[stymie]

I've had cars with headers/sidepipes, deep spoilers & lowered suspensions & as you know, that limits were you can take your car w/o damage. You have to size up a potential obstacle in nano seconds at times. I have a Mitsubishi VR-4 with the ability to clear a 13° slope. My driveway comes in at 10° on private property as it breaks from City ROW (1/4" - 1/2" per foot fall to the street).

Finding a GT-R locally to measure is almost like trying to find a 3 legged ballerina. One Ltd Ed Black 20 miles away from me sold before I could get out there with a yardstick. The sales manager & a sales person gave me two different sets of measurements. When I contacted Nissan Corporate headquarters they told me that the GT-R will clear 11° (after I told them I had a 10° driveway). I could approach slowly & at an angle to mitigate issues somewhat if that's the case, but it would be close.

I was hoping that one of the members here could give me a measurement. I know that the forward spoiler is 5.25" above horizontal pavement. If I could get a distance from the spoiler to the tire patch on horizontal pavement, I could then calculate the Tangent of the "angle". Figure an imaginary line straight down from the most forward portion of the spoiler at the "nose". From there, straight back to where the driver & passenger side tires' forward squat align, would give me the component I need. As the tires tend to squat from the weight of the car, the forward edge of the squat is slightly forward of the center of the wheel/tire. So... 5.25/(~34"?) = TAN of approach angle.

The ~34" figure is what I have been told is the x axis component; I need to confirm that. Hopefully, it's a shorter distance than that.

Here's a photo of my VR-4 & driveway to give you an idea... http://a1.sphotos.ak...9_1050950_n.jpg

TIA,

John

 

[seanm]

Just put one of these on the front.
http://www.stillen.com/product.asp?id=STIGTRSKDP&c=EX&year=2010&make=NISSAN&model=GT-R

At worst a lift kit. There are a couple of options on a lift.

 

[stymie]

Thanks! That's food for thought.

If I could provide some input on future GT-Rs, I'd replace the current forward spoiler with an "Active-Aero" manually/automatically deployable unit similar in function to those used on the '91 - '96 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4. Spoilers don't do much at low speeds anyway; they're merely a decoration under 50mph & more of a PITA.

Hydraulic hood lift struts would be a nice touch on a car that goes for 100 grand. Aside from that, an adjustable spoiler & a nice 100bhp boost, I'd be happy; I'm easy to please.

So, would someone be ever so kind as to measure the distance horizontally (on level pavement) from the forward spoiler at the nose to where it lines up with the forward portion of the tire patch?

 

[seanm]

The old Skylines some of the R32s had an active front lip spoiler. Its kind of a 1980s gimmick. Lots of potential to fail, added weight and complexity.

http://www.skylineobsession.com/r32gts-4.htm

Hood struts would be a weight savings, and cost thing. Take the money wasted on those, and put it towards something better, like more aluminum components.

 

[stymie]

C'mon... a pair of hydraulic hood struts isn't too much to ask for. I have them on my VR-4 & the added weight, what little there is, doesn't seem to slow the car down appreciably.

The problem I have is that MY driveway coming off of City ROW is relatively steep & at the top, there's my garage & protection from the elements. It might be steep enough that the spoiler will not only scrape, it just might break off. If I can't garage the car, I can't see parking it on the street, either. Even a simple, manually lifting the spoiler & locking it in to place scenario would work for ME. That wouldn't amount to very many components & the added weight could be nominal. Once out on the street, it could be deployed until parked for the night or you encounter another obstacle that prevents "needed" access due to its topography.

I'm going to have to stop reading the STILLEN catalog; I'm already getting impure thoughts!

 

[ehyman]

I've had cars with headers/sidepipes, deep spoilers & lowered suspensions & as you know, that limits were you can take your car w/o damage. You have to size up a potential obstacle in nano seconds at times. I have a Mitsubishi VR-4 with the ability to clear a 13° slope. My driveway comes in at 10° on private property as it breaks from City ROW (1/4" - 1/2" per foot fall to the street).

