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GPS system in the Nissan GT-R can recognize race tracks, raises top speed

12/24/2007, 9:13 AM

By Drew Johnson

It’s no secret that Nissan’s GT-R is a technological tour de force — its center-mounted LCD screen can display pretty much anything from lap times to g’s pulled — but an interesting tidbit about the car’s on board computer has come to light. In Japan, the car’s GPS system can detect when the car has entered a race track and removes the electronically controlled top speed limiter. On public roads, the JDM GT-R is limited to a top speed of 111 mph.

However, the U.S.-spec GT-R will not have such integration with its GPS system. Instead, Nissan will increase the GT-R’s top speed to 156 mph for the U.S. market.

No word if the illegally imported GT-Rs from Japan will recognize circuits in Europe.

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12/24, 9:46 AM

posted by:

SR

Poor Japs limited to 111mph…

12/24, 9:54 AM

posted by:

cwwilson

If I have enough money to afford one of these, I’m finding a way to take that limiter off. You just don’t pay 80 grand only to have your car stuck topping out at 156.

12/24, 10:13 AM

posted by:

CTS DRIVER

i hate to say it but this car is falling off my list of dream cars, sure its fast as a greasy horny queer but i hate computer controlled everything, i like to drive not be driven.

12/24, 10:19 AM

posted by:

sanfranmac

CTS DRIVER- I’m gonna have to agree with you on this one. Great car but there does seem to be yet another unwanted big brother behind the dash. And no six-speed stick either. I’d be happier with a 4.0 sec time to 60 (instead of 3.3) and a stick. If it can tell when one is on a race track- it can probably call the nearest CHP highway cop too, the next time one momentarily floors it on a deserted highway at 4 am.

12/24, 11:01 AM

posted by:

jdepould

111? That’s SO slow. Top speed limiting isn’t really anything new, but wow.

12/24, 11:02 AM

posted by:

LP640

For all the Corvette fans, i’d love to see the ZR1 do this.

12/24, 11:07 AM

posted by:

Franq

Look forward to new generation of cars soon .

One you exceed speed limit, it send info to local Police HQ and insurance HQ.

Your insurance goes up automatically next month and you receive a ticket in the mail with time, place and duration of your exceeded speed.

Your car is not your friend any more !

12/24, 1:30 PM

posted by:

Veda

sanfranmac: That’s why do what I do, give away your US citizenship and find a county where there’s no speed limit even on the regular streets. I can do 105 mph on my regular business trips and hit 135 during weekends. Seriously buying a sports car in US is such a waste as you can’t enjoy it anytime you want. That’s why europeans see US ferrari owners as posers. But you gotta give respect to those college kids who did 219 on an Arizona freeway with a Murcielago.

12/24, 1:48 PM

posted by:

LP640

^some Polish guy named Adam also did 219 in an LP640 in Belgium

12/24, 3:03 PM

posted by:

hateful83

I read that the screen on the dash was co-developed with the guy who created Gran Turismo. Thought that was pretty cool.

12/24, 3:47 PM

posted by:

LP640

^ yep in fact it was pretty much all the screens and all the info that the car gives you (fuel readouts, g force, speed, e.t.c.)

12/24, 4:07 PM

posted by:

jamaicandude

I have to say I’m not enthusiastic about the limiter… even if the GPS track recognition system is an impressive piece of tech. 180kph is the limit for all JDM cars but trust me, it has never stopped tuners before. Not many of them stay limited for very long. In the last 8 years I’ve bought JDM market cars and almost all of them had no limiter. I’ve seen 150mph in my Evo on the Apexi RSM, while the stock speedo was pegged @ 180kph. Tuners will find a way around this… if they haven’t already. I’d be willing to bet money that this will be one of the most popular GT-R mods. Remember most Benzes and Bimmers are limited to 155mph too, and all the tuner ones I’ve seen had their governors disabled. Like I said, I’m not enthusiastic about the speed limiter, but it doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for this car. Just another mod to make for me.

12/24, 4:29 PM

posted by:

jamaicandude

Oh, and Merry Christmas all you bastards… y’all make this site a fun place to visit… even though some of you are dumb as F***. :-)

12/24, 6:49 PM

posted by:

global_lightning

It’s not too hard to falsify the non-military GPS signal. Expect some ‘tuner’ to come out with a special jammer that always places you at Suzuka.

12/24, 8:05 PM

posted by:

SS4LIFE

actually LP640 the Corvette isn’t gay like Nissan is and wouldn’t. But what the ZR1 will do is make the GTR and your Lambo’s look like nothing.

