OK this is WEIRD
 

I have never heard of anything like this.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article....22806&src=News

According to my friend who is big in to bimmers, the European M3 has this "feature" as well. And if you do it more than 20 times over the life of the car, you void the warranty on your engine and tranny.

Talk about over-engineered.

Ferrari do something very similar. As far as I'm concerned if you can't get your 500bhp supercar off the line on your own you should hand me the keys:)

Can someone explain it to me, cuz i dont really get what the article is about. Im reading the second paragraph and it doesnt seem special to me. if im reading it correctly, it just seems like the lever is just like the parking brake, then you rev, rev, let go of the lever, and once the revs peak shift gears. thats all i get from it. Oh yea, that M5 is siick! :thumbsup:
http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/meris...y/c448564a.jpg

the launch control is there to make sure that shifts are perfectly timed to the speed at which the engine revs. basically its going to take the engine as close as mechanicly possible to redline to get the best time out if your car

also it holds revs at a a very good starting point for limited wheelspin and an efficient go, heeluv a lot of fun in the m3 but it is an extremely limited form of launch control because it holds the revs at 1800 and not the much better level which was used in europe which slips me at the moment :thumbsup:

So basically, its everything you would do with a tach and a shift light, only they do it for you? If so, whats the fun in that.

Yea, I don't think that I'm following this. What's so special? It's just shifting at redline - or, actually, the most opportune shift point to keep the most power. So...why is this impressive? Any decent driver can do this with any car with a manual or SMG...

Seems like this is BMW's way of guaranteeing that, after paying $130,000 for their car, you'll never suffer the embarassment of getting beat by a Mustang GT or Subaru WRX in a stoplight drag race.

500 horsepower V10 in a sedan...wow.

No. The important part is the launch. It makes sure that the car leaves the line optimally. The driver just has to floor it, and the electronics makes sure you don't spin the tires too much or lug the engine. I think it also changes the damper settings to be better for straight-line traction.

Don't a lot of pro dragsters use the same technology to launch, where the engine is computer-held to a certain rpm until takeoff? What's the fun in that?

LOL I could have used one of them when I took the new GTO and Mustang for a test drive.....LMAO

Alot of people get off on going fast with ease. Exactly what launch control helps you achieve. It might not appeal to real car fanatics, but more towards rich folk who take up the 'hobby' of purchasing and driving a new M5 or E46 M3 SMG II around for a couple of weeks before they switch to something else that's expensive and easy to gain fun from. Maybe?

this has been put in for several builds now...

it's like an easter egg but in your car.

meh, kinda of, more F1'ish actually. The thing is, BMW started getting rid of throttle plates in some of their newer cars. Their VANOS system is the most extreme of the variable valve timing technology. Not only does it control cam phasing but also lift, and in turn throttles the engine this way. Some really cool shit. Helps in aiding launch control in the end

As far as launch control goes, its there so you can rev the engine and dump the clutch WITHOUT spinning the tires, for a perfect launch. In F1 this is accomplished by comparing the front and rear wheel speeds. If the back is spinning a lot faster than the front the ignition is cut and the engine speed drops. When the wheel speed sensors indicate that traction has been restored, the ignition cuts back in. If you watch an F1 car come through a corner in first gear and hammer the throttle on exit, it sounds like the engine is misfiring bad, since its controling the wheel spin. It makes the car faster since it allows the driver to keep his foot planted into the gas and just keep upshifitng.

With the VANOS engines, its easier to just adjust the "throttle" for you and optimize the shifts automatically. Here's a basic diagram from and aftermarket companies systems works. This one cuts fuel.

http://www.racelogic.co.uk/Tcdiag1.gif
I love racelogic.

Where's the fun in it? Meh, it's more about being consitent and fast.

A lot of bracket racers use a quick-and-dirty version of this: a 2-step rev limiter. You can floor it, and it will hover up at your predetermined 'launch' RPM, bouncing off it like it would a rev-limiter, until you drop the clutch, then it lets you rev up to your normal RPM. In the right hands, er, feet, it makes for very consistent launches, and therefore quarter mile times.

that sounds like the most pointless feature ever. if anyone was going to try something like that then they should know how to do it them-damn-selves or shouldn't be trying it at all.

Actually, this is trickle down technology from Formula1. 500hp from a 5 liter v10 is neato for a street car......

.....but.....

the BMW v10 that Williams uses in their race cars makes cranks out about 950+bhp....at 19,000rpm. And it's only a 3 liter. :crazy: