R35 GT-R Powerplant

[Holyterror]

There is much speculation about what engine will ultimately power the R35 GT-R. Some say a new I6. Some say a VH-series V8, or a new one unlike anything else out there. Others still insist it will be a VG30 or VQ30 with a huge single turbo. What I wanna know is, which motor should it be?

Yes, I know I'm instigating a war here, but I haven't heard many opinions expressed on this yet. Anybody who has read any of my few posts so far knows I am opinionated and have no trouble speaking my mind. So, here's my take on it.

A big-displacement V8. Not the most typical thing to see in Japanese motorsport. But there is a certain appeal to having a motor that makes the S2000 sound like a baby kitten. It's even more appealing to be able to finally shut up all the pushrod-pushers with a post-medieval eight cylinder. Oh, that'll be the day.

But what about our beloved inline 6? I mean, it allows for some decent displacement, Nissan has already proved it can make a high-revving I6 wih tons of power on tap, and let's not forget these things are highly stable because they effectively cancel their own vibrations without any need for dampening! That huge V8 is gonna need a balancer. It may not seem like a big deal, but we're robbing the engine of some of that power that we gained by moving up to a V8. Remember, this is a Skyline; it's gonna have to rev fairly high, so we're talking some serious vibrations. This has to be a consideration. I think the I6 has too many plusses to ignore.

Ah yes, the wonderful 3-liter (or maybe 3.5) V6. A staple for 3000+ lbs. Nissans. The idea of using a VG30DETT seems a little technologically backwards to me, but we do know what these can do. There are still 300ZXTTs upping the ante on horsepower. I don't know what the highest figures are, but I know of street cars with over 600 hp at the wheels! The VQ motors are also highly capable, and we have barely scratched the surface of what forced induction can do for them. These are viable options for the GT-R, but I don't really like them. The geek in me wants to see some spanking-new tech on this thing. But if you want to use a tried-and-true motor that you already know how to tune out the wazoo... can anybody say RBX-GT2? 400hp, redlines at 10k, what more do you want? And it's still streetable; torque peaks at 4400 RPM, just like the VQ35 in current Altima and Maxima, but 100 ft/lbs the richer!

And what about a 4 cylinder??? Just kidding. Although I am fully aware of what you can pull out of a Nissan 4-banger... it's a Skyline!

Ultimately, it will come down to what Renault decides is best. Sheesh, I really hate that. Since they seem to want every car Nissan makes to use a VQ, I won't be surprised if one shows up in the R35. But let's pretend none of that matters; what do YOU want it to be and why?

[Gonthrax]

Well... As for what the powerplant should be... I don't think you will find many people who say anything besides RB26DETT. Accept perhaps some environmental activists in Japan

As for what its going be, Ghosn has said 2004 model GT-R's 330Kw-plus power output so that sounds good I think the concensus is that the powerplant will be a new line of V6 single T. IMHO, its sounding promising as Ghosn also said that the chassis would be much like the M-specs. Whatever it's going to be, I'm sure the decision has already been made and sorces close to Nissan have eluded to the fact that the GTR will be comming back after its 2 year rest with force, so it sounds good to me

[moondog]

Originally posted by Gonthrax
Well... As for what the powerplant should be... I don't think you will find many people who say anything besides RB26DETT

....hmmmmmmm How about RB35DETT?? yum! That would be just lovely.

[Gonthrax]

Originally posted by moondog


....hmmmmmmm How about RB35DETT?? yum! That would be just lovely.

Mmm That would be quite nice:licker:

[Holyterror]

Yeah, the name says it all, huh? After all, RB = Race Breed. Of course, the prohibitive cost is a major factor. Multiply that times however many more R35s will be produced versus previous generations of GT-Rs (for the new markets). There is a proposed solution... sell your brand new VQ30DET (or whatever it is) to help defray the cost of importing an RB26DETT. I'd said it before and I'll say it again: the environment can take care of itself! Hehe. I'll bet the only reason Renault is worried about emissions is because some eco-terrorist group threatened them. You know the French, they surrender at the drop of a hat. :smoker2:

Sorry, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to do some beret-bashing.

[Gonthrax]

Originally posted by Holyterror
Yeah, the name says it all, huh? After all, RB = Race Breed. Of course, the prohibitive cost is a major factor. Multiply that times however many more R35s will be produced versus previous generations of GT-Rs (for the new markets). There is a proposed solution... sell your brand new VQ30DET (or whatever it is) to help defray the cost of importing an RB26DETT. I'd said it before and I'll say it again: the environment can take care of itself! Hehe. I'll bet the only reason Renault is worried about emissions is because some eco-terrorist group threatened them. You know the French, they surrender at the drop of a hat. :smoker2:

Sorry, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to do some beret-bashing.

Haha, that Renault bit is funny :hehehe:

As for the engine deal, it would be nice if you could just drop an RB26DETT in, but more than likely it won't be that simple Sense it's being sold in the US it will be RHD and I beleave there are some turbo placement issues with them being in the way of the stearing assembly. Also if its one of the VQ series, they are V6 (or V8 whatever the case may be) so the cost of replacing intakes and exhaust manifolds ect. would be rather large

Oh well, perhaps they won't ruin it for all the oldschool Skyline lovers. Now I do understand why they are straying from the original design, but I can't say that I like it to much

[Holyterror]

Yeah, turbo placement is the reason LHD conversions are so difficult on the current GT-Rs, so the same would probably apply to the R35. Too bad. I guess we'll just have to live with the VQ. I'm not really that worried, though. Even with an RB, I probably wouldn't be tuning it up to 1000 hp, so the VQ's power will be adequate. I just like inline motors a lot (maybe because I work on Vs all the time and am getting tired of looking at them).

And yes, in case no one noticed, I am still somewhat cynical of Renault. I've never really had a problem with them, but when they take charge of my favorite car maker, I start to get critical of what they do. I can't help wondering if this is the GT-R Nissan would've made on their own, or if it's becoming "LeGodzilla."

[BrownKiler]

I like the idea of a 4.5-5.0L V8 myself, based on the engine in the M45. A V8 can be made that is lighter, cheaper, yet just as powerful as the RB26DETT with better emissions (note the LS6 engine which achieves LEV status with 405HP). Plus it's more compact due to shorter length than the I6, so it makes sense for weight distribution. Unless you are going for 600+HP, you don't need forced induction. Obviously it won't be as smooth as an I6, but I think I'll get over it if it makes 370+HP (my prediction) .

The biggest reason why the motor should be a V8 is because it is more likely to end up in the states, which is all I care about! Americans are big fans of size in car engines, so it would be a good sell. Also, Nissan can't afford to have so many different types of engines, they need to stay financially healthy or I'll never get the chance to buy the car . So they should reuse the engine from the M45, and take advantage of the research on the R391 engine (which used a similar block).

Although I have to wonder what the car will be called in the US, I can't imagine it being anything other than an Infiniti . If so, the first thing going on my car is JDM badging . My only hope is they lose the vertical headlights in the final car, but I'd buy it no matter what it looked like!

--Jason

[Gonthrax]

Originally posted by BrownKiler
I like the idea of a 4.5-5.0L V8 myself, based on the engine in the M45. A V8 can be made that is lighter, cheaper, yet just as powerful as the RB26DETT with better emissions (note the LS6 engine which achieves LEV status with 405HP). Plus it's more compact due to shorter length than the I6, so it makes sense for weight distribution. Unless you are going for 600+HP, you don't need forced induction. Obviously it won't be as smooth as an I6, but I think I'll get over it if it makes 370+HP (my prediction) .

I donno, I don't like the idea of a big displacement V8, first of all it's just not GTR. A Skyline is the RB26DETT, when someone says GTR Powerplant, you think Race Breed 2.6l Twin turbo! Sure it's more compact then the RB, but the RB works fine in the R32-4 so why change a good thing? You have to remember these are the engines that push 450+hp with very little help with a stock bottom end. They are also the engines that are tuned to 1000+ hp very frequently, with aftermarket enternals mind you, but it's still the same engine. You may say no replacement for displacement, I say there is and it's revs. If the powerplant I doubt we would see an 8,000rpm redline, and I know it wouldn't be as fast reving. Also the persona of the car is a turboed car, that means high end power. I know some guys in NZ who's turbos don't come on untill 4,500rpm, a big V8 would have already reached it's peak torque by then. You must remember, the japanese are diehard fans of the GTR (they call it the battle god or somthing like that) and Ghosn's popularity will go down the tubes if he releases their beloved GTR in 2004 with a big V8. Oh, and the power output is supposed to be around 400+ ps

[revjunkie]

Screw Renault. They've killed the Skyline. Without a I-6, twin turbos, and round tails, it's just not a Skyline. What would happen if Ferrari's stopped using round tails, or if Vettes got stuck with a V-6, or BMW made the 3 Series FWD? After generations of straight 6's, round tails, and inherent bulkiness anything different is just not a Skyline. Maybe it's just Nissan bias but to me the French suck at making cars. My .02.

[Gonthrax]

Originally posted by revjunkie
Screw Renault. They've killed the Skyline. Without a I-6, twin turbos, and round tails, it's just not a Skyline. What would happen if Ferrari's stopped using round tails, or if Vettes got stuck with a V-6, or BMW made the 3 Series FWD? After generations of straight 6's, round tails, and inherent bulkiness anything different is just not a Skyline. Maybe it's just Nissan bias but to me the French suck at making cars. My .02.

You said it man, without RB26DETT, burner taillights, and agressive but yet subtle styling... It's not Godzilla

But like I've said before, if the R35 looks like a GTR, and the V8 is a small, quick reving one that responds well to forced induction, I'll be fine with it


I beg to differ on the French subject though, Pug 206 Rally car baby, thats all I've got to say

[240]

I think it is safe to assume that with the new GT-R Nissan will be going with a twin turbo VQ-series V6 in Japan, and a NA V8 in the US. Why? Simply because Nissan assumes that Americans prefer high-displacement V8s instead of turbo engines. Emissions also might have something to do with that. Is it fair to the GT-R legend? Ofcourse not. But I don't think Nissan/Renault care about GT-R heritage anymore, as evidenced by their removal of the round tailights and inline-6 motors from regular Skyline models. They're just out to make money now.

What I wish for, is a new RB-based but totally redesigned from the ground up Nissan inline-6 motor and a bulky R34 type Godzilla body. An evolution of the current GT-R you might say instead of a revolution. This way it will still stay true to the heritage of all GT-R's: inline-6 power, muscle-car body, and round tailights.

That will probably remain just a wish however, as Nissan does not want to spend money to design a new GT-R exclusive inline-6 motor right now.