Yes Merry Christmas to all! :)

12/25, 9:33 AM

posted by:

Veda

Yea heck merry x-mas too guys… oh here comes the pissing contest between GT-R and Corvette fanboys…

12/25, 7:13 PM

posted by:

CA36GTP

A simple, almost undetectable retune on almost any current production car can eliminate a speed limiter. I fail to see how this is so awesome.

12/25, 8:43 PM

posted by:

Commodore

This is actually really cool technology, but for me it falls into the useless category like 8 speed transmissions and self parking. It costs you money but it doesn’t really do much for you.

I would rather that the saved the cost associated with this and just removed speed limiting devices in general. Afterall, I can easily remove mine so why waste my money paying for it and then removing it completely?

12/26, 1:22 AM

posted by:

Got Handling?

CA36GTP this is awesome if you are a marketing bod trying to convince Japanese buyers to buy a 156mph car that is required to be limited to 111mph by law. Now he can offer buyers the full performance legitimately and responsibly which makes them unique amongst their local competitors. Its ingenious marketing.

12/26, 9:14 AM

posted by:

SwerveEarly

US has more empty wide-open roads then all of Europe combined. I have no problem finding places to drive as fast as I want. What fantasy country do you live in Veda because even the Autobahn has speed limits most of the time. And I saw more speed traps and cameras in England, France and Germany in 4 weeks time then I have in last twenty years driving in U.S.

12/26, 10:48 AM

posted by:

SS4LIFE

Anyone can reach the mid 100’s or more on a decent stretch of road, or on the freeway anywhere. Yeah I agree with SwerveEarly, from the parts of Europe I’ve toured, with the exception of the Autobahn, I have not seen many wide open roads that I’d be brave enough to do some serious speed on. Granted there are the freeways.

But I still don’t see the ingenuity in this GPS Navigation, and speed limiter. I also don’t like to be dictated, maybe the Japanese do but I’ll take the freedom of being able to drive whatever the car is capable of.

12/27, 1:30 PM

posted by:

928dreamer

I am a little concerned that if this system can recognize that the car is at a track, it will also immediately void your warranty. Most manufacturers even Porsche void the warranty if you drive your car the way it was designed to be driven.

I would be more than a little concerned that my car would phone home and tell on me. Will it also send data on braking, cornering forces, and speed. If they can claim the car was abused they may not have to pay repair costs normally covered by warranty.

12/27, 1:36 PM

posted by:

928dreamer

For all you guys whinning about no place in the US to drive as fast as you want, look at this

http://www.pmletter.com/Devek2928.html

Open road racing is the ultimate in high speed racing. In the unlimited classes you get to go as fast as you can for 50 to 100 miles.

Once I have a little more cash available to play and have my 928 in tip top mechanical condition, I am thinking of doing this.

01/04, 11:11 AM

posted by:

wacopaco

928 – I seriously doubt that the car phones home as that would be a whole lot of technology just to keep an eye on you. The easiest solution would be for the speed limiter to recognize the coordinates of a race track and lift the limiter when it matches. A simple self contained solution that doesn’t require it sending data. As for it logging data, that’s another story. Since the car keeps a log of the telemetry I doubt it would be hard for Nissan to pull that off the car when it goes in for service.

01/07, 3:35 PM

posted by:

jackjimturkey

cwwilson: “If I have enough money to afford one of these, I’m finding a way to take that limiter off. You just don’t pay 80 grand only to have your car stuck topping out at 156.â€
I’m not going to complain!

Franq, 928dreamer: “Look forward to new generation of cars soon.

One you exceed speed limit, it send info to local Police HQ and insurance HQ.

Your insurance goes up automatically next month and you receive a ticket in the mail with time, place and duration of your exceeded speed.â€

“I am a little concerned that if this system can recognize that the car is at a track, it will also immediately void your warranty. Most manufacturers even Porsche void the warranty if you drive your car the way it was designed to be driven.

I would be more than a little concerned that my car would phone home and tell on me. Will it also send data on braking, cornering forces, and speed. If they can claim the car was abused they may not have to pay repair costs normally covered by warranty.â€

Bleak, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

SS4LIFE: “actually LP640 the Corvette isn’t gay like Nissan is.†Nissan may or may not be gay, but this car isn’t.

SwerveEarly: Wyoming and Montana are the places to be, if you want to do some fast driving!

For all you guys whining about no place in the US to drive as fast as you want, look at this

http://www.pmletter.com/Devek2928.html

 
 
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