Yet another GTR Blog

SP Engineering R35 GT-R
All the details were a little sketchy, some rumors, some innuendo on the NAGTROC forums, but this weekend at GReddyfest, we were told this car put 997 all wheel horsepower to the ground at its last tuning session.  SP Engineering didn't want to put out the information, until they had the drag strip number to backup the dyno figure.  This R35 GT-R is already the quickest and fastest GT-R in the world with a 9.62@150 mph pass in April.  Now the car is making more than another 130 whp with some additional upgrades to the GReddy turbochargers. Are we going to see the first 8 second / 160 mph pass soon?   Is the transmission going to hold?  Are they going to get it to be able to hook up?

It doesn't look like 997 awhp.

Greddy held an open house at their US headquarters this Sunday. Lots of people and cars showed up to show off, get a chance to win some raffles, and purchase overstock items at a big discount. About 12 members of NAGTROC brought out their R35 GT-R’s, plus SP Engineering's demo car, Greddy’s demo car, and Hings R35 GT-R in the shop.   The rumor was one of the cars at the event recently laid down 997 all wheel horsepower.  Pretty close to that “magic” 1000 awhp number.

Videos soon at : http://www.youtube.com/tyndago

IDRC.  Import Drag Racing Circuit.  IDRC has been throwing import drag racing events for more than the last decade.  Drag racing is fun, cheap to get into, and generally accessible for most people.
However the last few years, import drag racing has virtually disappeared. Drifting, and now Time Attack has become popular, and we just don’t see the crowds of cars and people that we used to see at the import drag racing events.

With that said, IDRC put on a great event at AutoClub Speeway in Fontana, September 4, 2010.  It was hot, but its a dry heat, a desert heat, so they say it doesn’t really count, or hurt as much as a humid, Texas/Florida heat.  Track temps were in the 125 degree range, shade temps were over 100 degrees.

Tons of vendors, tons of cars for the car show, lots of cars making their way down the 1320.
Here is one interesting car, an RB25 powered Mazda Miata. It makes over 400 whp, and I have some video of it going down the drag strip, that will be up on YouTube soon.
SR20 Powered S13 notchback.  Red is faster. Wakita and our favorite Jaonke Kenny were doing some trackside support for this street tired car.
So JDM.  ARC everywhere on this Evo. Top Secret TE-37 wheels.
One of the classes for this event was drift cars going down the 1/4 mile.  Ross Petty brought out his Boso S15. On slicks he was running into the 12’s.
Kyle Mohan’s FD RX-7.  Traction for the drift guys was a pretty big problem. 
Five Axis 370Z and Toyota Prius.
Darton had a display showing their various sleeves, these being for a VR38. If you are looking for big power, and worried about the plasma sprayed bores on the VR38, then the Darton Sleeves are a great track proven solution.
Easy Streets Street Tire WRX. This is one of the worlds fastest Subarus. It runs an automatic transmission to get it loaded and going down the dragstrip with the minimal amount of fuss.
FD vs 240.  Head over to Youtube soon to check out some videos from the event.

IDRC.  Import Drag Racing Circuit.  IDRC has been throwing import drag racing events for more than the last decade.  Drag racing is fun, cheap to get into, and generally accessible for most people.
However the last few years, import drag racing has virtually disappeared. Drifting, and now Time Attack has become popular, and we just don’t see the crowds of cars and people that we used to see at the import drag racing events.

With that said, IDRC put on a great event at AutoClub Speeway in Fontana, September 4, 2010.  It was hot, but its a dry heat, a desert heat, so they say it doesn’t really count, or hurt as much as a humid, Texas/Florida heat.  Track temps were in the 125 degree range, shade temps were over 100 degrees.

