 Under the hood
The engine is a refined version of the all powerful RB26DETT, performance has been boosted by the increase of 15.6kg-m/litre of engine torque, (this is the best per-litre figure of any domestically produced 6-cylinder engine displacing over 2.0 litres.) In comparison to the engine used in the R33 GT-R, the camshafts have been modified to improve valve timing, which has enabled the increase just mentioned. Contributing to this are the new twin ball bearing ceramic turbochargers, which deliver sharp instant acceleration.
The 6-speed Getrag gearbox combines close ratio gearing adopted for first through to fifth speed ranges, the R33 featured close ratio for first through to fourth in it's five speed box. Lever rigidity has been increased and shift effort reduced to provide a strong and direct feel to the drive.(It's either in or it ain't!)
The standard GT-R feature of LSD (or formerly known as helical limited slip differential) improves responsiveness, controllability and ultimately traction.
 A nice addition to the R34 is the exhaust pressure-sensitive control. The exhaust features stainless steel tailpipes with a larger bore. Ultimately this has reduced back pressure increase the capaccity to breathe and ultmately more torque.
 Handling Design
The R34 GT-R has one of the highest levels of body stiffness in the world. This contributes to a nice solid ride, and no loss of energy in body flex. The electric powered HICAS system is used to provide direct and impressive response to the drivers steering wheel input. The system's operation is based on the vehicle speed and steering wheel input, this control procedure determines the target vehicle state and the rear wheel steer angle needed to achieve the state that is determined. This provides the ultimate in tracking peformance and control.  Once again the GTR sports a full set of Brembo brakes. Brembo braking performance has ben enhanced by changing the brake cooling system for greater anti'fade capability during hard driving. All models are equipped with 245/40ZR18 Potenz tires developed specifically for this GTR.This addition has made a weight saving of 4kg per vehicle alone. |
 Aerodynamics
The rear spoiler has been changed from a single-wing angle-adjustable type to a dual-level type with the angle adjustment mechanism made up of a main wing and a variable wing. Made of an aluminum for lightweight construction, the variable wing expands the range of downforce adjustment without increasing aerodynamic resistance. It allows 4-way adjustments at a 10 pitch over a maximum range of 30, compared with 18 on the previous R33 GT-R model.
 The GT-R V-spec model has a front diffuser and a carbonfibre rear diffuser to create downforce for regulating the air flow along the car's undersurface, allowing positive use of aerodynamic force for enhanced handling and stability. This improves straight-line direction, especially at high speeds above the 80km mark, and stability during cornering and braking, by producing a force for actively pushing the body down toward the road while maintaining a before-and-after aerodynamic balance. Moreover, since the air flow under the floor is controlled, fluttering noise under the car is also substantially reduced during high-speed travel at speeds above 80km's.
 Interior
The R34 features a 5.8" liquid crystal multi-function display at the top of the center console.Seven items are presented in 3 modes. The select menu features in-depth information on the boost, oil temp, front torque, voltage, throttle, injectors, exhaust temperature, and intercooler temperature.
The next mode gives figures on the red zone of the gauge scales, how regularly and how hard you're pushing the vehicle. This can be reset at any stage to allow for online information to be monitored. The final mode, gives the driver an indication of exactly where the vehicle is in the gear ration, and advises the driver of the optimum time to shift up or down.
The gauge dispay has the tachometer postioned on the left hand side for instant and easy  recognition of important RPM and vehicle speed information.
Once again Monoform bucket sets have been attributed to the interior, but this time the seats have been specicifacly designed for the GT-R. They feature a large shoulder and side support to provide greater lateral support. An anti-theft immobiliser has also been installed, this sytem matches the the internal code to the key code before the vehicle can even be started.
© Copyright 1999 Skyline R34 GT-R |
The Skyline GT-R is Japan's most popular sports car. It is powered by a high-tech (intercooled) twin turbo 2.6 litre in-line six which produces 280hp@6800rpm and 36.8kg/m@4400rpm. These figures however, don't even hint at the GT-R's performance credentials. The GT-R VSPEC is driven through a complex 4WD system called (ATTESA E-TS Pro) which considers drive and brake forces and precisely distributes torque independently to each of the four wheels to ensure maximum grip in all conditions and at all times! A complex system also controls the steering angle of the rear wheels according to the vehicle's speed and Yaw rate. The result of such integrated advanced technology is that the GT-R is next to Porsche's 911 turbo (which is 3.6 litres) as being the world's fastest production turbo 4WD car!!! Maybe that's why the GT-R is known as the 'battle god' of sports cars in it's home land. 
which are all limited to 280bhp and a 180km/h speed limiter (which fortunately can be easily bypassed). Even the 'normal' GTR's have power limited to 280bhp although a cheap computer/chip modification will instantly allow 350bhp. With the 400R however, Nissan (using it's motorsport division NISMO) produces 400bhp using an enlarged GTR engine (of 2.8 litres instead of 2.6) and declares it! I'm not quite sure how they could get around the 'agreement' but it was probably because the 400R is more of a 'special order' type of vehicle instead of daily production model. But whatever the reason, the 400R was designed to be a 'racer for the road' which means excels in all areas such as handling, stopping, acceleration, top speed, braking etc. Just don't expect it to provide comfort as well. If the normal GTR is said to be able to keep up with a F355, the 400R could then be considered to be able to crush a F355!! Oh, and this 'enhanced' twin turbo engine is rumored to rev up to 10,000rpm!!! 
Despite these computer-generated pictures, the top of the line Skyline model will only carry the GT-R designation. That means Skyline name is rendered to all trim levels below the GT-R. JDM version GTR will have a blown VQ V-6 cylinder iron block for easy horsepower upgrades, while export versions will have a blown 3.5-litre (or 4-liter) V8 engine. The JDM version engine is not finalized, but a 3.3-litre VQ33DDTT engine is possible. The R35 GT-R will become Nissan's flagship sports car, and the rumored 450-hp output will likely quash even the supreme 911 Turbo and 360 Modena. Carlos Ghosn has decreed that all Nissan models will have the highest power output in their respective classes.
