Computers v. Humans: Launch Control Tested - Feature

After the back-seat virginity-surrender ritual, the smoky burnout is our most precious teenage rite of passage. Who among us hasn’t waited patiently for the holy trinity—i.e., a fresh driver’s license, dad’s car keys, and a stretch of open road—to alight and grant our first taste of fire in the fenders?

Sadly, stick shifts, clutch pedals, and smoky burnouts are threatened by technology’s relentless march. We’ve endured such sacrifices before, but this time there is redemption. In exchange for some of our molten-rubber joy, we benefit from a worthwhile performance gain. Dozens of today’s cars offer launch-control (LC) systems that trade flaming Firestones for can’t-miss, computer-optimized, out-of-the-hole acceleration, managing engine output and clutch engagement to apply maximum torque to the pavement [see “Get Yer Launch Control Here”].

But can LC beat the best shoes in C/D ’s test department? That’s what we’re here to find out, and we’ll do it by testing the automated versus handcrafted launches of three cars of differing layouts, transmission types, and driven wheels. First, though, a little backstory.

Electronic circuits began infiltrating cars half a century ago. A few ’64 Corvettes were equipped with transistor ignition systems. Anti-lock brakes arrived in the 1970s, paving the way for traction and stability control. Now that drive-by-wire throttles have become commonplace, it was inevitable that clutch operation would be added to the list of driving tasks taken over by algorithms stored in computer memory.

Launch control can at least claim regal roots. Two decades ago, Formula 1 designers began giving electronic controls broad authority over engine, transmission, braking, steering, and differential functions. Launch control was born in that era and quickly banned out of fear that smart computers would replace skilled drivers. Millions of lines of computer code needed to be monitored by the FIA for rules compliance, as some electronic controls were permitted while others, such as LC, were not. To avoid that hassle, all current Formula 1 cars share a spec powertrain computer that is not programmed with electronic LC. That said, it’s clear by watching the start of any Formula 1 race that engineers have contrived mechanical regulation of clutch engagement and fuel delivery to avoid smoky burnouts when the five red lights wink off  to start the event.

In 1989, when Ferrari debuted its F1 automated manual transmission on its F1/89 racer, Nigel Mansell found the technology handy for winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. From there, it was an easy walk to the first road-car application for an automated manual transmission (1997 Ferrari F355), followed by the introduction of LC in the U.S. market on the 2003 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale. Since then, more than a dozen carmakers have introduced nearly three dozen models offering smokeless burnouts.

2002 Chevrolet Corvette Owners Manual in PDF | Chevrolet Manual

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