There’s an old adage in fighter-pilot circles that goes along the lines of: “You don’t fly the ‘A’ model of anything”. Early adopters may get their hands on the latest and greatest doo-hicky before anyone else, but as with a lot of new technology, there nearly always needs to be a couple of revisions before all the kinks are worked out.
Nissan’s tech-heavy GT-R is no different. As much a marvel of electronics as it is of mechanical engineering, the GT-R as released at the end of 2007 has some substantial differences to the latest 2010 model.
More reliable (and warranty-preserving) ECU tunes have popped up since the R35’s debut, but these are easily uploaded into the GT-R’s onboard computer at Nissan dealerships. It’s the physical changes that Nissan is seeking to redress, with the company offering a retrofit service to Japanese GT-R owners.
For between ¥494,000 and ¥532,000 (AU$6800 - $7300), Nissan Japan will throw a set of revalved (and more durable) Bilstein dampers, new springs, stiffer front lower control arm bushings and beefier engine mounts on your early-model GT-R.
The updated suspension kit is said to gift the GT-R with better stability under high lateral loads, as well as sharper handling. The damper valving is also stronger than the early items, and should stand up to race track abuse better.
Nissan Japan is now offering select parts from the range-topping GT-R Spec V too, with the Spec V’s titanium exhaust, 20-inch forged Rays wheels, carbon-backed bucket seats and reservoir tank (for what fluid, we don’t know) on sale. It’s essentially the same kit that’s offered in the super-expensive Nismo Club Sports package for the R35 (top), however we’ve yet to discover whether the pricing is any less extortionate.
