Nissan GTR - Review

[JwesT]

You’re going to like the new Nissan R35 GTR. A lot. But you’re also going to have to wait for it, like it or not. The official line from Nissan GB is that it won’t go on sale in the UK until, yawn, March 2009 – and when it does it’ll cost ‘between £55,000-60,000.’

Unofficially, it went on sale in Japan on December 5 for 7.7 million Yen (just over £31,000, ouch!). And although the first 2500 out of the annual 10,000 production run have already been sold, there’s another reason why you won’t be seeing GTRs in the UK for a while yet.

Nissan GB is threatening to punish anyone Tesco-Levi Jeans style who imports and tries to sell an R35 GTR in this country for anything less than the intended list price. Grey importers, in other words, won’t be getting their hands on cars anytime soon, not to sell on at a profit at any rate.

Which is a pity because, having just driven the car in Japan on both road and track, I can tell you it’s a heck of a machine. Not just quick with a capital F (you expect that from a car with 477bhp and four-wheel-drive, even if it does weigh a lardy-sounding 1740kg) but also mind-spankingly composed. Way more so than a Porsche 911 turbo if you really start to lean on it, which is maybe not surprising considering Nissan benchmarked the Turbo during every inch of the GTR’s five year development program.

The technical highlights of the new GTR come at you so thick and fast it’s hard to know quite where to begin. If the engine spec sounds impressive – it’s a bespoke 3.8-litre V6 which, says NISMO, bears only a passing relation to the 3.8-litre V6 of the Infiniti G35 and 350Z but which does have twin IHI turbos and develops 477bhp and 433lb ft – then the chassis is very much the centre piece of the car technically.

As with previous GTRs it’s four wheel drive and centrally controlled by a very clever brace of computers, but this time it’s massively more complex and allows you to do things on the road which no other car will allow. The reasons why are various, and not especially simple to understand.

For starters there’s just one rear-mounted transaxle into which every key component of the drivetrain is contained. No one’s ever done that before but, says Nissan, this adds strength and saves weight compared with a conventional four wheel-drive-system (although that still doesn’t explain why the GTR weighs as much as it does).

Chief engineer of the entire GTR project, Mizuno-san, reckons he could just about get the weight down to below 1600kg if pushed – by reducing the huge 380mm brakes front and rear, swapping to lighter conventional tyres in place of the standard run flats and binning many of the interior luxuries (heated electric seats, cruise control, BOSE stereo etc). But in doing so he’d need to sacrifice too much of the GTRs inherent strength and durability. So when the V-Spec version appears in Japan in ‘about one year’s time’ expect it to be half way between the two extremes. Around 1650kg in weight and even more focused than the standard GTR we drive here.

Not that the standard GTR is what you’d call blunt. Genuinely it feels sharper than a 911 Turbo on the road, which is saying something. More accelerative (the official zero to 60mph is 3.5sec, the top speed 194mph), better steering, less roly-poly during high speed direction changes, and more sorted generally, especially on a track.

Nissan claims its testers have recorded a 7min 37sec lap of the Nurburgring but, apparently, certain sections of the lap were wet when the time was set. They also have data for a 7min 38sec lap on which the driver was blocked by a slower car for several corners. Both laps were recorded using original equipment Bridgestone RE070A tyres, in other words with the car containing no secret tweaks or tricks.

In reality they reckon it’ll do a low seven-thirty – maybe a 31 or 32 – whereas a 911 Turbo wearing far more trick rubber with Walter the wheelman at the controls, could ‘only’ manage 7min 40sec. Truth is the GTR is a good 10sec quicker round the ‘Ring, maybe a little bit more.

And on the road it feels even quicker than that. Lag from the twin-turbo 3.8 is almost non-existent above 2500rpm, and by 3000rpm it fires the GTR towards the horizon with such conviction you wonder whether the tarmac can take it. Partly it’s the traction but mostly it’s the pure and efficient flow of power to the road that makes the GTR feel so rapid. And that’s before you so much as mention what it can do through corners, which is when the gap between it and the 911 Turbo really opens up.

There are no less than three driver aid systems, each of which can be tailored to suit an individual’s preferences. One controls the dampers, another the TC system, and another both the traction and stability systems. You can set them each to Race, Normal, or switch ‘em off completely, depending what road surface you’re driving on. And how brave you’re feeling at the time.

