Heusinkveld Sim Pedals Review: Sprint vs. Ultimate+ (2026)
Heusinkveld shows up constantly in F1 sim racing circles as the answer to "what's the best pedal set money can buy" -- but the Dutch manufacturer actually sells two very different products under that reputation, not one. Confuse the Sprint for the Ultimate+, or the other way around, and you'll either overpay by $500+ for precision you don't need or undershoot the brake feel a league racer is chasing. Here's exactly how the two lines differ, what each load cell rating means in practice, and which one is worth your money.
Heusinkveld Pedals by the Numbers
- 2013: the year Niels Heusinkveld formally founded Heusinkveld Engineering in Groningen, Netherlands, where every pedal is still designed and assembled today.
- 2005: the year Heusinkveld's founders say they built one of the first load-cell sim pedal sets ever made, as a hobby project years before the company existed.
- 120 kg: the Sim Pedals Sprint's load cell rating, tuned to roughly 65 kg of usable brake force at the pedal face, per Heusinkveld's own specifications.
- 200 kg: the Sim Pedals Ultimate+'s load cell rating, capable of up to 140 kg of real braking force -- more than double the Sprint's usable range.
- $730-$840: the street price range for a Sprint 2- or 3-pedal set at US retailers.
- $1,180-$1,560: the street price range for an Ultimate+ 2- or 3-pedal set -- roughly double the Sprint for the extra brake range and hydraulic damping.
Sprint vs. Ultimate+ at a Glance
| Feature | Sim Pedals Sprint | Sim Pedals Ultimate+ |
|---|---|---|
| Load Cell Rating | 120 kg | 200 kg |
| Usable Brake Force | ~65 kg | Up to 140 kg |
| Brake Feel Adjustment | Swappable elastomer kit (6 force curves) | Adjustable hydraulic damping (compression + rebound, all 3 pedals) |
| Construction | Laser-cut stainless steel | Laser-cut stainless steel, tighter tolerances |
| Software | SmartControl | SmartControl |
| Connection | USB (PC only) | USB (PC only) |
| Street Price (2-pedal) | ~$730 | ~$1,180-$1,260 |
| Best For | Home racers upgrading from potentiometer pedals | Sim centres, leagues, pro-level consistency |
Both lines share the same core idea -- a load cell that measures brake force instead of pedal travel -- and both run on Heusinkveld's SmartControl software for mapping non-linear output curves without recalibrating hardware. Our sim racing pedals buying guide ranks the Sprint as the premium pick against budget and mid-range alternatives; this review goes deeper into Heusinkveld's own two-tier lineup specifically.
Why a Load Cell Costs More Than a Potentiometer
A potentiometer pedal measures how far you push the pedal and reports that distance as brake input -- cheap to build, but the bite point drifts as springs wear in. A load cell instead measures the actual force your foot applies and converts that pressure into a signal, which is exactly how a real race car's brake-by-wire system works: an F1 car's brake pedal registers pressure at up to roughly 5 G under hard braking, not a fixed travel distance. That's why Heusinkveld frames its whole product line around load cells rather than potentiometers, and why F1 fans building a home rig gravitate toward the brand specifically -- it is, mechanically, the closest a consumer pedal gets to how the real thing works.
From a Groningen Workshop to the Sim-Racing Reference Standard
Heusinkveld's origin story predates the company itself by eight years. Co-founders Niels Heusinkveld and Svend van der Vlugt met online in 1999 racing Grand Prix Legends, and in 2005 -- as a hobby project, long before "sim racing" was a commercial category -- they built what the company says was one of the very first load-cell pedal sets ever made. Niels didn't formally found Heusinkveld Engineering as a company until 2013, and every pedal set still ships from the same production facility in Groningen, Netherlands. That eight-year gap between the original hobby build and the first commercial product is part of why enthusiasts treat the brand as the reference standard rather than just another accessory maker -- the load-cell concept was proven out long before it was ever sold.
Which One Should You Actually Buy?
For the large majority of F1 fans building a home simulator, the Sprint is the right call. Its 65 kg of usable brake force already exceeds what most players can consistently modulate, and the swappable elastomer kit lets you dial in a firmer or softer bite point without buying new hardware. Save the Ultimate+ for one of two situations: you run a sim racing centre or league setup that needs to survive heavy daily use across many different drivers, or you've already spent months on a Sprint and know specifically that you're pedal-force-limited rather than technique-limited. The Ultimate+'s extra 75 kg of headroom and tunable hydraulic damping are a real upgrade, but they solve a problem most home racers don't actually have yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Heusinkveld Sprint and Ultimate+ pedals?
The Sprint uses a 120 kg load cell tuned to about 65 kg of usable brake force and a swappable elastomer kit for adjusting brake feel. The Ultimate+ steps up to a 200 kg load cell rated for up to 140 kg of real braking force and adds adjustable hydraulic damping on all three pedals. The Ultimate+ costs roughly $500-$700 more per set.
Are Heusinkveld pedals worth the price?
For serious sim racers, yes. Heusinkveld's load cell measures brake force rather than pedal travel, the same principle real race cars use, and the laser-cut stainless steel construction is built to last years of daily use. Casual players are usually better served by a cheaper load-cell set like the Fanatec ClubSport or Logitech G Pro Pedals, since the extra precision mostly pays off once you're already braking consistently.
Do Heusinkveld pedals work with my wheel base?
Yes. Both the Sprint and Ultimate+ connect over USB and work with virtually any PC wheel base -- Fanatec, Moza, Simucube, or a budget Logitech or Thrustmaster wheel -- since they don't route through a proprietary ecosystem connector. They are PC-only and are not compatible with console play.
Who actually needs the Ultimate+ over the Sprint?
Sim racing centres, league racers chasing every tenth, and anyone who has outgrown a cheaper pedal set are the main audience for the Ultimate+. Its extra usable brake force and tunable hydraulic damping matter most once you're already braking at the limit consistently; most home racers get the same lap-time benefit from the Sprint at less than half the price.
The Bottom Line
Heusinkveld earned its reputation the hard way -- eight years of hobby-project refinement before the company even existed, and a decade-plus since as the load-cell standard other brands get compared against. But "Heusinkveld" isn't one product, it's two: the Sprint covers the vast majority of home F1 sim racers extremely well at under $850, while the Ultimate+ exists for people who have genuinely outgrown that ceiling. Pair whichever set you choose with a rigid sim racing cockpit so the pedal plate itself isn't the thing limiting your braking consistency, and see our sim racing handbrake guide if you're building out a full rally or GT rig alongside your F1 setup.