Launch Control - Noob Q on Clutch Release

[mnebett]

I have a 2019 GT, still under 1K miles. I've been looking around and haven't found a definitive answer:

The manual section on launch control talks about releasing the clutch, but is that a "very fast, smooth" release, or a "sidestep the clutch and let the clutch slam into engagement"?

Any hints/suggestions would be appreciated!

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[Turian]

All Launch control does is hold your RPM's while the clutch is pressed. It doesn't control the clutch, you do. You should release it fast and smoothly. You can slam it, but think about how the drive train works. You will be tearing up your clutch, and it wont give you a better launch. Once the clutch engages the transmission, the computer controls the throttle to keep you moving forward. You can get a better launch by disabling the entire Traction control/Advancetrac system, but you will eat more of your clutch that way. The reason for this is you will need to slip the clutch a little more when launching, resulting in more wear over time.

As far as how to release the clutch fast and smooth, remember that slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Practice slowly at first until you get a feel for it. And slowly increase the speed that you release the clutch. You'll get faster over time and better at controlling the clutch.

 

[mnebett]

All Launch control does is hold your RPM's while the clutch is pressed. It doesn't control the clutch, you do. You should release it fast and smoothly. You can slam it, but think about how the drive train works. You will be tearing up your clutch, and it wont give you a better launch. Once the clutch engages the transmission, the computer controls the throttle to keep you moving forward. You can get a better launch by disabling the entire Traction control/Advancetrac system, but you will eat more of your clutch that way. The reason for this is you will need to slip the clutch a little more when launching, resulting in more wear over time.

As far as how to release the clutch fast and smooth, remember that slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Practice slowly at first until you get a feel for it. And slowly increase the speed that you release the clutch. You'll get faster over time and better at controlling the clutch.

Excellent summary -- thanks. My first instinct was the shock loading from simply dropping the clutch would be very hard on the driveline, but I didn't know what I don't know -- so better to ask first. Your advice is exactly the sort of confirmation I was looking for.

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