GT-R Discussion

[bto]

Hey Budha, OK, thread created...now all that is needed is to participate,

Anyway, that is a nice kit that came out for the R34, those Veilside guys.....I specially like what they are going to offer for the FairladyZ, a.k.a. the 350Z in the US.

BTW, Do not worry, as you may already know, the GT-R is getting a replacement....if you want more info on it, sure just ask me.

-bto

[BuddhaTB]

bto, where you from? and have you ever driven a GT-R?

Veilside always offers some awesome body kits. I especially liked their body kits for the S2000 and MR-S. Both are very impressive.

As for the future of the GT-R, I've seen the pics of the concept GT-R that's supposed to be based on the G35 Couple (Skyline Coupe in Japan). I don't really like the styling of it, but I'm skeptical if that's the true GT-R that will be placed into production. Nissan needs to bring back the design teams that created the R33 and R34 models and have them work on the next GT-R.

The 350Z is a pretty good replacement for the GT-R. It has some really good potential for tuning, especially in the turbocharging dept. I can't wait til those turbo kits hit the market.

Too bad in the U.S., Skyline GT-R's are still very expensive to purchase from Motorex. Nissan should have brought this car over instead of the Fairlady (300ZX) to battle the Supra, RX-7, and Mitsubishi GTO that was being offered in the states during the 90's.

[bto]

First of all, I'm in the US, more specifically in CA...just two hours away from you, SB.

Well, the 300ZX was brought to the US long ago, 60-70s, so having brought the then Prince Skyline GT-R would have been very costly on the US market, specially because perception of japanese back was more of an econobox...but then again that is how I understand it.

The 350Z remember is the little sister of the GT-R, and both of them still have a littler sister, the Silvia, currently discontinued, but now known to have a replacement under development, but project yet to be formerly announced. Anyway, I like what Nismo is doing with the 350Z, already they have shown a NA modified VQ35 that puts outs 450HP, but sadly if it makes it to the US it will probably sport 400HP, due to emissions control. But still good gain. And then we have the S-tune and R-tune packages from Nismo. Those bodykits and suspension kits are schweet!. A friend who is a journalist in Japan has already tested the FairladyZ with an S-tune modification and he already proclaims Porsche-like handling. Gotta love Nismo..

As for the GT-R, well the R35, it is rumoured to have two version coming out. One to be more of a touring and to be sporting at least 280HP+; this one would be your typical old folks performance vehicle, most likely aimed at the market that buys the Lexus SC430. Then you have the true enthusiast 400HP+ version, which is already being rumoured will lack A/C as a standars option...and to go already against the Porsches (fuggit about the Boxster, that is for the 350Z, it's to go up against the 911s).

And also, you might have already heard but anyway, Lotus is co-tuning the suspension of the next GT-R and Cosworth is co-tuning the engine, engine that is still unknown. Nobody knows if it will be a V6 or V8. I would say that is why there are two rumoured version, the 280 will sport the V6 and the Enthusiast 400Hp will sport the V8....with the V6 being Turbocharged while the V8 being NA.

-bto

[BuddhaTB]

Some really good info there.

I never knew Nissan was able to put 450HP out of a tuned NA VQ35. That's a pretty amazing feat for a V6. I would be really interested in reading about this engine. I agree with you on the Nismo tuning packages for the Z. They are really nice and Nismo has done an excellent job in designing a clean looking body kit. I also read that Nismo was going to come out with a high performance Z-tune sometime in the future too.

As for the R35, two different versions would be nice. I'm sure Nissan and Nismo will do a good job with the engineering and performance aspects of the R35. I'm just worried about the styling and design of the body shape. I just hope it looks beautiful and stunning like the R33 and R34 models. It basically has to look good. I also think that Nissan will basis its engine decision on what the other Japanese brands will be doing with their sports cars. I heard that Toyota might work on the next gen Supra depending on how well it does in F1 racing this year. Nissan will also take into consideration what Honda will be doing with the next NSX too. I also have heard of rumors that Nissan might put out a special Skyline or GT-R to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Prince Skyline. It's a bunch of rumors right now regarding the next Skyline, but one thing I'm pretty sure of is that it will be coming to the U.S. Hopefully those V6's and V8's you were talking about actually become reality, as they sound very nice. The RB26DETT will be missed forever though.