Tons of vendors, tons of cars for the car show, lots of cars making their way down the 1320.
Here is one interesting car, an RB25 powered Mazda Miata. It makes over 400 whp, and I have some video of it going down the drag strip, that will be up on YouTube soon.
SR20 Powered S13 notchback.  Red is faster. Wakita and our favorite Jaonke Kenny were doing some trackside support for this street tired car.
So JDM.  ARC everywhere on this Evo. Top Secret TE-37 wheels.
One of the classes for this event was drift cars going down the 1/4 mile.  Ross Petty brought out his Boso S15. On slicks he was running into the 12’s.
Kyle Mohan’s FD RX-7.  Traction for the drift guys was a pretty big problem. 
Five Axis 370Z and Toyota Prius.
Darton had a display showing their various sleeves, these being for a VR38. If you are looking for big power, and worried about the plasma sprayed bores on the VR38, then the Darton Sleeves are a great track proven solution.
Easy Streets Street Tire WRX. This is one of the worlds fastest Subarus. It runs an automatic transmission to get it loaded and going down the dragstrip with the minimal amount of fuss.
FD vs 240.  Head over to Youtube soon to check out some videos from the event.

IDRC.  Import Drag Racing Circuit.  IDRC has been throwing import drag racing events for more than the last decade.  Drag racing is fun, cheap to get into, and generally accessible for most people.
However the last few years, import drag racing has virtually disappeared. Drifting, and now Time Attack has become popular, and we just don’t see the crowds of cars and people that we used to see at the import drag racing events.

With that said, IDRC put on a great event at AutoClub Speeway in Fontana, September 4, 2010.  It was hot, but its a dry heat, a desert heat, so they say it doesn’t really count, or hurt as much as a humid, Texas/Florida heat.  Track temps were in the 125 degree range, shade temps were over 100 degrees.

Tons of vendors, tons of cars for the car show, lots of cars making their way down the 1320.
Here is one interesting car, an RB25 powered Mazda Miata. It makes over 400 whp, and I have some video of it going down the drag strip, that will be up on YouTube soon.
SR20 Powered S13 notchback.  Red is faster. Wakita and our favorite Jaonke Kenny were doing some trackside support for this street tired car.
So JDM.  ARC everywhere on this Evo. Top Secret TE-37 wheels.
One of the classes for this event was drift cars going down the 1/4 mile.  Ross Petty brought out his Boso S15. On slicks he was running into the 12’s.
Kyle Mohan’s FD RX-7.  Traction for the drift guys was a pretty big problem. 
Five Axis 370Z and Toyota Prius.
Darton had a display showing their various sleeves, these being for a VR38. If you are looking for big power, and worried about the plasma sprayed bores on the VR38, then the Darton Sleeves are a great track proven solution.
Easy Streets Street Tire WRX. This is one of the worlds fastest Subarus. It runs an automatic transmission to get it loaded and going down the dragstrip with the minimal amount of fuss.
FD vs 240.  Head over to Youtube soon to check out some videos from the event.

The Global Tuner Grand Prix is a spectator event inviting top performance tuners and racers from around the world to compete at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The GTGP is similar to international “time attack” competitions held in Europe and Asia but this is the first of its kind in North America and is being held on October 22nd - 24th. This is one of four no sound restriction Pro format weekends at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.


The GTGP consists of three classes of cars open to all Import, European and Domestic vehicles. This includes Street, Tuner and Unlimited. The three different classes each are bracketed in three categories that include Front-Wheel, Rear-Wheel and All-Wheel Drive. In addition to these three classes, GTGP will accept experienced Time Trial and AutoX competitors. We welcome all the top performance tuners in the world including all OEM manufacturers.


THE GTGP Challenge Race is an all out, wheel-to-wheel 50 minute sprint race. The best of the best will compete for the top of the podium. This race will feature amateur and pro racers who always relish the chance to race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The field will consist of 60 entries of performance racers from Porsche, Corvette, Viper, BMW, Ferrari, Nissan, Subaru, EVO and more.


EVENT FEATURES:

• Car Corrals- Porsche, Audi, BMW, Corvette, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Nissan, Honda, Ferrari, Lamborghini and more.
• VIP Car Show on Sunday, located at the Yamaha Marketplace.
• Exhibitor and Manufactures displays in the main paddock as well as the Yamaha Marketplace.
• Red Carpet Gala Benefit is a fun filled party with an opportunity to mingle with the competitors and automotive executives taking place on Saturday evening October 23rd. Presentation of the GTGP competitors “Best in Show” award will be given based on participant votes. Key note speakers will highlight the evening’s festivities with appearances by celebrities and motorsports professionals.

