Nissan GTR Versus The 08 Viper

[Nine Ball]

The GTR isn't an icon car, my greatest fear about owning one would being seen as the king of the ricers. I'd have all the ricer fan-boys following me around all day in their Civics and Integras, with the sounds of buzzing fart-pipes all about.

I can appreciate the performance, but it doesn't look that interesting to me in person. Might look better in other colors, we'll see.

[Les Quam]

I call BS.
When I read this article and test the only thing that came to my mind is how a 4000 pound car boasting 480HP can produce those results?? It reminds me of the 64 Pontiac GTO with the 421 cubic inch Royal Pontiac motor that was used in the road test to beat the Ferrari. In other words this Nissan while a great car and quite an achievement is boosted to the max producing more like 600HP or more. 4000 pound 480 HP cars simply don't produce those times I don't care how many driver assist electronic aids are involved or launch control devices exist. It's 480 HP dragging almost two tons of metal it's not getting down the quarter mile with that ET. It's also not going to be that much faster around a track than the Z06 simply because it has AWD and all the other aids. It simply ridiculous.

There is no doubt in my mind that the stock production Nissans will be significantly slower until the new owners buy the boost kit. Nice job of marketing by Nissan though. Well done. Surprised the magazine didn't do a rear wheel HP test on that particular car. Now that would have been some good journalism to expose Nissan using a ringer car.

[StealthDriver]

The magazines can test it all they want but as good as the GT-R looks like, it has no history like the older Skyline's to fall upon. The GT-R in own opinion has no charisma like the Viper's,Porshes's,Ferrari's and other fine street cars with a racing history. I dont need to spend $100k (after stealership markup's)... I dont believe on spending that type of cast (If I could afford it) on a mobile video game. Time will tell on this GT-R but history and the future lies in the corners of the cars that made history and the GT-R has not reached that point and may never will.

[rcl4668]

More food for thought:

Car and Driver's recent road test theorizes that the GT-R's power figures are underrated. However, Edmunds.com actually did dyno test on a GT-R and found that not to be the case. They conclude that it is morelikely a case of the GT-R making the most of its power through AWD and electronic aids such as luanch control. The Edmunds article is here:

2009 Nissan GT-R: True Power From the Dyno

For the record, if the GT-R came with a true H-gated manual transmission I would trade in my M5 in a heartbeat. Because the GT-R is not that flashy and does look like an Altima, combined with its rear seats and AWD, I think it would make a great daily driver, especially in poor weather conditions.

/Rich

[snakeplissken]

Looks like there coming with a faster version,The GTR V-Spec. 550HP and 300LBS lighter.

Nissan GT-R V-Spec hits the 'Ring [Spied again]

[Warfang]

Originally Posted by snakeplissken

Looks like there coming with a faster version,The GTR V-Spec. 550HP and 300LBS lighter.

Nissan GT-R V-Spec hits the 'Ring [Spied again]

good for them! Still wouldn't buy one, but nice seeing the work ethic.

[Les Quam]

More likely it is the V-spec without the body mods that was tested against the Porsche and Z06.

[vipersaint]

Impressive stats...but much as I try to like it that is one ugly car. Maybe as some say pics don't do it justice. C/D said the GTR defies easy classification...a new age Mitsubishi GT??? (that's depressing)

I'm hearing 70k for the base price (once the initial buying frenzy goes away) and it's well...another alternative to $140k Porsche TT.

[RTTTTed]

TC actually slows the car down, doesn't make it faster - and race cars never come with TC for this reason. What TC does is turn a lousy driver into an OK driver (not a good driver).

If you drive into a 60mph corner at 80mph TC won't help. You're still going to slide off the road.

AWD, 3600#, 245x40x18" and 500hp TT V6 in my 1992 Stealth R/T TT. The Electronic Controlled Susp. (ECS - a higher tech version of Stability control) replaced with GABS gas struts for improved handling. No that's a race for a GTR, not a Viper!!! And yes, I have the fastest car on ice and snow covered roads all winter! I suppose my Stealth will beat a stock Viper (Gen 1 for sure), but it's a TT car (NO Torque at low rpm) and with skinny tires it's not going to beat any Gen 4, or even come close. My Gen 2 has wheels, brakes, supercharger and nav, bluetooth, all for half price of a GTR. What a joke, trying to compare an 08 Viper

There was a show on the GTR and the 08 Viper on speed channel last week. The GTR compared OK, until the driver actually stepped on the throttle in the Viper, then all comparisons were done. The mag driver did the Viper 'thing' and laughed his head off all the way around the track. Results; The GTR cannot compete on the track in any way (gas mileage maybe?) but they'said they're planning to do a street comparison and then the GTR will probably win as it has more driver 'aids' cupholders.

I would expect the Z06 to be so far in front of the GTR on a road course that it would be out of sight and in a race would lap the GTR many times.

Physics are that skinny tires and AWD won't make the car with 7" tires go around the corner as fast as any of the cars with 11 and 13" tires. And more computers just slow the car down with extra weight.

