Exclusive! GT-R Track Edition / 370Z NISMO Chat with Nissan!

[NissanCarlPhillips]

Welcome, Mr. Phillips!

I have lots of questions, but first I want to start with the Maxima.

Currently, the vehicle seems to be very overshadowed by the Altima in terms of amenities, performance, fuel economy, and overall bang-for-the-buck.

What is the plan for that car now that the Altima has become the elephant in the room, so to speak? Do you think there is room to make the vehicle more of a "4 Door Sports Car" and make it a more performance oriented vehicle?

Thanks for the question on Maxima- a car that's very near and dear to us since it's our second longest in the lineup after the Z and one of the cars that really put Nissan on the map in the US.

We have been focusing a lot on the new Altima which is our core volume model and crucial to maintain our business but we haven;t forgotten about the Maxima. We do think the position of 4DSC is where this car needs to be and are looking to push it farther in this direction for the future.

And look for something exciting to come from us maybe later this year as a hint.

[300ZXttZMAN]

I'm not sure if this can be answered at this time yet but, I'm willing to try.

I'm also curious to know where the 370z is heading? Do you possibly know how many more years the Z34 chassis itself is going to be in production?

[AZhitman]

Aside from minor tweaks, the GT-R has been sold in its present form since 2008, which is a bit long for a "halo" vehicle. Any plans for a new generation GT-R?

Also, I think we talked about this one earlier: Next-generation GTR confirmed

[NissanCarlPhillips]

Will there be any hardware changes in the 2014 Nismo 370Z? (such as stiffer brake lines, brake pads, stickier tires etc?) or will changes be design and aesthetics only?

For 2014 the change for the 370Z NISMO will be the new NISMO 'family' design that was shown at Chicago.

[AZhitman]

Another one coming in from Twitter:

Will the NISMO 370Z do away with the awful black "filler plug" on the rear bumper that comes on the U.S. specification 370Z's? Maybe replaced with the Euro-spec fog light or 4th brake light?

[NissanCarlPhillips]

I'm not sure if this can be answered at this time yet but, I'm willing to try.

I'm also curious to know where the 370z is heading? Do you possibly know how many more years the Z34 chassis itself is going to be in production?

Again, sorry that I can't really discuss future product plans but I can tell you we are looking long and hard at how the Z evolves for the future. There are a lot of pressures taking place in the car market right now that may force us to look at things differently, such as fuel economy and C02 pressures. Of course these tend to favor lighter cars and with high-efficiency/high-performance powertrains and that is always good for performance.

But do please share your thoughts and wishes for the Z on this forum since we really do value the input of our fans.

Thanks,

[NissanCarlPhillips]

Another one coming in from Twitter:

Will the NISMO 370Z do away with the awful black "filler plug" on the rear bumper that comes on the U.S. specification 370Z's? Maybe replaced with the Euro-spec fog light or 4th brake light?

We're one step ahead of you. We replaced that item with a red reflector starting with the 2013's. And we can't add a fog light since it is, as you mentioned, a euro-spec item and not legal for the US.

[AZhitman]

One last one from Facebook:

No questions for Carl, but I'm a 350Z NISMO owner and will be buying a 2014 NISMO Z to join it as soon as it arrives... Love the car, love the community - Just wanted to say THANKS to the team at Nissan for a great car. I love my NISMO Z!

[NissanCarlPhillips]

One last one from Facebook:

No questions for Carl, but I'm a 350Z NISMO owner and will be buying a 2014 NISMO Z to join it as soon as it arrives... Love the car, love the community - Just wanted to say THANKS to the team at Nissan for a great car. I love my NISMO Z!

Thanks for the Z love and for supporting us. Hope you enjoy the new 370

[300ZXttZMAN]

Mr. Carl, I was always curious to know why the GT-R was only sold at select dealers? I was told that it has to do the dealer not having a GT-R certified tech on staff? Is that true? Is there other reasons aswell?

-Mark

[AZhitman]

That is correct - The dealership has to have a GT-R certified tech on staff.

[NissanCarlPhillips]

Woot, made it back home! Thanks for coming out, or on...whatever, Carl!

