GT-R grenades tranny

[M3WC]

The very same car a former member posted, to brag about. He claimed simple bolt-ons, it ran a 10.5 second. Apparently the GTR tranny can't handle simple bolt-ons.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/23/v...he-drag-strip/

VIDEO: Tuned Nissan GT-R grenades tranny at the drag strip

The Samurai Speed Nissan GT-R you see above (the one on the right) is a total bad ass. With over 600 horsepower and several other performance-enhancing tweaks, it can do a 10.5-second quarter mile run at a ridiculous 128.42 mph. Samurai Speed has obviously tested Nissan's notoriously finicky Launch Control over 100 times without a single hiccup... until now. The $20,000 tranny recently took a dirt nap on the drag strip with the cameras rolling, and we have video of the carnage after the jump.

You can't hear the tranny fail on account of the other GT-R at the line, but onlookers said the nuclear transmission sounded like a "bunch of metal dominoes in a line and Tiger Woods came by and hit them with his driver." Ouch. It's pretty obvious that Nissan won't be picking up the warranty tab for this GT-R, so Samurai Speed plans to beef up the transmission on its own dime in an effort to continue cranking out incredible times.

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[M3WC]

Oh yeah, here is a list the so-called simple bolt-ons.

• 18″ Volk TE37s
• Mickey Thompson drag radials.
• HKS GT570
• Cobb Accessport Custom tune @ 19psi
• Methanol injection system
• Amuse STTI Catback
• Harman Motive Intake

[Advskier]

For the price of the GTR, add-ons, and new transmission he could have bought a nice car.

[Bimmer Nerd]

Originally Posted by Advskier

For the price of the GTR, add-ons, and new transmission he could have bought a nice car.

hahahah

[doba_s]

Ouch

[TrailBraker]

Wheel hop = blown tranny on any car. More power you add, the worse it gets.

[Big Windy]

bummer. but i don't feel sorry for any GT-R owners that are still doing this after seeing what happens with the tranny and the warranty.

[zacbol]

There's a pretty long thread about this over at Nagtroc involving the owner of this car, and he isn't too worked up about it. He'd intended to replace the tranny before this ever happened.

More broadly, I'd hardly view this as proof the the GTR having a glass transmission given the regularity with which this car was being launched and the mods the guy had done. It was, as noted above, definitely not stock. I suspect the issue is real but has been somewhat overblown--though only time will tell. I do think that at times people on here rag on the GTR out of nothing more than jealousy. That said, Nagtroc seems to be the opposite problem and is full of Nissan apologists. The truth is somewhere in likely somewhere in between.

[09E92M34ME]

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by zacbol

There's a pretty long thread about this over at Nagtroc involving the owner of this car, and he isn't too worked up about it. He'd intended to replace the tranny before this ever happened.

More broadly, I'd hardly view this as proof the the GTR having a glass transmission given the regularity with which this car was being launched and the mods the guy had done. It was, as noted above, definitely not stock. I suspect the issue is real but has been somewhat overblown--though only time will tell. I do think that at times people on here rag on the GTR out of nothing more than jealousy. That said, Nagtroc seems to be the opposite problem and is full of Nissan apologists. The truth is somewhere in likely somewhere in between.

Agree, the owners who intend to keep their GTR's stock shouldn't have a problem. Imphasis on "shouldn't".


But this should be a warning to people modding the GTR. When it comes down to modding for more power, you have to know the stock tranny is not up for it. This particular car is not overly modded, the tuner only did a little over 100 launches with this car.


Just don't see this car being as bulletproof as other turbo cars, like the Supra. That thing could handle large amounts of boost, stock.

[TrailBraker]

The R33 GT-R had the same problems. Almost any big HP GTR in Japan R32, 33, or 34 had a Nismo tranny in em. The Supra is a RWD car, less grip, less stress. My Supra (a 98) could not handle high boost (18+ PSI) without the help of a boost controller, fuel controller, catless DP, and a new clutch.

[icemang17]

This isn't surprising....a 4000lb+ car with driver and over 600hp with similar torque....launching all that weight and power through AWD drag radials...something has to give eventually....

[bmstyle71]

Originally Posted by zacbol

I do think that at times people on here rag on the GTR out of nothing more than jealousy.

Riiighhhtttt. That's your intelligent input? People rag on the GTR because they are jealous.

[V8convert]

Originally Posted by bmstyle71

Riiighhhtttt. That's your intelligent input? People rag on the GTR because they are jealous.

Are you jealous? or just a Jackass?

[Advskier]

It's not the HP of highly modded GTR's that are causing transmissions to break. Do a little reading. Stock cars are commonly breaking them, and buyers have to sign away their rights. Launch control is being ditched for a reason.

Nissan has really done the public a disservice not only by selling a car with this issue, but not adequately disclosing the cost of operating a GTR, especially if the owner is going to use it for anything other than grocery shopping.

Factor in the special fluid costs, frequent brake replacement, frequent service interval (if the car is actually used as it was supposedly intended) etc. and it's really a bad deal.

