I’ve been pretty scared to use launch control because I’m afraid that if I do it improperly or too frequently, it would break something in the car. I couldn’t locate a thread discussing this, but I’m curious as to what people’s opinions are.
You should have no problems giving it a few tries. Your drivetrain’s components will deteriorate significantly more quickly than usual as a result. People who claim their automobile is alright after doing it more than 100 times have been reported to me. Although the automobile is built with tight tolerances, if you genuinely care about your car, I wouldn’t recommend doing it too frequently.
Anything you do in excess will have a bad outcome. Although it doesn’t necessarily assist, I would argue that LC sometimes won’t ruin the automobile. It is constructed with more tolerances than the typical 3 series.
I’m not sure I really want to try this on a public road after reading about other people’s experiences with LC and viewing a few videos. But it appears to be enjoyable.
Madness is the launch control! I used launch control for around five runs, and the car is now ready to go. I merely wanted to test my running abilities. I might return at a later time and give some race fuel a shot. A public road test is perhaps not the best idea. However, if you do, make sure the road is broad. In my most recent runs, I was swerving through the first three gears. They needed to add fresh adhesive to the track since it was becoming dirty.
In This Article...
Why is launch control (LC) necessary?
Launch control is a piece of software that enables you to accelerate your car without experiencing any drama, such as wheelspin or, worse, exploding an engine cylinder.
Anyone can accelerate off the line, especially in a manual car, by putting the clutch in, reducing the throttle until it reaches a set RPM, and then releasing it. Pretty basic, yes?
Doing so, especially after several tries, might harm various components of your car, including the clutch, drivetrain, engine, and gearbox.
What is Launch Control’s Mechanism?
As vital as the engine’s power is in a drag race is getting off the line faster than the opposition. Wheel spin is the enemy in this situation. Suppose you accidentally burn out at the starting line while your rival’s car has little wheel spin. If their 700-hp car is halfway down the straightaway by the time your tires grip, then your 800 horsepower won’t matter.
Launch control helps manage torque, throttle, and gear ratios to prevent vehicle damage in addition to reducing wheel spin (and hop). Without launch control, there is a greater risk of engine overrev and transmission overheating.
Does your car benefit from launch control?
In sports cars and other performance-oriented vehicles, launch control is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that aids in swift acceleration from a standing start. Launch control is made to generate the most power and traction possible so that a car can accelerate as rapidly as possible from a stop. Although the name’s control component contains a safety component, the launch and subsequent 0-100km/h times are what are highlighted.
As vital as the engine’s power is in a drag race is getting off the line faster than the opposition. Wheel spin is the enemy in this situation. Suppose you accidentally burn out at the starting line while your rival vehicle has little wheel spin. If their 700 horsepower automobile is halfway down the straightaway by the time your tires start to grip, then your 800 horsepower won’t matter.
Launch control helps manage torque, throttle, and gear ratios to prevent vehicle damage in addition to reducing wheel spin (and hop). Without launch control, there is a greater risk of engine overrev and transmission overheating.
Launch control is a nice feature, but it serves more of a competitive purpose than a practical one. Many local track weekends that don’t involve professional motorsports forbid the usage of launch control. Along with all the other things that can go wrong with excessive acceleration, there is no point in producing a lot of power while driving in town just to accelerate quickly through red lights.
Has the BMW M235i launch control?
Launch Control is available after the engine has warmed up, or after at least 6 miles (10 km) of continuous driving. During engine operation: 1. Use the Driving Dynamics Control to select Sport+ or press the button.
Is the warranty nullified if I use the BMW launch control?
BMW would not have incorporated it if doing so would breach the warranty because it can lead to premature wear. If the clutch on the DCT becomes worn from launching, they will classify it as “wear” and charge you for it. similar to an MT’s clutch. Abuse would be a problem because no warranty permits unrestricted misuse of the vehicle.
How many times can a BMW be launched into action?
At its most severe shift setting, Launch Control can only be used 50 times on a BMW M3 G80 G82. We on the F90 board discovered a few weeks ago that BMW only allows the ZF8 transmissions to carry out 50 launches.
Does launch control speed up the car?
A computer program and an electronic accelerator are used in launch control. Based on engine specs, the software regulates acceleration to make the automobile accelerate smoothly and quickly while preventing difficulties with the clutch and gearbox, spinning of the drive wheels, and engine failure due to over-revving. Only at the beginning of the race, when the car is still on the starting grid, is this capability available in racing cars. The program is turned off after the car reaches a specific speed.
Launch control: Does it harm the engine?
Anyone can accelerate off the line, especially in a manual car, by putting the clutch in, reducing the throttle until it reaches a set RPM, and then releasing it. Pretty basic, yes? However, doing so can harm a number of components in your vehicle, including the clutch, drivetrain, engine, and gearbox, particularly after several repetitions.
