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Launch control - buyer concerns


lofi

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Whilst I wait for my car to sell (still) something I read about PDK and SportsChrono peaked my interest.

I read somewhere that as a second hand purchase this combo had a risk because of the unknown number of launch starts.

So I guess the question is whether a large number of launch starts is an issue for the longevity of the drivetrain and if it is, is there a way of telling how many times launch start has been used?  I'm of the option that launch is very unlikely to have been used many times, I mean when would you use it, and so it is unlikely to be an issue.

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Never used launch control in any of my cars.

Used it in a Porsche owned vehicle on a track only.

I know that Porsche test all manual cars for over revving, not something they need to do on PDK cars as the gearbox won't allow over revving to occur.

Constant use of LC would put a strain on engine and gearbox I would have thought.

The odd one now and then shouldn't hurt it.

How do you tell - no idea!

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When I did the Silverstone EC day in their turboS the instructor said the car could do unlimited launches with no detrimental effect to the wear & tear on the drivetrain etc.

How true this is I’m unsure but I did put the theory to the test in their car with many  launches and the equal amount of grins :)

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4 minutes ago, lofi said:

Wonder if like over-revs it is stored in the computer somewhere - though my current take is that no-one really uses it

 

Yes, over revs stores on the car's ECU, they plug it in to a computer and can tell if it's been over revved, to what level and how many times. 

If it's bad then they won't buy it off you, apparently.

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4 minutes ago, RBD914 v2 said:

Yes, over revs stores on the car's ECU, they plug it in to a computer and can tell if it's been over revved, to what level and how many times. 

If it's bad then they won't buy it off you, apparently.

But you can’t over rev a pdk!!

Or can you???

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Just now, r1flyguy said:

But you can’t over rev a pdk!!

Or can you???

Not according to the dealer, PDK refuses to down shift into a gear that will cause over revving.

Whereas human error hitting 1st from flat out in 6th.......

Which is how most over revving happens apparently.

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1 minute ago, r1flyguy said:

But you can’t over rev a pdk!!

can you???

Over revs is a red herring.  The computer stores ignition instances in a number of rev ranges, including ranges beyond the red line.  A PDK, like a Tip, should have no ignitions in those ranges.  Number of ignitions and how long ago are stored.

I am wondering if the computer also stores the number of times the launch has been used (completely separate from over revs).

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14 minutes ago, Richard Hamilton said:

I know from experience with my previous 2.9 PDK that it will store ignitions in Rev Range 1 if you hit the rev limiter. 

As far as I know, there is no register of the number of launch control uses.  It certainly doesn't show in a normal Vehicle Analysis Log.

Yes, should look something like this for a tip or PDK.  More recent cars have more ranges recorded

648038109_IMG_8099(1).jpeg.b1aa4d0dd3f20f61107945de5b11ec94.jpeg

 

Interesting that number of launches isn't logged.

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28 minutes ago, lofi said:

Interesting that number of launches isn't logged

Its would be more interesting if it was. ... Since Porsche say using LC has no detrimental affect on the car, what would be the point of logging it. Logging it would imply they suspect there could be an issue.

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I've used LC on a couple of occasions at the PEC and the instructor told me it could be used multiple times in a row without issue (so I did!). 

I've used LC on my own car a few times just for laughs... 

I'm sure I read PDK could potentially over rev if driving downhill and you you manually change down too many gears... 

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The transmission and drive train in these is quite strong and they don't appear to be the type of car that are launched over and over again.  It's not really that kind of car, 1 or 2 hooligans in here maybe (don't watch my videos!).

Conversely, I have a Golf 7R as a second car and a fair proportion, based on what I read, are tuned and 'launched' fairly consistently to no real ill effect, you see the odd failure but generally only on the cars running over 100bhp more than they should be.

 

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There’s a list of conditions on the use of launch control on my BMW.  Must admit to having never used it but the car has to be up to temperature and you can’t relaunch in less than 2 minutes and probably more I can’t remember.

Porsche on the other hand once launched a GT3  five hundred times consecutively so not something to worry about. 

What I look for if buying privately is how an owner treats their car. If they thrash the engine when it’s cold when giving you a test drive, I would walk away.  You obviously won’t know that buying from a dealer though. 

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21 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

....and @r1flyguy's car while he's in Asia?

😂

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