Line Lock - Wheelspin Feeling Afterwards

[ripto]

If you had, say, 10 seconds of something slipping, and it wasn't your tires, and you were at 2.5-3K RPM, your clutch would be toast. There was probably wheel-spin you didn't know was happening.

HOPEFULLY there was wheel-spin you didn't know was happening.

Worst case scenario, you'd need a new clutch. And that's no big deal, just $$.

I definitely didn't do the whole 15 seconds so worse case it was 3-4 seconds of unknown. And again I didn't smell clutch so it's possible I had wheel spin I wasn't aware of. I'll keep an eye on it.

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[AC53]

Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I was at 2K RPM in 5th and went hard on the throttle and didn't hear or feel anything. Didn't want to push it WOT since that's a low RPM for that gear and hill... Think I'm in the clear.

Don't worry about it being "low RPM for that gear and hill". That is the whole point. You are wanting to load the clutch as much as possible to see if it holds (which it should) or slips. This DIY test is best done on a very steep hill from about 2,000 rpm in 3rd gear. That gives you far more torque multiplication than using 5th. As was mentioned, what you are hoping you don't find is clutch slip which will be identified by the revs (engine speed) climbing quicker than the vehicle speed.

Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I was at 2K RPM in 5th and went hard on the throttle and didn't hear or feel anything. Didn't want to push it WOT since that's a low RPM for that gear and hill... Think I'm in the clear.

You were "expecting it to launch"??????

For real??? Like.......you thought the car was going to launch itself forward???

NoVaGT, what do you expect it to do??? Kill the engine???
What do you think happens when the front brake pressure is released???
The only two things the system can do is kill the engine (which it doesn't), or launch the car.
https://lmr.com/products/2015-S550-Line-Lock-Option-and-Operation

Line Lock has nothing to do with launching the car. That's not what it's for, not what it does. The counter is just showing you how long Line Lock is active for, which means your front brakes are locked. That's all. Line Lock is just for warming up your rear tires...

Line Lock can and has been used to aid in launching a car at the drag strip and on the street. It is not great for that purpose, but it is and has been used. If one has Launch Control than the use for Line Lock within the launch process is to warm and clean the tires immediately prior to actually launching.

... And you have a manual transmission, so Launch Control is pretty useless.....or redundant. If you know how to drive a manual transmission properly.

Is this your first manual car?

Launch Control on a manual transmission vehicle is neither "useless.....or redundant"! That is why cars like the Porsche GT3, Nissan GTR, etc., etc., have it.

It is a very valuable tool where maximum acceleration from a standstill is desired, for both auto and manual trannies. It gives the manual car some of the benefits that otherwise were mostly only available to an automatic and vice versa. For 1/4 mile work Launch Control should be worth ~1/10th of a second on a manual car vs no Launch Control.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

Line lock is for one thing, and one thing only. It keeps the rear brakes from dragging when doing a burnout. Period. It should not be used for launching, as the last thing you want to be doing when you launch is spinning. Launch control, while I find it completely useless and just another nanny for lack of skill, also is for one thing, and one thing only, holding rpm's at a desired level for launching (hopefully reaching maximum launch rpm without inducing wheel spin).

 

[AC53]

Line lock is for one thing, and one thing only. It keeps the rear brakes from dragging when doing a burnout. Period. It should not be used for launching, as the last thing you want to be doing when you launch is spinning. Launch control, while I find it completely useless and just another nanny for lack of skill, also is for one thing, and one thing only, holding rpm's at a desired level for launching (hopefully reaching maximum launch rpm without inducing wheel spin).

Respectively, you are wrong on both points.

"Launch control... I find it completely useless and just another nanny for lack of skill" - Ask any professional who has competed at a National level, they'll explain it.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

Respectively, you are wrong on both points.

"Launch control... I find it completely useless and just another nanny for lack of skill" - Ask any professional who has competed at a National level, they'll explain it.

You aren't seriously going to argue either one of those points, are you?

 

[2morrow]

Worst case scenario, you'd need a new clutch. And that's no big deal, just $$.

Word. Around the 40-50K mark you might want to stash away a couple dollars just for this OP.

A guy I know (this is his first manual car) grenaded his clutch at about that time and he's been in similar situations.

 

[AC53]

You aren't seriously going to argue either one of those points, are you?

No, I wasn't looking to argue about anything. Just wanted to point out that Line Lock has more function than you mentioned, including providing a far more accurate/precise method of applying and releasing the front brakes than using the old "just enough" brake-pedal method, and that Launch Control is and has been used by professionals for ages because it is superior to any skilled driver out there. Just like the new automatics can shift gears faster than you or I can ever shift a manual tranny, Launch Control can outdo any driver in back-to-back testing.

Here's a little article that goes over some of the benefits: http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/engine/mmfp-0809-msd-launch-control-install-and-test/

My information isn't based on the very latest street rubber, but certainly the hot setup several years ago saw the best 60ft and 1/4 mile times with a small controlled amount of wheelspin rather than no wheelspin. If today's rubber is quicker leaving the line with no wheelspin, that's fine, but again, I will contend that Launch Control is the best way to do that consistently.