In addition to the next Skyline, does Nissan have any plans to continue the Silvia line? It would suck to see them be gone for good.

[bto]

Styling-wise, the next GT-R is said to be about 80% similar to the concept shown at Tokyo Auto Show (Would have put TAS, but that is also Tokyo Auto Salon). This applies to the Enthusiast (400), while styling on the 280+hp is said to be somewhat oriented towards the old folks who buy sports cars.

The Silvia project is already said to be in development, check it out here (not a direct link due to poblems with it) drive.com.au http://www.drive.com.au, article is called "Godzilla set to roar again", in there there is this paragraph:

Nissan's John Yukawa confirmed that a new 200SX was on the way and that it would stay true to the philosophy of its predecessor. Don't be surprised, then, if the 200SX replacement is another compact, rear-drive, turbocharged coupe.

"The 200SX is an entry car for the young guy, the Z-car is a car for the macho guy and the GT-R is a car for the enthusiast," said Yukawa. "Nissan is always seeking to provide fun-to-drive cars for the customers, especially for enthusiasts. This is the Nissan way."

As you may know, the 200SX is the name given to the Silvia in Australia, so we can only hope they bring it here.....I know I would buy it.

Anyway, shifting to the FailadyZ. Did you see the cool new 350Z convertible?..in case you have not, check it out:

Quite cool, although I'm not too fond with convertible cars, they still did a great job.

-bto

[bto]

OH and by the way, on the Honda and Toyota fronts:

'Yota rumour:
Supra's Succesor will most likely will be called the 5000GT and will feature a 5.0-liter, DOHC, 32-valve VVTLi V8 for power. And the Styling is supposedly retro. Think of it as a revamped 2000GT.

Honda rumour:
Instead of using Honda's IMA system to increase fuel mileage, the nsx will use the batteries and electric motor as a performance supplement - sort of electric nitrous.

[BuddhaTB]

That's wonderful news about the silvia. Hoping it makes it to the America this time around. I've seen the 350Z convertible and its pretty nice, but I would still prefer the hardtop version. Would Nissan have any plans to put a turbocharged or supercharged version of the 350Z?

Regarding the 5000GT rumor, I've read the same thing about the engine being a V8, but the retro styling would be new info to me. Would the 2000GT be the Supra before the JZA-80 model?

[bto]

It would probably be a Turbocharged 350Z, courtesy of Nismo, but first things first: Nissan's concern right now is finishing the GT-R and releasing it, then it would probably offer a turbocharged 350z.....but I don't really know if offered stock or to buy Nismo turbos after....due to possible conflicts with the Prince (GT-R).

Remember that the Toyota 2000GT was originally the original concept for the Z, it was designed by Yamaha....but for some unkown reasons, Nissan turned down, so Yamaha just offered it to Toyota. But it is more of a grandparent to the supra, remember the Supra started out as a sort-of Celica spin-off. But 2000GT is considered by many, including me, to be the Supra's beginnings.

[BuddhaTB]

Remember that the Toyota 2000GT was originally the original concept for the Z, it was designed by Yamaha....but for some unkown reasons, Nissan turned down, so Yamaha just offered it to Toyota. But it is more of a grandparent to the supra, remember the Supra started out as a sort-of Celica spin-off. But 2000GT is considered by many, including me, to be the Supra's beginnings.

Interesting. Would you happen to have a pic of it or a link?

Also, in terms of a technical standpoint, you think its possible to do an engine swap of the RB26DETT into the 350Z? Just curious about that since Nissan will be using a new engine or a different variation of the VQ35 for the future GT-R.

[F1Pilot]

Speaking of the Skyline, is it ONLY in Japan? I mean, do they have it in the US? A buddy of mine said that it's in the US, and that he could have sworn he saw one in NorCal somewhere.

