Question on moding the GT-R

[Cucuy]

I have a question. Is the GT-R wroth buying if you like to Mod the Hell out of your cars? I read that Nissan will void the warranty. But I know that goes for all Cars. I read that Nissan Is going to more firm about it. I read that even if you would like to change your rims you have to go through them? WTF? I hope this is Rumors?

I know we don't know what can be done to this car yet. But I would like to start off with a tune. I hope Tuners will have HP Formulas....

[JeremyBlackwell]

Several tuners have already cracked the ECU to remove the top speed limiter, 1 bar fuel cut limiter, and also modify the boost level.

[Cucuy]

Several tuners have already cracked the ECU to remove the top speed limiter, 1 bar fuel cut limiter, and also modify the boost level.

Alright. Love it more and more. I can't wait till they hit the show room floor here in the Cali.

[Phoenix]

I have a question. Is the GT-R wroth buying if you like to Mod the Hell out of your cars? I read that Nissan will void the warranty. But I know that goes for all Cars. I read that Nissan Is going to more firm about it. I read that even if you would like to change your rims you have to go through them? WTF? I hope this is Rumors?

I know we don't know what can be done to this car yet. But I would like to start off with a tune. I hope Tuners will have HP Formulas....


RE: worth buying?
Uum?? I guess that's an individual interpretation, but the performance measures certainly make for a good baseline to work from.

RE: Voiding the warranty?
Same conversation, new model. ;) Dealers are spending upwards of $40,000 to fit their shops with the equipment to maintain and keep the cars at spec. Any car you modify is going to run the risk of voiding the warranty; I imagine this is especially true with this car based on the fact that many of the components are novel and innovative.

Avoiding warrranty loss is advisable as the cost of maintenance will be high; it is far greater than the dollars many are spending over MSRP just for the car itself. In other words, they will make more money off of your visits to the dealership after the requisite free maintenance period is up (I believe 3 years / 36,000 miles). There will be very few non-dealer shops that will have the skills, resources, or hardware to maintain this automobile. In my experience, if you don't have a degree / certification in automotive mechanics, it is best to stay with pure bolt-on modifications, i.e. air intakes, downpipes, high-flow cats, bov, intercoolers, ancillary pieces. Time spent trying to find the balance of the original set-up will be >> than the time actually spent driving the car. Touching the motor, manifold, turbo or transmission, especially so early in the life cycle of the R35 is generally not a good idea. I have blown up motors on my journey to modify cars beyond what the block can handle or just using untested pieces that don't have good fitment with OEM or with all the other performance parts that go into a fully-built engine.

The benefit of a freer flowing exhaust that is lighter weight / greater diameter from the engine back will undoubtedly provide gains.

Eg. Just by placing a lighter weight, O2 housing, test pipe with resonator, downpipe, and side exit exhaust (getting rid of probably 25 lbs of piping) on an SRT-4, I gained ~ 30 hp along with greater throttle reponse [caveat = fully-built]. Power-adders always love greater flow.

Just my opinion, but I would let the shops experiment for awhile and others mangle their cars before stepping into any internal modification; this goes for ECU modification as well. I have seen plenty of piggy-backs, stand-alones (I know the Cobb piece is a re-flash and can purportedly be flashed back to oem if needed) never find balance and lead to persistent problems with performance when not matched well to OEM or modifications. Find a good dynojet operator to get baseline / post-modification results. This is not to say that I wouldn't use a reputable piece such as the Cobb system, I would just wait until the bugs are worked out and they have figured out how to match maps with modifications.

RE: wheels
Same as above. Lighter rims will always reduce unsprung weight and provide noticeable gain, but be wary of variant sizing causing suspension geometry issues. The car is extremely well balanced and changing this can cause headaches and make the car perform worse. I believe the rims are already lightweight aluminum alloy pieces; unless you plan on going for track records there is minimal purpose to changing wheels. At that point just get a track set you can fit DRs on.

