Months in Service: Eight
Mileage to Date: 20,389
Sometimes, the GT-R can seem ill-suited to real life, where the car's truly awesome performance is always under constraint, which then brings into focus its less-flattering qualities, like the fact that it's cramped, or noisy, or hard to see out of. But then you take it to a racetrack, as we recently did, and you're reminded that this car is an absolute Superman.
Unfortunately, our Superman was felled by a bit of Kryptonite, in the form of a tire failure, which put a premature end to our track-time festivities. For the replacement, we decided to go ahead and fit winter rubber, since it was already late fall. Pirelli came through with winter footwear in the GT-R's exotic, staggered sizes, at a cost of $1792 for four 240 Sottozero Series II winter tires.
We've also noticed a driveline vibration between 2300 and 2700 rpm. According to the dealer, a bearing inside the bell housing is misaligned, which is causing the drivetrain to shake. The dealer techs have been on the phone with Nissan technical support staff, who acknowledge that this is becoming a common issue with GT-Rs with certain VIN numbers, our obviously being one. The car will get a complete new bell housing in the next few weeks, as Nissan puts out a service bulletin to address the problem, but is drivable and completely safe in the meantime.
When the car goes in for that service, we will probably have the dealership check out the transmission as well. Several drivers have noticed that, in the cold, the GT-R is slow to engage first gear at a stop. Paddle-induced downshifts at light throttle are sometimes slow as well. On a positive note, the snow tires are proving easy to live with. "The Pirelli Sottozeros soften the GT-R's bite, but in a positive way when you're talking about the car as a daily driver," says associate editor Eric Tingwall. "The harsh edge of the GT-R's suspension is dulled significantly. The ride is just as busy, but the impacts are much more comfortable and livable. Also, the more compliant tires appear to have eliminated the horrendous tramlining."
Check back for an update on the GT-R's vibration and transmission issues, and to see how this supercar fares in a hostile winter environment. ...next page >>