Question from a new 2015 GT owner

[brotherbean]

Bear with me guys - noob question incoming. I've searched and haven't found a direct response to this so I apologize if it's been asked and answered a dozen times. I brought home a 2015 GT Premium last week and am absolutely loving it, but I'm still in that "honeymoon phase" where every noise and behavior is new to me. Full disclosure: this is my first manual car, my first rear wheel drive, my first v8, etc...noob warning was no lie.

So after driving like an old lady for a few hundred miles (normal mode, nannies on, just the way I like it), today I decided to find myself a nice secluded place in the country and get to know the car a little bit. So I come to a stop, switch to track mode, make sure traction control is off, and let her rip. I took off like I normally do: no dumping the clutch, just easing out and slowly pushing the throttle until it catches, and then I floor it. What I was expecting was a ton of wheel spin through 1st until things hooked, followed by a ton more spin in 2nd. What I got was a nice hard launch with a little bit of spin/wheel hop, followed by a satisfying chirp into 2nd and a quick 60mph. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed traction control was still active. I repeated this two more times with the exact same result: very hard acceleration through 60, with chirpy wheel hop on launch followed by another chirp in 2nd.

So tell me: is this normal? Should I be leaving two black lines and a bit of smoke if I floor it in 1st with tc off? Or is that only achieved by a good 3k+ clutch drop (in which case I guess I'll leave that to my imagination)? Car is mostly stock: resonator delete and aftermarket h-pipe/mufflers. Tires are General G-Max all seasons.

Appreciate the input fellas - and please be gentle

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[ChromaticGrey]

My car will not light em up rolling onto it from first. I will chirp second same as you. Even dumping the clutch i dont get a straight up burnout(havent dumped it higher than 3 to 4 k). Line lock is the only way ive gotten that(it will let you shift into second and ride it out). I have a stock pp1 6MT car with an axel back. These engines just dont have the torque down low to do it(which and pluses and minuses, it does hook and GO), or there is built in torque management even when TC is turned off. Maybe a tune will change that, idk because im stock.

 

[brotherbean]

Thank you, that is reassuring. Given a choice between roasted rubber and a hard launch, I'd much rather the car put the power to the ground. But, being so many firsts I wanted to make sure the car was doing what it's supposed to. Thanks again!

 

[emdavis197]

Yeah, the way you described your launch sounds accurate. I have the 2019 GT 6 speed manual and even with stock Pirellis on dry tarmac it will hook up pretty good. If you want to lay rubber, use line lock or do a 3,500 - 4,000 RPM dump with advance track disabled.

 

[WildHorse]

Whereas my GT.. launching exactly like you & 325/30R19 rears, I'll annihilate the tires all the way through 4th. Try holding down the traction control button for 8 secs till you see the advancetrac off display. Now go have some fun ;)

 

[ChromaticGrey]

Whereas my GT.. launching exactly like you & 325/30R19 rears, I'll annihilate the tires all the way through 4th. Try holding down the traction control button for 8 secs till you see the advancetrac off display. Now go have some fun ;)

That is just not my experience, even when dumping the clutch. I haven't dumped it higher that 3 to 4 k as i don't want to snap anything. 2017 pp1 gt. TC off, advance trac off. Nanny plug unplugged. No easy wheel spin in a straight line. Now while turning the wheel, no problem spinning.

 

[ChitownStang]

Such a difference with a tune, mine will spin when clutch is out rolling, 1st and 2nd when I hit it.

 

[brotherbean]

I should have clarified in the OP that I've tried it with AdvanceTrac on and off and don't notice a big difference either way in how hard it hooks on launch. And like @ChromaticGrey mentioned, I feel pretty confident that I could slide around corners almost too easily with the safety measures turned off. It's just in a straight line that it really doesn't seem to want to break loose.

So, I was wondering if my 3.55 gearing was playing a part versus 3.73 (and it may yet, albeit probably minor from what I read online) but it sounds like @WildHorse is able to easily break traction through 4th with 3.31 so there goes that theory.

