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Are The Japanese Poised to Dethrone the 911 AND the Z06?

194 messages,  Last post on Nov 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM

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What is this discussion about? Nissan GT-R, Automotive News, Motorsports, Coupe


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#42 of 194
Re: Ummm... no. [bigmclargehuge] by bumpy
Mar 13, 2008 (8:42 am)
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Replying to: bigmclargehuge (Mar 13, 2008 7:42 am)

The ones I named before, plus the NC Miata, the RX-7s, and various European sports cars over the years.
#43 of 194
Re: Ummm... no. [bumpy] by bigmclargehuge
Mar 13, 2008 (9:37 am)
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Replying to: bumpy (Mar 13, 2008 8:42 am)

The FM Nissans, obviously. Indeed the other Mazdas as well. The C4 Corvette was technically front-midship, but the C5 and C6 V8 overhangs the axle centerpoint slightly. At least that's what I've seen in a few references. They are probably splitting hairs, but if we're going to be technical...
 
Most of the front mounted engine resides behind the front axle. With both the trany and differential in the back the weight bias front to rear in stock form is excellent giving a very predictable handling car.
   
http://www.autobahnpower.com/main.asp?sitepages=CorvetteZO6
#44 of 194
Re: another opinion [lemmer] by lemmer
Mar 13, 2008 (10:46 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Mar 13, 2008 6:21 am)

Nobody wants to discuss this? The GT-R's Chief Engineer claims far slower lap times than the commonly quoted time and nobody says a thing?
#45 of 194
Re: another opinion [lemmer] by bigmclargehuge
Mar 13, 2008 (11:59 am)
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Replying to: lemmer (Mar 13, 2008 10:46 am)

Nobody wants to discuss this? The GT-R's Chief Engineer claims far slower lap times than the commonly quoted time and nobody says a thing?
 
I just assumed the manufacturer was being conservative. We already have reason to suspect they were conservative with their 0-60, 1/4-mile, hp, and torque.
 
The people hyping this car up are the ones that have driven it. Not Nissan. (give or take)
#46 of 194
Re: another opinion [lemmer] by pmc4
Mar 13, 2008 (2:05 pm)
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Replying to: lemmer (Mar 13, 2008 6:21 am)

The fastest lap times for the stock Z06 was 7:429 by Jan Magnussen. The fastest lap times by Chevrolet was 7:56 by Chief Engineer Dave Hill.
The fastest lap time for the GT-R was (a rumored) 7:38, and a confirmed 8:13 earlier in the day. Please understand that the GT-R was driven soley by the Chief Engineer Kazutoshi using slit-cut tires that are not stock rubber.
 
I don't see how "early expert reports" could have even suggested the possibility of a 7:15 lap time in a 3,800 pound car that's longer than a Dodge Viper by about three inches and only has 480 horsepower. If anything, I'm surprised at the 7:55 average.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the GT-R beats just about every mass-produced sportscar out there on the Ring under incliment weather conditions, however.
 
From the following list, please note that the Corvette Z06 outperforms just about every mass-produced sportscar sold today on the Ring, including the Porsche GT3 RS and the Gallardo Superleggra/Murcielegra.
link title for Ring lap times
 
The GT-R will go on sale at a cost of $75,000. Will it be worth it? Probably.
#47 of 194
Re: Ummm... no. [bigmclargehuge] by pmc4
Mar 13, 2008 (2:19 pm)
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Replying to: bigmclargehuge (Mar 12, 2008 5:38 pm)

I happen to like the dashboard setup on the GT-R and would like to see other car manufacturers follow, including Chevrolet (for the Corvette) and Cadillac (for the XLR).
However, I imagine Car and Driver will print something like this: "The GT-R was one helluva fast car, but step into the cocpit and the car's supercar demeaner ...Changes.
It has this videogame dashboard designed by the same guy who designed videogames for the Sony Playstation, and it shows. Click on a button and an array of Christmas tree lights light up for the sole purpose of wowing adolesent teenagers. This gimmick on wheels, upon pulling up to our driveway, had a long line of teeny-boppers slurping down their ice cream cones and Big Gulps, saying, "Wow!" and "Neato, dude!" after we opened the door and exited the vehicle. "Rad! That dashboard looks just like the dashboard on my car I play on Grand Theft Auto!" piped another kid.
Far from a serious driver's environment, we conclude that the dashboard and interior serves no other purpose than to elicit excitement from the bubble-gum set..."

 
Remember when Buick came out with the 1986 Riviera with its touchscreen intrface? They called it a gimmick then, that only wowed teenagers.
Now look at all the high-end cars. They all have touchscreens in them.
#48 of 194
Re: another opinion [pmc4] by bigmclargehuge
Mar 13, 2008 (3:33 pm)
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Replying to: pmc4 (Mar 13, 2008 2:05 pm)

I wouldn't keep pressing the weight issue and this car's speed. Do you see the SLR McLaren? That's a 4000lb car. Sure, its got 25% more power than the Vette, but its 25% heavier. How does it get around the ring faster? Why does it 0-60 and 1/4-mile faster? They are both FMR layouts, shouldn't they be the same? Mercedes obviously has some mechanical wizardry and traction control that helps keep its 'Empire State Building' planted even moreso than an 'agile olympic athlete'. Things to consider before you go guestimating about speed on a track.
 
