Gear knob of automatic transmission cars
Mostly, automatic transmission cars are well known as a tool of lazy drivers than for driving enthusiasts. But at least some will be surprised to know that many pro drag racing cars are equipped with heavy duty auto gearboxes. The specialty of brake torque launch favors the cars dragging on automatic transmission. The brake torque launch help the driver to keep the car stationary by flooring the brakes with the driver’s left foot, while revving up the engine using the right foot, against the torque converter. Technically speaking, the brake torque launch preloads the entire drivetrain channel with the stress of launch, enabling the engine to rev closer to its power, thus by helping to peak the torque at the starting line. Brake torque launch is also beneficial for turbo charged engines as it helps to build up the boost right before the launch, reducing the turbo lag. The main drawback of brake torque launch is that the consequent heat that is build up due to the stress on the transmission can destroy the automatic gear box of the car. Usually, the brake torque launch will not spin the wheels of the car unless your car has too much power for the tires to handle. This is because the shock is absorbed by the design of the automatic transmission and the stress on the rest of the drive train is reduced by the brake torque launch technique. The drive train will be slowly loaded by the torque rather than the sudden massive load.
The brake torque technique can be performed much better if the car is equipped with power brakes. The driver should shift the auto gear box of the car into neutral and floor the brake pedal with the left foot, at the starting line of the race. Quickly get off the throttle right after revving the engine once. Now the driver will feel the brake pedal sinking further to the floor. This helps increasing the braking force to a great extend. Shift back into the gear now. This will enable the driver to rev up the engine even higher against the torque converter.
The easy going nature while shifting gears is the downfall of standard automatics, so the car looses power during an actual race, where as a manual transmission would have allowed for more aggressive upshifts. However, the shift points of an automatic transmission can be modified professionally for drag racing, and certain new automatics even allow manual shifting or have a sport setting for quicker gear changes. In fact, for a little more oomph, the driver could shift up through the gears even on most conventional automatics.
