No Launch Control For Aus Gtr's

[LSX-438]

well, so much for the tranny thing being a "non issue"

[bambam1]

Honestly , I do not think most people who want to buy this car based on it's track killing performance are heavily concerned with the LC.

If I wanted a car that can do a standing start in some blinding fashion, I would be looking for a car with more of a solid transaxle so as not to worry about a LSD or breaking my axles. (I learned this the hard way with my 350z). This car is made for tearing up corners and basically an awesome road handling performer, not 1/4 mile times. Those # were just for the magazines to throw around in my opinion.

As for the supposed 'frail' tranny, I don't believe in that either, as I could not see Nissan releasing something that would have such a tendency to break in their Halo car. I am sure there are some QA issues that creep up with any build like this and can only hope Nissan will stand by their product. Only time will tell though if there is a weak tranny issue or extreme levels of standing start abuse that could be causing the couple of tranny failures reported in the US to date.

[Beer Baron]

and besides that, if you were a buyer who wanted this car to impress in the traffic light GP, you don't need launch control to smash 99.99% of cars out there. even without the LC it's a rapid thing 0-100. though I must say I would rather have the LC than not have it. as it's a neat party trick to pull once in a while.

[bambam1]

I agree, the LC is pretty cool, and I have done it a few times with my friends just to see what it was like.

It definitely makes you realize how fast the car is if you don't leave sufficient room down the road.

It was fun, but in my opinion, not really crazy like my Z. Now that will slam you back in your seat (not to mention swing sideways if ur not careful) and scare the living piss out of you... But I spent a lot of money building that thing up and honestly if I beat on that too often I am sure it will break at some point like every mechanical thing does when abused.

I like to play just like everyone else, and that's why I got the Cobb tuning AP for a little bit of a bump in the low/mid range. But the LC is not as important to me as the handling and that is really what this car is all about.

Just my $0.02 of course ;-)

[scathing]

and besides that, if you were a buyer who wanted this car to impress in the traffic light GP, you don't need launch control to smash 99.99% of cars out there.

With the only cars you're not going to smash, it'll all be settled by reaction time rather than the vehicle's actual acceleration.

[Gibbo_R35]

Well here is is straight from the Nissan National Training Bulletin:

NT 03/08 29^th, October, 2008

TO: NHPC Dealers

ATT: Dealer Principals, General Managers and Sales Managers

RE: GT-R Media comments

Ladies and gentleman,

As you are aware the new Nissan GT-R has created a huge amount of interest among motoring magazines & journalists around the world and is being discussed and tested by many media outlets with fantastic reviews.

Whilst many of the GT-R’s unique features have been highlighted and covered at great lengths there appears to be some persistent referral to “Launch Control”

We wish to clarify that the GTR destined for Australia does not have any form of launch control as a standard feature.

The use & descriptions of this type of procedure being outlined in the testing and reviews is not endorsed by Nissan and places huge forces on the driveline that can result in component failures which are not warrantable.

We would also like to clarify that setting the VDC to “off” mode should only be carried out in accordance with the specific directions as outlined in the Owners Manual.to help free the vehicle if stuck in mud or snow.

Please ensure that any queries from customers or prospects relative to “Launch Control” are addressed promptly and with reference to the above.

Kind Regards,

Slavko Kalenjuk

Slavko Kalenjuk

Manager – Customer Experience and Dealership Training

I am thinking that if you turn VDC off and you are not freeing the vehicle from snow or mud...guess what...no warranty.

What next???

[Snowman]

There is nothing in that letter though that says it's going to be actually removed (which is what I have heard from someone at Nissan already).

The do say "The use & descriptions of this type of procedure being outlined in the testing and reviews is not endorsed by Nissan " which to me says it will still be there if you do the right tricks - but also if you do this and break the car the warranty will be void.

What needs to be clarrified as far as I'm concerned is the VDC Off thing. Does switching it off at any time void your warranty for good or only void it should the "break" occur whilst the VDC is off. If it is the latter as someone who has one of these on order I have no issue with that at all. If it is at any time the VDC goes off then the warranty is void for life then I do have issues with that.

[ACTIVE-LSD]

A little off-topic.

While watching Top Gear Episode: The Bullet Train, They mentioned that each gearbox is tailored to work on each car and that it simply wouldn't work on another gtr. So my question is wouldn't that be a pain in the backside if you wear out your gearbox? I'm 99.9% sure buying a new one from nissan would cost an arm & leg. Obviously warranty wouldn't cover wear and tear, only malfunction.

[Ant97GTR]

Yep I read into that letter that it will be there however it will not be advertised....kind of like the evo X launch control.

[Gibbo_R35]

Yep I read into that letter that it will be there however it will not be advertised....kind of like the evo X launch control.

Sorry I am little confused, how could:

"We wish to clarify that the GTR destined for Australia does not have any form of launch control as a standard feature"

be construed as anything but the GTR not coming with launch control.

[kralster]

what a stupid car.

[Snowman]

Sorry I am little confused, how could:

"We wish to clarify that the GTR destined for Australia does not have any form of launch control as a standard feature"

be construed as anything but the GTR not coming with launch control.

Officially neither does the EVO X SST nor the DSG VW's - but all of them if you know the right button sequences will activate the Launch Control. This will not be mentioned in ANY of the operating manuals by any of those companies but that doesn't mean that it isnt there - it is just not listed as "a standard feature" and they will refuse to admit its existence.

But as I already mentioned they state that "The use & descriptions of this type of procedure being outlined in the testing and reviews is not endorsed by Nissan" which means it will still be there. And they also state that turning the VDC off will void your warranty so therefore should you do it and break the car its your problem.

