[vtknight]

MotorTrend has a cool competition going on called the "Hot Lap".

They are testing their Best of 2011 Supercars and the 2012 Nissan DBA GT-R is an entrant.
So far it sits in third place - off .13 of a second from the 2nd place Ferrari 458 and almost two seconds behind the Anniversary Z06/Z07 (those tires must be something else as Pobst beat the Z06 Carbon Edition earlier in the year with the DBA).

There is a nice opening monologue about the fact that Ferrari engineers are baffled by the GT-R and even ran a computer simluation on it in Maranello.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.c...u/0/lY6z0nzgb3o

 

[Skyliner]

Well I expected Ferrari Italia to be marginally faster than DBA, but I didn't expect the new Z06 to utterly humiliate Ferrari Italia... Not like this...

 

[Roll Cancel]

Well I expected Ferrari Italia to be marginally faster than DBA, but I didn't expect the new Z06 to utterly humiliate Ferrari Italia... Not like this...

Agreed.

In both videos of the 458 and ZO6, they mention tires.

 

[BarryC]

Well I expected Ferrari Italia to be marginally faster than DBA, but I didn't expect the new Z06 to utterly humiliate Ferrari Italia... Not like this...

It's actually an apples and oranges comparison - the z06 was on rcompound tires and all the other cars were on street tires. Put the same tire on all cars the results will be different or a lot closer...

BC

 

[sleepdoc]

Why would they put up cars on street tires vs a car with R compound ? Makes no sense to me.

 

[Santorican]

Because racecar.

On a serious matter, because they're dumb?

 

[Jon H]

Why would they put up cars on street tires vs a car with R compound ? Makes no sense to me.

Probably because it's a factory option.

Oh well. Hopefully Nissan will take note and offer the same treatment.

 

[Arsinek]

What are the tires the Z06 is running?

 

[Monaco]

Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, which are semi-slick tires. Tires can make a huge difference with these cars, as it clearly shows.

 

[FikseGTS]

those tires are great when warmed up on dry pavement, but otherwise they are a nightmare, terrible/dangerous when cold and in any standing water.... I had them on my ACR...

 

[DocNrock]

Probably because it's a factory option.

Oh well. Hopefully Nissan will take note and offer the same treatment.

This. They mention in the video that the tires are a factory option, so they are just maximizing what they can get straight from the factory. Its not like they took the Corvette and fitted it with aftermarket R-comps.

 

[chinko]

I wonder how much time those tires are worth on that track

 

[erio]

http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?/topic/61288-gtr-in-motortrends-best-drivers-car/

 

[vtknight]

As has been mentioned - the Sport Cups are a factory option. I think we have to remember that NIssan knew about tires right from the beginning, creating a custom set of their own with Bridgestone when our car first came out. They definitely need to go back to their vendors (Bridgestone and Dunlop) and get something new on the table (or talk to Michelin).
That said - FilkseGTS makes a great point of overall driveability - so they should just make it an option and let the magazines test it with the R compund tires like GM is doing.
Best of both worlds (as long as the buyer knows what they are getting themselves into).

I'm no Randy Pobst, but two seconds is A LOT.

 

[Optherion]

Its motortrend. This is the same magazine that picked the M3 over the GT-R and Porsche Turbo in a few tests. You cant take anything they publish serious. Sometimes even I scratch my head about some of their test results. I think they should switch out Randy Pobst for Leh Keen

Wasnt the ACR Viper and GT3RS on R compounds a few years back with all the magazine testing?

 

[jmc5]

I think they should switch out Randy Pobst for Leh Keen

Pobst is a serious GTR fan. Switching to another driver could do more harm than good.

 

[swanson]

Wow!

The Corvette destroyed the GTR around that track. It's possible the GTR might have posted a little quicker time with race rubber, but not guaranteed. The current tires on the 2012 are specialized for the GTR, so using tires as an excuse for losing is not warranted in opinion. Even with DOT's the GTR still would never touch the Corvette's time. Two seconds is almost an eternity. I wonder how much faster a ZR1 would have been compared to the Z06?

Also, that Corvette sounded brutal versus the Hoover soundtrack of the GTR. Overall, the GTR is still the better car, but apparently on the track it isn't even close.

 

[thewraith]

The vette came w/the tires. "Run what you brung" right? Kudos to the vette!

 

[swanson]

Pobst is a serious GTR fan. Switching to another driver could do more harm than good.

I agree 100%, In previous MT track event Pobst critized the Corvettes because they scared him a little and they required 100% concentration of the driver, but he praised the GTR's for their relative ease to drive on track.

 

[swanson]

Its motortrend. This is the same magazine that picked the M3 over the GT-R and Porsche Turbo in a few tests. You cant take anything they publish serious. Sometimes even I scratch my head about some of their test results. I think they should switch out Randy Pobst for Leh Keen

Wasnt the ACR Viper and GT3RS on R compounds a few years back with all the magazine testing?

I believe it was Car and Driver that chose the M3 over the GTR and 997 turbo in a comparison.

Actually, I think Motor Trend are huge fans of the GTR and crowning it Car of the Year in 2009.