HKS Premium Day was held just over a week ago now and it wasn’t all about on-track festivities. HKS also had an entire new turbo lineup to unveil. This is their new inhouse designed turbo lineup known as the HKS GTII.

Due to be released in March this year, HKS are also developing a full turbo kit for the Nissan GT-R that will utilize these turbos matched with a HKS exhaust manifold to directly compete with the current Trust TD06-20G kit that has been out for some time.

Source: GTR-World.net Special Report – HKS Turbo Unveiled

HKS, Parts / Manufacturers, Tuner News exhaust, gt-r, gtII, gtr, HKS, nissan, r35, turbo kit, turbos

Where there’s a problem there’s an opportunity must be the SSP moto because they’ve released another innovative product for the Nissan’s GR6 dual clutch transmission. A drop in replacement filter that claims to filter 90% more debris in the transmission than the standard screen.

With one transmission fluid being circulated through the gearbox protecting everything from the clutch packs to the gears, it can get contaminated pretty quickly. Upgraded fluids assist by lowering gear wear but there’s some logic in a replaceable filter.

SSP recommend replacement after 5,000 – 7,000 miles. I’d like to see some data after a few track sessions with oil analysis done, but for now it’s out there. At $219 a pop, if it proves to be a performer, this is something I can see being popular.

Link: SouthSide Performance Website

Parts / Manufacturers, South Side Performance, Tuner News

Time for a combined post wrapping up the rest of my strictly GT-R related photos from Friday morning the first day of TAS2010. Take a peek as we browse the halls to snap up some interesting tidbits.

First up is Midori Seibi Center’s nice looking GT-R with their new Silent Power NR exhaust fitted up. They also had some extremely hot Rays Volk G2 wheels in the formula silver fitted outside some tasty Alcon rotors.

Speaking of Alcon, we took a look up close at their caliper upgrades for Nissan GT-R and they look damn serious. Alcon make brakes for everything from street cars to F1 cars and lots inbetween. Next to the GT-R brakes was a caliper from a SuperGT car. It was crazy lightweight due to it’s construction but not really in the same league as the F1 caliper next to that. Constructed from goldGold anodized, it was lighter again.

On the topic of motorsports, over at the Nissan booth they had parked the 2008 SuperGT Championship winning GT500 class Nismo GT-R for a pitwork demo. They performed a tire change while various parts of the car were pulled off so that the presenter could lift them up in front of everyone. I guess those tires don’t weigh much after all.

Power Enterprise had their Four Charger VR38 out on display as well, this year they’ve also got a turbo upgrade for GT-R available. It’s pretty impressive to see this engine in all it’s quad charged glory out of the car. So much work went into this, I really wonder about the results though as we’ve not heard much about it in the last 12 months since it’s debut.

The Hashimoto GT-R was there as well showing off it’s Lamborghini Style Doors. Not such a fan myself but was quite interested to check out their Schmieden front lip spoiler to see how functional it was. Unfortunately it’s all show as there are no brake ducts. Can’t fault the looks though it is attractive. The BBS LM-R wheels look good in the flesh except that the centers feel a little on the small side.

Finally, we end with a few non-R35 GT-Rs that stood out. First up is the ER34 sedan with an R35 look rear end. The rear bar has been moulded to allow for the R35 exhaust to be fitted and give a similar looking center grill section. Really though, if you’re going to modify your R34 GT-T you need to go all out like Final Konnexion did. This wide body kit for the ER34 coupe is wild and actually amazing in fit and finish. Check it out in the gallery below!

Images: Copyright (C) 2010 GTRBlog.com.

Alcon, Hashimoto, KW Suspension, Midori Seibi Center, Motor Shows, Nismo, Parts / Manufacturers, Power Enterprise, Super GT, Tokyo Auto Salon, Tuner News gt-r, gtr, Hashimoto, kw, Midori Seibi Center, Nismo, nissan, power enterprise, tokyo autosalon

A fun video put together by Motortrend for an article they published today about a Nissan GT-R up against a pair of purpose built drift Scion tCs. It’s not really about the numbers, it’s just about how the cars make you feel. A good point to make and a reason why I’m going to get my GT-R out on the track more this year.

