Secrets for GT-R Record Ring Run Revealed

Nissan GT-R

By Clinton Deacon
May 7, 2008 9:50 AM
Filed Under: Japanese, Nissan

Last week Nissan announced the GT-R lapped the Nurburgring in an astounding 7 minues 29 seconds knocking a full 9 seconds of its previous record. We were led to believe the GT-R used was completely unmodified, but even though the GT-R has already been launched over in Japan, the engineers are still working on upgrades for its launch in Europe and the States.

Chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno said that the US bound GT-R will get a few tweaks including three harder engine mounts and a stiffer transaxle mount resulting in an even finer tuned suspension and powertrain. These details are certainly areas which helped the GT-R achieve a time of 7min 29 sec on the Ring.

The European version will be enhanced further with a slightly revised steering system and recalibrated rear differential although the GT-R team make a decision on this in September. But why enhance the GT-R further when it is already proved itself among the worlds top supercars? 'The GT-R is my son,' Mizuno explained. 'A son grows up and it's my duty as father to keep improving it.'

Source: Car Magazine

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Comments

asif

May 7, 2008 10:53 AM

yeah baby!!!!!!!!!

NitrousOxide

May 7, 2008 11:55 AM

Now let people start saying: "this isnt the road version" or "this is not running or stock specs" BURN YOURSELVES... Its better for you people..

phobos

May 7, 2008 12:16 PM

the GT-R is my honey..keep pushing it honey !!

Get_real

May 7, 2008 3:13 PM

I'm imagining you 165cm or something. What a pointless, remark...

Xanavi23

May 7, 2008 4:21 PM

Who the hell are you? you dont know Mizuno and he isnt a press hoe...STFU

car.fan

May 7, 2008 3:25 PM

Childish remark by catchmyshadow, well done.

Xanavi23

May 7, 2008 5:34 PM

Never said i wouldnt buy one if i had the money. Im a Nissan man, This is what the GT-R always could have been. Nice to know Factory versions will be even better.

NitrousOxide

May 7, 2008 8:54 PM

So you're admitting that it was achieved by the normal, untuned version.. It really is a strange thing to hear after the storm you created last time..

Xanavi23

May 7, 2008 9:41 PM

No, i still dont think the GT-R nailed a 7:29 with stiffer engine mounts and a stiffer transaxle. It was higher in power or it was stripped out to be as light as possible. Plus if you remember, i said if the factory GT-R can "only" do something like 7:45 on the Ring, i still highly respect that time and love the car. I love the new GT-R always have/always will, but theres just some things i dont beleive.

catchmyshadow

May 8, 2008 12:45 AM

Of course the GT-R didn`t nail the 7:29 (itÂ´s not an official lap time anyway) or at least it wasn`t stock, original etc like they pretend. They wanted attention and they got it. ThatÂ´s what was all about. next please... (ZR-1 etc etc.)

pzigly

May 8, 2008 6:46 AM

It is official http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080501.002/official-nissan-announced-gt-r-laps-nurburgring-in-7m-29s

out4ride

May 8, 2008 12:56 AM

I want to see a video of this car on the ring. If it is what they say it is shouldn't this make big news "nissan beats porsche on the ring". I need to see to believe.

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 1:15 AM

why? did you need to see the Porsche lap to believe they set it?

