Re: 0-60 C4 & C4S
And still, as painfully dead as this horse is, you guys refuse to consider weather, conditions, altitude, etc.etc.. Also, I'm not familiar with all launch control systems in all DSG cars, but I've got a ton of real drag racing experience in cars with traction control systems. And I believe that launch control works in concert with traction control, for consistent launches that limits wheelspin. I know from practice that if you try to run 0-60 or 1/4 mile with ANY traction-control device enabled, you will run slower than what you could in a fully manual mode using good technique and skill and total disdain for your machine. I question whether "launch control" is truly the fastest way out of the hole, or just a consistent toy that manufacturers have developed for talentless drivers to get the job done in lieu of their ineptness. Again, I don't foresee them giving you a launch-control feature that truly optimized the launch for quickness, because an optimal launch, done at its best, is eventually detrimental to the driveline. They'd be giving you a button to slowly destroy your car. Launch control is simply a brain-dead way of doing an "O.K." launch, not the fastest way to get A to Z. On street tires, the fastest 60-foot times always happen with a touch of controlled wheelspin that allows the engine to dig out right in the heart of it's torque peak. If your launch control elicites no spin, it's slower than you could be going. Sounds crazy in theory, but it's true. More modern traction control systems now are programmed to maintain 10% wheelspin, i.e. the drive wheels spinning 10% faster than the front wheels. These new systems are likely alot quicker for posting times than the old "no-spin" systems.
But in any case, there's a ton of reasons why you guys may have not been able to match the manufacturer's times. But you've got to consider and eliminate those variables before you can draw the conclusion that the factory #'s are scorching fast. My current for-fun drag racer is my Ford Lightning pickup. In the winter, I commonly post 13.10-13.20. In the heat and humidity of summer that drops to 13.60-13.70. That's just the weather variable.