Link: Motortrend: Shock Value: Nissan GT-R vs Scion Drift tCs

Magazines/DVD/Books, Motor Trend drift, drifting, gt-r, gtr, motortrend, nissan, r35, scion

Lucky owners are already getting their hands on the hot new intercooler kits from HKS for the R35 GT-R. This GT-R owner from the NAGTROC club in the US has unboxed his to find an extremely attractive setup. The cores and ducting looks like the typical HKS top notch quality.

Head over to NAGTROC forums for the rest of the pics!

For more info on the cooler itself, check out our original post on the release.

Link/Source: NAGTROC Forums – HKS Intercooler Unboxed at Jotech Motorsports

HKS, Parts / Manufacturers, Tuner News fmic, gt-r, gtr, HKS, intake, intercooler, nissan, r35

We’re not quite finished with the TAS2010 coverage just yet, we still have a load of photos to sort through for interesting tidbits from the show. Today we’ll cover the HKS Kansai booth who managed a huge showing again at this years AutoSalon. Most interesting this year was getting a chance to check out their lineup in the flesh. Let’s take a look then.

Up there is the HKS Kansai brake air guide system, bigger than I had expected it’s made from carbon and fits up with some nice stainless cap screws. The guide should provide some decent airflow and is probably best combined with some ducts from the front underspoiler. It’s no FIA GT ducting job but it should give you a bit of help on the track keeping the brakes cooler.

We also got a look at the HKS Kansai front mounter transmission cooler. As described a while back, this unit cools the transmission by cooling the engine coolant before it makes its way back to the transmission assembly. This is possibly one of the safest ways to cool your transmission and the quality of the HKS Kansai product is top notch. The ducting you can see is designed to take air from the front bumper to the cooler much the same way as the factor ducting does on the opposite side of the car.

Next up we checked out the HKS Kansai front and rear LSDs for the GT-R. The front LSD we had seen before in the HKS Kansai product release but the rear LSD is new to us. Again these are quality units and are made by a well known Japanese company for HKS Kansai. We’d tell you who but we’re told to keep it quiet for now. The same company makes the other items we saw actually, namely, the GT-R sway bars and adjustable control arms.

These are the first adjustable control arms we’ve seen for the GT-R so far and might be good for guys wants a bit more control over their camber at the front. We haven’t seen them fitted up yet or heard of real world results so we can’t give the specs just yet. They’re still in development for now but hopefully we see a full release soon.

For now you can read up on pricing and specs of product they have released over on the HKS Kansai website. For the new stuff, we’ll keep you posted when we know full details.

Link: HKS Kansai Website

HKS, Motor Shows, Parts / Manufacturers, Tokyo Auto Salon, Tuner News aero, brakes, carbon fibre, gt-r, gtr, HKS, hks kansai, nissan, r35

Regular readers will remember that we were fortunate enough to be able to pay a visit to Mine’s headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan recently. It was the Mine’s Meeting Event that we were invited along to to get the scoop on their latest parts including their amazing new dry carbon front bumper.

Some readers with long memories will also recall the brief update Mine’s released back in November 2009 about the first test day after completion of their very first Mine’s Complete Engine. It was great to read their excitement over the finished product which they had been planning, designing and building for quite some time. Moreover, I was intrigued to experience it for myself to see if the end result was as good as a sum of it’s parts. So lets step back to the beginning to talk about the Mine’s Complete Engine and what exactly it is.

To understand the complete engine you should first start with understanding the Mine’s tuning philosophy. Since day one, tuning has been about feeling for Mine’s, and one feeling above most others in particular – response. The ability to get up and go is valued above almost anything at Mine’s, and that includes raw horsepower numbers. So when tuning the VR38, a big displacement engine with small turbochargers attached, that is to say already quite perky, Mine’s have to go to extremes to improve. This is, in a nutshell, what they have done.

The engine is built from the ground up using lightweight components. The VR’s cast pistons are replaced with forged lightweight items sourced from Mahle. These are forged from aluminum silicon alloy and are coated to lower friction. These are also combined with lightweight pins to bring down the total piston assembly weight.

Next, the stock forged conrods are upgraded. For this task, Mine’s chose ultra-lightweight titanium I-beam conrods. Combine these with the lightweight piston assemblies and each cylinder is down 320grams of reciprocating mass, a saving of over 1.92kg (4.232lbs) spread out over the six cylinder VR38DETT engine.