Can an automobile be launched?
To launch your car is to start it off at a complete stop and then quickly accelerate. It is never a good idea to do this because it will overwork the transmission and several other components of your car. If you do decide to launch your automobile, never rev the engine in neutral before putting it in drive if you have an automatic transmission. By doing this, you place a heavy stress on your transmission’s bands and clutches, which are not built to withstand such impact.
Instead, you should first shift into drive while keeping your left foot on the brakes, then slightly rev the engine and let off the brakes. As a result, you won’t run the risk of damaging the clutches and bands, which might be rather expensive to fix.
Has the 2021 330i launch control?
The four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine in all 330is generates 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. Launch control, manual and sport shift modes, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and paddle shifters located on the steering wheel are all included. However, the potent F sports have 3.5-liter V6 engines that provide 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. There are eight-speed paddle shifters on the rear-wheel-drive model. The all-wheel-drive option, which comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, is an alternative.
Where can I find launch control for my car?
Without a lot of practice, launching a car with a manual transmission can be challenging. Even without a complex launch-control system, the work at hand will be much simpler if your automobile is an automatic.
Just use your left foot to depress the brake pedal and your right foot to depress the throttle to increase the revs. Push the throttle pedal hard after releasing the brake.
Now, there is undoubtedly more going on beneath the car’s sheet metal than what you could feel from the driver’s seat. By using gearing and the torque converter, your transmission modifies the amount of torque sent to the wheels after absorbing it from the engine.
In the video above, our friend from Engineering Explained, goes into much more detail on that subject.
But what we admire about this clip is the deeper exploration of the mechanical details. It’s a good idea to be aware of what you’re doing to your car and which sections you’re stressing if you’re going to conduct specific tasks in it.
So enjoy your journey while you’re out there, but be aware of the things you’ll break if you only launch your automobile.
Is traction control the same as launch control?
The system can’t always tell what the driver’s intentions are because traction control is designed to keep the car stable. By including a launch control mode, the driver can openly state their intentions and inform the slip control system that they desire maximum acceleration on the following launch.
Is 2 step the same as launch control?
Both launch control and antilag have characteristics that can assist in spooling up a turbo, but their intended uses are different, making them easily misconstrued. The goal of launch control is to maintain the engine’s RPM, boost, and power output so that it can launch quickly from a standing start without bogging down or spinning the tires. In races with extremely tight corners, such as autocross or rally racing, antilag is designed to retain boost on brief throttle lifts.
Launch control is provided by systems based on MegaSquirt-2, such as the MicroSquirt and MSPNP Gen 2. Launch control and antilag are both available on MegaSquirt-3-based systems, such as the MS3Pro range.
The primary function of launch control is a two-step, which is an alternate rev limiter that can be either a fuel or spark cut or both, and which is turned off at the beginning of a drag pass. To help your boost be ready off the line, you can employ the spark cut without the fuel cut. Other launch boost building features include the ability to spray nitrous until you reach a specific boost target, after which the nitrous goes off. Launch control integrates with power management technologies to give you the option to momentarily lower boost or time your acceleration off the line to prevent wheelspin.
A switch on the clutch pedal is typically used to turn on both flat shift and other related features. This causes another rev limiter to activate while shifting, enabling you to shift with the throttle wide open while maintaining boost. The RPM at the moment the switch is engaged is what the ECU uses to decide whether to utilize the flat shift rev limit or launch rev limit; if it is higher than the flatshift arming RPM, you get the flat shift rev limiter. The launch rev restriction is used by the ECU below this.
The MS3’s pit speed limitation feature can be used to accomplish a similar result when the car is moving in a racing event involving rolling starts. A VSS-based limiter that can apply a spark cut when you exceed a predetermined speed is enabled by pressing a button. Holding mode maintains the speed at the point where you initially hit the button, whereas fixed mode uses a speed restriction established in TunerStudio.
Antilag in rally fashion is a whole separate characteristic. Instead of being designed to function at full speed at the start of a drag pass, it is intended to maintain the turbo spinning when you close the throttle during downshifts. More air can be introduced into the engine while still limiting power, more heat can be added purposefully to the exhaust, or both methods can be used.
The ECU instead cuts power with a “closed” throttle by using a rolling fuel or ignition cut, which is how the basic antilag features work. You can also use the fuel cut at idle to enable for a manageable idle speed and additional cooling without using the ignition cut. The MS3’s antilag settings have more sophisticated capabilities that enable solenoid or PWM output activation or more IAC valve opening to increase the amount of bypassed air entering the engine. These outputs can be used to add a wider throttle bypass than the IAC valve permits, direct intake air directly into the exhaust, avoid having the air pass through the engine, or even employ an additional injector to pour raw fuel into the exhaust. If used wrong, the final technique can be very hard on turbos or even blow up the exhaust manifold.