The Cheapest Load Cell Pedals: Thrustmaster T-LCM
At 200 dollars, the Thrustmaster T-LCM pedals are currently the least expensive, mass-market pedals featuring load cell technology. But even for the relatively low cost of $200, are they worth it? Let's find out.
Before I get started, I just want to mention a few important details. For one, I will not go in-depth in terms of the specifics of “load cell brakes” and why they are so much better. I’m just going to assume you know what they are. Second, I did receive this product free of charge from Thrustmaster themselves, however, they didn’t send it for review purposes, I'm just making this video because I feel like it. And as I always like to mention, when reviewing products, the biggest factor I always take into consideration is the cost and value for money, and as a full-time college student in the US, trust me, I value money more than most. The last thing I wanted to mention is that I’ve been using these pedals for about 3 months now, so unlike many other people making reviews on these, I've actually used them for more than just a few days.
As I do with all my reviews, I’ll start with the positives, move on to the negatives, and end off with my final thoughts and recommendations.
POSITIVES
It's well known in the sim racing community that load cell pedals do have a positive impact on your performance in-game and this is very much the case with these pedals. I can say with confidence that I have improved significantly in not only my lap times but more importantly my consistency in-game so if you are looking at these pedals solely because you want to improve, this will do the job.
More than just improving performance in-game, assuming you are coming from cheaper potentiometer-based pedals, they also look quite good while doing so. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this is based on personal preference more than anything else but they really do look cool and feel premium as well. The pedals themselves are made out of brushed metal which looks and feels stunning. They also feature a metal plate which you either like or you don't, I like it but I can see why many others might not.
The pedals themselves are constructed from metal and feature this cool-looking hexagonal pattern. This is meant to increase their stability and prevent them from flexing in any way. More than that, they also give it a very unique and cool look. Taking a look behind the T-LCM’s you see the load cell brake pedal. The brake pedal features these exposed springs to allow the user to swap them out to increase or decrease the amount of force required to suit their needs. With these pedals, you receive a bunch of springs so it makes it convenient and easy to fine-tune them. Furthermore, the pedal plates are adjustable so you can adjust their pivots, the distance between them, and all that stuff with relative ease.
In terms of how they feel and react in-game, they have been great. The clutch and gas pedal require little force to push and act as you would expect and the brake pedal allows for precision when braking and feels very realistic to one in a real car. I will admit that I did take a few days to get used to them and most people usually do.
Another great thing about the Thrustmaster TLC-M’s is their compatibility. These pedals are compatible with Xbox and PlayStation systems as well as PC. Furthermore, they can plug in directly and don’t require a compatible Thrustmaster wheel to function. So, if you currently have a Logitech G29 and only want to upgrade the pedals, you can use these with it. But of course, if you do have a Thrustmaster wheelbase like the TS-XW, you can also connect the pedals directly there.
Taking a look underneath the T-LCM’s there's nothing too notable. There are a few grips but due to the force required to push the brake and the relative bulky nature of these, you are going to want these mounted on a cockpit, or make sure to place these against a wall so they don’t fly into orbit as soon as you apply the brakes. There's also an indent for cable management which is nice to have. Of course, these pedals can be mounted on nearly all mass-market cockpits but if you have a DIY one, they also come with a mounting template that tells you where to drill holes if that is something you need to do.
NEGATIVES
To be completely honest, I’ve been reflecting on this for the last few minutes and there isn’t much to complain about and definitely nothing I would consider a deal-breaker.
Some people have criticized the look of these pedals and to be honest, I didn’t think they were the prettiest either online, but in person, once you see the nice finish of the pedals and the pedal plate shining under light, they don’t look bad at all. At the end of the day, this is all due to personal preference and to most, a sim rig isn’t meant to look pretty anyway.
Something I don’t like about these pedals is the plastic body. Although it performs and does the job even under significant pressure, I wish it was made out of a more premium material just to give the pedals a nicer overall feel. Coming in at $200 however, it really isn’t something to complain about.
Finally, there is some flex in the side-to-side movement of these pedals. You can see it quite visibly if you move the pedals left and right with your hand although it never bothered me nor have I ever really felt it in-game. However, if you mainly play using the clutch and are heal toeing constantly, I've heard some people saying that it's noticeable. So although it never affected me personally, it's something to keep in mind nonetheless.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In essence, you can’t go wrong with the Thrustmaster T-LCM Load cell pedals. They are a solid, good-looking, and most importantly game-changing piece of equipment that comes in at a stunning price. While $200 is by no means a small amount of money, when compared to other sim racing equipment and more importantly, other load cell pedals in the market, they are considered a bargain. If you are looking to further up your competitiveness in-game and take your sim racing experience to the next level, a load cell brake pedal is essential and the T-LCM’s will give you that without causing too much damage to your wallet.
