Sim-racing fans will be familiar with the major players on the market. Brands like Logitech and Thrustmaster focus on specific segments, such as entry-level and mid-range. Fanatec focuses on the high-end, with products largely inspired by motorsports. And then we have players aiming for the very high-end, with products specially designed for e-sport champions and professional drivers. In this latter segment, we have players like Heusinkveld and Simucube. These two brands alone dominate the very high-end sim-racing market, combining expertise, passion and unrivalled manufacturing quality.

Of course, every racer is unique, as is his or her setup, which is closely linked to his or her bank account. A sim-racing fan with a total budget of €500 for a setup will not have the same peripherals as another racer who can spend 10 times as much, and that’s perfectly logical.

Heusinkveld is a major player in sim-racing, especially with the pedalboards it offers. It’s worth noting that the Dutch manufacturer is present at the very top end of sim-racing peripherals, and this shows in its products. In what follows, I’m going to introduce you to the Heusinkveld Ultimate pedalboard, which claims to be the best in its class. I’ll tell you about its strengths and weaknesses, and give you my opinion of it.

Main features and technical specifications of the crankset

• Peripherals with 3 pedals
• Load Cell crankset on all pedals, with adjustable hydraulic shock absorber
• Entire construction in laser-cut stainless steel
• 3-pedal shock absorber resistance adjustable to riders’ preferences
• Brake pedal with Load Cell for up to 200 kg force
• Clutch pedal with Load Cell up to 45 kg
• Compatible only with Windows 10 and Windows 11 platforms
• Supported by Heusinkveld SmartControl software

Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Ultimate+ design

I’ve always loved metal sim-racing peripherals. The use of this material gives them a premium feel, as well as adding a great deal of solidity. And it’s only natural that I should find the Heusinkveld Ultimate absolutely sublime, even if design is a subjective element that varies from person to person.

All parts of the Heusinkveld Ultimate are made from stainless steel plates that have then been laser-cut. It’s simply perfect, especially with this product’s attention to detail. The color is very industrial, as is the overall look of the Heusinkveld Ultimate, with its matte finish on all parts.

The overall design of this crankset is largely inspired by motor sports and the reigning competitions, namely F1 and LMP. Heusinkveld always hits hard when it releases a product, and theUltimate is the worthy heir to a long line of sublime, superbly finished products.

Customized assembly

The Heusinkveld Ultimate is sold as a kit of 3 pedals, without a stand. To be clear: you get 3 individual pedals in the box, and that’s it. As a result, this pedalboard is mounted directly onto a cockpit using 6-sided screws, or Allen screws as they’re commonly known.

On the one hand, this allows you to mount each pedal wherever you like, according to your setup preferences. On the other hand, if your cockpit doesn’t allow you to mount each pedal on its own, you’re obliged to take the Heusinkveld pedal bracket, which is sold separately.

Well, Heusinkveld is a very high-end brand, and you won’t need the bracket as you’ll almost certainly own a high-end cockpit if you can afford this little gem. But I would have preferred to have the stand in the box, just in case.

Manufacturing and finishing

In a word: perfect. I don’t know if Heusinkveld drew a lot of inspiration from the F1/LMP pedalboards or just copied and pasted, but theUltimate is a very high-end product, extremely well finished.

All parts are made from laser-cut stainless steel. As a result, the finish is second to none, with no burrs or sharp edges. The cuts are made to the millimeter, giving this pedalboard a premium industrial look.

It has to be said that the brand has many years’ experience in the field, and has mastered the art of manufacturing high-quality products. Everything is perfect, from the Allen screws used, to the springs, to the steel plates. It’s just beautiful, extremely well finished and very premium.

Getting to know the pedals

When you open the box, you’re faced with 3 pieces of silverware, and a small cardboard box. As soon as you take a pedal in your hands, you’ll feel the quality of Heusinkveld Ultimate, which is incredible, by the way. The pedals are heavy, robust and built to last. This isn’t a product that’s going to explode into a million pieces under heavy braking – not at all.

The pedals are fully adjustable in several ways. Tilt, height, resistance, force, etc., absolutely everything can be adjusted manually with Allen keys, which are supplied with the Heusinkveld Ultimate, and you can adjust the rest (calibration, dead zone, etc.) via Heusinkveld‘s SmartControl software.

Sensations during play

Once the Heusinkveld Ultimate has been installed on the setup, it’s time to see what it’s got. At first, I found the brake pedal rather soft, but that’s the brand’s intention. The aim here is to let the sim-racer set the pedal according to its preferences. Which is good, given that Heusinkveld thinks a lot about racers.

Once the settings have been made, it’s time for the sensations. The gas pedal is linear, so there’s not much to say about it. The clutch is degressive, as on other high-end cranksets, meaning that as pedal travel increases, resistance decreases. As for the brake, it’s just superbly realistic, with a progressive Load Cell and hydraulic system that’s very strong when you set it to be so.

The level of brake compression is just like that of a real car, without having the same stroke, as the Heusinkveld Ultimate ‘s is shorter. It’s smooth, fluid and very convincing. It’s as if your mind is actually in a racing car, while your body is in your living room, in front of a sim-racing setup. The sensations provided by the Heusinkveld Ultimate are simply breathtaking, far superior to the best from Fanatec and the competition, with the exception of Simucube.

Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Ultimate+ compatibility

The Heusinkveld Ultimate is a PC-only pedalboard for Windows 10 and 11 operating systems. This choice of compatibility is justified in my opinion, as only a good computer can run sim-racing titles at maximum graphics for even greater realism.

This pedalboard is immediately recognized by all PCs as an input device (like joysticks, steering wheels, etc.) and all you need to do is download Heusinkveld ‘s software to configure dead zones, calibration and practically anything else. So if you’re looking for a console-compatible pedalboard, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.

Value for money

At exactly €1,350.96 on the Heusinkveld website, the Ultimate pedalboard is very expensive. For comparison, its little brother, the Sprint in 3-pedal configuration (which you can discover here), costs around €600 less.

However, the price is largely justified in my opinion, as you have a Load Cell crankset on all pedals, a maximum force of 200 kg on the brake with a hydraulic system on this same pedal, an entire structure in laser-cut stainless steel, build quality worthy of Ferrari and other supercar brands, and so on.

This pedalboard may be expensive, but it’s still good value for what you get in terms of sensations and, above all, the level of immersion and realism you can expect from it. The only negative point of the Heusinkveld Ultimate, in terms of price, is the fact that the pedal bracket is sold separately, and that looks really cheap on a product costing almost €1,400.

My verdict on the Sim Pedals Ultimate+ from Heusinkveld

Clearly, I loved the Heusinkveld Ultimate, and it will certainly be hard to find anything better. It’s a crankset I highly recommend to riders who can afford it. Because given its price, its clientele is already well defined, and it will only find takers among the elite riders with multi-figure bank accounts. And if that’s not your case, or you’re simply not convinced, then I’ll let you discover other cranksets that are sure to please right here.