You press the brake and hear a squeak. Or a tick. Or that dry, creaky sound of metal rubbing on metal. Not what you want from a €700 pedal set, and the good news is that it’s rarely the load cell. It’s usually the springs, the elastomers or simply how the pedal is mounted.
Honest disclaimer first: I haven’t had the Podium Pedals on my own bench. This piece is built on Fanatec’s own manuals, their explanation of the brake mechanism and what owners report on the Fanatec forum. Steps I couldn’t trace back to Fanatec aren’t in here. Looking for the best settings rather than a noise fix? Read our Podium Pedals tuning piece.
Do you actually have Podium Pedals?
Sounds like a silly question. It isn’t. For years ‘Podium’ mostly meant Fanatec’s flagship wheel bases (Podium DD1 and DD2) and expensive steering wheels. If you run a DD1 or DD2 with ClubSport Pedals V3, you don’t have Podium Pedals.
The real Podium Pedals are new. The Podium Pedals Formula (throttle and brake) went on sale on June 25, 2026 for €699.95. The three-pedal set was pushed to the third quarter after Fanatec found a quality issue with the clutch pedal during final validation (Fanatec Community).
Why does that matter? The brake construction is completely different:
- Podium Pedals Formula: a load cell rated above 200 kg and calibrated for 150 kg at the pedal plate. The brake is a stack of elastomers and springs (in the box: four elastomers, two blue and two green springs) with threaded cups that limit compression. Fanatec calls it the Compression Control System (Fanatec).
- Fanatec ClubSport Pedals V3: 90 kg load cell, with a PU foam stick and a preload screw with a red scale inside the brake pedal. Throttle and clutch use regular coil springs (CSP V3 manual, PDF).
- Fanatec CSL Elite Pedals V2: load cell with a coil spring and elastomers in three hardnesses, all included in the box.
- Fanatec CSL Pedals: no load cell as standard, that’s a separate upgrade.
Not sure? The serial number is on a sticker on the bottom of the pedals and on the box.
Where does the noise come from?
Fanatec doesn’t document a noise issue for the Podium brake. But in August 2026 an owner reported on the Fanatec forum that the brake springs on his replacement set were quite noisy, while his first set wasn’t (Fanatec Community). There are several threads there about squeaky ClubSport V3 brakes too. So it happens, but it isn’t a known defect across the whole product line.
The logical suspects, based on how the brake is built:
- The springs themselves, rubbing against each other or the rod as they compress.
- A loose part in the stack, like a missing washer or a cup that isn’t locked.
- The mounting: a pedal that isn’t firmly fixed turns a tiny tick into a noise your whole rig carries.
- Dry pivot points after long use.
Step 1: start with the mounting
Boring, but the quickest thing to rule out. Check the bolts holding the pedal to your pedal deck or profile, and whether that deck is solidly attached to your rig. Don’t crank them down: the Podium Pedals manual literally tells you not to overtighten the bolts when hard-mounting (Fanatec).
Quick test: unmount the pedal and press it gently while it sits on the floor. Noise gone? Then the problem is your mounting, not the pedal.
Step 2: find out which part it is
Press the pedal slowly all the way down, let it return slowly and listen for where in the stroke the noise happens. At the start, while the pedal is still light, or further in?
On the Podium brake you can test in a targeted way. Fanatec describes how to remove the stack without tools: back the locking disc and preload cup off to the least preloaded state, push on the rear of the load cell unit and free the stack from its notches (Fanatec). Then temporarily swap a spring for one of the included elastomers. If the noise disappears, you know that spring is the culprit. For what that swap does to your brake feel, see the tuning article.
Step 3: check that the brake stack is complete
This is what I’d check first if you’ve ever rebuilt the stack yourself. Fanatec’s manual names three things you mustn’t forget when reassembling:
- Plastic spring washers: every spring you use needs its plastic washer.
- Plastic caps: these must be in place before you put the stack back into the pedal’s notches.
- Locking rings: tighten them once you’ve set the compression cups. Fanatec says this is essential for transferring force through the stack to the load cell. Rings or cups stuck? Use the included cup assist tools.
Fanatec doesn’t explicitly link those washers and caps to noise. But a spring turning metal on metal because a plastic washer is missing is the first place I’d look. And rebuild the stack in the same order per set, as the manual says.
Step 4: lubricate, but only where Fanatec says so
This is where a lot of online tips go wrong. Here’s what Fanatec actually writes:
- Podium Pedals: if the pivot points need lubrication after prolonged use, apply lithium grease only. Clean with a dry, lint-free cloth, without cleaning solutions or water (Fanatec). Fanatec says nothing about greasing the brake springs or elastomers. So I wouldn’t do it either.
- ClubSport Pedals V3: if you feel or hear parts grinding, add some lithium grease to the spots marked in the maintenance chapter. There’s a bottle in the box. Does the PU foam in the brake pedal start to feel stuttery? Use technical vaseline, and specifically not the lithium grease, because Fanatec says it can shorten the foam’s life (CSP V3 manual, PDF).
Two more ClubSport V3 points from the same manual. Fitted the stronger throttle or clutch springs? Use the matching spring guides, or Fanatec warns you’ll get damage, a bad feel and noise. And leave the red screws alone, they must not be loosened. The brake preload screw belongs within its lasered scale, otherwise the PU foam stick can get damaged.
Step 5: time to call Fanatec
Noise still there, with a complete stack and a solid mount? Then it’s a job for support, especially if your pedals are new. Tell them:
- the serial number and purchase date;
- where in the stroke the noise happens;
- whether it also happens with the pedal loose on the floor;
- whether it disappears when you swap a spring for an elastomer.
Don’t take things apart further than the manual describes. The warranty terms in the ClubSport V3 manual exclude damage from unauthorized opening and your own modifications. Within the EU you also have at least two years of statutory warranty through the seller.
What about aftermarket springs?
On the Fanatec forum, owners ask about extra and aftermarket springs for the Podium brake, mostly to make the pedal softer. Boosted Media also finds the included springs and elastomers too limited: even the softest ‘road’ configuration is still very firm, they say (Boosted Media). Different springs can be the answer if you want to change the feel. As a noise fix I haven’t tested them and can’t recommend them, and a spring that doesn’t fit the rod is more likely to make things worse.
The short version
Mounting first. Then test part by part by swapping a spring out temporarily. Check that every plastic washer and cap is in there and the locking rings are tight. Lithium grease on the pivot points only, not on the brake stack. And if none of that helps? It’s Fanatec’s turn, not your Allen key’s.
