Using Third-Party Pedals and Fanatec Hardware

The Fanatec Ecosystem offers everything a sim racer needs: top-class wheel bases at different price points and performance, a wide range of steering wheels for every racing discipline like Formula or Rally, add-ons like a handbrake or shifter, cockpits like the ClubSport GT Cockpit, and of course: pedals. With the latter being arguably the most important piece of your sim rig to get consistent lap times, some might opt to go with third-party offerings instead of a Fanatec set.

The reasons for this can be manifold. For one, some people may be gradually upgrading their hardware to Fanatec, with pedals being planned later in the process. They can still use their old pedals while building out the other components first.
Others may already have a pedal set from a different manufacturer that they are used to and happy with and just want to upgrade their wheel base. The DIY community in sim racing is also very prominent, so some sim racers might prefer to keep their custom-made or modified set. In any case, you can use non-Fanatec pedals with other Fanatec hardware. Just make sure to weigh the pros and cons in your decision.

If you want to use third-party pedals with a Fanatec wheel base, you will have to play on PC. Although Fanatec also offers console-compatible wheel bases and steering wheels, your pedals from a different manufacturer won’t work when plugged into a Fanatec wheel base. When playing on consoles, a Fanatec wheel base acts as a sort of “hub”. Via this, you can plug in any official peripheral and have it work on consoles as well. This is not the case for third-party pedals. There are certain workarounds, but these are not officially supported by Fanatec.

When using pedals from other brands, you will not be able to use and customize the settings in the Fanatec App. This means, for example, that you cannot calibrate your pedals in the app or tune your Brakeforce settings. Instead, you will have to rely on the software provided by the manufacturer or other tools.

Luckily on PC, it is easily possible to use third-party pedals and Fanatec hardware at the same time. For Fanatec gear, just make sure to have the latest Fanatec App version installed and that your firmware is up-to-date.
Your pedals will most likely come with a separate USB connection. Just plug them in, get the correct drivers and / or software, and you should be ready to go.

Compatibility with Fanatec products should be of no or very little concern when you mount your third-party pedals to a Fanatec cockpit. Both the CSL Cockpit V1.5 and the ClubSport GT Cockpit feature pedal plates that offer a multitude of mounting options that should fit most pedals on the market. If they do not fit, check online or contact the manufacturer for a drilling template if needed.