What is Nismo's mission statement? Where is it going?

Our mission statement for NISMO is really to demonstrate Nissan's philosophy of "Innovation and Excitement for Everyone", with the emphasis on Excitement. In short, our goal is to bring a line of exciting, expressive, fun-to-drive cars to market and make them attainable to everyone. Performance, bold design and outstanding driving dymanics have long been a hallmark of Nissan and with the expanding NISMO lineup we aim to drive this point home.

Look for more products to come in segments where buyers are looking for fun to drive cars and more variants for the models as well. It's really a great time for car guys like me to be working at Nissan.

And I've got some exciting NISMO events in the works for this year as well, so stay-tuned! I'll be sure to come back to share.

Thanks for the time today guys and for all the great questions and feedback. Unfortunately I've got to run back to my day job now.

Cheers,

[WDRacing]

Thanks for hanging out with us and answering questions Carl.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Thanks for hanging out with us and answering questions Carl.

+1 ^

We greatly appreciate it.

[Eikon]

Wow.. Excellent chat! Carl, thanks so much for joining us. I'm so dissapointed that I got stuck in a meeting at work and couldn't jump on here until now.

Great conversation.. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to connect Nissan/Infiniti enthusiasts with the people who run the company.

Please don't be a stranger.. come on back and pop in now and then.

[frapjap]

Silly one, but do you happen to know why the GT-R in a Gainseville, FL dealership mysteriously caught fire?

[Bubba1]

That was so awesome having a major player from the Nissan mothership spend some time with us. Thank you, Hitman!

[gmac708]

But do please share your thoughts and wishes for the Z on this forum since we really do value the input of our fans.
Thanks,

Thank you! Sometimes I wonder if car manufactures realize they have fans and do take the time to listen.

+1 for Great job Greg

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Seeing as how We'll never see another manual trans GTR, I'd love to see a scorcher version of a Z that can compete with the GTR (and corvette), but offered with a manual. Most of us care more about having fun rather than shaving our shift times down to .15 seconds. If my left foot isn't involved, I'm moving on.

And there are definitely vehicles that are on par or best the GTR performance-wise for under 7 figures. Heck, look at the ZR-1 Corvette (which *gasp* is offered with a manual).

Don't get me wrong, I've been in GTR ride-alongs and even driven them myself. The speed is definitely impressive, but I was always jonesing for a clutch pedal. I have to believe a manual transmission would be SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than the BorgWarner dualtronic trans that is in there now as well.

[Bubba1]

Well said. I've also driven and ridden in GT-Rs and it's a very impressive, fast vehicle. I also feel there's definitely a piece of the fun missing with their "flabby" paddle sequential instead of an old fashioned manual. Judging by Carl's answer, it seems clear that Nissan is more concerned about the GT-R knocking off those extra tenths per lap than the driver's enjoyment in changing gears with a clutch. It's certainly their choice, but I suppose somewhat understandable given the GT-Rs limited production. I view it as a missed opportunity.

[Ace2cool]

.....my millionaire uncle doesn't have a GT-R simply because it doesn't offer M/T. He doesn't see the point. He bought a 911 GT3 RS instead.

[AZhitman]

Reducing weight was not a priority, since as our engineering leader Mizuno-san says, the weight plus significant downforce equals traction and is one of the reasons for the car's outstanding performance.

Something's lost in translation, then. To my knowledge, there's no real benefit to extra weight - Ever.

Granted, the current Z is lighter than the outgoing model, and that's always a good thing... but no engineer is going to intentionally retain weight for weight's sake.

I can attest to the downforce generated by a 370Z at felonious velocities, though.

[krash]

I can see a light car being "twitchier" than a heavy car over bumpy roads. But that can be fixed and really isn't justification for staying heavy. I'm lost here too.

[WDRacing]

I've driven some Miata's and RX7's that I wouldn't say are twitchy. It's all in the suspension as far ride quality goes.