With everything set in Race the GTR can be driven very aggressively on the throttle, especially on the way out of corners, mainly because it’s been designed to dial out understeer in this mode. So when you feel the nose running wide in, say, a third gear corner, rather than backing off to shed speed, you plant the throttle harder and, instantly, more torque flows to the rear axle and, presto, the understeer goes away. Then as if by magic the nose tightens its line and you scream out of the corner with a whiff of opposite lock applied. And a round of applause from any one who happens to be watching.

Switch the TC off altogether and the tail will come right round if you give it the full beans, but at the same time there’s still enough torque at the front axle to pull you out of the corner. Result? M3 style sideways amusement but with monster traction (read huge ground speed) thrown in as a bonus.

And then there’s the interior, which is a surprisingly decent place in which to spend time, the proper sized boot, the never-ending standard equipment list, the looks. And the image.

The only downside is that the ride is stiff to the point of irritation over rough surfaces, even with the dampers set to Comfort. That could be a real issue in the UK, what with our beautifully surfaced, not even remotely pockmarked roads. But Nissan GB has time to sort that locally. And in any case, you’d be inclined visit the dentist more often if the rest of the car is as sensational as it is.

Tech note; the twin turbos are no longer ceramic so the R35 GTR can no longer be tuned with relative ease to deliver massively more horsepower than standard. In fact, Nissan has written an anti-modification program into the ECU software to prevent the GTR from being tuned. They are even talking about de-validating the warranty on cars they know have been tampered with, although for sure someone, somewhere will find a way to tune their car. What’s not known, however, is how much more the new bottom end can take. The rumour is circa 600bhp, possibly less.

http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.a...=47&i=17295

Please note: Dear Moderators, could u please make Gtr into GTR on the topic. Thanks.

Edited December 7, 2007 by JwesT

[Ripper]

sigh...........

[Dj shan]

Wow great post Jwest Its very interesting to read!

[Devinda_Z]

GTR Assembly

Engine Assembly

& the GT-R in the snow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQlnGB5KsoE...feature=related

[GTAm]

Bit of a controversial article .

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-truth...ing-lap-record/

I agree with TTAC reviewer Stephan Wilkinson : the new Nissan GT-R is the old Honda NSX. Once people actually start driving Nissan’s “everyday supercar”– as opposed to simply jumping on the hype bandwagon and bench racing numbers supplied by Nissan– they’ll appreciate the parallel. Although I'm still looking forward to my first hands-on experience with the GT-R, the reality of the car’s true nature and importance in automotive history is right under the fan-boys’ noses.

The GT-R allegedly 'outperforms' thoroughbred supercars at a fraction of the price. Yes, but what price? The sticker price, or the in-your-garage price? Considering the hype surrounding the car and the limited production numbers, it will be years before a single new $70k GT-R will be sold for under $100k. At the moment, comparing the Nissan to say, a Corvette Z06, obfuscates the truth. But what the [Green] Hell…

No small part of the current GT-R lovefest can be attributed to the car’s 7:38 Nürburgring lap time. As TTAC has pointed out, there are real questions about the Green Hellmobile’s qualifications for the title “second fastest production car around the ‘Ring.” The GT-R's suspension was modified from the current Japanese production model, supposedly to reflect the American and European spec. Supposedly. Will anyone get a chance to compare the fabled ‘Ring runner and a final production car? I doubt it.

Meanwhile, the YouTube video of the Nissan’s “historic run” clearly shows that the GT-R had a flying start. All other manufacturers testing at the ‘Ring use standing starts for published lap times. The video also proves that the car's lap time was not measured at the exact same location (start and stop). Take these two factors into account, and the 7:40 claim seems highly dubious.

The icing on the cake: GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno’s subsequent admission from that "We used cut slick tyres." If that doesn’t cancel their claim, nothing does.

In fact, a regular Corvette Z06 would probably beat the GT-R on the Nürburgring. When Road & Track tested the GT-R against the Z06 on a track much smaller than the ‘Ring, they concluded that the GT-R was fast in the corners, but they didn't shed a whole lot of light on how the GT-R performed on the straights. Although the ‘Ring has an enormous amount of corners, it also has some of the longest straight-aways in the world.

In Road & Track’s technical comparo, the GT-R was just as fast to 60mph as the Z06 (despite being less powerful). What many have over-looked is the trap speed at the end of the 1/4 mile. The Z06 is about seven mph faster than the GT-R. When you look at the graph that accompanies these numbers, the GT-R’s AWD system gave it a clear advantage– but only at the start. Applied to the Green Hell, the Z06 would outpace the GT-R on the straights.