 

[Shifting_Gears]

Launch control is definitely useful in a manual trans car.

It allows a WOT launch from a pre determined RPM which can be a huge help on the track when you are launching on sticky tires.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

No, I wasn't looking to argue about anything. Just wanted to point out that Line Lock has more function than you mentioned, including providing a far more accurate/precise method of applying and releasing the front brakes than using the old "just enough" brake-pedal method, and that Launch Control is and has been used by professionals for ages because it is superior to any skilled driver out there. Just like the new automatics can shift gears faster than you or I can ever shift a manual tranny, Launch Control can outdo any driver in back-to-back testing.

Here's a little article that goes over some of the benefits: http://www.mustangandfords.com/how-to/engine/mmfp-0809-msd-launch-control-install-and-test/

My information isn't based on the very latest street rubber, but certainly the hot setup several years ago saw the best 60ft and 1/4 mile times with a small controlled amount of wheelspin rather than no wheelspin. If today's rubber is quicker leaving the line with no wheelspin, that's fine, but again, I will contend that Launch Control is the best way to do that consistently.

We weren't talking about steppers and trans brakes here, we were talking about the line lock and launch control that comes stock on the Mustang. Geez!

 

[Braski]

Well, it's easier on your car if you don't dump the clutch. On the other hand, it's fast and fun. But with a manual transmission, launch control is pretty silly.

Actually, launch control with a manual transmission works really well for a consistant 60 ft time. Many drag racers with a manual trans will install a after market version so they can floor the gas and then just have to worry about dropping the clutch on the 3rd yellow. I used the factory launch control on slicks and it worked quite well. If I were to run in a bracket race I would add about some psi's to my slicks to make sure I wouldn't bog from a dead hook. My complaint is that the factory launch control can only be set to a max of 4,500 rpms. Personally my car leaves best @ 5,500 rpms!

 

[Silver Bullitt]

Is it really that hard for you guys to hold a steady rpm waiting on the light? It's a whole different game when you are talking about a multi stage stepper you can control, but all the launch control on the Mustang does is hold the rpm until the moment you launch.

 

[brucelinc]

I use line lock at the strip to clean and heat the tires. I never let it go the full 15 seconds though. On a few occasions, when I press the OK button to shut off line lock, the engine will almost shut down. There is virtually NO power at all for a few seconds. By the time I get to the starting line, it is fine. I think it is caused by the traction control kicking in resulting in brief power loss. It may have happened on the few occasions where I have forgotten to turn off advance track.

 

[Braski]

Is it really that hard for you guys to hold a steady rpm waiting on the light? It's a whole different game when you are talking about a multi stage stepper you can control, but all the launch control on the Mustang does is hold the rpm until the moment you launch.

Welcome professional drag racer, please tell us newbies how to launch. I will run you pink slips to 60ft plus reaction time if you would like? That's assuming you drive a manual launching without a 2 step or launch controller! Talks cheap!!

 

[Silver Bullitt]

Welcome professional drag racer, please tell us newbies how to launch. I will run you pink slips to 60ft plus reaction time if you would like? That's assuming you drive a manual launching without a 2 step or launch controller! Talks cheap!!

I don't consider myself to be anything more than a novice. But, I just don't see it being that hard to hold a steady rpm to launch. I've honestly never had any type of cheater on any car I've ran. Line lock for a burnout, that's it. But, I've been around plenty that did for probably the last 25-30 years. I've probably made less than 500 passes I would guess, most of those in my '05 M6 GTO. It was making about 425 to the wheels. Biggest tire you could squeeze under it was a 275, so it could be a little finicky to hook. Consistent 60' was in the 1.7 - 1.8 range (dr not slick). I can hit a regular tree pretty consistently under 0.100. Pro tree's a little different story. Not bragging or trying to start anything, just don't see much of a benefit to this Mustang's launch control that just holds rpm's for a launch. I know guys that run steppers wired into the clutch, so it manages rpm's for each gear. That's a whole different ball game though running F/I and high horsepower. Most serious drag racers won't even consider running a manual.

 

[AC53]

Actually, launch control with a manual transmission works really well for a consistant 60 ft time. Many drag racers with a manual trans will install a after market version so they can floor the gas and then just have to worry about dropping the clutch on the 3rd yellow. I used the factory launch control on slicks and it worked quite well. If I were to run in a bracket race I would add about some psi's to my slicks to make sure I wouldn't bog from a dead hook. My complaint is that the factory launch control can only be set to a max of 4,500 rpms. Personally my car leaves best @ 5,500 rpms!

That's pretty darn good traction to be able to hook up well with a launch in that region. What are you running on the rear?

Certainly sounds as though you're getting to the point where a multi-stage launch-control might be beneficial soon.

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