SimJack has been offering a new variant of its load cell pedalboard for a few months now: the Ultimate. Or Ultimate+…or UT… anyway. We had already tested the Simjack PRO in video here. So while we wait for the full review of the Ultimate that I ordered a month ago, we answer the following question today: what does this new version bring?
Check the price on AliexpressNew, more solid machining
The Ultimates bring minor changes: some small plates see their thickness increase from 3mm to 6mm. We also have the plate in contact with the accelerator foot which offers more height adjustment.
Seeing the machining of the plates, I had thought that we could adjust the plates in lateral position but no. I also understood why: if we allow the user to shift the plates laterally, the force applied by the user is no longer perfectly centered, which has the effect of twisting the pedal. So no it would not be visible or annoying in the short term. But a non-uniform effort would probably result in premature wear of certain components. In particular the loadcell might not appreciate it.
Axles mounted on ball bearings
Another improvement, the most useful in my opinion: the use of bearings instead of self-lubricating rings. I was not bothered by the noise on the PROs. But there is much less risk of being bothered by ball bearings, so I say yes!
Un nouveau logiciel : SimJack Control
The most important new feature is probably the new pedal calibration software. On the Pro version you have to use the good old DiView.
Here we have software similar to what is done elsewhere: calibration of min and max, management of profiles, curves, automatic calibration…
The presentation is not the most neat but remains functional.
The price?
The transition from a PRO range to an Ultimate range, this normally implies torning apart the wallet, doesn’t it? Well no… curiously, the most high-end version is about 5% more expensive… Where the PRO version with three pedals costs about €175, the Ultimate peaks at €186 for the same configuration.
It’s confusing yes… In reality, it’s much more of a PRO V2 than an Ultimate version.. Besides, there’s a good chance that the PRO version will end up no longer being distributed. Time will tell!
Conclusion
This is a very positive upgrade. The price remains roughly the same while the quality improves. So if you are hesitating between the PRO and the Ultimate, choose the Ultimate (without the hydraulics dampers, I repeat it is useless). That said, we would appreciate it if SimJack got a little more involved and offered truly innovative features.
My Ultimates are patiently waiting for the move in a box, so we’ll talk about it again very soon!!! In the meantime, if you want to order your pedal set, take advantage of the Aliexpress promo codes that I regularly share on this page!
Check the price on Aliexpress