The Z06’s fastest recorded lap time at the Nürburgring is 7:42.9 This lap was driven in 2005 by Jan Magnussen in 'muggy' conditions. Last year, Chevy revised the suspension on all Corvette models including the Z06. In theory, the new suspension and better weather conditions should be enough for a Z06 to equal or even better the Nissan GT-R's true time of +7:40. When you consider that the Z06 can achieve this time with a GM-standard standing start and production tires, it seems obvious that the GT-R is no match for the Z06 around the ring.

But what does it all mean? Well, not much actually. Every racetrack is different and some cars are suited to some tracks while others are not. The GT-R is suited to smaller tracks like the one R&T used, and the Z06 is suited to longer and faster ones like the ‘Ring.

So why did I bother ranting about this? Nissan has chosen to flaunt its Nürburgring lap times to show the world that their new, high-tech Nissan GT-R is the new bang-for-the-buck Alpha. But it’s not true. The cheaper Corvette Z06 is still the worlds best [unmodified] performance car bargain. What’s more, if the GT-R cannot handle a stock Z06, then how will it fare against the upcoming ZR1? Never mind the 'almighty' spec V model.

Given the GT-R’s looks and oft-reported lack of driving feel, there’s only one reason anyone would buy the uber-Nissan: to own the fastest thing on the road. In the corners, maybe. If you were committed enough to drive at 10/10ths (never mind how “easy” it is), you could probably blow-off a 911 or similar. Down the straights (the great American pastime), there are faster and cheaper choices– and that’s without exploring relatively inexpensive modifications.

In short, the GT-R is an awesome achievement, but Wilkinson’s right: it’s not all that.

[Overdrive]

[isam]

Bit of a controversial article .

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-truth...ing-lap-record/

I agree with TTAC reviewer Stephan Wilkinson : the new Nissan GT-R is the old Honda NSX. Once people actually start driving Nissan’s “everyday supercar”– as opposed to simply jumping on the hype bandwagon and bench racing numbers supplied by Nissan– they’ll appreciate the parallel. Although I'm still looking forward to my first hands-on experience with the GT-R, the reality of the car’s true nature and importance in automotive history is right under the fan-boys’ noses.

The GT-R allegedly 'outperforms' thoroughbred supercars at a fraction of the price. Yes, but what price? The sticker price, or the in-your-garage price? Considering the hype surrounding the car and the limited production numbers, it will be years before a single new $70k GT-R will be sold for under $100k. At the moment, comparing the Nissan to say, a Corvette Z06, obfuscates the truth. But what the [Green] Hell…

No small part of the current GT-R lovefest can be attributed to the car’s 7:38 Nürburgring lap time. As TTAC has pointed out, there are real questions about the Green Hellmobile’s qualifications for the title “second fastest production car around the ‘Ring.” The GT-R's suspension was modified from the current Japanese production model, supposedly to reflect the American and European spec. Supposedly. Will anyone get a chance to compare the fabled ‘Ring runner and a final production car? I doubt it.

Meanwhile, the YouTube video of the Nissan’s “historic run” clearly shows that the GT-R had a flying start. All other manufacturers testing at the ‘Ring use standing starts for published lap times. The video also proves that the car's lap time was not measured at the exact same location (start and stop). Take these two factors into account, and the 7:40 claim seems highly dubious.

The icing on the cake: GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno’s subsequent admission from that "We used cut slick tyres." If that doesn’t cancel their claim, nothing does.

In fact, a regular Corvette Z06 would probably beat the GT-R on the Nürburgring. When Road & Track tested the GT-R against the Z06 on a track much smaller than the ‘Ring, they concluded that the GT-R was fast in the corners, but they didn't shed a whole lot of light on how the GT-R performed on the straights. Although the ‘Ring has an enormous amount of corners, it also has some of the longest straight-aways in the world.

In Road & Track’s technical comparo, the GT-R was just as fast to 60mph as the Z06 (despite being less powerful). What many have over-looked is the trap speed at the end of the 1/4 mile. The Z06 is about seven mph faster than the GT-R. When you look at the graph that accompanies these numbers, the GT-R’s AWD system gave it a clear advantage– but only at the start. Applied to the Green Hell, the Z06 would outpace the GT-R on the straights.

