Nissan GT-R - Considering the restrictions they are imposing, would you buy ?
10 February 2008, 12:09 AM
#1
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Nissan GT-R - Considering the restrictions they are imposing, would you buy ?
I was just reading an article on PH about the GT-R. I'd heard they were going to try and deter aftermarket modification of the car, but they are taking the p!$$ here....
LINK
Even if I could afford one, the fact that they are prepared to ruin my car, that is MY CAR paid for with my money, if I choose to tinker with it. That they'd be prepared to spy on me, and that they would enforce extra servicing costs on me whether the machine requires it or not means that if I did have the money to buy one, I MOST DEFINITELY WOULD NOT
I don't care how good it is, and I know how good it is reported to be, my money would go on something which didn't have a Big Brother as standard 
Originally Posted by Pistonheads
Aftermarket alloys look like they are out, confirming rumours circulating the Tokyo motor show.
A sensor is understood to be mounted on the valve stem and if the car is fitted with new rims an error code appears on the dash.
The new GT-R won’t allow custom exhausts either as any modification to the intake system causes the ECU to go haywire.
We reported a few weeks back that the car will remove its speed limiter when the car arrives at a track.
Well, not only will the track have to be a Nissan approved track, not any old circuit, but owners are required to head over to a Nissan High Performance Centre for a £500 safety check afterwards.
If this is not done the car will make sure the warranty is void.
A sensor is understood to be mounted on the valve stem and if the car is fitted with new rims an error code appears on the dash.
The new GT-R won’t allow custom exhausts either as any modification to the intake system causes the ECU to go haywire.
We reported a few weeks back that the car will remove its speed limiter when the car arrives at a track.
Well, not only will the track have to be a Nissan approved track, not any old circuit, but owners are required to head over to a Nissan High Performance Centre for a £500 safety check afterwards.
If this is not done the car will make sure the warranty is void.
Even if I could afford one, the fact that they are prepared to ruin my car, that is MY CAR paid for with my money, if I choose to tinker with it. That they'd be prepared to spy on me, and that they would enforce extra servicing costs on me whether the machine requires it or not means that if I did have the money to buy one, I MOST DEFINITELY WOULD NOT
I don't care how good it is, and I know how good it is reported to be, my money would go on something which didn't have a Big Brother as standard
10 February 2008, 08:54 AM
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There will always be people who will get round this, I bet a technician has already worked out how to sort this and is ready to sell it on to make lots of Yen.
10 February 2008, 09:11 AM
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I was just reading an article on PH about the GT-R. I'd heard they were going to try and deter aftermarket modification of the car, but they are taking the p!$$ here....
LINK
Even if I could afford one, the fact that they are prepared to ruin my car, that is MY CAR paid for with my money, if I choose to tinker with it. That they'd be prepared to spy on me, and that they would enforce extra servicing costs on me whether the machine requires it or not means that if I did have the money to buy one, I MOST DEFINITELY WOULD NOT I don't care how good it is, and I know how good it is reported to be, my money would go on something which didn't have a Big Brother as standard
LINK
Even if I could afford one, the fact that they are prepared to ruin my car, that is MY CAR paid for with my money, if I choose to tinker with it. That they'd be prepared to spy on me, and that they would enforce extra servicing costs on me whether the machine requires it or not means that if I did have the money to buy one, I MOST DEFINITELY WOULD NOT
I don't care how good it is, and I know how good it is reported to be, my money would go on something which didn't have a Big Brother as standard Considering the performance of the car as standard i cant see any other reason to modify it.
Buy it, modify it, just don’t expect Nissan to pick up the pieces if something goes wrong.
However not convinced about the speed limiter track only device.
IM Group as they are known voided my warranty after seeing photos taken by a pro photographer at a trackday.
10 February 2008, 11:42 AM
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Yes I would, given that I don't really do trackdays, I don't tend to do silly speeds on public roads that often and in reality it doesn't really need tuning.
But it is a worrying trend for Nissan to start...
But it is a worrying trend for Nissan to start...
