Launch control - Porsche
Race-bred technology often finds its way into the showroom – but is it always a bonus on the road? We put Porsche’s new system to the test.
Launch control is all about getting off the line as quickly aspossible. It was used in Formula One but has now been banned, havingbeen criticised for removing the driver skill from the startingprocedure.
Getting a powerful race car off the line isn’t easy. You have toperfectly judge the revs and how to release the clutch to balancewheelspin and forward motion. Spinning tyres will get you nowhere, butif you use too few revs the engine will bog down, and you’ll take anage to get going. You could even stall. Launch control negates thesevariables. While lightning starts aren’t quite as important in a road car, it didn’t take long for the technology to arrive in showrooms. Fast 0-60mph times bring marketing kudos, so why not use some race-bred technology to help out?
We wanted to see if the set- up delivers consistently better resultsthan a driver working a conventional clutch pedal and throttle. To findout, we put two 911 Carrera 2 S models head-to-head. One had asix-speed manual, the other the PDK twin- clutch transmission. Onceyou’ve shelled out £2,288 for the latter, you can add launch control byspecifying the £714 Sport Chrono Pack Plus. To work it, turn off thetraction control, put the Chrono setting into Sport Plus mode, pressthe brake with your left foot and hold the throttle flat with your right.
The system dials in the correct revs, so all you have to do is step offthe brake. The results are impressive: wheelspin is minimal and thelaunch perfectly judged.
We used the start line at Cadwell Park, Lincs, for our test, and on theday the slightly uphill surface was damp. But even so, we recorded0-60mph in only 4.3 seconds. This beat the official claimed 0-62mphtime by one-tenth of a second and set a fine benchmark. Better still,the PDK launch system was able to repeat this time consistently overseveral runs.
Some rival launch systems can overheat the clutch after only twostarts, causing the system to shut down. Yet there wasn’t even a hintof this in the 911 – in fact, the Porsche felt wonderfully engineered.
So how did the manual compare? We managed to hit 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds – four-tenths shy ofthe official 0-62mph time. The ‘traditional’ start also felt like itwas putting more load through the car’s mechanicals, so it was a clearvictory for the launch control. However, given that blasting away fromthe line isn’t of great importance on the road, is the PDK actually abetter all-round option? Well, it’s certainly an advantage instop-start traffic and the auto changes are well timed and smooth. Inmanual mode, though, the system has some irritating flaws.
Our main gripe concerns the gear-selector buttons on the wheel. Pushingthem forward to change up and pulling them back to change down iscounter-intuitive. It’s also easy to catch the buttons duringcornering, causing unwanted shifts at the wrong moment. The softwarekicks down too readily as well, robbing the driver of ultimate control.
Our 911s’ lap times were only one-tenth of a second apart around the2.1-mile track. However, the stopwatch doesn’t tell the whole story.The PDK box takes away much of the connection you want in a sports car,and the manual model’s driving experience is just that bit moreengaging. So, while launch control scores a hit over its rival,Porsche’s PDK transmission is still second best to the manual.
VERDICT: Launch control
* Technology: Porsche launch control
* Car tested: Porsche 911 Carrera S (£70,190)
* Also available on: Boxster, Cayman and Panamera
* Price on tested car: PDK £2,288, Sport Chrono Pack Plus £714. Total £3,002
* Other manufacturers with similar technology: Ferrari, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan and many more…
* Hit or miss? HIT
Details
WHY: To find out if a conventional manual gearbox can match a twin-clutch set-up when it comes to lightning starts.
