Monday, November 16, 2009

Nissan launches revised version of its GT-R sports car

Nissan launched its latest GT-R sports car for Europe, boasting improved handling, ride comfort, and compliance with Euro V rules. All the modifications are internal, except for the double coat of clear paint on the bumpers for a deeper color finish.

While styling has been, for the most part, unchanged, the car’s front spring and damper rates have been adjusted and the stiffness of the suspension radius rod bushings has been increased. The purpose of these changes is to offer improved feel and responsiveness during cornering. The logic in the gearbox has been modified to provide a later downshift from sixth to fifth when being driven in automatic mode. However, a more aggressive downshift is adopted when changing down from fourth to third and from third to second gear.

For additional cooling to the exhaust and gearbox, two additional cooling ducts have been added to the carbonfiber underfloor diffuser. The front transmission mount has also been stiffened, reducing vibration under high-load conditions. For improved stability under dry-weather braking, the brake bias has been shifted rearwards.

Moreover, a modified air deflector increases rear brake cooling. CO2 emissions have dropped 3g/km to 295g/km as a result of these changes. A major achievement is that GT-R’s 3.8-litre V6 engine is now Euro V compliant. For its interior, the only changes are new rear seat insulation for more comfort and the speedometer and rev counter now have gun metallic finish surrounds.