The Z06’s fastest recorded lap time at the Nürburgring is 7:42.9 This lap was driven in 2005 by Jan Magnussen in 'muggy' conditions. Last year, Chevy revised the suspension on all Corvette models including the Z06. In theory, the new suspension and better weather conditions should be enough for a Z06 to equal or even better the Nissan GT-R's true time of +7:40. When you consider that the Z06 can achieve this time with a GM-standard standing start and production tires, it seems obvious that the GT-R is no match for the Z06 around the ring.

But what does it all mean? Well, not much actually. Every racetrack is different and some cars are suited to some tracks while others are not. The GT-R is suited to smaller tracks like the one R&T used, and the Z06 is suited to longer and faster ones like the ‘Ring.

So why did I bother ranting about this? Nissan has chosen to flaunt its Nürburgring lap times to show the world that their new, high-tech Nissan GT-R is the new bang-for-the-buck Alpha. But it’s not true. The cheaper Corvette Z06 is still the worlds best [unmodified] performance car bargain. What’s more, if the GT-R cannot handle a stock Z06, then how will it fare against the upcoming ZR1? Never mind the 'almighty' spec V model.

Given the GT-R’s looks and oft-reported lack of driving feel, there’s only one reason anyone would buy the uber-Nissan: to own the fastest thing on the road. In the corners, maybe. If you were committed enough to drive at 10/10ths (never mind how “easy” it is), you could probably blow-off a 911 or similar. Down the straights (the great American pastime), there are faster and cheaper choices– and that’s without exploring relatively inexpensive modifications.

In short, the GT-R is an awesome achievement, but Wilkinson’s right: it’s not all that.

Who was this author? I got the feeling that he is paid some hefty some to write the review... probably by Chevrolet?

I admit that I'm biased towards R35. But I never underestimate Corvettes or any car for that matter. A review should be fair!

All in all, can't agree on the critique - R35 is not a piece of junk!

[GTAm]

Who was this author? I got the feeling that he is paid some hefty some to write the review... probably by Chevrolet?

I admit that I'm biased towards R35. But I never underestimate Corvettes or any car for that matter. A review should be fair!

All in all, can't agree on the critique - R35 is not a piece of junk!

Yep I don't agree with it either when almost everyone else is raving over the car. That said, I just heard that the Vette ZR1 has broken the GTR's ring record!

[Gummybr]

Yep I don't agree with it either when almost everyone else is raving over the car. That said, I just heard that the Vette ZR1 has broken the GTR's ring record!

GTAm machang, I think you should not compare the R35 with the ZR1. You should compare the ZR1 against the incoming R35 V-spec. Did any of you guys watch the video where these people have put the R35's 7min 20 somethin lap against the 7 min 20 something lap of the ZR1?? its a very close battle. But it shows that there are some flaws in their timing gadgets. Read the comments which I find quite interesting.

It's something to do about their Americanness, they want their cars to be better than the rest.

Er do you know anything about the build quality of these American cars? I am clueless on the so called American supercars, but I know that they are not as good as the Europeans or the new breed of Japanese.

[GTAm]

GTAm machang, I think you should not compare the R35 with the ZR1. You should compare the ZR1 against the incoming R35 V-spec. Did any of you guys watch the video where these people have put the R35's 7min 20 somethin lap against the 7 min 20 something lap of the ZR1?? its a very close battle. But it shows that there are some flaws in their timing gadgets. Read the comments which I find quite interesting.

It's something to do about their Americanness, they want their cars to be better than the rest.

Er do you know anything about the build quality of these American cars? I am clueless on the so called American supercars, but I know that they are not as good as the Europeans or the new breed of Japanese.

Yeah very true. The ZR1 is almost double the price. Everyone's waiting for the V spec. And that should be a more potent machine and will set a new record time for sure. The GTR is one of the greatest cars in the world right now.

Anyway Ring times should really be nothing for most buyers.... I mean how many of them will ever driver a GTR or a ZR1 to its full potential. Some will probably never ever see a track in their life.....

Btw US cars are notorious for their poor quality and crap dynamics. However the C6 and it's derivatives have been rated really well by most mags. The ZR1 review in Autocar sounds very good indeed. And it looks great too! As exciting as a Ferrari in some pics. I'm even beginning to like it . I've hardly ever liked any US muscle. Carbon fibre panels, Magnesium frames and carbon ceramic brakes. What's got into the Americans all of a sudden?

