I am confused with launch control. A handful of my friends, one a former GM Mechanic warn me about using launch control. They all say it will cause problems or break the clutch, tranny etc. I have no real need to use it unless I go for a timed run, but I wanted to enable it and test it out. So I did and I ran the PDR as well as the wife outside with the phone video. Launch control is not new to me, I have it on my 2016 Yamaha R1. That requires finesse because dumping the clutch will flip the bike. I only used that once also, it's not a drag bike. So why do we have it on the car if it will "break" my car and cause repairs not warrantied?

 

Is this the same GM Mechanic who can't change the oil on a dry sump car without screwin' it up?

Launch control works and won't cause damage that is not covered by warranty.

 

I assume you have a manual trans. Mine is an A8 and the launch control is easy to use. Not sure how helpful it is as guys have reported better 0-60 and 1/4 mile times not using it.
There was a vid posted awhile back of a instructor at willow springs giving a demo of the L/C on a manual trans and it looked like the rear diff popped on launch. Caused a bit of an uproar on the forum of how useless and dangerous it can be to your car. After that a few reports of manual tranny spider gear failure with and without L/C being used. I didn't see any complaints of "no warranty" coverage and GM fixed it.
With or without, L/C whether an A8 or manual trans hard hole shots put a LOT of stress on the drive train. Unless you have obvious mods to the car it seems GM for the most part will cover failures under warranty.

 

I figured as much. Right now the car is bone stock, manual transmission. The only modifications I am looking at short term is a Borla X-pipe and eventually a catback. Everyone who does not own and drive a vette always has comments.

 

Are you fine to use it? Yes. But it is still stress on the components on your car and should probably only be used in moderation. I have used it a few times and felt like I feel like I can get better launches on my own. I think the easiest launch for these cars, for me, is at lower RPM. The higher RPM launches spin the tires and you lose traction and get bogged down.

 

Launch control is fine to use and will not cause any damage. Nice to try it out but I think you can do better without it.

 

Without going too much in depth, I would be cautious on listening to general statements from people who do not engineer these vehicles. He may have been a GM mechanic and even might have worked on several problems throughout the years but I think it is unfair to generalize Launch Control as being bad. KenOwnr said it best. Running a car hard produces stress on ANY car. I seriously do not think that GM would put a feature on a performance car knowing it will break so easily. That makes no financial sense as they will ultimately have to pay the warranty fix. I relate everything to tires when talking to my buddies. If you smoke out your tires, you are inherently wearing them down. You accept this and know that it is not best for your tires. If you are taking your performance to the top level, you know that you are inherently stressing the car to a certain degree. You accept this.
I can say this with confidence. I AutoX, Drag Race, Road Course Race, and show in Concourse de Elegance in my 2015 Z06 M7. I have been down the drag strip 33 times to be exact, ALL utilizing launch control. I have MT ET SS Drags on the back and Nitto Invo's on the front. I run consistent 10.7's. Maybe I could be faster without using it but I like being consistent.
My 2 cents - These cars are designed, engineered, and tested by top level professionals. I do not for a second believe they would place a performance platform on a car that would break so easily. Run your car and if it breaks, have warranty cover it.

 

tell that owners of early GTRs.

Porsche did a LC test on a 2014 911 turbo, 50 times in a row without any damage, they make the best LC system in the business hands down.

 

I don't know if this helps. I have an A8 and used it probably about 2 dozen times. I never had an issue, but.....I determined I can do better just by slamming my pedal to the metal. Very little spin and no hesitation.

 

 

Yep, probably the same "mechanic" that put 10 qts of oil in my Z51 on the first two oil changes.

 

Not sure why so many are attacking the mechanic. If you have any friends or acquaintances who are master techs, buy them a couple of beers one night and listen. Believe it or not, some of these guys really care. Please keep in mind this is a mass produced car with quirks you notice from day one. You can thank the bean counters for the rock bottom prices on components, but rock bottom prices don't exactly translate to high quality components. I don't think his advice is a bad one, especially if you plan on hanging on to the car past the warranty period. Just my honest opinion after a few months of owning my vette.

 

Nissan got pretty badly burned over that. They fix it under warranty now.

Bill

 

Warranty denial is only a factor for folks, who have tuned or otherwise modified their cars. It wasn't the use of launch control, per se, that caused warranty denials, which is what Nissan got in trouble for on the GTR.

 

I'd be very careful using it if you have a manual. And I'm not the only one. Read the many comments on this video.

 

Go to Youtube and run that video full screen and carefully watch the tach needle. In launch control it would have stabilized at close to 4K RPM. He just revved the engine to nearly 5K and dumped the clutch, launch control wasn't engaged. The engine RPM has to be allowed to stabilize, a key point noted in the manual. He waited too late to go to full throttle which didn't allow time for the system to stabilize so launch control was never active.

Here is another Youtube video which shows what happens when launch control is properly engaged. The RPM will stabilize near 4000 and then drop slightly as the clutch is engaged and the engine picks up the load. In the prior video the RPM was never given a chance to stabilize:

 

Yep, failure to properly use LC...

 

 

Yes, failures can occur however many people have done multiple launches without breaking a rear end. Cars break, otherwise manufacturers wouldn't analyze potential warranty costs when developing vehicle pricing. It is highly likely that part that broke in the driving school video would have broken in later use because it likely had a manufacturing defect. This is the same sort of "gotcha" that catches people who mod their cars while still in the warranty period; a defective part that would have failed anyway won't be covered because now it can be blamed-correctly or incorrectly- on the modification. The price/profit constraints in the automotive supply chain force suppliers to take extreme measures to cut costs and sometimes things go VERY wrong. Usually they just go SLIGHTLY wrong which means there will be a number of failures which shouldn't happen but do so that we can have our consumer products at the lowest possible price.

That earlier "boom" video blames launch control when it wasn't engaged. That is like blaming a collision on brake failure when the driver neglected to apply the brakes.

 

Here is a video I took at Spring Mountain of a Z06 using launch control. Designed to give maximum traction, not tire smoke