My Review of Main Performance PC Pedals

[b]INTRODUCTION[/b]

Michael Main of Main Performance PC was kind enough to ask me to test a prototype set of his upcoming pedals.  Please note that Michael is making some improvements to the pedals from the set I have and so what you get likely will be somewhat different than what I have.  I have run somewhere between 60 and 100 hours on them since receiving them (sorry, lost count of hours long ago) and feel like I know them pretty well now.  Before I start telling you all about them, I want to tell you about my sim racing background.  As some of you know, I am not fast.  Rather, judging by my stats, I am actually pretty slow.  I do enjoy both road and oval racing, but I simply lack the time to even think about becoming a fast, top flight "alien" sim racer.  I am 40 years old with a career, two children (soon to be three) and a beautiful wife.  But I love sim racing, and I do it on not only PC, but also Xbox One, PS3 and until recently, Xbox 360.  It was my console interest that prompted Michael to ask me to test the pedals.

Also, Michael did not pay me to test these pedals, nor did he require me to do a review.  He sent me the pedals and asked me to test them and provide feedback to him.  I do get to keep the pedals (thankfully, since I love them), but I am doing this review because I want to tell you guys about the pedals, not because Michael required it.

I tested the pedals on PC with iRacing, Project CARS, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, GRID Autosport and F1 2013, both with my Thrustmaster T500RS wheel, but also my Thrustmaster TX wheel.  I also tested the pedals on my Xbox One with Forza Motorsport 5 using my TX wheel.  And, I tested the pedals on my PS3 with Gran Turismo 5 and Gran Turismo 6 using my T500.

[b]INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF PEDAL BUILD AND QUALITY[/b]

Michael shipped the pedals to me in a rather large box, that is likely not what you will get.  Rather, he is finalizing packaging for the release pedals with FedEx and the packaging will be such that the risk of damage during shipment will be minimal.  But here is what my box looked like:

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The big box has the pedals in it, the smaller box has the hydraulic kit.  

When I first opened up and set up the pedals, I attached the floor brackets, which you can use to mount the pedals if you lack an Obutto cockpit.  Some testers used the floor brackets and attached them to a floor piece or you can use the pedals free standing.  I admittedly did not test the pedals free standing and my personal preference is to mount pedals given how hard I work them.

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You can see that the pedals scream quality from the moment you lay eyes on them.  They look and feel extremely solid.  There is virtually no plastic in the pedal set.  The parts are high quality, even when faced with repair neophytes like me that are prone to stripping screws and/or bolts.  Michael has spared no expense with these pedals, they are truly high quality that I believe will provide years, if not decades of use.  The electronics are safely protected in the gas pedal assembly, with little or no risk of damage.

[b]PEDAL SET UP[/b]

Getting the pedal floor brackets attached and then detached was a little difficult because the two bars that they attach to were somewhat of a tight fit.  I was able to remedy that by using a little WD40.  After playing around with the floor brackets, I then installed the Obutto oZone brackets that Michael sent me and used them to attach the pedals to my oZone cockpit.  There is plenty of adjustability there so you will be able to put the pedals where you want.  Michael also has an Obutto Revolution bracket available as well.  You will likely need your pedal plate for these pedals, fortunately I had mine in the attic and was able to re-install it.  It took me some time to get the pedals where I wanted them.  I was excited to use the pedals but fortunately I took the time to place them correctly.  Keep in mind you can easily adjust the pedal position left and right.  Here is how I have them mounted on my oZone cockpit:

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I came from a set of T500 pedals in F1 position that just sat on the floor and rested against the back of my cockpit.  Lets just say it was quite an adjustment to go from F1 style pedals to these pedals, which of course are GT style.  After many hours, however, I got completely used to the pedal position and now wonder how I ever used pedals in any other configuration.  So, if you are concerned, like I was, about going from F1 style to GT style pedals, worry not.

Hooking up the pedals and calibrating them could not have been easier.  You have two options for hooking up the pedals.  You can either use the included USB cable that connects the pedals directly to your PC, or you can use the included cable to connect the pedals to your Fanatec, Thrustmaster or Logitech wheel.  I started with USB but ended up doing the wheel connection so I can could the pedals with my consoles.  Calibration was similarly easy.  Just follow the simple directions Michael will provide and then you are set.  I have never had to re-calibrate the pedals, except when I tried the hydraulic kit.  (more on that in a second)  The relevant driver will detect the pedals either as part of the wheel driver, if you hooked them up through the wheel, or as a separate USB device if you use the USB connection to your PC.    

[b]PEDAL FEEL[/b]

Because I did not have the wheel connection cable at the outset, I connected the pedals to my PC and used them for a while with my PC sims, including iRacing, Project CARS, Assetto Corsa and rFactor 2, with GRID Autosport and F1 2013 testing happening later.  The pedals were simple to set up in every sim.  I had no problems with getting the sims to recognize the pedals.  They just worked.  