[pradfred]

And it looks great too! As exciting as a Ferrari in some pics. I'm even beginning to like it . I've hardly ever liked any US muscle. Carbon fibre panels, Magnesium frames and carbon ceramic brakes. What's got into the Americans all of a sudden?

Out of the box thinking GT - I suppose its all down to the Playstation phenomenon !

these guys played it when dey were Kids and now realised that hey these Asians really know what dey are doing eh ?

LOL.

hows ma theory ?

[Gummybr]

these guys played it when dey were Kids and now realised that hey these Asians really know what dey are doing eh ?

LOL.

hows ma theory ?

There you go, nice theory. I cant think of something better

[GT-R]

Check this link...

http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/review.php?AID=22

another gtr review...

[Pericles]

Check this link...

http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/review.php?AID=22

another gtr review...

Well, it got one thing wrong. Paul Walker drove a R-34 in 2 Fast 2 Furious, not a 33.

[Devinda_Z]

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/cont...position=link13

[Devinda_Z]

Enter the NISMO fettled GTR

Called the Club Sport, the NISMO (Nissan Motorsport International) GT-R comes with Bilstein Damptronic adjustable dampers, stiffer Nismo springs and 20-inch Rays forged aluminium wheels fitted with Bridgestone RE070R run-flats (255/40 front and 285/35 rear).

It's thought the exact same Rays/Bridgestone combo will feature on the upcoming V-Spec GT-R.

Other goodies include a pair of carbon-backed, leather Recaro buckets which retain the side airbags yet lose the electric motors, saving six kilograms per seat.

A lightweight titanium exhaust is also available (dropping five kilos) as is a new carbon-fibre undertray.

The bad news? The package costs nearly £30,000 and it's only available in Japan. Nissan will honour warranties on NISMO-equipped GT-Rs but only if the car is inspected by NISMO following any forays onto the track.

[Pericles]

Guess the titanium must be expensive £30k? But I just don't like the Club Sport name. Not hardcore enough.

[Kavvz]

I guess THIS is where I should have posted the following:

http://forum.autolanka.com/index.php?s...ost&p=76957

As mighty as the GT-R might be, the Corvette ZR1 seems to have it beat.

[Andrew_GTR]

Saw it at a car gathering...heard it start up....tried to keep up with it... Didnt like it!

Ok i maybe biased but i wasnt really taken aback with the GTR...yes it speaks volumes for itself with crazy power on tap, and the hype certainly in the american market took it to a demi god status...but i found it to be big and bulky and too european for my liking. For me the mean badass styling that i love from japan was not present and it looked like a huge piece of steel on the road. nothing more. The car's arrival to the meet was low key too. It came and parked and from far it looked like a chevy cobalt. It wasnt until we all got close enough that we made out the LED tail lights and those 3 magical little letters... GTR. Then hell broke loose. Everyone was crowding the car and trying to figure out what this $120,000 beast was all about. I heard a old guy that was driving a modified SRT-4 say that this was not what he expected and if it wasnt for all the stats he probably wouldnt have taken another glance at it. Dont get me wrong, i think this is a technological masterpiece and THE greatest supercar from japan but a little voice inside me kept saying, Thank you to Nissan for completely dropping the "Skyline" name from this car and letting the real legend of Godzilla live on. The new GTR will stand by itself and carve its own piece into automotive history.

[Gummybr]

Saw it at a car gathering...heard it start up....tried to keep up with it... Didnt like it!

Ok i maybe biased but i wasnt really taken aback with the GTR...yes it speaks volumes for itself with crazy power on tap, and the hype certainly in the american market took it to a demi god status...but i found it to be big and bulky and too european for my liking. For me the mean badass styling that i love from japan was not present and it looked like a huge piece of steel on the road. nothing more. The car's arrival to the meet was low key too. It came and parked and from far it looked like a chevy cobalt. It wasnt until we all got close enough that we made out the LED tail lights and those 3 magical little letters... GTR. Then hell broke loose. Everyone was crowding the car and trying to figure out what this $120,000 beast was all about. I heard a old guy that was driving a modified SRT-4 say that this was not what he expected and if it wasnt for all the stats he probably wouldnt have taken another glance at it. Dont get me wrong, i think this is a technological masterpiece and THE greatest supercar from japan but a little voice inside me kept saying, Thank you to Nissan for completely dropping the "Skyline" name from this car and letting the real legend of Godzilla live on. The new GTR will stand by itself and carve its own piece into automotive history.

