📰 Auto News Nissan to Porsche comment on lap times: "We offer Driving lessons"

[Dasfinc]

Nissan Officially Responds To Porsche Skepticism, Recommends Driving Lessons

The war of words between Nissan and Porsche over Nurburgring lap times continues. Today Nissan officially responded to Porsche's statement last month that they were unable to get within 25 seconds of the Nissan GT-R's claimed fastest 'Ring time, leading Porsche to claim Nissan had used a ringer with race tires. Seems that Nissan still has the tires they used, however, and they're inviting Porsche to check them out — along with video of the run shot by a Japanese magazine. To top it off, Nissan states the GT-R used, rather than being a ringer, was actually hampered by 110 pounds of extra telemetrics. So what gives? Nissan has inferred Porsche must have neither properly run-in the Nissan nor learned how to extract the most from the Japanese supercar's AWD system. Choice Nissan quotes after the jump.

We are aware that several auto makers have purchased the GT-R for their own testing and evaluation. Like all GT-R customers, we recommend that any auto maker buying a GT-R should follow the recommended run-in procedures, service schedules and maintenance to ensure the maximum performance from their car. In addition, we offer performance driving courses for prospective and current GT-R owners to help them get the best performance from their car. We would welcome the opportunity to help any auto manufacturer with understanding the full capabilities of the GT-R.
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We anxiously await the no-doubt terse and pointed release that'll be forthcoming from Stuttgart. In the meantime, we just want to remind both companies that your mother countries have a long history of working together, so let's not let this go too far. [Carsguide.news.com.au]

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[Poopshinanigans]

Atleast we know WWIII isn't breaking out the Japs and Krauts are not getting along.

 

[slowchevy]

I'm a porsche nut hugger but this shit is

Wow.

edit

I wouldn't doubt at all that Nissan used a modified car, and Porsche's test drivers are some of the best in the world.

It's a tough situation to choose if Nissan really is cheating to create more hype for the car or Porsche drivers are that bad.

 

[sickmint79]

hahaha. nice.

 

[Mook]

I'm a porsche nut hugger but this shit is

Wow.

edit

I wouldn't doubt at all that Nissan used a modified car, and Porsche's test drivers are some of the best in the world.

It's a tough situation to choose if Nissan really is cheating to create more hype for the car or Porsche drivers are that bad.

All my Nissan nutswinging aside...they would be idiots to tout such a record only to have it proved to be a blatant lie...they'd lose all credibility w/ that car...considering the previous gen skylines were monsters around the track, the time doesnt surprise me in the least bit

 

[02BlueGT]

Um even top gear Australia had the GTR faster than the porsche, the only thing I could see being different, is there probably wasn't a speed limiter in the original GTR run, and the purchased ones have a 180kmph Governor (115mph or 120mph)....so that could easlily cost 25 seconds if you couldn't go over 120 in all the straits

 

[slowchevy]

All my Nissan nutswinging aside...they would be idiots to tout such a record only to have it proved to be a blatant lie...they'd lose all credibility w/ that car...considering the previous gen skylines were monsters around the track, the time doesnt surprise me in the least bit

True

Um even top gear Australia had the GTR faster than the porsche, the only thing I could see being different, is there probably wasn't a speed limiter in the original GTR run, and the purchased ones have a 180kmph Governor (115mph or 120mph)....so that could easlily cost 25 seconds if you couldn't go over 120 in all the straits

You know, I didn't think about that but now that I do, wouldn't you think they would buy one without the limiter - or at least have the PCM chipped or reprogrammed? They would've said "We can't get it past 1XX.." no?

 

[slowchevy]

all bullshit aside - the GTR is one sexy looking car in the ORIGNAL POST's pic

 

[Freddy]

That made my night! LOL

 

[Stink Star]

i think the GTR is atrocious in person... it looks fat and ackward- nothing like the simplistic beauty of the past models... but that aside......... HA at nissan offering driving lessons to porsche! my guess would be its the other way around.... if you study the nissan tape of the "god run" you can easily see that the timing starts and ends at different points on the track, similar to the ZR1 run, but way worse...

 

[Mook]

 

[NetChemica]

Um even top gear Australia had the GTR faster than the porsche, the only thing I could see being different, is there probably wasn't a speed limiter in the original GTR run, and the purchased ones have a 180kmph Governor (115mph or 120mph)....so that could easlily cost 25 seconds if you couldn't go over 120 in all the straits

ish, the GTR has the GPS locations of most major race tracks out there. When you enter the course, all governors get disabled and you get to toy around

Here is more info on that for ya :
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2007/12/nissan_gtr_detects_when_car_is.html

 

[slowchevy]

those are some really dirty windows.

 

[Mook]

appears my suspicion was correct..

TOKYO — Nissan has officially refuted suggestions that cheating might have been involved during its testing of the 2009 Nissan GT-R at the Nürburgring Nordschleife this year. The carefully worded document from Tokyo responds to rumors that Porsche was unable to duplicate the GT-R's 7:29 effort in its own testing of a car this summer.