As to the jealousy thing, most people who can buy an M3 can probably afford a GTR. I'm not wealthy, but my M3 is not close to being the only vehicle in my garage, and if I wanted a high maintenance vehicle with a playstation interior that is prone to breakage I could have bought a GTR.
I think (like a lot of other people here) that whatever BMW or Porsche lose in performance they more than make up for in style, build quality, and reliability.

The GTR is only going to be the fastest kid on the block for so long anyways, and in a while it will just be another broken down Nissan. Especially when owners find out they broke the bank to buy one not knowing what it will take to keep it running.

[spearfisher]

great performing car, but a car needs to be able to drive to a track and back home and be able to take a beating to be most people's garage, most people don't have just a dedicated track car, unless they have mucho $$.

[GnokGnik]

The GT-R is a great car. For its price I think only the Z06 can even come close to compete in performance in its price range...that said, it's unnecessarily rare and very overhyped (like the Audi r8).

I think there is an inherited hatred toward the GT-R because it is amazing as a track car and that takes away from the traditional supercars. It's heavy, relatively cheap, ugly (imo) and doesn't require much skill to drive fast.

It is NOT RIGHT

[Robert]

^

I'd take a Vette for one: it is cheap especially in this economy, and second it is even cheaper to fix. Send the car to some fat block in Kentucky and it will come back just as new. GTR serves one purpose and it's to perform hence one would think Nissan would make it bullet proof but, it's a shame, the old Nissan tranny issue still plagues its flagship model after all these years.

The car has so much potential.

[zacbol]

Originally Posted by bmstyle71

Riiighhhtttt. That's your intelligent input? People rag on the GTR because they are jealous.

There was a bit more to it than that, primarly that n=1 (particularly when the sample set is not representative) does not constitute proof.

Originally Posted by Advskier

It's not the HP of highly modded GTR's that are causing transmissions to break. Do a little reading. Stock cars are commonly breaking them, and buyers have to sign away their rights. Launch control is being ditched for a reason.

What are you defining as "common"? I haven't seen more than a handful of these occurences online. I'm not saying they don't exist, simply that I haven't seen them. I'd be more than happy to change my tune if you can link to more than 3-5 of them. No argument on the fact that Nissan is ditching launch control for a reason and the transmission seems to be unable to handle it, but as for the tranny being weak under normal driving conditions I think a bit of time will need to pass before we have the real picture.

Nissan has really done the public a disservice not only by selling a car with this issue, but not adequately disclosing the cost of operating a GTR, especially if the owner is going to use it for anything other than grocery shopping.

Factor in the special fluid costs, frequent brake replacement, frequent service interval (if the car is actually used as it was supposedly intended) etc. and it's really a bad deal.

I don't know that it's a bad deal, given you're essentially getting a supercar for not much more than the cost of the M3 but complete agree than Nissan has been less than forthright in the manner in which it's marketed the car, whether that's failing to adequately disclose operating costs or the fact, as has been repeated ad nauseaum on these boards, that the performance figures it used to market the car are not achievable without risking one's warranty.

As to the jealousy thing, most people who can buy an M3 can probably afford a GTR. I'm not wealthy, but my M3 is not close to being the only vehicle in my garage, and if I wanted a high maintenance vehicle with a playstation interior that is prone to breakage I could have bought a GTR.
I think (like a lot of other people here) that whatever BMW or Porsche lose in performance they more than make up for in style, build quality, and reliability.

Yes, I realize this. In fact, I consciously chose to get an M3 over a GTR for a number of reasons and am completely happy with my car. That said, the reason I use the word jealousy is the near obsessiveness with the car and its shortcomings that some members on this board seem to display. I think to a degree it's a natural reaction to the (over)hyping of the car in the media and serves to somewhat balance things out. Think, however, of the guys in the 335s who come on here talking about how with a few mods their cars are faster than an M3. What do you think when you see them going on and on and posting repeated threads about the subject? To me, they simply seem to upset they didn't buy the M3 instead. The 335 is a great car and they should focus on the amazing car they do have rather than ragging on a car they don't. Similarly, the gleeful and derisive manner in which some M3 owners point out issues with the GTR reminds me of the old cliched thread where someone posts a picture of a hot model and someone points out "Eh, she's not that hot, she has pointy elbows". Why anyone would expend so much energy harping on the shortcomings of a vehicle other than his own makes no sense to me. There's nothing wrong in bringing up issues with the car, but it seldom seems to be done in a objective manner, it's very rarely "Looks like the GTR may really have some issue with its tranny" but instead usually something like 'Hahaha. Look at how this piece of shit Nissan just had its tranny fall out" and so forth. I guess if that's how people want to spend their time and energy it's up to them. As I said before, Nagtroc seems to be full of people with the opposite problem; people there blindly defend the car when it seems quite likely there are some very real issues with it.

The GTR is only going to be the fastest kid on the block for so long anyways, and in a while it will just be another broken down Nissan. Especially when owners find out they broke the bank to buy one not knowing what it will take to keep it running.

Don't disagree on this one, but again pointing out that "it's just a Nissan" seems to be a little unnecessary. It's like a Porsche 911 owner who sees that the M3 can in many cases outperform a base 911 throwing in 'It may be faster but it's not a Porsche'

[1º]

^
great points made.

