Launch control, how many times?

jimi900 · 11-04-2011, 11:26 AM

How many times can you us the launch control function on the DCT before BMW has a problem with it? Does using the LC really hurt the clutches in the DCT?

Thanks,

Jayda · 11-04-2011, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimi900

How many times can you us the launch control function on the DCT before BMW has a problem with it? Does using the LC really hurt the clutches in the DCT?

Thanks,

Do you want to make sure you don't destroy your dad's car?

I got a kick out of this post given your info (enjoying dad's e89)!

jimi900 · 11-04-2011, 11:43 AM

LOL!!

I can see where that is coming from, but no. I am 30 years old, I no longer do that kind of stuff. We were just talking about it and he was wondering about that kind of stuff. neither of us have tried using it yet! We are more in to "enjoying" the car on twisty roads at speed, or at the track. Straight line stuff gets boring to quickly.

Jim

Memphis1 · 11-04-2011, 01:01 PM

there's no preset, but assume you blow the clutches or tranny at 15k miles... guess what?! bmw is not gonna help you. i've used it maybe 5 times in 30k miles, 4 out of those 5, to get the pretty lady in the passenger seat to freak out.

Dr Stig 2 · 11-04-2011, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Memphis1

there's no preset, but assume you blow the clutches or tranny at 15k miles... guess what?! bmw is not gonna help you. i've used it maybe 5 times in 30k miles, 4 out of those 5, to get the pretty lady in the passenger seat to freak out.

And the 5th time?

ZheHbKa · 11-04-2011, 04:32 PM

Not much merit to using it, I find that I get much more wheelspin with LC rather then self takoff

Constant.S · 11-05-2011, 04:05 AM

Your question has a very relative answer... It all depends if something breaks or not basically. The LC doesnt "hurt" the DCT it just puts it under alot of stress, but then again, the Clutch is well within its torque limits so the risk of damage is virtually non-existant. Now if the LC is being used repeatedly your chances of failure mathematically increase just like in every other car. And to be clear, BMW WILL cover any mechanical failure under the warranty period as long as there is no "non authorized" work on the parts that failed.
Anyways, in my opinion these (DCT) gearboxes are bulletproof so spirited driving and use of LC under right conditions and moderation wont hurt the car. At all. Dont listen to what everyone has to say, cause if that was the case, BMW would have a clear warning for the use of LC in their manual.
I hope this helped,
-C

jimi900 · 11-05-2011, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Constant.S

Your question has a very relative answer... It all depends if something breaks or not basically. The LC doesnt "hurt" the DCT it just puts it under alot of stress, but then again, the Clutch is well within its torque limits so the risk of damage is virtually non-existant. Now if the LC is being used repeatedly your chances of failure mathematically increase just like in every other car. And to be clear, BMW WILL cover any mechanical failure under the warranty period as long as there is no "non authorized" work on the parts that failed.
Anyways, in my opinion these (DCT) gearboxes are bulletproof so spirited driving and use of LC under right conditions and moderation wont hurt the car. At all. Dont listen to what everyone has to say, cause if that was the case, BMW would have a clear warning for the use of LC in their manual.
I hope this helped,
-C

C,

Thanks for the reply, this is what I was looking for. I have been around and worked on cars for quit some time now, so I understand what doing a 5K clutch drop will do to a car i.e. tires, tranys, clutches. I was interested in the info related to the DCT. A lot of people dont really know much about them so I just wanted to ask. I figured since BMW states in the manual how to use the LC that they could not void the warrenty just because you used it a few times. Now if they see that you have used it everytime you drove the car that might be a different story. needless to say the car is great, and its to bad ROLF bought a M3, the 35is looks better and is just a capible, and gets better gas MPG

mstevens · 11-07-2011, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimi900

if they see that you have used it everytime you drove the car that might be a different story

How would they be able to tell? It's not as if this information is recorded anywhere.

tranquility · 11-07-2011, 01:47 PM

Silly ques, but instead of doing the LC steps, could you just press both gas/brake when in Normal and Sport to launch? Of course it should be slower, but would it still be as 'safe' as when following the LC steps in Sport+?

mstevens · 11-07-2011, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranquility

Silly ques, but instead of doing the LC steps, could you just press both gas/brake when in Normal and Sport to launch? Of course it should be slower, but would it still be as 'safe' as when following the LC steps in Sport+?

It wouldn't be Launch Control.

ZheHbKa · 11-07-2011, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstevens

It wouldn't be Launch Control.

no its not, ecu would not let you do that, try it and after a second rpm's drop to 1k and u get nothing out of it

entrepreneur177 · 11-07-2011, 03:08 PM

I don't see why you wouldn't use launch control unless the car goes out of warranty.

I personally launched only twice in order to understand how it works on BMW.

tranquility · 11-07-2011, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstevens

It wouldn't be Launch Control.

What would happen if someone tried to 'launch' not using Sport+?

mstevens · 11-08-2011, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranquility

What would happen if someone tried to 'launch' not using Sport+?

That person would not "launch".

They'd either stall the engine or drive off with a lurch.

What did you think would happen?

tranquility · 11-08-2011, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstevens

That person would not "launch".

They'd either stall the engine or drive off with a lurch.

What did you think would happen?

I dunno, hence my ques.

2gumby · 11-27-2011, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mstevens

How would they be able to tell? It's not as if this information is recorded anywhere.