The Nissan release notes that the GT-R set what was then a new lap record for production sports cars of 7:29 on April 17, 2008, during customary performance and durability testing. The car met production specifications in every way, had been equipped with production-specification Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST CTT tires and had been driven by professional racing driver Toshio Suzuki. The car carried 110 pounds of data and video recording equipment. An official announcement was made in June.

Nissan notes that the test was observed by Best Motoring, a leading Japanese car magazine, and was conducted according to the Nürburgring test protocol for lap times established by Sport Auto, a leading German magazine. Nissan further says that it still has the tires used for the test.

The company says it's aware that other automakers have purchased examples of the GT-R for evaluation. It notes, "Like all GT-R customers, we recommend than any automaker buying a GT-R follow the recommended run-in procedures, service schedules and maintenance to ensure the maximum performance from the car. In addition, we offer performance driving courses for prospective and current GT-R owners to help them get the best performance from their car. We would welcome the opportunity to help any manufacturer with understanding the full capabilities of the GT-R."

Apparently this whole saga began last May, when a member of Porsche's Nürburgring development team was overheard at a social establishment near the track rather loudly expressing his skepticism of the GT-R's ability to surpass the Porsche 911 Turbo's speed at the Nordschleife. Just a few weeks ago under similar circumstances in Verona, Italy, for the introduction of the Porsche 911 Targa, the same person repeated his thoughts in the company of members of the Australian press.

Our sources have since learned that Porsche purchased a GT-R in America soon after the car's official introduction and quickly air-freighted it to Germany ($40,000 is usually the tab for such an exercise). Some time later, members of the Porsche crew at the Nürburgring brought the car to the Nissan development shop near the track and explained that they seemed to be having a little trouble with it. Kazutosi Mizuno, chief vehicle engineer and chief product specialist for the GT-R, happened to be there and — since all the Nürburgring development teams for various manufacturers are really one big family of friendly rivals — happily agreed to help them.

Porsche's GT-R had something over 3,000 miles on the odometer. Its tires were in tatters. The brakes were terminally toasted. None of the fluids had been changed. Mizuno inquired whether the transmission had been recalibrated following the recommended 1,200-mile break-in procedure as specified in the owner's manual. It had not. Mizuno provided new tires and new brakes, changed the fluids and recalibrated the transmission. And then he carefully explained the driving techniques that are required to help the GT-R do its best (as a former race engineer in charge of Nissan's effort at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he knows his stuff) and sent them on their way.

It seems Porsche was no more successful afterward, and now the testing season at the Nordschleife has concluded as winter weather approaches. Our Nissan sources tell us that the whole episode is highly humorous, especially as Porsche declines to describe its own testing protocol for Nordschleife laps. When spring arrives, we'll see if there are any mysterious German students in Nissan's performance driving schools for GT-R owners.

Inside Line says: Here's more proof that high-performance cars can make even engineers from the world's most sophisticated car companies act like scruffy teenagers in high-school auto shop.

 

[Stink Star]

the funny thing is, i doubt a nissan test driver could get a time close to what porsche got on their GT2 either.... the car is notoriously hard to drive

 

[KaMaSuTrA]

This whole debacle is hilarious...I love automotive wars!

 

[Turk]

Maybe the trans was fucked up and Nissan wouldn't fix it under warranty cause Porsche was driving around the track with the traction completely off???

 

[PANDA]

Porsche's GT-R had something over 3,000 miles on the odometer. Its tires were in tatters. The brakes were terminally toasted. None of the fluids had been changed. Mizuno inquired whether the transmission had been recalibrated following the recommended 1,200-mile break-in procedure as specified in the owner's manual. It had not. Mizuno provided new tires and new brakes, changed the fluids and recalibrated the transmission. And then he carefully explained the driving techniques that are required to help the GT-R do its best (as a former race engineer in charge of Nissan's effort at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he knows his stuff) and sent them on their way.

This car is a joke, tires, breaks, gone and 3K and fluids need to be changed already? break in procedure? Special dealers and mechanics to fix this thing. All this maintenance. Void of warranty if you disable launch control.

 

[Mook]

i'm going to make it a point to run you over in my nissan and then do repeated burnouts on you....all while turning VDC off

 

[Poopshinanigans]

This car is a joke, tires, breaks, gone and 3K and fluids need to be changed already? break in procedure? Special dealers and mechanics to fix this thing. All this maintenance. Void of warranty if you disable launch control.

If all those miles were on the 'Ring then i'd say 3000 miles without the fluids being changed is a good distance. But yes, the warranty is voided, hopefully Porsche can afford the repair bill.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

can i watch?

 

[PANDA]

i'm going to make it a point to run you over in my nissan and then do repeated burnouts on you....all while turning VDC off

I hope they don't void your warranty.

 

[Mook]

i wouldnt care..the price of the breakage would be worth it