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New Ford Mustang May Have Electronic "Burnout" Button
cartechboy writes "Ford has decided to take the burnout into the 21st century for the new 2015 Mustang. The Mustang's new 'electronic' burnout system is intended to enable perfect burnouts every time, much like launch control has made it easier to accelerate quickly from a stop. So think of every new Mustang with a bright red 'burnout' button. While the details on how the burnout control system will work remain secret, it's possible that a combination of the features used in a typical launch control system, including traction and rev-limiting controls, together with a front brake locking system, could enable Ford to pull together existing technology in a completely new way. So far Ford has no comment."
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"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This used to be called line lock. For 1/4 milers it was a help to get the engine revved up to the torque band while heating the rubber on the tires to get better traction. When the green light comes on you release the brakes and go.
When I was a kid we got tickets for negligent driving if we squealed the tires. The cops will have fun with this.
More to the point, I think: where's the fun?
IIRC, when the guys did this when I was a kid, it was about the fun of managing to do it properly yourself.
Of course there was also the bit about having enough of the manhood-substitute horsepower to do it. But the point remains: it was something the guys did to show off. With this, what's to show off? "Look folks! I can push a button!"
Meh.
The button is for thrifty people who want to get their moneys worth out of their tires. When you're about to get a new set of tires you do burnouts in the tire store parking lot until metal is showing, rotate the tires and repeat. Then proudly pull in to the service bay with absolutely no tread left on any of your tires.
Man, you really need that seminar!
When I was a teenager back in the 70s I knew a kid who put a solenoid controlled bleach dispenser over his rear tires to achieve that truly obnoxious white smoke burnout.
Why, do you ask? What possible purpose could that serve? Well, when his girlfriend dumped him, he backed up into her parent's driveway and blanketed their house in smoke for ten minutes.
This pretty much shows the level of mentality involved.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Does it have an electric mullet button?
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Burnouts are a skill acquired when a Bogan (White trash or whatever) is finally able to purchase a vehicle capable of breaking traction on dry ground. After this qualification they are ready for a doughnut (or Dohhy) usually in a carpark where there are plenty of victi^h^h^h^h^honlookers present to qualify you as a full on dickhead.
Like much automation these days, such a feature would automate the process of becoming a dickhead, allowing many more dickheads because, as you are probably aware, what the world needs is more dickheads.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Show off? It's a mustang. Last mustang worthy of showing off was built 50 years ago
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Cars are so fly by wire now it becomes difficult to do things like a burnout. You can argue the need for such a thing but some people do value it. Basically the only reason there's a button to turn off your traction control is because some people wouldn't buy the car because they couldn't do a burnout. Then, once they've disabled it and have done the burnout they are now driving around without traction control on. Solution? A button that controls the burnout, does it better than the human ever could, and then automatically re-activates safety systems. Maybe they can even keep control of the car, detect if somethings gone wrong and fail out of the burnout.
Quite agree. Its also why Ford and Mustang owners feel the need to resort to this kind of shit to get their new cars noticed. Except they clearly don't understand the "not in a good way" thing.
I guess I'm underwhelmed. I never realized people were that into destroying tires.
Mustang Cobras are bought as cars you can bring to the drag strip and maintain a factory warranty.
That said:
At a drag strip, generally before your run, you are sitting in line waiting, and waiting, and waiting, allowing enough time for your tires to cool off to ambient temperature. This is terrible for grip off the line. So generally, you'll roll into the burnout box (a small lowered area in the tarmac containing a little water) and perform a burnout. This does 2 things:
1) Warms up the tires to about 120-170 degrees, an ideal temperature for a powerful grip when the light goes green.
2) Clears off any debris you may have picked up travelling in the pit lanes or at the end of the track.
Both of these are for obtaining maximum traction. Traction generally equals safety (unless you're running a twin-turbo or heavily supercharged engine capable of lifting the front wheels off the ground, then you're asking for trouble on a whole new level and will likely never make use of the burnout button.) Considering how many people out there buy a 400+ horsepower Mustang without knowing the slightest thing about drag racing, expecting to show up at the track, put their pedal to the floor and go without so much a thought, this can prevent many trackday injuries caused by people who can't hold a proper burnout.
what is a burnout
An IT worker over 30.
There is a magical easy button for burnouts. It's called a gas pedal
Electric Mullet is the name of my modern country band.
>. the only reason there's a button to turn off your traction control is
Not true, every car has times it needs to be off. Drive you car home on a spare without burning up brakes. Not to mention most suck at things like going through mud holes, deep snow. Even the really good factory systems when turned off allow pro drivers to go faster. I understand a race system in a race environment is a winner, but has nothing to do with need to disable the production systems in intense driving (but not while commuting.)
Burnouts may be showy. But you get better acceleration from a standing start if you DON'T break traction.
What I'd find more useful is a "button" for automatic maximum-traction acceleration (to a presetable speed or until you let off the gas). Think "anti-lock brakes" but in acceleration.
(Though what I'd find FAR more useful is integrating "tow-haul" mode with the speed control.)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
"Last mustang worthy of showing off was built 50 years ago"
There were no 1963 Mustangs.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Remember, it is controlled by a button, not a lever or valve. Buttons are electronic!
