When Nissan introduced the latest R35 version of its GTR Skyline models, the marketing push behind the car put a heavy emphasis on Nurburgring times and the amazing techno-wizardry that led to the new GTRs phenomenal on-track performance.
Despite setting the expectation bar high, the cars didn’t disappoint their new owners on the track – but as their comfort levels with the GTR grew, some of the GTR’s new owners started to realize something that Lotus buyers had known for years: on a racetrack, mass is the enemy.
Mass affects the way a car stops, turns, and accelerates. Less mass is good. Less mass means a driver can get more grip in the corners, more stopping power from the brakes, and – with a superior power/weight ratio – more miles per hour in the straights. More mass, however, is bad. More mass means the tires get overworked, the brakes fade early, and – with more pounds to motivate – fewer miles per hour in the straights. Even fuel economy suffers!
At a portly 3800 lbs., even the most die-hard Skyline fans admit that the R35 GTR has a lot of mass to carry around a track – which motivated one New England GTR owner to contact Ohio-based tuning firm Switzer Performance, and see what Tym Switzer and his crew could do to help Godzilla zig.
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