No 56k: Nissan GTR Supertest on Nordschleife by SportAuto (kinda official laptimes...)

[Buba]

SO, here it is. They drove the car before, but wouldn't do a Supertest until they got an EuroSpec model. The car has the optional Dunlop Tires on it which they say are better than the stock Bridgestone ones. The tires are part of the "Premium Edition" so they can be had for the car via the tick in the option box. Sport Auto classifies then as Sportstires which mean they are optimized for grip. The comparison cars in the little boxes with a red triangle also were on tires like that.

Off course this is in German, but myself and other Germans will help out with parts.

All in all they said, that the car is fucking amazing, and performs like a dream, totally safe, perfect engine, best Double Clutch System on the Market and so on... If only Nissan didn't post such low times, the expectations wouldn't have been as high...












Again before the bashing starts: This is a Euro Spec car, the driver is very good and has done that Supertest on the Nordschleife for over 10 years. Usually a factory Driver can wiggle a second or 2 more out of a car, but personally for me, this is how fast this thing can go in stock form and its still extremly impressive...

edit: I don't have a Scanner, the Cam will have to suffice. Everything is readable, so +1 me, bitches!

[Spectre]

If you watch the in car video from the GT-R Nurburgring lap with the factory driver (the one posted here last year), it appears to take a radically different style of driving to get the very most out of the car. I'd not seen anything like it before; and honestly, I don't question that the car will go just as quickly as Nissan claim - with their driver. Others who use their regular driving styles will probably not do as well.

But then, that's the same deal with rear-engined Porsches, isn't it? It seems that "normal" styles won't get the best out of them, either.

Edit: Here's the video I was thinking of.

+ YouTube Video

Watch his steering inputs as he attacks the corners. Even on simple corners: Little input, back, BIG input, back, little input, repeat if needed. That's not normal corrections; that's not a normal style at all.

For comparison, check out this video of Sabine in the Ringtaxi:

+ YouTube Video

Bottom line: I don't doubt either Nissan's claims or the SuperTest times, but I think all the people who've complained about the claims failed to take into account the special driving style that this car apparently needs.

[the Interceptor]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Bottom line: I don't doubt either Nissan's claims or the SuperTest times, but I think all the people who've complained about the claims failed to take into account the special driving style that this car apparently needs.

Which is just what I have been saying all along, and which I was attacked and punished for.

[Spectre]

Hm, I don't recall attacking you over it. Did I?

I recently had cause to reflect on the matter of driving style when I tried out an Audi A5 recently. My default driving style matches up with classic 'Jaguar' handling quite well (no surprise there, right? ) - for example, I tend to hang the tail out a bit in corners, I trail brake and I do a lot of steering with the throttle. This generally tends to work on most cars (to a greater or lesser degree).

The A5 would have none of it, and I was notably slower with it around the course than others trying the car. Kind of embarrassing, though I was faster than almost everyone else in the "comparison" vehicles like the 330i coupe and the CLK.

Obviously, I am not a driving god.

[D-Fence]

Well, I guess this driving style come from him basically spinning the car out in every corner and letting the computer do the catching and thus narrowing the corner......however, I still think something like that is not comparable, like taking a car and programming it to drive the perfect line around a track.

[the Interceptor]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Hm, I don't recall attacking you over it. Did I?

No, you didn't attack me. But others did, in this thread.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by D-Fence

Well, I guess this driving style come from him basically spinning the car out in every corner and letting the computer do the catching and thus narrowing the corner......however, I still think something like that is not comparable, like taking a car and programming it to drive the perfect line around a track.

Actually, what I was thinking it looked a lot like was rally driving, where you drift almost every corner - but even there there's a lot of differences.

I think that the GT-R is just going to be one of those cars where you have to have a technique for that specific design to get the best out of it - though unlike a lot of cars in that category, those less blessed with talent, skill or time to learn will still be rewarded with mind bending performance.

[inso]

Thanks for the article. KUDOS.

[Buba]

Hehe, mag came out today. I've been at my postbox 3 times today... Couldn't wait!

[DanRoM]

Originally Posted by Buba

Hehe, mag came out today. I've been at my postbox 3 times today...

I'm stuck at work... but at least I know there's a treat waiting for me at home!

[LeVeL]

Originally Posted by Spectre

If you watch the in car video from the GT-R Nurburgring lap with the factory driver (the one posted here last year), it appears to take a radically different style of driving to get the very most out of the car. I'd not seen anything like it before; and honestly, I don't question that the car will go just as quickly as Nissan claim - with their driver. Others who use their regular driving styles will probably not do as well.

But then, that's the same deal with rear-engined Porsches, isn't it? It seems that "normal" styles won't get the best out of them, either.

Edit: Here's the video I was thinking of.




Watch his steering inputs as he attacks the corners. Even on simple corners: Little input, back, BIG input, back, little input, repeat if needed. That's not normal corrections; that's not a normal style at all.

I think that he has to do that because its AWD - he has to flick it in sharply to get the back end into action. Same story with FWD. RWD doesn't need that, of course.

[Koenig]

So I guess this proves that Chris Harris and the Porsche test drivers are crap drivers?

[Buba]

Or that they had cars with the standard Bridgestone tires or whatever...

[bartboy9891]

Originally Posted by Koenig

So I guess this proves that Chris Harris and the Porsche test drivers are crap drivers?

Chris Harris does participate in races at the Nurburgring, but there's a difference between that and a factory driver who's driven tons of laps in the same car trying to get the best time possible. It probably took the factory driver quite a bit of time to get the lap times that he did.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by LeVeL

I think that he has to do that because its AWD - he has to flick it in sharply to get the back end into action. Same story with FWD. RWD doesn't need that, of course.

Yeah, but that doesn't explain it either, because if you watch videos of other AWD cars going around the Ring none of their factory or race drivers use that style for their cars.

[TJP]

Originally Posted by Koenig

So I guess this proves that Chris Harris and the Porsche test drivers are crap drivers?

How? SportAuto mirrors the findings of the DR team in their test. The fact the DR test was conducted on a damp/wet track appears to have been overlooked.

Reading the GTR review just published on DR, the author just gave the car a 10/10 too.