20 Votes

Finally The Truth: What Is The GT-R's REAL Horsepower?

Agent009 submitted on 1/2/2009 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 1:54:11 PM

56 user comments | Category: Misc News | Source: | SOURCE: www.motortrend.com

Yes, we have already dynoed Nissan's GT-R and we made some very controversial claims as to the true power output of said GT-R.

The unknown in that test was the elusive "driveline losses." That's the amount of power lost to inertia of spinning parts like gears and driveshafts and friction in the transmission, U-joints, axles, etc., which have traditionally had to be estimated.

We used the conservative estimate of 15% that's usually used for simple manuals, but this one uses twin hydraulically actuated clutches, includes all-wheel drive, with two separate prop shafts, so we considered our estimate conservative. Our Dynojet inertia-type machine indicated a mean output of 430.6 hp at 6700 rpm and 425.3 lb-ft at 3900 rpm, which we interpreted as 507 hp and 500 lb-ft after accounting for the 15% loss.

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Finally The Truth: What Is The GT-R's REAL Horsepower?

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"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
— Agent009 (View Profile)

User Comments

Did they tell us the acceleration numbers for this exact car?
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 2:36:25 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2

I still have no doubt that Nissan was increasing the hp for the cars they supply to the magazines for testing. In this Autoexpress article

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/228582/gtr_giant_slayer.html

the GT-R out accelerated the Lamborghini LP560-4 even though the Lamborghini weighs 300 lbs less than the GT-R and has 79 more hp. The Lambo also has four wheel drive and a computer controlled automated manual transmission with "thrust mode" that launches the car and shifts gears automatically to maximize acceleration.
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 2:45:37 PM | | Votes: -8

Here's another one you won't like.

Fast forward to the 4 minute mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo3PaTPFiiI

FYI, the GTR tested was a privately owned one (not supplied by Nissan). And, the Autoexpress GTR was most likely privately owned as well as the GTR is not yet available in the UK.

Cheers mate!
— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 3:43:00 PM | | Votes: 7

Poor Mr. KK Turbospyder, the more he comments, the less credible he looks. What more could we expect? Why so much hate?
— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 4:23:13 PM | | Votes: 2

My friend from Arizona dynoed his GT-R with 503 horsepower. It's not a bad thing. You get more than you expected and isn't that a good thing for the customers? If the 997 TT got 508 horsepower it would be quicker too but like I've said before, the 997TT is an awesome car to drive and the GT-R is also another beast that also deserves respect.

Whatever the horsepower numbers are both have their pros and cons. I want to see Porsche's PDK in the 997TT considering the Carrera S fitted with one gets to 60mph in 4.1-4.2 seconds, pretty impressive. It's all about the TRANNY!.
— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 6:40:42 PM | | Votes: 3

"My friend from Arizona dynoed his GT-R with 503 horsepower. It's not a bad thing."

No, it's not a bad thing for someone who buys a GT-R plus it clears up an engineering enigma. All else being equal (e.g., four-wheel-drive and automated manual transmissions) a car that weighs 300lbs more and (supposedly) has 79 hp less than a second car will not out accelerate the second car.
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 12:04:25 AM | | Votes: -6

"I want to see Porsche's PDK in the 997TT considering the Carrera S fitted with one gets to 60mph in 4.1-4.2 seconds, pretty impressive."

If I'm not mistaken when the refreshed Turbo comes out it will be available with PDK.
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 10:52:18 AM | | Votes: 2

I wonder if it can shave off .2 of a second. More the better obviously. I want to be surprised. :) The PDK seems like a good system and good choice to use. No more "Oh you drive an Automatic Porsche" classification. No ones going to say "Oh you're driving an Automatic GT-R?".
— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 12:49:26 AM | | Votes: 0

Didnt know you were female by the handle you use...bummer on cancer if true and thanks for the laughs you two =)
— Porschinator (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 7:25:38 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

On an episode of Top Gear JC said that each engine is handmade so the horsepower of each is different
— synx (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 4:12:29 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

Hey, thats what he said.
— synx (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 5:52:48 PM | | Votes: 2

look at brembo's second comment :
http://www.autospies.com/news/Nissan-Purposely-Inflates-GT-R-HP-On-Press-Test-Cars-Or-Did-They-33814/
— synx (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 5:57:22 PM | | Votes: 2

Oh what a tangled web Nissan & Ghosn weaved, When first they practised to deceive!

:-(
— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 4:29:13 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -8

"Oh what a tangled web Nissan & Ghosn weaved, When first they practised to deceive!"

