Nissan GT-R NISMO Sets Fastest Production Car Lap Record on Tsukuba Circuit

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Nissan GT-R NISMO Sets Fastest Production Car Lap Record on Tsukuba Circuit

This article was published by Michael Leary (@Terronium-12) on January 30th, 2020 in the Automotive News category.

 

[danimac]

I want to go and try this in Gran Turismo Sport now. Anyone know what tire compounds they used. I'll try the hards and Medium Sports for a start. Most sports production cars come with Medium I think. At least that's what my brother-in-law was told by his mechanic at Mercedes for his A45. Anyways mega lap.

 

[EDK]

I want to go and try this in Gran Turismo Sport now. Anyone know what tire compounds they used. I'll try the hards and Medium Sports for a start. Most sports production cars come with Medium I think. At least that's what my brother-in-law was told by his mechanic at Mercedes for his A45. Anyways mega lap.

Eh, I race in real life on road tires. The tires that best resemble the lateral grip I experience in the race car are comfort softs.

Tires we use are Extreme Performance Summer, which in US DOT treadwear rating are 180-200.

I would say the softest these might be in comparable terms are Sports Hard. Anything softer is going to be more like a semi slick, which would not qualify for a production car record.

Really neat to see this, something other than Nurburgring records. A quick lap here requires such accuracy and smooth inputs.

Edit: I searched on Tire Rack, and the softest tires you can get for this car are 140 treadwear. I would say those compare to Sports Hard.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...utoYear=2020&autoModel=GT-R&autoModClar=Nismo

Edit to my Edit - Factory tires are 255/40ZRF20 front and 285/35ZRF20 rear Dunlop® SP Sport Maxx® GT 600 DSST CTT high-performance run-flat tires.

https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/sports-cars/gt-r/compare-specs.html

Staggered tread wear, 200 front and 160 rear. Likely closer to Comfort Soft.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...utoYear=2020&autoModel=GT-R&autoModClar=Nismo

 

[CodeRedR51]

Not sure I agree on the GT Sport equivalency with the tires. Feel like a 200 treadwear would be closer to a sport medium. My opinion:

• 100-199 treadwear = Sport soft
• 200-299 treadwear = Sport medium
• 300-399 treadwear = Sport hard
• 400+ = comfort tires

 

[EDK]

Not sure I agree on the GT Sport equivalency with the tires. Feel like a 200 treadwear would be closer to a sport medium. My opinion:

• 100-199 treadwear = Sport soft
• 200-299 treadwear = Sport medium
• 300-399 treadwear = Sport hard
• 400+ = comfort tires

I know what the tires feel like and how the laps replicate.

Possibly different between sport and GT5 or GT6, but the softer sports tires do not have the progressive slide/slip angle of a 200 treadwear street tire.

In my opinion, of course. But I am normally on the track 5-6 weekends a year for 4-8 hours, since 2011.

And on GT Sport every week.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I know what the tires feel like and how the laps replicate.

Possibly different between sport and GT5 or GT6, but the softer sports tires do not have the progressive slide/slip angle of a 200 treadwear street tire.

In my opinion, of course. But I am normally on the track 5-6 weekends a year for 4-8 hours, since 2011.

And on GT Sport every week.

I'm not on track that much but I do have experience with it, I do autocross my car every month and I've also been playing GT since day 1. I still disagree.

 

[EDK]

I'm not on track that much but I do have experience with it, I do autocross my car every month and I've also been playing GT since day 1. I still disagree.

I am going to go with, we're probably both wrong.

I tried the 2017 Nismo GT-R at Tsukuba. Ran 3 laps on each compound from CS to SS.

Optimal lap times were -

• CS 1:02.577
• SH 1:00.501
• SM 59.869
• SS 58.352

I would say I am not as talented as a Super GT driver, and that I could likely take 0.5-1.0 out of each of those with a marginal effort.

I could probably buy the factory tires being SM, or somewhere between SM and SH.

Again, my opinion. I think 400 treadwear All Seasons are likely more like a CM.

So maybe Extreme Performance summer are SM tires.

I think SS are something more like these, IMO. (Nitto NT01). https://m.nittotire.com/competition-tires/nt01-dot-compliant-competition-road-course-tire/

100 TW and WAY more grip than Hankook Ventus RS4, or whatever your 180 TW tire of choice may be.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I am going to go with, we're probably both wrong.

I tried the 2017 Nismo GT-R at Tsukuba. Ran 3 laps on each compound from CS to SS.

Optimal lap times were -

• CS 1:02.577
• SH 1:00.501
• SM 59.869
• SS 58.352

I would say I am not as talented as a Super GT driver, and that I could likely take 0.5-1.0 out of each of those with a marginal effort.

I could probably buy the factory tires being SM, or somewhere between SM and SH.

Again, my opinion. I think 400 treadwear All Seasons are likely more like a CM.

So maybe Extreme Performance summer are SM tires.

I think SS are something more like these, IMO. (Nitto NT01). https://m.nittotire.com/competition-tires/nt01-dot-compliant-competition-road-course-tire/

View attachment 886363



100 TW and WAY more grip than Hankook Ventus RS4, or whatever your 180 TW tire of choice may be.

RS4 is 200tw. The Firehawk Indy 500's on my car now (340tw) I feel would be closer to SH. But at least we agree a 100-ish TW tire would be SS.

 

[EDK]

RS4 is 200tw. The Firehawk Indy 500's on my car now (340tw) I feel would be closer to SH. But at least we agree a 100-ish TW tire would be SS.

We run 180-200 on the race car, but RS4 are now required by the series after next race, due to sponsorship rights. Or, if you want a trophy you have to use them.