Finding a GT-R locally to measure is almost like trying to find a 3 legged ballerina. One Ltd Ed Black 20 miles away from me sold before I could get out there with a yardstick. The sales manager & a sales person gave me two different sets of measurements. When I contacted Nissan Corporate headquarters they told me that the GT-R will clear 11° (after I told them I had a 10° driveway). I could approach slowly & at an angle to mitigate issues somewhat if that's the case, but it would be close.

I was hoping that one of the members here could give me a measurement. I know that the forward spoiler is 5.25" above horizontal pavement. If I could get a distance from the spoiler to the tire patch on horizontal pavement, I could then calculate the Tangent of the "angle". Figure an imaginary line straight down from the most forward portion of the spoiler at the "nose". From there, straight back to where the driver & passenger side tires' forward squat align, would give me the component I need. As the tires tend to squat from the weight of the car, the forward edge of the squat is slightly forward of the center of the wheel/tire. So... 5.25/(~34"?) = TAN of approach angle.

The ~34" figure is what I have been told is the x axis component; I need to confirm that. Hopefully, it's a shorter distance than that.

Here's a photo of my VR-4 & driveway to give you an idea... http://a1.sphotos.ak...9_1050950_n.jpg

TIA,

John

I just bought a new enclosed trailer for my GTR and got 4 foot ramp extensions to help ensure no rub. My car is marginally lowered with JRZ's and does not rub with my current setup. This setup as a 6 degree angle of approach. If it will be helpful I can take a pic of clearance when I load the car this weekend.

Eric

 

[Yellow Stealth]

I used to have the cousin to your car (Stealth twin turbo) and it cleared a lot more obstacles than the GT-R does. I don't have my GT-R nearby so I can't help you with the measurements right now. There are a couple of alternatives you might want to consider:

• A vendor on this forum offers an aftermarket lift system for the front end. It is pricey: http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?/topic/48879-umbrella-auto-design-vrh-lift-system/page__hl__lift__fromsearch__1
• Based on the shape of your driveway, it looks like you could benefit from the gutter ramps that this company offers: http://www.bridjit.com/

 

[Rhyno46]

I back into my driveway b/c it is easier to avoid the lip on my driveway setup. Not sure if that's an option for you. Can you modify the transition to make it work better?

Where are you located?

 

[stymie]

Thanks for the replies! They are certainly appreciated. I reside in Kansas City, Missouri... so, if you happen to be blessed with a GT-R & would like to try your skillset negotiating my driveway, feel free to drop by & give it a shot. The curb/gutter (CG-2 "lazyback") portion of my drive approach isn't that much of an obstacle; I can enter at an oblique angle. It's where it breaks from nominal fall to the street in City ROW to an upward slope (private property) of 10° back to the garage that I have a problem. I used to have a '92 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo & neither that car nor my '98 VR-4 have had any issues with ground clearance or approach angles. I doubt that I will modify the GT-R with a pneumatic lift. Curious... any warranty issues if one does go that route? A temporary wedge at the transition point (ROW/private property) in my driveway might get me by. I do know that a horizontal component of 35" from the most forward portion of the GT-R's spoiler (nose) straight on back to both forward tire patches yields less than 9°; 10° is "bottom out". Obviously, the shorter this component the better. Nissan told me 11°, but only after I told them my driveway was 10°! GO figure... lolz!

 

[Rhyno46]

Lol I bought the black gtr you were going to check out. PM me your phone number and we can see about meeting up.

 

[stymie]

Lol I bought the black gtr you were going to check out. PM me your phone number and we can see about meeting up.