Well at least under reporting is better than whining about not being able to drive a great car very well...
— _43LE (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 2:55:57 AM | | Votes: -3

Tell me more about your life story.
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 10:54:35 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

GT-R is great with proper gearing and sick tranny/drivetrain you can get good #'s even being nearly 2 tons of fun. Launch Control has been known to cause damage if abused and Dealer can tell by the ECU readings which will result in warranty issues :-P *only down side.

Of course no engine is exactly the same with identical output but with proper build quality the difference should be no more that +/- 2%.
— Porschinator (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 7:32:08 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

So its true Nissan has been lying about its power figures by under reporting the torque. We know it now. Either way its still a monster. As big of a Porsche fan as I am I have to give credit where its due.
T
— TauronB2G (View Profile)

Posted on 1/2/2009 8:51:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

If it still goes 0-60 in 3.5 then it could have 9hp for all I care.
— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 12:14:54 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

Driver's Republic tested the acceleration of a GT-R and found that it did 0 to 60 in 4.0s. Watch the acceleration run (14:00 mark) for yourself here

http://www.drivers-republic.com/flash/flv_tv.swf?flvSource=xbha487a68mer1054whos3po.flv&replay=1

They also found that the GT-R did the 1/4 mile in 12.3s at 117 mph. The acceleration numbers I found for the Lamborghini LP560-4 says that it will do 0 to 62* mph in 3.7s and the 1/4 mile in 11.2s at 129 mph so how the hell did Autoexpress magazine test them both and find that the GT-R out accelerates the LP560?

http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2008_geneva/0803_2009_lamborghini_gallardo_lp560-4/index.html

http://www.dragtimes.com/Lamborghini-Gallardo-Timeslip-16491.html

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/228582/gtr_giant_slayer.html

Maybe the ingenieur can explain this discrepancy.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 1:12:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2

Information from Road and Track magazine

Lamborghini LP560-4
Test Weight: 3765 lbs
Horsepower 552 at 8000 rpm
Torque 398 at 6500 rpm
0 to 60: 3.2s
1/4 mile: 11.2s at 129.5 mph

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/1108_rt_lambo_dp.pdf

-

Nissan GT-R
Test Weight: 3960 lbs
Horsepower 480 bhp at 6400 rpm
Torque 434 at 3200 rpm
0 to 60: 3.4s
1/4 mile: 11.8s

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=6591

According to R&T the Lamborghini is 0.6 seconds faster in the 1/4 mile than the GT-R but when AutoExpress magazine tests them head-to-head they find that the GT-R out accelerates the Lambo. How does that happen? There is no consistency to the GT-R's acceleration times. Why?
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 1:49:59 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3

"Maybe the ingenieur can explain this discrepancy."

That's probably GT-R engineers secret how they can do so heavy 485 hp car faster than lighter and more powerful competitors. They must have very big knowledge in physics and mathematics, don't you think so?
---
There is more cars with significant difference in acceleration times done by European and American magazines. Lexus LS600h for example, in Europe above 6.5 sec, in America 5.5 sec. Maybe there's a difference how the tests are made but I don't know what.
— abcd (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 3:31:26 PM | | Votes: 0

The Road and Track numbers I posted just above show that the Lamborghini LP560-4 can out accelerate the GT-R 0 to 60 and in the 1/4 mile (by 0.6s) but the AutoExpress article below says that the GT-R out accelerates the Lamborghini. How is this possible? It's like some GT-Rs have more power than others...

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/228582/gtr_giant_slayer.html
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 4:22:29 PM | | Votes: -3

"It's like some GT-Rs have more power than others..."

Or this Lamborghinis LP560-4 have less power or it was broken or ... or ... . If Motor Trend will do 1/4 mile in this GT-R we will know something more. But I doubt your conspirancy theories will outlast when there's more and more proofs you're wrong.
— abcd (View Profile)

Posted on 1/3/2009 5:37:39 PM | | Votes: 1

Ladies,

Put the figures to rest. You're arguing about cars that children have on their walls as posters. LP560-4 is exotic, the GT-R isn't. BUT, both accelerate amazingly fast. Do you think the owners of both cars would be arguing over .2 or .5 seconds difference? They would be cruising, speeding, having coffee laughing at what most fanboys would be talking about. They could careless because they know they drive one of the most desired cars in production. That's what cars should be about. Good conversation pieces, good engineering, good to drive, good to look at, good on a track, what else could a car enthusiast want?
— Agent63 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 1:09:49 AM | | Votes: 0

Midengine...I mean TurboSpyder,

The AutoExpress article you keep posting says the GTR did the 0-60mph in 3.9 secs. This is inline with most 0-60 times set by other publications (ie, below 4 secs). The LP560-4 in the same AutoExpress article did 0-60 in 4.4 secs. Seems like the Lambo has the greater inconsistency.

