CSL Elite vs new CSL pedals
Alex Spensley
Member
in Pedals
Hi guys,
I currently have the older CSL elite pedals and was about to pull the trigger on the load cell brake kit when fanatec announced the new CSL pedals that can be specced with a loadcell.
Do we have any information as to whether they may actually be better than the older CSL elite pedals or are they likely lacking in some areas?
Thanks
Comments
One big plus of the new ones is that it doesn't use a potentiometer anymore on the gas pedal.
I replaced 2 of them in 1,5 years with regular use... With the Hall sensors it should have a longer lifespan with less to no wear.
For the rest we need to see the real product and some reviews. Maybe they skipped quality in some other places and made the design worse.
Yeah to me it looks like the construction is slightly more flimsy, especially in regards to the pedal itself with the C section bent metal rather than what I presume is cast on the elites. Interesting what you're saying about the wear, I am yet to see an issue but it's obvious a hall effect sensor will perform better in that regard. Have you heard of many other people having wear issues by any chance or have you just had particularly bad luck?
Hi
Pascal is right and a lot of us add problems with potentiometer in csl elite, the conection with the pedal one is plastic and the other iron, but they are good pedals set if you now how to solve.
I don't understand the potentiometer argument tbh... I mean people do more than 10 years with their Logitech setups these are all potentiometer... Sure some people may be less fortunate and they are probably the ones complaining, other than that it's mostly make believe. Everything is relative. I'm pretty sure the CSL Elite will work just fine still. CSL Elite pedals are a proven piece of equipment.
Anyway i'm in the same boat as Alex kind of, except all i really want to know is how long will the LC kit for CSL Elite still be available and will there be any price reduction if so.
Untill you have wornout one (Throttle) within a year... and another one (Clutch) not much later. There are probably also enough people that do years with the CSL pedals and the potentiometers.
Maybe Logitech uses better potentiometers then Fanatec does. Or it are people that use the pedal differently, very gentle on the throttle, mostly run full throttle, don't blip the throttle etc. But even then I see also enough people that have worn G25, G29, G920 potentiometers. It's even much easier to get a replacement kit for the logitech's, enough stores that sell them. So there is apperantly enough business to want to have them in your shop.
But in the end the disadvantage of the potentiometer stays. The sliding contacts over the resistance part just wears the more you use it, plus it doesn't like dust. At one points you will get spikes irregular inputs, or just stops etc..
But if you have no problems with a potentiometer nobody that stops you in buying them or using them. But I would think about it more then twice before getting a set that has potentiometers and I welcome the upgrade in the new CSL pedals to Hall sensors.
You almost make it sound like the CSL Elite pedals are rubbish, or the kind that thinks the properties of their equipment changes every time the market changes. I'm pretty sure that if you press hard enough CSL Elite owners gonna have no trouble whatsoever selling them. Heck you probably have enough arguments in the ready making me sell my clubsport base too, and get the CSL DD while i'm at it. Meanwhile you fail to answer the only question i have that could actually change my mind.
We're talking about a ca €200 set of equipment buddy., Just in case you had to be right i don't think it's gonna be the end of the world. But i'm not rich either and saving for LC kit, Formula rim and new monitor to upgrade my equipment so if you got money flying around you can always send me some.
I bought my pedals in november, still within warranty, and to me at least it seems a bit of a shame and a waste anyhow, having to buy a whole new set just because so it happens Fanatec developed a new CSL version with the only difference of hall effect sensors.
We are talking about the potentiometers that are rubbish and wear. I did not say anywhere that the current CSL pedals are rubbish. Heck I like the current CSL pedals even more than the CSW v3 pedals. Currently I would just replace the potentiometers in the current CSL pedals with 3rd party Hall sensors if another potentiometer would wear out.
I also said we need to wait the reviews of the new pedals before we can make more conclusions, to see if they not skipped quality in other area's. So no words about the need to upgrade yet with what I typed here.
The properties of my equipment doesn't change when new equipment gets released. But my opinion about certain parts of the products changes when something breaks/wears out a bit too often. That opinion is already here for a few years long before the new CSL pedals or any other equipment got released and is based on wearing out a few potentiometers.
Again the new Hall sensors are an advantage in the new vs old comparison. But still not clear if all of the new CSL pedals will be an upgrade, we need to wait till the product is released and we see more reviews. Until then unclear if it would even be a worthy upgrade... Maybe the old CSL pedals with an 3rd Party Hall sensor upgrade will be the best option.
Hall effect sensors being an upgrade over potentiometers is hardly doubtable.. But did it ever occur to you that Fanatec developed hall sensor based entry level pedal sets to counter the competition rather than potentiometers being a failure? If the problem were as big as you claim it to be, rest assured the CSL Elite pedal sets wouldn't be as popular as they came to be. Logitech pedals, T3PA pedals, CSL Elite pedals are all potentiometer based but nowhere did i ever read a massive amount of people having troubles because of it. On the contrary. Thrustmaster however now also offers T-LCM pedals with hall effect sensors for €200 only. When your immediate competitor delivers new innovation aimed at the entry level market, as a company you have little choice than to follow up. Therefore i also think the CSL DD is gonna keep more than just a few people at Thrustmaster from sleeping well at night.
If there's anything worrying me about the CSL Elite pedals it's the LC kit itself and the durability of its pressure rubbers, since the softer rubbers tend to snap within a certain amount of time. Personally however i was not planning on using the soft rubbers anyhow, and was hoping the hard compound will last longer. But i have next to no information on that, meaning they probably do last longer?
If you have any info on that feel free to share it with me :).
Btw i think it would be nice if Fanatec themselves offered hall effect sensor replacement kits for the current line of CSL Elite pedals as a future solution in case of damaged potentiometers. I think it's a shame having to put aside the solid sturdiness of an existing model anyhow.
I've had my CSL Elites develop a spiky throttle twice within a year. It might not seem like a huge problem, the pedal still works, but it affects your smoothness, drafting/pushing, and can mess with your fuel strategy. My previous pedal set was what came with my Logitech DFGT and man those were BAD. All potentiometers will wear out after enough time and get spiky or stop working.
Luckily the pots in the CSL Elite have a lot of adjustment range, and most people should be able to get at least 2 more uses of a pot (I replaced mine with a 3rd party hall sensor after the 2nd time). But the big killer for pots is the contact getting dirty first, and the carbon contact wearing out second. It's basically inevitable no matter how clean your environment and how well you keep the pot clean that they will become "spiky". The question comes down to, all else being equal, how often and how much do you use the pedals will determine how long the pots last.
Pots get dirty and wear out - it's inevitable. Most probably know this but for the few who don't - you can buy specialist electrical lubricant / cleaner - Servisol Super 10 is a decent one that isn't too expensive. Spray it into the pot - down the shaft will work if there is no other opening - then rotate the pot multiple times - this will clean up the tracks and also lubricate them - reducing friction so they don't wear so quickly while still maintaining maximum conductivity.