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I have never, not once, used the launch control feature on my car. I read a Car and Driver article saying that the Carrera S will get times under 4 seconds 0 to 60 using this feature. Part of me wants to try it out just because my base Carrera should be putting out similar numbers to a Carrera S and 3.9 seconds is a pretty quick sprint. Another part of me thinks that launching the car can't be good for it. I figure I will have to do it at least once to say I did but that got me thinking, how many of you have used this feature and how many times would you estimate you've used it?
I was concerned about using it the first time in my C4S, but I had to do it... Once I did it, that concern disappeared. I've done it probably 15 times. It's pretty safe IMHO. There is a video out there of a Turbo S doing 100 launches back to back with zero failures or variance.
Make sure your car is warmed up properly, find a safe spot to do it. Definitely not a residential setting in a school zone.
I have never, not once, used the launch control feature on my car. I read a Car and Driver article saying that the Carrera S will get times under 4 seconds 0 to 60 using this feature. Part of me wants to try it out just because my base Carrera should be putting out similar numbers to a Carrera S and 3.9 seconds is a pretty quick sprint. Another part of me thinks that launching the car can't be good for it. I figure I will have to do it at least once to say I did but that got me thinking, how many of you have used this feature and how many times would you estimate you've used it?
Just out of curiosity, why do you believe your base Carrera will achieve the same acceleration as an "S?" I always thought the base Carrera was slightly slower.
Just out of curiosity, why do you believe your base Carrera will achieve the same acceleration as an "S?" I always thought the base Carrera was slightly slower.
Around the same, not exacly the same. The base is certainly slower in stock form. I've added modifications that have added maybe around 10hp at the crank, more traction and some weight savings. So, not as fast as an S, but a little quicker than a base? If a base is 4.2 and an S is 3.9 (just estimating), then maybe somewhere around 4.0-4.1 with a perfect launch?
Yep, I tried it last year at an autocross. I did it about 3 times. The car takes off fast. It's fun. Like rjshar said, just make sure the car is warmed up and it will be fine. The PDK was built to handle it.
Around the same, not exacly the same. The base is certainly slower in stock form. I've added modifications that have added around 15-20hp at the crank, more traction and some weight savings. So, not as fast as an S, but a little quicker than a base? If a base is 4.2 and an S is 3.9 (just estimating), then maybe somewhere around 4.0-4.1 with a perfect launch?
Good news bad news.
Bad news is that I highly doubt you truly added 20hp at the crank with simple bolt ons, and if you did, I doubt it would make a measurable difference in times (ever see true tests where a reputable company will add 100 rwhp with a SC or turbo and a legit car mag tests the car and it only equates to .2-.3 of a second? I see it all the time).
On the good news side, I have seen plenty of times where the base is only .1-.2 sec slower than the S. Both in mag reviews of the 997.1 and .2. So at that point your already at a drivers race. Don't get too hung up in the claimed HP mods and the "what if I line up against XYZ at the light" and just enjoy driving the car.
Yep, I'm probably in the 15 use range over a long period of time; that includes some autocross launches in addition to experimental runs and showing off for a couple of friends. It works with varying results depending upon the surface and tire/road/air temperatures as well. I've shared this before, but here is the best run I recorded using the Dynolicious app in my 2009 S using launch control and Sport Plus. FYI, the car had a Fabspeed dual cone air intake installed at this time but didn't have the Sharkwerks bypass yet. The tires were new.
Note the dark blue line showing the initial G surge and the resulting 3.86 second 0-60 and 11.91 quarter mile. You can also see the G bumps at each shift point.
BTW, I've found that it is a good idea to rest the back of my head against the seat when doing this or else the sudden backwards jerk of my head is a bit unsettling.
This was done on a very good, clean, and flat concrete surface on a 45 degree morning (for better intake density and thus more power). The tires were well warmed up. I could actually feel that the car had hooked up perfectly on this run... I think I did 4 runs that morning and this one felt the best. The other runs were just slightly over 4.0 seconds and 12.00 seconds and as I said I could feel the magic on this one.
The three bars on the data quality indicator show that the app reported very good correlation between the accelerometer readings and the GPS distance/speed readings over the quarter mile. I realize it wasn't a proper drag strip so I doubt a track timer would have had the exact same result, but between the cold weather for high intake density, the high correlation on the app, and other reports in this range I think it is very close to correct. The horsepower report is rear wheel horsepower and is simply a value it calculates based upon my estimate of the wet weight of the car at the time along with my own weight coupled with the observed calculated acceleration values.
Bad news is that I highly doubt you truly added 20hp at the crank with simple bolt ons, and if you did, I doubt it would make a measurable difference in times (ever see true tests where a reputable company will add 100 rwhp with a SC or turbo and a legit car mag tests the car and it only equates to .2-.3 of a second? I see it all the time).
On the good news side, I have seen plenty of times where the base is only .1-.2 sec slower than the S. Both in mag reviews of the 997.1 and .2. So at that point your already at a drivers race. Don't get too hung up in the claimed HP mods and the "what if I line up against XYZ at the light" and just enjoy driving the car.
I'm not hung up on the numbers. My drag racing days are long over. Someone asked and I answered regarding what I thought about the numbers. Honestly I don't mind if I've added 20 hp or 5... I was just wondering about the launch control feature.
Honestly I tried it once. I was on an empty back road. I had my foot on the brake and the other on the gas and the "launch control" light came on and then I got nervous and had visions of all the sports car fail videos I had seen on youtube and then backed off of the gas and aborted my attempt. I haven't tried it again since but will probably revisit it when I am in a more wide open area.
I used it twice. Once was at a drag strip in their "off season." Kudo's to the owner who let me "go ahead and give it a run." No timer though. Then once more after I left the strip on a back country road. To Cbst09, don't worry about a fail unless you're starting in a turn (DON'T) and going to keep your foot planted. I hate to state it this way but I was underwhelmed. I admit I was in an 09 base with almost new tires. Like the strip owner said, this is a top end car not a drag car. I used to drag race muscle cars back in the 70's and that was a launch. I'm sure it would be different in a TT or if I hadn't had the experience of dropping the proverbial "hammer" in fast cars in the past. For the guys who haven't had that experience, it'll seem pretty cool. Not cool enough though, for me to keep my pdk car. Regards.
03-19-2016, 03:02 PM
PDK launch control feature...have you used it?
