As of now my PB at the drag strip is 11.91 (the video shows different) with a 0-60 at 3.91. Since that night, I haven't returned to the track.



Yes, I had read about the launch control and tried it, but I was totally uncomfortable really making an effort to do as the owners manual stated. On this run, I only half way tried to do it the proper way. On my past cars, unless they had drag radials (which I did John Force burnouts to really heat them up and had real good success), I usually launched off idle or at 1K rpms at the most. Most of my cars also had bad wheel hop issues (2005 GTO, 2009 G8 GXP, and two 2013 Mustang GTs) where I had to be real careful launching the cars.

This launch control was as foreign to me as is having a date with Kate Upton.

I've read the instruction manual time after time after time. Be in while soaking in the tub or taking a crap, I've read it more than I should've read it. Perhaps I was missing the little things, however I think I just didn't buy into the launch control working that well.

Tonight I drove from Houston to Lake Charles to see if I could double my money (yes I did) and on the way there is a place with a 70 mph speed limit and very little traffic to try using the launch control by the book.

OK, the book states to floor the brake in a panic brake mode, in other words, my 250 pounds standing on the brake while flooring the gas pedal. Well, it just wasn't that simple. Here's proof. You can hear me mumble being in a panic brake mode during the video. You can also hear the car working against the brakes.


I was happy with the time of 3.8, however I wasn't happy at all when I crept forward. At the track, you can't creep forward that far, and this is all about practice for making a return trip to the track. Instead of flooring the go pedal like the book stated, this seemed to work better when I gradually raised the rpms, the let off the brake.

As it was a nice day, minimal traffic around, I decided to try it again. This time I worked at gradually increasing the rpms and this time I only crept forward once or twice. The end results were a lot better than the prior run.


I'm very happy with the 3.6 and I can't help but wonder what the 3.6 would be without being in a hot car, warming up the tires a bit, and launching from a well prepared launch area.

Hopefully this experiments will help out some of the other guys who may need to take a quick look at what I did.

Lastly, I know .1 quicker in a 60' should be close to .2 in the quarter, however I don't know the racers math when one goes from 3.91 to 3.6 from 0 to 60. Hopefully this could mean going from an 11.91 to 11.6X. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but one can always hope.

 

I tried the Launch Control (track mode, double push of the button) yesterday and my car started to spin the tires, like doing a burnout in the water box at the strip.

You really have to stand on the brakes I guess?

To much traffic and law enforcement in my area to really try it again.
I need to find an empty parking lot somewhere.

For me, just easier to roll in to the throttle on the street.

Even with TC ON the car will spin the tires and lose valuable time if I go full throttle from a dead stop.
Maybe in 90 degree weather it will hook at full throttle?

 

With my C6 I'd do a 3-4 second tire heat. Then I'd stage & tach up to1200 rpm. That worked best with that car & I had ove 140 runs doing it so I eventually settled on that sequence. With my C7 I watched and listened to a lot of guys who have ran their car so this is what I've been using. A 3-4 sec tire heat up. Then I stage, but on the second stage light & apply the brakes hard & very quickly floor it and let off. This "flashes" the tranny setting up the torque converter. I let it go back to idle & when the 3rd. yellow lights up I let off the break and roll into the throttle & mash it. I have had very good hole shots with even less slippage than my C6 ever had. But the tracks I've been to have had a ton of front wheel cars dragging water into the box and my problem is my car breaking loose on the 1-2 and 2-3 shift. I've had to let off every run, let it hook and then get on it again. Eventually I'll get up to a better prepped track. However, after all this, the "launch control" seems to me to be against every drag principle I know. And the guys I know who have used it just burn like crazy. Just my 2 cents.

 

ok i have used the launch control on a 2014 a6 and now my a8 autocrossing. it works great for me because the staging light is 10 feet before the start timing light. their is a delay(nothing wrong with car, ect, ect) when you/i release the brake that would not be good for drags. this past weekend at hershey park very cold with run flats it seen like forever before my car moved at all when i dropped the brake. same as a6 last year.

 

Got to try it again today, it is pretty good, but I think i could beat it.

 

Old Goat

 

Let's see, I spent a lot of time putting this post together in attempt to help out those who're trying to fully understand launch control.

When is the last time you ever attempted to spend any time making a thread of this nature trying to help out others?

 

I see your problem (assuming you're in Track mode and have double pressed the traction control button). I did the exact same thing - you aren't flooring the throttle. Brake has to be pressed to the floor which you are doing. Then, throttle has to be quickly pressed to the floor as well, which you aren't doing. When done correctly, your RPM's will show around 2K but your throttle gauge (green bars) on the PDR will show 100%. You're pressing lightly on the throttle so it's not engaging launch control.

That being said, your times are in line with the best I've seen for a non-Z at 3.60 seconds. Don't really think launch control will help you at all - you've already nailed it my friend

 

You're exactly correct.

But it seemed to work the other day. No warming up tires, just accelerating from the shoulder of a road, no track prep. Perhaps it's just something we have to see successfully done by doing it in order to buy in to it.

 

Thanks for the kind comments.

Yes, I was in track mode, and double pressed the traction control button.

 

You can post better runs without launch control if you have some experience unless you have cars like the Porsche turbo, Nissan GTR.

 

Very easy to use for me, functioned just like it said but you don't dead hook, I got a 1.92 60' and that's not too great so I was only able to run a 12.14 @ 117.00.

 

Next time out I'll try it once again. However, doing it the way I stated I had a 1.801 60' which on a crappy track I assumed wasn't too bad. Like I said coming off the line I didn't have as much of an issue but 1-2 and 2-3 shifts I did. This was really only a track problem. From the description of launch control with an auto it seems that flooring the brake & throttle must turn the mode on and if you don't do it exactly in the right sequence you'll be launching at 5000 rpm.

 

I have to wonder why the A8 L/C is about 2k and the M7 is around 4K. I have seen some videos of the M7 using it and that engine is screaming before the launch and they didn't achieve very impressive times.