The Z is a sports car. Extra weight should be shaved off at every possible chance to maximize the torque:weight ratio. The only reason I could see for not reducing weight would involve chassis rigidity and balance. Other then that, lose weight and increase power. That's a tried and true method for making any car more efficient in every category.

[float_6969]

Just to play devils advocate here, there is a balance between power and weight in come cases. A good example I can remember off the top of my head is the NSX. Infamously light car compared to it's competitors. I can also tell you that I remember a couple of video's of it competing against other cars and had issues with medium speed corners and traction. If the car is too light to keep weight on the tires and isn't going fast enough for the aero to work, then you have traction issues. Case in point: F1 cars; don't handle for s*** until they get over 80-ish. The reason is they're so light, and have so much tire, they don't get any real weight on the tire until they go fast enough for the aero to "artificially" make the car weigh more. It's also the reason they tend to keep spinning once they loose control. If they get sideways enough, the aero quits working and they loose the down-force, and so traction.

I can give more examples, but given the driving conditions the Z was designed for (street/strip), I can understand the need for the weight. I'm sure they could make it lighter, but I'll bet they would have to give it active aero to get it to stick the same way. As we all know, shaving weight and maintaining rigidity is expensive and so is active aero. The last thing the Z needs is to be more expensive.

[ImStricken06]

in my opinion: more weight = more down-force.
more down-force = less tire spin
less tire spin = faster corner times due to being able to throttle out earlier and harder without risk of drifting and crashing.

many people will argue: "why not just install larger wheels/rims" - well those are all unsprung weight. the less unsprung weight, the better your corners are. Lighter tires, rotors, rims reduce the gyroscopic effect of the spinning wheels. With less gyro, the car steers lighter, handles better and accelerates harder.

[sprocketser]

Hope Nissan will resolve brake issues (if not done already , if so forget my comment ) because the brakes already installed from factory don t make sense with a car like the 370Z Nismo Edition . As of other models also .

As for the weight matter , why race teams ( F1 ) spend millions on weight reduction if it s not good on handling . As mentioned above , aerodynamics also have a big say here too on high speed handling & low speed s not handling so good .

I guess it all come down to costs .

But Nissan make some great cars , as of the GTR & the Z . Keep it on .

[ImStricken06]

i agree that there needs to be weight reduction, but you still need the weight to power ratio to be right. if you have so much power, and a super stiff suspension - you will end up having a lot of tire spin.

regarding the F1 cars, you have to take into account how fast those cars are going to be going while on the track. the higher the speed, the more down-force it will generate through its spoilers & splitters. plus look at its width and wheel base. its a monster. it sits like a bulldog!
now if you take a car like the Z, and put it on the track, weight will be your friend. if the Z would be too light, it will simply drift out as if it had plastic wheels, every time the throttle would be applied. its one of the reasons why bikes high-side so damn much on the track. the power to weight ratio is crazy. imagine when a bike comes in hot, hits the brakes(sending the weight forward), trail-brakes through the apex(holding the weight in the front), and begins to throttle out(applying to much power before the weight had time to shift center/backwards) = it will drift into a high-side and its over. bikes weigh about 400-500lbs; yet they can easily produce 120+hp.

listen to when he begins to throttle on midway through the turn:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwlZiArfnYg[/youtube]

[sprocketser]

So true , so it must come down to suspension engineering , look at the Lotus car , so light , handles real great also . Dont forget about weight transfer too , but it will get out of hand soon ! lol

[PapaSmurf2k3]

You should never add weight, or keep it in willy nilly unless the car is HORRIBLY unbalanced, which the Z is not.

The lighter, the better.
Every race car ever takes this approach. Keep it light. Keep it inside, and keep it low. Every problem low weight gives you (too much power to weight ratio) can be handled by your right foot and/or suspension/braking tuning.

Look at the ariel atom. http://www.arielatom.com/ They built an entire company off this concept.

Not to mention the lighter it is, the longer everything lasts. Brakes, tires, etc.
Heft just adds a sense of security to people that don't know any better... which is why everyone buys their wives and daughters giant SUVs because they think they are safer, only to have them roll over later. Give me a good cage, crumple zones, a good restraint system, and keep your airbags.