pzigly

May 8, 2008 5:58 AM

Why does everyone have their head up their A$$'s. Of course the Nissan got 7:29. In every picture of the GT-R online, they show the GT-R with a fully functional interior at the Ring's track!!!!! Also all you need to do is Youtube the GT-R vs. the turbo 911 and see that the GT-R beats the 911 everytime by 2 seconds on a 1 minute track. These tests were not conducted by Nissan. Just a Nissan Driver. This means that on a 7-8 minute track the GT-R, theoretically, will beat the 911 in best case senario by 14-16 seconds. The 911 does the lap in 7:40. So the GT-R beating it by 11 seconds becomes very believable!!!!!! I dont know where you people get off with your BS comments when you dont know the facts!! It has short gear ratios and really fast shifting transmission, which means you have instant shifting and you are always in a high reving band in and out of corners which gets you in and out of corners faster than the rest!!!! Plus Nissan always gives a HP rating on the GT-R's lower than actual. The last skyline GT-R stated 278-like to 290 (i forget the number), but when they put it on a dyno it was like 330 stock to wheels!!!! This car is no different. People have ran it on a dyno and they got consistant numbers of a little over 500hp. If you do your homework and not just talk you will see this also. Talk is cheap and Nissan has performed rather than talk. The reason why it is heavy is because of the AWD system it has which will help you with tight corners while the transmission utalized the engin's sweet spot to get you out of the corners.

If anything I would expect someone else to get a better time on the Ring because Nissan got 3.5 0-60 and Motor Trend journalists got 3.2!!! Don't even try to say that the journalist's car had more power than the actual car because edmunds tested a customers car and got 3.3!!!

Xanavi23

May 8, 2008 6:02 AM

Yea stock GT-R can get a 7:29 on the 'Ring, and i swear pigs fly outta my butt. I dont know where you get off being disrespectful but its aigght i whipe my a$$ with your opinion. I SAID the GT-R did get 7:29 but it wasnt stock. Last point, just because the GT-R got 2 secs faster on one circuit doesnt mean its gonna be faster on every track. YOU do your homework and watch some real racing, rule # 1, different cars are faster on different tracks depending on corner types, straight away lengths, elevation changes, road texture/grip changes. Dont talk about things you clearly dont know about and dont underestimate the 911Turbo. Get some manners.

pzigly

May 8, 2008 7:10 AM

Also the 911 got a head start on a 1 min track and the Gt-R still beat it on the first lap and extended the lead the second lap. Also refering to different tracks. The GT-R will do better on whatever turn because the computer setup. So far I havent seen the 911 beat the nissan at all in any test so a claim of beating it by 11 seconds on a long 10 mile is not too far off as you say.

pzigly

May 8, 2008 6:41 AM

I didn't know pigs flew out of your butt thats interesting. The GT-R beat it on every track so far and will beat it on every track because of the short gear ratios. The only time (THE ONLY TIME!!!!) the 911 will start to beat the GT-R is after 150 mph the 911 will start to gain on it because the GT-R has short geat ratios. The GT-R will get out of corners EVERY TIME faster than the 911 and will accelerate faster on the rest of the track than the 911. Only when a track has parts that are over 150mph sections, the 911 will be able to go faster briefly and only briefly espically since the GT-R has a low drag ratio and 150+ does not last long. I dont care what u wipe your A$$ with, but i take offense to some one who says things that are not justifyed. You have lost respect and any credability because you make statements that are not justified. You cant be that arrogant and believe 100% that it is a boosted car. There is solid evidence in front of you that this car can do it. People have bought this car already in Japan and this car does better than stated. The GT-R is focused on technology and has a computer system that lets the driver get it perfect all the time. Drivers have always stated that they even try to get the GT-R to get it out of control but the cars computer has been getting this car out of mistakes since before 1995 and this car is only getting better. If this car had gear ratios that were the same as the porsche I might believe you, but it doesent.

The viper is slower than this car 0-60!!!! Gear Ratios!!!!!! If the viper had the sylines transmission it would be faster.

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 7:08 AM

If the viper had the skylines gear ratios it would need a really really impressive traction control system. RWD + short gear ratios = fail. Other then that, from a rolling start the viper would waste the gt-r with shorter gear ratio's

pzigly

May 8, 2008 7:16 AM

Exactly!!!! Nissan knows how to get the power to the ground which is why it is so special. You would also need some more weight in the back because TCS would have to decrease the gas going to the engine from take off and adopt a launch contorl system.