RULES:


Complete rules for the Global Tuner Grand Prix and the Global Tuner Challenge Race can be found on our website, www.globaltunergp.com.

This video demonstrates an advantage of a STILLEN urethane front lip spoiler over a fiberglass or carbon fiber part. A fiberglass or carbon fiber piece would have broken into 1000 tiny shards.



I ended up with 2 wheels off over the last strip of curbing at the top. It grabbed my front splitter, balled it up into a pretzel and spit it out the back of the car. Other than being a little scraped up and my KAE paint flaking off, it's in good shape. Stillen said they designed it to be flexible just for this purpose, if you hit something on track, it can simply bend and then flex back into shape instead of cracking. Worked just like they said it would...

If you watch the rear camera closely at about 0:20, you can see it shoot out the back end.









Source: NAGTROC

Making big power on the GT-R is not the easiest thing but making it run right day in day out can be very frustrating. We encountered this same problem months ago with our big turbo cars and quickly sorted out a solution. Thanks to our tuner Chris Black we now have a MAF sensor capable of handling big power and big amounts of air. Kiss your P0700 codes goodbye! Stop dealing with rough driveablity problems if you are running Greddy 20G's, Big bolt on turbos or full turbo kits. These Mass Air Flow Sensors are designed and calibrated just for big power and upgraded turbo's!*Custom MAF curve which will allow for 1200bhp
*Properly scaled to retain stock like drivability with proper ECU calibration
*Gets rid of pesky transmission related codes and poor drivability
*Extensively tested and currently in use in several vehicles with EXCELLENT results
*Can be used with ANY turbo system available
*Plugs into factory wiring harness connectors. No cutting or splicing of the vehicle harness necessary

These sensors are the answer to all the drivability issues the community is having. We have been contacted by multiple customers from multiple different shops who are simply unhappy with the drivability of their cars. These sensors are a major part of the equation, which will bring proper drivability to the car. This does not require any software changes in the ECU to work around these issues. These sensors are designed properly to work WITH the factory system instead of having to modify it.

These sensor sets are sold for $999.95 and are plug and play. A Retune is required for this setup.

GT-R Blog is reporting a few more updates, and more detailed information on the new 2012 Nissan GT-R to be  officially shown around October 2010.

The higher than expected number is an estimated 530-540 ps, or 532 hp, a big jump from the 2011's 485 hp.  There is no information on how this increase is achieved, but at a 2011 boost pressure of 10.2 psi, there was plenty of headroom to allow for more boost.







Nissan has worked on refining the suspension for 2012, with a change in the lower mounting position for the damper, the sway bar, castor angles, and the rear lower roll center. Moving the damper and damper mounting position closer to the wheel, changes the motion ratio of the suspension. It also changes the angle of the damper, which changes its effectiveness.

New tire options in the Bridgestone and Dunlop, along with 3kg lighter wheels, help to reduce weight, and improve performance. Aerodynamic changes have helped improved the coefficient of drag by 10%.

Will all of these changes add up to a big improvement on the 7:26.7 Nurburgring lap time? The never published SpecV time, was supposedly a 7:18, are these changes enough to put the 2012 DBA under 7:20?

GT-R Blog is also reporting that the SpecM, or Gentlemans edition R35 GT-R, will be labeled an Egoist.  This is a bit of an odd name, as it has negative connotations in English. It would almost seem like someone is pulling an April Fools joke a little early.  We will have to see how true some of the information actually is, come October.


Source: GT-R Blog

After a 10 year absence from Super Taikyu, Team Daishin will compete in the Okayama (formerly TI) round of Super Taikyu, September 5th, 2010. At the helm of the #81 ST1 class GT-R will be Ooyagi Nobuyuki, Takayuki Aoki, and Tetsuya Tanaka.
Team Daishin Super Taikyu R34 N1 Skyline GT-R

Source: GT-R World

Picture - Yatsuzuka

Nissan GT-R's took wins in the Competition Modern, and the Challenge Modern classes at the 2010 QUIT Targa West rally in Australia. Heres a couple of videos, and the press release from the organizers.

GT-R's seem to be the cars of choice for the winners.