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10 February 2008, 12:02 PM
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IMO it will only take a matter of time before someone figures out how to "cheat" the system 
Fair play to them for doing it as its a "step forward" in vehicle safety. Speed limiters are nothing new, german cars have had them for years but at least if you were to take it on track then you wouldn`t have the limiter to worry about.
Persoanlly I wouldn`t get one anyway, does anyone relise how wide they are though?
Fair play to them for doing it as its a "step forward" in vehicle safety. Speed limiters are nothing new, german cars have had them for years but at least if you were to take it on track then you wouldn`t have the limiter to worry about.Persoanlly I wouldn`t get one anyway, does anyone relise how wide they are though?
10 February 2008, 01:38 PM
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The car would only have GPS info for Japan, so outside of that country I would assume that the speed limiter wouldn't function. There are ways and means around ALL things. I have thought about bringing one in as a personal import but I would rather have money in the bank AND drive around in a £30k Scoob instead.
10 February 2008, 01:51 PM
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Absolutely. 100% agreed. This could end up being the beginning of the end.
Is it right that Mitsi has made playing around with the ecu on the new evo rather problematic too..? Something about the engine ecu talking to the SST ecu..??
10 February 2008, 03:20 PM
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Because i wrongly supposed that as Subaru UK run a fleet of cars on track then out them through the dealer network with a warranty and mags like evo track their fleet cars and get them sorted under warranty that my wrx would be suitable for some amateur non competitive track action, but then Subaru Uk (IMGroup) dont give a flying duck for customer relations do they?
Last edited by firesorter; 10 February 2008 at 03:21 PM. Reason: spellin mistook
10 February 2008, 05:39 PM
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Yep, exhaust etc. already available. It's also telling that a lot of the early delivery cars in Japan were to all the big tuners...
Nissan had to do something to avoid the 280PS gentlemens agreement, which they've done. I don't suppose they had to make it completely fail-safe, though
10 February 2008, 05:50 PM
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10 February 2008, 06:39 PM
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We're lucky that the scooby ECU is capable and reprogrammable, largely thanks to the efforts of EcuTek. It may well be that before too long, the Nissan ECU too will be as flexible and accommodating, once it's spent a few seconds connected to a tuner's laptop. Failing that, how long do you think it would take Apex'i and co to replace the stock ECU entirely, just like they have every other Japanese performance car?
History has taught us that these technical lockouts never, ever last long if there's enough of an incentive to break them. Look at DVD encryption, network locks on mobiles, copy-protected games - all cracked daily as a matter of routine because there's an incentive to do so.
You can hardly blame Nissan for wanting to protect themselves from fraudulent warranty claims from people who have abused cars on the track, or even wanting to protect the reputation of the car by ensuring that cars which have been used this way are checked and, if necessary, repaired rather than being sold on to unsuspecting buyers.
I like the GT-R a lot, but there is something that'll stop me buying one: the prospect that I might want an Audi R8 instead
10 February 2008, 07:31 PM
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Plus there were Japanese Tuners GT-R's running at time attack as test mules for various modifications.
Seems a bit strange Nissan getting all high and mighty about mods on one hand.. and handing cars early to Japanese tuning companies with the other.
Seems a bit strange Nissan getting all high and mighty about mods on one hand.. and handing cars early to Japanese tuning companies with the other.
10 February 2008, 07:52 PM
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One thing you have to remember is that these days some high end cars are very much at the limit already when it comes to gearboxes and engines. Porsche for example are well known to eek out the last ounce of power from some of their engines.. any mods are very much limited and might not give much in the way of a power gain.
10 February 2008, 08:15 PM
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The new B7 RS4, 4.2 NA, states around 414bhp. In truth Audi has detuned the engine as its so stressed, and is around 360/380bhp.
My friend has a B5 RS4, and recently had it chipped by a Audi specialist. He told us that a client of his bought a new RS4, and took it on a rolling road, which displayed around 380 bhp. He took it to 4 other rolling roads, all giving around that figure. He complained to Audi, who told him about the detuning issue, so he demanded his money back, as the item wasnt as described in the brouchure. Audi paid him his money.
Not sure how true this is, but the tuning specialist was pretty sure / honest.