Xanavi23

May 8, 2008 4:25 PM

The GT-R has beaten the Porsche because of its drive-train layout its far easier to drive at the limit. The Porsche can be be just as fast except it takes a driver who knows how to drive a Rear-engine/Rear-drive car, meaning theres a different way to attack the corners due to the Porsches different weight transfer physics. I cant be that arrogant and beleive 100% that this car is boosted ? Ohhhh yes i can bro, because i do. I'll say this one last time, the GT-R is a great car, even if it does run 7:45 on the 'Ring in truly stock condition it would still shatter the records of its actual competition, CLK63, M3, RS4 etc. I never said a GT-R didnt run 7:29, im sure it did, but the GT-R in question was not stock, i can almost guarantee it. As for your respect i dont give a $#!T, the way you first posted here you never had respect for any of us anyway....woooooo big loss there, cheif. I may have no proof of what i say, but im using logics and what the president(not political terms) of physics have shown me on other occasions with other cars. I love the GT-R, i'ld buy one in a second, but do you honestly beleive the GT-R, that has 473hp(dynos have shown more than that) and weighs 3800lbs in japanese spec, can beat a Carrera GT Supercar that has 600hp and weighs 3300lbs? Knowing that the Carerra GT is in reality a thinly desguised race car?

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 11:14 PM

The word you are looking for is precident. And I believe that a stock gt-r can compete with a carrera gt. The gtr has driving assists out it's ying yang and can put more power to the road when leaving corners due to it's awd system, while the carrera has no or very little driving assist and is rwd so the driver has to be over cautious for every corner, corner by corner the carrera gt will never see it's true best time. On the basis that it would be suicide to even try.

pzigly

May 8, 2008 10:53 AM

This thing gets better and better. I just read that it shifts almost as fast a F1 car. Imagine if Nissan entered into F1 racing.

I also read that the U.S. spec will be more balanced because of the left hand drive.

phobos

May 8, 2008 10:53 AM

...imo nissan GT-R is one hell of a technology, few people doubt its performance ( and i mean few jack ass people), but it will shater that everytime it goes to the track...bring it on

mps

May 8, 2008 11:34 AM

From what I can tell, xanavi is just an annoying prick. The whole "I'm a nissan man so most certainly I'm not just talking bs" while he continously DOES talk bs is just idiotic at this point. What, you need to be on the track to see it yourself doing 7:29, or in the actual car in order to believe it? Why the hell don't you have such disbelief in porsches 7:32? Because the GT-R weighs more? Well... weighing more could only effect its 0-60 time, which it doesn't... at all. Nice, isn't it?

Xanavi23

May 8, 2008 4:15 PM

No....weight concerns EVERYTHING when it comes to track times, brake distance, cornering, acceleration, top speed. Heavier weight is an enemy of all these things. You can call it what you want, im a Nissan man, regardless what you beleive. What seperates ME from other guys who appreciate Nissans is that im an objective thinker, i call it like i see it with no biased thinking regardless how much i love a carmaker or car(GT-R in this case). Im not an annoying prick...im an a$$hole ;) get it straight bro.

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 11:16 PM

what is weird is that in some terms of physics having to light of a car can mean uncontrol ability due to less overall traction on the road. That is why f1 cars and other race cars have aero kits that put hundreds of pounds of downforce on the cars. The carrera gt may be aero dynamic, but it definitely isn't getting hundreds of pounds of downforce.

Xanavi23

May 8, 2008 4:43 PM

One last edit, Pzigly, you said the 911Turbo runs 7:40 on the Ring, if thats the case i would be willing to believe the GT-R can run a bit faster on the Ring due to its 4WD system and the kind of track the Ring is. So the 7:38 is definitely believable. Im sorry if i came off disrespectful, you're original post was kind of disrespectful and disrespect burns me thus my reply. Ive done my part, I owe you one, no one else.