Put simply if they say the car doesn't have launch control (or should I say not reference that it does have it) they don't have to then say "it has launch control but you can't use it".

[bambam1]

Snowman is correct. The GT-R that is sold in the US comes with the same warning message as indicated in the above letter. You actually have to sit down with the General Manager and sign a series of documents stating you understand the tranny and other mechanical devices in the car make noise and not to be worry about it (i.e.: don't be bringing the car back in for servicing for every noise you hear). You have to go through a full checklist of things with the dealer as he explains everything about the car to you. They have to tell you there is no launch control, but in fact they give you a little 'wink and nod'.

When it comes to the warranty, the way it is understood (and explained to me by my mechanic) is that if you turn the VDC off, AND break some aspect of the driveline, they will argue you are abusing it. IF you turn the VDC off, beat on the car, turn it back on and shortly afterwards something happens to the driveline; they will check the black boxes and if they see the VDC was turned off for any period of time, they will consider voiding the driveline warranty. In a letter to all dealers in the US, Nissan North America issued a statement saying basically they would only void a warranty if they saw clear abuse of the car (i.e. doing something explicitly against what is in the manual).

So the key is black boxes and how long they record the activities on the car and if you are engaging in an activity that is expressly prohibited in the manual. Nowhere in the manual does it say you CAN'T use launch control, because it is not a feature they document. BUT it clearly states that turning VDC off for anything more then getting out of snow/mud will void your driveline warranty if something breaks BECAUSE OF THAT SPECIFIC ACTION. For you everyday driver these conditions should be fine unless you are beating the crap out of the car on the street. (I don't see people setting up the car for a LC at every stoplight, just not practical) For guys who are tracking and want to remove as many electronic nannies as possible, this poses a problem and needs to be thought out before you go turning off the VDC for the track.

Again, this is a perspective from a US owner. I can't for sure say these rules will apply to Australia, but I would assume it would be very similar.

[Beer Baron]

sorry officer, I thought I was stuck in some snow and or mud back there at the traffic light and needed the 4500rpm snow and mud extraction control to get me out....

[Ultimategtr]

Officially neither does the EVO X SST nor the DSG VW's - but all of them if you know the right button sequences will activate the Launch Control. This will not be mentioned in ANY of the operating manuals by any of those companies but that doesn't mean that it isnt there - it is just not listed as "a standard feature" and they will refuse to admit its existence.

But as I already mentioned they state that "The use & descriptions of this type of procedure being outlined in the testing and reviews is not endorsed by Nissan" which means it will still be there. And they also state that turning the VDC off will void your warranty so therefore should you do it and break the car its your problem.

Put simply if they say the car doesn't have launch control (or should I say not reference that it does have it) they don't have to then say "it has launch control but you can't use it".

Fair enough, my arguement still stands, IF Nissan had released a manual gearbox, i dont think there would have been many issues. Alright maybe blowing the clutch at most due to improper bedding etc, but Nissan would bed it before anyhow. Sure it maybe a few 10ths slower but it would still have a manual, which would be lighter then the heavy auto, cheaper to replace, and be more interactive and fun to drive.

But hey, thats just my 2c

[Gibbo_R35]

Thanks for the heads up about the launch control guys, I did not realise the Evo had this feature, that does not really exist. Maybe you are right with the Aussie car, it will have launch control ....but it will be known as "fight club launch control".....first thing about "fight club launch control" is....

Cheers,

Gibbo

[Gts-t]

Fair enough, my arguement still stands, IF Nissan had released a manual gearbox, i dont think there would have been many issues. Alright maybe blowing the clutch at most due to improper bedding etc, but Nissan would bed it before anyhow. Sure it maybe a few 10ths slower but it would still have a manual, which would be lighter then the heavy auto, cheaper to replace, and be more interactive and fun to drive.

But hey, thats just my 2c

Omg every time i come in here, its blow gearbox this, manual gearbox that.

f**k the manual box get over it i for one am so glad its not a traditional transmission, and f**k the blown gearbox talk obviously if u punish something enough its going to break and gtr's have always broken box's so WTF

On a calmer note perhaps porsche is buying 35's flogging them out and posing it on the net

[scathing]

they will refuse to admit its existence.

They can't void your warranty for using something that doesn't exist.

"You used launch control on the car when you broke the box so your warranty is void."

"What launch control? "

"Errr......"

I'm still not understanding why VDC off is potentially going to void your warranty, from a technical standpoint. It's not like not having VDC is going to inherently put wear on a car...or other prior Nissan AWD auto would have had issues by now.

[Snowman]

They can't void your warranty for using something that doesn't exist.

"You used launch control on the car when you broke the box so your warranty is void."

"What launch control? "

"Errr......"

I'm still not understanding why VDC off is potentially going to void your warranty, from a technical standpoint. It's not like not having VDC is going to inherently put wear on a car...or other prior Nissan AWD auto would have had issues by now.

You're answering all your own question there.

They won't void your warranty for using LC. They will void if for turning VCD off. That's all they'll have to say.

And how does turning VCD off potentially void your warranty? Well with the VDC off you'll be able to do things like LC which will put a massive strain through the drive train!! If the VDC was on should something like an LC situation occur it would cut power and consequently the mechanical strain.

[scathing]

And how does turning VCD off potentially void your warranty? Well with the VDC off you'll be able to do things like LC which will put a massive strain through the drive train!!

But if the car "doesn't have LC", then it's never going to be the case.