[Advskier]

Originally Posted by zacbol

There was a bit more to it than that, primarly that n=1 (particularly when the sample set is not representative) does not constitute proof.


What are you defining as "common"? I haven't seen more than a handful of these occurences online. I'm not saying they don't exist, simply that I haven't seen them. I'd be more than happy to change my tune if you can link to more than 3-5 of them. No argument on the fact that Nissan is ditching launch control for a reason and the transmission seems to be unable to handle it, but as for the tranny being weak under normal driving conditions I think a bit of time will need to pass before we have the real picture.


I don't know that it's a bad deal, given you're essentially getting a supercar for not much more than the cost of the M3 but complete agree than Nissan has been less than forthright in the manner in which it's marketed the car, whether that's failing to adequately disclose operating costs or the fact, as has been repeated ad nauseaum on these boards, that the performance figures it used to market the car are not achievable without risking one's warranty.


Yes, I realize this. In fact, I consciously chose to get an M3 over a GTR for a number of reasons and am completely happy with my car. That said, the reason I use the word jealousy is the near obsessiveness with the car and its shortcomings that some members on this board seem to display. I think to a degree it's a natural reaction to the (over)hyping of the car in the media and serves to somewhat balance things out. Think, however, of the guys in the 335s who come on here talking about how with a few mods their cars are faster than an M3. What do you think when you see them going on and on and posting repeated threads about the subject? To me, they simply seem to upset they didn't buy the M3 instead. The 335 is a great car and they should focus on the amazing car they do have rather than ragging on a car they don't. Similarly, the gleeful and derisive manner in which some M3 owners point out issues with the GTR reminds me of the old cliched thread where someone posts a picture of a hot model and someone points out "Eh, she's not that hot, she has pointy elbows". Why anyone would expend so much energy harping on the shortcomings of a vehicle other than his own makes no sense to me. There's nothing wrong in bringing up issues with the car, but it seldom seems to be done in a objective manner, it's very rarely "Looks like the GTR may really have some issue with its tranny" but instead usually something like 'Hahaha. Look at how this piece of shit Nissan just had its tranny fall out" and so forth. I guess if that's how people want to spend their time and energy it's up to them. As I said before, Nagtroc seems to be full of people with the opposite problem; people there blindly defend the car when it seems quite likely there are some very real issues with it.


Don't disagree on this one, but again pointing out that "it's just a Nissan" seems to be a little unnecessary. It's like a Porsche 911 owner who sees that the M3 can in many cases outperform a base 911 throwing in 'It may be faster but it's not a Porsche'

There have been more than 3-5 trannies go with GTR's, but I'm not about to research that for you.
I think we are in basic agreement on the car, but I disagree with you on the attitude of the M3 owners concerning the GTR.

A thread starts with a video of a GTR blowing a transmission, and what are we supposed to say? "GTR's have awesome transmissions"? If we say anything factual that is negative then we are jealous of the car?

We've had plenty of obnoxious GTR owners visit here bashing M3's, and maybe that has contributed to some of us laughing at the failures and maintenance issues.

The GTR might be a low price supercar (not when you factor in keeping it running), but aren't supercars supposed to be somewhat reliable and capable of operating at their limits without voiding warranties, blowing up or needing serious repairs? If a Corvette had the same maintenance/repair issues what would we be saying?

If you want to throw the M3 in as a comparison, I'd say it's pretty near supercar performance at an even better price point. The fact that C/D has it lapping Laguna faster than a $95K Porsche, 0-60 in the very low 4's, and able to do these things (and use launch control) without needing repairs or voiding warranties is pretty cool too. Plus it seats 4 adults!

[3XTR3M3]

Originally Posted by Advskier

...it will just be another broken down Nissan.

Originally Posted by Advskier

If we say anything factual that is negative then we are jealous of the car?

Jealous or hatin, choose one. Anyone with any respect for a car of this caliber would never put it in the "another broke down Nissan" category.

I can afford a GT-R, before I bought the M3 and after. But I'll wait to see what the deal is with it a year from now.

And I have to admit...

I am jealous! Not your kind of jealous, where i calmly post certain truths with an injection of obvious jealously fueled criticisms like "just another broke down nissan".

Im jealous cus I would loooove for my M3 to be able to put out those kinds of numbers. Im jealous cus Im an M3 fanatic and it just got its position swiped from under him by a nissan. Im jealous cus i think it would be cool to have a nav/on board comp designed by Polyphony Digital in a BMW.

But im not jealous enough to laugh at someone that has enough balls to blow a tranny being one of the first to ever tune and tame a beast like the GT-R.

And im not jealous enough to use it against Nissan and the GT-R to discredit it as an outstanding accomplishment and one hell of an automotive landmark.

Because as a car fan, I appreciate and respect every last bit thats gone into making the GT-R the unrealistically capable animal that it is. EVEN if it does have some major issues in its first year in production.


Best regards,

3XTR3M3 - 5 time 3 series owner, 3 time M3 owner