I'm going to file a patent right now for doing this from a mobile device.
Apples to oranges maybe, but: It's been called the 'M' button for quite a while now and installed in certain 'M-class' automobiles. The Ford version will probably end up being a toy version of it - you can do a burnout once you engage, but for the front brakes to release you'll have to disengage the 'B' button. You know, the 'safe' way.
So I'd be pretty surprised if this were true... and if it is... lol, noobs.
Back when I was in college I had a monster of a car from the 1960's, in near mint shape with a whopping 425 CuIn (that's 7L in today's parlance) V8 (that's two inline 4's joined at the hip in today's parlance). One night when I thought I was alone on a country back road, I decided to see what it had off the line at a stop sign. It had quite a lot and several left over. Alas, as the tires finished skidding a pair of headlights came on in a parking lot I was unaware of and proceded to pull me over, with the assistance of some flashing blue and red lights. After complimenting me on a true classic automobile, the deputy let me off with a warning and told me if I wanted to be an asshole, to go do it somewhere else.
I miss that car.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
There were no 1963 Mustangs.
Yep - Appeared in Goldfinger in 1964 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLuNstLjP1c
Where did you get that idea? Watch this video, starting 34 seconds in.
Try driving a 4WD Honda Pilot across deep, slushy snow or through a mudhole with traction control on...you'll end up stuck. Turn it off, gun it, sail free.
"Modern country [music]", isn't that an oxymoron?
Considering most, if not all, country music played on the radio today is little more than rock/pop with a southern accent and possibly a violin (sorry, fiddle), on occasion, I'd say it's not. I like all kinds of music. But solid body guitars with heavy distortion don't mix well with what I consider to be country music. It's kind of like adding a theremin to an a cappella group. Hell, the Eagles would be considered country music by today's standards.
Might be more necessary than you would think with the change from a solid rear axle to a IRS. IRS is well known for being much hoppier and letting the wheels launch into the wheel well during burnouts and hard launches.
Shouldn't it be the 'P' as in P for poseur or P for pollute, hell it could even be a really tiny 'p' and we all know exactly what that represents, at least it would be accurate.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
That's easy, rice actually sticks to the road while Mustangs and their cousins go looking for the nearest ditch. Throwing some ponies under a hood is easy. Building a car worthy of them isn't.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
If you're driving a factory-stock car at the strip to preserve your factory warranty, then the temperature of your tires is not going to be the deciding factor in your performance.
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
I used to have a Lotus Esprit, but no matter how hard I mashed the pedal, it would never smoke the tires. It would just go faster. It was so infuriating how it would just sprint away from the other vehicle instead of sitting there smoking the tires like the other vehicle.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
31 year old IT worker here, can confirm. The money is fantastic, unfortunately you trade in your soul.
Then turn while going 80mph dead 90* right without touching the brakes while flooring it mid turn and skipping all four tires as they fight for grip around the corner before a gear-shift and another whiplash back into the seat as the light posts fly by faster and faster until you're casually going 160mph....
I'm pretty sure you typed that with one hand.
You're doing it wrong then.
I leased out my soul. I get better returns at the end of each year at tax time.
Unless the button magically disables itself on DOT roads, you're not going to see it in a production car.
The GT-R (at least the original, I haven't continued to follow it) limited itself unless the GPS told it you were at a known race track and if I recall correctly one of the recent Mustangs required an extra or special key to enable it's full abilities. So it is possible to limit it's functionality in some way (read: limit their liability when you do something stupid).
The key you're referencing is for the Boss 302, which remaps the engine tuning to provide additional power and less streetability.
I'm definitely of the camp that no auto manufacturer is going to put a burnout button on their vehicle, both because of legal reasons, and because burnouts prematurely wear many components, including brake pads, tires, transmission, axles, etc. The maintenance/warranty issues would be absurd. Imagine you do a burnout with Ford's burnout button, dump the clutch, and it shatters, tearing a hole in the transmission bellhousing, opening up the hood, and puncturing a tire. Then imagine a smoking hot piece of clutch disc hits someone and injures them. Option 1 is that Ford says - "Well, you took the risk using that feature, so we're not covering it." Option 2 is is that the person hit with the clutch disc sues the driver, Ford, the dealership, the engineer that designed the clutch, the engineer that designed the burnout system, their insurance companies, et al, and comes away with a six-figure settlement.
The italians and brits still can't make engines that last, though. The brits still can't make electronics.
<quote><p>what is a burnout</p></quote>
<p>An IT worker over 30.</p></quote>
Hummm, so when we get the electronic crash button?
dump the clutch
In principle I agree with everything you said except that. If you are doing a burnout that means power is already going to the wheels and therefore the clutch is already engaged.
What you are thinking of there is what launch control systems help with (engaging the transmission at the optimal time for the best off the line start) and all of the cars I'm familiar with that have such an option also use transmission and drive line components that can handle torque values much greater than the engine (from the factory) can provide. I expect constant use, however, would shorten the lifespan of wear components (clutch, transmission fluid, etc..) considerably though.