Engine compartment full of smoke.

[harrison]

I was trying to launch real hard and things shook like space shuttle re-entry and engine compartment stayed smokey till I opened lid and aired things out. Pretty scary stuff. Stank like CLUTCH. Not your typical automatic (with hydraulic workings)transmission !!!!! '08 R 8 'Tronic,Miltek,Carbon ,Jet Blue,Ground Effects,Magnetik,Bang 'n Olds and Navi which isn't neded much in America. Travel on American roads is pretty straight-forward compared with say...Stuttgart.Don't go there without Navi unless you were born there and are very familiar

[JOHN.KUSTARD]

Why would you expect ATF smell, your car has a manual gearbox and clutch! Only controlled by electronics instead of you. Have you read the handbook? on how to use launch control?

[randombloke]

what did you do - did you leave it in gear, hold it on the brake pedal, whack up the revs and release the brake pedal?

[harrison]

That was the procedure randombloke.This was when I was a newbie...and I even had the esp turned OFF ,and the road surface was really bad.See gallery for action shot of this.Its' a blurry pic though.I full well know that there is no A.T.F. involved in the R-Tronik.What I am not sure about is whether I have a single or double friction plate. I get pretty good launches just hammering the pedal (sport mode of course!)I am looking to get the best0-30 and 0-60 times possible as back yard races are usually done by 30 or 60.. I am pleased with the amount of power 255 C.ubic Inches provides. Audie's P.S. and H.P. figures taken from wheels or engine crank?

[randombloke]

why not use the built in launch control function?

[harrison]

I am going to when the opportunity arrises. I suspect there is a twin turbo 12 cyl Mercedes out there waiting to try and give me a spankin'.

[AnOutsider]

Scary indeed, but yeah, why not use the launch control as outlined in the manual?

Also, are you foreign? Unrelated, but I was just curious. From most of your posts it sounds like you're a native of a European country residing in the USA.

[harrison]

I am a California native! The book says: expect increased wear and tear using the launch controll method. I want to keep my R8 looking and running like new for as long as possible. Whilst I may use some paraphrases unfamiliar to you.I pick these euphonisms up on my travels abroad. Genow..This means "EXACTLY" in German.All of Germany is using this word alot right now.Kinda like "cool". Its on the streets,Radio,Television...Genow !!! My second language is Spanish,which helps me communicate with Italians even.You can take the beach away from the boy but you can't keep this boy away from the beach. (MUST have waves though!)I love my R8 almost as much as my girlfreind!! Girtlfreind even gets a little jealous when I don't pay attention cuz' I'm sometimes on R8 forum. As long as I do not repeat mistakes I've made I'll be O.K. And where might Anoutsider habitate? I couldn' even begin to guess...Yeah !

[randombloke]

The book says: expect increased wear and tear using the launch controll method

I tend to think that holding a manual transmission in gear on the brakes with high revs is going to cause the odd wear issue here and there...

[harrison]

Do you mean holding the R-Tronic in gear ? What time is it over there? About 9 hours ahead I suspect? Who has a video of an R8 standard trans doing smokey burnouts with all four wheels?!?!?! Getting all four wheels warmed up and sticky should be quite easy with the stick. I think four tire stripes on the street in front of my house would be BEUTIFULL!!! Formula one style!