Reliability of R-32 GT-R

I'm currently trying to sell my Viper to buy a R-32 GT-R, and
had a few questions. Are they reliable? I've heard that some
over heat, or does motorex only bring in the best examples, so this
isn't an issue. How do they do in city traffic? Does it take a lot of
maintenance to keep them runing. Has anyone every taken their
Skyline in the snow? I would Imagine it would do great since its
all wheel drive. Thanks for your time.
Cason:sun:

I don't have a skyline myself , but i have a friend who owns one , and I drive it when i visit him , but about reliablity i can only tell you what he tells me , because it's not my car. His car is not modified much , only intake/exhaust , blow off valve and a boost controller(even with those little mods it's almost 400 hp), about reliablity , if you are planning to keep the car stock (and 99% pepole aren't , i guess you'll fall in here too) then you have nothing to worry about , and with mods , you know that on very high boost and driven fast and hard all the time the engine probably won't last you very long , but unless the mods aren't too much , and you aren't driving a car like you stole it all the time , then i think it will be ok , but remember it's a low discplacement engine with blower , so it needs more maintenance then naturally aspirated engines , about driving in snow , it should be good since skylines have the wonderful and very advanced AWD system , but my friend lives in Bahrain , so I can't tell you anything from real expierience...

I don't own one either, but from what I've gathered from talking to people who do and researching, the R-32 is a very solid car. I know many people who own 500+ hp GTRs and use them as their daily driver. As for the powerplant the RB26DETT is VERY strong both modability and in life expectancy. I don't know much about how the gear box holds up but the guys in NZ I talk to that drag their GTRs are constantly doing 5-7k RPM launches and the box holds its own :D
I would imagine that it would be a wonder to drive in traffic if you don't mind driving a manual with a heavy clutch :p As for the snow, as Tom said, the ATTESSA-ETS is(imho) the most advanced AWD system on a road car on the road (or ATTESSA-PRO if you get a V-spec).

I don't know what else to say, if your worried about actually getting the parts for normal mantenence, the 300ZX will be your best friend for air filters and oil filters. Anything else shouldn't be hard to locate in Japan, or NZ.

Good luck on your purchase too, if it all works out please post pics :) :)

Thanks for the info Tom. I'm getting really close to ordering
my skyline, I can't wait to be one of the fifty or so owners in the
U.S. I go to tahoe a lot, I wonder how hard it's going to be to get
the car through chain control. Its not like its a subaru or audi where
they know its all wheel drive. I guess a four wheel burn out is in
order to prove it. :d
Cason

Originally posted by Viper
I can't wait to be one of the fifty or so owners in the
U.S.
I'd say go for it. When you do, please email me, or announce it here. I know couple of other owners and it would be nice to keep in contact. I could also help you get parts fairly cheap, even if it doesn't break you'd still want some, to make it faster. Reliability shouldn't be a problem, they are built quite tough, but I would still get a cheap beater as getting parts would take some time. Motorex doesn't carry many parts in stock, their service is sometimes unreliable and slow, and prices...prices are high. Sorry Sean but that is my experience. Quite understandable actually from Motorex as I would imagine their resources are limited so don't think I'm bashing them, I'm a happy R32 owner thanks to them.

I had a '91 300zx 2+2 N/A during high school, and apart from wasting some clutches, I never really had any problems. As far as reliability, Would the Skyline be comparable to this car?

Hi, perhaps this would be of some help. I drive a R33 modded up to circa 600hp at the engine. Drive it to work everyday. In this sauna we call Kuala Lumpur (always 34 celcius here) it never overheat in the traffic (and traffic here is horrendous I must say!) with the engine temp always below the half mark. But in the traffic, the oil temp would gradually climb from about 80celcius to as high as 95celcius (depending on how long I am stuck in the traffic). An oil cooller is a must over here and on the track (although it is useless in the traffic).
The car never break down (on the track as well as anywhere else) regardless of how I drive it (on the track I am on full boost all the time and will do 6-7 laps around the 5.5 km track before I stop and will continue after 15-20min cigarrette break!). Have done about 12 passes at full boost dumpimg clutch at 7000rpm and the gearbox is not showing any sign of giving way! By the way, I read in a mag that pre 96 GTRs have stronger gearboxes - apparently post 96 GTRs always end up in the workshop when modded to more than 500hp. Post 96 GTRs gearboxes are apparently subjected to a different quality test process. That's what I read and I dunno whether it is true.
The 32 is an excellent car. Reliability is not a problem if tuned correctly.

Oh ya...as for the snow part, well, being 34 celcius all the time, I have no experience in that!:D
The ATTESSA PRO works well on the track, road or while launching. But in the rain I notice it could be quite painful as the nano second it requires to engage is sometime the time it takes to send your car spinning after hitting a puddle! That could be caused by my 275 tyres, which is a bit of an overkill I suppose! The EVO VII and WRX are much better in the rain than the GTR. As for my car, if it rains heavily, I switch on the ETC and that makes it AWD with the percentage of torque between front and rear preset by me. Regardless, I think you will still enjoy the car no end.

