RS4 versus GTR

[SimonH]

When Middlehursts got a GT-R in to look at,i took my cheque book down and envisiged ordering one there and then,regardless of how long the waiting list was.I very nearly ordered one 12 months ago,but didnt,so missed the boat so to speak.After walking round and round the car for ages,and climbing in and out,i thought,do you know what,im not going to bother.And heres why.I thought im just going to see what happens.Ive waited for long periods of time,for new model other cars to turn up,which always seemed to be late,and never seemed to match the figures the press released beforehand,with the possibility of boosted press cars being involved.Im not saying this is what will happen with the GT-R,but who knows?.The quality of the car is very good,but from all accounts, i expected better,and it certainly is no Audi or BMW.I have seen some spooky service figures being banded around,such as £500 a tyre,£2k for brakes etc.This car could cost an absolute fotune to run?.Prices for 997 Turbos are in total freefall at this time,and i think £65k is possible next year for a mint 06 car,thus giving us a choice.Audi are supposedly on with the RS5 for next year as well.So for the moment i am collecting a TTS on sept 1st,and am just biding my time and seeing just what happens with the GT-R,and the motor trade in general,as i think this is the right thing to do at the moment.Regards, SIMON.

[DaveCav]

When Middlehursts got a GT-R in to look at,i took my cheque book down and envisiged ordering one there and then,regardless of how long the waiting list was.I very nearly ordered one 12 months ago,but didnt,so missed the boat so to speak.After walking round and round the car for ages,and climbing in and out,i thought,do you know what,im not going to bother.And heres why.I thought im just going to see what happens.Ive waited for long periods of time,for new model other cars to turn up,which always seemed to be late,and never seemed to match the figures the press released beforehand,with the possibility of boosted press cars being involved.Im not saying this is what will happen with the GT-R,but who knows?.The quality of the car is very good,but from all accounts, i expected better,and it certainly is no Audi or BMW.I have seen some spooky service figures being banded around,such as £500 a tyre,£2k for brakes etc.This car could cost an absolute fotune to run?.Prices for 997 Turbos are in total freefall at this time,and i think £65k is possible next year for a mint 06 car,thus giving us a choice.Audi are supposedly on with the RS5 for next year as well.So for the moment i am collecting a TTS on sept 1st,and am just biding my time and seeing just what happens with the GT-R,and the motor trade in general,as i think this is the right thing to do at the moment.Regards, SIMON.

I think 65k is a tad under 70k id say (hope)

I heard you couldnt chip or mod them anyone know if thats true

[Virdee Autos]

Not true, as there are already flashes for the ECU, re-mapped ECU's offered by most of the Japanese tuners, and a whole host of titanium exhaust systems. Gives around anything from 520-550bhp.

Also various speed limit removal devices, and lots of other parts, like suspension, body parts, etc.

[SR71]

Bloody hell.

Frightening what a modified V-spec might produce then!

[Virdee Autos]

LOL!

Rumours suspect the V-Spec will have around 500/520+

But whether they'll re-do the engine for the V-Spec is not certain.

Previous V-Spec models have never had a different engine setup. But then again there has been some rumours that the V-Spec maybe called an "EVO" model, with only 2 seats, weight saving measures, etc.

Time will tell!

[DaveCav]

Not true, as there are already flashes for the ECU, re-mapped ECU's offered by most of the Japanese tuners, and a whole host of titanium exhaust systems. Gives around anything from 520-550bhp.

Also various speed limit removal devices, and lots of other parts, like suspension, body parts, etc.

I didnt think it could be !! wow i bet they really do shift !!

[pippyrips]

Now you would be annoyed wouldn't you:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/news/defau ... ryId=18796

[ghoonk]

Are you sure you guys want to go down this long, slippery slope?

http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=25361

Also, as good as the GTR is, it's not an RS4, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. I didn't buy a GTR because

a. I wanted a nicer (and classier) interior
b. I wanted something less racy looking and more refined looking
c. I wanted a slightly more comfortable ride
d. 4 seats and a cavernous trunk can be pretty useful, especially on Ikea runs, or taking buddies out for lunch/dinner

Then again, if i wanted something for sheer performance, I'd hit up a Caterham R400 or a Radical SR3

[S4INT]

Are you sure you guys want to go down this long, slippery slope?

