To Launch, or not to Launch, that is the question

[n8hegr8]

the accord feels like youre floating, it was a smooth ride i thought.
im still not used to how hard the downshifting while braking is with the stinger.
it also feels like it takes a long time to come to a complete stop, like the car is very heavy, i almost feel like im going to ruin my brakes, having to really mash them in..

 

[JSolo]

I had 235/50/17 pilot as4 tires on the accord. Not quite your typical mush mobile. More so, the car was just so much louder. To me, this inflated the feeling of speed, so 65 was really flying, even though relatively speaking, it's barely moving.

The downshifting has improved now with ~2700 miles, it's gotten smoother. I can still feel it, but not as abrupt as it was new.

Around town, I really try to time things so i'm not coming to a full stop - a carry over from driving manuals I suppose. I wouldn't say I have to brake hard to get it stop from speed. Then again, I rarely if ever have to do aggressive stopping, once in a great while. If i'm a block away and see light turn red, foot is immediately off the throttle. Coast until it seems appropriate to start braking.

Did you bed your brakes in properly - a number of hard almost stops from 60 mph to get 'em nice and hot, then drive for a mile or two to let 'em cool. All without ever coming to a complete stop.

 

[2StingerGarage]

the accord feels like youre floating, it was a smooth ride i thought.
im still not used to how hard the downshifting while braking is with the stinger.
it also feels like it takes a long time to come to a complete stop, like the car is very heavy, i almost feel like im going to ruin my brakes, having to really mash them in..

That's interesting because with the downshifting, at least in my car, I feel like I'm constantly letting off the brakes so I'm not stopping 5 car lengths behind the preceeding vehicle.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Shame me... I've not done a full throttle yet..... at all, in any capacity

Lol. I didn't do a full throttle dig for months: even my first experiments with LC were not kickdown switch launches.

same, ive not pushed the gas all the way down or went over 80 yet. havent had to, plus theres too much traffic here, no open roads in the city.

Each time I looked at speedo I was doing 15 faster than what it felt like.

I know. The first thing I noticed on the freeway was that I easily sneaked up until I was doing 20 faster than what I felt like. My wife did a test drive while I was buying our Stinger, and got in the lefthand lane and pushed the gas: the next thing she did was push the brake because before she knew what was what she was doing 110.

 

[namja]

Couple months ago was my last LC at around 50F, with michelin a/s4 on 18"s and it didn't feel as punchy as I remembered...surely to change once I install this TCU tune very soon.

All I can say is my driving habits definitely got more muted since getting this car. Can't tell if due to age or if it's truly because of the huge power difference (2015 Corolla). That being said, yeah all this traffic especially from people commuting to work again makes it hard to push it. However, when the opportunity does arrive, I will definitely take it.

 

[Devin]

why even put launch control on this car. did they think everyone would be taking them to the track. kind of an odd feature to add. i always heard it was bad to have the brake and gas pushed at the same time.

That's only when you are moving.

 

[Slip_Angle]

My wish is that our Stinger GT1 will provide us with many years of trouble free driving. I can't think that launch control is good for the drivetrain. Car has plenty of power that can be accessed in the old fashioned way, pressing the throttle. Don

LC will do nothing to the drivetrain. It's so slow coming on and torque limiting is heavily in play. I've launched mopeds harder.

 

[OHstinger]

Have not done LC yet. Just passed the 600 mile mark on the car. Have hit the gas pretty good a couple of times, showing off to a friend and my father-in-law. Hit 60 on a quiet side street both times well before I expected, especially coming from a Passat.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Revelation this evening: after doing a launch, my car was set up that way (TSC off, in Sport and automatic, no auto hold). I came around a favorite corner and saw the way open and punched it to the kickdown switch: and, the power red lined and disengaged. I was in 2nd gear and it was coming down from red line with the go pedal to the floor: very weird feeling. I thought that when I botched it the car would take over and upshift for me, as it has done in the past when I don't shift manually fast/early enough. But this time, no: it just cut power altogether. I realized that I had pulled the paddle to upshift, out of habit, and then forgotten to keep doing that. Heh! I wonder if I'll ever stop driving this car like a beginner. So late in life to get a brand new car, and a performance car at that. Just when I think I'm handling it all like a veteran I do something stupid like this. (My wife was unimpressed and said, "It's a good thing you couldn't keep going faster: what if there had been a dog or kid in the dimness up ahead?" So, her juju is stronger than my juju. She liked the launch earlier, though.)

 

[JSolo]

This would happen all the time in a manual car. Don't or forget to upshift, engine will bounce off the rev limiter/fuel cut.

 

[DonM]

I really want this car to last 200,000 so I've avoided the LC thing. It's a pretty hot car without it from launch anyway. I have triple digited in it already and it's like sitting in your La-Z-Boy, you have no idea you're up there. First time I did it, I was shocked and piled on the brakes. I pulled out to pass a semi on a two laner and when I pulled back into my lane I Looked down and saw three digits. Unreal. It was just that fast. And all with Elvis on SiriusXM, A/C at 72 and the sunroof cracked. Soooooooooo nice...

 

[MerlintheMad]

^^^That was my first experience, c. 600 miles in (the moment when my break-in period was over), I passed a couple of semis and half a dozen cars all stacked up in front of me: the highway was clear, straight as an arrow for miles (this was Hwy 6 in central Utah), and by the time I got back in my lane in front I was doing 135 MPH?! Shocking. Exhilarating. All I did was drop two gears and press the pedal, not more than half throttle (of course, downhill made it easier ).

 

[MerlintheMad]

Ah, I've been "there" before. Shifter-which is "better" and why?

"Human memory is a fallible device ..."

 

[AusStinger]

Have never used LC and probably never will. Too much stuffing around. Put it in sport and punch it.

As for top speed, 220KPH ( around 136MPH ) is my max ( on the track of course ) and it sat very well with more to give.

These things go well for being a whale