Which leaves one more significant differentiator - Both @WildHorse and @ChitownStang mention an aftermarket tune (either in sig or post). Is the difference that significant? Heh, maybe I should re-title the thread "Please educate me on tunes" then

 

[WildHorse]

Well I remember my stock tune with stock 235/50R18's Pirelli P-Zero lighting up pretty good through 2nd. All nannies off.

 

[CompOrangeFanatic]

Street temps play a big roll in this as does the tires you're running. You're obviously going to hook up a lot better in warmer weather compared to cooler weather. Also tires is a major factor as well. The stock Pirelli's that came on my car don't hook for crap. Once I put the Continental Extreme DWS06's on, traction was a lot better. Changing out the stock clutch will make a huge difference as well. The stock clutch slips a lot more and doesn't put all the available power to the rear wheels. Once I went with the McLeod RST dual disc clutch, my car will spin the tires at will anywhere in 1st gear and the 1st to 2nd shift at 7500rpms can be hairy.

 

[NoVaGT]

.....I wanted to make sure the car was doing what it's supposed to.....

It's a manual transmissioned car. It will do what you want it to do. Want it to tear up the tires in 1st? Super easy. 2nd? Not too hard. Doughnuts? Easy. Smooth launch? Easy. The car will do whatever you instruct it to do.

Stop thinking about the car "doing what it's supposed to", and start thinking about yourself, and your driving. You're in control, not the car.

 

[brotherbean]

It's a manual transmissioned car. It will do what you want it to do. Want it to tear up the tires in 1st? Super easy. 2nd? Not too hard. Doughnuts? Easy. Smooth launch? Easy. The car will do whatever you instruct it to do.

Stop thinking about the car "doing what it's supposed to", and start thinking about yourself, and your driving. You're in control, not the car.

Eh, maybe I phrased that poorly. What I wanted was for the car to launch hard when I floored it in first after letting the clutch fully engage, and it did. What I expected was a 400+ hp car to have a hard time doing that, instead transferring all the power to a couple of black lines in the road behind me, and it didn't. Just asking whether that's expected behavior for the way I launched it, or if this new-to-me car needs a lookover.

 

[NoVaGT]

Eh, maybe I phrased that poorly. What I wanted was for the car to launch hard when I floored it in first after letting the clutch fully engage, and it did. What I expected was a 400+ hp car to have a hard time doing that, instead transferring all the power to a couple of black lines in the road behind me, and it didn't. Just asking whether that's expected behavior for the way I launched it, or if this new-to-me car needs a lookover.

Yeah, I get what you're saying. I'm just suggesting a bit of change in your thought process, since this is your first manual transmissioned RWD performance car.

I'd suggest starting with the mind-set that what you do behind the wheel, truly matters. It matters a lot more than in your previous vehicles. These aren't Toyonda Transportation Appliance SEs, they're machines with decent power, that YOU have the control over.

You could easily have left black lines on the road, and then fish-tailed out of control into a crowd of Cars & Coffee spectators. These cars require you to be dominant over them, that you control them, you're the master. These aren't cars you can rely on nannies to sort everything out for you.

 

[brotherbean]

I'd suggest starting with the mind-set that what you do behind the wheel, truly matters. It matters a lot more than in your previous vehicles. These aren't Toyonda Transportation Appliance SEs, they're machines with decent power, that YOU have the control over.

Ha! You called it - I actually traded a 4cyl Toyota Applicance SE in for this. Loved the car for what it was, sort of resented it for what it wasn't. And I do appreciate the feedback and advice; I suspect the more time I spend behind the wheel the more confident and capable I'll get, and I'm very much looking forward to that feeling. Honeymoons are fun, but I'm ready to settle in.

 

[Stephane4985]

I too was a newbie at big power and rear wheel drive. I had a hard time getting use to the manual on this car. I am around 5k on the counter and I had the same problem as you. Successfully did a good launch with 2 straigth black line on the tarmac for the first time last week in my GT PP1. It is only practise. I though I was letting the clutch correctly before but seems my technique was not up to par. I'm only starting to really feel like I could use all the power the car can put on.

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