We have run pretty much all of it in that 180-200 range, and my Challenger that I have track dated has 300 TW Cooper RS3S Zeon. There's honestly not a little t of difference between way the extreme performance and Max.

I just don't think the SS make it to 199.

Maybe 100-140.

But splitting hairs, so back to the rest of it.

 

[sparkytooth]

The old GT-R Nismo (2014) from GT6 used to be able to do roughly a low 59 second lap of tsukuba on CS. GT6 CS roughly compares to GTS SH from my understanding.

 

[EDK]

The old GT-R Nismo (2014) from GT6 used to be able to do roughly a low 59 second lap of tsukuba on CS. GT6 CS roughly compares to GTS SH from my understanding.

That seems reasonable.

I would set up an MR2 like the one I race in at LS and it would be in my lap time range on CM. But likely somewhere around CM to CS.

I still like comfort tires on GTS, but it does seem SH are better than they used to be.

 

[Ddkklop]

Edit to my Edit - Factory tires are 255/40ZRF20 front and 285/35ZRF20 rear Dunlop® SP Sport Maxx® GT 600 DSST CTT high-performance run-flat tires.

Wait, so the car uses 20 inch tyres?

 

[EDK]

Wait, so the car uses 20 inch tyres?

Looks that way, yes. 20 tall, at the wheel.

Rear are 285 wide, which is a bit over 11 inches.

 

[CodeRedR51]

We run 180-200 on the race car, but RS4 are now required by the series after next race, due to sponsorship rights. Or, if you want a trophy you have to use them.

I'm actively searching for my next set of tires at the moment which will be 200 TW, and I think the RS4 is at the top of the list. Falken Azenis are cheaper but not as good. Everything else is fairly expensive.

 

[EDK]

I'm actively searching for my next set of tires at the moment which will be 200 TW, and I think the RS4 is at the top of the list. Falken Azenis are cheaper but not as good. Everything else is fairly expensive.

The RS4 have great grip and long wear. Would highly recommend. We can run them for ~24 race hours on the MR2.

 

[Organ-Donor]

Eh, I race in real life on road tires. The tires that best resemble the lateral grip I experience in the race car are comfort softs.

Do you run the Challenger in your avatar pic?

 

[EDK]

Do you run the Challenger in your avatar pic?

For track days, yes.

I race in Lucky Dog, which is a series for cars 15 model years old or more.

We race a Supercharged 1st gen MR2.

 

[Organ-Donor]

For track days, yes.

I race in Lucky Dog, which is a series for cars 15 model years old or more.

We race a Supercharged 1st gen MR2.

Hats off to you for the Challenger, gotta be a handful on the track as their pretty heavy and not exactly a track built car.

MR2's are fun cars 👍. Where do you race at?

Edit - I just saw your link to videos in your signature I'll check it out

 

[EDK]

Hats off to you for the Challenger, gotta be a handful on the track as their pretty heavy and not exactly a track built car.

MR2's are fun cars 👍. Where do you race at?

Edit - I just saw your link to videos in your signature I'll check it out

West coast. Laguna Seca 15 times or so, and a number of races at Portland, The Ridge in Washington, Oregon Raceway Park, and Pacific/Seattle. I also rented at Road America and Daytona. And raced once along with a few track days at Sonoma. More recently some races at Thunderhill. And we ran in Utah last year.

Here is probably my best track run in my Challenger, at Sonoma.



I run EBC Blue pads and DOT4 fluid, flushed before every track day. This was before I installed camber adjustable control arms, which have me around 2 degrees front. Was closer to 1 in this.

I also have coil overs and strut and subframe braces. It handles pretty well, considering the weight.

 

[Organ-Donor]

West coast. Laguna Seca 15 times or so, and a number of races at Portland, The Ridge in Washington, Oregon Raceway Park, and Pacific/Seattle. I also rented at Road America and Daytona. And raced once along with a few track days at Sonoma. More recently some races at Thunderhill. And we ran in Utah last year.

Here is probably my best track run in my Challenger, at Sonoma.



I run EBC Blue pads and DOT4 fluid, flushed before every track day. This was before I installed camber adjustable control arms, which have me around 2 degrees front. Was closer to 1 in this.

I also have coil overs and strut and subframe braces. It handles pretty well, considering the weight.

Nice driving. I'm jealous, Laguna and Road America are great tracks. I've only run Sebring but plan on Daytona, and Road Atlanta if I ever get around to it.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Regarding comparisons with GTS, I always feel as long as you're within 0.5-1 sec it's good enough already. We all know GT isn't the most accurate sim out there. Plus variables like track conditions, temperature, humidity, wind, etc are not going to be the same. Then the car itself, the Nismo we have is a few years old and on a short track like Tsukuba the marginal improvements on the new model can matter a lot. We also don't know if Nissan fettled the car's settings to get those extra few tenths (alignment, tyre pressure, electronics, etc). And finally we have the tyre issue. Honestly until PD simulates the default tyre for each car like in Assetto Corsa, the generic compounds in GT are always going to be rough approximations.

Quoting myself from the GTS Time Trial discussion (the car I'm referring to here is Golf GTI Mk I):

Actually this car probably runs the equivalent of Comfort Hards in real life as stock. If you look at mid corner speeds even on CM it's still too fast (remember this is basically a spruced up econobox from the 70s). The problem with GT is the FFB does a poor job of communicating the level of grip (and even worse if you're just on a pad I imagine). So it feels like you always need grippier tyres, but if you look at objective measures (mid corner speed, laptime, side g-force which sadly is removed from the HUD in GTS) most of the cars' default tyres are one step too grippy. The relative lack of longitudinal grip compared to lateral grip further exacerbates this impression with the higher powered cars.

I'm not a track day regular like some of you here though, so take my views with a pinch of salt