Launching a C4S

Given that the C4S is 4 AWD, what do you guys launch at to get max power with traction? Do you turn traction off? Does anyone know if a C4S can take a 02 Z28 with exhaust and intake off the line? Thanks

psm off for sure rpm at ~6000 drop the clutch but not too sudden to kill the tranny good luck, you wont need it! *he's toast* wael

6000 RPM...dear God!

......then climb out of the car and go back and pick up the transmission where it's lying in the road 50 yards back where you started. Judging by previous posts this may well be a new car huh? Don't be a muppet.

reply clearly states: 'drop the clutch but not too sudden to kill the tranny' ..your call! Waz!

I don't have a c4 but I have a friend who does and I also used to own a couple of awd sports cars. 6k drop it. just don't do it too often. car will launch like no other. awd's are the best off the line.

True. Just hope Barrett isn't back here in tears when he's broken his new toy. PS But as this thread seems to be the prelude to some sort of drag race, hey, what the hell? It's only a porsche.

Its broken in with 2000+ miles. But anyway, are you guys saying that in order to get max performance out of it I have to risk breaking it? lol

Dunno mate, I've got a proper porsche. If I want a 4x4 I use the range rover. [joke]

lol but I need a sports car and something to go off roading in, so I got the all in one package

Well, frankly speaking, the 'drag race' start is quite a feat to try in those cars... but it's in no way compared to the handling abilities and the speed control these cars can reach, compared to extremes cars of the like.. I'd come back to what i stated in my reply,,, it's a Z28 you're competing with.. he's toast by all standards and you dont have to really burn your clutch and risk your transmission... Try competing on the corners and curves and at high end speeds over the 200km mark.. it is only then you will realize that power doesnt matter as much as performance. You have the ultimate machine in performance.. Now how's that for a boost!? Waz *advisory comment: toast him on the track and out of public roads*

Hey, In a C2 if you drop it at 6K, the wheels will spin. In a C4, your wheels won't spin much if at all. Something will have to give and that will be the trans or something in the rest of the driveline. if you do it a couple times you'll prob be okay but you are definately at risk. What if you rev up to 3-4K, drop the cluth and then hammer the throttle? Bob

we got 5.1 sec 0-60mph gtech-pro reading on Fadz's 996 C4S by dropping the clutch (smoothly i must say) at rpm's of 6000... any other way failed to give lower readings.. Yet, the fun-level was no way compared to the car's ability to take interchanges at 180km/hr spinning the 400hp lumina-SS heads around and overtaking the M5's at 294km/hr.. Carlos, where are you!!! Wael *still advisory not to try this off-track!*

Why try? .5seconds of thrill is kind of a minimal reward for brutalizing your car. Our cars aren't drag racers. Lots of $2500 Mustangs are quicker off the line, but couldn't complete 5 hard laps at a track. Everything has a design purpose, and clearly drag starts weren't the priority for our cars. Having said that, the reason the magazine test drivers can cite the low numbers they do is because....the writer doesn't own the car. AS

That's no sh*t. I just had the clutch on my '03 C4S (11K mi.) explode into about 30 pieces on I-65 coming back from the F1 race in Indianapolis. Just got my car back about a week ago. Of course PCNA didn't cover the cost of the replacement as they attributed it to "aggressive launches". This is despite the fact that I never launched out of 1st at greater than 3500 RPM and have hardly ever turned the freaking PSM off. Tread very lightly when it comes to drag racing your Porsche. With the money you save from a clutch repair you could probably go and buy a new Mustang!!

My buddy and I were cruising in his 98 C4S one night... when a corvette driver pulled up to us and stated "I'll pump that porsche...." well... to make a long story short... we raced 6 times and the vette got the pumping of its life ..... launching from 5500 rpm and the C4S is out of there... the guy in the vette was pissed! next week my friend spent big$$$ replacing his clutch. I wouldn't do it. cheers Pete

I'll have to agree with that! drag-racing is not as fun as non-straight line high-speed racing (we have the perfect highways for that here ) Besides, if you lauch it wrong you may do some damage like mentioned by some, but if you want to really launch it, 6k and gently drop it is the way to go like Waz said (he has had his share of experience in launching his previous C2 ) though not tooo gently on the AWD like mine or you will just toast the clutch. Personally I wont bite into racing if the other car just wants a short spurt of drag-race at a stop light, I'l just go my own way, but I will always initiate or reciprocate a friendly challenge with appropriate cars I come across if there is curves or high speed invloved and if the traffic conditions are right. To bad its harder than I would like to find appropriate cars for a Porsche 911

Say guys, aren't there clutch systems that are meant for the hard beating we are talking about? Like double disc clutch with some kevlar/carbon fiber whatever... Just like the Subies and the Evo's got.. the Evo7 i drove last had one of those, and it used to hit so hard, my passenger's (fadz996) neck got bruised... ..but then again, what will happen to the poor tranny? Waz

You could always get a Tip for launching

Or use the loaner car.

6k sounds way overkill rev it to about 3500k and then just drop it your tires should start spinning out if not then i dont now what to tell ya

the tires don't even think about spinning at 3500 or 4000

I've read that the tt "ideal launch" revs are about 4000 and sidestep the clutch. My guess is that the C4S would require more. With real good luck, the clutch will go before the ring and pinion. By the way, in the tt, it is said the entire car will shudder momentarily before leaping foreward. I guess that's when you know you've got it right. In a comparison test with a Lamborghini Diablo, a factory test driver was quoted that if you get it right in an awd Lamborghini, you can do it 10 times before you kill the clutch. If you get it wrong, you might get only one try. With all the fury of Formula 1, the typical clutch is said to be good for only 10-20 launches, and those cars have launch control. It would be great if you could keep track of the number of tries, and then calculate the cost per attempt. AS

Our cars were not meant to do drag race launches... that is so wrong for our babies... I tend to ease the clutch out gently(from a start) and then floor the car... ...in a straight line a Z28 will give you a good run for your money... but you should be able to stay ahead without too much trouble... if that Z28 has something else (headers, pipes, good clutch, etc...) it will be a close call... Any curves at all... and he/she is history... careful... I hope you are doing this in the track and not out on the streets...

The one time I tried to get a good high RPM launch in my C2 resulted in a smoke and the sickening smell of burnt clutch. I never attemted it again.