Working our way up to the head now where the Mine’s Super Chamshaft Shore Pro are utilized. An ideal match for the turbos used, they help the engine breath better. You need to move a lot of air quickly to keep an engine like this happy so proper camshaft choice is crucial to the end result.

The Mine’s demo car is also obviously fitted with pretty much the entire Mine’s R35 GT-R catalog. We should touch on these modifications too to ensure everything is detailed properly.

Ensuring air can get to the engine to begin with is another big focus of the Mine’s complete engine. Painstaking attention has been paid at every stage and to get an full picture of what we mean. lets describe the intake airflow. Starting at the beginning; air enters the system at the standard airbox where it’s filtered with a Mine’s VX-Air filter. It moves along to the Mine’s Titanium Suction Pipe into the turbo compressor side where it’s compressed and forced into the Mine’s Titanium Intercooler Hard Pipe kit. Then it’s off to the intercoolers to be cooled and back out towards the engine again. It then travels via the OEM piping and hose setup properly reinforced to keep it from expanding or popping off by the Mine’s Induction Support and Clamp kit.

Finally, before it enters the intake plenum, it passes through the Mine’s High Flow throttle body which has been smoothed and tweaked in just the right ways to provide as little obstruction as possible.

Phew there’s a lot there but just about the only part Mine’s hasn’t improved in there is the turbochargers themselves, and we’ll get back to that later because we’ve some secrets to let you in on there.

Fuel delivery is just as important, so no chances are taken here either but in comparison the modifications seem simple and perhaps that is part of their beauty. The standard fuel pumps are upgraded with the Mine’s variety. They feed a set of twin upgraded Mine’s Fuel rails into six larger than standard 650cc fuel injectors. While these aren’t giant injectors, they are perfectly sized for the desired output.

Driving the whole thing at an electronic level is the Mine’s VX-ROM with Mine’s legendary tuning ability in full force under the hood.

So that’s how it’s put together, but how does it go? Well to say quick is putting it mildly. It’s a fair bit insane actually.

Shortly after our arrival at Mine’s workshop we had a chance to go for a spin in it. With Niikura-san behind the wheel we took off at a brisk pace out on to the freeway for a short thrash. I guess the first impression you really get is surprise, it’s also the look on your face when you’re told that the Mine’s GT-R is making around 650hp. 650hp shouldn’t be so instant, there should be some spool, some lag before the bulk of the power is delivered. Even if it’s imperceptible, surely it should be there? There just isn’t any time to think about that though as we quickly blow through another gear on our way out of town.

The real key to the Mine’s setup is the instantaneous usability of the power. That is what is most attractive and what would be addictive. The car seems connected more aggressively than ever before to the driver’s right foot. From low RPM in high gears, the GT-R already shines out as atypical for a turbo car but the Mine’s car redefines what is possible to do with the right selection of parts and know how.

So yes, the Mine’s engine in it’s current packaging in the Mine’s demo car is making about 650hp. It does not seem to stress the car at all and it feels like daily driver material when you’re not stabbing the throttle to experience the rush again. The transmission is mildly tweaked in this car with some one off coolers (two transmission coolers) and and a piston oil seal upgrade, the TCM is also upgraded with the latest code from Nissan but is otherwise quite standard.

So it can be well and truly concluded that Mine’s have reached their goal of a 600ps+ response master Nissan GT-R. We’d like to see it hit the track now to set and break some benchmark times. Mine’s current best lap with the Spec-X 6.0 kit at Fuji Speedway is 1:49.782 with Eiji Tarzan Yamada driving, we need to see what the new record will be and we’re assured that this test is coming soon.

So will that be all we see from Mine’s in terms of power modifications? Hardly! They’re already in serious development of a turbocharger upgrade that is set to easily crack 700hp while still maintaining the ultimate response of the standard setup. We’ll keep you posted there.

The Mine’s Complete Engine should be ready for sale in the early part of this year so look out for the announcement. Until then you can set your desktop to the top photo in this post to remind you to check back every so often…

Link: Mine’s Website (English)

Mine's, Parts / Manufacturers, Tuner News complete engine, conrods, gt-r, gtr, mine's, nissan, pistons, r35, vr38, vr38dett

It’s not their widebody masterpiece (yet) but it’s the first stage of carbon fibre upgrades for the Nissan GT-R to come out of Japanese legend Varis. Renowned for their amazing Evo and STi work in the past we’re hoping their final stage of GT-R modifications “fills the shoes” so to speak.

