458 Using Launch Control / 458 2011

It's there for a reason.

 

launch control is very aggressive and does negatively contribute to longevity

make of that what you will

In much the same way that the 0-60 times magazines and other publications get are acquired via VERY aggressive launches which will absolutely hurt the clutch/transmission/diff/etc. in a traditional manual transmission car, the launch control on DCT cars will be similarly damaging.

Every manufacturer programs theirs differently, from "infinitely repeatable and reliable" to "use this more than 10 times and we void the warranty on the car"

What you're doing with L/C is effectively a clutch dump. It's getting the engine to an RPM that's delivering max torque and slipping the clutch to feed that torque to the wheels. It's this slip that does damage/wear. Once the clutch is fully engaged there's no difference between being in LC and not being in LC.

Gear shifts are also generally more aggressive in LC mode than normal, perhaps even more aggressive than the most aggressive driving mode you can be in (because LC was made to optimize "magazine stats").

The situation is very similar to launch, going up a gear requires your engine to operate at a lower RPM, in a very conservative/passive driving mode the process might be, disengage lower gear clutch, wait for engine to reach new target RPM, engage higher gear clutch. In a sporty driving mode it might be, disengage lower gear clutch, wait for engine to approach new target RPM, engage higher gear clutch, and in LC it might be, disengage lower gear clutch & engage higher gear clutch at the same time. In reality the difference might be milliseconds but if you've ever driven a manual transmission car you'll know how much fractions of a second can mean the difference between a smooth shift and a clunky one.

 

The lexicon here can be confusing. LC “damage” does not mean scatter parts like a totally hooked up launch at the drag strip in an ill-prepared Mustang. Instead it means “damage” in the sense of wearing components more rapidly than regular driving.
You “damage” tires and suspension when you corner hard.
By the literal definition of “damage” you damage the engine every time you start the car and with every revolution thereafter. If there was any mode that wasn’t damaging then you could drive an infinite amount of miles in that mode without ever causing any wear.
You damage your shoes with every step you take.
I’m unaware of any vignettes of catastrophic damage from using LC on a healthy car. And nobody has quantified how accelerated the wear is from LC. Ie each LC shortens component life by x time or miles.
Go have fun with the car. Life is too short and you can’t take your $$ or your things to the other side. God willing one day you’ll be too old to drive and not need all your $$ so you should make the memories now.

 

100% this

LC isn't the same as jumping the car over a gorge larping dukes of hazard

It's akin to doing magazine/journalist testing on a drag strip. Accelerated clutch/synchro/bearing wear.

DCTs DO have clutches but they're wet clutches. DCT clutches also aren't nearly as easy to replace as standard manual transmission clutches.

If you're gonna use LC regularly, consider changing out your DCT fluid a tad more often.

DCT fluid has a lifetime and depending on the dealer, you may or may not have ever had it changed.

Ferrari considers transmission fluid lifetime (which is bonkers) but this is one of those times where dealerships being more aggressive in servicing is actually a good thing. The getrag box is used on many cars and those cars do recommend something like a 4-5 year interval (Mercedes sls recommend 4 years)

There are 2 transmission fluids, one is the standard transmission gear oil, the other is the fluid shared began the ediff and double clutch mechanism. Both are important.

 

LC isn't like dropping the clutch at all. It's pretty tame and disappointing actually.

 

That IS what it's doing.

You're at 0mph, your engine revs go up to like 3-4k and you launch. The transmission is feeding in the clutch pressure so that your tires aren't slipping against the asphault, the clutch is the one that's slipping. Slipping clutches will wear. It's that simple.

The DCT was designed for this and the fact it's a wet clutch helps with the temps/wear somewhat but repeated use of the LC will cause excess wear and tear compared to not using it, there's just no arguing against this.

Whether you're OK with that wear or not is entirely personal but it can't be denied that it's happening.

 

There's definitely a controlled slippage release happening. It would be way more violent if it was a true clutch drop. Unless the ecu is pulling timing.

 

Yes it's a controlled slippage
but slip is slip, and slip is wear

 

Thats all I was trying to say. I don't think there's much to worry about. Once you've done it a few times, you know what it's about and no need to do it further unless you're just trying to beat the hell out of the car.


I tested it on the track and wasn't at all impressed with the 60 foot times I was getting.

 

It's far less of an issue because it's a DCT with a wet clutch

430/360/355 had a dry clutch because it was just a bodged hydraulic/mechatronic system that was fundamentally a traditional manual

With that said, driving at low speeds constantly on a DCT is also bad, just not AS bad as on an SMG, it'll still be terrible

I drive around in Auto when i'm not concentrating or trying to have fun but in stop and go traffic that's excessively slow I also do the same as you, shifting into neutral manually, leaving a gap before I move so i can minimize the number of stop/go cycles. This is probably excessive as a gentle roll out from a stop isn't going to hurt the clutch. It's constant slip that's bad. That would equate to operating at a vehicle speed where the engine would be below idle in 1st with clutch fully engaged (~5mph). So if you're at or below 5mph, you're slipping your clutch.

Still, this slip is far less bad than the slip which occurs during a launch as that has a far greater speed differential AND is a higher torque/friction/heat event.