After 27 years of driving manual transmission cars one would think I'd already know this, but.......:

I've read about dumping the clutch at a particular RPM; is this the best way to launch a manual tranny C2S?

If so, at what RPM and how damaging is this to the drivetrain?

By "dumping the clutch" does this literally mean slipping your foot off of the clutch and letting the pedal just pop up off the floor?

Which causes more wear and tear: dumping the clutch to launch or slipping the clutch?

I assume PSM needs to be shut off?

I don't plan on abusing my car on a daily basis, but *would* like to know how best to abuse it when I want to!
Thanks.

 

Ditto

I always ease it and feel bad.

 

Wow.....90+ views and no one knows how to best launch a 997?

 

Every time I dump it the wheels hop or spin,I learned how to feather it out real quickly to control it. I ran a 12.8 stock on a nonS so it works.

 

wow, that is pretty good time, what was the trap speed if you remember?
I ran with my S a 13.4 but my 60ft time was 2.8 which stinks, trapped at 114mph which isnt bad. Really not to big a fan of the quarter, kinda boring in these cars. More of a road course kinda guy

 

1.8 in the 60 i need to look up my ticket for the trap.I think with the work i did and the rcomp tires should bring me down to the low 12's i hope.I am a track guy to but last year i went with a couple of Friends one with a 335I and the other with an older vette and i smoked them both .Once in a while it's a really fun thing to do.I am thinking of going soon i will post it on the tristate tread maybe we can get a couple of guys from the area to go.

 

Running the risk of being called arrogant (again) I emphatically state that these cars are not drag strippers. One can have a fast launch without slipping the clutch and essentially meeting the factory stated 0-62MPH time. But... to each his own.

 

for best and fastest vaunch do what this guy did.

 

The problem with the car is that it wheel hops so a slip will probably be best. LarryP can you tell us more about your technique, tire pressures?

 

Try to emulate the PDK launch.
Rev to 6500 rpm. Let clutch out just enough not to spin tires or get "wheel hop".
For best times warm up tires first.

 

Because this works for robo launch doesn't make it a good idea w 3 pedal setup imo. I suspect that the pdk set up allows for the engine output to be cut if necessary to get the best launch. It is more than clutch slip in action. Somewhere between 3-4000rpm you can get off the clutch fast (not dump) and apply full throttle simultaneously. You need to balance it to avoid hop or bog. I believe trying a 6500 rpm launch w your foot will give one of those 5000 mile clutch replacements. Have you ever really done this?

 

I don't view a 997S as a 1/4 mile car . It's built for driving through curves with precision in comfort . Even the Turbo which a lot of guys run the 1/4 mi in --it is fast but I feel its real strength is the rolling start with a sweet spot beginning at 40MPH or so much like the airstrip contests on M5board.com .

You can get hurt stop light racing.
You can wear out the car. .
With mods it's not just the clutch but even an axle can break .
It's not what the car really is for .

Enjoy it for what it is .

 

Thanks all for the replies!

Just to be clear, I have *never* engaged in stoplight racing and find that mentality foolish at best, juvenile at least and I understand that a C2S isn't an American Muscle car.

I simply want to know how best to launch the car for fastest take off speeds. Not something I plan on doing daily, weekly or even monthly.......just wanted to know the best way to actually do it.

Thanks again for the responses.

 

I asked this question a while back myself, and got the same kind of responses.

Personally I have found the best launches myself feathering it quickly into first gear, targeting about 1,100 rpm and then going full throttle, the trick for me to fast times really becomes the shift from 1st to 2nd. I have gotten pretty good at shifting smoothly just before I come to redline, so I don't lose momentum. I am about at 40 mph when I am doing that shift.

I experimented on my car and a 07 Turbo and an 07 GT3 that I had for a couple of days and with the GT3 You could do the clutch dump using the Launch control - but it manages the output so you don't grind up your clutch. I found in both those cars the same approach I outlined above got me my best acceleration times.

While I agree its not a drag car, and you won't ever see me at the drag strip - I am always looking for ways to become a better driver, cornering, shifting, etc and this has been a fun way to practice getting to speed as quickly and smoothly as possible. What I love about these cars is they are so precise, when you are doing something off or wrong they are usually feeding that back to you - like with the clutch, I can feel so clearly when I am doing it right and when I try to force it, or am too slow letting it out, I can feel I am not doing it right.

I picked up the book "Porsche High Performance Driving" by Vic Elford, and have found the stories and information in there very helpful and enjoyable to read.

 

Perfectly said.I feel the same way, But I do like the strip once or twice a year just for kicks.