Anyways, pricing is now out for both Japan and US regions thanks to Varis and GT-RR as well as the official product shots. Their kit will be available in Varis Semi Dry Carbon (VSDC) versions as well as wet carbon with separate pricing for each.

The VSDC option allows Varis to produce some very lightweight rigid parts without the full extra cost of a traditional dry carbon production.

The Varis Front Diffuser for example weighs in at 4.5kg versus the 6.5kg standard OEM front underspoiler – more than 30% weight savings. It’s priced at about $2740 USD but probably a little less for the wet carbon version.

Next take a look at the Varis Aero Hood, featuring some unique venting it also looks to be well constructed from underneath. The VSDC version goes for around the $4620 mark but the wet carbon version is just $2845. There’s a weight reduction to just 8.5kg in the VSDC version of the hood.

The rear diffuser round back is again quite an original look, personally I think it needs time to grow on me but if its your cup of tea you can pick one up for $1250 in wet carbon. There is currently no VSDC version of this item.

The sideskirts were quite a hit for me, they really work well with the lines of the car but stand out at the same time. They’re also pretty cheap at just $1250 a set in Varis Semi Dry Carbon. Again you can knock off a bit of that price for the normal wet carbon version if you wanted.

Lastly we have the Varis Rear Wing and Trunk Spoiler available in full VSDC or in VSDC with a FRP trunk spoiler. It’s again an original looking wing that will certainly set your car apart from all the others. I’m not feeling the trunk spoiler but the wing itself looks great. The price is $3350 for the VSDC version or $2750 for the VSDC FRP combo.

For more information and to order, hit up the GT-RR website in the link below!

Link: Varis Runduce Carbon Online @ GT-RR
Link: Varis Carbon Aero for R35 Website (Japanese)
Link: Varis x Runduce GT-R at Tokyo AutoSalon 2010

GT-RR / Bulletproof Automotive, Parts / Manufacturers, Tuner News aero, bodykit, carbon fibre, cf, gt-r, gtr, nissan, r35, runduce, sdc, sdcf, varis

Nissan GT-R gearbox upgrades are popping up more and more these days. Dodson Motorsports out of New Zealand are the pioneers in the field of upgrading the known weak spots in the Nissan’s GR6 DCT.

Switzer are joining forces with Dodson to offer the latest upgrades and strengthening parts for the GT-R transmission. They’ll also be using them in their own upcoming builds so have the advantage of having the real world test data to back them up. One of the very next upgrades that should feature in the Switzer builds are the above upgraded heavy duty GR6 clutch assemblies.

Should be some more info soon on packages and pricing, either way its great to see more options on the market outside of doing the hard work of finding a transmission shop you can trust.

Link: Switzer: New Development Partner: Dodson Motorsport
Link: Dodson Motorsport

Parts / Manufacturers, Switzer Performance, Tuner News dodson, gr6, gt-r, gtr, nissan, r35, switzer, transmission

At first there was the Nissan’s “uncrackable” ECU that was toppled in record time and has since gone on to be completely conquered. Next on the block is the even more cryptic TCM – the transmission control module.

For those who aren’t keeping track of the latest tuning trends, the TCM has been causing some grief for quite a while now. Ever since GT-R owners were cracking 10’s down the quarter mile the TCM has been getting it’s 2 cents in to dampen the fun when and where it can. Soft and hard limp modes, protection modes, error codes, conservative limiters and a general lack of tunability has led a few people to frustration with their mid to high horsepower cars.

Some companies have so far claimed the ability to tune the TCM but so far the services are limited or expensive and sometimes have little in the way of published data to back their GT-R experiences.

Cobb Tuning on the other hand have begun the first campaign to get TCM tuning data out into the community with some solid goals in mind. They’ve figured out how to speak to and flash the TCM via the OBDII port and are set on the path to create TCM maps that can eventually be uploaded using the Cobb Tuning AccessPORT hand held device.

While there’s still a very long ways to go, and 4500 TCM maps to decode, this announcement is one of the most positive steps in the right direction we’ve seen to date. Kudos to Cobb for being open about their progress.

We already know that the estimated RRP will be $1,495 when completed, for more information check out the thread over on the NAGTROC forums…

Link: Cobb Tuning Announcement @ NAGTROC

COBB Tuning, GTR News, Parts / Manufacturers, Tuner News