Sim-Lab XP1 Loadcell Pedals – Review

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Sim-Lab XP1 Loadcell Pedals – Review

Last year, Dutch manufacturer Sim-Lab launched its first pedal set on the market with the XP1 Loadcell pedals. With a price of around €500, they are positioned in the mid-price segment, where they have to compete with a large number of rival products. Read this review to find out how they performed in practice.

Ordering and shipping

The XP1 Loadcell pedals can be purchased directly from Sim-Lab’s own shop or from various distributors. You can choose from the following options (prices excluding shipping):

Throttle + Brake: 490,76€
Throtle + Brake + Clutch: 589,10€
Throtle + Brake + Clutch (Black Edition): 638,27€
Clutch only: 195,71€
Pedal slider baseplate: Starting at 87,52€
XP1 Black Conversion Kit: 39,29€

The set presented here is the 2-pedal set, which was offered at a reduced price of €392.4 at the time of testing.

Sim-Lab Pedal Set XP1 Loadcell*

5% Sim-Lab Gutscheincode / Coupon code: simracingpc5

The product tested was provided by the manufacturer for the duration of the review. At no point was the content of this review influenced.

Scope of delivery

Many pedal sets now come with a generous scope of delivery. However, the XP1 Loadcell pedals stand out once again – in a positive sense. In addition to an extensive selection of elastomers and cables (double version), mounting material with screws in two different lengths is also included.

Brake pedal
Throttle pedal
Control box
USB-C cable
2 x Pedal cable short (30cm)
2 x Pedal cable long (75cm)
2 x Elastomer set (50A, 70A)
2 x Brake preload spring set (Light, Heavy)
Brake preload buffer set
Throttle spring heavy
10 x Bolt M6 x 30 DIN 912
10 x Bolt M6 x 20 DIN 912
2 x Bolt M5 x 25 DIN 912
4 x Bolt M5 x 12 DIN 912
20 x Washer M6 DIN 125-A
2 x Washer M5 DIN 9021
4 x Washer M5 DIN 125-A
20 x Lock-Nut M6
2 x Lock-Nut M5
10 x Slot-Nut M6
4 x Slot-Nut M5

Compatibility

The pedal set is currently intended exclusively for use on a PC. It is also designed for use on a sim rig, either with a bracket made of aluminium profiles or a solid mounting plate. Console compatibility is not currently available.

Mounting

The pedals are each equipped with slots on both sides for mounting. Apart from the centre reinforcement, these are continuous, which offers a high degree of flexibility when mounting on the rig. Each pedal is fastened with four screws. Sim-Lab includes both matching sliding blocks (as shown here for mounting on the P1X Pro Rig) and nuts. Another positive feature is the screws, which are supplied in two different lengths.

One cable per pedal is then plugged into the plastic controller box supplied. This also offers two open slots for additional peripheral devices. The box is then connected to the PC using the USB-A to USB-C cable supplied; no additional power supply is required. The box is equipped with four mounting holes and can be attached to the underside of the pedal plate, for example.

Overall, the pedals should therefore be usable on any current rig without any problems and without major conversion measures.

Pedals

In contrast to most pedal sets currently available, the individual pedals are not made from cut-to-size metal plates, but are each made from solid metal. Both the respective pedal arm and the two-part bracket are anodised in black or grey. Parts intended for adjustments on the pedals are highlighted in blue, while the colour gold was chosen for the Loadcell housing. This clearly sets the pedals apart from most current sets and their design and quality of workmanship make them stand out from the crowd.

To adjust the angle of the pedals, there is a channel at the rear that allows the angle to be adjusted by around 20 degrees. There is also a turning dial at the front that can be adjusted without tools to adapt the maximum travel. Another adjustment option is the choice of attachment point for the structure on the pedal arm. Here, too, there are three options, with the height also determining how much force is required to move the pedal. The higher the position is selected, the softer the pedal becomes.

The connection cable is plugged into the rear area and can therefore be easily routed to the rear and thus well hidden.

Brake

The brake is of course the star of every pedal set. Here, Sim-Lab relies on a 200-kilogram load cell that measures the force applied to the brake pedal. Depending on the positioning of the arm, a maximum braking force of up to 100 kilograms is possible. The round design of the load cell in combination with its positioning directly at the end of the elastomer structure is unusual. The latter then generates the actual braking feel. You can choose from a selection of springs in three different hardness levels and the corresponding buffers:

Spring
- Soft
- Medium
- Hard
Buffer
- 7 mm
- 9 mm
- 11 mm

The springs are combined with a suitable buffer in accordance with the instructions. This ensures that the installed spring is not fully compressed. The adjustment made here primarily changes the initial brake feel. Sim-Lab installs the medium-hard spring as standard. With the help of the blue ring, which can be adjusted by hand, a little more preload can be applied to the body, which also has an effect on the initial braking feel.

You can also choose between three rubber elastomers, which are used above the metal spring. The medium-hard elastomer is used as standard.

Soft: Shore 50A
Medium: Shore 60A
Hard: Shore 70A

Overall, the pedal can therefore be adjusted over a very wide range. For example, a combination of hard preload spring and hard elastomer was selected for this test. The centre position was also used as the attachment point. The braking feel doesn’t need to hide behind even significantly more expensive Loadcell pedals. It can be precisely modelled and easily adapted to your own preferences thanks to the many customisation options. It helps that most of the settings can be made without tools.

Throttle

In addition to the brake pedal, the 2-pedal set naturally also consists of the matching throttle pedal, which has the same basic structure as the brake. Instead of a load cell, a Hall sensor is used here, which measures the deflection of the pedal with a resolution of 16 bits. The following setting options are available here:

Spring: There are two different spring strengths to choose from.
Mounting point: The required force can also be influenced by the choice of mounting point.
Preload: The blue nut can be used to adjust the preload in order to change the initial braking feel.
Travel: The maximum travel of the pedal can be adjusted using the rotating nut on the front of the pedal.

This makes it possible to set both a very hard throttle pedal with a short travel and a soft throttle pedal with a long travel. All settings can also be made completely without tools. Actuation is very smooth on both the hardware and software side, placing the throttle pedal in the top class.

Pedal Plates

Sim-Lab uses solid metal plates with a smooth surface and minimal texturing for the contact surfaces to the foot. They are connected to the centre of the pedal arm using two screws and can be mounted at two different heights. It is also possible to adjust the angle by around 10 degrees in addition to the angle of the entire pedal assembly.

Software

The Sim-Lab software for the pedals is simple but functional. Pedal curves can be set, calibrations performed and profiles saved and loaded in a single window. Firmware updates can also be carried out using an additional programme.

DIY project: Heel Rest

The pedals are offered without a base plate as standard and therefore require either direct mounting on a suitable plate or aluminium profiles. Here you can find a small DIY project of a 3D-printed heel plate. In combination with an aluminium profile pedal mount, it represents an inexpensive but functional extension.

Heel Rest (MakerWorld)

Conclusion

The XP1 Loadcell pedals from Sim-Lab are a welcome change in the recently rather monotonous simracing pedal market. The all-metal brake is equipped with a 200-kilo Loadcell and allows adjustment without additional tools. In combination with the simple but functional software and the very large scope of delivery, the pedals currently represent serious competition in the price range up to €500 and even stand out from the competition in some areas. Overall, you get a rock-solid pedal set that stands out in particular due to its striking design and at the same time offers excellent performance on the racetrack.