Zulu Alpha

Mike, it would be good on the freeway entrance ramp signal when they are turned on "Oh sorry officer, I was following DMV code stating that you must merge on to the freeway at traffic speed. Not my fault the signal is very close to the freeway merge lane." (Haha, very J/K just incase anyone thought I was serious)

mqandil

Indeed this is a perfect location to experience the launch control providing it is safe and not too much traffic. You can also use it after you make a stop on the side of the freeway (emergency lane) and providing there is very light or no traffic on the free way, then use the launch control to catch up and merge quickly to freeway speed.

CTT-QTR

Has anyone played around with the "clutch-kick" feature? I test drove my friend's GT3 and demonstrated this feature to him while driving. The RPM went over 6K I think. I wanted to see if it can rev freely up to 9K, but didn't want to do this in his car .

Zulu Alpha

Or a empty parking lot would suffice

1pvr

Second quote makes it sound like the engine opens up more during a launch control. Nothing about top speed or permanent remapping, though.

Mike in CA

Obviously it does depend on the traffic and where you are. I suppose if I worked at it I could find a location and time of day where it would be ok to use but in general flaming onto the freeway using launch control where you'll hit 75 before you're even out of second gear is a dicey proposition most places down here. Would give me a chance to try Zulu Alpha's merging excuse, though.

You mentioned autocross in your other post. Some of our courses are set up in such a way as to mitigate leaving from the starting position at full power. There's often some kind of entrance to the actual timing line that would preclude a launch start, or in other cases not enough straightway through the start timer that would make a launch worthwhile anyway. If the right situation arises I'll use launch although usually the grid monitor is just a few feet away when we start. I'm sure he would be impressed!

mqandil

Indeed Mike, some of the autocrosses are set up where you have to make a sharp left or right, and in that case this would not work too well, but the last couple I have been to, there is enough straightaway with slight curvature where I was able to use the launch control effectively, and it did make a difference in my timing. We too have a short distance (4 to 5 ft roughly) between where the car starts and the timing line but no one has ever mentioned to me that I can't launch hard from starting line. Perhaps it is a rule that our PCA club is not enforcing. I will ask about that on our next Autocross which is going to be on October 5th.
Going back to these hard launches, they are sure impressive to watch On the GT3. I think everyone took notice and commented on how impressive this car launches and especially the grid monitor, he would not shut up all day talking about the GT3 monster launch. Give it a try if you get a chance. Mark

991GT3

How do I activate launch control?

I tried to activate the launch control once but it didn't work. No light went on.

Mike in CA

Just to be clear, Mark, I wasn't questioning what you were doing. I doubt that there is a rule; I was just saying that the opportunity to gain an advantage from a launch start, or at least one where I wouldn't almost immediately be on the brakes or turning after take-off , hasn't come up for me. By all means, launch away!

mqandil

Mike. I knew you were not questioning what I was doing. This is my first year in Autocross and I thought perhaps There is a rule about not launching from start line that perhaps I am not aware of and that's why I asked you, since you are an autocross veteran.
For some reason I shyed away from Autocrosses all these years and stuck to the track, but after one season I am really hooked, and also think the autocross experience would make a better driver out of any road racer or any driver for that matter. It is like being on track with steroids. Of course it helps that I am doing really well on my first year, and most of that credit goes to the GT3.

mqandil

All you need is to place the car in drive then push hard on the brakes using your left foot and don't let go, then with your right foot push the gas pedal all the way to the ground. A message will appear shortly indicating you have activated launch control. Immediately after you see this messag, release the brakes completely and enjoy the ride. Make sure both of your hands are grabbing the steering wheel during the launch to make sure you don't go off course. Most launches fail when you don't press on brakes hard enough and allowing the car to move a little as you floor the gas peddle, or if you don't hold gas pedal to the floor.

You can also experiment by engaging the sport botton before initiating the above process and also trying to disengage the Traction control as it will give you more wheel spin. These are just couple of other options to try while experimenting with launch control, but the standard procedure is just stumping on the braking then flooring the gas pedal then releasing the brake pedal after you see the launch control message. That's it.

One final option is instead of using the brakes, engage neutral by pulling on both paddle shifters simultaneously then floor the gas pedal then after rpm settles release the paddle Shifters and enjoy the ride. Please note that when you pull on both paddle shifters the gear # selected which is in this case #1 will flash in your instrument display indicating that you are indeed in neutral.

Since this is your first time, try to do this in a deserted street or parking lot and be safe. Good luck and have fun. Mark

silverrules

Thanks Mark for detail explanation. Glad somebody is using this cool feature. I will try it out with and without PDK-sport and see what happens If it was bad for the tranny and the engine they wouldn't put it in the manual.

_BrakeDust_

Read somewhere that Porsche tested this function over 1000 times in a row on the same car without problems.

_BrakeDust_

Found the source

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...ad-test-review

Scroll down to the section titled "PDK Seven-Speed Transmission—And Why Nobody Should Complain"

Mike in CA

Thanks for posting that. That was one of the more complete print reviews and I enjoyed rereading it. Plus it had the launch control info that I also knew I'd read somewhere, although that 1000 number is so insane I thought it must have been lower.