What on earth is the purpose of launch control??

[Osinjak]

RDMcG said:

Osinjak said:

Fun. Quiet road, bored, select LC, smile. Do it again in a few months time. You don't have to use it but as it's there, why not? Some people really need to lighten up, it really is just a bit of fun and if you don't want to have a bit of fun with your car every now and then, well...hand in your licence.

Cue lots of comments about not needing to thrash your car's gubbins in order to have fun, etc.

Fair enough. I started the thread because I genuinely did not get this thing. Yes, I have tried it, but for me personally slamming forward at the limit of the car does not do much for me. Mind you, I am not a fan of roller coasters either.
I enjoy hard driving but at much higher speeds...

To be honest I can't say it's something I'm bent over a barrel about as it's a gimmick and nothing more. The last time I used it was about four weeks ago and before that about 10 months and that was just to spook the frau. When I did use it last I was genuinely trundling along bored out of my skull on a quiet B road when I stopped in a lay-by for a quick leg stretch, got back in and thought 'why not?' so hoofed it using LC. If nothing else it gave me a quick 'bloody hell this thing is quick' and a bit of a grin so all was good in my driving world for five minutes. As I said, I just use it every now and then for a bit of fun and nothing else.

[Marvtec]

I use it now and again, useful if its a 2 lane to 1 and theres a prick in a bmw in the left lane.

Takes a bit of setting up but means I can use lanes as I see appropriate and just leave the losers in my dust

[Mr-B]

I wonder how much it costs to develop the software/hardware to put this on cars? Seems a bit of waste of resources judging by the number of replies of "my car has it but never used it/used it twice"

The same question could be applied to drift mode although a more recent development so fewer cars will have it as yet, but again how much to develop and how many will use it if their car has it?

[RDMcG]

I think my dilemma is that you have to take seconds to set the thing up and then rev the damn car to distraction.

If it were built in so that all you had to do was press a single button, hammer the accelerator and nothing else and the response was in microseconds then i can see it.

The current tech is as if in the throes of passion ready for the big moment, you have to stop to remove your socks.

[Tuvra]

RDMcG said:

I think my dilemma is that you have to take seconds to set the thing up and then rev the damn car to distraction.

If it were built in so that all you had to do was press a single button, hammer the accelerator and nothing else and the response was in microseconds then i can see it.

The current tech is as if in the throes of passion ready for the big moment, you have to stop to remove your socks.

Golf R, you press one button to disengage the TC, push the brake down and floor the throttle. Release the break and the car launches.

In the Focus RS it is an absolute nightmare hidden within all the menus.

[Martin_Hx]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Martin_Hx said:

Just watch the episode of Grand Tour were they did it in the 911, very funny

Must have been a different version to the one I saw.

No it was the same one you grumpy bugger

[Marty Funkhouser]

Wouldn't repeated use - even if done exactly as the manufacturers handbook dictates - hasten the exit of the clutch?

[Big E 118]

The only time I've used it was when we were on a road trip in Spain and managed to blag our way onto a runway for a few high speed runs. That was fun as it was an operating runway so we had to have someone spotting any incoming planes/gliders! launch control was interesting to try but haven't used it again.

I may be wrong here but before launch control the only way to launch an automatic properly was to preload the drive train by applying the brake and throttle at the same time. I believe a lot of the dual clutch cars now cut the throttle if you touch the brake (without launch activated) so there's no way of getting a perfect 0-60.

Launch control probably costs nothing to have on a car as there's already all the software installed for the gearbox programmes and it will just be a few extra lines of code and a button in the car.

[Never you mind]

I feel a bit left out as I have "Thrust mode" on mine. Really need to try it out at least once I think.

[culpz]

Just a bit of a gimmick really. It probably just helps to ensure that you get to, or very close to, the manufacturer's 0-60 times as well.

If you speak to anyone who has it on their car, they will probably tell you that they've used it the odd couple of times but that's about it.

[Sheepshanks]

Tuvra said:

RDMcG said:

I think my dilemma is that you have to take seconds to set the thing up and then rev the damn car to distraction.