[BuddhaTB]

Speaking of the Skyline, is it ONLY in Japan? I mean, do they have it in the US? A buddy of mine said that it's in the US, and that he could have sworn he saw one in NorCal somewhere.

Skylines are sold around the world except for North America. I should say was, because Nissan ceased production of the Skyline back in August of 2002. They are currently working on the next gen Skyline. Your friend was correct in saying there are Skyline's in the U.S. However, they are not sold by Nissan. A company called Motorex imports the cars into the U.S. and does the conversions to make the car meet federal, state, and DOT regulations. Due to the cost of conversions, taxes, tariffs, custom fees, and shipping charges, the price of a skyline is a lot. The R32 model will cost anywhere between $20k to $35k depending on mileage. R33's cost around $40k to $60k. The R34 cost around $85K, the price of a new NSX. But recently, I've heard of other companies that are importing and legalizing skylines for use on American Soil. I'm not too sure how respectable these companies are, but they do exists.

Here's some interesting reading if your curious about the Skyline or Motorex.
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/featu ... c_skyline/
http://www.motorex.net/m_home.html

(From Left to Right) R32, R33, R34

[F1Pilot]

Speaking of the Skyline, is it ONLY in Japan? I mean, do they have it in the US? A buddy of mine said that it's in the US, and that he could have sworn he saw one in NorCal somewhere.

Skylines are sold around the world except for North America. I should say was, because Nissan ceased production of the Skyline back in August of 2002. They are currently working on the next gen Skyline. Your friend was correct in saying there are Skyline's in the U.S. However, they are not sold by Nissan. A company called Motorex imports the cars into the U.S. and does the conversions to make the car meet federal, state, and DOT regulations. Due to the cost of conversions, taxes, tariffs, custom fees, and shipping charges, the price of a skyline is a lot. The R32 model will cost anywhere between $20k to $35k depending on mileage. R33's cost around $40k to $60k. The R34 cost around $85K, the price of a new NSX. But recently, I've heard of other companies that are importing and legalizing skylines for use on American Soil. I'm not too sure how respectable these companies are, but they do exists.

Here's some interesting reading if your curious about the Skyline or Motorex.
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/featu ... c_skyline/
http://www.motorex.net/m_home.html

(From Left to Right) R32, R33, R34

Whoa! That's nice and pricey! Looks sweet as hell!

[bto]

Skyline GT-Rs can be had in the US through Motorex, they are the main importer in the US. They are based in California. Although many grey market GT-Rs are known to be sold on eBay at times.

The prices of GT-Rs (according to MotoRex) range from 28k to 96k (or something similar, haven't checked their website lately) the price may seem high, but remember, MotoRex not only imports these vehicles, they legalize them and bring them to EPA standards and conduct extensive test, plus they are known among owners for providing excellent support. It's a cost of about 14k.

Supposedly there are about a 100 Skyline GT-Rs in the US.

And just for the record, Nissan branched the Skyline name into two separate entities, the Skyline is now known in the US as the "Infiniti G35," (or also coupe for that matter) it is known as the Skyline elsewhere in the World (where it is sold), while the formerly-known as Skyline GT-R has become just the GT-R.

Also, the RB26DETT is Dead (long live the RB26), Nismo uses the VQ35 in JGTC for the GT-Rs.

I don't think it would go in nicely into the 350Z, I would much rather buy the Nismo 450+HP engine. Though I know of a 240Z around CA that has an RB25.

As for the 2000GT pictures...here ya go Buddha:






-bto

[F1Pilot]

Is that a new car, or is that 2000GT an old car? Just wonderin'...with the car companies giving their cars the retro treatments nowadays.

[BuddhaTB]

2000GT is an old Toyota car. bto says that the next Supra will be based on a retro design of the 2000GT. Can't wait to see some pics of the Concept Supra.

