What Does Launch Control Do?

Having the wheel of a turbocharged supercar in your hands is exhilarating. But the feeling of power and prestige can come at the cost of control. It takes a steady hand and a good amount of applied knowledge to launch a supercar from 0 to 60 in as little time as possible. That’s where launch control comes in.

What Is Launch Control?

Launch control helps you achieve maximum acceleration from a standing start. It’s an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) often found in performance-oriented vehicles such as sports cars. It’s designed to fine-tune the vehicle’s systems such as the clutch, drive train, and engine to reach the ideal power and traction necessary for acceleration. In essence, it controls your vehicle’s launch for you.

How Does Launch Control Work?

A car’s launch control works by managing your vehicle’s torque, throttle, and gear settings to minimize wheel spin and prevent vehicle damage. It alters your vehicle’s response and performance for acceleration. Launch control manages the power applied to the wheels, allowing the vehicle to accelerate without wheelspin. This precise control makes for the fastest acceleration time with the least amount of effort.

Advantages of Launch Control

The main advantages of launch control are fast acceleration, convenience, and safety. Launch control makes maximizing your vehicle’s potential at launch that much easier for pros and newbies alike. It allows even novices to experience the power behind the wheel of their supercars without the need to dedicate a lot of time and effort into learning the mechanics behind acceleration such as clutch control and throttle moderation. It works especially well on turbocharged and supercharged vehicles.

Launch control also helps you stay safe. It helps prevent you from over-revving the engine and overheating the transmission while accelerating hard. Launch control isn’t bad for your car. It’s quite the opposite.

Tips on How To Use Launch Control

Here are a few things to keep in mind when using launch control.

• Launch control is best used on an open road, not cramped spaces. Activating it in a crowded parking lot or in the midst of traffic can lead to you losing control of your vehicle.
• To set up most forms of launch control, you need to rev your engine while your vehicle is standing still.
• Launch control only helps you accelerate from a standing start. It won’t help you pass other cars on the highway or increase power to decrease curb weight.

Now you know what launch control is in a car. It’s an easy way to get the most out of your vehicle’s acceleration from a hard stop. That being said, many enthusiasts still prefer the feel of controlling the throttle themselves. Whatever the case, it’s a nice tool to have when you just want to use the power under your hood.