YouTube - Nissan GT-R | Porsche 911 GT3 | BMW M3 [Autocar] - Part 1
YouTube - Nissan GT-R | Porsche 911 GT3 | BMW M3 [Autocar] - Part 2

there was no point to the m3 being in there, so i would just fast forward through that. i think the real point to me is why in the world did nissan make their flagship car so stupidly heavy? why did they just settle for GT3 level of performance?

 

lol, "just" GT3 performance? In its price range there's already nothing close to it except for maybe a Z06. It's the fastest thing out of Japan yet and probably more competitive than when NSX came out.

And don't forget we're talking about a base model here. GT3 already is a model twice the price as a base 911. GT-R will have faster and lighter versions too. Wait til V-Spec, EVO, Nismo variations..

 

i know, it's funny to think of it as "just" gt3 level performance. it is absolutely remarkable that with something like 600lbs more weight and still a front engine car that it should outlap the GT3 in the first place.

but i think of it this way - nissan had the time to develop an absolute monstrosity and outright blow the competition out of the water at any price level, with any option package, had they engineered the GTR as an all out sports car, not a GT.

GTR may be king for now, but when the supercharged corvette shows up, i hope nissan has an immediate answer that's just doing some final development waiting in the shadows because that corvette is going to be the undisputed champ with no consideration to price.

 

even if the vette comes s/c as ZR1 the Vspec GT-R will be just a good as the ZR1...

 

The ZR1 may not even be faster on the track than the Z06 b/c the blower

added to the front and I think increased engine size throws off the perfect

weight distribution of the Z06. The ZR1 also weighs more.

 

that's a pretty big claim, but i have no idea what the vspec entails. i do know what the ZO6 can do and what the ZR1 is expected to do. with that in mind, i think that the GTR would need to drop close to 600 lbs and gain 150hp to be comparably equipped (on paper) and i think that's a pretty tall order for two reasons.

1. nissan built the GTR to be in the GT game, not the sports car game, so losing that much weight may not meet the intent of the car.
2. dropping 300 lbs, let alone 600, in what has to be an OEM offering, is a pretty big challenge.

 

possibly slower in the quarter mile due to traction if we're talking stock tires, but once R-Comps are on there, it's game over. on a circuit, the power will literally crush the GT-R, though the suspension tuning may not be as precise as the ZO6. and as far as the added weight of the blower, the carbon rotors not only compensate for the added weight of the blower but do it where it really counts, which is unsprung weight.

 

excellent videos!

 

cool, totally agreeing with what your saying bro... but right now with the ZR1 on the rise, im hoping droping 300 or a lil more shouldn't be a challenge ( fingers cross)

 

yeah. i hope that nissan isn't going to be as strict on modifications as people have said. but mods on a skyline are going to be expensive, expensive, expensive.

i bet that once someone figures out how to tune it, that motor should produce power close to the supercharged vette. then we get to see how the dual clutch transmission takes to higher power...

 

yeah because on the evo X alot of tuners are afraid to make parts for it because they dont know if that transmission will take more power or not

 

Call it what it is. R35 or a GT-R. Skyline = G35 in the Japanese home market. This car has its own platform and is in no way a "Skyline".

Anyway, the stock turbos are rated to 650hp IIRC.

300lbs is nothing. The stock 20" wheels and run-flats weigh 258lbs, the battery is 24lbs, the seats are (IIRC) roughly 60lbs each plus 40-45lbs for the rear and the rear brake rotors are 26lbs each. I haven't gotten around to weighing the front assembly, but I estimate it to be around 28-30lbs each, including the caliper. Coincidentally, the hood is only 14lbs.

EDIT: forgot to add, the downpipe, cats, etc, are 30lbs. The actual exhaust is fairly light for a stock exhaust and when compared to the 350Zs. Replace all of this with lighter weight parts, like the wheels, which can go down to an 18" diameter, and 300lbs is completely doable without a hardcore change.

We were trying to figure out if 400lbs is possible. It is. But THAT's going to be the challenge without completely gutting the car.