Peter Major has won his first QUIT Targa West Competition Modern crown holding off Jim Richards to take the outright rally win in Perth today.

Major and his co-driver Kim Screaigh (Nissan GTR 35) took top spot on the timing sheets from Richards midway into Leg 1 and continued to stretch their advantage across the final two Leg’s of the tarmac rally, ultimately taking victory by 51 seconds.

Competing in the rally for the third time Major’s previous best result was seventh outright.

“We’re over the moon the car was fantastic it did everything we wanted it to do,” Major said.

“It was great racing against Jimmy (Jim Richards), you know he’s going to come hard and no matter what he does he’s going to be fast.

“You never know how hard he’s pushing so we just tried to stay on it and stay as quick as we could, luckily we were able to keep that gap we gained in the first leg,” he continued. 

Richards and Barry Oliver (Porsche GT2) crossed the final stop control in second outright with Peter Rullo and Simon Iseppi (Nissan GTR 35) holding off Ross Hamilton and Tony Robson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) to take third.

Defending Competition Modern Champion Steve Jones, who was hoping to become the first driver to win three QUIT Targa West crowns in a row, was forced to retire from the rally at the end of SS1 due to an engine failure.

QUIT Targa West 2010 concluded in spectacular fashion with the Killarnée City of Perth Super Stage run along the Swan River Foreshore.

It was the first time in the rally’s six-year history that a stage had been run in the heart of the city and more than 6000 spectators converged on the Esplanade to enjoy the action.

After holding a clear advantage over the Competition Classic class for the majority of the rally disaster struck Tolley Challis on the liaison to SS30 – the second last stage - when his Porsche 911 RS caught fire.

“I believe we’ve had a bit of a fuel issue, resulting in the air filter catching fire, hopefully we’ll be ok and we’ll do our best to get back out there,” Challis said at the time.

The crew were able to fix the car in within the required time frame, however, the organisers had already closed the stage which meant they were unable to start and received a derived time for SS30 before rejoining the rally for the final stage, SS31.

Despite the drama Challis and Flood held onto the top spot in the Competition Classic class by more than one minute, his best result at QUIT Targa West.

Mark and Mitchell O’Kane also recorded their best result at the rally since they made the switch to the Competition Classic class several years ago, second outright in their (Holden Torana A9X).

David and Vicki Moir (Datsun 240Z) have achieved second in the class for the past three years and while they once again missed out on taking the coveted winners trophy they rounded out the top three.

Mark and Andrew Conacher (Nissan GTR 35) returned to defend their 2009 Challenge Modern crown and proved once again to the crew to beat.

Robert Darrington and David Abetz upgraded to a (Nissan GTR 35) in the hope of reclaiming the trophy they held in 2007 but were unable to match the pace of the Conacher brothers out the front.  A further 7 minutes and 35 seconds behind were Keith and Russell Hawley (Holden VU Ute) who held onto third in the class.

The Challenge Classic class was taken out by Robert Buys/Sanja Aksamija (Porsche 911) who put in a dominate display across all three Leg’s of the rally to take the class by 2 minutes 48 seconds. They were followed by Paul and Mitchell Thompson (Porsche 911 RS) in second and Martin and Sharon Eyer (Triumph TR8) in third.

QUIT Targa West was held from the 26th - 29th August 2010 in the Shires of Kalamunda and Toodyay and the City of Swan and City of Perth.
Source: Quit Targa West

Some information on the R35 GT-R ST1 specifications for 2011/2012 have been released by GT-R World, and GT-R Blog.  The ST1(Super Tec) car from Nissan/Nismo costs approximately 23,000,000 yen.

Super Taikyu is an endurance race series from Japan. Super Taikyu race cars are production based cars with modifications to bring them up to race levels. The tires used are full slick tires mounted on 20" Volk Racing G2 wheels.





In its first race, the ST1 Nissan GT-R started in 3rd, and finished in 8th place in a rain soaked debut at Fuji Speedway July 26-27, 2010.    The next Super Taikyu race on the schedule is September 4th-5th. 