You forget that the first production car ever to lap the Ring in under 8 minutes was arguably an R33 GT-R in 1997. That car weighed 3400lbs and had only 302hp. That version was not the lightest or the most powerful car of its day
 
I realize you don't have much knowledge or faith in AWD as a performance enhancer, but that is what made up the difference to make the Skyline GT-R one of the fastest cars of its day, period.
 
The R35 weighs 12% more, but has 60% more power and an even more advanced AWD system than the R33 . 7:38 doesn't sound that unlikely. Lets wait a few months and see if the chief engineer was lying or wrong, whathaveyou. There will be more races.
 
Besides, there is an official time of 7:53 up there already by the editor of SportAuto Magazine on a damp track. That guy is certainly unbiased. Half the official records on the Ring are his. If he says it did 7:53 damp, I'm pretty sure it can do 7:43 dry.
 
I'd get used to hearing more official reports of GT-Rs putting in sub-8's on the Ring. And at some point a good enough driver will probably get an official 7:38.
 
If it sells for $70K, its very much worth it. If it sells for $90K+, buy a Vette. They are going to be so close in both price and performance, if you have to pay extra for a GT-R the Vette is easily the better value.
#49 of 194
Re: another opinion [bigmclargehuge] by pmc4
Mar 13, 2008 (6:17 pm)
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Replying to: bigmclargehuge (Mar 13, 2008 3:33 pm)

The SLR McLaren you saw posted on my link was the 722 GT. Here's a quote:
 
"The 722 GT is a tuned version of the SLR 722 which is developed for a one-make racing series.
Under the body, the car has shed 300 kg and reduced its dry weight to 1300 kg (2866 lb). The engine remains in relatively stock specification but now produces 500 kW (680 bhp) and 830 N·m (612 ft·lbf) at 1.75 bar (175 kPa) boost. Inside, the car is stripped out with only the essential functions being controlled from a carbon fiber binnacle. Each costs upward of €750,000..."

 
So notice that it was a 2,900 pound car that beat the Z06 Corvette on the Ring, not the 3,890 behemoth you indicated.
This further substantiates my assertion that the 7:55 time for the GT-R (a 3,800 pound car) is a liberal estimate.
Please also note that a $600,000 car that weighs 2,900 pounds and is fabricated with carbon fiber throughout barely beat the $77,000 Vette around the Ring.
 
P/S: THe C5 Vette came out in 1997. It was not only more powerful than the R33, but weighed 100 pounds less. Do you know if that Vette was tested on the Ring in that year?
#50 of 194
Re: another opinion [pmc4] by bigmclargehuge
Mar 13, 2008 (6:45 pm)
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Replying to: pmc4 (Mar 13, 2008 6:17 pm)

P/S: THe C5 Vette came out in 1997. It was not only more powerful than the R33, but weighed 100 pounds less. Do you know if that Vette was tested on the Ring in that year?
 
The fastest I can see a C5 Vette going is a 7:56. And that was in 2004 with a C5 Z06. About the same as a C6 Z51. Even being 100hp senior to the GT-R and 100lbs lighter, the C5 was not noticeably superior to the R33. Neither is the C6 Z51. That is the difference that the GT-R's AWD system makes. You can just hand over a massive power/weight advantage to the competition so long as you have more traction. 1.5x, 2x whatever.
 
But we're not talking 305hp R33 anymore, we're talking 480hp R35. The last generation GT-R had the same performance as the fastest production Corvettes at the time, and I assure you so does the R35.
 
You are correct that the 2900lb 722 GT ran a 7:38. However, the stock SLR McLaren ran a 7:40. Here's the quote:
 
At the Nurburgring testings, the 722 GT made a time of only 7:38 minutes. It seems that the car has some problems with the transmission and with the new running brake assembly, this is why it couldn’t get a better time than the SLR.
 
Please note that a 4000lb behemoth still beat the Z06 around the ring with a time of 7:40. And if it weren't for said 'transmission troubles', the 2900lb carbon fiber sled would have absolutely demolished both of them. Can't verify that of course. As for its high pricetag, that's what they get for trying to get a heavy RWD car go faster around the Ring.
 
Nissan has always cheated and used computers and AWD. It makes taking a heavy car around the ring faster cheaper and easier than what it took to get a RWD SLR to do it. But hey, more fun for the bargain buyer.
 
So really, we're back to 7:55 being a highly conservative claim, since the GT-R did about that 10 years ago. 7:15 might be a liberal estimate. If I had to guess at a logical best time, I'd say.... 7:35. And we already have unconfirmed reports of that happening.
#51 of 194
Re: Ummm... no. [pmc4] by british_rover
Mar 14, 2008 (7:01 am)
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Replying to: pmc4 (Mar 12, 2008 4:23 pm)

A V6 is always inherently better in design than an I6. More compact, smoother, better COG. Why an automaker would want to go with an I6 is beyond me.
 
Well that makes it official you have no idea what you are talking about. A V6 is a cost cutting measure and thats it. The inline 6 is a better design but costs more money. You can get a low center of gravity with an inline 6 simply by mounting it at an angle like BMW does.

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