with them.

Short of €2000 force feedback pedals they probably are.

[ChaosDad]

I too of MFG Crosswinds. First set of peddals for aircraft and I really like them.