Source: Super Taikyu Website ,  GT-R World , GT-R Blog , You Tube

The R35 Nissan GT-R is a very capable car, stock. From 2009-2011 magazines and owners have found:  11 second quarter mile times, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.  193 mph top speeds.  7:26:7 at Nurburgring. 1:56.9 at Buttonwillow. 1:19.7 on the Top Gear test track. No matter what you drive, those times are quick.  Quick, but we can do better.


STILLEN Stage 1 Package takes your standard Nissan GT-R  VR38DETT and increases horsepower and torque over 100 whp, and 130 ft-lbs. Not only do you have impressive horsepower gains, the parts weigh 25 lbs less than stock parts.

• STILLEN 304 Stainless Steel Exhaust
• STILLEN 304 Stainless Steel Y-Pipe
• K & N Replacement Air Filter
• Cobb Accessport

The engine performance is often the first, and easiest thing for owners to upgrade, but there are other areas of the car that can be improved upon.






Brakes:  AP Racing Curved Vane Rotor Upgrade


The factory Brembo brakes are adequate for a street car, but crack around the cross drilled holes. A very popular upgrade is the AP Racing J-hooks, or Slotted rotors. They are less expensive than the factory rotors, and owners report them lasting three times as long as the Brembo rotors.














Suspension: STILLEN Adjustable Sway Bars with Endlinks
 

Features:
• 3-Way Adjustable Front Bar - 20-38% Stiffer
• 5-Way Adjustable Rear Bar - 67-108% Stiffer
• Adjustable Sway-Bar End Links
• Poly-Urethane Bushings
• DOM Steel Construction – High Tensile Strength
• Silver Powder Coated Finish – Maintains Appearance and Protects 

With the engine, brake, and suspension addressed, go out and improve on those 0-60, 1/4 mile, and track times.  When you are ready for more, there is much more available from Penske 2 way adjustable coil overs, to Carbon Ceramic Brake upgrades, to turbo, and engine upgrades.  Check the STILLEN catalog for a few of the performance parts available for the Nissan GTR. 

In this video from Autocar.co.uk, they put the Mercedes SLS vs the Lexus LFA, and the Nissan GT-R vs the Porsche 911 Turbo S. 478 hp vs 533 hp.  They say the Nissan GT-R does not have launch control, but actually the later GT-R’s have what we call LC3.

Source: Autocar.co.uk

PRODUCTION UPDATE: COBB Tuning has determined that the polished aluminum finish on these intakes does not meet our standards for durability. The GT-R SF Intakes will receive a powder-coat finish which will be significantly more resistant to scratching and scuffing. Please provide your feedback regarding your powder coating color of preference in the GT-R SF Intake Color Survey. This will delay the availability of the SF Intake until they are refinished. The new color will be announced shortly.


COBB Tuning's popular SF intake system is now available for the Nissan R35 GT-R. Constructed of polished 2.75-inch diameter aluminum tubing with K&N dry-fabric, cone filter elements and 3-ply silicone couplers; the SF Intake System is easy to install and requires no special tuning.

Increased Power




The COBB Tuning SF Intake removes a pre-turbo restriction in the stock intake system. Power gains become more pronounced at higher boost pressures. This dyno graph shows the power gain across the rev range at 17 psi simply by installing this intake.


Easy to Install

The COBB Tuning SF Intake was designed to be easy to install without having to modify your car or remove the bumper skin. Installation requires no cutting or trimming or removal of the bumper skin or bumper support and can be completed with simple hand tools. Simply remove the stock airbox and bolt the SF intake into place in just minutes!

No Calibration Needed

The SF Intake for the R35 GT-R has been painstakingly designed to eliminate the need for a specific intake calibration. This intake is 100% compatible with the stock calibration as well as all Off the Shelf AccessPORT maps.

Increased Induction Sound

Enjoy the increased snort and snarl from your GT-R with the addition of the COBB Tuning SF Intake system. Turbocharger induction noise and bypass valve venting sound is now louder thanks to the new this intake system! Don’t just look the part, sound like it too!

The COBB Tuning SF Intake system comes with everything you need to improve the performance potential of your R35 GT-R. Add the COBB Tuning Silicone Intercooler Hose Kit to complete your engine’s intake system to enhance your car’s under-hood appeal!

