mods, don't kill me for yet another GT-R thread...

but i thought this would be interesting, especially the comments about the brakes... (cue the "i told you so's")

anyway, i thought this was a refreshing change from the magazine sensationalism. very objective report IMHO

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RC Developments - Race Report on R35 GTR.

Introduction.

On July 5th 2008, RC Developments entered their stock R35 GTR into the Club Challenge of the 2008 UK Time Attack Series Round 4 at Oulton Park, Cheshire, U.K. Clive Seddon (M.D at RC Developments and driver of the Yellow RC Evo 6) drove the car throughout the day. The car was 100% stock JDM model, with exception to the exchange of tyres from original Bridgestone over to Toyo T1R Tyre. Weather conditions were very wet/rain in the first session, and later the sun came out to dry the track completely.

The following points were noticed;

Engine/Powertrain.

The R35 GTR presents immediate power delivery with excellent Throttle Response. The car is reported to drive similar to a Normally Aspirated Large Displacement V8 Engine, with no turbo-lag experienced above 3,000 rpm, with a large powerband, no noticeable tailing off of power at the top of the rpm, making it a very forgiving car to drive. An increased level of overall power would help, and would help to make the car produce quicker lap times, with no real indications that increasing the power would unsettle the balance of the car.

Transmission.

The R35 GTR was run in Race Mode for Transmission, and reported to perform excellently. The driver never felt cheated/over-ridden by the computer, allowing for total control, however one very slight drawback felt, was the restricted ability for the driver to gain extra gear braking when foot braking deteriorated, as the limited range for rpm did not allow the computer to shift down the gears when desired by the driver, to achieve deceleration.

The Clutch performed excellently throughout the session, with immediate response, no slipping and excellent pedal feel.

Brakes.

The Brakes were the most disappointing part of the car, with them failing completely after 2 hot laps, with the driver experiencing sever brake fade, and spongey pedal feel. This is indicative of the overall weight of the car, and the stock brakes will require immediate attention before any amount of fast road or circuit use.

Chassis & Suspension.

During the session, the track was very wet and also dry, and the driver tested the car with Traction Control on and off with the following points noted.

Traction Control in the Wet helped a great deal and was a real aid to the driver, and highly recommended. Without Traction Control, the car could not be pushed hard as traction was severely insufficient.

During the Dry conditions, Traction Control was preferred to be turned off, as once engaged, the Traction Control Programming offered too slow decay time, with power being reintroduced painstakingly slow which was very frustrating for the driver. The response of the Traction Control was not sufficient in the dry conditions, and as an indication, the car was around 1.5seconds quicker per lap than with the traction control enabled. The car could be driven over the kerbs, but only with the traction control disabled. However, the driver felt that on kerbs, and in corners, rear inside wheelspin was sensed which prevented acceleration out of the corners. This would be resolved by stronger acting rear differential and/or increase of hydraulic pressure to increase diff lock.

General feedback in chassis was good, with positive, heavy steering providing excellent feedback. The R35 turns in very well, however its weight is always apparent, although this will only be noticed once the car is raced on track. The handling of the car displayed oversteer during low speed cornering, which was easily correctable, and should not pose too many problems for intermediate drivers, and at high speed, the handling was reported to be very neutral. Severe understeer was experienced when using incorrect sized front tyres (245/30/18) but stock Bridgestone Tyre responded well.

In terms of suspension, the dampers were set to Race Mode throughout testing, and the car felt compliant to track, with no excessive bodyroll for a car in street trim. To focus the car to track use, improved springing will help to reduce bodyroll, but damping is very good, with the dampers reacting quickly, as kerb riding did not present any problems. Damping control is sufficient for track use, with the only suggestion being a lower ride height and a stiffer spring rating.

In Conclusion.

The R35 GTR as a stock vehicle is extremely impressive, with its compliance to street conditions, and its versatility in competition mode, with a few modifications, the car will make a great trackday car, without losing focus as a formidable tourer. We anticipate owners of the 35 to have a great deal of fun with the car at trackdays, and keep a comfortable car for the drive home. For full competition use, reduction in weight is immediately required, significant upgrading of the brake components, and increased power will transform the car into an ultimate racing machine.

 

The transmission as they stated was computer activated and hence I presume it to be an SMG-like transmission with no left pedal. Hmmmm must have got the excellent clutch pedal feel through the brake pedal since the brakes weren't much use. Or perhaps it was the driver trying to do a Fred Flinstone left foot braking maneuver through the floor boards.

 

Nice catch!! :P

 

DOH! missed that one! hahaha

oh well, there goes all credibility out the window for that write-up then!

 

GT-R not proving to be consistent in the straight line acceleration tests: C&D Magazine July and Aug'08 also May'08 R&T Magazine can't replicate the blistering 0-60mph in 3.2sec seen on edmunds review. The 0-60 mph times are between 3.4 - 4.1sec none beat the turbo and in fact the z06 and turbo beat the Gt-R in the QTR mile in R&T. Gt-r is great handling supercar it does have special rubber unlike the not so great stock tires on the 911Turbo (does that account for 2 seconds on the Nurburgring Nordschleif, maybe?). In Sport Compact Mag. June'08: GT-R released in Japan with a top speed limiter of 111 mph!!! You can track the car (on approved race tracks detected by GPS) but there is a mandatory dealer Safety Check @ $1000, try and skip it and void the warranty....The Gt-R test mules were showing awesome performance (some said they were the V-Spec motor & settings) who knows?? Definitely as 997TT owners go Gt-R owners will be plugging the leaks with performance upgrades. US spec cars rev/top speed limited?

 

no heavy chevy no care!

 

I was reading along and then had a total WTF! moment. Clutch pedal?? And what the hell does "excellently" mean?

 

yep...