VKB T-Rudder Mk.IV review

[Hellcat]

Thanks to Sokol1 for the use of his Vid and Pic :thumbup:

 

After setting up and flying for a few days and getting my brakes sorted I thought I would submit my review...hope it helps anyone considering these.....

 

So I've been searching the last year or so for a precision rudder setup to compliment my Warthog ..In the past I've used CH pedals , Saitek Pro flights, Thrustmaster T-Flight's ...and my homemade set :) There are really only 3 choices for high resolution/last forever types out there .... Slaw device , MFG Crosswinds, VKB Mk.IV these are all high quality sets that use Mars sensor technology for the rudder axis ....

 

In the end after thinking long and hard about it...what fit my needs and budget I went with the VKB's and when I got them I wasn't disappointed. These are all metal and use the latest tech.... A no contact Mars sensor that can detect up to 0.01 ° I could tell a huge difference in DCS right away, very smooth and accurate. I was maneuvering the gazelle much more precisely and could hover and land much easier right off the bat. I'm a Helicopter rookie so the difference was night and day compared to my pro flights or TM's. These are perfect for Heli's

 

 

They are very compact and solid and quiet. They look like they may feel like a gas pedal would but they don't, you still have that rudder pedal feel. You push down on one pedal and the other comes up and I find that the motion of using my ankle joint rather than my knee and leg much more comfortable flying from an office chair like I do. i also didn't want my feet in a cradle foot pad like the other set's, for me I like my heel on the floor.

 

The one drawback is no toe brakes...this is why I originally ruled them out right away without even looking into them...But I started thinking how often do I use toe brakes? 5% of my sim time maybe.... I fly sim aircraft not race them on the tarmac ;) Then I noticed that VKB had software that you run in the back ground while playing that make virtual toe brakes and it works well ....I ran around the tarmac in the P-51 at break neck speed testing it and it does all I need. It works like the "differential brakes" used by English/Russian WWII era planes or later in the Mig-15, Mig-21... that "bicycle brake lever" in their control column.

In VKB T-Link software this "brake lever" is emulated by a joy/throttle button of your choice, that pressed will brake both wheels, by moving the rudder pedal for right or left ,only the brake for the respective wheel. Here's it is in action.

 

 

 

In the two main sims I fly I only use it at he moment for the WW2 birds in DCS as for the jets I use nose wheel steering and you don't need to run it at all in Battle of Stalingrad as that system is already set up in game .

 

All in all I'm very happy with the setup and I honestly think these are the last rudder pedals I'll ever own.......

 

Software interface below

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Hellcat

[Ranma13]

I also have the VKB T-Rudders and just got the MFG Crosswinds as well. My initial impression is that I can get much more accuracy with the T-Rudders over the Crosswinds because I can step down on one side, then use the other foot to balance out how much force I want. With the Crosswinds, I slide one foot forward, but the other foot can only really follow the motion and not really assist it. This may not matter so much for fixed wing aircraft where you're doing large-ish deflections, but with helicopters, the smallest inputs have a rather large effect.

[Hellcat]

I can step down on one side, then use the other foot to balance out how much force I want.

 

I know exactly what your saying ...feels like you have a little better control.