 

i don't buy into any of that marketing mumbo jumbo. if you're gonna call it a GT-R or an R35, then call a spade a spade and remember that this is a skyline in soul and spirit.

including the exhaust, we're talking about 520lbs with the list you quoted. and other than the cats, none of that list can simply be removed without some kind of replacement. assuming that 18" wheels will clear the brake assembly, and that we're going with a 18lb wheel and 30lb tire, we
are looking at just under 200lbs for wheels and tires. then we go with a 12lb battery that should have enough amperage to crank that motor. then we go with replacing both seats with 25lb units for a total of 50lbs. then we go with two-piece rotors that shave 5lbs per corner (which i think might be a little too optimistic) for a total of 100lbs of brakes.

we go from about 520lbs to 362lbs, delete the cats and put in a titanium exhaust that is 1/2 the weight of OEM, then we're down to about 345lbs. so that's a little under 170lbs of weight shed, probably $3500 of parts. take out the spare, floor mats, etc. and we're probably close to 250lbs of weight shed.

but that's a tuner car with no spare tire and an additional $3500 if you're a savvy shopper, getting everything at super sale prices, and don't pay a dime to anyone to mount and balance your tires, install your seats, fabricate your battery's mount, or swap your brakes.

it can be done. but the market that nissan is selling the GTR to isn't the type to drive around without a spare tire just to save weight. but these are estimates at best, maybe you guys have already picked out the parts you're going to swap in. did you guys get a chance to weigh those and see the net weight savings?

 

It's not "marketing mumbo jumbo". Unlike Skyline GT-Rs, which were essentially, mechanically superior versions of the same Skyline body, etc. the R35 doesn't really share anything with the Skyline platform. While still based on the VQ, the basic engine architecture has been changed as well from the VQ-series. By definition, it's really not a "Skyline". I wasn't trying to be smart-a**. This car decimates any other genuine Skyline before it. The R34 ain't even close. It's definitely got lineage, but I can't even call it a Skyline in spirit. I'm probably not explaining it correctly though.

You misunderstood what I was saying, mostly because I didn't write it correctly. All the parts I've mentioned have been replaced or will be replaced shortly. I can't weigh anything else until the car gets back to the shop. These are just the parts that have been verified on the scale. Also, you're under the presumption I'm using typical aftermarket products made from typical aftermarket product materials. I am not. That's all I can say until the ink dries on the contracts. Again, not trying to be a jerk, but on the business side, we've had a certain carbon fiber company who's notorious for ripping off people's designs, eyeing our products at our shows. They'll eventually rip off our stuff, this I can guarantee, but we've got some new metals alloys and things and new composite fabrics to work with.

We're keeping the cats. But people shouldn't expect to pay $3500 no matter how hard they look. ESPECIALLY if they're looking to get the parts out of Japan. Mine's carbon NACA duct replacements cost $700 USD. The falling dollar doesn't help matters. It'll be awhile until products for the GT-R are cost effective. Coilovers currently range from $6,000-10,000USD because there's no market for it. People are charging what they think folks will pay.

There's no spare in the car because the car is equipped with run-flats. So far we're running without the rear seats (we honestly have no use for them) and Cobra Misano's for the fronts. I honestly forgot to weigh them because the boys were scrambling before HIN roll-in. I also had my Japanese partners swap the fenders, hood, and trunklid for dry carbon pieces before it came here. Once the car's back in my hands, I'll be taking all of this off and weighing them. I'll get some pics for you all too. I do know the hood weighs 10lbs (-4lbs from stock) and I just looked up the Misano's and they're 29lbs.

As for the purpose of the vehicle, most people we've talked to who plan to purchase the GT-R (those who've actually put down deposits or got their financing together), do plan to track the vehicle at some point. We too plan to track the car, but that's not our main purpose. It's not a show-queen at all though lol.

