Launch control
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,501
Likes: 3,627
No, launch control did not show up in the C6 until 2010, and your really don't want to use it anyways.
Hence done and dirty on how it works, hold RPMS to 4k, and when you do dump the clutch, back tires are going to break free/spin, then LC kicks in more to cut power to the tires to get them to stick again, and holding them from spinning until you shift to to the next gear. Hence as soon as the rear tires break free to start with, you already lost.
So instead, learn how to launch the car hard with a touch of clutch slip to get the car out of the hole hard with the tires stuck, then at what point you can get into the throttle all the way as the clutch is fully engaged.
Hence done and dirty on how it works, hold RPMS to 4k, and when you do dump the clutch, back tires are going to break free/spin, then LC kicks in more to cut power to the tires to get them to stick again, and holding them from spinning until you shift to to the next gear. Hence as soon as the rear tires break free to start with, you already lost.
So instead, learn how to launch the car hard with a touch of clutch slip to get the car out of the hole hard with the tires stuck, then at what point you can get into the throttle all the way as the clutch is fully engaged.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 4,355
Likes: 2,633
From: Draper Utah
Just curious... more then one serious drag racer has told me their best and most consistent times are with launch control....
....not to mention that most Corvette owners are squids when it comes to serious drag racing and most have never spent multiple runs dialing in the perfect non-aided launch...
So I guess what I'm really asking.... do you believe Joe Sixpack (the majority of those on this forum) is better off skipping launch control?
....not to mention that most Corvette owners are squids when it comes to serious drag racing and most have never spent multiple runs dialing in the perfect non-aided launch...
So I guess what I'm really asking.... do you believe Joe Sixpack (the majority of those on this forum) is better off skipping launch control?
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,501
Likes: 3,627
Just curious... more then one serious drag racer has told me their best and most consistent times are with launch control....
....not to mention that most Corvette owners are squids when it comes to serious drag racing and most have never spent multiple runs dialing in the perfect non-aided launch...
So I guess what I'm really asking.... do you believe Joe Sixpack (the majority of those on this forum) is better off skipping launch control?
....not to mention that most Corvette owners are squids when it comes to serious drag racing and most have never spent multiple runs dialing in the perfect non-aided launch...
So I guess what I'm really asking.... do you believe Joe Sixpack (the majority of those on this forum) is better off skipping launch control?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 6,093
Likes: 1,961
From: Morris County New Jersey
No, launch control did not show up in the C6 until 2010, and your really don't want to use it anyways.
Hence done and dirty on how it works, hold RPMS to 4k, and when you do dump the clutch, back tires are going to break free/spin, then LC kicks in more to cut power to the tires to get them to stick again, and holding them from spinning until you shift to to the next gear. Hence as soon as the rear tires break free to start with, you already lost.
So instead, learn how to launch the car hard with a touch of clutch slip to get the car out of the hole hard with the tires stuck, then at what point you can get into the throttle all the way as the clutch is fully engaged.
Hence done and dirty on how it works, hold RPMS to 4k, and when you do dump the clutch, back tires are going to break free/spin, then LC kicks in more to cut power to the tires to get them to stick again, and holding them from spinning until you shift to to the next gear. Hence as soon as the rear tires break free to start with, you already lost.
So instead, learn how to launch the car hard with a touch of clutch slip to get the car out of the hole hard with the tires stuck, then at what point you can get into the throttle all the way as the clutch is fully engaged.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 4,128
Likes: 616
From: St Louis Area IL
Yes, and instead of trying to band aid lack of skills with a feature that is less than desirable, spend the money on learning the needed skills to fully drive the High performance sports car you just bought before it tries to kill you. Hence here, we are just talking about learning how to clutch slip to just get the car out of the hole, while in HPDE, you will learn how to slip the clutch in corners to maintain speed as well (so you can stay one gear up after the apex, and not have to shift again to the end of the corner).
"Hence forth, you will be known as . . . Darth Vader".
I've owned my GS M6 for five years, and have never used launch control. Nothing like plenty of practice to learn how to control your steed.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 791
Likes: 195
From: NC
I have a Cobalt SS, which has all of what the HHR SS has. I've never used launch control because A. It can't possibly account for all conditions and B. I have a tune and there's no way the tires are going to stick. I have used no-lift-shift for 1/4-mile passes, because if you don't you shouldn't bother making the pass. It beats the hell out of the trans, though. You only need NLS for a turbo. So don't worry about that.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 3,753
Likes: 1,245
From: Northeast
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 4,243
Likes: 1,133
From: North Myrtle Beach SC
Launch control isn’t the fastest way to go but it is consistent with good tires. Raced a guy in a new Porsche Carrera S with a stick last night. He should have cleaned my clock but instead I put 5 cars on him. I’m sure he was butt hurt a lot in his new toy.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 4,355
Likes: 2,633
From: Draper Utah
Yes, and instead of trying to band aid lack of skills with a feature that is less than desirable, spend the money on learning the needed skills to fully drive the High performance sports car you just bought before it tries to kill you. Hence here, we are just talking about learning how to clutch slip to just get the car out of the hole, while in HPDE, you will learn how to slip the clutch in corners to maintain speed as well (so you can stay one gear up after the apex, and not have to shift again to the end of the corner).
But I've yet to spend a day at the drag strip with my C6, and I have no desire to spend multiple days at the drag strip practicing to maintaining a high proficiency for perhaps a tenth of a second, not to mention the minute you move off the drag strip to the street your available traction is all over the scale.
If I was a serious drag racer I can see skipping the aids and I'd be all about that extra tenth, but my drag racing these days is the occasional Mustang or Camaro at the stop light and for that I believe the launch control is well suited. YMMV
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 12,501
Likes: 3,627
Meh... I was a driving instructor at a high performance driving school in the early 80's so I figure I'm an OK driver.
But I've yet to spend a day at the drag strip with my C6, and I have no desire to spend multiple days at the drag strip practicing to maintaining a high proficiency for perhaps a tenth of a second, not to mention the minute you move off the drag strip to the street your available traction is all over the scale.
If I was a serious drag racer I can see skipping the aids and I'd be all about that extra tenth, but my drag racing these days is the occasional Mustang or Camaro at the stop light and for that I believe the launch control is well suited. YMMV
But I've yet to spend a day at the drag strip with my C6, and I have no desire to spend multiple days at the drag strip practicing to maintaining a high proficiency for perhaps a tenth of a second, not to mention the minute you move off the drag strip to the street your available traction is all over the scale.
If I was a serious drag racer I can see skipping the aids and I'd be all about that extra tenth, but my drag racing these days is the occasional Mustang or Camaro at the stop light and for that I believe the launch control is well suited. YMMV
Think autocross, where you need to start from a dead stop, and the difference between a hard launch from that stop correctly by driver talent alone, verses using launch control, could be the difference of around a half second to the first corner, and enough to take you out of the hunt for top slot.
So it's not just strip work that you need to be able to get the car launched hard, but on some road course tracks that require you start them from a dead stop as well. And even in autocross on some larger tracks, you still need to play the clutch slip game as well. So learning clutch slip for corning (for what the car was built for), will take a long way on slipping for the launchs as well.