Looks like you dont like the new one.

Say me and some office folks were wondering as to who would bring the first GTR to SL.

I've always been a fan of the Sky's and the GTR come what it may.

Wald International a Jap modifier has done this to the GTR

Edited September 12, 2008 by Gummybr

[Devinda_Z]

GT-R Spec-V - Nissan's Spec-V GT-R is on the horizon, and it isn't cheap

Online communities are alive with rumours that Nissan’s GT-R Spec-V’s pricing has been set and first deliveries for the high-performance/low-production quantity special will be in February to the Japanese market.

Expected price is 15,000,000 yen, around £120k in UK money-speak, when you factor in tax and shipping costs, which is up on early predictions. The standard car weighs in at £52,900, meaning two things: a) it's a bit of a bargain and the Spec-V will need to be extremely competent to eclipse it.

The Nissan GT-R Spec-V will almost certainly be on hand at Fuji Speedway for the 12th annual Nismo Festival at the end of the month.

[Gummybr]

Well they had these earlier, but the newest also gets a LM edition.... 600bhp.... Limited production

[GearHead]

Mr. GT-R Builds a Track Day Special

You really do need a degree in mechanical engineering to understand everything that Kazutoshi Mizuno says. As the chief engineer of the Nissan GT-R, he's come to be known as Mr. GT-R, and his background as a racing engineer in charge of Nissan's effort at the 24 Hours of Le Mans means he knows more about vehicle dynamics than we ever will.

We're here to talk about the 2009 Nissan GT-R Nismo, specifically the Nismo Club Sports package, a kit of parts from Nissan's high-performance division that can be fitted to any current GT-R. And as Mr. GT-R scribbles complex technical details and cryptic theory about the car on a white board, he cannot contain his excitement at taking his baby to the next level. Though the GT-R has been on the market for less than a year, Mizuno is already unveiling the first upgrade, which not surprisingly, is heavily focused on track day use.

"We wanted to create parts that made the GT-R feel more at home when it's flat out on a track," Mizuno says, "and we believe this Nismo GT-R more than responds to that need."

It sure does. But it ain't cheap.

The Price of Performance

In fact, the total cost of the Nismo upgrade for the 2009 Nissan GT-R will set you back a whopping $56,000!! Of course, this is only if you purchase all the components at the same time. But once you look closely at the Nismo catalog, you'll notice that this kit can be split into three.

To start with, you can choose to fit the chassis package first for just $22,500. This begins with Bilstein Damptronic coil-over struts, which combine electronically adjustable damping with adjustable ride height. They're complemented by competition-grade springs, rated at 1,036 pounds/inch in front and 538 pounds/inch in the rear. There are forged-aluminum RAYS wheels, 20-by-9.5 inches in front (with 45mm offset) and 20-by-10.5 inches in the rear (with 25mm offset). The wheels carry Bridgestone RE070R run-flat tires, 225/40R20s in front and 285/35R20s in the rear.

For another $19,500 you can upgrade to a titanium exhaust system plus a carbon-fiber aero diffuser. The final step is a pair of Recaro carbon-fiber racing seats, also priced at $19,000.

Any math whizzes out there will realize that the cost of all three upgrades actually adds up to $61,500. So by charging $56,000 for the whole package, Nismo hopes more drivers will go for the whole package.

No Nürburgring This Time

Now to get the car to this stage, Nismo had to test and then test again. Mizuno would have loved to test at the GT-R's spiritual home for the last 20 years, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but couldn't get the Nismo program there due to budget constraints. So he went to the next best track, and for Nissan and Nismo that means Sendai Highland Raceway, 2.5 miles of tricky, twisting blacktop located 250 miles north of Tokyo. Get the handling setup right here, Mizuno figured, and you can take your Club Sports package anywhere.

The three-mode, electronically adjustable Bilstein dampers and stiffer springs combine with the specially designed Bridgestones with stiffer sidewalls, a more aggressive tread and a new compound to deliver not only a quicker lap time around Sendai than a stock GT-R but also greater all-round handling stability. After just one lap on a semi-wet surface, we were blown away by the car's improved grip levels.