 

by virtue of having a twin-turbo'd 6 cyl, awd, the letters GT-R, and R35 designation (which clearly deliniates its place in history/ a line of other GT-R skylines) it most certainly is in the same spirit of its predecessors and therefore a skyline. the current "skyline" is the one with the incorrect moniker, just my opinion.

i certainly presume that we're talking normal-ish parts because 1. i am not made of infinite money 2. i'll take a little more weight so the part is durable enough for real world use and track duty that many exotic and expensive show parts can't usually take and 3. most people don't have the same business connections that you do, so the whole point of me brining up that price was to highlight that other than being the most keen and lucky shopper in the history of shopping for car parts, it's gonna cost lots and lots of money and in the process will probably lose less than 250 lbs. especially now that i know the car doesn't have a spare to begin with and that the cats will be staying in place. that's not to say that you couldn't get the car 300 lbs lighter (though i'm not gonna lie, i challenge you to weigh every part and spell out the price of every part).

how soon will you be able to post up pics?

 

Ahh...I see where you're coming from.

You don't have to be made of infinite amounts of money to toy with a GT-R (or any car). More important than the money you spend is the plan you come up with and the products you choose, regardless of price. On another note, before people spend money, they really should try to maximize what's already there, THEN try to improve on it. A lot of people seem to try to do the opposite of this and then can't understand why they're not turning better lap times than someone with no modifications :rolleyes:.

We don't build show parts. Period. That's not to say what I do ain't sexy though ;) Functional sexuality (that sounds so wrong, lol).

The point of me talking about, well...me, was to say we're working on lower cost, higher quality alternatives. People rely on Japan for everything, or think there's only one way to do things with the same materials. For example, we're working on a higher strength, higher durability, lower weight, lower cost alternative to carbon fiber. It's not going to be like DRASTICALLY lower cost, but it'll be affordable for those who're interested. This is new, unnannounced, but PROVEN technology. The people I deal with don't put their names on anything unproven. I can also say there are certain corportate folks and engineers who approve at various auto companies, so you know it's good.

Will do.

As soon as the car gets here, which should be this week. It stayed in LA because somebody local wanted to see it, but if anybody's in LA and wants to arrange to take a few pics for me, I'd be more than appreciative.

 

i hate you for having a GT-R. unless you let me drive it.
my wife and i are toying with the idea of getting into a GT-R but with all of 1500 coming to america this callendar year (i believe) i just don't think that we'll be able to afford the car with the expected mark up. maybe used, maybe after we pay down the house in a year and a half or so. were you able to get it for close to MSRP?

 

just to show other cars it's beaten
ROADandTRACK.com -- Comparison Tests - Comparison Test: Nissan GT-R vs. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 vs. Porsche 911 Turbo (5/2008)

all i can say is wow, its amazing how fast this thing is. it got a 1:56.9 around buttonwillow #13 CW. thats 5 seconds faster than a c6 z06, 997 turbo, and 997 gt3! thats 2 seconds faster than a 250hp ariel atom (the atom only weighs 1000lbs and has r-comp tires)

 

without 4wd, the 'vette will never match off the line. they already know that they can't get the current 505hp to the ground off the line! i do like the body on the new 'vette though.

 

Yeah, we got ours from Japan (LHD), but we were surprised to hear there were more than a few dealers willing to sell for MSRP or close to it. I think most of the Cali and Florida, warm weather dealers are the ones you'd have to watch for. I would go used or non-first year if I had to do it again. Not that we've had problems. I haven't even driven it yet because it's been in Cali for HIN for the past month!!! Now that we're heading to NY, I STILL haven't to friggin' wait :(. It's still in Cali cuz somebody on the GT-R forum wanted to take a look at it. :mad:

They say good things come to those who wait. I say whoever said that was full of crap. lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennef

GTR may be king for now, but when the supercharged corvette shows up, i hope nissan has an immediate answer that's just doing some final development waiting in the shadows because that corvette is going to be the undisputed champ with no consideration to price.

Nissan has confirmed a V-Spec variant which should come in around the same price, but slightly less outright hp than the ZR1. This is about to get really interesting.