Weight Reduction:
For those getting the heated seats, side and curtain air bags, 11 speaker BOSE system. Just a thought, but if you are going purpose-built for speed, the air bag assemblies, weight of 11 speakers, and heating system will likely be significant weight in my book. Haha. One of the primary constructs of the Spec V will be weight reduction (more carbon fiber). I just hope they come out with some quality after-market pieces that have good fitment.

The other benefit to sticking with bolt-ons is that you can pull them off before dealer visits to keep warranty privileges.:D

Just my 2 cents.

CD

[Cucuy]

RE: worth buying?
Uum?? I guess that's an individual interpretation, but the performance measures certainly make for a good baseline to work from.

RE: Voiding the warranty?
Same conversation, new model. ;) Dealers are spending upwards of $40,000 to fit their shops with the equipment to maintain and keep the cars at spec. Any car you modify is going to run the risk of voiding the warranty; I imagine this is especially true with this car based on the fact that many of the components are novel and innovative.

Avoiding warrranty loss is advisable as the cost of maintenance will be high; it is far greater than the dollars many are spending over MSRP just for the car itself. In other words, they will make more money off of your visits to the dealership after the requisite free maintenance period is up (I believe 3 years / 36,000 miles). There will be very few non-dealer shops that will have the skills, resources, or hardware to maintain this automobile. In my experience, if you don't have a degree / certification in automotive mechanics, it is best to stay with pure bolt-on modifications, i.e. air intakes, downpipes, high-flow cats, bov, intercoolers, ancillary pieces. Time spent trying to find the balance of the original set-up will be >> than the time actually spent driving the car. Touching the motor, manifold, turbo or transmission, especially so early in the life cycle of the R35 is generally not a good idea. I have blown up motors on my journey to modify cars beyond what the block can handle or just using untested pieces that don't have good fitment with OEM or with all the other performance parts that go into a fully-built engine.

The benefit of a freer flowing exhaust that is lighter weight / greater diameter from the engine back will undoubtedly provide gains.

Eg. Just by placing a lighter weight, O2 housing, test pipe with resonator, downpipe, and side exit exhaust (getting rid of probably 25 lbs of piping) on an SRT-4, I gained ~ 30 hp along with greater throttle reponse [caveat = fully-built]. Power-adders always love greater flow.

Just my opinion, but I would let the shops experiment for awhile and others mangle their cars before stepping into any internal modification; this goes for ECU modification as well. I have seen plenty of piggy-backs, stand-alones (I know the Cobb piece is a re-flash and can purportedly be flashed back to oem if needed) never find balance and lead to persistent problems with performance when not matched well to OEM or modifications. Find a good dynojet operator to get baseline / post-modification results. This is not to say that I wouldn't use a reputable piece such as the Cobb system, I would just wait until the bugs are worked out and they have figured out how to match maps with modifications.

RE: wheels
Same as above. Lighter rims will always reduce unsprung weight and provide noticeable gain, but be wary of variant sizing causing suspension geometry issues. The car is extremely well balanced and changing this can cause headaches and make the car perform worse. I believe the rims are already lightweight aluminum alloy pieces; unless you plan on going for track records there is minimal purpose to changing wheels. At that point just get a track set you can fit DRs on.

Weight Reduction:
For those getting the heated seats, side and curtain air bags, 11 speaker BOSE system. Just a thought, but if you are going purpose-built for speed, the air bag assemblies, weight of 11 speakers, and heating system will likely be significant weight in my book. Haha. One of the primary constructs of the Spec V will be weight reduction (more carbon fiber). I just hope they come out with some quality after-market pieces that have good fitment.

The other benefit to sticking with bolt-ons is that you can pull them off before dealer visits to keep warranty privileges.:D

Just my 2 cents.

CD

Yea but adding bolt ons wouldn't you have to tune it after? to get the air flow and fuel balanced which will gives you better performance. My thing is and like you mention wait until these tuners learn the car first. But how long do you think it would take them? it's a new car prolly new motor to map out. it could take for ever. Or am I better off buying a Vette? same price Prolly can get it cheaper. and theres Hp performance formula's already.