TC - how can anyone think that applying the brakes will make a car go faster???????

Ted

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Originally Posted by RTTTTed

TC actually slows the car down, doesn't make it faster - and race cars never come with TC for this reason. What TC does is turn a lousy driver into an OK driver (not a good driver).

If you drive into a 60mph corner at 80mph TC won't help. You're still going to slide off the road.

AWD, 3600#, 245x40x18" and 500hp TT V6 in my 1992 Stealth R/T TT. The Electronic Controlled Susp. (ECS - a higher tech version of Stability control) replaced with GABS gas struts for improved handling. No that's a race for a GTR, not a Viper!!! And yes, I have the fastest car on ice and snow covered roads all winter! I suppose my Stealth will beat a stock Viper (Gen 1 for sure), but it's a TT car (NO Torque at low rpm) and with skinny tires it's not going to beat any Gen 4, or even come close. My Gen 2 has wheels, brakes, supercharger and nav, bluetooth, all for half price of a GTR. What a joke, trying to compare an 08 Viper

There was a show on the GTR and the 08 Viper on speed channel last week. The GTR compared OK, until the driver actually stepped on the throttle in the Viper, then all comparisons were done. The mag driver did the Viper 'thing' and laughed his head off all the way around the track. Results; The GTR cannot compete on the track in any way (gas mileage maybe?) but they'said they're planning to do a street comparison and then the GTR will probably win as it has more driver 'aids' cupholders.

I would expect the Z06 to be so far in front of the GTR on a road course that it would be out of sight and in a race would lap the GTR many times.

Physics are that skinny tires and AWD won't make the car with 7" tires go around the corner as fast as any of the cars with 11 and 13" tires. And more computers just slow the car down with extra weight.

TC - how can anyone think that applying the brakes will make a car go faster???????

Ted

I'm not so sure about some of your points. Everything else being equal the TC car has an advantage. There is no comparison between a 08 ACR and a 400hp TC equiped Nissan, but a 08 ACR vs. a TC equiped 08 ACR (God forbid) and the scales would tip in favor of the TC car.

Although the fun factor will always be with the non-TC car no matter what the scenario.

[RTTTTed]

TC faster?

Go to the vette forums and read "RAnger" drag racing instructions.

1. Turn off TC

then he tells you how to do a water burnout preoperly, stage the car, launch the car, etc.

I happen to know that NO race car has TC. No top fuel cars, no braket cars, etc. Only street cars. TC launches slower than spiining the tires. Like ABS skidding the tires produces more traction. The idea of TC and ABS is to maintain control - not go fast.

That's why you won't find any of this electronic junk in race cars, and only ABS in a Viper after 2000. They compromise performance for control.

Although a TC car would leave the line faster than a 5,000rpm launch on slippery tires, I doubt that TC could do better than a 2 sec 60' time. Many non-TC cars get 1.6-1.8.

Ted

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Originally Posted by RTTTTed

TC faster?

Go to the vette forums and read "RAnger" drag racing instructions.

1. Turn off TC

then he tells you how to do a water burnout preoperly, stage the car, launch the car, etc.

I happen to know that NO race car has TC. No top fuel cars, no braket cars, etc. Only street cars. TC launches slower than spiining the tires. Like ABS skidding the tires produces more traction. The idea of TC and ABS is to maintain control - not go fast.

That's why you won't find any of this electronic junk in race cars, and only ABS in a Viper after 2000. They compromise performance for control.

Although a TC car would leave the line faster than a 5,000rpm launch on slippery tires, I doubt that TC could do better than a 2 sec 60' time. Many non-TC cars get 1.6-1.8.

Ted

Oh I see. You're talking drag race cars. I'm talking road race cars, of which there are many with TC.

[j-rho]

I have seen some advanced TC systems featuring advanced launch control features which help to limit wheelspin in drag-style starts. If the vehicle has so much grip that it is not traction limited at the start, (what a nice problem that would be!) then TC will not help.

Most production-car TC systems will slow dowan a very good driver on a road course when engaged. As time passes, and the "competition" mode of such systems becomes more advanced, that may be less and less of the case. In the meantime, advanced/aftermarket race-bred TC systems are definitely of a help to a road race car (when they are reliable ) - witness the recent banning of TC in F1 in an attempt to slow the cars down.

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Originally Posted by j-rho

witness the recent banning of TC in F1 in an attempt to slow the cars down.

Was that an attempt to slow cars down or an attempt to eliminate the follow-the-leader "racing" in F1 and actually have a race? At any rate I'm glad they got rid of it. Now if the lesser series' would get rid of it maybe some of the street folks so enamored with TC would back off from thinking it is so great.

[AviP]

Originally Posted by Need1

In the end, it's still a Nissan.

Hmmm, if you put it that way, in the end the Viper is still a Dodge!

I wouldn't care if it was a Toyota that outperformed the competition. The price-performance and looks is what matters.