I have to make some assumptions since I don't know you, so please don't take offense at anything I might mention; this are just my thoughts after tracking a few cars the last 17 years.

IF you are not planning on any 1/4 mile passes and IF you are a road course 'virgin', I would NOT increase the power of your GT-R at this time. In fact, it would be the last thing on my to-do list. The car is so powerful in stock configuration that you will be able to pass just about everything else on the track, especially in the beginner's group. Furthermore I would NOT do anything to the car until you've been to a few track weekends and are comfortable with the car and the process. OEM, besides being very fast, the GT-R is a good handling car. Understeers yes, but that's a good thing when starting out.

If you know after that first weekend that you are now hooked, then replace the OEM rotors/pads with the much better replacements that are out there and save the OEM stuff for when you sell/trade the car.

Great a great helmet. Don't save money on something cheap, and think about getting a HANS device.

IF you get hooked, think about a half cage like the new ACG product where you can remove the shoulder bar and still use the back seat. This way you can install a proper set of belts to help hold you stable in the seat which will increase safety.

When you're comfortable with track weekends, and want to begin to get faster, work on the handling and cooling aspects of the car. After that, ramp up the power but don't go crazy. About 600 whp is more than enough on a road course. Above that you are placing undue stress on the car and can in fact decrease your lap times due to making the car more unstable due to the power levels. It's hard for all of us to acknowledge, but none of us are Lewis Hamiltion, and never will be, so don't think that constantly increasing power will make you faster; it won't .

Lastly re: E85. Very few tracks will have this on hand which means you'll have to bring loads of it with you especially since you'll be averaging about 5 mpg. This can be a real PITA to deal with. I would stay with unleaded where you can normally find 94-100 octane at the track.

I hope this was some kind of help. I would strongly recommend that you head on over to www.nagtroc.com where you can find an answer to just about any question you may have. Enjoy the car.

Bish

 

Bish

Thank you for taking time to answer my questions.

What you say makes perfect sense and plan to do exactly as you suggested.

Was going to pick a 2010 Black Premium with 1200 miles locally for 72.5K but found a Brand New 2010 Super Silver Premium in MA for 75K

 

Good luck with the car; you'll love it.

Bish

 

Bish,

Wonderful posts from you. I was surfing NAGTROC for a post like this and nothing good came up. I am a very regular track day goer, and have historically run my 997 GT3RS and a modified Evo 9.

I recently traded the Evo 9 for the GTR and plan on tracking the car heavily. The mods that I have already done are Whiteline front and rear adjustable anti rolls to reduce understeer, front J Hooks and 800 deg pads and Castrol SRF fluid, and bought myself a set of 19 inch TE37SLs and Hoosier R6s (I always use Hoosiers for the track- no other single mod does more for lap times).

My key fear is the tranny temps and the fragile nature of the tranny. I will look into the HKS unit thanks to your input.

Will be keeping everything else stock- I am into handling and the GTR is plenty fast for circuit racing. I am looking forward to taking the car to the track and will keep you all updated as to how the GTR holds up. I typically do 13 to 15 track days a year but they are always split between my GT3 and (now) the GTR.

This is going to be a fun year!!!

 

I think you'll notice the HKS controls your temps extremely well. You should certainly be able to run more laps than you can now without temperature issues and when they do arise, they'll be engine oil/water in nature; (but hopefully not even those for the normal 25 minute run session).
Bish