[Phoenix]

Yea but adding bolt ons wouldn't you have to tune it after? to get the air flow and fuel balanced which will gives you better performance. My thing is and like you mention wait until these tuners learn the car first. But how long do you think it would take them? it's a new car prolly new motor to map out. it could take for ever. Or am I better off buying a Vette? same price Prolly can get it cheaper. and theres Hp performance formula's already.

The conservative journey:
(1) mechanic who bases his process and recommendations on science rather than a best guess; i.e. let the other guy undergo the trial and error and don't be 'duped' by the tuner who is trying to sell a product or make a buck
(2) Either you or the mechanic will need to do exhaustive research to look at risk versus COST :Dversus benefit
(3) Always utilize a good dynojet operator who can interpret the powerband and your specific needs and make recommendations based on the modification (baseline / post-mod)[yes, air/fuels, etc. always need to be tweaked]; always try to only make one modification at a time or you can't interpret the gain effectively
(4) always begin non-invasive and maximize the output, watch successful tuners (i.e. Cobb), and judge what level of risk your are willing to take, as well as how the NVH and driveability will change as you add the modification.
(5) Always know what you are getting from the deal; understand the mechanism of modification and hold the tuner accountable to the outcome ; i.e. if you don't understand, ask questions

The experimental journey:

I personally don't do anything unless I plan on winning it.:D therefore, this approach is based on very high performance and expectation.

***Disclaimer: this method could potentially put your car in the garage for a good deal of time:D --> make sure you have other cars to get you around
If you can't handle this, there is no need to keep reading.***

(1) If you plan on being the first, or breaking records, innovation is the key.
(2) Always make sure that whatever modification is made that you are always operating in the safe zone (blown motors suck); this requires that many trips be made to the dyno and you will probably still lose an engine
(3) have a complete roadmap drawn up from the very beginning; know the expectations and exactly what you want it to look like in the end (summary sheet).
(4) strike the balance between sense of urgency and patience; make sure the right parts and mechanics are in place before building and testing.
(5) network and communicate with vendors and potential sponsors consistently; follow-up and respond to every question. Allow your vehicle to be a test platform for vendors wanting to test new products.
(6) if your not the best driver, get the best driver.
(7) Go the the track often and start taping. I want to see it.:D

It would be great to see someone break this platform into the 10's and keep it streetable. Any takers?

[Cucuy]

The conservative journey:
(1) mechanic who bases his process and recommendations on science rather than a best guess; i.e. let the other guy undergo the trial and error and don't be 'duped' by the tuner who is trying to sell a product or make a buck
(2) Either you or the mechanic will need to do exhaustive research to look at risk versus COST :Dversus benefit
(3) Always utilize a good dynojet operator who can interpret the powerband and your specific needs and make recommendations based on the modification (baseline / post-mod)[yes, air/fuels, etc. always need to be tweaked]; always try to only make one modification at a time or you can't interpret the gain effectively
(4) always begin non-invasive and maximize the output, watch successful tuners (i.e. Cobb), and judge what level of risk your are willing to take, as well as how the NVH and driveability will change as you add the modification.
(5) Always know what you are getting from the deal; understand the mechanism of modification and hold the tuner accountable to the outcome ; i.e. if you don't understand, ask questions

The experimental journey:

I personally don't do anything unless I plan on winning it.:D therefore, this approach is based on very high performance and expectation.

***Disclaimer: this method could potentially put your car in the garage for a good deal of time:D --> make sure you have other cars to get you around
If you can't handle this, there is no need to keep reading.***

(1) If you plan on being the first, or breaking records, innovation is the key.
(2) Always make sure that whatever modification is made that you are always operating in the safe zone (blown motors suck); this requires that many trips be made to the dyno and you will probably still lose an engine
(3) have a complete roadmap drawn up from the very beginning; know the expectations and exactly what you want it to look like in the end (summary sheet).
(4) strike the balance between sense of urgency and patience; make sure the right parts and mechanics are in place before building and testing.
(5) network and communicate with vendors and potential sponsors consistently; follow-up and respond to every question. Allow your vehicle to be a test platform for vendors wanting to test new products.
(6) if your not the best driver, get the best driver.
(7) Go the the track often and start taping. I want to see it.:D

It would be great to see someone break this platform into the 10's and keep it streetable. Any takers?


