I recently overheard a conversation where one of the guys talking about cars mentioned that his comes with “launch control”. What is this and how does it help any car?

Many cars today come with some sort of selectable drive modes. Most commonly, they are Economy, Normal and Sport.

All of these modes will alter the engine management ECU (electronic control unit) settings, varying the amount of performance, the sensitivity of the throttle and transmission behaviour.

In Sport, the engine will be more responsive to throttle, gear shifts will come at engine speeds while accelerating and kick-down will occur sooner and more immediately.

This is ideal for driving on Malaysian back roads, where you will need to overtake slow-moving trucks or buses as quickly as possible.

Sports and performance cars often also include a Launch Control mode. Not recommended while driving on public roads, this is a mode specifically used during performance testing, drag racing or launching from the starting grid at a race.

In the early days, to make the quickest getaway from a standing start, the driver would keep the engine revs high before releasing the clutch pedal. This must be done with sufficient immediacy to get the car off the line quickly while keeping wheelspin to a minimum.

Launch Control mode in current performance cars with automatic or dual-clutch transmissions basically enables the car to make the quickest possible take-off from rest without causing undue mechanical stress to the engine, gearbox and suspension mountings.

Usually, when activated, the driver has to step on the brake and accelerator pedals. The system will allow the engine to rev up higher, but not quite to the redline of the tachometer. In a turbocharged car, the system would enable some boost to build up.

At this point, releasing the brake pedal will enable the car to achieve the quickest take-off.

The ECU, which also takes care of the traction control feature, will modulate engine torque so that wheelspin is minimised throughout the launch from rest.

This way, there will be optimum traction to move the car forward while limiting the extent of mechanical trauma to the drivetrain and suspension.