If it were built in so that all you had to do was press a single button, hammer the accelerator and nothing else and the response was in microseconds then i can see it.

The current tech is as if in the throes of passion ready for the big moment, you have to stop to remove your socks.

Golf R, you press one button to disengage the TC, push the brake down and floor the throttle. Release the break and the car launches.

In the Focus RS it is an absolute nightmare hidden within all the menus.

From memory, in Tiguan as well as turning off the TC the drill is to turn off auto hold (we don't use that anyway) and put the box into S. Hold it at 3K RPM (it's a diesel) then release the foot brake.

[zeDuffMan]

Marty Funkhouser said:

Wouldn't repeated use - even if done exactly as the manufacturers handbook dictates - hasten the exit of the clutch?

Yes. Some units are better than others though and obviously depends what kind of torque you're putting through the transmission when the clutch engages.

I read a while ago that using LC on a proper dragstrip is a bad idea. The grippier surface means the wheels don't slip as the manufacturer intends and so more force is fed through the drivetrain. Might be a load of balls though.

[AMGJocky]

Rawwr said:

Was at a Pistonheads meet a couple of months ago and observed some hulking great bell-end in a McLaren using it in a public car park to impress young teenagers. I think he may have been a paedophile.

No way.. a guy at a car meet showing off something his car can do with like-minded people? What a monumental wker he must be.

[DoYouEvenBoost]

AMGJocky said:

Rawwr said:

Was at a Pistonheads meet a couple of months ago and observed some hulking great bell-end in a McLaren using it in a public car park to impress young teenagers. I think he may have been a paedophile.

No way.. a guy at a car meet showing off something his car can do with like-minded people? What a monumental wker he must be.

mate...how can you not tell that is tongue in cheek?

[Incognegro]

RDMcG said:

I think my dilemma is that you have to take seconds to set the thing up and then rev the damn car to distraction.

If it were built in so that all you had to do was press a single button, hammer the accelerator and nothing else and the response was in microseconds then i can see it.

The current tech is as if in the throes of passion ready for the big moment, you have to stop to remove your socks.

One button press. like the one now being fitted to my tvr (along with tcs)

Thought it would be nice to see true car capability where my skill of controlling wheel slip fails in getting away while maintaing maximum forward motion.

Gimmick/toy but there if needed or something also fast pulls up besides and the other driver was thinking he was about to get a scalp

[anonymous-user]

It's worth noting that on some cars, usually the more sporty ones, Launch Control isn't the fastest way to 60mph, but has been calibrated to feel like it is (ie lots of wheel spin) so drivers can impress their mates. Often the real mode for quick accel from stationary is hidden in some secret menu because it's so aggressive on the drive train.......

[PhillipM]

I've fitted it to the racer, not because it's really going to be any faster, in fact most of the time it won't get used, but it's mainly there just to wind up the people who haven't got it.

[Incognegro]

I guess only the stop watch and Santa pod will tell

[ToothbrushMan]

youd think then that a lot of folk who have the feature will be far too embarassed to sit at some lights with their launch mode engaged and engine sat at 4-5000rpm so dont bother to "launch".........seems to me its more of track thing. you sidle up alongside some joey with the lanuch system and just nip off ahead at normal revs.......if you are of this ilk youre going to look a real purple bulb waitng at lights at 5k rpm.

[anonymous-user]

ToothbrushMan said:

youd think then that a lot of folk who have the feature will be far too embarassed to sit at some lights with their launch mode engaged and engine sat at 4-5000rpm so dont bother to "launch".........seems to me its more of track thing. you sidle up alongside some joey with the lanuch system and just nip off ahead at normal revs.......if you are of this ilk youre going to look a real purple bulb waitng at lights at 5k rpm.

This is why my little i3 is called the "Silent Assassin" because although it's not really that fast in the grand scheme of things, it's faster than people expect for a car making no noise whatsoever! (oh, and it likes eating pedestrians who aren't paying attention in places like car parks...... ;-)