I'm not so sure. I read somewhere (maybe on this forum) that it was believed that number of launch controls WAS recorded. Other things too, like top speed.

I think many manufacturers record lots of things about your driving habits, now.

mstevens · 11-28-2011, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2gumby

I'm not so sure. I read somewhere (maybe on this forum) that it was believed that number of launch controls WAS recorded.

Just because you read something somewhere does not make it true.

The belief that the number of times LC has been used is recorded has been pretty well debunked.

In any event it would not matter since nowhere has BMW stated that there is any limit to the number of times it can be used. They include instructions in the manual. If they tried to claim I'd used LC "too many times", even if they could somehow actually tell how many, they have not defined how much is too much.

2gumby · 11-28-2011, 10:26 PM

Sorry. I didn't realize that my statement must've sounded like I somehow thought reading about something somewhere made that something true

My intent was to caution the belief that such things as launch control are not and cannot be recorded. They most certainly can be, especially if you have built-in Navi.

I do not know if they are, just that the manufacturers can do it. I do believe that things we do not know about are recorded.

Furthermore, I believe you are correct. BMW would have a hard time denying a warranty claim "just" because they knew you've used launch control. Still, I don't think I'd be extolling the virtues of using it every day.

mstevens · 11-29-2011, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2gumby

I don't think I'd be extolling the virtues of using it every day.

I'm not convinced it's actually good for anything in real life.

11-04-2011, 11:26 AM	#1
jimi900 Enlisted Member 12 Rep 32 Posts Drives: Enjoying Dad's e89 35is Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Tulsa, OK iTrader: (0)	Launch control, how many times? How many times can you us the launch control function on the DCT before BMW has a problem with it? Does using the LC really hurt the clutches in the DCT? Thanks,
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11-04-2011, 11:43 AM	#3
jimi900 Enlisted Member 12 Rep 32 Posts Drives: Enjoying Dad's e89 35is Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Tulsa, OK iTrader: (0)	LOL!! I can see where that is coming from, but no. I am 30 years old, I no longer do that kind of stuff. We were just talking about it and he was wondering about that kind of stuff. neither of us have tried using it yet! We are more in to "enjoying" the car on twisty roads at speed, or at the track. Straight line stuff gets boring to quickly. Jim Last edited by jimi900; 11-04-2011 at 11:50 AM..
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11-04-2011, 01:01 PM	#4
Memphis1 Lieutenant Colonel 89 Rep 1,838 Posts Drives: Z4 SDrive 35i Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	there's no preset, but assume you blow the clutches or tranny at 15k miles... guess what?! bmw is not gonna help you. i've used it maybe 5 times in 30k miles, 4 out of those 5, to get the pretty lady in the passenger seat to freak out. __________________
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11-04-2011, 04:32 PM	#6
ZheHbKa Lieutenant Colonel 77 Rep 1,793 Posts Drives: the Wind Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW 335 Xi [10.00]	Not much merit to using it, I find that I get much more wheelspin with LC rather then self takoff __________________ 2014 F30 335 X-Drive \| 6-MT \| Alpine White/Coral Red \| ZMM ZDH ZDA \|
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11-05-2011, 04:05 AM	#7
Constant.S Resistance is futile... 54 Rep 640 Posts Drives: BMW Z4 E89(N54) Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Greece/Canada iTrader: (0)	Your question has a very relative answer... It all depends if something breaks or not basically. The LC doesnt "hurt" the DCT it just puts it under alot of stress, but then again, the Clutch is well within its torque limits so the risk of damage is virtually non-existant. Now if the LC is being used repeatedly your chances of failure mathematically increase just like in every other car. And to be clear, BMW WILL cover any mechanical failure under the warranty period as long as there is no "non authorized" work on the parts that failed. Anyways, in my opinion these (DCT) gearboxes are bulletproof so spirited driving and use of LC under right conditions and moderation wont hurt the car. At all. Dont listen to what everyone has to say, cause if that was the case, BMW would have a clear warning for the use of LC in their manual. I hope this helped, -C __________________ An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises. Last edited by Constant.S; 11-05-2011 at 04:12 AM..
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11-07-2011, 01:47 PM	#10
tranquility sportscars only 3236 Rep 3,193 Posts Drives: 2011 Z4 sDrive 35i Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montréal iTrader: (0)	Silly ques, but instead of doing the LC steps, could you just press both gas/brake when in Normal and Sport to launch? Of course it should be slower, but would it still be as 'safe' as when following the LC steps in Sport+?
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11-07-2011, 03:08 PM	#13
entrepreneur177 из Кремля 15 Rep 164 Posts Drives: Z4 35s, CLS63 AMG Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Los Angeles \/ Moscow iTrader: (0)	I don't see why you wouldn't use launch control unless the car goes out of warranty. I personally launched only twice in order to understand how it works on BMW.
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11-28-2011, 10:26 PM	#19
2gumby not so pokey 1 Rep 19 Posts Drives: 2010 Z4 35i, Orion Silver Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Dallas iTrader: (0)	Sorry. I didn't realize that my statement must've sounded like I somehow thought reading about something somewhere made that something true My intent was to caution the belief that such things as launch control are not and cannot be recorded. They most certainly can be, especially if you have built-in Navi. I do not know if they are, just that the manufacturers can do it. I do believe that things we do not know about are recorded. Furthermore, I believe you are correct. BMW would have a hard time denying a warranty claim "just" because they knew you've used launch control. Still, I don't think I'd be extolling the virtues of using it every day.
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