Smugster234

May 8, 2008 4:59 PM

Come on, 7:29 from a 480HP car with a full interior weighing 3,800 lbs. Yeah right, engine mounts blah, blah, blah. They definitely turned up the wick on the turbos and had other tricks. If a Carrera GT with a V10 605HP out of a race car, full monocoque chassis, suspension once again from a race car with Walter Rohrl driving does a 7:28 please explain to me in technical terms how a stock GTR can be close. How does everybody trust a company that for years had a 280HP Skyline yet it was far quicker than the numbers on paper??? Hmmmmmm

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 11:19 PM

what that tells me is that Nissan is a modest company that doesn't need to lie about its numbers in order to get sales.

Joe_Limon

May 8, 2008 11:21 PM

in case you say that 280 is a lie, therefore it is a company that lies. Think of it this way. 280 is a minimum number that a skyline driving in the worst operating conditions would get. at the wheels.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 3:03 AM

Nissan almost always under state their HP. In 2005-2006 the HP ratings on cars got tougher restrictions. When they remeasured the HP on some cars the Acura TL (U.S. spec) unchange from the yr before went from 270hp to 258hp. The Nissan Maxima unchanged went from 265hp to you guessed it ........................265hp.

Decypha

May 8, 2008 11:12 PM

ey lol... your posts are hilarious... Xanavi, I'm an objective guy but Pzigly has a point... a Porsche fanatic (who had driven the turbo extensively) drove the Turbo against the GT-R (which he had only just got his hands on). The GT-R had fast-in fast-out capabilities... the computers showed that you could keep accelerating when approaching a corner in the GT-R when you had to apply the brakes in the Porsche; and as Pzigly "predicted", the Porsche posted the higher speed on the straight. None of what I say is an opinion, I'm just stating the facts + record bodies go to great lengths to ensure record attempts are fair and justified so I dnt no... I was just saying...

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 12:29 AM

I dunno, you're probably right, ive heard the new 4WD system on the 997T isn't very good on the track where as the GT-Rs 4WD system has been in a constant state of (positive)evolution since the BNR32 GT-R. So that probably does help the GT-R get better corner sectors in terms of time like you said, especially when the cars are so close on paper.

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 12:36 AM

Joe_Limon, you raise alotta very good points about the Carrera GT. The 'Ring has alotta corners that dont go left OR right(i mean the hills)so the Carrera GTs lightness could end up hurting it given the driver HAS to spend less time on the throttle. Also like you said, its aerodownforce is limited even with its Auto-wing. specifically on the first sweeping uphill straight away(after that bridge). Also like you said, the CGT has no real driver aids which means its ALL driver unlike the GT-R which is far more forgiving. it would be suicide to try. Good posts, thinking about what you said logically, it makes sense, the GT-R might be able to run comparatively well on the 'Ring.Thanks for the grammar fix on precedent, i hate typos and all that.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 2:22 AM

SO FINALLY...... If the GT-R has all these driving aids that help it beat the Carrera and the 911 in the turns and out of them because you can drive it to the limit more, you now can believe that if the 911 does 7:40 on the 7-8 min Ring where the skyline was developed, the STOCK skyline (that Road and Track beat the 911 with by 5 sec on a 2 min track) can gain atleast 1-3 seconds for every minute on the track, making the 7:29 very believable. This means that we can respectivly say that you can finally see that GODZILLA is BACK with a VENGEANCE!!!!

Many people say that this car defies physics because of the numbers everyone puts up in it. Nissan has done more than just slap on a good engine to a light weight car with good suspension and brakes. I think this is why people think these numbers cant be true BECAUSE IT IS NOT LIKE ANYTHING YOU HAVE SEEN!!!

