1st gear Launch..opinions ??

flashinthepan · Dec 11, 2003

Hi all,

I am not a street racer by any means, but have a question that keeps popping into my head.

If one really wanted to overtake a car from a dead start, hence take off quickly and efficeintly (dry pavement) (good tires). Your at a stoplight and need to move out.....pride is on the line

What is a typical RPM launch ??

j2azz · Dec 11, 2003

Depends on your car, tire grip and engine power. You want to launch (as far as I know) reved up a bit, so when you pop the clutch you get max power by already having the engine towards the higher portion of the powerband (2-3k RPM's) along with minimal slippage of the wheels. Thus its different for everycar. If you use too much power, you just peel out and don't go anywhere, if you use too little, the engine drops back to an idle because the tires gripped to hard and you get a slow start.

Militant-Grunt · Dec 11, 2003

How do you do one of those anyway? Hold the brake and hold gas until decent rpm then shift into 1st or 2nd and immedietly let go of the brake?

flashinthepan · Dec 11, 2003

I think you are talking automatic tranny here.

epj3 · Dec 11, 2003

Militant-Grunt said:

Yea you're talking about power braking which is bad for the tranny.

It puts a lot of stress on the engine, tranny, and drive line. Also rev'ing it and popping it from neutral into Drive or first is just ASKING for chipped gears.

Big Daddy · Dec 11, 2003

If you had the M3 Sequential you could use the "cheat code", also known as an "Easter Egg" to launch you off the line. I thought this was really interesting.

M3 Easter Egg?

mikev · Dec 11, 2003

the trick is to keep the engine in the power band like these guys say. start of at around where you get max power. when you launch keep the power on and just lift (don't pop) the clutch. you will steadily pick up speed when the wheels start to spin lift of by 50-100 rpm and balance it out (thats where you have to know your car) practice makes perfect and you can increase rpm on each go (start at 4k) and you'll find the best way to do it. One other thing is don't leave it in 1st until the redline once your moving nicely shift quickly into second and rev to the limit ease into 3rd and more of the same, then pop into 4th and ease the throttle up with the engine and same until you reach 6th and a nice cruise at 140+ him into the distance.

wow i got into a thing there [;)]

flashinthepan · Dec 11, 2003

MikeV,

I see what your saying, it does seem like red-lining 1st gear almost drags you down a bit, especially with the higher than average 1st gear ratio, something like 4.35.

Thanks everyone, I just didnt want to hafta lose one I know I could win.

frolf · Dec 11, 2003

my $0.02. you want a little wheel spin, you don't want to bog, and going against what mikeV said, you don't want to slip the clutch. in my 328iS i drop the clutch at about 2500 or so and rolll the throttle on until the tires hook up (a matter of like .25 seconds) then dump the throttle, i shift before redline in most all gears, cause reline is about 400-500 rpm above the end of the power band.

MrElussive · Dec 11, 2003

The way I look at 1st gear launching is similar to the way frolf looks at it. I believe that when you rev it up and lift the clutch up quick, I think you are aim for just a bit of wheelspin...like a "chirp" from the tires. See, when you rev it up and let the clutch up fast, that puts a lot of stress on the transmission. So to relieve some of that stress, you should let the rear tires have just a bit of wheelspin. Every car launches differently, though. For example, for my car, I find it pretty easy to launch. I just rev it to 2K or 3K and slowly let the clutch up until the contact point. The car will slowly lurch forward and I keep letting it up then suddenly the gear will hook up and as soon as sI start to launch, I let the clutch up very fast. This makes for a great launch for me. But my point is, figure out what rpm's and what technique your car "likes best". You don't want to rev so high that you burn your rear tires, but you do want to hear a "chirp" from them...you want to rev to the highest point that gives you lots of torque from the engine and the maximum point of traction right before your tires will give out.

Average Jae · Dec 11, 2003

Big Daddy said:

i wanna have my friend try this on his smg m3!!!!!!!! michigan winter will be longer this year!!!1... [bigcry]

Militant-Grunt · Dec 12, 2003

wait..., I dont compleatly understand this concept, so holding the clutch and the gas already shifted into the first gear you rev up the engine to 2-3k and then let go of the clutch and then you "launch"?

torpedo · Dec 12, 2003

The hardest thing to master is to keep RPM high while maintaining traction. If you let go clutch too fast, and does not add sufficient gas, RPM will quickly drop back to idle position, giving you a lag sensation Urgg!! happened to me so many times. but if you add too much gas, your wheels spin like crazy and delays the launch.

Average Jae · Dec 12, 2003

when you notice the light about to turn green, you would rev up the car to about 2 to 3k, shift into first, but keep the clutch down. then as the light turns green, you'd release the clutch so the gears engage, and off you go.

make sure your dsc is off (i prefer completely, by holding it down for 5 secs, until you get a yellow brake light), along with ac or other power robbing appliences/ items etc.

this of course works if you are on a flat surface, so you don't move around while you have no brake engaged.

you want to rev upto a point, where upon launch you'll only hear a chirp from the tire. too much power and your wheel will spin/ burn rubber w/out any good results, but balder tread, and the stinky burnt rubber smell in yer car.. too little power and you'll drop down to almost idle (if you let go the clutch too quick) slowing your launch.

flashinthepan · Dec 12, 2003

DCS off helps I take it ?

frolf · Dec 13, 2003

oh man, almost totally forgot that detail. if your DSC or ASC is on when you try to do this you will look like a 16 year old there first time in a manual.

Average Jae · Dec 13, 2003

flashinthepan said:

if you try to peel out w/ the dsc on,(revving it high and dropping the clutch. the car will sense the wheel spin and will try it's best to keep the car under control. (basically cut off engine power and brake the slipping wheels until it becomes under control)

meaning: you aren't going anywhere fast, when you need it the most [rofl]

not to mention embarassing

frolf · Dec 13, 2003

even ripping into 2nd gear my ASC limits me.

MrElussive · Dec 13, 2003

Does anybody here get wheelspin when shifting gears at redline? When I am in punching it in gear 1 and go to redline and then shit to 2 and dump the clutch, I get wheelspin. I get wheelspin again when I go from 2 to 3 at redline. I HATE it when the traction control catches that wheelspin and shuts me down. [V]

frolf · Dec 13, 2003

turn off traction control. i get a tiny bit into 2nd, none into third (I WISH)

1st gear Launch..opinions ??

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