Launch control (automotive)

Launch control is an electronic aid to assist drivers of both racing and street cars to accelerate from a standing start.

Popular automobiles with launch control include the BMW M series, certain marques of the Volkswagen Group with Direct-Shift Gearbox (most notably the Bugatti Veyron), Porsche 911 (sport+ mode), Panamera Turbo, Alfa Romeo with TCT gearbox and certain General Motors products. Mitsubishi also incorporated launch control into their Twin Clutch SST gearbox, on its "S-Sport" mode, but the mode is only available in the Evolution X MR and MR Touring (USDM). The Nissan GT-R has electronics to control launch but the company does not use the term "launch control"[1] since some owners have equated the term with turning off the stability control to launch the car, which may void the warranty of the drivetrain. The current version of Nissan GT-R allows user to launch the car by turning the Traction Control to "R" mode.

Operation

Launch control operates by using an electronic accelerator and a computer program. The software controls acceleration based on engine specifications to make the car accelerate smoothly and as fast as possible, avoiding spinning of the drive wheels, engine failure due to over-revving and clutch and gearbox problems. In racing cars, this feature is only available at the start of the race, when the car is stationary in the starting grid. After the car is running at a certain speed, the software is disabled.

Reason for use

Racing drivers have only a very short time at the start of a race in which to achieve competitive acceleration. High power delivery to the gearbox and driven wheels cannot easily be managed even by the most skilled drivers.

History

Developments in electronics in the 1980s enabled the introduction of launch control.

In 1985, Renault's RE60 F1 car stored information on a diskette which was later unloaded at the pits, giving the engineers detailed data about the car's behaviour. Later, telemetry allowed the data to be sent by radio between the pits and the car. Increasing the use of electronics on the car allowed engineers to modify the settings of certain parameters whilst it was on the track, which is called bi-directional telemetry.

Among the electronic driving aids were a semi-automatic transmission, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a traction control system, and active suspension. The 1993 Williams FW15C model featured all of these aids. This trend was ended by the FIA when it outlawed these aids for the 1994 season, considering that they reduced the importance of driver skill to too great a degree. Bi-directional telemetry was also forbidden, which was soon reinstated as the FIA found it too hard to analyse the engine programmes in order to search for hidden code that could be found breaking the rules.

Fully-automatic transmissions, traction control, and launch control were allowed again from the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, but as of the 2004 season, they were outlawed in order to reduce the money needed for a competitive F1 team.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

References
  1. Mitani, Sam (17 March 2009). "2010 Nissan GT-R". www.roadandtrack.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  2. "F1 Regulations - Formula 1 Rules and Regulations for the 2004 F1 Season". www.newsonf1.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  3. "Development of Traction Control Systems for Formula One" (PDF). www.f1-forecast.com. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  4. Masefield, Fraser (2013-10-19). "What Has F1 Ever Done for Us?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  5. "F1 Regulations - Formula 1 Rules and Regulations for the 2004 F1 Season". www.newsonf1.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. "Traction Control to Stay in F1 in 2004 - F1 - Autosport". autosport.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  7. "FIA makes massive changes to F1; several technological enhancements banned". Autoweek. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  8. "Knutson: F1 shifting gears, literally". ESPN.com. 22 February 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  9. "Less electronics will make life interesting". au.motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3ns5ZZ77PM
  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyj6Q0Ha74s
  12. "Traction control banned in F1 beginning in 2008". Autoblog. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
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