LAUNCH Mode Experts?

I thought making the best and most consistent launches would be, foot all the way down and in auto?

 

gearbox must be in manual mode

 

+1

Even if you're in manual - Doesn't it also auto-upshift the first change when taking off from launch mode?

 

A few tips to get it right:
1) in VDA make sure the car is in "go" mode - engine, brakes and tires all green. Do this to get a good time, but ,ore importantly to protect your car
2) drive to your launch site in sport setting, and when you get there, change to race. The VDA will go to autolearning mode then drive the course. The car will determine the maximum friction and torque based on the road surface and your tires. This super cool feature will then let you simply floor the accelerator without needing the skill to modulate the accelerator based on road conditions - the idiot button!
3) launch control works best in RACE mode in MANUAL. WIth CT off there's lots of impressive smoke and drifting, but you get nowhere fast, kinda like driving a mustang.
4) put a little piece of bright sticky tape just above the 5th LED light. Look straight ahead as you drive, but in your peripheral vision, this will help you distinguish between the 4th and 5th LED.
5) up shift when the 5th LED comes on (at 8920 rpm) to prevent the momentary loss power that occurs when you slam into the rev limiter and the engine cuts out. Not only is it less jerky but you feel like you earned the time rather than just being a passenger
6) If you do it repeatedly the transmission oil will heat up and the shifts will feel a bit sticky and jerky so keep an eye on the oil temperature.
7) make sure you use the highest octane possible, because full throttle driving leaves lots of unburned fuel throughout the engine, so it's best to drive it for a while afterwards to burn out all that residue.
8) Expect 4 mpg
9) My unmodified 458 italia will reproducibly do 0-60 in the 3.2 to 3.4 range. A Speciale should do 3.0 in Michelins

 

Hmm, I was under the impression this was the case. Maybe they've deleted the feature on the Speciale.

 

My Speciale does auto up-shift throughout the gears when in Race, Manual, Launch activated as long as the foot is floored all the way.

 

Doesn't the owners manual provide instructions?

 

Kind of vague, huh... Typical Ferrari.

 

You disengage auto (i.e. manual), but when you activate launch mode and take off the car will automatically upshift (at least first gear per my knowledige - and all the way according to fellow Speciale owner RC33) to help you on the way. I know this is a feature on the 458 so if RC33 says it's on his Speciale then the feature is probably still there.

Doesn't sound like you've tried this? If not, give it a try. Your response to my first post made it sound like you'd tried this.

There is no logical technical or safety-based reasoning as to why auto-upshifting in launch mode would be disabled on certain markets.

 

Because you still have the option to shift manually if that's your preferred way of doing it.