SBK
My friend has a B5 RS4, and recently had it chipped by a Audi specialist. He told us that a client of his bought a new RS4, and took it on a rolling road, which displayed around 380 bhp. He took it to 4 other rolling roads, all giving around that figure. He complained to Audi, who told him about the detuning issue, so he demanded his money back, as the item wasnt as described in the brouchure. Audi paid him his money.
Not sure how true this is, but the tuning specialist was pretty sure / honest.
SBK
11 February 2008, 09:32 AM
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Yes i'm still going to buy my Spec V
I dont want to modify a car that is already as astonishing as it is from factory, because it comes out of the dealership with them willing to warrant their work for 3 years. Already the GTR hits 60 in 3.3secs, the Spec V will be lighter and more powerful so why would you want to throw away the security of Nissan looking after you!!
I dont want to modify a car that is already as astonishing as it is from factory, because it comes out of the dealership with them willing to warrant their work for 3 years. Already the GTR hits 60 in 3.3secs, the Spec V will be lighter and more powerful so why would you want to throw away the security of Nissan looking after you!!
12 February 2008, 11:19 AM
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Given that one of the first and most worthwhile mods on any car is to rip out the ECU and replace it with an aftermarket one anyway, is an uncooperative OEM ECU really such a big deal?
We're lucky that the scooby ECU is capable and reprogrammable, largely thanks to the efforts of EcuTek. It may well be that before too long, the Nissan ECU too will be as flexible and accommodating, once it's spent a few seconds connected to a tuner's laptop. Failing that, how long do you think it would take Apex'i and co to replace the stock ECU entirely, just like they have every other Japanese performance car?
History has taught us that these technical lockouts never, ever last long if there's enough of an incentive to break them. Look at DVD encryption, network locks on mobiles, copy-protected games - all cracked daily as a matter of routine because there's an incentive to do so.
You can hardly blame Nissan for wanting to protect themselves from fraudulent warranty claims from people who have abused cars on the track, or even wanting to protect the reputation of the car by ensuring that cars which have been used this way are checked and, if necessary, repaired rather than being sold on to unsuspecting buyers.
I like the GT-R a lot, but there is something that'll stop me buying one: the prospect that I might want an Audi R8 instead
We're lucky that the scooby ECU is capable and reprogrammable, largely thanks to the efforts of EcuTek. It may well be that before too long, the Nissan ECU too will be as flexible and accommodating, once it's spent a few seconds connected to a tuner's laptop. Failing that, how long do you think it would take Apex'i and co to replace the stock ECU entirely, just like they have every other Japanese performance car?
History has taught us that these technical lockouts never, ever last long if there's enough of an incentive to break them. Look at DVD encryption, network locks on mobiles, copy-protected games - all cracked daily as a matter of routine because there's an incentive to do so.
You can hardly blame Nissan for wanting to protect themselves from fraudulent warranty claims from people who have abused cars on the track, or even wanting to protect the reputation of the car by ensuring that cars which have been used this way are checked and, if necessary, repaired rather than being sold on to unsuspecting buyers.
I like the GT-R a lot, but there is something that'll stop me buying one: the prospect that I might want an Audi R8 instead
12 February 2008, 12:42 PM
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Yes i'm still going to buy my Spec V
I dont want to modify a car that is already as astonishing as it is from factory, because it comes out of the dealership with them willing to warrant their work for 3 years. Already the GTR hits 60 in 3.3secs, the Spec V will be lighter and more powerful so why would you want to throw away the security of Nissan looking after you!!
I dont want to modify a car that is already as astonishing as it is from factory, because it comes out of the dealership with them willing to warrant their work for 3 years. Already the GTR hits 60 in 3.3secs, the Spec V will be lighter and more powerful so why would you want to throw away the security of Nissan looking after you!!
14 February 2008, 11:33 PM
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What does it matter..?
It's a phenomenal car in standard form and if you’re going to buy one and you can afford to modify it, then to hell with the factory warrantee..
If I had the cash I’d order one tomorrow..
It's a phenomenal car in standard form and if you’re going to buy one and you can afford to modify it, then to hell with the factory warrantee..
If I had the cash I’d order one tomorrow..
14 February 2008, 11:50 PM
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