Filed under: Motorsports, Tuners, Japan, Supercars, Nissan
NISMO Tokachi 24-hour Nissan GT-R gets more carbon, V-spec mods
The Tokachi-bound R35 Nissan GT-R is on a carbon-rich diet, as evidenced by images captured by our new friends at GTR-World. On the outside, the trunk lid, hood and side mirrors have been replaced with carbon fiber bits and the rear-quarter windows have been swapped out in favor of lightweight acrylic pieces. The stripped cockpit gets a carbon fiber racing bucket, a fire suppression system (with a carbon fiber mounting bracket) and a C.F. gauge and dash surround that's expected to migrate to the Nissan GT-R V-Spec when it goes on sale next year (look for the dry-carbon mirrors too).
The only other additions needed to make the R35 ready for its 24-hour race are the on-board pneumatic air jacks, a new steering wheel, a racing harness and the bolt in roll cage, which is more for safety than stiffness. GTR-World is reporting that NISMO isn't doing any additional spot-welding to the body, as the stock GT-R's chassis is stiff enough to campaign in a production race class without modification. Look for more coverage of the NISMO/MOTUL GT-R when it hits the tarmac in Tokachi on July 20th and 21st, and rest assured that many of the carbon fiber pieces that have been developed for the race car will find their way to Nissan retailers as either dealer-installed options or on the forthcoming V-spec.Gallery: NISMO Tokachi 24-hour Nissan GT-R
[Source: GT-R World]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HotRodzNKustoms 8:48PM (7/03/2008)
Carbon fiber: because plastic pieces just weigh too much
Ok as much of a fan of the lightweight material carbon fiber mirrors seem a bit ridiculous to me. What are you possibly saving in weight over plastic? 1/4lb? I'll just make sure not to have the second burger at MickyD's.
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Franz 9:13PM (7/03/2008)
I've always thought it a bit of a stretch too, but engineers can be really obsessive when it comes to functionality. I know replacement mirrors are often re profiled to be smaller and more aerodynamic than stock items, so if you think about it like that, making a mirror minutely lighter with carbon fiber really isn't more far fetched than making it slightly more aerodynamic in the first place. To them, every little detail counts, and generally on a race car it really does. Regular Joes like us would never be able to tell the difference on our street cars... maybe a little less wind noise, but that's about it. But to race engineers, even the smallest details can win races. They're always looking for an edge over the other guy.
why not the LS2LS7? 9:29PM (7/03/2008)
Especially dry carbon. Yuck.
They're very light, but they generally have a really bumpy finish, and painting them just makes them look even worse.
azzo45 9:59PM (7/03/2008)
Carbon fiber saves weight (more than you think) + carbon is much stronger than plastic. Believe it or not plastic will flex & even with mirrors/ supports you don't want that.
why not the LS2LS7? 10:38PM (7/03/2008)
No, I don't care if mirrors flex a bit.
And the point about saving weight is that switching the mirror brackets can't possibly save any more weight than removing the mirrors completely, and even that amount of savings doesn't seem significant.
spdracerut 2:59PM (7/04/2008)
Eh... if you have the money, then people will go to extremes to save weight.
I read an article in Racecar Engineering where the refueling receptical or something on F1 cars was redesigned to save 8 grams IIRC. They redesigned some bolts on the brake calipers to save a gram and a half.
In the development of the Ducati 999, redesigned the brake lever to save 16 grams or so.
You can buy carbon fiber water bottle holders for bicycles, and they cost ~$100. Only save something like 20 grams over a $10 aluminum one, but people still buy it.
azzo45 2:26PM (7/05/2008)
Ask a SCCA Pro Racing, Grand-AM, or IMSA class engineer if they want everything stiff. Also BELIEVE ME carbon fiber is MUCH lighter than OEM stock plastic anything.
My good friend is a composites expert... he has worked for numerous race teams (including top ALMS entries to grass roots showroom stock racers.
His brother worked for Chip Ganassi Racing doing the same type of work for many years. CF distributes the weight exactly where the teams want it.
Sean Morris 9:16PM (7/03/2008)
The roll cage in that car is horrible. No harness bar. Multiple bends in the front downtube. Bolt together elements.
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Harrison 9:27PM (7/03/2008)
This may just be part of the roll cage.
tankd0g 9:55PM (7/03/2008)
They also put the steering wheel on the wrong side.
why not the LS2LS7? 9:32PM (7/03/2008)
Say.. how do tips and stories work on this site?
We've got a follow up on a project GT-R story, but the link I (and probably others) submitted yesterday ("Top Gear rapped for alcohol use") doesn't make the cut?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7485313.stm
Seems strange to me.
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pmiddle5 11:49PM (7/03/2008)
The follow up on this GTR thing is def hella odd and pointless compared to the one we just got like 3 days ago. The BBC thing is typical of people having a stick up their ass about everything. I found it pretty funny when they were drinking but ofcourse it isnt p/c
why not the LS2LS7? 1:41AM (7/04/2008)
Well, I guess a lot of people thought perhaps the hood was being replaced with one made of lead. But no, now we know they're using carbon fiber!
This article adds no real info to what we knew before in my mind. Not that an article that doesn't really say anything is the end of the world. I just thought it odd the other article isn't being run, given that people like to yak about Top Gear, as evidenced by the next article being about Top Gear.
Mobius_1 10:48PM (7/03/2008)
No extra Powweeerrrr upgrades? That's rare
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Vetteracer 12:51AM (7/04/2008)
Lots of marketing hype.
CF is stonger, not so if saving weight as the CF parts such as body is made thinner.
As owning a racecar where the whole body is CF I can tell you if hit correctly it cracks like an eggshell
Total joke having a small CF bracket, enough motion on it and it will come apart over time
As the sun beats on CF over time its look goes flat and can degrade the CF thus reason GM spent a ton of money on the new ZR1 that has a coating over CF to protect it from the suns rays.
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Ovidiu Miron 5:37AM (7/04/2008)
The bolt in roll cage is a good thing. The same I can say about the on-board pneumatic air jacks.
Even if NISMO isn't doing any additional spot-welding to the body, the idea remains at the top.
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pmiddle5 12:22PM (7/04/2008)
I hope they sell the airjacks as an option...
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User 11:40PM (7/05/2008)
Does this mean they'll have to reprogram the GT-R's crazy technology to compensate for the weight changes?
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