I mos Def. know the risk in modding the hell out of a car. Blown engines I'm glad to say not yet. But again I have to thank my tuner for that.

I love this car every time I read something about it. I'm convince more to buying it over the Z06. You have a great starting point. so you can't wrong.

"BUT" I'm worried about tuners & Vendors making product for a very brand new car. I don't know much about Nissan's Engines. But what I've heard about the old Skyline's is that they have great potential. Now I'm hoping this R35 has the same potential as the others.

I guess We will all have to wait and see. I Definitely don't wanna be the Guinn pig. Not with this car. I'd rather get the Z06 since there will be no trail and error there.

[Phoenix]

OK. I am going to kick myself later for saying this:o, but here goes. The truth per my experience.

First of all, the Z06 is barely able to get the power to the pavement in any real meaningful way. It is crude. A lot of people love this character, but I am moving on to a platform that doesn't blow my tires off every time I hit the throttle. The Z06 is an amazing piece of work, but honestly, giving it more power without modifying all the other pieces that allow delivery to the ground is pointless. The other argument is that you would have to modify the engine with low compression pistons and everything else to do a 'power-adder'. That is why they switched engines on the ZR1 to a less sophisticated platform. The LS7 used in the Z06 could not be boosted without significant risk or a complete swap of internals and other reinforcements.

And this is where the GT-R leaves the corvette in the dust.
(1) plenty of room for modification, i.e. more boost
(2) no problem with delivering the power to the ground

It is really a beautiful thing;)!

I can't believe I am going to say this, but you can probably easily modify the boost on the GT-R ecu and get another 75 - 100 HP and still be well within the safe zone of what the mechanicals, transmission, and diff. can handle without any further engine tweak.

You do some mild weight redux and make sure the brakes can stop you from the ridiculous speeds that you can attain in VERY short order and walla...you have a ZR1 killer. If you are serious about optimizing speed, just get the base model and leave the extra weight of the side and curtain bags, the 20 lbs of BOSE speakers (11), and the heating element. Every pound counts in this pig.:D

[Ev0H8t3r]

Hence why I am debating on getting the BASE model over the PREM PKG.
you are right, there is not much modding needed into the GT-R to get all around performance...you can get over 100+HP with the AcessPORT, full exhaust kit, air intake, and a little boost upgrade. and the car is still in almost stock form....hitting 600HP...

Like other GTRs 32, 33, 34 it didnit take much to get the car up to 550HP from stock!!

[Leebunnyz]

how many of you are going to start modding soon after getting your GTR?

[Cucuy]

OK. I am going to kick myself later for saying this:o, but here goes. The truth per my experience.

First of all, the Z06 is barely able to get the power to the pavement in any real meaningful way. It is crude. A lot of people love this character, but I am moving on to a platform that doesn't blow my tires off every time I hit the throttle. The Z06 is an amazing piece of work, but honestly, giving it more power without modifying all the other pieces that allow delivery to the ground is pointless. The other argument is that you would have to modify the engine with low compression pistons and everything else to do a 'power-adder'. That is why they switched engines on the ZR1 to a less sophisticated platform. The LS7 used in the Z06 could not be boosted without significant risk or a complete swap of internals and other reinforcements.

And this is where the GT-R leaves the corvette in the dust.
(1) plenty of room for modification, i.e. more boost
(2) no problem with delivering the power to the ground

It is really a beautiful thing;)!

I can't believe I am going to say this, but you can probably easily modify the boost on the GT-R ecu and get another 75 - 100 HP and still be well within the safe zone of what the mechanicals, transmission, and diff. can handle without any further engine tweak.

