There’s a common misconception in the Sim racing world, that premium products will allow the racer to set faster lap times. There is some merit to this statement but on the whole it should be taken with a pinch of salt, with practice you can be as fast as the fastest with whatever equipment you use
The Setup
The OBP pedal set comes pre assembled, and with little to no adjustment availiable. you can adjust the pedal throw top and bottom with screws and bump stops but thats it. Ow and move the pedal faces around a bit on the uprights, handy if you want to offset the pedals for heel and toe or left foot braking. I left them as they came. I bled the brake pedal similarly to how I would on a normal car: added fluid to the resevoir, opened the bleed screw which is unusually small(!) full depressed the pedal, tightened the bleed screw, released pedal then repeat until fluid is coming out the nipple with no air. I used an old rag to wrap around the cylinder to catch and running fluid.
The software OBP recommended is DiView, the same as the Meca and many other manufacturers use. It requires a little quick maths but nothing too complicated.
The feel
I ordered the OBP V2 Pedals after lots of research and consideration, because I wanted to replicate the feel of a real car, within the budget I’d set myself. These seem the closest I could get to that, being hydraulic and utilising real motorsport parts to achieve that effect. Coming from Logitech G29 to Fanatec V3 pedals was a huge jump for me due to the pressure based brake pedal in the form of a loadcell, genuinely improving my pace as it was a much more natural way to control the braking of the car.
Moving to the OBP setup the level of control is taken even further, with a fantastic initial pressure hit as you stab the brakes to full pressure, and then a beautifully smooth and progressive release of pressure as you peel off to trail brake into the apex. It’s so repeatable because of how realistic it feels and the damping effect that naturally comes from using a hydraulic based system.The throttle is beautifully smooth with plenty of travel, much like the Fanatec V3s, there is nothing I would change about it. Utilising a high quality potentiometer that’s completely sealed, it should out last me.
Clutch, well its just a typical sim clutch pedal, I think apart from the Heusinkveld ultimates no1 has really managed to replicate that feel of pressing through a spring plate properly, and also its irrelevant anyway as you just jab away at the pedal to change gear, its never really used as a steady input. I personally think when companies invest so much time and money into replicating a decent feeling clutch pedal, it’s a bit of a waste, I’d rather have a better brake and throttle, mounting solution or even finish to the product.
Speaking of mounting and finish…the OBPs are fantastically well finished, machined aluminium pedals with a mild steel powder coated frame that’s very rigid and easy to mount to the rig! Although I’d prefer if they provide holes for m8 bolts rather than m6, but I’m nit picking. Also an option pedal plate would be a great improvement to the setup as not everyone has a way of making their own or implementing it into there rigs (next level racing etc). I had one made from 5mm aluminium for the cost of £35 and it works brilliantly, and with some grip tape on to stop scratching its looks great too!
Conclusion
I love these pedals, and I’m learning more each day as I get used to them. At first I found the brake pedal incredibly stiff for my liking, so I utilised a softer bumper from my Heusinkveld handbrake, this didn’t last very long and after a few days it had gone so soft it may aswell not have been there. So I removed it and stacked up the 2 of the 3 supplied bumpers (green-medium & yellow-soft) with a solid small spacer that come with the pedals, on top of each other and after a day of use they had softened up a lot, and combined with just getting used to them, they now feel absolutely perfect, for left foot braking atleast! I recommened just riding out the first few hours of use with the bumpers in this configuration if you think they’re a little too stiff in their preset condition..they will eventually soften up a bit.
And as a side note; there can be a build up of fluid on the Willwood plunger shafter where the bumpers sit..a quick wipe everynow and then is required to stop any drips from ruining your floor, it seems this is the case with all hydraulic pedals using this kind of system.
OBP Pedals are available from;
and many other resellers.
Average Sim Racer 