It’s not for nothing that Fanatec is considered one of the world’s sim-racing market leaders. The German giant boasts one of the most complete ecosystems, whether in terms of peripherals, accessories or sim-racing equipment. If you’re looking for something special for your setup, Fanatec certainly has it in its product range.

Given that sim-racing is based on the customization of set-ups, it goes without saying that having equipment that allows you to upgrade your setup is a must, and Fanatec knows this very well. In its vast catalog of peripherals, the German manufacturer has practically anything and everything. Looking for a specific F1 steering wheel? You’ll find them in all three product ranges. Want to customize your steering wheel with buttons and stickers? Fanatec has a kit just for you. Want to do away with the standard CSL Pedals brake pedal? We’ve got a Load Cell kit for the same device.

Speaking of kits for CSL Pedals, that’s the subject of today’s article. We’re going to take a closer look at this kit, I’m going to tell you about its strengths and weaknesses, and give you my opinion on it.

Main and technical characteristics of the kit

• Load Cell brake pedal kit for upgrading CSL Pedals
• 60 kg brake force
• All-metal construction
• Minimum sensitivity of 10 kg on the brake pedal

Design

Let’s start with the design of the CSL Pedals Load Cell kit. To tell the truth, I don’t have much to say on this point, as this brake pedal takes its design from the crankset it upgrades. The result is steel, a silver finish and a black pedal plate.

In absolute terms, it’s still a nice pedal, not on the same level as a ClubSport Pedals V3, but it’s still pretty good as far as I’m concerned, except for the color. But then…

Customized assembly

Assembling this kit is a fairly straightforward operation, even for a novice. You unscrew the old crankset and replace it with the Load Cell kit. It won’t take you long.

When it comes to mounting them on a setup, you’ll have to be patient, as CSL Pedals are notoriously difficult to attach to a setup. Why is that? Well, the screw holes are at the rear, in the center of the pedals, and reaching them is no picnic, I can assure you. Fortunately for sim-racing fans, Fanatec has upgraded this mounting method on the CSL Elite Pedals V2.

A word of advice: it’s best to use a cockpit, chassis or stand if you’re going to fit the Load Cell kit to your CSL Pedals. The reason is simple: the Load Cell is hard with its 60 kg of pressure, and the whole pedalboard will slide or move on the floor, even with the pads.

Manufacturing and finishing

This kit is built like the CSL Pedal: steel and plastic, with elastomers too. In absolute terms, it’s very well made, rather light with only 1.8 kg on the scale, and the finish is very good.

The only weak point in terms of finish and manufacture is the paintwork. The silver color will suit some setups, but not all. As for build quality, there’s not much to say, given that this is a Fanatec product, even though it’s part of the CSL range. It’s superbly made, and in every respect, except for the color of course, but that’s a subjective element, so…

Getting started with the kit

The pedal is rather light, weighing in at just 1.8 kg. Its grip remains quite good, and you’ll have no trouble manipulating it to install and upgrade your CSL Pedals crankset. However, you should be aware that the Load Cell brake pedal doesn’t allow for any adjustment of force or elastomers.

So, once upgraded, you’ll find yourself with what Fanatec has concocted for this kit. Sure, you can adjust the pedals for lateral comfort, but the Load Cell kit won’t budge on the force you need to apply to brake. You can adjust pedal sensitivity via Fanatec’s software or on compatible steering wheels, but that’s limited as far as I’m concerned.

Sensations during play

Let’s move on to the feel of the CSL Pedals Load Cell kit. If you’ve bought this kit, or you’d like to buy it, it’s because the CSL Pedals brake pedal no longer suits you, or you’d like to take the plunge into the Load Cell world.

Once in place, you can adjust the pedal’s sensitivity using Fanatec’s software on the PC, or via the steering wheel on the console, but only with the German brand’s ecosystem. The pedal feels great on the foot, especially for its price.

Sensitivity can be set to a minimum pressure of around 10 kg, which is not bad considering that this device is part of Fanatec’s entry-level range. The brake pedal proves quite hard under standard use, and even muscular. However, this device is not adjustable in the sense that you won’t be able to swap the elastomers to change the resistance of the pedal or to get a progressive feel that suits you.

As a result, you’re going to end up with what Fanatec has deemed suitable for its crankset, and that’s a bit of a shame. But the feel is good for its price range, especially as the Load Cell can easily handle 60 kg of pressure. The brake is hard from the very first millimeters of pedal travel, which is to be expected as this kit doesn’t feature a two-stage Load Cell.

Kit compatibility

This Load Cell kit is for the CSL Pedals pedalboard and will therefore be compatible with this same peripheral, as it should be. However, the pedalboard is compatible with all platforms currently available on the market, namely PC, Playstation and Xbox.

As for setups, the CSL Pedals can be used with more or less any other configuration, thanks to the USB cable supplied. And if you have a Fanatec base, you can use the RJ12 cable to run the pedalboard and Load Cell kit on it.

Value for money

To upgrade your CSL Pedals, this kit will cost you €140 on the Fanatec website, which isn’t too bad considering you’ll get a good-quality pedal with an elastomer system that can withstand 60 kg of pressure. For me, the value for money of this kit is pretty good, even if you’ll end up with a pedalboard costing around €220 in the end.

My verdict on Fanatec’s Load Cell Kit

In all honesty, this kit is very good for those who already own CSL Pedals and want to get down to business on the track. You’ll have an easily swappable brake pedal, without too much hassle and just a little gymnastics on your part to install the whole thing on a setup, and for just €140.

Price-wise, it’s best to buy the CSL Pedals LC outright to save €20. Honestly, though, it’s no big deal to pay just a little extra to upgrade later, and that’s Fanatec’s strength: practically the entire manufacturer’s ecosystem is customizable and upgradable. The CSL Pedals Load Cell kit, even if it’s limited in terms of pressure adjustability.