O ya and here is a kicker. I have read many reviewers of this car say that even though they beat the 911 they reckon that they are still not driving the GT-R to the limit. They say that they haven't been able to get to the cars full potential. Probably because no one is that brave enough to get it there because if someone tries and makes a mistake at those speeds, it will be the end of them.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 2:24 AM

sry respectively say^^^^^^^

pzigly

May 9, 2008 2:35 AM

lol at myself....... respectfully

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 3:48 AM

Yea, its possible, i do beleive the GT-R can beat the '997T on the Ring. Im not sure by how much but it can definitely beat it. For the Record, Godzilla being back was never in question bro...the BNR32 GT-R is one of my favorite cars of all time, even tho it only makes 300hp(compared to supercars). So I still Consider the BNR32 Godzilla, so the R35 is pretty much Godzilla 2000 ;) lol...its faster, stronger, better. I wish it was lighter but ALL cars get heavier with time due to safety standards and so on. Even if the GT-R was at the limit, rule # 1 of racing/time trials, you can ALWAYS be faster, so i expect that at least on other circuits, the GT-R can get an even better time.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 4:24 AM

All skylines are supercars. The BNR32 and the 33 and the 34 were all the same engine (straight 6 2.6L) and they are all supercars. They were all restricted to 278 because of Japanese law that does not apply in japan any more I think. Those cars are all supercars though because they were all capable 500 hp without any engine modifications. All you needed to do was upgrade the turbos and the engine was strong enough to handel it. If you think about it 2.6L in the early 90's 500hp on stock parts!!! Thats amazing. Too bad it was only sold in Japan.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 4:27 AM

I honestly cant decide which is my fav though. Each has its own appeal and different personality.

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 4:45 AM

Ohhh i know, with proper modification of the engine block; pistons, rods, sleeves, as well as other key parts(big turbo(s) ) the RB26DETT can support at as much as 1200hp at the crank if not more. It takes proper tuning and a bit of cash but it can be done. Personally my favourite is the BNR32, the R33 and R34 were better all around due to advancements but the R32 is the first of new breed in a way as well as being nice and light(3200~lbs). In terms of the Japanese A class cars; Impreza, Evo among others....its only now that they're catching up to the R34, years after its passing, I consider all GT-Rs thorough supercars.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 4:43 AM

And I dont see y everyone is hung up on weight (its not really an issue). I really feel that Nissan hides it well. Also the reason why the Bugatti is so stable at 250mph is because of weight. So more weight, stable, fastest on the track stock, and 21mpg is the best deal out there with reliability.

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 4:47 AM

The GT-R definitely makes up for its weight regardless what it runs on the Ring, and everything gets heavier, look at the 997T, its gained about a 100lbs since the last version. The positive of weight tho, like you said is stability...another perfect example is the SL600 and on...they sacrifice handling...but the weight keeps them well planted at least at high-speeds on open roads.

Joe_Limon

May 9, 2008 8:57 AM

I feel like the odd man out, all previous skylines I have despised. Personally I think they look like boring box shaped cars. They may be really good with regards to everything else, but I don't wanna be seen in a car that looks like that.

pzigly

May 9, 2008 2:23 PM

It was made to perform though not to look good. Those cars out ran all of the Ferrari's of their time on any track. Except of course for the f40 and f50.

Xanavi23

May 9, 2008 4:40 PM

Well, personally i love the looks of all GT-Rs especially the new one, but right now im talking about the R32,33, 34, I love the simple clean looks. But if you dont nobody can really hate on that, looks are purely in the eye of the beholder. It might sound like a lame quote, but it is what it is, everybody has their own taste when it comes to cars. And you probably dislike the GTR families looks for the same reasons i like them alot, nothing wrong with that ;)

pzigly

May 11, 2008 6:26 AM

Dont get me wrong, I like all of their looks. Even the old school ones.

mps

May 9, 2008 11:26 AM

So, agreed, this car owns?

pzigly

May 11, 2008 6:25 AM

HELL YA!!!!!

mortz

May 11, 2008 11:41 AM

It would be good to see what the gtr r34 v-spec nur (the model nismo tweaked up to 370kw) do the ring on a dry track

pzigly

May 11, 2008 9:47 PM

It would beat the new GT-R because it is lighter and has a similar all wheel drive system, sending power to the wheel that needs it. I am not sure if the new one might beat it off the line because of the short gear ratios. But people have already tested tuned r34's against the GT-R and they say they are faster than the stock GT-R around a track. But remember they are tuned. The older ones get up to 1200hp I would honestly expect this GT-R to be able to get up to 1500hp. The new engine is bigger and stronger.