Of course, while the Nismo Club Sports package might be a nicely integrated performance package thanks to the 26.4-pound weight saving represented by the twin, manually adjustable leather-upholstered carbon-fiber seats and the 11 pounds shed by the cat-back titanium exhaust system, it's in the corners where it counts. That's why we feel most GT-R owners will initially just go for the suspension package, although actually the forged wheels do their bit to reduce weight, trimming 3.5 pounds off the front wheels and 3.2 pounds from the rears. Add all the weight savings up and the 2009 Nissan GT-R Nismo is around 43 pounds lighter than the stock GT-R.

It's All About Fun, Period

For all its dedication to track use, the GT-R Nismo has no more power than the standard model. Mizuno has left the engine alone, so the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 makes 473 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 433 pound-feet of torque from 3,200 to 5,200 rpm. "That's plenty," Mr. GT-R stresses.

Mizuno says his job was not to tweak anything under the hood. He says, "This package features parts that lift cornering limits and overall stability levels especially under heavy braking and acceleration, but at the same time make it more comfortable for the driver thanks to more supportive seats."

This suspension package lets you know much sooner in a corner what the tires and the rear end of the car are doing. Thanks to this impression of handling stability, you can brake later and harder, loading up the suspension far more at the apex but with less body roll. We noticed greater steering precision and a more neutral balance with almost no understeer as the car turns into a corner. And on a semi-wet track (actually water was streaming across the pavement in a couple low-lying sections), the merits of these settings reveal their heightened handling potential more than on a dry track.

The Nismo setup also seems to maintain traction longer and then loses grip more progressively than the standard GT-R, so you don't find yourself saying, "Oops, crikey, lost it," as you head off backward into the scenery. If Mizuno wanted to give amateur racing drivers and GT-R owners more confidence and more fun at higher speeds on a track, then he has certainly done that with this car. And the ride quality has not suffered in the transformation, either.

Passing Gas for $19,000

We can almost comprehend why the handling upgrade costs more than $22,000. We can even hazard a guess as to why those specially designed Recaro seats with unique seat rails and hand-operated reclining function cost around $19,000. But we couldn't help but scratch our heads at the $19,000 price tag for the titanium exhaust system.

Nismo tells us that this exhaust in no way ups the power. The 11-pound weight reduction is the primary rationale, although the system also improves cooling efficiency, as it's complemented by some specially fitted cooling ducts and cooling fins, not to mention a carbon-fiber aero diffuser.

To prove the package's reliability levels, Nismo tested the new parts in this year's annual 24-hour endurance race at Tokachi on Hokkaido, Japan's only 24-hour race. But even if everything came off the car in perfect working order, we feel Nismo still might find it a little challenging to convince owners that the non-suspension parts are worth the investment.

Only 70 Percent Complete

Even with the Nismo Club Sports kit completed for the all-wheel-drive GT-R, Mizuno says that he has only completed around 70 percent of what he wants to do with the GT-R. Once the long-awaited V Spec version of the GT-R is introduced in Japan this December, he says he'll advance maybe 5 or 10 percent further toward his ultimate goal.

Mizuno's long-term plan is to improve the GT-R incrementally over an extended period of time. While enthusiasts are lathered up at the prospect of the V Spec, Mizuno says such special editions are not part of the long-range plan. He just shrugs his shoulders and says, "Sure we will do special editions like the V Spec and even some hotter variants down the road, but these will be very limited runs. What I really want to do is to tweak the base GT-R, like we have here. That's where the fun lies."

If the handling performance of the 2009 Nissan GT-R Nismo is anything to go by, then we have a lot to look forward to with the V Spec. From what we're hearing, it will cost around the same as the Club Sports but get a whole lot more herbs under the hood.

Magic From Mr. GT-R

Mr. GT-R has waved his magic wand over the current GT-R to come up with a suspension package that catapults Nissan's charger into a whole new league. It's not cheap, but boy, is it worth it.

For owners with wads of cash to spend and unlimited time to attend track days, why not start with the suspension upgrade? Thanks to Nismo, the GT-R just got a whole lot better.

For the moment these parts are only available through the dozen Nismo outlets in Japan, although it's interesting to know that if the parts are installed by Nismo personnel they carry a full three-year/60,000-kilometer (about 37,000 miles) warranty. Meanwhile, Nismo tells us that we can expect these parts to go on sale in the U.S. as early as spring next year.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=135248

Edited November 18, 2008 by GearHead

[GearHead]

Well they had these earlier, but the newest also gets a LM edition.... 600bhp.... Limited production

[Devinda_Z]

hmmm something doesn't seem right about that - almost too plasticky looking , even for an LM car

some PS play involved?