So someone in the states has been practising endless standing starts using launch control by disabling VDC and has broken his gearbox. Nissan have made it clear that using this function is at your own risk (the same as BMW do with the SMG system) so he has been a plonker and will pay the price.

I for one have never done a full-bore standing start in the RS4 and can't see why I'd ever do it in the GT-R, so where is the slippery slope?

Incidentally, I spoke to one of the Palmersport instructors at the weekend who has been involved with the GT-R launches at Silverstone and the Nurburgring, and the only failure they have had so far is a wheel bearing - and I speak from first-hand experience - these cars get an absolute hammering.

[Virdee Autos]

News (rumours?!) like this will always arise, when it comes to cars like this. The new arguement about the Ring lap time is another prime example.

The new GTR, does everything better than it's closest rival (997TT), and for half the price!

It's meant to be a proper GT car, and can seat 4.

[ghoonk]

Are you sure you guys want to go down this long, slippery slope?

So someone in the states has been practising endless standing starts using launch control by disabling VDC and has broken his gearbox. Nissan have made it clear that using this function is at your own risk (the same as BMW do with the SMG system) so he has been a plonker and will pay the price.

I for one have never done a full-bore standing start in the RS4 and can't see why I'd ever do it in the GT-R, so where is the slippery slope?

Incidentally, I spoke to one of the Palmersport instructors at the weekend who has been involved with the GT-R launches at Silverstone and the Nurburgring, and the only failure they have had so far is a wheel bearing - and I speak from first-hand experience - these cars get an absolute hammering.

True, but it also tells you how Nissan 'handles' such issues. Also, do remember that while a GTR is probably a superior car on track, there are reasons why many of us chose an Audi in the first place. The more performance-oriented a car becomes, the more you give up in terms of driveability/reliability/comfort/quality, etc.

Which is why I tried to explain that if you really want something to rip up the tracks, a Caterham or Radical might be a more effective choice.

On the other hand, if you don't mind going for a more racy looking car with a more plasticky interior (imho) and 2 fewer seats, and expect to frequent the track on a regular basis (say, half the weekends in a year?) and getting great lap times is important to you, then go for the GTR.

From personal experience, having tracked the car up to 3 times a month at one point in time 12 months ago, I'd keep a decent daily driver and run a more dedicated track car instead of getting a high-end daily driver and tracking it -- maintenance and repairs will cost more and I'd still need a DD in periods of downtime, and I'd always be slightly worried about some kid putting daddy's car into mine from bad driving, in which case it would make more sense to keep my RS4 for daily driving and buy a track-built machine, like a JDM Integra Type-R, a Civic EG6, or even a base Caterham

[S4INT]

Couldn't agree more with that - a lightweight dedicated trackday car is the way to go. Our cars (and the GT-R) are too big, heavy and hard on consumables to use as a trackday weapon - even if they are remarkably good at it!

Personally, I'll be using the GT-R for a few trips to the 'Ring and European driving trips, I'm not that bothered about doing trackdays in it and I'm certainly not interested in replicating 0-60 times!

[Soupie69uk]

They must have checked back and seen that at one time or more that was disabled, which you would expect most owners to do at least once to try it out. Is a good clause for Nissan to get out of any gearbox issues.

Anyone see the bit in Evo about Porsche saying they have got a GTR and can not match the ring times which Nissan claims?

[pippyrips]

News (rumours?!) The new arguement about the Ring lap time is another prime example.

Do tell.

Anyway, it doesn't put me off thinking that a GT-R will be my next car..but won't be for a while.

[Virdee Autos]

Yep thats exactly what I was on about Soupie69uk

Basically Porsche are claiming that the Ring time set by the GTR (7,29IIRC) is not true