Quick review - Thrustmaster TFRP Rudder Pedals

[rictus]

Received these on Friday, £80, Amazon.

Have read many negative reviews of these from people who don't even own them but are comparing immediately to the saitek ones (which are ironically looking discontinued!) So for those of you who might be put off, I thought I'd put in a mention...
I have put a few hours on them already and can say they are great. I have them on a wooden panel and the base is a bit slippy, on carpet it'd be fine. I will just add some more rubber to the base. Operationally they are just fine, I actually prefer the pedals being closer together as this better imitates a GA setup. I never liked the distance on the saitek. I cant say whether they will last as long as the saitek, but the ABS looks pretty thick and strong to me. The pedals are plenty bigger than my size 8s so should accommodate most people comfortably.

As for operating, they do exactly what you'd expect and no jams, creaks etc. Smooth and lovely. Having diff brakes is a joy too!!

Just thought I'd post this as a more balanced review from someone who actually owns them!!

[Lewis - A2A]

That's weird all I've heard from people is how great they are, and good recommendations for them. Good to hear you are liking them be interesting to see how they hold up over time.

thanks,
Lewis

[rictus]

That's good to hear, I was looking for reviews a few weeks ago and found very little except some negative thoughts on some of the more well known sim forums...

Glad others have ignored and taken the plunge!

[Tutmeister]

What's the centre detent like? All saiteks seem to have a central notch that need to be overcome when going from left to right which is far from ideal with a2a tail draggers or gliders. The ideal solution is some mfg crosswinds but these are much more wallet friendly. How smooth are they around the middle?

Chris

[rictus]

No central detent that I've noticed, the springs just return the pedals gently to centre... No stiffness or over pushing needed to get them started...

Know what you mean about saitek and detents... Did the rubber band mod on my yoke a good while back now and it is so much better than the factory setup!!

[Nick - A2A]

Thanks for the review Rich.

I'm seriously tempted to give these a try. Though the MFG Crosswind pedals look fantastic and have had rave reviews from everyone who owns them, I don't think they'll fit under the desk properly (and they're also four times the price).

I've been impressed by my cheap Thrustmaster T.16000 joystick too. In fact, it would be great if Thrustmaster would bring out a flight sim yoke or two to add some competition in the lower priced end of the market. They seem to make quite of range of racing wheels at the ~£200 mark, and I reckon a similarly priced yoke (ideally with Hall effect sensors) would sell really well if the build quality and switch gear was decent.

Cheers,
Nick

[LZ-WIL]

Hi everyone,

I got my Thrustmaster TFRP Flight Rudder Pedals today.
What can I say - amazing stuff! I have never before used rudder pedals with flight simulation and the experience is unbelievable.
It cannot compare at all with the rudder control from the stick twist.
About the product itself, the pedals are light and well sliding on the aluminum bars. The centering mechanism (spring) is very weak and can be over come with no effort at all. They have removable heel support and the differential breaking works just great. Rubber supports on the bottom of the casing make them hold steady on my parquet floor.

The pedals were recognized by my Windows 10 even without their native driver from Thrustmaster.
Installation in FSX, took 2-3min tops. Went to settings and designated Z axis for rudder,Y axis for left break and X axis for right break ( then removed the Z rudder control from my Logitech Force 3D stick). Moved sensitivity to max and corrected null zones

Tested so far on my 172, Piper J3 and the T-6.
Managed to mow some runway side grass with the T-6. I have to say the tail draggers are a lot easier to taxi with rudder pedals than only with stick rudder simulation.

I will write more feedback, as a continue to enjoy them.

Cheerz,
Will

[Lewis - A2A]

Oh cool, let us know how you get on with them over time. Though you don't have any basis for comparison it'd till be interesting to hear.

thanks,
Lewis

[UKJim]

I also have these pedals and have no complaints whatsoever - I felt they were a tiny bit stiff to move at first but after a couple of flights now they move with ease. I would recommend these pedals. I hope they last a while but only time will tell, although in my opinion they seem very well made and very sturdy.

I'm in the process of looking for yoke sets now and that's tough, like the saitek throttle quadrant but yoke has center thingy but the CH yoke doesn't but no quadrant - choices choices!

Anyway, I've gone off subject so let's keep on track. I concur with the originator in regards to the pedals

[AKar]

Thanks all for your reviews, I'm strongly considering these but need to test them before decision. I have Saitek Combat Pedals which I guess are okay, but I ended up to not like them too much...I'm a bit unsure how big of update these Thrustmasters would make, so as of now I'm primarily looking after MFGs even if it will be a while until I can justify the expense.

-Esa

[rictus]

Update on easy movement of the base - noticed today that the base has two areas marked on either side indicating that you can hold the pedals in place. I've put two screws into the wooden base of my desk, allowing me to secure the pedals against sliding around

[Lewis - A2A]

Nice, though I don't need to with current setup in the past I've purchased some stick back velcro to keep pedals in place.

cheers,
Lewis

[dvm]

If it is possible screwing or bolting down your pedals is the way to go. Can't see how you can have precise control with pedals that move around even slightly.

[gulredrel]

After 9 1/2 years with my Saitek Pro Flight Rudder Pedals I heard a cracking noise. The retaining spring of the left toe break snapped away with it's mounting.
I fixed it on the right side at the beginning of the year, but this was partially successful.

So I think it's time for something new. Birthday is coming and my wife ask for a gift. What a timing

[rictus]

Regarding the centre detent on the saitek yoke, i hate this too. It is not hard to fix however. With a couple of parts removed inside (all screwed in place so easy to remove) you can dump the detent and the overly stiff action. With an elastic band, a couple of lighter springs, a cable tie and one small hole drilled, you can have centre return just to make centre easy to find with no force feedback.

Honestly easy to do and limited risk. My saitek yoke has been a joy ever since.

Edit: see link http://www.avsim.com/topic/351529-final ... itch-axis/

There is a video if you scroll down - however I found having springs on both sides too heavy and only have them on the right hand side. This also keeps them clear of the mechanism ...