I've been wondering some of these same things. I've heard that
normal maintenance parts are outrageously priced. Downtime
wouldn't be a problem since I have more than 1 vehicle, but
I don't want to be paying $1000 for a clutch every year either.
Anyone have a list of which parts can be swapped from US vehicles
aside from the filters mentioned earlier?

Well im sorry to say but my r32 is crap. First let me tell you what i had done to the car when i bought it. It had an HKS twin plate clutch, hks gt2530 turbos, hks filters, hks 272 cams, fully ported and polished head, hks fuel rail, hks fuel pump, hks fcon computer, hks hiper damper suspension, hks fmic, hks intercooler upgrade piping, hks bov, hks oil filter relocator, 550 inj, and tuned by motorex. Since then its thrown 2 pistons and it never really runs right like jerking around at mid rpms. Maybe i just have an unlucky car.

Right now its at motorex since it threw that second piston and is getting some forged pistons and a entirely new engine harness (well 3 harnesses to be exact), an aluminum rad, electric fan conversion, 700cc inj, and a power fc.

Why new harnesess you say? Well when you throw the number one piston twice in 6 months you begin to wonder. I called all over japan asking why the #1 would do that. All i got was the harness was faulty somewhere, but by at least 6 shops. So hopefully when it gets tuned this time at XS Engineering it will be perfect. Since i have now done everything to this car it should be really fun! I might upgrade the turbos soon so ill have some for sale. I also have two hks fcon computers for sale but ill forwarn you that you have to have HKS Usa tune your car if you have one installed.

I think next i wanna do a body kit... heres one i like. Goto www.do-luck.com and look for skyline BNR32 t-2. Its the black one. i love the lines of it!

I can email some pics of my car if anyone wants to see, i also did all stainless steel braided lines and alcohol injection. I like it. Heres one though...

So when my car is finally done anyone wanna race? hehe should be 600+ at the wheels.

Thanks!
Cole

Also here is a small movie of my car drifting http://overboost.com/skylinedrift1000k.asx

Heres an engine shot...

Beautiful car. That's some of the things I was worried about.
I hate to even ask how much it cost to go through the engine
on one of those. I guess I'll stick to something that I can work
on myself or at least go to the local parts place to get parts for.

Yes it cost quite a few pennies to do it twice! It you want figures just drop me an email.

:eek2:







:bloated: I need a cold shower now.:D

I bet you noticed the mishmash of colors under the hood... i know i do. i plan on anodizing blue a lot of it. Like the valve cover and strut brace mounts, the fuel rail, and probably a few more things. Any ideas? Im open to suggestion...

Here is a tip for USA Skyline owners...
I had my flywheel altered so I can use Nissan 300 twin turbo Z clutches.
No down time for clutch jobs.
Any good machine shop can do it.

Let me know if you need more info on this, I would be glad to help.

Hey that would be cool considering the OS Giken and HKS clutches run for 1500 to 2000 just for a freakin clutch!! Please give me the details!

Thanks!

Cole, you have IMO, the nicest R32 skyline I've seen here in the States. The old-school Volks are what completes it. I was at Motorex a year ago when I saw your car in person. I ended up buying a Supra instead of the Skyline, due to the parts availability issues, but I still plan to have an R32 Skyline GT-R parked next to it someday (hopefully next year) I think the R32 has the most aggressive lines from the factory of all the Skyline GT-Rs and says "muscle car" more than the others. I'd leave it stock (appearance- wise), but that's just me. Regardless, I just wanted to give you props on your tight-a$$ ride. :cool:

please forgive any spelling errors.

The 300Z has a larger diamater clutch disc then the GTR. That was a suprise to me considering the power output of a GTR compaired to a 300Z.

The center shaft in the tranny is the same on both cars so once the machine shop redrills the clutch cover holes the 300Z clutch just bolts right on. The machine shop redrilled the flywheel and filled in the old holes.

So now I run a 300Z clutch.

My friend is building my web site for me. Check it out. I am having him change it soon, but it will do for now.
www.new-by-robb.com

I have allot of pictures to put on there to show me building my motor.
More later,
Robb

Thank you very much Medici. I love the stock lines a lot but i am partial to standing out of the crowd. Im not saying ill rice it out at all, but just enhance the greatness of the gtr. Thats why my first choice is the www.do-luck.com T2 kit. Its suttle enough to not be ricey but aggressive enough to stand out. I also really enjoy the volks but alas they are the incorrect offset so they are using adapters to work. Which is why i want to change to something with a lip and a mean offset.

Robb

That sounds great! I would love to put on an ACT clutch and pressure plate. I loved it in my GSX. Your site has the most extensive display of skylines ive ever seen! I even saw my car hehe! Anyway i had a question about a few pics i saw. One was of what looked like a headlight kit that made it a four individual lights in a slick bezel. I really liked how it would transform the front end! Any idea on how to get ahold of one? Also you wouldnt happen to know a price on the clearcorners i saw pictured would ya? Thanks for any help Robb.