[bto]

It's an oldie (as said by Buddha), from around the 60s....and I've also heard that it might have been used in "You only live twice", a 007 film....I have not confirmed it, but I guess it is, since I saw a Diecast of it:



-bto

[F1Pilot]

Damn...Toyota? A Bond car? What a trip! That's pretty sweet!

[bto]

Hey Buddha, I just go this info on the modified Nismo VQ:

At 450hp the modified VQ38 generates roughly 118.4hp/liter

The 450hp race engines (at least the Nismo version) not only costs well over $10,000 but you may have to multiply that price a few times.

The Pectel unit that controls it is fairly expensive and is not a simple road car type ECU. Do you have easy access to 100+ octane?

No word on emissions but sound ordinances in most areas will likely not be met.

No confirmation on this, but the Nismo crate motor may only be sold to owners of the race car and designated for competition use only. Haven't been able to verify this one way or the other, though it would fall in line with other manufacturer's practices with engines of this nature.

[BuddhaTB]

Hey Buddha, I just go this info on the modified Nismo VQ:
At 450hp the modified VQ38 generates roughly 118.4hp/liter

The 118.4hp/liter is very impressive. This figure is very close to that of the S2000. I wonder what the redline of Nismo VQ38 will be.

Besides Nismo, have you heard of any tuners like HKS offering a modified VQ engine as a crate engine?

[bto]

Should have mentioned, but the info I posted applies to both, Nismo and HKS.

On a side note, introducing the Abflug 350Z bodykit (pre-production):


And here is the Nismo VQ38:


And the icing on the cake:
350Z Nismo R-tune

With "them sweet LM GT4s"

-bto

[F1Pilot]

Wow! Great post, bto! You and BuddhaTB! Sweet guys...sweet!

[bto]

Thanks for the compliments, glad to be helpful!.

[BuddhaTB]

bto, Thanks for the pics.

Two Questions
1.) The pre-production photo of the Abflug 350Z bodykit looks very promising. From the pic, it looks like a widebody kit, would this be true?
2.) Are the Brembo's on the 350Z the same ones found on the R33 and R34 Skyline GT-R's?

Also found this while reading my magazines.
[quote="We hear that Nismo is working on an R-Tune version (designed specifically for track use) and Z-Tune (taking R-Tune one step further) versions.[/quote]

[bto]

Buddha,

1) It might, no information has been released about it, besides the pic and this one:



2) As of what I've heard from people who have driven and experienced the 350Z, I think they are.

And a little more data I dug out for the Nismo VQ35 (or VQ38, depending what you decide to call it):

Nissan Motorsports (NISMO) now offers a "crate" VQ35 engine (350Z) that produces 450 horsepower.
Each crate engine is laboriously handcrafted in Nissan's Tokyo facility, and each part within this engine is available from Nissan dealers in Japan.
The VQ sports 13.5:1 compression and uses a Pectel T6 ECM for fuel and spark control. What kills us is that this thing uses stock cylinder head castings!

And a little extra, Stillen is currently developing a SuperCharger for the 350Z, in the current status of it, you have to use a special (and I might add, cheesy lookin) hood, to allow enough space for its placement. Don't have any prospective power figures on hand.

Also GReddy can now be added to the list:

Prototype Twin Turbo Kit with:
Twin GReddy/Mitsubishi TD05H-18G Turbochargers
Twin External Type S Wastegates
One off Stainless Steel Turbo manifolds
Twin Airinx AY-SB open element air-filters
Prototype Front-mounted Intercooler
3 Row Type 23 (H292 x W600 x D115mm)
Dual inlets end-tanks to a large 80mm single outlet entank.
Engine Control:
e-manage (piggy-back ECU)
PRofec e-01 electronic boost controller and e-manage programmer
Full Auto Turbo Timer
Exhaust :
Prototype Full Dual Evolution Cat-back exhaust system (dual 60mm)
Brakes:
GREX/ Alcon 6pot Calipers with slotted 360mm rotors (light-weight)

[bto]

And just for the kicks, INTRODUCING!.....the Nismo Skyline GT-R Z-tune: