Simucube Tuner Settings Guide: Correctly Configure Your ActivePedals

Simucube Tuner is a piece of software that lets you configure your ActivePedal and Simucube throttle to your heart’s content. While it is a shame that the ActivePedal configuration wasn’t included in the Simucube True Drive software, instead requiring a different piece of software, Tuner is incredibly intuitive to use and gives endless adjustments.

In this how-to guide, I’m going to run through what Simucube Tuner is, how to make adjustments to your ActivePedal and just what each setting changes.

What is Simucube Tuner?

Simucube Tuner is your go-to piece of software for setting up, calibrating and adjusting settings with your Simucube pedals. This software is required to use the Simucube ActivePedal and passive pedals. While you will use the Tuner software to initially calibrate your pedals and update the firmware, it has a lot more functionality beyond this.

You can set up multiple profiles for different games with preset settings, adjust the force feedback effects and adjust a variety of settings that can make your pedals feel very different.

Simucube Tuner vs True Drive

Simucube Tuner and True Drive are two different pieces of software that both act as ways to configure Simucube products. If you have a set of Simucube pedals and a wheel base, you’ll need both pieces of software to fully configure your entire sim racing setup.

Read our Simucube buyer’s guide for our recommendations on Simucube pedals and racing wheels.

True Drive is the original Simucube software and is used to configure any Simucube 2 wheel bases as well as steering wheels. This software is required if you own a Simucube wheel base, and will act as your portal to adjust force feedback settings.

Tuner is a secondary piece of software that was designed entirely around the ActivePedal and throttle. This is required if you own the newer ActivePedals. It works in a similar way to True Drive, however, controls only your pedals and not any other Simucube hardware such as the wheel base.

Do you need Simucube Tuner?

If you own any Simucube pedals including the ActivePedal, you will need to download and use the Simucube tuner software. You can download the software, perform the calibration and then never touch the Tuner software again. However, it is incredibly helpful to set up multiple profiles for different games and adjust various settings.

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Installing Tuner and connecting your pedals

The first thing to do after setting up your Simucube ActivePedal is to download and install the Tuner software. This is a free piece of software that lets you make adjustments to how your pedals behave and feel.

You can find the Tuner software on Simucube’s website and is free to download. Here is a link to Tuner.

Step 1: Install Tuner

Once you have downloaded Tuner, click on the icon to start the installation and follow the on-screen instructions. Tuner will run through the relatively straightforward installation process.

Step 2: Connect ActivePedal and update firmware

Once the software is installed, you can open up Tuner. Initially, you won’t see anything connected, even if your pedals are fully connected to your PC and turned on. You will need to click on the “Add device” button in the sidebar to start adding pedals to Tuner.

As each pedal is added and connected, you will be prompted to run through both a firmware update and a calibration process. Updating the firmware for the ActivePedal consists of rebooting a few times while the software is installed, so leave it to do its thing.

Once the firmware is updated, you can calibrate the pedal by following the on-screen instructions. Here you get the chance to set the pedal resting position, along with telling the software about any manual adjustments you may have made when initially setting up your ActivePedal.

Read our Simucube ActivePedal set up guide for more information on different ways of configuring your pedal.

You should also calibrate the force sensor while in this configuration screen. This will ensure the force sensor and motor are correctly working and calibrated to the software. During this process, it is important to not touch the pedal or interfere as it will move on its own.

Step 3: Connect the throttle or additional pedals

If you are using two or three ActivePedals, simply follow the step above to configure each pedal individually. You should tell the Tuner software, what each pedal is being used as, either a brake, throttle or clutch. This will allow each pedal to react correctly during sim racing.

If you have a throttle pedal, again, follow the step above to connect it to the Tuner software and update the firmware. You will then be presented with a slightly different screen to the ActivePedal. With the throttle, this configuration screen lets you adjust elements such as deadzones and whether you need to invert the inputs which can be required for some games or setups.

Step 4: Start sim racing or continue to change additional settings

At this stage, once all of your Simucube pedals are configured, updated and calibrated, you can jump right into a game such as Assetto Corsa Competizione or iRacing and start racing. This is a great way to test out the new pedals and make any further adjustments until all pedals feel comfortable.

However, by default, none of the advanced ActivePedal settings are enabled. They are all turned off meaning you won’t feel any force feedback when you first head out on track. I would recommend still jumping into your sim racing game of choice.

This lets you test the positioning and hardware configuration of all pedals. You can adjust elements such as the pedal position, travel, deadzones and more until you feel comfortable. Then once you feel happy with your pedal layout and configuration, you can jump back into the Tuner software and start to turn on the force feedback effects and tweak things further.

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Setting up ActivePedal in Tuner

With your ActivePedal calibrated and the firmware updated, we can now jump into the actual settings that really make this force feedback pedal stand out from the crowded sim racing pedal market. The ActivePedal is incredibly unique in that it includes a motor that allows it to create true force feedback effects.

These force feedback effects include simulating ABS vibrations, motor rumbles and sensations of traction control. Each of these settings can be individually controlled, enabled or disabled and tuned to your own preference. If you aren’t a fan of a specific effect, you can disable it or turn it down, while continuing to use other effects.

ActivePedal effects explained

As mentioned, the effects that the ActivePedal can generate range from a variety of different forces simulating a real-world pedal. When using the ActivePedal as a brake, it will simulate ABS, traction control and motor effects. If you use multiple ActivePedals, each pedal can act independently giving you different sensations at different times.

Effect	Description
Motor vibration	Rumbles based on the RPM of your engine, intensifying as you rev harder
ABS	Simulates real-world ABS vibrations when ABS activates while driving
Traction control	Rumbles when traction control is activate while driving
G-force	Adjusts the pedal position to simulate forward and backward g-force
Brake threshold	Vibrates when you reach a certain amount of brake input
Clutch bite point	Vibrates when reaching the bite point
Brake lockup	Vibrates when you lock your brakes

Motor Vibration

The motor vibration effect picks up on the RPM of your car in a racing game such as ACC or iRacing. If you are stationary and you rev your engine, you will feel rumbles through the ActivePedal. This effect can increase immersion by allowing you to feel your car through the pedals. When paired with a racing wheel that can simulate similar vibrations such as the MOZA R12, Logitech Pro wheel or Fanatec ClubSport DD, this can create an incredibly immersive experience.

You adjust the intensity of this force by using the three settings below.

• Motor vibration frequency multiplier: The multiplier setting adjusts the frequency range. Increasing this will make the motor vibrations more prone to kick in earlier.
• Vibration intensity: The intensity setting changes how strong the vibrations are. A higher intensity setting will make the effects more noticeable. I would recommend keeping this quite low so it doesn’t overpower other effects.
• Vibration balance between low and high RPM: This setting will adjust the intensity between low and high RPM. A larger balance will create a bigger offset between low RPM and high RPM, meaning you will feel the effect less at lower RPM and more at higher RPM.

ABS

The ABS effect is one of the most useful force feedback effects that the ActivePedal offers. This is especially useful when racing games that include GT cars that do utilise ABS. You will feel these effects whenever ABS starts to activate in game. The effects will also vary in intensity depending on how powerful the ABS is in game.

For example, with a game like Assetto Corsa Competizione where ABS is a big part of braking, you will feel vibrations from this effect as soon as the ABS starts to activate while driving. If you continue to apply brake pressure beyond this point, the ABS will intensify in-game, and the vibrations through the pedal will reflect this.

Using the ABS as a tool to learn how hard you can brake before activating ABS is incredibly useful. It can help you brake more consistently without activating ABS and can lead to you improving your braking technique and consistency.

The below settings can help you fine-tune the ABS effect.

• Frequency: The frequency setting changes the frequency at which the ABS effect uses when activating.
• Intensity: Intensity will adjust how strong the ABS effect is when it does activate.
• Smoothness: This setting will change how smooth or aggressive the vibration effects are.

Traction Control

The traction control effect is the primary effect that you will feel if you use the ActivePedal as a throttle. however, you will feel this effect even if you only have a single ActivePedal set up as a brake pedal.

This effect simulates the enabling of traction control in game. Much like the ABS effect, it will activate as and when traction control activates in game and to varying degrees depending on how much TC is activated in game. This is another incredibly useful force as it can help you learn how much throttle to apply on corner exit, and just where the levels of grip are.

The below settings can be used to configure traction control in Simucube Tuner.

• Intensity: The intensity adjusts how powerful the traction control effect is. I often recommend setting this intensity higher than the ABS effect, as it is more subtle but can be incredibly helpful.
• Frequency: The frequency changes which frequency the traction control effect uses when it activates and can make the effect feel different.

G-force

G-force will create an artificial effect that can simulate the forward and backwards motion that a driver feels when braking and accelerating. In a real-world car, when a driver brakes heavily, their force will be pushed forward into the pedals and seat belts. When they accelerate hard, the opposite feeling happens as they are forced back into their seat.

The g-force effect tries to simulate this by moving the pedal position forward and backwards under heavy acceleration and braking. This will simulate the feeling of the pedals feeling lighter underneath your feet when accelerating and closer to you when you brake.

Ideally, this effect is at its best when using two ActivePedals as both the throttle and brake will react in the same way. However, if you only have a single ActivePedal, you can still use this effect, and it is noticeable, especially under heavy braking scenarios.

Use the settings below to adjust the g-force effect.

• Movement speed: The movement speed will adjust how fast the pedals move during g-force moments.
• Max pedal movement: The maximum movement will change how much the pedal can move.
• Texture strength: The texture strength setting will increase the movements dictated by in-game actions.
• Texture smoothness: The smoothness will reduce the jarring movement effects by smoothing movement.