Here a pic of my GSX when i used to drive it on the street (its an auto-x only car now) So you can see how i like to stand a bit.... hehe

Heres what i did to it... poor baby!

LOL i just noticed it said racerETTE on the picture! HA! Ummm go racer chicks?! hehe

the clear corners cost around $280! I like them alot but I will not pay that much for them. I tried a set of clear GTS corners but they are to short becouse the GTR has wider fenders.

Those headlight kits are from Australia I think. Sorry I do not know who makes them.

I have thousands of Skyline pix. When my site is updated it will have a better format and more pics. I hope to someday have people send me there stats on the cars so I can add it to there pictures. I hope you do not mind your car being on my site.

Talk to ya more later,
Robb

PS, the DO_LUCK kit is a great choice. I was thinking af replacing my VEILSIDE front bumper for the DO-Luck one.

PS....

It looks like you already have clear corners.(?) What kind are they?
And your GSX looks awsome.
Later,

Thanks a lot for the help Robb

Man the gts are to short?! I was going to try those next. Dam! 280 is high but motorex wanted 400! So its seems resonable i guess. The ones on my car were made by a friend at www.clearcorners.com There much better than the stock orange but still nothing compared to the aftermarket ones. I also am having him do some wicked sick taillight tricks with LED's also. Heres what it will mostly look like...

That looks cool.
Can you post a close up of your clear corners? I might be interested to get a set if the quality is there. What do you think?

Also I have 2 R32 GTS front clips in stock. Check and see if you need any odds and ends. I am selling them as motor swaps so any parts that are not needed for a swap I can sell separately. Like trim peices.

I used to race SCCA solo 2 series. What class are you running in?

I would love to take a pic for ya but alas the car is still at motorex. I think the clears are decent but i would rather pay the 280 for factory looking ones. Hey hey about you get me a pair of clears and ill sell you these for 80? Let me know.

about auto-x my eclipse engine is being rebuilt so i havent raced in a while, like 3 months. But yes im in solo2 also!

ill post a pic as soon as i get the car back.

If you get a set of clears, I may want to buy your old ones. When you get a chance send me a picture of them.

Hopefully we can meet up some day with our cars and chat.
Talk to ya later,

WOW:eek2: !!!!!! MrSky those tail lights look sweet! I wonder what the people you leave in the dust on the track will think of them:D?!

Ya definately robb i will let you know. Did you know where they sell them for 280?

I really enjoy hanging out with other skyline owners so we'll have to meet one day!

Thanks R34! Heres a link to the guy that is doing the lights for me. they dont look as fantastic as his but still very very sweet!

http://clearcorners.com/products/nissan/skyline1/R_led2/

heres the finished product!
http://clearcorners.com/products/nissan/skyline1/R_led2/Image02.jpg

I think you can get them from www.autofreak.com
Or go to the forum at www.skylinesdownunder.com and ask around. I know they will know. I have the info somewhere if I could just find it.
I will keep looking. I think the co that makes them starts with a "D"
Also have you seen a "Hyper Rev" magazine?
You can get them at a Japanese book store. They have almost everything you can get for a skyline in there.

Talk to ya more later

Very nice post pics when when u get them on your GT-R

I found it was www.autofreak.net and they dont sell the r32 gtr clear front signals. I searched around and only came up with the ridiculous price of 400us

any help would be fantastic!

All I have had time to find for ya is the company name..D.Speed. There web site is www.dspeed.co.jp

maybe you can track them down from there. Good luck and let me know what you find out.

Take care my friend and I'll talk to ya later,
Robb

Heres what i found pertaining to Dspeed.

"SKYLINE GT-R BNR32 8/89-11/94 Front indicator lens (clear/clear, dark clear/clear) A$755 "

so thats about 375US$ which is just goofy so i keep searching...

Heres a pic of the smoked version...

dont know why the image didnt work so here the link to the site
http://www.perfectrun.com.au/cars_list/nissan/GTR.htm

:sun:

ok so it did im a little sloooooowwww :D

Ya, thats them. The best brice I have found so far was $280 but I still think that is to much. O'well, it can wait.

where can i buy a r32 skyline only from japan??? and how much would it cost me and can i licenses it in Oregon thanks

I own a r32 gtr and drive it every day to work , mine has the basic mods exhaust ,filters 13psi boost ....it is fairly relable for its power output ,but only if it is driven with respect and only driven hard when provoked or a bit of show off is required..i have learned the hard way , and have already replaced the engine ...after spinning a big end bearing....and had only owned it for 2 months ...now i see why no one thrashes there GTR's :)......$$$$$$$ when they stuff up ,eventhough i done all the work my self ...the hastles of finding parts can be depressing , P.s you would want to have a spare car... because it took me 4 months to find an engine that was low miles and right price , any way good luck

I am on my third skyline and they have all been very reliable. But then again, I get rid of them before they get a chance to be unreliable.