We’ve done this before…
I have a set of TM T flight pedals that have frankly started to hold me back a little.
They have been wonderful. Cant fault them but im looking to upgrade.
I have been diligently saving my birthday and Christmas money like a good boy and have about £220 to play with.
Recommendations in that bracket? I have an X56 and CM2 throttle but im not what to go for.
I’m not sure what’s the postage going to be but the MFG Crosswind are absolute beasts.
Edit: maybe better to specify,I have them and I love them.
I bought my MFGs almost a year ago. At the time, shipping to the eastern US was 38 Euros. Pedals were 276 Euros. Not sure what the prices are now, but they came without fuss.
I have had my MFG Crosswinds for a few years now… great pedals. If you go this route be sure to get the damper option to add some ‘weight’ to the pedal action. The other set to look at is the Thrustmaster TPR rudders, which look like they would be amazing. They use a pendulum mechanism that should feel great (if their Boeing Yoke is anything to go by). Pricey though…
I would’ve gotten pedals with a pit and pendulum option, but the beating of the telltale heart quoth me “nevermore.”
But really let us know what you decide. I have a set of CH rudder pedals that I have been secretly hoping would die for like 15 years but they keep on hanging on.
Had a glimmer of hope last year when they were spazzing out for a bit but they only needed a blast of compressed air and recalibration.
Which is great, I guess! Great product and all that but I still wish it would croak it already so I can feel a little less guilty about spending 400 bucks on those crosswinds.
I had the same problem with my CH pedals too…they just would not die! In the end I retired them and bought the crosswinds anyway. It was a worthwhile upgrade.
Took the words right outta my mouth. And I think they just hit their 20th anniversary
Same here. I bought my CH pedals secondhand, twenty years or so ago. I only changed a spiky pot once. Despite of their plastic appearance they seem to last forever.
Goodbye old pal! Enjoy your forthcoming garaged-based retirement, you’ve earned it.
These crosswind pedals seem fancy, and serious! Almost too fancy and serious but I’m sure once I try them I’ll be happy they’re mine.
Presuming there are instructions/videos around on how to set these guys up; any tips or things to look out for when putting them together? The ziplocks the hardware were in ripped open in transit, so there was a bit of bolt smorgasbord thing going on when I opened it.
Just performed the exact same swap about 6 months ago. After 25+ years it was actually a bit of an adjustment - just felt funny. But in a good way. The MFG’s are doing well and should last as long if not longer.
I can’t think of any tips or helpful bits regarding assembly; think I just pulled the wrapper off and plugged it in.
Cool, thanks - searched around online and it seems pretty straightforward. Looking forward to trying it out this weekend
If I have taken one thing away from this thread it is: CH Pedals are like the energiser bunny, they keep going and going and going.
I replaced my CH Pro’s that I had for nearly 15 years about 12 months ago with TM Pendulars. Nothing wrong with my CH pedals until I got the DCS Apache module and I just couldn’t ‘tune’ them.
Yeah, the rudder pedal was the only one (of three: fighter stick, throttle, pedals) that ever gave me a reason to switch - they just didn’t respond smoothly over time. But they all still work - I’m using them on my mission development [old] PC still.
PS: I’m not sure the exact age of the CH bits but I do know they were the first issue ones when they changed from parallel (or whatever it was called) port to USB. Feels like a LONG time ago.
I know they’re expensive, but I really like my Thrustmaster TPRs. They’re very realistic (since they have the same angle of motion as a real aircraft, as opposed to most PC rudder pedals. They’re adjustable, so still perfectly suitable for a desktop sim, or a full pit with a more fighter-like sitting position. Very solid, well built, and work great.
Easy to add a motorcycle damper to, which makes the feel of the pedals really really nice.
@WarPig I also like the spacing between them. A lot of other pedals were all about the same width as my old CH, which made them a bit too ‘narrow’ for my liking.
It took a while to get the springs set how I liked - enough feel from neutral, but not too firm and the end of the travel. IMHO that adjustability from nothing to ‘leg day workout’ is one of the plus points for the TPR.
I hadn’t considered a damper, what are the pros & cons? I currently like how easy it is to re-center them simply by taking my feet off.
@Troll is where I got the idea from. I searched ‘Motorcycle Steering Damper’ on eBay and found the same model, it seems to be ubiquitous. I have no idea if that kind is the ‘best’ for this purpose as it’s the only one I’ve ever tried (none of my motorcycles have/had steering dampers to ‘borrow’ and compare!). At the time it was maybe $30 USD if I recall. My install isn’t as pretty as Troll’s is since mine involved less beautiful angle bracket and more 1.5" block of scrap hardwood I had on hand.
I’m pleased with the results; it eliminates the ‘springiness’ the TPRs had stock, adds some weight to the rudder forces to make them feel much more ‘real’. I’ve always had my springs on the highest settings to be as close to what I’m used to IRL as possible, which was still pretty light stock. I have zero clue what a real FBW fighter jet rudder pedals feel like though, so YMMV. Also (this is obvious I suppose) the damper dampens the return to center so they don’t go past if I quickly remove a jab of rudder, but instead return to center more like real ones. Before mine would kinda spring back and forth a couple times at the center.
I run mine (adjustable damper) on the lowest to second-lowest setting, so that they aren’t slow to return to center.
Thanks very much. I reckon I will have to give that a try 
The MFG crosswinds also have a damper option. I don’t get that “swinging” if I release from full deflection back to center as it overshoots, then moves back.
Increasing it makes it return to center slower, too. I know some people take the spring out altogether so the pedals don’t self center anymore for helo flight, but I fly too much fixed wing and the process takes a few minutes so I don’t bother.
I fly the MFGs without a centering force for helicopters! Unlatching the spring only takes about 10 seconds so I find it worth it even when I switch a lot between jets and choppers. It does take a bit of getting used to, not having any backpressure on the pedals, but it helps a lot!
