amaist

I can't comment much on the Lotus. I am sure the designers know more about this than I do. It is a very light car with a stiff suspension. Exiting a fast corner the inside rear tire will stay on the ground and no traction will be lost.

Once you move to softer and heavier cars LSD is indispensable as even medium speed corners lean the car to the side so much that the inside wheel spins uncontrollably. Why would they put an LSD in the GT3? Another Rennlist poster (ChrisR) put an LSD into his Cayman S and he says his car is much better with it.

Cars like 335i or 135i do need a mechanical LSD.

And even if a car can do a faster lap time with an open differential doesn't mean I am going to have more fun with it. Sliding sideways is fun even if its slow. And I am in this for the fun, not to become a pro driver.

allegretto

Actually Lotus' are sprung surprisingly soft!

But I think a stiff car is more likely to lift the rear inside where LSD is more desirable. But perhaps that logic is faulty too

amaist

Either way. The Lotus does manage to keep the wheel on the ground and not overpower it. With a 1.8L motor it seems reasonable.

Double the torque, weigh down the car and enjoy the cloud of smoke from the apex side of the car. Or get an LSD and leave two black stripes at the exit.

tcsracing1

The GT-R is a poor mans 911 turbo. Turbo beater if you will.

both can be modified though. (the GT-R will be street tuned to death as most imports are)
both can do good numbers on the track in stock trim with all wheel drive.

The GT-R is a heavy car unfortunitly.
It is not the weapon everybody thought it would be or what the legend promised.
Perhaps if nissan enters motorsports again it could build on the platform.... that is what it is missing.
A great grand tourer, but for the odd track day i just dont know honestly.

The car does however work very well. But not pretty to look at. Easily confused for an Infiniti by nay sayers.

I feel the car was released too late as the import power cars have all died off. Not something to keep, but certainly to enjoy as a daily driver short term. Great bang for todays buck i suppose.

340Elise

As is the turbo unfortunately.

But at 300 lbs heavier, at least, the GTR really is a fatty. Imagine the GTR 500 lbs lighter than it is now; that could be scary.

If they could just lighten up the turbo by a couple hundred pounds and stiffen up the suspension, steering, clutch and shifter I would consider it. I guess a lot of that can be done with aftermarket mods.

340Elise

That makes sense; I see your point. You are right that the Lotus is not the norm and for it the lack of LSD may be the best approach. But as someone else said, they really are quite softly sprung.

And I totally agree with the fun comment and not becoming a pro driver. I think exactly the same. I think that it is important for every high performance car driver to take some high performance driving schools and at least spend a little time practing on the track to get a good feel for their car and how it behaves at the limit in a controlled environment. But beyond that, I am in it for fun and do not worry about lap times or nailing a line through a corner and such.

Safety is number one, especially for others on the street or track who you could potentially injure or even kill; but after that, it is all about having fun with these cars. And what a great time it is to be a car enthusiast!

amaist

I don't know what legend you heard but Skyline GT-Rs were always heavy for their time. I was never considered a "track" car that could go all day. Even Japanese anime cartoons pointed out it's weight as a disadvantage (Initial D).

But they did have tons of power and technology. So does this one even to a greater level than before.

Bill_C4S

Lest we forget the V-Spec GT-R is on the horizon...stripped, more horses, fettled nicely.

Could be quite....potent.

mjproctor

All of these quotes remind of Cadillac and Lincoln owners when the LS400 first came to the states. I have driven every late model street Porsche except the GT2 and I do love PCars. I was going to buy a 997 GT3, I ended up with a 2010 GTR. Give the car its due.
You guys are starting to sound like M3 Owners. What's next, do we have to ID the PCar Racing Line with cones?

See you at the Track

allegretto

he he you're a year late with the post

see us at the track? you mean no one told you...?