Topic: Nissan GTR Aint So Hot

[The Mighty Duck]

Not in Japan, at least:

As has been widely reported, unless it's driven on a preapproved racetrack, a stock Japanese-spec GT-R is limited to 180 kph (111.8 mph) with the factory settings. GPS sensors in the navigation system track vehicle position and communicate with the ECU. Try to exceed 180 kph, and a warning light will appear on the instrument panel. Only shutting the car off and restarting it will get the light to disappear...  Running a GT-R at the track requires scrolling through menus in the on-board computer and selecting the racetrack option that bypasses the speed limiter. Only then can the car be run to its full potential.

Sounds reasonable enough, right?  There's no need to run a GTR at 180 km/h on public streets, never mind faster.  But wait...

Once the track day is over, owners who have run their GT-Rs over the speed limit are required to take them to a preapproved Nissan High Performance Center for a safety check. Failure to perform this $1000 service will void the factory warranty.

It gets worse.

Because of a sensor located near the valve stem in each wheel, it isn't possible for the car to run on aftermarket rims without throwing an error code.

You can run non-stock tires...  but you have to go to Nissan to get them put on the stock rims, and they'll be charging $230 a corner for your trouble.

Admittedly, there's no word that the North American GTR will have all the same limits in place.  But regardless, I find this pretty offensive to potential owners of the GTR.  Once you've paid your money for the car, you should be allowed to put your own rims on it.

Big for Nissan on this one.

More info.

[KRS]

Because of a sensor located near the valve stem in each wheel, it isn't possible for the car to run on aftermarket rims without throwing an error code.

You can run non-stock tires...  but you have to go to Nissan to get them put on the stock rims, and they'll be charging $230 a corner for your trouble.

Admittedly, there's no word that the North American GTR will have all the same limits in place.  But regardless, I find this pretty offensive to potential owners of the GTR.  Once you've paid your money for the car, you should be allowed to put your own rims on it.

Big for Nissan on this one.

More info.

While the price seems Higher for Nissan the TPMS sensors on the Mitsu Lancer are the same issue. Go to winter tires on their own rims and you need to buy and install the coorect TPMS sensors at around $60 a pop and then go to your local Mitsu dealer and pay what they want to register the different TPMS sensors if you don't want warning lights on for the winter season and reregister the summer rims when they go back on ( I actually paid for sensors for my car but do to errors in installed sensors and distance to the dealer am still looking at the Flipping warnings.)
  Because Mitsu made programming the sensors a function that Needs their proprietory MUT III computer interface system to carry out You have to go to them and I am sure if they wanted they could have said use our rims only. The GTR will likely be able to use other rims IF Nissan will be willing to sell and reprogram new TPMS sensors. I suspect Demand will make that happen in North America.
  Now a $1000 Srvice check seems to be a rather strange requirement. it will be interesting to see how that will be received by people looking to use the car for track days in North America. Assuming of course they add any tracks in North America to the list of approved tracks.