I’ve been paying a visit to my old Logitech G29 to try out the Truebrake Mod by AXC Sim. The Truebrake is a device that you fit to the brake pedal to make accurate braking much easier to do consistently, which is usually very important for competitive racing games where using driving assists isn’t optimal or possible.
It’s designed for pretty much all Logitech brake pedals, from the G25 all the way up to the current G923, which means if you’re watching this and you use a Logitech to race with, it’s an upgrade you can potentially buy and fit to your pedal. I’ve tested it on PC but it’s fully supported on consoles too according to AXC’s site.
For clarity, AXC Sim hasn't asked me to review or sent me this device to review and it’s not a paid promotion, I took a punt on it with my own cash out of curiosity. I wanted to see if the british based company’s product was any good and give my perspective on it as a current Fanatec pedal user.
The question I’m answering with this video is simple; with the Truebrake device fitted, how close does the brake pedal of my Logitech feel to the brake pedal of my current kit, the Fanatec Clubsport V3s with BPK.
Look, let’s get straight to the point. It didn’t take long for me to make my mind up about it. It’s good, it really does do the job it claims to do and I was actually impressed with it. With the Truebrake fitted, jumping straight from my Fanatec pedals to the Logitech was much, much less of an adjustment than it normally is. It really does give the Logitech brake pedal a firm load-cell feel and the muscle memory I’ve acquired on my current pedals transferred pretty much straight over to the truebrake.
Within a short space of time I was hitting the deep braking zones almost as confidently as I would with my usual pedal set. What I was most surprised about was the fact that despite setting the truebrake up at maximum resistance with virtually no travel, it does successfully convert my braking pressure like a load cell would. It works, and my doubts about whether you could truly get load cell braking without an explicit load cell are pretty much resolved, which looking back is probably the reason why I didn’t take the Truebrake more seriously back when I could’ve really done with it.
A Logitech pedal box with Truebrake still isn’t as ergonomically pleasant as my Clubsport pedals given the smaller pedal travel that makes it slightly harder to be accurate, but that’s not really the Truebrake’s fault. The real takeaway point is that considering my Fanatec pedals cost me up to 7 times the price of the Truebrake device, the gap between them can be closed up quite a bit for not a great amount of money, and that’s without considering that console racers can’t just get different pedals and keep the steering wheel, you have to go all in and spend a lot of money and that’s just not happening unless you are a diehard racer.
Fitment of the Truebrake to your pedals is straightforward so long as you approach with care, competence and respect for the delicate wires within the Logitech pedal set. If you’ve previously fitted uprated springs or brake mods to your Logitech then you’ll already be well versed with most of the procedure.
The fitting guide provided by AXC SIM is also very good and if you follow them to the letter you’ll do just fine. This isn’t a device that needs any real technical knowhow or tinkering, just the ability to follow instructions and operate a screwdriver/spanner.
So, some advice for Logitech users considering the Truebrake. With the kit you get inserts to provide 4 different stiffness configurations but to get the best out of the Truebrake I would advise the stiffest possible configuration to get the most consistent muscle memory, BUT, I noticed a lot of folks commenting on my previous bodgy brake mod video that don’t want their brake pedal to be any harder to press than it currently is, and I totally get that.
There are lots of practical reasons why having to press the brake with any more force is going to make things difficult. For example, if you’re not using a fixed rig and all you have is an office chair, you might end up rolling away if your brake pedal is any stiffer. If that’s what you’re thinking, don’t forget that bell castors are a thing and I’ve used them previously to make my V3’s usable with an office chair, before I eventually moved over to a rig. If you’re not sure about it for any other reason, comment and let me know and between myself and the knowledgeable viewers there’s help to be had.
As regards to the Truebrake’s build quality, given that the majority of the device is milled and lathed from what I presume is aluminium, it’s reassuring. It’s probably over-engineered if anything but that can only be a good thing, and engraving their logo on the body of the device indicates that they’re proud to put their name on it and not cutting corners.
Lastly, delivery times are seemingly up and down due to stocking of the device, it took a couple of weeks for mine to arrive as it was out of stock when I placed my order but the website indicates expected dispatch times clearly if you happen to order before the next batch of devices are ready to go.
So, in early 2020 when I started to race in competitive leagues and searched for ways to get the edge on the better-equipped competition, I needed the Truebrake, I just didn’t know it at the time. It impressed me enough that I can recommend it as a way to resolutely make your Logitech brake pedal as good as it’s going to get. If you have a logitech wheelset and you don’t have any plans or desire to upgrade the lot any time soon but you still want to do something to improve your Logitech in the meantime, this device, for the money at least, is a fine way to give your consistency a big boost.
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