Overall, the pedals feel amazing, and much closer to what I would expect in a real race car.  I have used many cheaper sim racing pedal sets in my years of sim racing, including the M$ Wireless wheel pedals, the DFGT pedals, the Clubsport V1 pedals, the stock TX pedals and the T500 pedals.  There is simply no competition, the MPPC pedals feel light years better.

The accelerator has a nice, smooth actuation to it, with a good throw that is just right.  As you can tell from the pictures, the accelerator has a narrow plate and my understanding is the final pedal set will have a wider plate.  But I like it just as it is.  Yes, it took some adjustment from my T500 accelerator pedal, but now I am very comfortable with this pedal.  It has a ton of resolution and so when I am in the pits for example in oval racing, I can keep the speed at the limit without much trouble.  I could not do that with my T500 accelerator pedal.  

The clutch is similarly solid and smooth, although I will acknowledge that I rarely race with a clutch.  It just works.  Perfectly.

And then of course there is the load cell brake pedal.  I personally think the brake pedal is the key to any good pedal set and this brake pedal does not disappoint.  The load cell is rock solid.  If you own Clubsport pedals, then you no doubt know, as I did after owning them for years, that the load cell on the Fanatec pedals is brittle and prone to break.  This load cell, on the other hand, is so solid that I simply do not understand how I could ever break it.  Please know that this brake pedal is stiff and so if you like a soft brake pedal, then you may decide this is not the pedal set for you.  The brake feel absolutely perfect, once I got it dialed in, I found that my braking was far more consistent and reliable then with any other brake I have ever used.  I rarely lock up the brakes anymore.

Please know that racing with socks with these pedals is likely not going to be a pleasant experience.  Rather, I recommend racing shoes (I personally use a pair of Fast Track Sims shoes) or sneakers.  I do not worry about shoes, however, as these pedals can take the pressure just like pedals in real cars.  

Let me say something about the hydraulic kit.  Here is a picture of my pedal set with the hydraulic kit attached:

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The hydraulic kit is a beautiful piece of kit and it looks like an assembly for a real car.  Unfortunately, I was not able to test my hydraulic kit because I mistakenly spilled fluid from the reservoir during assembly.  That was totally my stupidity, as Michael had warned me ahead of time to make sure the closed end nipple remained in place until assembly was completed.   :oops:  So, I had remove the hydraulic kit and re-install the load cell during the rest of my testing.  But that experience has produced a couple of pieces of advice for you guys.

First, if you are not a DIY guy, like me, and particularly if you don't understand how hydraulic brakes work, have Michael install the hydraulic kit for you before shipment.  If you are a DIY guy, then you will have no trouble working with the hydraulic kit and that means you are a better man than me.   :( 

Second, if you do elect to get the pedal set with the stock load cell and you decide later to upgrade to the hydraulic kit, know that you will likely need to spend several hours doing the upgrade and that correctly doing it will require part disassembly of your pedals.  But even for me, it was doable.  The pedals are high end and solid, but the pedal construction is relatively simple and straightforward.  You tinkerers will love these pedals.  

Although I did not test the hydraulic kit, I know that many other testers did and have good things to say about the feel of the hydraulic brake.  

And yes, the pedals did make me faster, but I did not really care about that.  It was more about immersion and comfort and on those points, these pedals are virtually perfect.

[b]CONSOLE COMPATIBILITY AND FUNCTIONALITY[/b]

Once I got the cable to connect the pedals directly to my wheel, I turned my attention to console testing.  I tested the pedals with my Xbox One on Forza Motorsport 5 using my Thrustmaster TX wheel.  I also tested the pedals with my PS3 on Gran Turismo 5 and 6 using my Thrustmaster T500RS wheel.  The pedals easily are the best pedals ever made for consoles.  Period.  And they work just as well on consoles as on PC.  My experience with the pedals on console was just as fabulous as my experience on PC.  So, if you want a high end pedal set, and you want to use them on both PC and consoles, then your choice is easy.  

[b]SUMMARY[/b]

So, the question is whether you should buy these pedals?  Overall, my answer is an emphatic [b]yes[/b], with a couple of caveats.  These pedals are clearly aimed at serious sim racers.  I do not recommend them if you are just starting out.  Rather, go with something cheaper for the time being until you know whether sim racing is a long term hobby.  But, if you are serious, and if you want pedals that are rock solid, feel great and will last for many, many years, then these are the pedals for you.  Make sure you hard mount them so that you feel license to bang on them and use them like you would a set of real race car pedals.  And know that if something should go wrong, there is no better customer service in sim racing than the service you get from Michael Main and Main Performance PC.  Yes, the pedals are not going to be cheap, but you get what you pay for.  Here, you get your money's worth and then some.