OMG... holy bleepin' coincidences! McCarthy Nissan! Those guys! I can't really blame them for wanting to keep the miles down on the GT-R, but that was the deal breaker... not being able to garage it. Even with a deposit down on the car & a "qualified" legal committment pending a successful approach, they would not cooperate. I've been tied up with trying to settle my mother-in-law's estate 110 miles away, selling my VR-4 (I could write a book!!!!!) & the usual punches life throws in my general direction. I had just traded our Honda Civic in on a Nissan Altima 3.5SR & I've been looking into something to replace the VR-4. I had considered an Infinity G-37X (AWD); at least that's what the voice of reason has been telling me to get. My inner child demands a GT-R & nothing less. Skewed priorities are a cruel mistress.

INCOMING! PM outbound...

Thanks,

John

 

[stymie]

Eric... if it wouldn't be too much trouble to get a pic of your setup, I'd like to see that profile. Thanks!

Yellow Stealth... I had a Firestorm Red/charcoal leather '92 Stealth R/T TT & LOVED it. Too bad that Mitsubishi dropped "performance" in favor of "green" machines. I did drive the prototype iMiev electric car that's been touring lately. That little sucker is amazing... quiet & PDQ. If you could get the measurement horizontally from the spoiler at the nose to where the tire patches align on both sides, that would be a tremendous help. Stick a yardstick as far as you can under the front tire; the end will be somewhat forward of the wheel's centerline due to squat from the car's weight. The dimension should be shy of 36". I need the distance to where the spoiler drops down at the center of the nose eyeballed from the side. The distance from that point to the spoiler should be 5.25" on horizontal pavement. I hope that made sense. Just don't go from the tire diagonally to the nose. It would be like a measurement taken down the centerline of the car. Thanks!

 

[erio]

Based on the pic of your driveway, I think you will be fine. My entry looks significantly worse (not sure of the angle) with a steep lip at the curb. When I first got it I slightly scraped it a couple times. I have to take it very slow for each tire, nearly coming to a complete stop (luckily I don't live on a busy street

) as each tire touches, with a 45 degree angle approach. In my M3 all I have to do is slow down. I thought about picking up one of these curb bridges, but it's quite an eyesore and I would probably catch hell from the neighborhood association. See below. Another option is one of those Stillen skid plates. I heard they work really well.

http://www.griotsgar...Arrivals&page=1

 

[stymie]

I wasted 3 decades of my life working for the City Engineer's Office/Public Works & I can tell you that they won't grant a permit or a variance to "block" the flow of drainage. It's worse than a HOA here in KC, MO. I never pull straight in or out; it's usually at a 45° angle & the gutter portion of the driveway is no biggie to work around (no significant lip). I go slow & drop one wheel at a time... rolling off s l o w l y. It's the transition at the edge of City ROW back to the garage that could be a problem. It's a real PITA when it snows or we get an ice storm.

I can't imagine selling my soul for a car only to park it in the street. The economy is so bad that the devil isn't even renting. My wife thinks I'm insane for even considering such a thing. Well, yeah... it's not exactly practical is it? When you hit your 3rd midlife crisis or 4th childhood, who am I to say: NO? The sad thing is that I really LOVE my VR-4. It's the one car that I will truly miss when all is said & done. If I had a never ending source of OEM parts or a 3 car garage for that matter, I'd keep her.

 

[stymie]

Here's what I've got to work with!

 

[stymie]

8,458 original one owner miles & still in showroom condition inside & out. There were only 231 '98 VR-4s made. I've been obsessing about getting a GT-R for the last couple of years. It's now or never!

 

[equisch3x]

i think youll be fine as well, in order to leave my house without scraping i ALWAYS have to back out in reverse..

 

[Rhyno46]

Just lower the house.

 

[stymie]

Just lower the house.

That did come up in an earlier discussion. Maybe, I could persuade Ty Pennington into giving my home a GT-R friendly makeover? Afterall, it is a worthy cause. Ryan, shouldn't you be in your garage waxing your GT-R? While you're at it... you wouldn't happen to have a yardstick handy, would you?

 

[Rhyno46]

Lol. You have plenty of time before that super silver arrives.