Exclusive Video And Spy Photos: New Skyline Gt-r

[gts-4 dreamer]

agreed ss8_gohan depending on the box, some actually engage each gear in time, some have minor delay which allow this but then theres obvious disadvantages to that.

Sir-D, My Nigah, same here but I drive a manual, mate between shifts and usually on a decent straigth run without shifting eh ?

flip the skirt up an dip the fingers for a bit of extra eh... gota luv that fresh wax feel.

[Benno31]

here's a fun fact for ALL of you

you will never EVER be able to afford one of these things,

if you COULD afford one of these machines, you would be a FOOL to put it sideways. gt-rs have never been designed for that, as a matter of fact they have features to combat that,

ie: hicas, attessa, abs, being cool etc

just putting that out there

Your ability to comment on the financial status of other members on this board is bold, many on here can afford one, whether they choose to spend their money on the latest GT-R is another thing. Many choose to spend on real estate instead.

As an owner of a GT-R I can assure you that they do go sideways as will any car in the right situation. I do agree though, a GT-R is about grip and going sideways in one not the most common of activities for mine but when I am sideways I do like the ability to shift up a gear if needed.

[scathing]

it's fact, humans can't shift as fast a the top of the line auto boxes. period. DSG is arguably the best gearbox out there at the moment, something about 2 clutches, and having the next gear ready. Was it "borrowed" from maserati?

anywho, 997 Turbo turbo uses a slush box, one of the head tech dudes was quoted as saying something along the lines of 'it shifts quicker than any human can, so why not use it over a manual?" damn straight too.

Porsche invented the DSG gearbox back in the 60's, but they didn't like how harsh the shifts were. Its fine for the track, but they didn't feel it was smooth enough for the street. Now with better actuation and computer control its not an issue.

The 997 Turbo doesn't have a DSG because it weighs twice as much as a traditional auto, which is heavier than a manual 'box. But Porsche will release one soon, apparently.

And there's more to life than just a quick shift action. How about when it changes gear? As I said, I hate most of those Tiptronic gearboxes since they change gear for you. The Boxster I rented had a Tiptronic, and every time I got near redline it would auto change up. Frustrating when you've got your braking point lined up with the redline, and the thing just changes up on you and lunges forward as you're wanting to use the brakes.

I don't need a clutch, and I don't need to engage the gear myself. I just want to select the gear, and be the only contributor to when that selection is made.

[scathing]

ever had a flappy paddle gearbox equiped car sideways? when your hands are only a blur as you adjust steering angle it makes changing up a gear quite impossible.

Impossible for you, maybe. WRC drivers cope just fine. The manual lever turns into a handbrake at speed and they use the wheel-mounted controls.

The Peugeot WRC cars use two rings mounted to the steering wheel. One ring runs in front of the steering wheel, the other behind. So regardless of the position of your steering wheel, your gear change actuator is always in the same location. I think you pull the ring behind the wheel to change up, and push the ring in front of the wheel to change down.

I just doubt any street car will run such a setup, but its a cool solution to the "how do we change gear when the wheel is all over the place?" problem people who travel sideways will always have. Its not a problem with the principle, just an issue with implementation.

[Benno31]

Imossible was an over statement, it is damned awkward though. Do the WRC cars also have less turns for full lock then a street driven GT-R? That would make shifting up while turning easier.

That ring system that the Pug runs sounds awesome!

[sigsputnik]

crikey look at all the weapons systems in that car:

Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns!

Edited October 20, 2006 by sigsputnik

[Big Rizza]

Everyone has their own opinion on the double-clutch vs. sequential vs. manual vs. CVT vs. auto vs. trained monkey debate, which is good because it will ensure there is plenty of choice for many years to come. For me, the head tells me that DSG is the way to go, but the heart will always love the feel of a good manual.

Porsche invented the DSG gearbox back in the 60's

Random fact: Actually, the twin/dual clutch gearbox was invented by Andolphe Kégresse in the late 1930s. It was meant for use in some random Citroen of the time, but never made it there. The PDK transmission was used on Porsche's Le Mans race cars, and a couple of Audi rally cars, but unlike modern DSG boxes they still ran an auto-trans style torque converter (so they cheated to get it working ).

[LightAssassin]

mrbenno I agree with what you said about the boldness of his comments.

Just because you don't buy something doesn't mean you can't afford it. This is about the car, not about our ability to buy it or not.

[32line]

f**k manuals, wake up its 2006... only cavemen drive manuals!

Obviously Nissan thought about performance when creating a GTR.

Soon manual gearboxes will be phased out altogrether, what you all gonna do then?

haha, autos are gheeey!

drive a car properly - manual all the way.

btw, i cant stand how the yanks say 'nissan'...........'nissuun'.

[Inline6TT]

Imagine you're cruising at 70km/h in top gear (7th), but with full manual mode activated. For whatever reason, you feel like giving the car a boot (not suggesting for any minute that the reason might be another car in the lane next to you - I don't condone street racing ). So you want 2nd gear. Pull left paddle... 6th... pull paddle... 5th... pull paddle... 4th... pull paddle... 3rd... pull paddle... 2nd! Dunno, just seems a regular 6-speed box would be a little more practical there.

I see what you are saying, but sequential manual boxes are so fast that this is almost a moot point now. An F430 will go from 6th to 2nd faster than you can say "6th to 2nd", perfectly rev matched and ready to go. At the most you might lose 2 tenths shifting the sequential box down, but you would gain back the 2 tenths going up to 3rd.

I wouldn't be surprised if the car is offered with a 6 speed manual and 7 speed sequential. For you drifting and trackday guys, if you want to take $80,000 or so of cutting edge sports car, tear all the electronics and 4 wheel drive out of it, go for it. I'm not as confident in my ability to handle this type of car without aids except on a wide open track.