Sim Lab XP1 Pedals Review: Excellent Design, But a Divisive Brake Feel
Sim Lab has built a strong reputation for premium sim racing hardware, and the XP1 pedal set has quietly developed a loyal following over the past few years. After extended testing, it’s easy to understand why—at least from a design and engineering standpoint. However, while the reviewer side of this evaluation finds very little to fault, the driver side reaches a more complicated conclusion.
Build Quality and Design
The XP1 pedals are among the best-looking pedal sets currently available. Machined metal construction, high-quality anodized finishes, and thoughtful color accents give the pedals a distinctly premium feel. Everything—from the pedal faces to the smallest hardware details—feels solid and deliberate.
The throttle and clutch use Hall-effect sensors, while the brake relies on a 200 kg load cell, capable of registering up to roughly 100 kg at the pedal face due to geometry. The standard two-pedal set typically retails around €500, with the clutch available separately. At the time of testing, Sim Lab was running aggressive discounts, making the set notably more competitive on price.
Installation and Adjustability
Out of the box, the XP1 package includes a generous selection of mounting hardware, elastomers, springs, cables, and the pedal controller. The pedals are wide—approximately 10 cm per unit—which may require adjustment depending on your rig or pedal tray, though this is unlikely to be an issue for most modern setups.
Adjustability is one of the XP1’s strongest features. Nearly all changes can be made without tools: brake stack configuration, preload adjustments, pedal angles, and travel can all be altered quickly via a clever pin-and-slot system. From a usability perspective, this is excellent.
Software Experience
Configuration is handled through Sim Lab’s Race Director software. While visually plain, it is straightforward and functional. Pedal calibration, curve shaping, dead zones, and profile management are all easy to set up.
One notable omission is the lack of a clearly defined load-cell pressure limit setting. Instead, braking force is calibrated purely by foot pressure, which can introduce small inconsistencies from session to session.
Where the Experience Divides: Brake Feel
From a technical perspective, the XP1 brake works as designed. From a driving perspective—particularly for drivers who rely heavily on trail braking and hip-driven braking—the experience may be problematic.
The stiffest elastomer supplied (70 shore) compresses fully under moderate braking force, even well below the load cell’s maximum rating. Once fully compressed, the elastomer begins to deform and buckle. When this happens, brake release becomes noticeably mushy, making it harder to precisely manage trail braking and modulation.
Over time, this issue worsens. After roughly 30 hours of use, visible deformation of the elastomer was already present. Comparable elastomers used in other pedal sets under similar loads showed no such deformation.
This behavior doesn’t necessarily affect all drivers. Many may never encounter it, especially those with lighter braking styles. However, drivers accustomed to firmer, progressive brake stacks may find lap time consistency suffers as a result.
Throttle and Clutch Performance
Ironically, the throttle and clutch are highlights. Both are exceptionally smooth, with the clutch offering a subtle but clear bite point near the top of its travel. In manual cars and road driving scenarios, the XP1 pedals feel natural and rewarding—arguably more so than in high-intensity circuit racing.
This made the pedal set surprisingly enjoyable in non-competitive driving, where modulation and smoothness take priority over repeatable threshold braking.
Final Thoughts
As a product, the Sim Lab XP1 pedals are well-designed, beautifully built, and thoughtfully engineered. For most users, they will likely perform exactly as expected.
However, the brake stack design may not suit drivers who rely heavily on precise trail braking and firm, consistent brake release behavior. For that subset of drivers, the elastomer compression and deformation characteristics may become a genuine limitation over time.