Brake threshold vibrations

The brake threshold vibration effects can create an artificial vibration independently of the game feedback to alert you to how much you are depressing the pedal. For example, you can set this to trigger every time you push the pedal with a certain amount of force. This can help you to not brake to the fullest extent to avoid locking a wheel.

Personally, I am not a fan of this setting and therefore leave it disabled. I would rather utilise the ABS effects along with other effects to alert myself to how much pedal input I am applying. During my use, this setting can muddy the overall feedback, however, many will like this setting to act as a guide on braking or acceleration consistency.

The below settings affect this setting.

• Trigger input level: The trigger input level setting will define the input that needs to be applied for this effect to trigger.
• Intensity: The intensity will adjust how strong the effect feels through the pedal.
• Effect frequency: The frequency will adjust the frequency of vibrations letting you define it apart from other effects.
• Fade amount after the initial bump: The fade amount will change how the effect falls away after the initial vibrations.

Clutch bite point

The clutch bite point setting provides vibrations when you are approaching and at the ideal bite point. This can be incredibly useful when performing standing starts or racing with a H-pattern transmission in games such as iRacing.

Brake lockup

The brake lockup effect works in a similar fashion to the ABS setting It will trigger as you lock your brakes in game. You can use it in tandem with the ABS setting to provide incredibly detailed feedback on how you are braking.

The below settings can adjust the brake lockup effect.

• Intensity: The intensity setting adjusts how strong the vibration effects are when they do activate.
• Frequency: The frequency will change the frequency of the vibrations, helping you define it from other effects.
• Activation sensitivity: The activation sensitivity will change how prone this effect is to triggering, especially during small lockups under braking and mid-corner.

Damping and friction

There are a couple of additional settings available to configure. These are damping and friction. Both of these are independent of feedback from inside a racing sim or game and are effects applied to the ActivePedal directly.

The damping effect will dampen fast inputs. It is designed to remove the “springiness” feeling of the pedal under fast inputs.

The friction effect applied a sticky feeling to the pedal. This will be loved and hated by sim racers as it is quite a strange sensation. The friction applied can make the pedal feel slower to react, and if you pull your foot away too fast, the pedal can be slower to return to position.

Pedal feel curve

A big part of adjusting an ActivePedal is complete control over the pedal feel. Thanks to the internal motor, you can quickly change a variety of settings including pedal travel, weight and input curve without having to physically touch the pedal.

Pedal travel

The pedal travel and maximum force are two of the most important options. The travel setting will adjust the maximum travel of the pedal. Some sim racers like a pedal that barely moves, while others prefer a pedal with a fair bit of travel. This setting adjusts this and will greatly affect how your pedal feels during use.

Curve maximum force

The maximum force of the pedal allows you to easily adjust the maximum force required to fully depress the pedal. Everyone with an ActivePedal should play about with this setting. Too much force can make it hard to consistently hit 100% inputs, while too little can make the pedal feel too soft.

Adjusting both the maximum force and travel can result in vastly different pedal setups and feel.

Preload

The preload setting lets you adjust the minimum amount of force required to start activating the pedal. Lowering this makes the pedal easier to push, whilst increasing it stiffens the pedal. This is a good way to alleviate any pedal travel while your foot is in the resting position. Increase the preload to the point where no input is being detected with your foot resting on the pedal.

Force curve

The force curve gives you a lot of customisation over how the input curve reacts. There is a selection of presets that let you quickly try out different input curve variations. You may find you like one of the inputs. In this scenario, you can choose a preset, and continue to manually adjust it until it feels perfect.

Using a shallow or logarithmic curve can greatly change how you fade off the brake during trail braking. Both of these options give you greater control over your inputs at either the start or end of the pedal travel.

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Setting up a throttle in Tuner

Setting up a Simucube throttle is a lot less dependent on the settings inside the Tuner software, and more dictated by the manual adjustments you make. Read our guide on how to set up a Simucube throttle to see all of the adjustments and which settings we recommend.

The initial process of calibrating a throttle pedal (not an ActivePedal used as a throttle) will let you adjust your deadzones. For example, on my throttle pedal, I was getting the tiniest amount of input at a resting position and not fully able to hit 100% input when pressed. Adjusting my deadzone to 1%-98.8% fixed this issue and ensured there were no unwanted inputs at any time.

Once you have configured the throttle pedal, the only option you get within Tuner is to adjust the input curve. Much like adjusting the ActivePedal, you get a range of preset options that range from a completely linear input curve to squared or logarithmic curves. You can adjust any part of the input curve manually to create your own curve.

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Creating profiles

One last feature of Tuner is the ability to create a range of profiles. These let you quickly switch between pedal configurations without having to make any manual adjustments. It is quite common to want a different pedal feel when using different car disciplines or racing different games.

Creating a profile is a way you can set up your pedals to exactly how you want for a specific scenario. For example, I have a preset for GT3 cars in Assetto Corsa Competizione and a separate profile for the F1 games. This lets me quickly switch between two distinctly different profiles without time-intensive adjustments.

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Frequently Asked Questions