Available from STILLEN for $695

DBA-R35?  You probably were not aware but the current chassis code of the “R35” is actually CBA-R35. The 2012 US(2011 Japan) Nissan GT-R gets a new chassis designation – DBA-R35.  Tekknikal from NAGTROC wrote an excellent post explaining some of the new changes for the DBA.  Head over to NAGTROC for the full post.

Some of the changes for 2012

• Chassis reinforcement in the strut towers
• Chassis reinforcement under the dashboard
• New spring rates and dampers
• New suspension geometry
• 390mm brake rotors, up 10mm from the CBA-R35
• ABS and VDC upgrades
• Engine power up to 500+hp
• New tire options
• New lighter wheels
• New fuel save mode
• Launch control 4 (4,000 rpm)
• 2 wheel drive mode
• Front bumper changes
• Rear diffuser changes
• Seat redesign
• New colors

More information will be available over the next few days, and the full official specifications should be released in October.

Source: NAGTROC

DSPORT Magazine pitted a big group of 2011 cars against each other in a Car of the Year test featuring dyno, dragstrip,  and road course testing. Included with the video is a 70 minute DVD covering all the aspects of the testing.  The quickest car on the road course, and at the dragstrip was the Nissan GT-R.   Overall the Nissan GT-R was DSPORTS car of the year for 2011.  Wait until they have a chance to test the 2012 version.




Check out the link below for a chance to win $2000 in STILLEN bucks.

GT-R Blog is reporting on some leaked information about the 2012 US Nissan GT-R.

The rumors and speculation have been floating around the internet on some of the changes for the 2012 MY GT-R. There are a few noticeable differences, and some that we are going to have to point out.  First off the front bumper has been altered to open it up for increased airflow. The upper grill opening now follows the bumper design, and the intercooler inlet has been opened up. In addition, LED lights, and a 3rd mini canard have been added. The rear difuser has been altered to give a 10% improvement in downforce, and the overall coefficient of drag has been lowered to 0.268(more faster).

There are two new colors for 2012, neither of which have been confirmed for the US market.  Aurora Flare Blue Pearl – RAY , and a new black called Nebula Opal Black – GAG (choke?).  Part of that GAG may be the Premium price increase of 210,000 yen to 9,450,000 yen in Japan ($110,811 USD).  Will the US market Premium car be able to be under $100,000? In 2008-2009 the conversion was about 110-100 yen to a dollar. As you can see, this is a huge change on a $70k car. 9,450,000 yen at the 110 yen to a dollar rate would be around $85,900 USD. At 100 yen to a dollar $94,500.

New Rays wheels are 6.6 lbs lighter , and stronger than the 2009-2011 GT-R wheels, taking a total of 26.4 lbs of unsprung, rotating weight off the 2012 GT-R.

Head over to GT-R Blog for some more detailed pictures, and some more upcoming information on the engine changes.

Source: GT-R Blog

This is from last months issue, but I just picked the issue up off the newsstand.  The V8 is not my favorite way to see a Nissan GT-R raced, but it is how Nissan has seen some success with its racing platforms within the Super GT, and now GT1 rules.

Featured in the Volume 20, number 8 issue is the Sumo Power GT1 R35 GT-R.  The V8 engine is a VK56DE, putting out about 600 hp in accordance with the rules.  The body shell is based on the production car, but it  has a lot of tricks to bring it down to 1250 kg total.  Nismo ditched the VR38DETT, and the all wheel drive, and replaced it with the V8 and a Ricardo transaxle. The clutch is a 5.5 inch AP racing triple plate, brake are Brembo carbon.

Check out the magazine for the full technical specifications and pictures.

Source: Racecar Engineering.

David Yu of Auto Journals, and Purple Zilla notoriety, had the chance to attend the Wilton House Supercar day.

 

Not only did they have a bit of a show, they also had some go time at Thruxton race circuit, to strech some of the supercars legs.

Despite being on worn Toyo R888s, P Zilla made light of the conditions and seemed to be the fastest car of the morning, although Lord Pembroke was apparently the most sideways driver in his beloved Bayside Blue R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II! (He wisely left the Veyron in the paddock...)

Check out the video from inside the Purple Zilla.

Source: GTR.co.UK Forums