You do some mild weight redux and make sure the brakes can stop you from the ridiculous speeds that you can attain in VERY short order and walla...you have a ZR1 killer. If you are serious about optimizing speed, just get the base model and leave the extra weight of the side and curtain bags, the 20 lbs of BOSE speakers (11), and the heating element. Every pound counts in this pig.:D

I love you opinions.... I couldn't agree with you any more. Yea the Vette's have traction problems in high HP range. I already own RWD car. now I wanna move in to a new element AWD. I believe this is the car. What tripped me out. is when I show the GT-R bone stock @ one of my local tracks. hit 11.6 1/4 with 60' 1.8 @118mph thats crazy. 1.8 60' is in my range. My best 60' is 2.0 on a car that never has traction. @ 630whp.

I believe this car is the right car for me. I really don't wanna get to crazy with mods. simple things like full exhaust,intake,ecu, turn up boost & tune. I'm might not even have to do and porting head work,cam or fuel system.

My goal with the car is top end speed. I'm not gonna build for 1/4 mile. more highway. if I can reach any where from 550-650awhp on my stock block I'd be happy.

Thats one thing I can't complain with my GTO. I'm still on my stock bottom @630whp. I hit 680-700whp on stock bottom but thats it.
But I don't need that much power when I'm already have traction problems LOL...... Plus the power I have now is very fast.

Damn I want this car get here already.........

[Cucuy]

Hence why I am debating on getting the BASE model over the PREM PKG.
you are right, there is not much modding needed into the GT-R to get all around performance...you can get over 100+HP with the AcessPORT, full exhaust kit, air intake, and a little boost upgrade. and the car is still in almost stock form....hitting 600HP...

Like other GTRs 32, 33, 34 it didnit take much to get the car up to 550HP from stock!!

Yea I agree. I really don't care for the Heated seats. I have that in my denali and I never use it. The sound system I can care less again. My Denali is the only car that I have with a upgraded sound system. My GTO Stock system & sounds good enough. My Honda Stock System. with this car. I'm gonna feel the same way. But I believe what I read. was that the PREM PKG GT-R has more Carbon Fiber parts. That sucks. what I'd like to know. if I can get a carbon fiber upgraded on the base model?

[Cucuy]

how many of you are going to start modding soon after getting your GTR?

Ill tell you this. It took me two months to do my first set of mods on the GTO. that was intake,exhaust and LT headers with a tune. it took me a year and a few months to slap on my Twins.

So to answer your question. Damn right I'm gonna mod right away. "BUT" and this is a big "BUT" only if I can find a Tuner that knows this car. and good supporting mods. this is way I started this thread. to find out if there are tuners. that already started mapping out hp plans. Until then I guess I'll have to wait. which is still ok because it gives me time to learn the car and work on that 1.8 60' LOL......

[Phoenix]

I love you opinions.... I couldn't agree with you any more. Yea the Vette's have traction problems in high HP range. I already own RWD car. now I wanna move in to a new element AWD. I believe this is the car. What tripped me out. is when I show the GT-R bone stock @ one of my local tracks. hit 11.6 1/4 with 60' 1.8 @118mph thats crazy. 1.8 60' is in my range. My best 60' is 2.0 on a car that never has traction. @ 630whp.

I believe this car is the right car for me. I really don't wanna get to crazy with mods. simple things like full exhaust,intake,ecu, turn up boost & tune. I'm might not even have to do and porting head work,cam or fuel system.

My goal with the car is top end speed. I'm not gonna build for 1/4 mile. more highway. if I can reach any where from 550-650awhp on my stock block I'd be happy.

Thats one thing I can't complain with my GTO. I'm still on my stock bottom @630whp. I hit 680-700whp on stock bottom but thats it.
But I don't need that much power when I'm already have traction problems LOL...... Plus the power I have now is very fast.

Damn I want this car get here already.........

Haha. I put Stainlessworks headers, a slightly more aggressive cam, modified linginfelter box, tune (the LS2 comes grossly detuned from the aussies), and traction bushings and gained a 100 HP on my 05 GTO. So you have an LS1, eh?

