I've been having a debate with friends with what the best way to start an AT is off of the line.
Anybody know what kind of damage rev'ing the engine with the break pressed and the e-brake up does (tires not spinning)?
Anybody want to agree that going from neutral to drive will cause some damage to the tranny?

 

i'd have to agree that going from neutral to drive is bad.............i don't have any concrete technical info for you..........but just the sound it makes when you do that just doesn't sound good at all........i dunno(i did it on a protege and another camry)

 

so... holding the break down and pulling the e-break and then releasing them must be the best way to jump off the line? (these AT subaru's have very poor starts.)

 

foot brake won't do it alone... the e-brake is a must

 

Actually I find that if you pump the break a couple times before you brake torque that will hold you just find.

 

i uno about subarus.. prolly kinda hard since it's AWD and there is a lot of power lost to the drivetrain...
in my dad's LS... RWD auto.. i just launch normally. right foot on the brakes. when it goes green. switch over quickly and MASH! don't exepct great launches from an auto.. that's why we have brackets.

 

don't do neutral drops in any car. it's instant shock to the torque converter and gears.

generally, if something seems like a bad idea, it is.

 

Push the brake as far as it will go. Give is some gas (not enough to make the car move forward) and wait for the light. Then at the final yellow light, let off the break and give it gas. Try different techniques. See which one works for you and then go with it. What I said above has worked good for me in the past (not a wrx). DO NOT DO NEUTRAL DROPS! It is super hard on the car. Brake stand is the only way to go.

 

This is the best way to launch an autotranny car from a stand still.

1: Hold foot on brake while car is in 'Drive',

2: Put the gear selector in 'Neutral',

3: Rev the gas pedal once to 4000rpm then let off (while foot is still on the brake pedal),

3a: You will feel the brake pedal sink to the floor (Vacuum lock).....,

4: Place gear selector back into drive (foot is STILL on the brake pedal),

5: Press the gas pedal to the floor and keep foot planted for no more than 5 seconds *Your car will NOT move*,

6: Release the brake pedal!


You are building up your stall speed in #5 but you don't want to overheat the torque converter so not going over 5 seconds is recommended. Best to do this in conjunction with a tranny cooler. Also, best to do this in 15 minute increments because your torque converter needs time to cool down between launches like this. The more torque your car makes, the faster/harder you'll take off. The higher stall speed your torque converter is capable of (Ex: Protorque modified torque converter), the higher your rpm will be when you launch.

*There you go*

Oh BTW: If you don't have a modified torque converter, I think the best way to launch your car off the line is with nitrous. Of course it's not recommended...not even by me..but I never had a problem doing this (that is after I added a tranny cooler). If using nitrous, hit the *nitrous button* immediately after #6. Expect 60ft times in the range of 1.8 - 2.0.

 

thanks!!! great info. Since posting this, I figured out all that you mentioned accidentally (the break sinking while in neutral). I didn't know about overheating the torque converter.... hopefully I haven't caused too much damage :P.

Anyways... thanx again.