mortz

May 12, 2008 12:40 AM

Yea Ive seen a clip on you tude where they test a mines r34 and a amuse r35 for the best lap time in japan( both cars with simlar power around 550hp) and the mines r34 did a faster time but not by much. We have a guy here in new zealand with a r32 gtr with over 1000hp and his best 1/4 mile is around 7.5 seconds. A classic example of the godzilla is when they raced in the australian touring car camps 1989-1990 against the v8 holdens and fords, the gtrs had 600hp (drivers Jim richards and mark skafe) and the gtrs won poll position every time so when the race started with the gtrs in front they absolutly killed everything and if it rained the v8s would have to pit and change tyres where the zillas just keep-ed on going, the australians didn't like a jap car killing there v8s so they added 100kg and took 100hp of the zillas but still the zillas keeped on beating everything, even in one race on of the gtrs had damage to one or the diffs and still won.

pzigly

May 12, 2008 1:40 AM

Nice.... Ya the v8's also dont have the response times as the v6's. Also the lighter weight in the rain gives the car faster braking than the heavier car.

I think the aftermarket companies really need to do their homework on this car. The older gt-r's were sooo easy to tune up. This one is a lot harder to tune. It will be a while until there are nice upgrades for it.

Xanavi23

May 12, 2008 2:07 AM

Ive heard the factory computers can be a real B!tch to work with due to Nissan wanting their GT-Rs as untouched as possible. However with a tuning firm like Mine's who know Nissans and tuning in general inside-out i dont imagine that being a problem for too long. I REALLY wanna see a Mine's R35 Time Attack car.

mortz

May 12, 2008 2:36 AM

I think mines have already been working on the r35 ive seen a couple of clips on you tube, try and look it up

mortz

May 12, 2008 3:25 AM

I notice nismo are using a non turbo V8 in the gt500 in their race spec gtrs with a sequential 6 speed gearbox,

Xanavi23

May 12, 2008 4:01 AM

Thanx man, i found some clips :) As for JGTC, when it comes to engine choice, its really anything goes as to what a car builder(Nissan, Toyota etc) can choose to power their cars.

pzigly

May 12, 2008 5:38 AM

I think they use the v8 to avoid the problem of a turbo engines (more reliable). I asked a drifting guy that question after the Long Beach Grand Prix. He was the mechanic and the were using a v8 from a Nissan Titan for drifting. As for the computer, Nissan says that it is unhackable, but i think amuse already cracked it because I saw a pic of the computer box with the amuse logo on it. Everything is possible but I really think they need to take their time with this one to get some more real HP with this car and balance it correctly. Especially when putting on a new exhaust. Many people think that wider pipes are better and actually loose HP because there is no back pressure, so I really think they have to spend their time on the dyno to get the optimal setup.

mortz

May 12, 2008 6:29 AM

Was that the new VK56DE or the VK45DE that they are using in the gt500? if you google (videos of nissan gtr Amuse) there's a few videos of the Amuse r35 testing different exhaust systems, must be said that the Amuse r35 looks like a stealth assassin, nice!!

pzigly

May 12, 2008 8:13 AM

VK45DE

pzigly

May 12, 2008 8:33 AM

they wouldnt use the 5.6 its too big, heavy, and too torquey on the tires. Also I dont think 5.6 is allowed im not sure though. The 4.5 is their racing engine they took out of their Z racer. like 500 hp and 350 tourque lbs. I think it saves gas over the v6 also. Those turbos not only spool up air, it spools up gas as well lol.

pzigly

May 12, 2008 9:53 AM

when u guys get a chance look up donut king GT-R. Ull hate it and love it at the same time.

mortz

May 13, 2008 3:20 AM

man that's pink, it should do well in the targa in oz, hopefully ill get to see some coverage of the targa

armandd

May 23, 2008 2:40 PM

xanavi u're an @$$hole..