Did you even see those stats in the article you keep posting?
— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 3:49:09 PM | | Votes: 0

For some reason Firefox wasn't able to open the facts and figures table so after you pointed out the times I used Opera. So AutoExpress says the Lambo takes 4.4s 0 to 60 and the GT2 takes 4.6s? Did they do the acceleration runs in the rain or something? Below is a video clip from MotorTrend showing the Lambo doing 0 to 60 in 3.4s which is consistent with what most of what the other (other than AutoExpress) car magazines report.

http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtests/112_0805_2009_lamborghini_gallardo_accleration_run_video/index.html
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 10:55:32 AM | | Votes: 1

bimmerdyke is just bitter cuz the gt-r is better than a bmw
— BJS470 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 1:58:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2

"or...different weather conditions, drivers, altitudes, etc... not some retarded exuse that some gt-rs have more hp than others."

Car and Driver just tested the Lambo LP560 and got 0 to 60 in 3.2s and the 1/4 mile in 11.2s.

http://www.caranddriver.com/content/download/137516/1882438/version/1/file/LamborghiniGallardoLP560-4.pdf

They also recently tested a Carrera with PDK and got 0 to 60 in 4.1s and the 1/4 mile in 12.5 s.

So according to Car and Driver the Carrera PDK is almost one second slower than the Lambo 0 to 60!

http://www.caranddriver.com/content/download/133244/1823953/version/1/file/Porsche911PDK09comp.pdf

But here's video proof that the Carrera 2 is quicker 0 to 60 than the GT-R in a drag race.

(14:00 mark)

http://www.drivers-republic.com/flash/flv_tv.swf?flvSource=xbha487a68mer1054whos3po.flv&replay=1

So we have a dilemma. Car and Driver’s numbers show that the Lambo is considerably quicker than the Carrera PDK (Lambo > Carrera) and we have video evidence that the Carrera PDK is quicker 0 to 60 than the GT-R (Carrera > GT-R) and this would mean that (Lambo > GT-R) but AutoExpress magazine says the GT-R is quicker than the Lambo (GT-R > Lambo). How do you explain this huge discrepancy?

The acceleration times that Car and Driver get for the Lambo and Carrera PDK are almost identical to the times that other magazines such as Driver's Republic report for the Carrera and Lambo.
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 3:33:17 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

sigh...
— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/4/2009 3:55:53 PM | | Votes: -1

Couldn't mount a reasonable counter argument, huh? There is something fishy in the large differences in the GT-R's acceleration times.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 12:53:49 AM | | Votes: 1

Btw, the last time Car and Driver tested the GT-R they only managed 0 to 60 in 4.1s just like Driver's Republic got.

http://www.caranddriver.com/content/download/110312/1496505/version/1/file/2009+Nissan+GT-R+-+Test+Sheet.pdf
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 12:58:15 AM | | Votes: 0

I guess you missed my reply above. Just like you missed the stats on the AutoExpress article.

— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 9:31:42 AM | | Votes: 1

I guess you missed my reply above. Just like you missed the stats on the AutoExpress article
— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 9:32:12 AM | | Votes: 1

Turbospyder,

I am not doubting what the Lambo is capable of in a straight line (especially with its superior power to weight ratio). In fact, the Lambo will probably outrun the GTR more often than not in a straight line. But add twists and turns and undulating surfaces, it might be a different story. (You can refer to the Autocar video I provided earlier).

But the issue here is your theory that somehow Autoexpress was provided by Nissan with a non-standard GTR (and like I said it's most likely privately owned as the GTR is not yet available in the UK) and that the GTR couldn't have out accelerated the Lambo because of its power and weight disadvantage. As it turns out, the Lambo got a higher than average 0-60mph time (for whatever reason).

— Ingenieur (View Profile)

Posted on 1/5/2009 11:49:45 AM | | Votes: 1

How does AutoExpress find that the GT-R is 0.7s faster than the Porsche GT2 0-60 when the GT2 walks away from the GT-R in a drag race in this MotorTrend video? And the GT2 has a manual transmission. Fishy.

http://www.motortrend.com/av/features/112_0811_zr1_gtr_gt2_599_drag_race_video/index.html
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 1/6/2009 8:11:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

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Finally The Truth: What Is The GT-R's REAL Horsepower?