RE: traction
add more VHT then; get to know your local track officials and ask for a little prep:D ; so are you running slicks or DRs?

RE: porting
the japanese aren't going to give you much room for improvement; their heads come pretty sweet from the beginning, compared with the typical american pushrod. I guess it really depends how much airflow you want to push.

RE: fuel system
I am sincerely hoping that there is no upgrades needed. I really wish I could see some air / fuels on the GT-R

RE: Cams
OMG! don't touch the cams on this one...not for awhile.

RE: more carbon-fiber on the premium
they probably need it to keep the weight down, but I haven't read anything about > cf use in the premium edition; I am sure the Spec V 'cf' pieces can probably be acquired at expense, and there will undoubtedly be aftermarket shops that make a bunch of pieces, some of great quality, some of not.

[Phoenix]

Hence why I am debating on getting the BASE model over the PREM PKG.
you are right, there is not much modding needed into the GT-R to get all around performance...you can get over 100+HP with the AcessPORT, full exhaust kit, air intake, and a little boost upgrade. and the car is still in almost stock form....hitting 600HP...

Like other GTRs 32, 33, 34 it didnit take much to get the car up to 550HP from stock!!

RE: exhaust system
I am most sure that Nissan had to make several compromises to get ULEV designation; there are probably many ponies to be had there:D

[Cucuy]

Haha. I put Stainlessworks headers, a slightly more aggressive cam, modified linginfelter box, tune (the LS2 comes grossly detuned from the aussies), and traction bushings and gained a 100 HP on my 05 GTO. So you have an LS1, eh?

Nope I have 2005 Ls2 GTO. My cam is small do to the Turbos I have the Pedders street 2 Package. So I changed all my Bushings.shock and springs. again didn't build this car for 1/4 mile. so traction off the line is still an issue.

RE: traction
add more VHT then; get to know your local track officials and ask for a little prep:D ; so are you running slicks or DRs?


I was running BFG DRs before. But I just got my Hoosiers slicks. better time on 33psi in the tire and didn't heat them up either. which caused me to wheel hop in 1st threw 2nd and break lose in 3rd with a 60' 2.2 1/4 12.5 trapped 123mph LOL ugly I know.

RE: porting
the japanese aren't going to give you much room for improvement; their heads come pretty sweet from the beginning, compared with the typical american pushrod. I guess it really depends how much airflow you want to push.


I was just asking cuz I know a few evo guys in my neck of the woods that ported there heads. and upgraded there turbo's...

RE: fuel system
I am sincerely hoping that there is no upgrades needed. I really wish I could see some air / fuels on the GT-R


Me too. again I hope I can reach 550-630awhp with bolt ons and tune.

RE: Cams
OMG! don't touch the cams on this one...not for awhile.


really I don't know much about cams. So I'm guessing this one has a good cam?

RE: more carbon-fiber on the premium
they probably need it to keep the weight down, but I haven't read anything about > cf use in the premium edition; I am sure the Spec V 'cf' pieces can probably be acquired at expense, and there will undoubtedly be aftermarket shops that make a bunch of pieces, some of great quality, some of not.

So the only difference in the packages are the Speakers and heated seats?
Rims and body kit is the same?

[Phoenix]

You know, I really don't know.:confused:

I assumed that they would make all the bodies the same because that particular aspect of the vehicle is made on an assembly line. I wouldn't guess that they would change or add carbon fiber pieces for cars that have air bags and heated seats. I haven't seen any literature stating as such.

I am guessing that after the Spec V arrives in America that parts will show up shortly thereafter. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contact Nissan parts and see if some Spec V CF pieces can be purchased a ways down the road.:D. I have tried after-market carbon fiber before but the quality and fitment is always a crap shoot, even among the more reputable dealers.



In the meantime, the GT-R tool kit with white gloves:D , spare tire, jack, and other non-essentials will not always be in the boot, haha.