Update on hard-launch technique

[AvramD]

Hey Everyone,

Since I've been on this subject before, I thought I'd comment on where I am in the pursuite of the fastest launch that is not hard on the transmission.

What I've settled on that is fantastic, is pretty much exactly what JD was saying before: Don't even pre-rev the engine. Just let it idle until it's go time. Then ease the clutch and squeeze the throttle at the same time - 'catch' the engine with the clutch as it passes about 1800. Slip will be very short, and inertia will compensate for the low power at that speed.


(edit: note that "squeeze" means gently/progressively increase the throttle - don't floor it. The engine doesn't build power correctly if you floor it)

This technique is unbelievably fast, I just about shat myself when I saw how well it worked, not to mention felt how easy it is on the car.

I have my car in NYC for the first time this week, which is a place where hard launches are actually *necessary* on a regular basis. It is very common to be side-by-side with a taxi at a red light, with only one lane in front of you on the other side of the intersection. Most taxis in NYC are crown-vics, frequently used cruisers w/ v8's themselves I believe, and the drivers are aggressive.

If you get it right, it will be perfectly smooth, there won't even be a hiccup when the clutch transitions from slipping to fully engaged (and the "slipping" will only be for like 1/4 sec).

The first time I did it, I definitely "used the force." I was literally 3/4 of the way to the next intersection before he was even through that one.

And with first gear able to carry you all the way to 40 mph, you can pretty much power your way out of any problem without even having to factor in a shift.

(this added long after the original post

Another thing I've learned is that 1st gear behaves very differently all the way through the rev range when you launch like this. Somehow by getting settled into smooth acceleration very low in the rev range, it seems the engine gets loaded up more properly than with messier launch techniques. The result is that it pulls much harder once you get up past 5k.

Many people comment that they feel like they run out of engine and it is just spinning in first gear, and they have to shift really soon. I've been there too, and it doesn't happen if you launch as I've described. The engine just pulls like a rocket all the way to redline.

(edit: The running out of engine comes from flooring it. It gets ahead of itself, and by 5k rpm, it'll feel like it's just spinning uselessly. If you do it right, your foot will just barely be getting to the floor as the car is reaching 35mph and the engine is reaching 6k rpms)

[DolphinV8]

[since84]

this is how I've done it and it's like WOWWWWWW.

And this way you're not hurting the car.

[JDBlueAudiS4]

Like you said a normal fast slip will get you going faster then a high rpm drop.

[Projekt 8E]

it is easier on the car, but not a common practice.

[S4Richard]

It took me 2 months (after 30 years of driving stick shift cars) to learn to do a quick, smooth launch from a dead stop in 1st gear. My technique is similar to yours. You need almost no gas during the release of the first little bit of clutch travel near the floor, which is where my clutch engages/disengages. Just as it engages, give it a lot of gas progressively. Not WOT but firm progressive application of throttle until it is about 3/4 of the way open. This makes for a VERY quick and smooth launch. Then throttle off, clutch, grab 2nd gear and off you go. Wahhoooooooo!!!! No more complaints about the S4 clutch from me.

[blackfrd]

I really dislike DBW throttles, even more so now. My position has been that even the most basic functions are performed poorly. I want to control throttle angle and rate of change, not have an algorithm do it for me.